SANTINO

2. Kidnapped

6 months ago

I woke the next morning with a pounding headache. I held my head and squinted my eyes at the ringing sound that only made my head hurt worse.

I must have drunk so much last night. I don't even remember how I got back to the suite. I slowly opened my eyes hoping to see the familiar walls of my suite that I got so used to over the year I stayed at Oxford only to get shocked when I was in a whole new room entirely. Something was very wrong.

I shot up and looked around my head jerking in everything direction.

" No!No! No! Where the hell am I? " I asked out loud hoping to get an answer from whichever person brought me here but no one responded.

I scoffed, they didn't even have the audacity of being there when I woke up.

What was I saying? Didn't something happen to me?

I began to check myself waiting to feel some kind of a pain to let me know if I didn't engage in any activity while I was drunk but I came up with nothing.

I surveyed the room more just to see if I would recognize anything but my mind was still blank. My memories from last night were still foggy and the more I tried to think about what might have happened the more my head ached. I was slowly going insane. Little by little I was losing it even without knowing. I needed answers but first of all, I needed to get out of here.

I got off the bed and stood up, but that only made pain shoot through my head. I put my fingers over my temples and massaged them just to see if it would lessen it.

Like a charm by the bedside table, there was a glass of water and what looked like a painkiller. I inspected the tablet more and for sure it was. I grabbed it and held It up in the air toward the light that was coming from the windows. I kept contemplating if I should take the med or not. What if it was swapped for something deadly?

Thinking of a window I went to check outside and the view before more was somewhat spectacular. The ground was far below, an obvious reason that the windows were not an option any slight mistake and I would be failing to my death. Just how high was this building?

I was back at my inner debate. With each passing second, my head pounded even more. I had finally decided I was going to take the tablet. I gulped it down and took some water. Now all I had to do was wait for the effects to follow.

I walked to the door and grabbed the handle, I turned it expecting the door to instantly open only it didn't. Just what was happening here?

I repeated the action once and then twice but the result was still the same. I was locked in here, was someone just playing some prank on me, or was I in danger?

I didn't want to panic yet I knew that all I had to do was call my big brother and all will be well. I was his only baby sister after all. His only sibling.

I walked back to the bed and began to search for my phone. I turned everything on the bed but my phone was nowhere to be found. What was going on?

I rushed back to the door and began to bang on the door.

“ Let me out of here!!! I want to go back home!!”

There was the response it was dead quiet. I began to bang once more I needed to know who brought me here and if it was any of my friends I was going to kill them.

The door suddenly swung open. The first thing I saw was a pair of black oxford dress shoes. They were so well polished and so shiny. Just from the shoe, I was able to tell that the person who walked in was going to bad news.

My gaze slowly went up to the next thing and they landed on his navy blue trousers. My gaze was slow and sure he wore an expensive-looking belt and a white long-sleeved dress shirt. He didn't even move he was just in one position as if he was waiting for me to finish with my eye fuckery. Damn the man was huge and tall.

I finally saw his face and I felt my breath get caught in my throat. I have never seen such a fine specimen in my life. He was all manly and looked very serious. He had the most beautiful pair of electric blues eyes. They were captivating, it was hard for me to even look away. Who was this man standing in front of me?

He had a thin line set on his luscious plum-pink lips. Every fiber of my being was begging me to just run to him. What the hell was I even thinking? I didn't even know this man.

He looked at me with so much anger in his eyes. Which I didn't understand cause I didn't even know him to begin with. I don't think I created any enemies let alone with the likes of him.

His dirty blond was perfectly styled on his head and his light beard only made him look more badass and deadly.

“Who are you?” I gathered the courage to ask him.

“Who I am shouldn't even concern you. My business is with Ethan, not you, it's just sad that you had to get caught up in it.” His voice was so deep and sexy just as I expected.

“ If your business is with Ethan then Ethan is the one you should be bringing here.”

“ Oh you think I don't want that princess, I want that more than anything but your brother is so smitten. Tell me where he is right now and I will let you go instantly.” He demanded. His gaze on me was so intense I couldn't look away even if I wanted to, it held me place my body wouldn't move.

“ He is uhh” I stopped mid-sentence. I moved a step back. “He is...” It just came to me that I wasn't exactly sure where Ethan was. He never really spoke about his whereabouts. He rarely even came to see me. I never thought about it being odd about his usual quietness or how our communication was restricted.

“ Samantha tell me where your brother is.” He commanded in his deep sexy voice.

I hesitated as I thought about where Ethan could be. Whoever this man is saw my reaction and narrowed his eyes.

“You don't know anything do you?” He suddenly asked which sounded more like he was taunting me than anything.

“ No, I have just realized that Ethan never tells me anything about his whereabouts or even the job he does. All he ever does is sponsor my education and every other need.”

A low sinister chuckle left his lips. Even as dangerous as this man seemed to be he was still very sexy. “ You must be a fool then.”

My mouth hung open, did he just...

“YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!” I yelled with so much venom.

“ I know enough to know that you don't know that your brother who is aspiring to be a mafia don started a war with the real mafia don.”

I took time to process what he just said. Ethan couldn't be in the mafia. My brother is such a dignified person, he can't be in the ma...

It suddenly dawned on me how my friends always asked what job my brother did to have been able to let me live such a lavish life.

“ You are lying! My brother can't be in the mafia he is better than that!” I defended Ethan.

“Like I said you are a fool. And I won't let you go until your brother comes to rescue you. If it means keeping you to get to that fool you call your brother then so be it.” He spoke so casually as if he spoke of the weather.

I couldn't hide the dumbfounded look on my face. So much was going on and I couldn't wrap my head around it. My brother being part of the mafia had to be a big lie. Worse him trying to be a mafia boss. All this couldn't be true. It doesn't matter if I don't know the exact kind of job he does as long as I know Ethan isn't capable of that.

“You can't do this...” I told him.

He gave me one last look before he turned, he chuckled and then said “watch me.”

I finally caught his earthy sandalwood scent and some memories of last night came rushing back. It’s funny how I oddly liked the scent of sandalwood, so masculine so him.

It all made sense now. He came to the bar to kidnap me and he succeeded.

“YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO YOU TRUNK OF A MAN!”

A low sinister chuckle left his lips at my lame insult, his huge wide shoulders moving slowly at the motion.

“My name is Santino.”

With that, he walked out of the room locking it behind him. I sunk to the ground as a sob left my mouth. I will find a way to escape or maybe my brother will come to the rescue as he always does.