Mine Forever: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 3 Sonia -Defiant

I kick and scream and try to free myself from the man with the innumerable tattoos, but nothing works. He marches me through the spacious house that's replete with expensive-looking antiques and ample rooms until finally, we get upstairs.

"This is your room," he says gruffly, setting me down.

I peer inside, expecting to see something bare and paltry, but I'm stunned to find a sumptuous room complete with a flat-screen television and all the modern touches I had at home.

"This is for me?" I ask, wondering what the catch is.

He nods. "As long as you behave, as Dante suggested, your stay here won't be so bad."

Dante?

So he's the one who's captured me.

I walk inside the room, but when I do, the man slams the door behind me. I'm left alone to ponder my fate, to finally digest the fact that I've been taken.

Going to the bed, I lay down on it and start to cry.

How did this happen? Why am I here?

The hot tears flow quickly down my face as I wonder about my circumstances. I can't help but think of my captor. Dante.

Who is he? Is he going to kill me?

The dangerous look in his forest green eyes makes me think that yes, I'm treading onto perilous territory. I can see that he's a man with power and influence, enough that he was able to take me from my highly-guarded penthouse in the city. So what does that mean for me now? What are his plans?

Pushing away the tears, I try to tell myself to be brave, that this is not the end.

I might've been captured by this man, Dante, but that doesn't mean I'm his slave or servant. There's still time for me to escape.

Pulling myself off the bed, I decide to look for an exit route. There has to be some way for me to get out of here, especially since he's not having me stay in a cell, or somewhere under lock and key. I first try the door, but opening it, I realize that Dante likely has men all over the house just waiting for me to attempt an escape, and going this route would be something they'll anticipate me doing. So, I choose to skip that. Next, I go for the windows. To my surprise, they open easily, leading out to a small terrace. It's like my balcony in the city in that I'm so far above the ground, but this terrace is heavily bricked and has ivy curling around the facade.

I peer down, trying to get a look at the house. Maybe I could climb down? Looking out over the view, all I see are endless sheets of fields, miles and miles of them. And in the distance is a forest that surrounds the property.

Where am I? How will I ever escape this place?

Gazing down over the edge, I'm reminded of earlier in the night when I was considering jumping from our penthouse on Fifth Avenue. I almost chose to end my life because I was so unhappy. And now, the same voice curls back into my consciousness, demanding that I jump, that I end it all.

It's the only way out. Just jump.

I kick back the voice inside that's trying to get me to do it. I force it down. But the idea feels too good.

Jumping would be an escape; it would be an out. I wouldn't belong to Dante, this new monster who's caught me, and I wouldn't belong to my father either.

Putting one leg over the brick siding, I allow myself to feel the cold wind and the thrill of how close I am to the edge.

I'm so close to flying, and the excitement of that is electrifying.

But before I have time to think about what to do next, to rationalize to myself any further about why this is a good or bad idea, a pair of big, rough hands come around my waist.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he says.

I recognize Dante's voice as he pulls me back in, away from the window.

My heart begins to hammer hard against my chest as I feel the full weight of his hands on my body. Even as he drags me back inside and I'm safe, he still doesn't let go but holds me, staring into my eyes.

"I, um, was looking for a way down," I say, which is partly the truth.

With his big hands around my waist, his deep green eyes analyze me closely. I feel like I've been caught, like he sees me for who I am, a person who's very lost in her life.

I blink, looking away from his eyes. I can't allow myself to be seen by this devastatingly handsome man. For as much as I know I should stay away from Dante and that he's the devil, I also have to admit to myself that he's gorgeous with his high, chiseled cheekbones, straight nose, and full lips. His eyebrows are thick and dark, matching his hair which is so brown that it's basically black like mine. His eyes are green like a deep forest, but they have hints of umber in them, and when I look at him, it's like he sees through me, a feeling that causes me to feel uneasy.

"I think, principessa, that you were trying to escape, to jump," he says at last. And I don't have to tell you what a foolish thing that would be to do. Why would you consider such a thing?"

For a second, I have no words. How can I explain to Dante, this man I'm supposed to hate, that death feels like a way out? It feels like freedom to me.

He doesn't deserve an explanation from me. He doesn't deserve anything at all from me.

I wrangle free of his grasp though his touch causes my skin to light up aflame with some heated reaction to him. "No, I wasn't. I just wanted to try to see where I am, to try to get some idea of what kind of hellhole you've dragged me to," I say.

The truth is, this isn't a hellhole. Dante's mansion is as beautiful a place as any I've ever seen. But I don't understand why he wants me here. I have nothing to do with my father's business as I've been famously sheltered from all that. But still, I'm here. Captured.

His deep green eyes remain trained on me. I know somehow that he knows I'm lying. I was considering jumping. But it doesn't matter. I don't owe Dante anything.

His eyes scan me, almost like he's trying to see if I'm all right. "You need to be a good girl," he says. "Otherwise, this room, this opulence, will go away."

I look around at all the fine furnishings, at the beautiful room, and wonder what he means. What is the other option for me?

"I came to see if you're all right," he says. "Now that I know you are, that you won't do anything stupid, I'll take my leave."

I glare at him, knowing it won't do anything to make him take me back to the city, but also knowing that every time I can be defiant, I will.

I need to find a way out of here.