Chapter 6 Escape

(Esme's POV)

I had been locked in the dark, damp basement for six hours.

I lifted the only wooden chair in the room and slammed it hard against the iron door. The chair splintered apart, and I gasped for breath, then grabbed up the scattered wood fragments and smashed them into the walls.

"Open the door! Let me out! I'm just a doctor, I saved your men!" I screamed into the surveillance camera, my face twisted with fear and desperation.

As a former DIA operative, I knew how to play a terrified civilian trapped by gangsters. But not all my panic was an act. Six hours in that basement had left my bladder painfully full, the pressure so intense I could barely think.

The heavy iron door finally creaked open.

The door swung back, revealing a towering, muscular figure walking in against the light.

He stood well over six feet three, his tailored black suit fitted to broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a defined collarbone and broad, muscular chest.

His face was all hard, striking lines: a strong jaw, a high-bridged nose, sculpted lips, and dark eyes that pinned me in place.

My heart skipped. This man was breathtakingly beautiful.

I knew at once he was not the Gambino Family's new Don. The feared Don never appeared in public without a mask.

But the raw, aggressive male energy and the oppressive dominance radiating from him made my nerves taut. His dark eyes swept over the wreckage, then settled directly on me. There was no anger, only a calculating, unnerving scrutiny.

Mateusz's lips curled into a slow, knowing smile, his deep, gravelly voice echoing through the basement. "You're quite the troublemaker, doctor. Looks like you've got good stamina."

"Who the hell are you? You have no right to hold me here!" I huddled against the wall, letting panic shake my voice. "I'm an ER doctor. I saved your men. I need a bathroom. Now."

Mateusz looked down at me with an air of superiority, raised an eyebrow. "My name is Mateusz. Want to go to the bathroom? Come with me."

He led me up the stairs to the first-floor luxury bathroom. As I reached for the door, a massive, powerful hand slammed against the doorframe.

I stared at him with suspicion. "What do you want? Get out!"

Mateusz drew his hand from his pocket and blocked the exit with his massive body. His gaze traveled slowly over me, possessive and invasive. "Go ahead. The door stays open. I'll watch."

"You bastard! That's a violation of privacy!" The humiliation surged through me, and I glared at him with teeth bared.

"In this house, I make the rules." Mateusz seized my chin and pressed his thumb into my lower lip. His eyes were dark and predatory. "Either go now, or return to the basement and hold it."

A sharp cramp in my lower abdomen ended the argument. I turned my back to him and fumbled with my pants, shaking with humiliation. I had no choice but to relieve myself under Mateusz's unblinking stare.

I scrubbed my hands at the sink and faced him. "I saved your wounded men. They promised I could leave if I helped. Give me back my belongings. I'm going."

"Leave?" Mateusz sneered, suddenly stepping forward and slamming me against the wall, his massive frame crushing me. "From this moment on, you're staying. You're my personal doctor."

"Absolutely not. On what grounds are you holding me?" I shouted, pounding my fists against his chest.

Mateusz's eyes flashed with something dark. He said nothing, simply reached out, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me off the ground, carrying me like a sack.

"Put me down! You bastard! Put me down!" I screamed, swinging my fists at his back and kicking his thighs.

As we passed down the hall, several men bowed respectfully. "Mateusz!"

"Be quiet." Mateusz lifted one hand and brought it down hard across my ass. The slap cracked through the hall.

The shame froze me in place, my eyes stinging.

He carried me up to the third-floor master bedroom and slammed me onto the massive double bed.

I immediately sat up, trying to bolt out, but Mateusz had already stepped onto the bed, kneeling between my legs, his long, strong fingers gripping my wrists tightly, pinning me beneath him.

He leaned close, his breath hot against my ear. "I have to check on my men. You, little pet, will stay here. Behave, and I'll have your belongings returned. Fight me or try to run..."

His hand slid slowly down my waist, squeezing hard, his voice low and threatening. "Things won't go as smoothly from here on."

He released me, stood, and strode out of the room, slamming the door shut with a loud "thud."

Hearing the lock click, I instantly dropped the fear and shame. My eyes sharpened, cold and clear.

Mateusz was only a subordinate. I could not waste time on him. I had to reach the Don, the man who controlled the entire operation. Only he could give me the handwritten ledger I needed to complete the DIA mission and save Lily.

I stared at the closed door, my mind racing. I needed to plan an escape, to create enough chaos throughout the entire villa so that the mysterious Don would have to personally deal with me, the "troublemaker" doctor.