Chapter 29 Selene
Chapter twenty-nine
Selene
A terrible ache spreads across the base of my skull as I slowly shift, rising to take in my surroundings. I narrow my eyes at the dark walls, the old wooden chair that sits in a corner, and the small sink whose inside has turned brown from rust.
The room is cold and dark, save for the small light that falls through a tiny window. There’s also a door on the left, which I assume leads to a toilet.
I try to get up, but my limbs feel heavy, my eyes are dry, and my throat is parched. Then suddenly, all of it crashes into me.
Luca. Cortez. Ramirez.
I was on my way out of the bathroom at the pharmacy when he—
Fuck. I didn’t see who did this. It could have been Ramirez or Los Hierros, but I have a gut feeling it’s Ramirez. Los Hierros wouldn’t have time for this. They’d have killed me the moment they saw I was vulnerable, since they have nothing to prove.
I swear to God if it’s that bastard!
My fists clench as anger sizzles beneath my fingers. Of course, he hasn’t stopped trying to get me. He hasn’t stopped being the greedy, narcissistic bastard he is.
But he’s come at the wrong time. I need to relay information to Cortez. My eyes widen and I stifle a gasp.
Where’s my phone?
Hastily, I get up, tapping every part of my body and somehow hoping it’s still on me. But it’s gone.
Shit.
My feet jitter anxiously as I pace the short length of the room. Luca’s face flashes across my mind, scared and broken. He went back to those people.
My eyes turn watery and I let the tears fall. He went back for me. I should be saving him, not stuck in some damn room with no idea of where I am.
I sink to my knees, my gaze darting everywhere my vision allows. There’s no escaping here. Everywhere is sealed shut. The window is protected with an alarm and is too high anyway. Even if I wanted to climb, the chair is too low and there’s no other platform.
I’m still thinking when I hear footsteps approaching. I turn around, mentally preparing myself, when the lock turns with a clink and the door opens.
Ramirez’s silhouette appears before me, then a switch flicks. A flickering bulb in the center of the room illuminates the space dimly, and I catch the smug grin on his face.
Silence tenses the air as he strides triumphantly a few paces towards me, then digs his hands into his pockets.
“Sleeping beauty finally wakes.” He shoots me a sly smile.
“Let me go.” I square my shoulders, and he laughs.
“Let you go?” He cocks a brow, voice growing low. “You just got here. Don’t tell me you think I’m a bad host.”
I clench my fist. “Cortez will find you.”
He looks at me before barking out a dry laugh. “Your fiancé? He’s an idiot, letting you out of the house unguarded.”
The hairs on my body rise when I see the resentful glint in his eyes.
“These days you can’t be so sure who’s watching…” he says, turning to take small strides to the other end of the room, “…waiting for you to slip up.”
I inhale sharply, eyes narrowing at his pockets to see if I can somehow spot a phone.
“And you…you’re no more than a fool yourself. Unaware of your surroundings. I was in the car, one of my men was getting something at the pharmacy when they reported seeing you walk into the bathroom.”
Shit. Just how much danger is my recklessness going to land me in?
“I didn’t believe it at first, you know. The all-smart and mouthy Selene would never be that stupid. But the thing is, you are stupid. You’ve always been stupid. You just think everyone else is, too.”
Drowning out his words, I take in the old wooden chair in the corner. Maybe I could use it as a weapon. Hit him right where I’m sure it would leave him unconscious. Then what? Run out?
No. That’s unsafe. I don’t know where we are or how many guards he has outside. I have to find my phone first.
He turns to me with a smirk that sends irritation down my spine. I hold my breath, watching how he strides slowly towards me, eyeing me like prey.
“I’ve escaped Cortez many times. I’ve shot him…not a privilege most get to have, but I do,” he boasts, voice filled with smug satisfaction. “They say he’s the most powerful mafia don in New York, but here you are…his fiancée, powerless and completely at my mercy.”
My chest heaves as I take in a deep breath, and I don’t miss the way his eyes fall to my chest…then down my body. Another shiver of irritation tickles my spine.
He licks his lips, lust swirling in his dark eyes. “You’re different, you know. You’ve always been. That fire…the flair, that’s what makes you stand out. And I know I’ll enjoy taming every inch of you.”
Words bubble on the tip of my tongue. There are many things I’d like to say to him. One being how he should go fuck himself. But I hold back when he unfurls his hand from his pocket and slowly swings my phone in front of him.
The screen flashes for a second. I hold back a smirk. He charged it, probably searching to find something. I wonder if he saw the recording.
“Forget about your fiancé finding you. You can’t call that bastard. You’re stuck here with me.” His lips stretch into a wicked grin. “So I suggest you cooperate.”
I swallow, letting my eyes go wide and feigning hopelessness. Maybe there’s another way to get the phone.
“Now, where did your stupid father stash his fortune? I know he had a lot, kept it hidden in places. Is it underground? On a ship? An offshore ledger? Tell me, Selene.”
I let silence fall and pretend to think about it. Truly, my father had fortunes kept somewhere, but like his pipelines, I don’t know shit about that.
Shaking my head, I let my shoulders drop just enough to catch his attention. “I-I don’t know.”
Suspicion narrows his gaze. “Bullshit,” he grits, fists clenching. “Don’t play games with me, Selene.”
“I’m…not. Ramirez, please,” my voice falters deliberately. “You know my father and you know how he was towards me. E-Even if I wanted to tell you right now, I couldn’t because I barely know a thing about his mafia.”
My pulse riots beneath my neck as I take tentative steps towards him.
“But there’s something else I can give you right now.” I bite my lips, running my eyes along his frame. “…And maybe we can search for the fortune together. Make some calls together…follow leads.”
He goes silent, and I can see the wheels turn in his head.
“I’m tired of always being on the losing side. Dad, Cortez, none of them have the grit that you do. You’re smart…you know what you want and you go for it…” I add, watching how lust gradually fills his gaze.
Placing my hands on his shoulders, I raise myself on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “…And fuck that turns me on.”
In a second, he tucks the phone into his back pocket carelessly and grabs my waist, pressing himself into my body. Disgust runs through me when I feel his boner on my stomach. Bastard!
“Oh, you feel so big.” I cringe when the words leave my lips.
“I am,” he rumbles arrogantly.
Faking a moan, I pull back to look in his eyes and see his gaze darken impossibly with lust. His nostrils flare, and before I know it, I’m pressed against the wall, his lips latching onto my neck. His hands leave my back and go under my dress to roam my thighs.
“Ohhh,” I moan, letting my hands roam his back. When I reach his waistband, I arch my chest into him and quickly slip the phone behind me. Then I push him away softly, my heart slamming against my ribcage.
I hold my breath as he furrows a questioning brow at me.
“I-I feel dirty down there.” Nervousness thickens my throat. “Please let me freshen up a little.”
He pauses before releasing a heavy grunt. “Make it quick.”
I slip into the bathroom, shutting the door softly. The moment the latch clicks, I spring into action, taking out the phone and navigating to messages.
My fingers quake as I click the recording of my conversation earlier with Luca and type a short message to send along with it: Ramirez has me. Don’t know where I am. Please come fast.
I press send and watch the interface drag slowly before displaying one percent. Shit. That’s when I note the network bar. It’s very low, but compared to the dock, there’s still hope.
Releasing a thick breath, I turn on the tap, letting the water rush as I nervously bite my lips. If Ramirez notices that his phone is gone, I’m in trouble. Big time.
My eyes slide to the phone again, and now it says fourteen percent.
“Come on,” I mutter inaudibly, now thinking of Cortez. I wonder what he thinks or where he thinks I am. Or even if I’m worth saving.
Not now, Selene. No self-sabotaging right now.
I shove my hands beneath the running water.
The water does nothing to calm my trembling fingers. Releasing another nervous breath, I splash it on my face and grip my hair.
I don’t know how long I spend in there, but before I know it, the door bursts open and an angry Ramirez pins me with a raging gaze.
“Stupid bitch!” he yells, yanking me out by my hair and shoving me roughly onto the floor. He snatches the phone from my grip and a heavy smack cracks across my face. I barely have time to recover when he drives his fist into my face, knocking my head into the floor.