Owned by the Mafia King

ELLA

The clock struck midnight just as I stepped away from my station to take out the trash. I wasn’t expecting trouble, but the rustle of movement in the shadows stopped me cold.

My stomach twisted. I picked up my pace toward the dump site, desperate to return to the safety of the club. But before I could react, a hand yanked my ponytail from behind, dragging me violently into the darkness.

“Look what we’ve got here, boys.”

That voice, raspy, cruel, and seared into my nightmares turned my blood to ice.

They’d found me.

But how? I’d changed jobs. I used a different name. I’d been so careful.

Panic closed around my throat like a noose. Was this it? Were they finally going to make good on their sick threats? To cut out my kidney and sell it for cash?

My head snapped back as they forced me to look at them: three men with leering eyes and rotted souls. Their faces, etched into my memory, stared back with cruel amusement.

The were called the collectors.

I borrowed money from them once. 

Just once.

 To save my parents. And now I was paying for it with my life.

“Our dear Ella,” said the leader, the one I called Fat Lips in my mind. 

His voice dripped with mockery.

He was the worst of them. The kind of man who smiled while people begged for their lives.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I knew what they could do. I knew no one would hear me scream.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I silently pleaded for mercy. The other two stalked closer, their bloodshot eyes gleaming with drink and menace.

“Time to pay up, sweetheart,” Fat Lips hissed, twisting my ponytail until my scalp burned. “We warned you.”

“Pretty little thing,” another sneered, revealing yellow teeth and a nose that looked like it had been broken more times than he could count.

Fat Lips pulled out his phone and held it to my face.

“Still don’t care?” he asked. 

When my eyes landed on the screen, my heart stopped cold.

On the screen were my grandparents. 

The picture was taken of them sitting in our tiny living room, laughing.

 My stomach tightened Into painful knots.

“Or maybe you’d prefer Todd,” he said, his voice thick with mockery. “We could break his legs. Put him in a wheelchair. You can nurse him back to health. Sweet, right? Always and forever shit like that.”

A sob tore from my throat. 

Todd.

 No. 

Not him.

“Please,” I whispered. “Please, just give me more time. I’m trying, I swear I’m trying.”

He leaned close, his rancid breath on my cheek. “Last chance, Ella.”

Then he shoved me. My knees hit the stone, my skin scraping raw.

“I’ll pay,” I gasped. “Please. Just leave them out of this.”

Fat Lips crouched beside me, smiling like the devil. “We’ll see.”

The three of them disappeared into the shadows, their laughter echoing off the alley walls.

I staggered back to the club, trembling and bruised. My boss didn’t even blink at my appearance. 

Around here, no one cared.

I found Lila, my only friend and whispered, “I saw them again.”

Her eyes rounded into saucers, 

“Them? Are you serious?”

I nodded. “They were here.”

She cursed under her breath. 

“Damn it, Ella. You look like hell. I thought maybe it was something with Todd. You can’t keep living like this.”

“I know,” I said, my voice cracking. “I’m doing extra shifts. Saving every penny.”

Lila grabbed my hand. “We’ll figure this out. But promise me, never take the trash out alone again.”

I nodded, but deep down I knew the truth.

No one could save me if they came back.

That night, I walked home in a daze. The streets blurred past me, shadows and cold wind pressing against my skin. 

All I wanted was to curl up in bed and pretend none of it had happened.

But when I opened my apartment door, everything inside me froze.

They were here.

Again!

Sitting on my bed, those same grins twisted across their faces like masks from hell.

My breath caught. “I don’t have the money yet,” I choked. “You said I had more time.”

One of the men, his grin dripping with malice, leaned in closer.

 "Time? Ella, you've had enough time. Too much time, in fact. Plus, something came up and we need the money right now."

It had only been four hours for crying out loud! Where would I get 10,000 in such a short period!

With a shaking hand, I began to search my bag for the tips I received.

I grabbed all I could and stretched my hand. Fat lips looked at me like I was handing down to him a pile of shit.

“Does this look like a joke to you? You ran! Five times and you thought we wouldn't find you? Maybe you need to do this the hard way!” 

Before I could react, strong hands gripped my arms, pulling me away from my house. 

I struggled, but they were stronger than me, their grip like iron.

 Panic coursed through me as I realized the gravity of the situation.

I was being kidnapped!

They forced me into a waiting car, and I couldn’t even see the faces of the men who had become my captors worse off fight them. 

The world outside blurred as the car sped away, and then, there was darkness.