Iris POV
"W-what are you doing here?" Tudor stammered, "I m-mean you're always welcome of course, but it's unusual to see you around these parts.
I glanced at him in surprise and saw that his terror-filled gaze was fixed on the intruder. I had never seen or heard the loan shark sound anything but smug and self-assured.
But now, he sounded like he was pissing his pants with fear. Who the hell was this man to make someone like Tudor afraid?
A glance around the warehouse revealed that all the other men had dropped their guns and were now backing away slowly.
What the hell was going on?
"I'm missing seven wristwatches, eight rings and a pair of earrings," the man said, eyes never leaving mine.
How had he found us? Had I left something that could be traced back to me? I was sure I had been so careful. Gini and I had done everything we were supposed to do while coming here. No one was supposed to have been able to trail us.
"W-we don't have it," one of the other men said, "It's gone."
A bullet flew past the tall man's shoulders and into the speaker's skull. He dropped to the ground.
With a horrified squeak, I scrambled to my feet and backward, ready to make a run for it as soon as I saw the armed man standing behind the man who was supposed to have been my one-night stand.
The armed man was a giant of a man in black military-like gear. And he looked like he wanted nothing more than to squash our heads like grapes.
"If you try to run, he'll shoot you," the tattooed man said, his voice as cold as ice.
"You fucking bitch!" Tudor roared and I turned to see him staring at me with fury, "What were you thinking by stealing from Rafaelle Tommaso?"
I gasped. Did he mean that the man I had slept with was the deadly, infamous Mafia boss? A man who killed people ruthlessly and without consequences. A man who practically owned the whole of Chicago.
"I-i_" the words couldn't get past my throat. I had felt that he was dangerous but I had been shamelessly drawn to the danger. Hungry for the taste of the darkness he exuded.
"I won't ask again," Rafaelle said, his voice tinged with impatience, "Where are the items you stole from me?"
"They are on their way to a dealer in Miami," Tudor rushed out, "I don't know exactly where Trevor is right now, but if you can tell me what they cost, I'll pay you back. I swear. I'm sure this bitch will be able to fetch me a good amount on the flesh market."
I gaped at him, "Fuck you! I'm not letting you sell me."
"You're the one who stole from him!"
"then I'll steal more to pay him back."
"Oh?" The mafia boss said, sounding amused, "And how long do you plan on stealing to be able to pay back thirty-one million dollars worth of jewellery?"
My head whirled at the astronomical amount, "Thirty-one_" I wheezed.
I turned a dark glower at the bald bastard, "You were going to get all that money and still force me to continue working for you? That would have comfortably covered Gini and Its debts."
My hands curled into fists at my side and I wanted nothing more than to punch the lying piece of filth.
"I know a couple of men that are partial to redheads," Tudor ignored me completely, and shot the mafia boss a placating smile, "We can work towards an agreem_"
There was a sound of a gunshot and half of the bald man's head exploded before he could finish his sentence.
Shock and a bone-deep terror kept me rooted to the ground and unable to even scream. My stomach roiled with the horrifying thought that I was glad that Tudor was dead. He deserved it for killing Gini.
"I expect the rest of you four to be at my club tomorrow ready to start work off your debt," Rafaelle said, "Don't try to run. I'll find you and you won't get a quick death."
My eyes swung around the room. There were still five of us left.
"Are you going to kill me?" I asked, taking a wary step backwards.
"No, you're going to work to pay off every cent you took from me," his words were ominous and goosebumps rose on my arms.
"What kind of work?" I asked. Somehow I didn't think I was going to be stealing for this man.
"You'll spend the next six months in my bed paying your debt."
"I'm not going to be your whore! You can forget about it. I won't do it."
His eyes darkened, "But you were so eager to get into my bed and spread your legs for me."
Heat rose on my cheeks, "That was different."
"I don't care about your foolish justification," he said, "You can either come to my bed willingly or I'll drag you in chains to it. You can choose to participate in the pleasure or I'll take my pleasure from your body without care."
My blood chilled in my veins, "What's my third option?"
His mouth pulled up into a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "You can spend the next six months with Hugo."
The terrifying man behind him grunted and I guessed he was Hugo.
"Hugo can keep you alive for over a year in extreme and excruciating pain," he continued, "torture is his hobby."
I took another step back, "You're a monster."
"I've been called a lot of things and a monster is the tamest," he replied.
And I couldn't believe I had let this man touch me. I had let him put his hands and mouth on me and loved every moment of it. Even now, my pussy twinged in memory of how he had pistoned into me.
Acid rushed up my throat and I doubled over and threw up, feeling my throat and eyes burn as my stomach revolted.
Tears leaked out of my eyes at the realization that I had just gone from being in one bad man's debt to being in a much worse man's debt.
Six months in his bed...
Would anything remain of me in those six months? How could I let this monster take his pleasure with my body whenever and however he pleased?
"Please," I sobbed, "I had no idea. I was just trying to save myself."
"I'm a busy man, and I don't have time for sob stories," he turned on his heels and began to walk away, but at the last moment, he looked over his shoulder at me, "I'll give you two seconds to decide your fate. One..."
I took a step towards him and he chuckled, "Smart girl."
Defeated, there was no other choice than to follow the dark-haired man to the waiting car outside. My fate was sealed by my own hands. And there was nothing I could do about it.