Sold to Moretti Mafia

Fallon

“See, Felix is going to take good care of her,” Markus says. “She’ll be safe with him.”

“No, this means nothing. It’s just a bite, she was probably scared. You can’t just give her to him,” I argue, but my pleas don’t reach anyone.

“Fallon, Julie is leaving today, whether you like it or not. You can either help me get her ready and enjoy the last few moments you have with her, or you can wait in the bedroom.”

“I won’t let this happen! You can’t-” I gently place Julie’s hand on the bed and shove up from my chair.

“Bedroom it is,” Markus declares. “You can either go there yourself, or I can drag you there by your hair. Your choice.”

My gaze zips between an upset Markus, an unreadable Felix, and an incoherent Julie. Fuck, Markus is not going to budge on this. My heart is breaking for Julie, but what can I do? Fighting Markus won’t change anything. She’s still leaving here, regardless.

“Can I at least say goodbye?”

Markus nods, but I can tell he is annoyed, and his patience is running low. I’m on thin ice right now. Cradling Julie’s hand between both of mine, I lean in and carefully kiss her cheek.

“I promise I’ll see you again soon,” I whisper. “Goodbye, for now.”

I stand quickly, not wanting to cry in front of either of these men. I briskly escape the room and head toward Markus’s bedroom. I’m almost inside the bedroom when I realize this is the first, and most likely, last time, Markus has let me out of his sight without me being tied to the bed. Could this be my only chance? I know Markus said he would help me, but how much can I count on that? Am I willing to gamble on my sister’s safety? No.

Darting a look over my shoulder, I make sure Markus didn’t follow me before I bypass the bedroom and venture further down the hall. I open the first door I find and peek inside. It’s a gym. I don’t think I’ll find what I’m looking for here, so I close the door and keep going.

I open the next door and pop my head inside. The first thing I see is a wall of books. A bookshelf that stretches from the bottom all the way to the ceiling. I scan the rest of the room and find a large desk sitting in front of a vast window that overlooks the city. Bingo.

Sneaking inside, I close the door behind me and start my scavenger hunt. I pull open every drawer, look in every small space, nook, and cranny only to come up empty time and time again. With every passing moment, my heart beats faster, knowing that Markus is going to find me soon. It’s inevitable. He is going to find me and punish me.

I know it, but I also know that I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.

I have to at least try. I have to…

“Looking for something?”

I freeze. My whole body just stops as if my operating system just got fried by lightning. Fear holds me prisoner, tossing away the key. The only movement my body will allow is my eyes lifting to where Markus is standing.

To my utter shock, he seems… calm. Which is extremely alarming. With his arms folded across his chest, he leans against the wall casually, almost identical to the stance he took earlier when he asked me about food. But this isn’t takeout. This is life or death for someone I love, and as much as I don’t want to hurt Markus, my sister means more to me.

Still unable to speak, move, or even breathe, I do nothing. Silence stretches between us as I wait for the moment Markus will snap.

He’ll drag me out of the room by my hair, tie me up, and lock me away for weeks. The images running through my head already look like the preview of a movie, a promise of what’s to come. I feel like a mouse that’s seconds away from falling into the trap.

Instead of all the things I’m conjuring up in my mind happening, he leisurely unfolds his arms and strolls across the room. He stops in front of a modern-looking painting hanging on the far side of the wall. Using both hands, he pulls it from the wall and deposits the picture on the floor next to him.

A safe was behind the picture. Of course.

Markus types in a combination, and the safe door clicks before swinging open. My entire mouth goes dry, and I wonder what is inside. What’s he going to do? The suspense is killing me.

Markus reaches inside, and I’m almost positive he is reaching for a gun. When he turns around, I nearly flinch but discover that there is something small in his hand. Stretching his arm out to me, he shows me the small item lying in the palm of his hand.

“Take it. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? The footage from that night.”

My lungs burn, and I realize I’m still holding my breath. I suck in a tiny bit of air, still unable to get my body to move or act normal.

“Take. It,” Markus repeats, his tone more insistent this time.

It’s a trick. It has to be. After everything, he’s willingly giving me the one thing I need to set my sister free?

He sighs deeply and closes the distance between us in two large strides. Before I can spiral into a full-blown panic, he grabs my hand and shoves the thumb drive inside. Then steps back again.

He reaches into his back pocket. “Here is some cash for a cab or whatever you need.” He takes out a wad of bills, that must be at least a few hundred dollars from his wallet and hands them to me. I can’t seem to comprehend what is happening. Why is he doing this? Why is he offering to help me? He asked me to trust him, and now he’s giving me what I need and letting me go.

On autopilot, I lift my hand and take the cash.

“You’re letting me go?” I ask in disbelief. “You said you would never let me go.”

Markus shrugs, a cold mask sliding over his face. “Changed my mind. Getting rid of Julie is such a relief. Made me realize how much work you are. I’ve got better shit to do. Plus, I’ve grown tired of your pussy. I’m going to buy something better next auction, someone prettier and less mouthy.”

His words slice through the thumping organ in my chest. I feel myself bleeding out. Fading.

“You don’t mean that.” I don’t know why I say it. I should be glad he changed his mind. I should be running out of this apartment as fast as I can.

Trick or not, I need to take the chance to get away. Instead, I’m hurt by his words, hurt by the thought of him replacing me as if I were nothing to him.

“Let’s go. I have better things to do. Get out.” He points toward the door.

“Are you serious?” I swallow around the ball of emotion in my throat, around all the words I want to say but can’t.

“Out!” Markus roars, and my limbs spring into action.

He doesn’t move as I head toward the door, and I don’t hear him following me to the elevator. Even when I step inside, I am convinced he is about to jump around the corner and pin me to the ground, but nothing happens when the door closes, and nothing happens when it reopens into a large foyer downstairs.

The front of the building is all glass, and I can see the busy street ahead of me. Still unable to trust this whole situation, I take a hesitant step out of the elevator. I’m prepared for something bad to happen but again, nothing.

Clutching onto the thumb drive, I speed walk toward the exit. I push the front door open, and the sounds of the city wash over me. People talking, laughing, cars speeding by, and honking somewhere down the street. The onslaught of sounds is almost overwhelming. The only thought keeping me sane is the one where my sister needs me.

I take one more glance back and into the foyer. It’s empty… Markus didn’t follow me.

A mixture of relief and disappointment floods my veins. Maybe he was telling the truth? Before I allow myself to dwell on the thought, I shove both feelings down into a deep corner of my mind, spin around and hail a cab.

Someone stops in a matter of seconds, which isn’t surprising seeing that every other vehicle seems to be a taxi. I get into the back, stuffing the cash into my pocket but keeping the thumb drive in my hand.

“The library, please.”

“To the library,” the driver confirms and takes off. Thankfully, he doesn’t try to make any small talk with me since I don’t have the nerve for that right now.NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

He drops me off in front of a large gray building, and I pay him with one of the twenty-dollar bills Markus gave me. “Keep the rest,” I call on my way out and slam the door shut behind me.

Walking up the stairs to the front door, I wonder if this is the right move. Maybe I should just find a phone and call the number myself? No, I need to see what’s on this drive.

Inside, I bypass every single bookshelf and find a public computer instead. Luckily, they have one available all the way in the corner, away from prying eyes.

I shove myself down into a seat and plug the thumb drive into the USB port.

A few seconds later, a folder appears on the screen. It reads Victoria.

Sucking in a shaky breath, I move the mouse over the folder and click on it. Two sub-folders open, neither one is labeled, so I just click on the first one. My heart clenches so tightly in my chest, I wonder if I’m having a heart attack.

What I see has my blood turning ice cold. Bile rises in my throat as I take in the image before me. It’s a picture of Markus holding a woman in his arms, cradling her, a woman who seems to be dead, killed by a gunshot wound to her head.

A woman who looks very much like me.