MINE (Claimed series 1)

Chapter 03: Caught In Their Game

Phoebe ran straight through the massive mansion gates, her heart hammering against her ribs. She threw herself into the backseat of the waiting taxi and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

The driver looked back at her through the rear-view mirror, his eyes widening when he saw how sweaty and out of breath she was.

"Are you okay, Miss ?" he asked, looking worried.

"Please, just drive me away from here. Fast," Phoebe panted, gripping her school bag tightly against her chest.

Slowly, the cab pulled away from the curb. Phoebe leaned her head against the car window, her mind spinning out of control. She couldn't believe what had just happened. What was wrong with that man ? He was an absolute jerk. How could he demand to marry her when he was already sleeping with another woman right under his roof ? Worse, he had the nerve to kiss her right in front of his girlfriend.

But as the taxi drove further away, a frustrating thought crept into her mind. 'Why did his kiss feel so good ?'

She bit her lip, feeling a sudden rush of heat in her face. She had tried to fight him, but the moment his lips touched hers, her body had completely frozen. Why couldn't she push him away ? Why did her heart race like that ?

"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, hiding her face in her hands. No one could ever find out about that kiss. Especially not Mark. It would completely break his heart.

**********

EVERGLEN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The rest of the day went by in a complete blur. No matter how hard Phoebe tried to focus on her medical lectures, her mind kept drifting right back to the mansion. She couldn't concentrate on a single textbook. Her thoughts were entirely trapped in that kiss, over and over again.

It made her feel incredibly guilty. She had a boyfriend, she loved Mark. But the truth was, Mark’s kisses had never made her feel like that. They had been dating for a while and had kissed plenty of times, but it was always sweet, safe and predictable. It never left her breathless. It never made her skin tingle.

Now, she couldn't get a cruel, dangerous stranger out of her head. It felt like her very first real kiss, and she hated herself for secretly wishing she could feel those lips against hers just one more time.

When the final bell rang, Phoebe let out a sigh of relief. She walked out to the school's front gate to wait for Mark, just like she did every single day. Since he passes by her home, Mark always dropped her off before heading home.

They had a good, steady relationship. Phoebe had told him early on that she wanted to wait until marriage before they ever had s*x and Mark, being the sweet guy he was, agreed to wait until she was completely ready.

As she stood by the campus gate, she put her headphones in and played some music to drown out her anxious thoughts. Suddenly, a sleek, expensive black car pulled up right in front of her. The back door clicked open.

Phoebe looked up and froze. Sitting in the back seat like a king was Kia.

To the rest of the world, Kia looked and dressed like a man. She wore suits, kept her hair short and acted as Mr Santoro’s deadliest bodyguard. Everyone in the city thought she was a guy, but Phoebe knew the truth, Kia was a woman, and she belonged to Don.

Kia looked out at her with a calm, amused smile. "Phoebe. Get in the car."

Phoebe took her headphones out and let out a frustrated sigh. "What do you want now ? Where is your boyfriend ? Did he not want to come himself ?"

Kia chuckled softly, leaning back against the car seat. "Are you jealous ? Don't worry about him. Just get inside, and I’ll take you right to him."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, stepping back toward the school sidewalk. "My boyfriend is taking me home, so thank you, but no, thanks."

"Phoebe !" a familiar voice called out.

Phoebe looked over and smiled, a wave of relief washing over her. "Mark !"

"Uh.... should we get rid of the guy ?" the driver asked from the front seat, looking at Mark through the mirror.

Kia didn't answer. She just watched silently as Phoebe ran over to her boyfriend and threw her arms around him. Mark smiled, leaning down to brush his hand against her cheek, gently tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

He leaned in, about to kiss her. But that was it. Before his lips could touch Phoebe's, Kia stepped out, her suit perfectly pressed, and walked right up to them with a commanding stride.

"Get your hands off her," Kia said, her voice dropping into a deep, threatening tone.

Mark jumped back, completely shocked. He stared at Kia, trying to figure out who this strange, dangerous-looking man was.

"Who the hell are you ?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes and stepping in front of Phoebe to protect her.

"Your worst nightmare," Kia replied smoothly. She looked past Mark's shoulder, her eyes locking onto Phoebe. "Phoebe, please. I am trying to be nice here. Get in the f*****g car before I lose my patience and put a bullet right through his annoying skull."

Mark gasped, his face turning pale. "Are you f*****g insane ?" This is kidnapping ! You can't just force her into a car ! Someone call the cops ! "

Kia didn't even blink. She slowly reached inside her jacket, pulled out a dark handgun, and pointed it straight at Mark's forehead.

"You think I'm joking ?" Kia asked, a dangerous wink passing over her face. "Go ahead, call the cops. If I go to jail, I won't even spend an hour in a cell before I'm walking right back out."

Phoebe’s heart stopped. She knew Kia wasn't lying. Mr Santoro owned this city, and nobody from their house ever got arrested. They were completely above the law.

Terrified that Mark was going to get killed right in front of the school, Phoebe quickly pushed past him and ran toward the open car door. Kia smiled, looking thoroughly amused by how easily Phoebe gave in. She lowered the gun, giving Mark one last cold stare. "Don't even bother calling the police or doing anything stupid, kid. Stay away."

With that, Kia turned on her heel and got into the backseat right next to Phoebe, leaving Mark standing on the sidewalk, shaking and terrified out of his mind.

Inside the car, Phoebe slammed her back against the seat, her face hot with anger. She crossed her arms, pouting her lips as the car sped away. "What is wrong with you people ?!" she yelled. "I already told your boyfriend to leave me alone ! I am never marrying him, do you hear me ? Never !"

Kia didn't look bothered at all. She gave the driver a quick nod, and a dark glass partition rolled up, completely closing them off from the front of the car.

Kia turned her head, studying Phoebe’s angry face. A small smile played on her lips. "You look incredibly adorable when you're angry. But you need to understand something, Phoebe. You don't actually have a choice in this matter."

Phoebe let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Everyone has a choice ! I would rather die than marry a cruel, heartless monster like him. He is just a...."

Before she could finish her sentence, Kia leaned across the seat, held Phoebe's chin in her hand, and slammed her lips right against Phoebe's.

Phoebe’s eyes widened in absolute horror. Her mind went completely blank. Because her mouth had been open from screaming, Kia easily deepened the kiss, her tongue sliding inside with passion. It wasn't a gentle kiss, it was dominant, hot, and completely breathless.

After a long, agonizing moment, Kia finally pulled back, resting her thumb against Phoebe's wet bottom lip.

"Damn," Kia whispered, her voice a little breathless as she smiled. "You really are f*****g tasty. Now I completely understand why Don wants you so badly."

Phoebe sat there, frozen like a statue, her chest heaving as she stared at the woman in front of her. "Did you... did you just kiss me.?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

Kia just chuckled, leaning back into her side of the seat. "I can do it again... if you want."

Phoebe couldn't even find the words to speak. Her brain felt like it was short-circuiting. What kind of twisted, twisted nightmare had she walked into ? First, the terrifying mafia boss kisses her and claims her. Now, his beautiful, deadly girlfriend kidnaps her and kisses her too ? They were both completely out of their minds.

For the rest of the drive, Kia casually opened her laptop and went back to work as if nothing had happened. Phoebe turned away, staring out the window, her hands shaking as she put her headphones back in. She stared at her phone screen, her mind racing as she tried to think of a plan. She had to find a way to get that one million dollars back. She had to save her father, and get as far away from this country as possible before these crazy people completely destroyed her life.

And she had the perfect idea on how to get away from them.