Mafia's Seductress - Beneath Her Shadows

ERIKA ← ❤︎ → The first rule about survival? Don't get caught. Only one f*cking rule and yet I managed to blow it up. “Hey you! Stop right there!” An angry baritone rang out in the hallway. Sh*t! Clutching my bag even tighter, I ignored the command, knowing fully well what would happen if they caught me. How many guards were there? I couldn't tell but from the loud footsteps echoing behind me, I bet there were quite a number of them. And they were gaining in on me. Double sh*t! Why the hell didn't I think this through? How dumb must I have been, automatically assuming this would be an easy mission? Suddenly, a bullet whizzed past my ear, causing me to duck my head instantly, my little yelp hardly going above the noise behind me. “Argh!” I wasn't given the time to react because more gunshots were fired at me right after the first one, the guards slowing down to get the perfect aims. They couldn't kill me. At least not now, that much I knew. Their orders had been to simply apprehend me and recover what I had taken with me. At most, they'd only try to subdue me with a mild injury but considering my haphazard movements, even that would prove to be a hard task if they didn't want to fatally hurt me. And that was the only advantage I had right now. My resolve hardened. If they thought their bullets would scare me into submission, they were painfully mistaken. Without looking back, I dashed towards the stairs. F*cking damn these heels! Why the hell did I wear them anyway? I cursed under my breath, contemplating taking them off. On second thoughts however, I did not have time for that. Wasting even the slightest moment here would mean delivering myself into the hands of these bloodthirsty monsters. My heart raced in my chest as I jogged down the stairs, trying hard to keep my balance while maintaining my speed. There was an elevator on the floor I was heading to which I could take to the ground floor. Afterwards, it'll be easy mingling with the crowd down there and subsequently getting out of the building. With that plan in mind, I hastened down the last flight of steps, ignoring how badly my feet burned in the tight confines of my ridiculously high shoes. Perks of working a part-time job at one of the city's biggest strip clubs, I thought, allowing a little humour to creep in despite my dangerous situation. Three bullets swiftly flying over my head, drilling perfect dents into the wall in front of me brought my attention back to reality and I reacted instantly by crouching down at the base of the stairs, my breathing doubling its pace at the close call. F*cking keep your focus, Rika! Sparing a quick glance at the top of the stairwell, my eyes widened when I saw a few guards barreling down the sets of concrete with deft leaps, their ferocious glares the only motivation I needed to scramble back to my feet. F*ck! F*ck! F*ck! I grabbed the wall for support, barely making it around the corner. Relief flooded me the moment I spotted it—the elevator. Summoning a final burst of resilience, fuelled by the electrifying spark suddenly surging through my veins at the prospective thought of success, I ran for it. My problems would end the moment I got in there— “Huh?” Despair dawned on me, slashing my smile into a crumpled expression of confusion and then steadily, one of steely fear. “What the hell?” Panic was settling in fast, that gut-twisting sensation of dread already building again in the pit of my stomach. Why wasn't the elevator responding? Frantically, I tapped the button over and over again, like a crazed addict desperate for a fix of meth waiting behind those silver doors, only to get zero response from the damned machine. Just then, a cold realization registered to me. “No…” my voice was hollow, almost like a plea. I knew he was a psychopath but he already sent his men after me … However, returning my petrified gaze to the silver doors in front of me… "No, no, no!" This couldn't be real. There was no way it had been deactivated. That'll automatically mean every elevator in the damned building was currently inactive and thus, useless to me! “Ugh!” I slammed my fists on the metal doors. I already came this far. This couldn't be happening to me. Right then, a husky voice yelled, “there she is! We can't let her escape, men!” Snapping my head in the direction it came from, I cursed again before tapping furiously on the button again, red eyes imploring at the elevator one last time. Please, please… Please work. I was gonna get cooked. Please open up! Just as the loud roar of the fastest approaching guard reverberated in the air, draining whatever little hope I had left, a silent ding sounded and the doors of the elevator slid open. I fell right in, almost falling to the floor if I hadn't regained my balance on time. Without wasting a second, I spun around and crushed my palm on the ‘close’ button only to gasp when all of a sudden, my arm was gripped in a tight hold. Alarm spread through my insides as I collided with the raging glare of the hefty guard holding on to my arm. “Where do you think you're going?” He growled, applying more pressure on his vice-like grip before making to pull me outside. “Come over here!” “F*ck off!” I snarled, surprised at the fierce hostility of my voice which contrasted with the blood-curdling fear coursing through my system—if the loud pounding of my heart in my ears and sharp knots painfully twisting in the pit of my stomach were anything to go by. Reflexively, I shot out my leg, landing a solid kick in his groin. The lethal combination of bone-jarring force and the sharp heel of my shoe did the perfect job of inflicting enough damage on him. He dropped to his knees almost immediately, releasing my arm in the process. His face scrunched up in excruciating anguish while a thin, broken whimper slipped out of his throat was the last thing I saw before the elevator doors slid shut, sealing him out of my vision. Unable to believe what just happened, I crashed to the floor, the gravity of my extremely lucky escape fully weighing on me. My hand flew up to my chest where my thudding heart was hammering hard against my ribcage and I closed my eyes, inhaling sharply. That had been close. Way too close. I only opened my eyes when the elevator began its descent, the smooth glide downward a brief reminder of the type of luxury enclosed within the building. Lowering my gaze to the grey bag still secured in it's place on my thighs, my lips spread out in a victorious smile. Maybe some risks were worth it afterall. I threw my head back, a soft giggle rolling out of me. It wasn't the biggest feat out there but, I was elated all the same. By the time the red digits on the elevator wall blinked ‘1’, I was already on my feet—tall, poised, and meticulously fixing stray strands of my hair back into place. My well-furnished composure had returned, radiating a cool and collected demeanour. Right on cue, a soft smile rested on my face as the elevator stopped. But the moment the doors opened, my body froze completely. Lounging casually with one elbow propped against the wall, the only familiar face in that sea of hard, predatory expressions offered me a grim smile, one that bordered between mockery and cold amusement. Slowly, he trailed a gaze down my body, halting on the grey bag. Instinctively, my fingers curled around its strap. The slight, protective action seemed to irritate him. His jaw tightened, just for a split second before returning his eyes to my face, that sickly smile curling into something more sinister. “Hola bonita. Leaving so soon?” It felt like a sucker punch in the gut. I took a shaky step back, my throat running dry. Mario Quiroga tracked my every movement with a cold, calculating stare. Nonetheless, satisfaction glimmered in his eyes. He had me cornered and I had been so dumb, I did not see it coming until it was too late. Raising a finger, he signaled a silent command to the mini army of guards armed with large, intimidating guns behind him, then flashed a deceptively sweeter smile at me, its warmth hiding something much colder and brutal underneath. “Now sweetheart,” he purred, menace swirling in his eyes, “the party isn't over. You cannot leave just yet.”