The Forbidden Valentine

Chapter Four-Then Suddenly...

Sophia

Arriving back in New York felt like breathing after spending an eternity underwater. This valentine was without doubt the worst valentine's of my life, I don't think I'll ever have a valentine that can be worse.

“Thank you for everything Nicholas.” I spoke softly after spending the whole flight quiet. “I wouldn't know what to do without you.”

“No worries.” Nicholas replied jerkily, as though terrified. “I'm glad the whole thing is over, we can finally just get back to our lives. Take care of yourself”

I meant to hug Nicholas goodbye but the way he hurried away didn't give me the chance to. He seemed to be distracted by something on his mind.

I got to my apartment and tried my electronic card key on the door and it failed, the door wouldn't open. I tried it a couple of times. Arrggg!! This is the worst time for my door lock to be malfunctioning. I tried to calm down, I should call the superintendent, this has to be fixed right now.

“Hello Bill.” I said over the phone with as much calmness as I could muster. “This is Miss Washington from apartment 27, my card wouldn't open my door, I think something is faulty, please I need your attention asap.”

“Hello ma'am.” He responded. “I'm afraid it is not a malfunction, please call the the manager. Thank you” He then hung up the phone.

Call the manager? What the hell is going on. I dailed the manager's number immediately, wondering what the problem was.

“Miss Washington, you have been evicted from this apartment.” He manager spoke as direct and as professionally as possible

The words stung me, I was confused and my heart began to ache.

“How? Why? When?” I queried, seeking some sort of explanation, trying to understand what was going on.

“A call came in from the boss, Mr Alexander Morano, early this morning, he was clear, he wanted you evicted from the building with immediate effect. Your belongings where moved to the storage facility, you can go there to claim it, so sorry ma'am.” He ended the call.

Of course what was I thinking, he gave me the apartment. What happens when you are done using a tissue paper? Yep, you discard it. The feelings of abandonment weighed heavy on me, I broke down again. I fell to the floor right Infront of my door and I cried. I felt like I was drowning yet again in these bitter waters.

☠️☠️☠️

I went straight to Nicholas’ apartment, he is my only friend, and he is the only one that has the heart to help me. On my way to his apartment I contemplated how lucky I was to have a friend like him, someone to really lean on. I've been doing a lot of leaning on him lately.

“Sophia, what are you doing here?” Nicholas asked coldly, looking at his phone and fidgeting with it anxiously.

“What am I doing here? Nicholas, have I done something wrong to you? You sound like I am not welcomed” I responded to his cold welcome.

“I will be straight with you Sophia, I am terrified. Right now you bring nothing but terror to my life.” Nicholas sheepishly looked up at me to my face.

I was dumbfounded. “How? What are you saying?”

“Don’t you get it?!” He began to raise his voice. “There have never been a time a gun was pointed at me in my entire life till yesterday, with YOU!” Nicholas said screaming. “The driver with the bird tattoo? He was here at my apartment together with another gentleman who gave me some money and told me to go get you from LA! I mean these gun hungry criminals know my house, where I live! Where I sleep! I'm not safe! Because of YOU!.”

I stood there completely quiet and defeated as I listened to Nicholas scream the reasons why having me close to him right now is not safe for him.

“Go Sophia.” He concluded calmly. “Go and never come back here, don't call me, don't text me.” He went inside and shut the door in my face. I just stood there.

After about 2 minutes the door flung open again and he threw me a bag full of money. “This is the money they gave me to take care of you, take it, I want no part with you or these criminals.” And then he shut the door.

☠️☠️☠️

Loud music blasting through sophisticated speakers, flashing lights, naked girls dancing, thirsty men shooting dollars at naked girls, it has just been 2 months and the atmosphere of The Lost City already nausated me, or was it the pregnancy? I don't even know but for a club that was named The Lost City, I think it is normal for it to be nauseating.

“Sophia you are up next”. Su called out. “You are serving VIP table 27”.

I hurried to the food counter to get the food tray filled with their orders. Yea, I'm a waiter, I need to raise money to take care of myself during this pregnancy and there is no way in hell I'll be touching the money of the bastard who ruined my life, or maybe I should?.

I hurried to the table and began off loading the tray onto the table when I suddenly felt a hard and heavy slap to my ass.

Shocked and angry I turned immediately swinging my right hand with momentum and slapped the culprit hard across the face. I saw in slow motion as the drink in his mouth forcefully poured out and his glasses flew away.

“B*tch! How dare you?!” Barked one of the guys on the table. He stood up and held my neck violently just as the bouncers came.

“You slapped me? You are dead b*tch! I swear to God!! You are a dead b***h!!!” He screamed as the bouncers took him and his friends out.

“What were you thinking Sophia?” Su inquired with fear in her eyes. “Those boys are gang boys, you shouldn't have slapped him”

“He disrespected me, I just can't take that.” I replied Su with a defiant look, still angry with the guy for slapping my butt.

“You have to report this to the boss.” She stated. “He has to know.”

“What?” I inquired, surprised at her advice. “You want me to go to the boss and let him know that I disrespected one of his customers? Have you lost your mind?”

“Either you go tell him or you start digging the grave we will bury you in because I don't know if they'll let it go.”

“Don't bother yourself, they know that they f*cked up, it will pass, I'll just be extra careful”. I replied Su and continued my work.

☠️☠️☠️

“Three days, three f*cking days was all it took.” I whispered to myself as I heard the sound of a vehicle stop right by the window of my apartment. These motherf*ckers are really impatient. I heard the sounds of boots hitting the ground as they highlighted from the vehicle.

I dailed 911 immediately and the police were on their way. I expected this but I never anticipated the level of terror that would be coursing through my veins right now. My front door popped open with a bang and before I knew it I was in the trunk of a vehicle blindfolded and with my hands tied.

I was carried to what appears to be an abandoned warehouse and tied to a chair with about a dozen armed men.

“What do you want?” I inquired with fear.

“What do we want?” A voice answered. “We don't want anything. But my boss though, I heard you made him really pissed the other day at The Lost City. We are just waiting for him to come. He’ll be here anytime now.”

I began gasping for air as I felt breathless, I could hear my own heartbeat and it was going off like a machine gun. The boys began to laugh and laugh out loud. Damn! I am having a panic attack in the middle of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere and all I could think about was my baby in my belly.

He walked in suddenly, I could still remember his face. Here I was tied up in a chair, helpless, with no way to save myself.

“I see that my boys didn't touch you”. He spoke to me with a Mexican accent, looking straight in my eyes with a hint of amusement in his tone. “Maybe they didn't get the memo, this isn't a f*****g dinner party.”

He made his hands into a fist and struck me twice in the face, bursting open my lips as blood oozed out of the cut.

“Please, I- I'm sorry, I never meant to hit you.” I begged, terrified that this animal might really kill me here.

“Did you hear that boys!” He shouted with his hands spread out in a cross. “She apologized nicely, we should let her go.”

They all laughed out loud. Then he looked at me suddenly. “Your hands or legs? Choose one.” He demanded coldly.

“What?”

“Your hands or legs!!!” He screamed. “What body parts do I start chopping off?” He stretched out his hands and was handed an axe. “Hands or legs?” He screamed at me.

“No boss, I thought you said you would let us us taste the sweetness between her legs?” One of his goons protested. “It would not be as pleasing if she is all deformed and bloody.”

“You.” He pointed the axe to the young man. “I like the way you think. Sedate her and let the fun begin. This is a dinner party by the way and you are the food”.

“I am pregnant, please! I'm sorry! Let me go!” I pleaded, hoping that the news about my pregnancy would deter them.”

“That would make the f*ck sweeter boss.” Replied the young man with a nasty grin on his face as he approached me with a loaded syringe.

I tried to fight, moving violently to prevent him from sticking me with the needle. He switched the syringe to his left hand and smacked me hard with the back of his right hand. I felt my right eye pulsate from the trauma as my head began to ring.

He tore open my shirt and stabbed my shoulder with the syringe, emptying it's contents in my body.

The environment began to get foggy as I slowly began to get progressively weaker.

“Now let's have fun!”. Screamed the young man as he began to rip my clothes away from my body, with nothing but pure evil in his eyes.

Then suddenly….