Accused of murder

Nightmare

“I’m only 17!! No way, you can forget about a blind date. You can’t just mess things up and insult important figures and let your children face the consequences like you did with Mariana” I yelled. Mariana my poor big sister who has forced to an arranged marriage three years ago at the age of 20 to settle a feud with the Morales family that was caused by my father. And now he had done it again with the De León’s. My father owned a big pharmaceutical company and he had opened a new branch in Denmark, so we had to move here from Spain. He somehow had gotten on the wrong side of the head of the Morales – Alejandro Morales. God knows what he has done. And now he really hadn’t learned from his mistakes? Mariana was miserable in her marriage. Both her and her husband forced to marry, and now living like robots. I will not become second in line to live like that. That was just no way I would accept that. Well, so I thought.

“Mija it breaks my heart, but I really have nothing else to offer them. The Morales is nothing compared to the De León’s. I don’t need to tell you what they are capable of. You have heard the rumors about what they do if you can’t pay them back. You just have to hang until I can pay them back what I owe them. I know I’m so sorry mija. I’m sorry that your father is so worthless, I promise to work hard for you and your sister to be free. I promise you” My father looking down at the table with a depressed look on his face.

I was fully aware of the De León’s reputation and how they punished the ones who couldn’t pay in time. The next in line to take over was the infamous Sicario De León, one of the scariest and hottest males alive. I have seen him on the news before, they owned a conglomerate that has reached all over the world and my father did take a loan from them when he decided to expand his business, which he now could not pay back.

“But why me, what can they profit from us by marrying me to a De León?” I was bitter, confused, sad and felt oh so betrayed by my father. “I really don’t know, it wasn’t my idea mija, it was them who suggested it and asked for you specifically. Have you ever met one of them? Did you offend someone from their family?” 

I stiffened.

What was he saying? How would I know if I have met one of them, although I doubt it. “

It doesn’t matter anyway.” 

He sighed before continuing 

“The blind date is happening whether we like it or not, and if I’m not mistaken, you’ll have to marry on your 18th birthday.”

…

My head was spinning.

I must have dreamt myself back to the moment this nightmare had begun. I tried to open my eyes; I could feel the ground moving and was confused until it all came down on me what had happened with Mateo. 

I was still in his car, and he was driving to God knows where. How long was I out for? How long had we been driving? I could see that it was dark outside the car window 

“You’re awake, good! I was hoping you’d wake up so you can feel everything I am about to do to you” Hatred evident in his voice. 

“By the end of the day you’re going to wish you were d**d so much, that I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended your life. I’m going to get revenge from Boss” He continued, making me shake to my core.

What had happened the last four years? Who is Boss? It couldn’t be him, could it? Well, if she’s being honest with herself, it would make perfect sense, since he was next in line. 

Except for the fact that the Sicario she knew, didn’t want to be the head boss of a conglomerate. The few times we talked, he told me that he wanted to live a peaceful and private life away from the public’s eyes.

She understood him and it was the one of the things that got her to accept her situation at that time and got her less afraid of him. He, alongside his family were always in the media or the news. 

It must have been hard for him not able to do anything without him always being in the spotlight. 

Him and Mateo was often on the news being arrested for all sorts of things. Causing a fight and car racing while drunk was one of few. 

After what he told me I thought that he was maybe lashing out or that Mateo dragged him in. Because when I first met Mateo, he wasn’t like this. He was sweet, sure, but also goofy and didn’t take anything serious. He sure was a womanizer who wouldn’t surprise me if this was one of the reasons he got into fights and dragged Sicario down with him. He was tall 1.82 m (5'12"), hot, muscular build and was charming in a boyish kind of way always with a smirk on his face. But one thing he was not was this.

Brutal. Evil. Punching a woman. What has happened to him? 

His exterior had changed like night and day. Did Sicario put him up to this? Well of course, he said he was getting revenge for boss. When realization hit me, all blood drained from my face. They really believed it was me! Did they not know why I was being released so early?

I opened my mouth trying to speak, but as I did that, I felt a jolt of pain from the middle of my bottom lips and something warm whereafter I could taste the metallic taste confirming that I had sprung open my wound. I tried to find the right words to say, so he wouldn’t get any madder. I was really afraid of what he would do. 

“I-it really i-isn’t me, they e-even found new DNA, I’m innocent Mm-Mateo” I stuttered my way through the sentence. 

I waited for a response but got none. 

I tried to sit up using my hands as support, but just then realized that they were tied behind my back. I could also feel my feet tied together. I tried looking at Mateo as he was driving but could only see the back of the driver’s seat. I tried again “Mateo?”

“Shut up B*itch, do you really think that we’re that dumb? You thought you were lucky that they incidentally found something so insignificant?” He said condescendingly.

Nothing I said would change his mind; that I just realize. He was determined that I was guilty no matter what evidence they may have found or will find. The feeling of hopelessness creeped up inside of me and filled my entire being.

I began to cry. I could not help it and didn’t know what else to do. I was so scared. Maybe even more scared than the first three months in prison where I would get beaten on a daily basis, both from the inmates and the guards until I learned to do what was told to me and not to show any emotions. What did he plan to do with me?

The car suddenly stopped. I could hear voices outside the car. When Mateo rolled his window down their voices became clearer. “Did you get that b*itch?” I heard someone shouting, asking from afar. “Don’t talk s*hit Diego! Go and make the camera ready!” Mateo shouted back. Camera? What are they going to do? It sounded that they’ve planned something and that they were going to record it. Record her. I panicked, my whole body shaking. “Mateo, please! Please what are you going to do? Please Mateo I swear I’m innocent!” I cried, pleading Mateo for mercy. He didn’t answer me.

Few seconds later the car moved again slowly over a gravel road for what felt like hours until it stopped. Mateo turned the engine off, turned in his seat so i could see his face and looked back at me with a sinister smile. His face completely different from the usual sweet, goofy smile he had. His brown eyes looked black and his face although just four years has passed looked a lot older, his hair that was long wavy and golden brown before, was changed to a buzz cut. He was still gorgeous though, and girls were probably still queuing in line for him.

Then he turned around, opened his car door and stepped out. After seconds that felt like hours the door near my head flew open and with an aggressive look, he grabbed my hair and pulled me out of the car all while I was screaming out of pain. As my hands and feet were bound I couldn't use my hands to soften the fall. I felt on the gravel ground covered in melted snow with a big *BUMP*.

He didn’t stop though and kept dragging me by my hair to what I assumed was a barn in the middle of nowhere. “You can scream all you want, nobody’s going to hear you here!” he was laughing. Laughing at my pain. Laughing at my screams. How, just how did he turn out this way.

“No, No, NO please Mateo, please just listen to me. I beg you please stop, AAAH! Please it hurts!!” I hulked. Why was this my fate? What have I done in my life to deserve this?

He kept dragging me on the gravel, my hands and body got bruised and scratched but it was nowhere near the pain of being dragged by my hair. I felt like my scalp was about to be ripped off my head. When we got inside, he threw me on the ground like he touched something disgusting. I could feel someone untie my feet. I couldn’t see clearly who though because my hair, that was long and sticky from the sweat and and dirty from being dragged through the the melted snow on the gravel ground.

“Get up." 

But I was too weak to follow his orders. I was freezing so much that my hands and feet felt numb. 

“I said GET UP!” With that my ear was ringing and I screamed in pain. He hit me across my face. ¨

Pause. 

I tried, I really tried to get up and managed to stand on one knee before I got hit again so hard resulting me falling face first to the ground.

Then it all happened to fast. I felt kicks raining on my body and couldn’t even block my face as my wrists was bounded behind my back. After some time, I felt numb as if I were looking from above down on myself. I could hear all the shouting and cursing. 

That was it. This is my last minutes in my miserable life. 

I prepared myself, looking forward to joining the rest of my family. I wasn’t a big believer before, but right in this moment I did. I really did. I prayed that the truth would come out at last and that I would join my family in the afterlife.

Suddenly everything went still. 

There was quiet for some time. Was this it. Am I dead? Why is everything so black. I didn’t know what to expect, but this wasn’t it. It was too depressing. Wasn’t I supposed to see a light or something?

“AARRGHH!!!”

Sudden pain on my inner thigh interrupted my dark thoughts and I screamed my lungs out arching my back and head backwards.

“Do you feel that? Good! For a second there I thought you were dead.” Mateo continued 

“Look!" 

"F*cking look b*tch!” He said as he grabbed my neck and bend my head forward forcing me to look while I was hulking loudly, and I saw a small black steel pocketknife plunged into my inner thigh near my knee, which only made me cry even louder. “Mateo please, I did not do anything. I’m sorry Mateo, I’m sorry for being the only one left alive, surviving. Mateo please, I beg you.”

“Aargh!!!” I yelped in pain as he pulled the knife out of my thigh and then with a swift move cut the ties on my hand. And then when I just thought he would spare me, he sat me up on the ground while kneeling right behind me holding my throat in his palm that was big enough to hold around my entire throat and neck with his fingers pressing gently on each side of my jaw. 

I was shaking and shivering. Tears pouring silently.

“Don’t you dare to lose consciousness.” His lips so close to my left ear sent shivers down my spine and cause me to panic. I Began to cry loudly again afraid, raised my hands and held his hands that was holding my throat. “M-M-Mat…” 

“SShhh!” he hushed me. 

And then with a gentle and calm voice

“Your begging will only make it worse.”

He held knife front of my eyes, and then his hand with the knife slowly approached my face, which made me flinch and close my eyes shut waiting for the pain to erupt but all I felt was the knife carefully pushing my hairs that was sticking to my face from all the blood, sweat and tears away from my face.

“Now we take it slow. And I want you to see everything I do and feel every ounce of pain.” He whispered into my ear. “Let’s start from your legs.” The closer the knife got the louder I whimpered. The sharp edge of the knife c*ut through the jeans and into the flesh from my left ankle and slowly all the way up through my legs. I gasped and grimaced, my hands tightly grabbed his right hand that was still cupping my throat trying to wiggle my legs away from the knife.

“DIEGO!”

Diego approached us right away, bend down and grabbed both of my ankles with a tight grip. “Ple-Please I, I can’t take it anymore, PLEASE AARRGH MATEO!” I arched backwards as if my soul was trying to leave my body, my eyes rolled back into my head when he dug deeper.

“I told you. Your begging would only make it worse” His right hand clenched my throat tightly as he whispered. 

He stopped, let me breath. I felt tired. No exhausted, I slowly became limp in his hands. My eyes felt heavy, I just wanted to sleep. 

“Sofiá… SOFIÁ!” 

When he realized that she was about to lose consciousness Mateo plunged the knife into her thigh hoping it would wake her up, but all he got was a body that flinched before everything went black. Again.