My shy mafia princess

Chapter 27

Bellas POV:

I tiptoe along the stairs and hallways. I need to get out here. It feels like I'm suffocating. Whenever I hear any kind of sound or a crack in the floor I pause. I need an whole hour getting to the kitchen. Only one window in the house won't let the alarm go off once opened. It's in the living room „just for emergencies" my father said, what he really means is if anyone finds out that killers are living in here and we get ambushed. I would never say this out loud in front of my parents tho. Since I came back they don't talk about their ‚Hobby' or the mafia or Luke.

I turn around the corner into the living room and walk up to the window. If I manage to sneak out Laura will meet me at the entrance of the forest. It's a half an hour walk so my parents shouldn't hear the car or our voices.

When the window clicks and I open it, the lights in the living room and the Terrace go on.
Shit. What now?

I slowly turn around and find my parents standing there. If looks could kill I would be dead.

I turn back around and think for a moment if I should make a run for it. It's worth a try, isn't it? But if they catch me I don't know what they will do to me. In the past two months they changed. They got scary. Not Luke like scary but really psychotic scary. So I close the window and turn back to them.

„You didn't really believe we would ever let you meet your little online friend." Mother says way too calm.

„H-how do you know about Laura?" I protected everything on my laptop with passwords, so how did they do it?

„Honey, because we ARE Laura. You haven't really thought that we would let you message complete strangers, oh, you did? Well then you really haven't learned anything. First of telling a stranger about us? About our hideout and why we're hiding? Why would you do something like that. If you wanted to talk about it you could've talked to us. Tsk." Father tries to maintain an even voice but his anger still comes out.

I messed up.
„I thought you guys would trust me but you're stalking me? What kind of parents would do that and I wanted to talk to you. I tried. But you guys blocked everything off. It feels suffocating here and I want to go."

„Go where? Back to that bastard? Or to buy one of the apartments you were looking at?" Father has lost all the calmness in his voice now. Not only did they play to be my friend, no, they stalked my browser history. What else have they found?

„You didn't really think we could let you walk out there with no protection or anything. Living out there again? Where he can find you whenever he wants? You did not think about us at all did you?" Mother is still as calm as even and put one of her hands on dad's shoulder. I don't know if it was my imagination but he flinched.

„You need to get punished for being so mindless." She's smiling. SHE'S SMILING ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF PUNISHING ME.

I should've run away. They take my hands and lead me into the basement. And when the lights go on I can't believe my eyes. The basement looks like a torture chamber. What. The. Fuck. I didn't believe Luke completely but now I know. They are killers. For fun. They're going to kill me. But they went through so much to get me back so they probably will just hurt me. And when I look at the instruments on the wall I don't know if that's something good or if death would be mercy.

Mother pushes me on a chair and rips my clothes on my back open. I'm covered in front but my back is open. The sound of a whip sounds somewhere. No. They wouldn't whip me, right?

I am their daughter they...wouldn't.

,,We are so so sorry Bella. But you just won't understand us. This is the only solution to make you obey us. We're just scared and we love you, don't forget that okay?''

My father grabs me by my shoulders while my mom dig through her stuff, probably searching for the right instrument.

Why didn't I think of this sooner? Someone who can KILL people...can't be normal. They can't. They wouldn't even hesitate to torture their own children.
No. Not their children. Not anymore.

My heart begins to ache and I feel that I can't breath properly anymore. My dads grip on my shoulder begins to be more painful and my chest starts hurting. I'm scared. Please. I don't want this, please. Luke.

I hear my moms steps coming nearer and she gently touches my bare back. I flinch by her touch and my father must recognize ,,Shh. It'll be over soon. You'll learn your lesson so you'll never have to feel this pain anymore, okay?'' he whispers gently with a painful voice, as if he's the one who's hurt.

And then immense pain explodes on my back and I scream. One hit after another. After a while I lost count. I don't know how long I sat there. I don't know anything right now. Why is no one saving me? What did I do to deserve this?