The Killer's Rose

A New Captivity

[Isla POV]

Blindfolded, I could still hear the sounds of car horns. What was happening? Where were they taking me?

Judging from the events back at that place with Luca, a side of me thought he was different from the rest of those monsters. But I should have known better. Yet one fact stood out, glaring at me: I had just been sold to...'Damien Salvatore,' a mafia lord?

His name rang in my head. I had heard it somewhere, but it seemed harder as I tried putting things together. Perhaps from the news, since he was a mafia lord. But wait, don't tell me...would I be staying with him?

No! Having the slightest idea of who he was, a fear lingered as my legs trembled. He was a mafia lord at that, the king of the underworld; I even heard some say. Does that mean I was leaving one hell just to step into another?

Whoever these people were, I had to escape from their grip. I couldn't stay with him...

"We are here." I heard a voice, causing me to skip a breath. My face paled, and my palms started sweating, knowing there was no escape now.

A grasp on my hand as I was led outside the car.

I could still hardly see anything as the sack bag was still on. All my eyes gazed upon was the flash of some light, only to flicker into darkness not long after.

A creak echoed in my ears as I was led further.

I could tell from the steps that we were already in his mansion, even though a side of me still wished so much that wasn't true.

"Take off the mask." I heard a deep voice say as I felt the mask being removed. A bright beam of light pierced through my eyes, causing them to shut, reacting to the brightness after being blindfolded for so long.

I tried opening my eyes slowly, trying to figure out where I was, and then my eyes met his.

The same man who had stood up from his seat, raising a bid of two million dollars, now stood before me: Damien Salvatore.

Now, a sight this close left the memory flooding. I knew why his name sounded familiar.

He was under the same case: A rival gang broke out, wiping a small town. Children were burnt alive, the females were r***d, and the males killed. It was a gruesome scene that left many lurking in fear.

He was the...oh no, this can't be happening.I have to escape now. I can't be here.

My eyes scanned the sides, hoping I could find a path that led outside, but all I caught were men stationed at each center, some with a gun pointed up.

"Her eyes, her lips, her face, and her body. This still feels like some kind of dream." I heard him whisper, only to witness his footsteps growing closer as mine retreated.

I felt my back pressing against the wall, with nowhere in sight to go again.

Those eyes still fixed on me as the steps grew nearer.

"What's going on here, Damien?" a voice cut in, as I witnessed an old man walking down the stairs. "Don't tell me you've gone and gotten another nanny for..." he was saying, only for his voice to trail off as his eyes met mine in an instant.

What happened, I wondered, a side of discomfort from his glaring.

Looking at my half-torn, muddy, and dried blood-stained clothes... I guess this should be expected. I reeked of disgust, didn't I?

"How can this be, Damien? This is impossible. She's Evenlyn? How?" The old man asked, his eyes wide, but what was he talking about, and who is Evenlyn?

"I told you, Uncle Louis, but it seemed you chose not to believe my words, now did you?"

Knowing they were discussing me but yet having no idea what that was.

"Take her into one of the rooms and get her changed, Marinda." Damien uttered as my eyes landed on a woman walking at my side.

"Please follow me, ma'am." She said, her words calm as ever.

My legs hesitated for a moment, remaining glued to the ground before I finally budged, following the lady as she led me up the stairs.

My eyes darted back at Damien and the old man who I found still glaring at me. Walking through the hall with my eyes scanning each side. One thing was certain. I couldn't be here for long.

"This is your room, ma'am. You can check the cupboards; you will find some clothing. I'm sure a size that fits you would be there." The lady said, leaving a half-bow before I watched her leave.

My hands grasped the door handle as I let out a sigh before making my way in.

A warm breeze blew in, lingering on my skin and sending shivers down my spine. My legs trembled from the cold in that very moment.

It felt like walking into a freezer. I was sure the AC had been shut down to the lowest minus degree.

Maybe their plan was to freeze me to death here. At least when I iced, that would save them less trouble.

I walked up to the wardrobe, trying not to spread the mud, hoping it wouldn't stain the ground.

This was not a place to feel comfortable in, but I had to change my clothes from these torn ones.

Checking some clothing, I found one I could say would fit slightly. I made my way into the bathroom, taking off the torn clothes as I switched on the shower, letting the water flow down. It felt like shards of glass as it hit my bruised skin, sending a sharp pain through my whole nerve.

A sight of the injection wound reminded me of that old man's grip, and left a droplet of tears flowing down. Knowing that the old man had ripped away my last shard of dignity mercilessly, having his way with me.

Whoever he was, one thing stood in my mind: to make him pay.

Finishing my shower, I turned it off, stepping out of the bathroom as I wrapped a towel I caught hanging on the bathroom door around me.

The freezing feeling in the room seemed to be washing away, or was it just my body already adapting to it?

I wore one of the clothing I saw fitting as my eyes left a scan around the room before gently seating down on the soft bed.

"Now that I am here, how am I going to escape? I needed to come up with a plan; time seemed to be running out. I had no idea which city I was even in."

A slam at the door jolted me upright as I watched Damien barge in.

His eyes met mine instantly as he approached me, and his movements hastened. Before I could even react, he was already standing right in front of me. I flinched as my eyes braced for impact. But feeling nothing caused them to open back up as my gaze slowly raised to meet his.

"I don't plan on hurting you," he said. "Nor did I set you free from your cage for nothing." But even in that moment, my legs still retreated a bit. I couldn't trust his words. I had thought maybe Luca was different back then, at that hellish place, thinking he was saving me, but I was proven wrong all too easily.

"I am here to bring you a proposal." He continued, leaving me curious as to what he was talking about.

"A proposal?" I asked, managing a whisper.

"Yes, you see, I want you to be my son's nanny." He said. My face paled.

His son's nanny? What was he talking about, and wait, don't tell me this devil has a son?