Trapped by the mafia

Chapter two

I wake up to a splitting headache. As I try to sit up, the world spins. Disoriented, I take in my surroundings: a strange room that looks like a luxurious hotel suite. Moonlight streams through the window, illuminating the silhouette of a figure perched on a chair, a glass glinting ominously in their hand.

Fear coils around my throat. I glance down at myself, a scream catching in my throat. I'm dressed in an oversized white shirt that hangs off my shoulders. Panic surges through me.

"Don't worry, dollface," a voice purrs from the shadows, laced with a chilling promise, "I haven't done anything to you...yet."

I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing back a whimper. "What do you want, Ethan?"

A beat of silence stretches into an eternity before his reply comes, smooth as silk and laced with danger.

"Your brother stole from me."

I swallow hard. Our families were embroiled in a vicious turf war. We may not have spoken, but the tension between us was always electric, a volatile mix of hatred and...something else.

"I'm not involved in the family business," I manage, my voice barely a whisper.

He finishes his drink with a clink, the sound echoing in the tense silence. "Bullshit," he scoffs.

His blunt dismissal sends a fresh wave of terror crashing over me. There's no point in denying it; Ethan knows exactly where I stand. He doesn't believe for a second that I'm innocent in this. Trapped in this luxurious cage, I become acutely aware of my vulnerability. The white shirt is like a second skin, whispering of his dominance and my captivity.

"What do you want with me?" I force the words out, my voice trembling slightly.

Ethan remains silent for a moment, the clinking of ice against glass the only sound breaking the suffocating tension. Then, he speaks, his voice a low rumble.

"You're going to make things right," he says, and the weight of his words settles on me like a leaden weight. "You're going to pay your brother's debt."

"Make things right?" I echo, my voice laced with disbelief and a sliver of hope. Is this some twisted offer? A chance to somehow escape this gilded cage?

Ethan leans forward, his silhouette momentarily eclipsing the moonlight. The air around him crackles with a dangerous energy.

"Consider it a proposition, dollface," he murmurs, his voice a seductive rasp that sends shivers down my spine.

"You help me get what I'm owed, and maybe, just maybe, I'll let you walk away unscathed."

The word "unscathed" hangs heavy in the air, a dark promise that offers little comfort. Escape this situation entirely? The thought seems like a fantasy. But a part of me clings to that sliver of hope, a desperate need to find a way out of this nightmare.

"What do you want me to do?" I ask, the words barely a whisper.

A slow smile spreads across Ethan's face, hidden in the shadows but evident in the glint of his eyes that catches the moonlight.

"Let's just say," he leans in even closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush, "you have a certain talent for persuading people. And let's just hope you can use that talent on your dear brother." I swallowed hard Zack wasn’t easily fooled. He was sending me on a suicidal mission.

Ethan's words hang heavy in the air, the unspoken implication a cruel twist of the knife. He knows. He knew that I liked him that dispute us being enemies, the forbidden spark that ignites whenever we're in the same room. The very thought of using that spark, of manipulating my brother in that way, makes my stomach churn. But the alternative...

The image of my family, the target on their backs if I refuse, sends a fresh jolt of terror through me. Ethan is a monster, a predator, but he's also undeniably powerful. He could protect them, but at what cost? The oversized shirt on my shoulders mocks me, a symbol of his dominance, a chilling reminder of the vulnerability I can't escape.

"There has to be another way," I plead, my voice trembling with the weight of the impossible choice. The sliver of hope that had flickered within me dims, replaced by a suffocating dread.

A cruel smile plays on Ethan's lips, barely visible in the moonlight. "Perhaps," he concedes, his voice a silken snare. "But can you think of one? Your brother isn't exactly known for his reason."

He's right. My brother, strategic, ruthless and impulsive, would never back down from a fight. Ethan is offering a twisted protection, a way to shield my family from the consequences of his actions. But the price is a piece of my soul, a betrayal that would leave an indelible stain.

Silence stretches between us, thick with tension and the weight of the decision before me. Do I become Ethan's pawn, using our bond and trust as a weapon against my brother? Or do I condemn my family to a war they have no hope of winning? The answer claws at me, a primal choice between love and loyalty, desire and duty.

The air hangs heavy, thick with the oppressive silence of my predicament. Each beat of my heart drums a frantic tattoo against my ribs, echoing the turmoil within. Ethan's words slice through the suffocating quiet, cold and laced with amusement.

"Time is of the essence, dollface," he drawls, and the pet name, usually an unwelcome ember of irritation, now sends a shiver down my spine. Is it fear, or something else entirely? The answer terrifies me.

As war wages within me, loyalty to my family a roaring fire against the undeniable pull I feel towards Ethan. The image of my brother, hotheaded and stubborn, throws himself into a fight he can't win, a gruesome tableau I can't bear to imagine. But the thought of betraying him, of using the fragile trust between us as a tool for Ethan's manipulation, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Ethan shifts in his chair, the clink of ice against glass a jarring sound. "The choice is yours, sweetheart," he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that sends a tremor through me. "Your family's safety...or a little cooperation."

He doesn't need to spell it out. The unspoken suggestion hangs heavy in the air, a sickening blend of temptation and coercion. Ethan knows hoe close my brother and I, the volatile mix of brains and attraction that simmers beneath the surface whenever we're together. The very thought of using that relationship in this way, of turning my love for my family into a weapon, makes my stomach churn.

But the alternative is unthinkable. My family, my anchor in this storm, becomes the target on my back if I refuse.

Tears prick my eyes, blurring the already dim scene. There has to be another way, a path that doesn't involve this agonizing choice. But my mind remains stubbornly blank, choked by the suffocating weight of the decision before me. Can I betray my family, the people who have always had my back, even if it means saving their lives? Or do I doom them by clinging to a loyalty that might get them all killed? The answer remains elusive, lost in the labyrinth of fear, desire, and the gnawing sense of impending doom.

The silence stretched into an eternity, punctuated only by the ragged gasps of my own breaths. Ethan remained a chilling silhouette, his presence a constant reminder of the impossible choice he'd thrust upon me.

My gaze darted around the plush room, a gilded cage that offered no escape. The oversized white shirt mocked me, a constant reminder of my vulnerability. Each fiber whispered of his power, my captivity.

"I..." My voice emerged as a hoarse croak, thick with the weight of the decision. The words wouldn't come, the betrayal clinging to my tongue like a bitter pill. But the image of my family, their faces etched with fear, flickered behind my closed eyelids.

"I'll do it," I finally choked out, the words scraping raw against my throat. The taste of betrayal was metallic in my mouth, a sickening truth that coated my tongue.

A slow smile spread across Ethan's face, even the darkness unable to hide the glint of victory in his grey eyes.

"Excellent choice, dollface," he purred, the endearment dripping with a dark satisfaction.

"Let's just say, your cooperation will be...mutually beneficial."

His words sent a fresh wave of dread crashing over me. The line between cooperation and something far more sinister had blurred. I had stepped into a twisted game, and the pieces were already shifting around me. The price of my family's safety might not just be my loyalty, but a twisted bargain that would bind me to this dangerous man in ways I couldn't even begin to fathom.

But as the darkness closed in and sleep finally claimed me, a single, horrifying thought echoed in my mind: was I truly saving my family, or had I just condemned myself to a different kind of prison?