THE ENEMY SHE LOVED

AN INSIDE DEVIL

AURELIA’S POV

I called an ambulance immediately, and we headed to the hospital.

“Mother! Mother, please wake up.” I quivered as I buried my face on her blood-soaked blouse. I felt a ruffled sound on her chest region. A handwritten note was stuffed into her bra…

PAY UP YOUR FATHER'S DEBT OR WE'RE COMING FOR

YOU TOO!!! It said in bold encryptions. My phone screen lit up, and it was a text from Cassie.

“HEY, IS EVERYTHING OK? I HEARD THERE WAS AN ATTACK AT YOUR HOUSE… STAY SAFE.”

“Stupid ass b***h!” I cursed under my breath.

“What's the problem Miss?” the driver asked.

“Just drive faster!” I ordered him.

We got to the hospital. My mother was taken into the emergency ward for immediate treatments. As I paced around the emergency waiting room, I thought to call Cassie to tell her about the incident but at the same time I felt like I could strangle her on getting a sight of her. Nobody else came in mind for me to call for help— I was utterly alone.

“Miss…?” a doctor came in inquiring for my name.

“Aurelia” I replied, as I rubbed off my sweaty hands on my dress.

“Stay calm. Your mother's alive.” The doctor assured me.

“Oh my god! But why isn't she responding?” I asked, as I tried to peep through the door of the room my mother was taken to.

“Apart from the bruises and cuts, your mother has developed stage three cancer, which will need immediate…” The doctor said,

My knees went numb and I dropped on the floor fidgeting, sweats rolled down my body profusely.

“You need to stay calm, Miss Aurelia. Your mother will survive, if only you work hand in hand with us and provide the bills for immediate treatments.” The doctor advised as he turned to leave.

“Pls wait…!” I held him by his arm. “I don’t have enough right now.” I whispered.

“Just make your payments, if you want your mother alive.” He said and left.

The day was already breaking, I rushed to the bank to get what I had from my savings—what was needed was ten thousand Euros for her chemotherapy, but I had just had eight hundred Euros— it was far from enough.

I made a deposit to the hospital first for a startup treatment. I took the next ride home and found our door open again. Even in the midst of chaos earlier that morning, I remembered for a fact that I put our entrance door under lock and key before leaving for the hospital. I tiptoed up the stairs with my shaky fingers, looking over my shoulders to avoid getting jumped.

“Hello! Who's here?!” I called out.

I stepped into our living room and it was dead silence—-for some reason, I picked up a sledge hammer from a corner, to be safe. Cold chivers ran down my spine as a huge muscular man with a mask on, came into the light in our living room with a bag stacked up with cash.

“Pretty Little Theif!” He said as he matched towards me at a slow pace.

My whole body went cold, and my lips shook. I mumbled incoherent words and turned to run but there was another muscular man behind me, and immediately, they put a sack over my head and carried me out.

********************************

A head throb woke me up, the air smelled damp and metallic. My whole joints burned as I tried to get up, but something cold scraped against my ankles.

Metal.

I tugged at the chains that held my ankles and my wrists, but it didn’t move.

“Help!” My voice cracked. “Somebody help me!”

Only silence answered.

Memories of how I got to being taken and chained up flashed back.

Think Aurelia. Think.

What money was that and how…

A door from across where I laid down creaked open and jolted me from my thoughts.

“People who cross me don't stay around long.” I heard a muscular figure come towards me. The light in what looked like a lair came on, and I saw the man's face clearer.

“Lance?! Why am I chained up here? What's going on? Get me loose right now.” I said as I struggled to get comfortable with the chains.

“I admire your courage… Truly, it takes a special kind of stupidity to steal from me!” he said as he leaned closer to my face.

“I didn't steal anything! What is going on here, and why are you doing this?” I sniffed as my hands were still held tightly.

“My bag of money was in your house!” he growled into my face.

“I swear, I didn't take it. Someone must have put it there.” I pleaded.

“That's disappointing, by the time I'm done with you, no one will remember your name.” he threatened and stomped out.

“Please get me loose, my mother needs me.” I whispered.

I tugged at the chains, trying different ways to get my wrists and ankles off it. Then, I heard voices from the other side of the lair, they were talking business, businesses about killings, fire accidents, ammunition, drugs.

“The shipment was interrupted by Vinci's capo.” came one of the voices.

“They stepped into our territory. That's a declaration of war.” came another voice.

“We need leverage on Vinci. Something has to bring him on his f*****g knees!” another voice stated.

They went on about some illegal business operations and how they'd plan to overthrow a competitor. That was not the kind of place I wanted to be, I needed to get the hell out, but I needed a plan.

“Hey cowards! So this is how you powerful men act? Locking up a woman because you're scared?” I called out to them.

“If you really want to get Vinci, then you need a sexy brunette like me inside his legal businesses.” I said, not having a single idea in the world about who Vinci or whatever the f**k they talked about was.

Three of the men barged into the room with so much rage.

“What is this rat squeaking about huh? What the f**k do you know about Vinci?” one of them growled.

“I know he's not a coward like you. I know he won't be going around keeping important Intels like me locked up in a lair.” I said sternly.

“You've got some nerves Tesoro.” one of them said and grabbed my chin, his breath stank of expired weed.

“I know one of your secret operations and trust me I can rat you out, even from here. So, why don't we work together to attain our respective goals, huh?” I spat.

“Ha ha! What do you think this is? A make-up show?” They all burst out laughing loudly.

“Well, I know you're laundering money through Monteno's Club.” I stuttered.

“Ok princess, since you know so much, and have a lot to say, why don't we go say hello to the Don?” they growled and yanked the chains off me, dragging me through the dirty floors to meet their boss.