His Hostage

Roses and Revolvers

My mind swirls with thoughts. What in the world am I doing here?

Even though I cannot see I can sense that we are getting closer towards trouble or my –abductor. My heart is pounding in my ears. Maybe sensing my fear and nervousness Zoe spoke up.

“Don’t be nervous. Our boss might be dangerous but he won’t hurt you.”

She makes it sound very normal like as if it is suppose to comfort me. The very next moment I can see again. The blindfold has been taken off.

Zoe gives me a final look and motions me to go in the room. But in that look I notice something unusual. Even though it was for a fraction of seconds, her eyes softened as if trying to reassure me.

I enter the room, hands still tied and filled with fear, nervousness and a bit of excitement. The room is decorated with a bookshelf, a showcase, and some other furniture. At the centre of the room there is a desk where a man is sitting, his back turned towards me.

“Take a seat, little rose.”

My heart pounds in my chest. Little rose...and the voice –it’s so familiar. He turns around. I finally get to see this man. He is the same man whose portrait caught my attention in the hallway. He has sharp features, well built body and the most striking feature is his eyes. Now that I get a closer look, he is heterochromic and they are beautiful.

“I hope you did not face much of a trouble coming here. So tell me do you like this place?” He says resting his elbows on the desk.

“Who are you and what do you want and why did you bring me here?”

“Don’t be so alarmed, my love. We are destined to be together. Remember when we bumped into each other that night, it was the universe telling us that we are bound to be together.” His voice is smooth as honey but whatever he is saying is disturbing to core. And to think he has thousands of pictures of me is even more terrible.

“You are crazy but why did you kidnap me? On top of that I don’t think I am in my own country anymore.”

He chuckles, “You are right, it is Caltanisetta. We are in Sicily.”

“You are telling me we are in a whole different continent? From Asia to Europe? This cannot be real.”

“Who are you?” this is getting scarier and scarier. My voice trembles.

He gets up from his seat, approaches my chair and lifts my jawline. Our lips are inches away. I can feel his hot breath on my face. Heat creeps up my neck and cheeks. Why am I feeling this way?

“I am Roberto.” he whispers, “and you will obey me”. After a moment he pulls away.

“Never! What do you want from me and why did you bring me here?” my voice cracks.

“Because you are mine. And what’s mine stays with me no matter what!” He hissed.

He goes back to his seat and looks into my eyes. I held the gaze and blurted out the question I had in my mind for hours.

“Why do you have so many pictures of me? Had you been stalking me? And why did you kidnap me?” I speak out in one breath. For a moment he just stares at me as if studying me.

“Haven’t you still figured it out? If I would have asked you nicely, would have you agree to come to Sicily with me? I don’t think so. And about the pictures, I did keep an eye on you.”

I sit there silently just soaking in the words. I cannot believe I am in Italy, as a prisoner. Suddenly i feel a tug on my wrist. He is untying my hands. As if reading my thoughts he says...

“You are not my prisoner. I want you by my side and feel free to make yourself at home. Only one condition, never leave this mansion without my permission.”

My mind is swirling with thoughts. “What about my life, my friends? Am I suppose to leave everything behind just like that?”

“We will figure that out later. I have arranged a small dinner date for just the two of us and don’t violate the rules, little rose”.

He almost sounded threatening while saying the last part. With that he gets up and Zoe shows up.

“Go prepare yourself, little rose. And Zoe, make sure she does not face any difficulty in anything.”

Zoe bows and we leave the room. Before leaving I glance behind. He is looking straight at me. I follow Zoe quickly. She takes me to a room. This is a different room but the decorations are similar to my liking.

As curiosity creeps up I ask Zoe, “Why the decorations are so ...familiar?”

“Because boss took his time to decorate this room, make it your style, so that you feel comfortable. You don’t have to be afraid of him so much. On the contrary he wants to make you feel safe.” She sounded hesitant about the last part.

“Why do you keep on supporting Roberto even though you yourself sound so unsure of him?”

“Because we have got no other choice. He is dangerous, there is no doubt in that but some of us are bound to serve him for the rest of our lives because of our ancestor’s works.” Zoe sighs.

My stomach churns. I have to get out of this mess, somehow I have to. I fall silent.

On the bed a beautiful gown lies, moreover I wanted to buy this gown few weeks back when I saw it in a boutique for the very first time. The pastel blue colour with some jewellery to pair with it.

“Now don’t make that gloomy face and let’s prepare you for dinner”, with that she busy herself and helps me get ready.

After sometime she looks at me with stunned look. “You look ethereal.” She beams. I do a little twirl and with that she leads me out of the room.

Deep down I feel terrified. How did he know my body measurements? Who is he? But this time I decide to quietly follow Zoe.

We stop in front of a parlour and Zoe motions me to go in giving me an assuring look. As soon as I step in Roberto’s eyes lit up. He stands up and pulls out a chair for me his eyes never leaving me.

“All the efforts were worth it. You look stunning”, he says looking deep into my eyes. “Thank you”, I say as I soak in my surroundings.

The room is dimly lit in vintage style, before me lies a lavish meal. Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed this moment but....suddenly my eyes land on a photo frame. He must have followed my gaze and says, “That is our family photo. The Nostra family.”

My appetite dies down. THE NOSTRA FAMILY? THE INFAMOUS MAFIA FAMILY?

If I think correctly Roberto is the boss. Oh my goodness!

I have been abducted by none other than but

-The Mafia Boss.