Violet

I had no idea how long I was crying for. From the clear window glass, I could see the long shadows of evening dissolving into the gathering darkness of the night.

I can't just sit like that and let them keep me there against my will.

Getting up, I opened the door on one side of my room which I supposed was the bathroom. The bathroom was bigger than my whole apartment, with gleaming granite counter-tops, framed mirrors, a large jacuzzi tub and a walk-in shower.

Stripping off my clothes, I assessed my reflection in the mirror. There were multiple bruises and grip marks on my jaw and neck. There was a cut above my left eye; the blood had already dried and my abdomen felt like my guts were on fire.

In between the fresh bruises, an old, pale one stood out the most. My hand automatically went there as I recalled the events of that night. A sob left my mouth when I ran my finger along its jagged margins.

"Ahhhh.. please... It's hurting," I cried out when his hand tightened around my jaw.

"I won't hurt you sweetheart. Don't worry," he whispered and leaned towards me.

Pulling out the small knife I was hiding behind me, I lunged towards his stomach with unsteady hands. He yelped in pain when the knife touched his skin superficially and clutched his stomach with both hands. Taking advantage, I ran towards the door but before I could open it, he caught me and the same knife landed right on the side of my stomach and I bawled in pain.

I clenched my eyes tightly to delete the image from my memory.

Stepping into the shower, I let the warm water calm my nerves. I winced in pain when the water trickled down the cut.

I remained there for a few minutes and then came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my body. That guy I met earlier had sent jeans and a full-sleeved top for me.

After changing into it, I pulled my hair in a loose bun over my head and stepped out of the room. There was a stairway which led me to the living room.

The living room was huge with walls covered with mahogany tiles. A square table was placed in the middle of the room with a brown sectional sofa surrounding it. Three men were sitting on the sofa, their backs towards me.

"You can come in." One of them said and a chill passed through me. With small steps, I walked towards them. The same guy asked me to sit down and I did as he said. He had silky black hair that reached his neck. Unlike the man with green eye, he looked younger and kinder.

"Ease up. We don't bite," he said, chuckling.

"Well, some of us do," the other man said. He looked slightly older than the one with black hair but he was handsome nonetheless. He had greenish-blue eyes and short brown hair. Plus, the smirk on his face made him appear less dangerous and more playful.

"Don't scare her Caleb," the one with black hair said and smiled at me. "I'm Daniel. And you are?"

"V... V... Violet," I managed to say despite the lump forming in my throat.

"Ok V... V... Violet, how old are you?" the guy named Caleb asked and I flushed in embarrassment.

"20," I said in a low voice.

"Wow, you are a child," Daniel said, chuckling at me although he himself looked like he was in his early twenties.

"I am not a child," I said loudly and then slapped my hand on my mouth. How stupid of me to misbehave with a gangster!

I expected him to lash out at me but both of them started laughing. I looked between them in confusion, unable to figure them out.

"Well. For me, she is a woman. A hot, beautiful woman." Caleb attempted to flirt and earned a slap on his shoulder from Daniel.

"What are you doing here Violet?" I heard another voice and straightened up immediately. It was the same green-eyed man from before, glaring at me. He took a seat in between the other two and assessed me. I squirmed under his gaze, feeling scared of him.

"You are scaring her." Caleb nudged his shoulder and whispered but I heard it anyway.

"He is Alessandro," Daniel said. "The second in command."

I tucked my loose hair behind my ear and muttered under my breath, "Will your boss hurt me?"

"No. Probably not," Alessandro started. "But one can never be too sure about King," he said and I fought back the tears pricking my eyes.

I didn't say anything after that. After excusing myself, I returned to the same room and sat down on the floor. I could see my impending doom. Daniel even came to invite me for dinner but I refused, saying I was not hungry. He then sent a cup of coffee to me but I didn't have the heart to drink anything without spilling my guts out.

I was scared. No, scratch that. I was terrified.

I spent the whole night tossing and turning on the bed. Every time I closed my eyes, different scenarios creeped into my imagination; most of them ended in me getting killed by one of these gangsters.

The sun was almost rising when exhaustion took the best of me and I finally started sleeping. But only an hour had passed when I woke up hyperventilating, with my forehead covered with sweat and moisture in my eyes.

Jumping out of the bed, I hopped in the washroom and splashed some water on my face. After exhaling and inhaling deeply for many minutes, my heartrate started decreasing and I started to calm down.

Slipping into a hoodie and pants that I found in the cupboard, I walked out of the room without any noise and descended the stairs. There were no voices in the house, indicating that the three of them were still sleeping.

I slowly tiptoed towards the door and peeped out. There was only one guard sleeping at a distance. Plus, there was no lock on the door. I could easily open it and barge out of the house.

Strange. Why would they leave the house open in the presence of only one guard?

With the same hushed steps, I opened the door and stepped into the front lawn. But before I could move towards the main gate, two men appeared out of nowhere and surrounded me. One of them stood in front of me and the other one behind me. They had guns in their hands and a wicked smile on their faces.

I looked between them in panic, my knees turning to jelly because of my anxiety.

"Don't," a voice boomed when one of them was trying to hold my wrist.

I looked around and found Daniel standing near the doorframe. "Don't touch her," he ordered the man and he backed away.

Daniel didn't look quite happy with me but he didn't look dangerously angry either. He just stepped towards me and held my shoulders gently. Glaring once again at both men, he led me inside towards the kitchen and ordered me to sit down on the chair.

"Didn't Alessandro warn you not to try?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I... Um... I.." I was on the verge of crying. "I want to go back."

He groaned for a moment and then kneeled down before me. I jumped, thinking he was going to harm me but he didn't. Instead, he started speaking, "We are not going to hurt you. Not if you behave well."

"Please... Let me go," I beseeched.

"We can't, Violet. It is not in our hands," he said and I nodded, still frightened of him. But a voice in my head told me that he was not a bad person.

"Come on now. Help me with making breakfast because let me be honest, I suck at it." He pointed towards the burnt omelet in the frying pan and a small smile appeared on my lips.

After drinking some water to calm my nerves, I helped him prepare the cheese omelet, toasts and coffee. Well, by help, I mean I cooked it and he just stood there, observing my every movement.

By the time we set the table, Caleb and Alessandro had joined us too. I begged Daniel not to tell them about my attempt at running and he told me that he was not going to do it anyway.

Caleb moaned when he took the first bite of omelet and said, "It's like a piece of heaven in my mouth."

I looked at him with wide eyes, trying to decipher him. He was too immature for someone in a gang and I wonder how Hayden King hadn't harmed him yet. Though Alessandro and Daniel also looked kind, they had an air of darkness around them.

"What?" he asked when he found me staring and I shook my head. He winked at me again and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Violet!" I was busy drinking the coffee when Alessandro called my name.

"Y... Yeah?" I asked, straightening up. He looked like he was about to say something serious and my hands that were already trembling started shaking furiously.

"Hayden is coming back tonight and I won't sugarcoat it. If you want to get out of here alive, don't ever misbehave with him," he said and I gulped in fear.

After his words, the omelet in my plate felt like shards of glass.

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