I barely have one foot in front of the other before I collide with a solid chest. Stumbling backward, I am met with a vice-like grip around my throat, cutting off my breath and I stare wide-eyed into the dark eyes of a second masked man, his head tilted to the side. As I struggle for breath, each squeeze of his huge hand getting tighter, I lift the knife, attempting to stab him in the throat, but he simply catches my wrist in one swift movement, crushing it until I feel bones crack and I am forced to drop it.
He yanks me around before shoving me aside with brutal force while releasing me, sending me flying into my childhood bedroom. I gasp for air in my deprived lungs, clutching at my throbbing throat, tears blurring my vision as fear trembles through me. I cough and rub my neck, my body shaking while I sit up and kick myself backward until I am against the wall behind me.
I raise my eyes to find the two men, dressed in black suits and masked standing ominously at the doorway. I suddenly hear footsteps approaching from the hallway, each step slow and calculated across the wood and I feel an unbearable shiver shoot up my spine. The guards step aside and when he comes into view, my heart slows to a stop.
A man slowly strides into the room, his head lowered, tattoos covering every inch of his skin that is visible, even some on his face. He wears a tight, black, tailored suit that hugs around his muscular physique. When he comes to a halt in front of me, his dark, sinister eyes flash to mine with his head still tilted down.With one hand tucked in his pants pocket, he casually brushes his thumb over his bottom lip with the other while silently observing me.
Our eyes lock in an intense gaze, the air becoming so thick around me that it is almost suffocating. The evil that shreds of him is unmatched. There is no need for him to speak or confirm who he is; he is straight out of anyone's nightmares. He is Maddox.
As reality sets in, I shake my head, pressing myself against the wall. Maddox remains eerily composed, his hand dropping to his side as he lifts his chin, his scrutinizing eyes still analyzing every inch of me. I curl into myself, drawing my knees up to my chest, desperate to create distance between us.
“We can either do this the easy way, Swan or the hard way.”
His deep voice, laced with poison, cuts through the silent air, yet it is strangely calm. Once I gather the little courage I have left, I manage to choke out a response.
“I’m... I am not Swan.”
His sharp jaw tightens in annoyance at my timid voice, and with a calm gesture of his hand, he motions to his guards behind him without breaking eye contact with me. Suddenly, they rush forward, grab, and lift me by my upper arms before dragging me out of the room with a forceful grip.
After being hauled into the rear of a black four-wheel-drive with tinted windows, I now find myself pulling up outside a massive, discreet mansion in an unknown place. I had attempted to track our route, but I became sidetracked by the sheer terror coursing through me. They, of course, took my phone, stomped all over it, destroying it and leaving me completely vulnerable.
Throughout the entire journey, Maddox has been sitting beside me, but he hasn't uttered a word and has simply stared out of the rainy window beside him, fiddling with all the silver rings on his fingers as if this insanity is completely normal to him. It clearly is. Chaos and Reign had warned me about the type of monster heis, but I am clinging to a faint hope that maybe we can reach an agreement of understanding before I attempt to flee once more.
Who am I kidding? I am not going to escape him; it is simply not going to be possible. You can sense his aura of power. He possesses a distinct supremacy compared to both Chaos and Reign. The way he executes himself makes him appear much more dangerous and he doesn’t even need to speak. When Reign stated that Maddox did not have a soul, I saw it as soon as I peered into his eyes. It was as if I were staring into an infinite pit of darkness that swallows all light and hope.
How did I, an apparent mafia queen, end up pairing with this psycho? Where is my voice in all of this? Don’t I have a say as the heir? My parents are not even alive, and these men are still taking this absurdity seriously after all these years. It is crazy what miserable and revengeful thoughts can do to people.
As the car halts, I shoot Maddox a wary glance as the driver opens the door for him, allowing him to step out with calmness. I draw a trembling breath, I release some of the tension as soon as his door closes, mentally preparing myself for whatever awaits me in this place. Through the rain-streaked window,
I gaze at the dark mansion before us, its gloomy façade which matches him perfectly and I cannot help but wonder if this is where he lives. Would he have the audacity to bring me here when Chaos and Reign could possibly be looking for me? Perhaps they aren’t, perhaps they'll realize he has me now and there's nothing they can do about it. Maybe I'm stuck with Satan for the rest of my life. Maybe he is my doomed fate.
One of his guards suddenly covers my view of the house, and the door swings open before I am grabbed by the top of my arm and yanked out of the car before I can even react. I staggerforward over the gravel, but he maintains a firm grip on me. I instantly feel the rain pouring down on me and when I lift my head, sweeping my long hair away from my eyes, I find Maddox staring at me, while placing a cigarette between his lips, lights it and then inhales deeply.
His eyes wander down the length of my small frame as smoke ejects from his nostrils before he makes a head gesture.
“Get her inside the fucking house.”
I rashly speak as he prepares to turn around and enter.
“You don't have to do this.”
He comes to a halt, side-eying me over his shoulder and I continue.
“I don't want to be with you as much as you don't want to be with me. Just let me go; I do not want to be associated with the Mafia, and I don't want the rank. I will leave New York forever.”
He pauses and lowers his head as if he is pondering before abruptly spinning around and marching straight toward me. My entire body freezes and my eyes widen when he snatches my face, brutally gripping my cheeks, and he peers down at me while speaking angrily.
«????????, ???? ??????».(Shut the fuck up.)
I force a hard swallow from his hostile tone in Russian, and then he roughly releases my face. With my face to the side, I flex my jaw, attempting to relieve the pain that I had just felt. My eyes shift to his, and he stares expressionlessly into mine for a moment more before turning around and strolling toward thefront door. I stare at his back before being compelled to follow him inside.
I glance around the dark interior, taking it all in. It is equally as sinister as it was outside, and it's huge; at least three times larger than Chaos and Reign's. While I am too busy gawking, I suddenly hear a woman screaming in the far distance, and my blood chills. It is an excruciating shriek filled with torment and suffering.
I attempt to peer around to see where it is coming from, but I'm simply being drawn deeper inside. When we come to a complete halt, my attention is pulled to Maddox when he speaks with his back to us.
«— ???????? ?? ? ???????.» (Take her to the master.)
I widen my eyes in realization at his words, feeling a sinking sensation in my gut as I'm forcibly pulled forward. He casually strides away deeper into the mansion, and I am dragged up the staircase to the top floor, but I don’t put up resistance. I refrain from fighting right now, knowing I need to wait for the perfect time to come.
