Chapter 2
ISABELLA
My room sparkles like a gilded cage.
Silk and gold everywhere. Modern furniture that looks brand new, and a bed that could fit three of me. This one room is twice the size of Dad’s apartment.
But my new prison isn’t why I couldn’t sleep last night, or why once I finally did, I woke up trembling.
That’s his fault.
Viktor Morelli. The brutal mob boss who runs New York City.
Everyone knows who he is. They call him The Ice Man because he’s so cold. And what did The Ice Man try to do last night?
He tried to kiss me.
And the craziest part is that I almost let him. Almost.
What were you thinking, Bella? I think as I stare up at the ornate painting decorating the entire ceiling.
I was so terrified when Dad brought me in to see him. Selling me off as collateral to the fiercest man in the city? But then when I stepped into his office, his mere presence caused something in me to shift.
Maybe I’m just going crazy, but it was like standing in front of a wild lion and knowing it wasn’t going to eat me.
It was the way he looked at me. Those eyes that should have had me running for my life held me in place like a paralytic.
And that voice—so deep, commanding, but strangely gentle at the same time. “It’s okay, sweetheart. There’s nothing to worry about.”
His words still echo in my mind as I replay our meeting over and over.
I know I should fear him. I should fear everything about my situation and be formulating an escape plan. He’s a killer, for Christ’s sake!
But there’s something about him—like a warm splinter embedded in my chest, and although it stings, I don’t want to pull it out.
Yeah, I’m losing it.
“You’re going to be staying with…someone else for a while,” Dad told me yesterday. He couldn’t even look at me. I knew what was coming. It’s not like he’s kept his gambling a secret from me.
“Someone else?”
“It’ll just be for a while, Isabella. Until I can find the money to get my debt repaid.”
Unbelievable.
And now, I’ve been sold off! My father lost his money, and Viktor owns me now. I’m his to do what he wants with.
I should be terrified.
But if I’m being honest with myself, it kind of turns me on…
With a heavy sigh, I swing my legs out of bed. What am I supposed to do? As I walk into the ornate bathroom, three times the size of my bedroom back home, my body starts tingling.
It’s like I’m in the midst of a war between my rational mind, which is screaming at me to be terrified of this monster who I now belong to, and my body, which is well…making things happen…
Viktor may be a killer, but he’s also brutally sexy. His massive, muscular body towers over me like a giant, and his voice is pure testosterone.
His eyes are intent, frighteningly so, but there’s something in his gaze that had my heart pounding. And not out of fear.
He’s a man who carved a life for himself using brute force. Just thinking about what he’s done has my head spinning. I’m on auto-pilot as I shower and wrap myself up in a towel.
What are you gonna do, Bella? What?
Just as I’m stepping back into my bedroom, I hear the doors opening. A faint scent of cologne wafts in that I didn’t smell last night from Victor. My heartrate rises.
One of his lackies sent to check on me?
Slowly, I step out of the bathroom and cry out when I see the man standing there.
He’s dressed in a wrinkled suit, his shirt is torn, his hair’s a mess, and he’s staring at me like a rabid dog.
“Well…look at this tasty little snack.” His voice drags, and his words slur. He’s drunk and looking at me like I’m his next meal.
I try to cry out, but my throat is tight, and no sound comes out. He staggers toward me, tongue out, teeth gnashing. I snatch a vase from the bedside table and hurl it at him.
Somehow, he manages to duck out of the way. The vase shatters against the wall, and he cackles maniacally.
“Aren’t you a f–f–feisty one?”
My heart nearly jumps out of my throat as I race for the bathroom. I’m just about to slam the door when the man lunges forward and snatches me by the arm.
Finally, my voice comes back, and I scream bloody murder.
“Help!”
I don’t know how, but in the blink of an eye, Viktor is behind my attacker, his eyes blazing. He grabs the man by the hair with his thick hand and rips him off me.
With a single motion, he lifts the man and slams him to the ground, pinning him down with his knee. My attacker flails like an angry kitten, helpless against the brutal strength of The Ice Man.
“Viktor, wait!” the man chokes out. “I was just—"
“I know what you were doing, Craig,” Viktor growls. “Breaking my one rule, you rapist piece of shit. No one touches her!”
My jaw drops as Viktor stands and lifts the man into the air like he weighs nothing. He drives his fist into Craig’s guts, causing him to deflate like a balloon.
He hands him over to Anton, who now stands at the door. “Cut his throat and drop him in the river.”
Anton simply nods, stone-faced, and drags my attacker from the room.
My knees nearly give out. The sound of my heartbeat in my ears reassures me that I’m still alive. I brace myself against the wall and drink in a deep breath.
And that’s when Viktor turns to me. What I just saw terrifies me, but I’m also tingling all over. I have goosebumps, but they’re not from fear.
This man could kill me.
He owns me. But he just saved me from something terrible. Knowing his reputation, I doubt anyone would believe me if I told them.
Carefully, like he’s doing his best not to scare me, he walks over and looks down at me.
“Are you okay, princess?”
No, I’m not okay. My world is spinning.
“Y–yes,” I stammer, doing my best to nod. But Viktor sees right through me. He knows I’m anything but okay, and he comes right over to me.
My hand looks like a doll’s compared to his as he takes it and strokes it gently. His skin is rough—hard like him. But the care he displays for me, especially after committing such a violent act, has my heart aflutter.
“That was my mistake,” he says. “Craig was one of my enforcers. He got too drunk last night, and I let him stay here to sleep it off. I should have known better now that you’re here. It won’t happen again.”
Is he looking for forgiveness from me?
“I–Thank you,” I stammer. A hint of his scent slips into my nose, igniting something inside of me. And somehow, I’m able to look up at him without my whole-body trembling.
“No.” He shakes his head. “No need to thank me. I promised you that you’d be safe here, and I intend to uphold that promise.”
A thrilling sensation grabs my chest. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to focus. I’m experiencing a sensory overload. Adrenaline is still pumping through me from the attack, but Viktor’s hand on mine is doing all kinds of other things to me.
“Let me make it up to you,” he finally says, shattering the silence.
“W–what do you mean?”
“Breakfast. I’m actually a good chef.” He snaps his fingers, and a man enters, pushing a large rack filled with clothes. “Get dressed and join me in the kitchen. It’s down the hall on the left.”
Before I can respond, he’s walking out the door. This is a man who is used to being obeyed. It’s not even a question to him whether or not I’ll do as he says.
“They should all be your size,” the man says to me. “Let me know if you need anything else, and it will be provided for you.”
And just like that, he’s gone.
My jaw drops when I see the clothes hanging there for me. Everything designer—luxury beyond anything I could ever imagine. I eye a coffee-colored dress that probably cost more than two months’ rent for our apartment.
It’s sleek, sexy, and unlike anything I’ve ever worn in my life. And part of me thinks I should be offended. How dare he suggest I put on something like that for him?
But a bigger part of me takes over, and I reach out and grab it. My heart pounds heavily as I slip out of the towel and into the dress.
I don’t know why, but I want to please him.
Viktor Morelli, the man who bought me from my father. I want to make him happy. I want to be a good girl for him.
Am I losing my mind?