THE DON'S SALVATION

ChapterTwo

Maria's POV

My eyes flew open and I stared at him in surprise. He had dropped his gun and he was standing closer to me now. Those gold eyes assessed me like I meant something to him. Which was out of place. Just a few seconds ago, he had tried to kill me.

My heart still beat loudly in my chest. He knelt down in front of me. His hand came up and caught my chin. I gasped as he pulled me forward until our faces were just a chest apart.

"This can't be possible," he said, and I stared at him in confusion. His eyes, gold and glowing, suddenly hardened.

"Get her away and keep her confined to one of the rooms," he said and ripped the gag from my mouth. I took in a deep breath. I was about to beg him to let me go when a pair of strong hands hauled me up and carried me across the room.

"Please, let me go!" I yelled and kicked but to no avail. I was tossed onto a bed in a huge room and I felt the air leave my lungs. The door closed behind me and I yelled. I tried to think.

I needed to do something about this. I needed to act. I couldn't die here, not at the hands of the most ruthless Don there was.

Just yesterday I was thinking about Sophie's bills. Now I was locked up in the most feared man's house. It couldn't be happening.

I scrambled off the bed and ran to the door. I tugged at the handle but it wouldn't budge. Locked. I pressed my ear against the wood and listened. Footsteps echoed somewhere in the distance. The house was big, I could tell from the size of the room I was in. High ceilings, expensive furniture, heavy curtains covering a window that stretched from floor to ceiling.

The window.

I ran to it and pulled the curtains aside. Sunlight flooded the room, blinding me for a moment. I blinked and looked down. My stomach dropped. I was at least two stories up. The ground seemed so far below. A fall from this height would break my legs, maybe worse.

But staying here was worse. Staying here meant death. That man had been ready to pull the trigger once. Whatever had stopped him wouldn't last forever.

I looked around the room and spotted the bedsheets. I grabbed them and tied them together, knotting them as tightly as my trembling hands would allow.

I tied one end to the heavy bed frame and threw the rest out the window. It hung down, swaying in the morning air. It didn't reach all the way to the ground. But it would get me close enough.

I climbed over the windowsill and gripped the sheet with both hands. My palms were sweating and my heart was racing so fast I thought I would pass out. I lowered myself down, hand over hand, my arms screaming in protest. The sheet stretched and groaned but it held.

I dropped the last few feet and landed hard on the ground, wincing at the pain.

I didn't stop running until I reached the main road. I flagged down a taxi and gave the driver my address. I collapsed into the back seat and let out a shaky breath. I had gotten away.

I finally got home and I pushed the door open.

Sienna was standing in the middle of the living room. The furniture was overturned. Broken glass covered the floor. She was holding a kitchen knife in one hand and pointing at me with the other.

"Look who finally decided to come home!" she screamed, her eyes wild and unfocused. "While you were out doing God knows what, your sister was dying in there! Dying, Maria!"

I rushed past her into the bedroom where Sophie lay. My sister was pale and sweating, her skin hot to the touch. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were half closed. She looked worse than I had ever seen her.

"Sophie," I whispered, sitting down beside her and taking her hand. "I'm here. I'm here now."

I turned to Sienna who had followed me into the room. "What did you do to her? What happened?"

"Don't you dare blame me!" Sienna shrieked. "She needs medicine. She's been asking for you. She's been crying for you and you weren't here! You were nowhere to be found!"

"I was working," I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could. "I was working to get money for her medicine. You know that."

"Working? You think I believe that?" Sienna laughed and it was an ugly sound. "You think I don't know you killed your father? You think I don't know you killed your mother when she gave birth to you too?"

The words hit me like a physical blow. I froze. My chest tightened and I couldn't breathe.

"You're cursed! I know a cursed being followed you since you were a child!" Sienna continued, her voice rising.

"Everyone who gets close to you dies or gets sick. Look at Sophie. She was healthy before you came back into our lives. Now look at her! Look at what you've done!"

I wanted to argue and tell her she was wrong. But I couldn't. Because deep down, I knew she was right. Everyone I loved got hurt. My mother died giving birth to me. My father had been sick for months before the accident. Sophie was getting worse every single day.

Sienna raised the knife higher. Tears were streaming down her face but her eyes were hard and empty.

"I can't do this anymore," she said. "I can't watch my daughter die the same way everyone else has. We should all just die. End this curse once and for all."

"No!" I screamed, reaching for her. "Give me the knife, Sienna. Please give me the knife!"

She jerked away from me and slashed the blade across her own arm. Blood welled up immediately and dripped onto the floor.

I grabbed her wrist and tried to pull the knife away from her. She was stronger than I expected. She twisted and the blade sliced across my palm. Pain exploded through my hand and I cried out, stumbling backward.

"Now you'll die too," Sienna said, her voice shaking. "It's the only way to stop this curse. It's the only way."

She lunged at me with the knife. I tried to move but my ankle gave way and I fell to the floor. She was on top of me in an instant, the knife raised high above her head. I could see the madness in her eyes. She was going to kill me. She was really going to kill me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the blade to come down. Unable to move in the heat of the moment.

But the next thing we heard was a crash and I felt a force push me from the ground as strong arms wrapped around me.

Don Martinez was standing before me and this time I wasn't mistaken. His eyes were glowing like lava.