Estrella

Chapter 5: " Mine"

I froze as I slowly turned around .

"Dante? You work here?" What a coincidence.

"Yes, princess, I work here." He said it in a strange way, like he knew something I didn't.

And princess? Where did that come from?

"So you ordered these?" I motioned towards the boxes of pastries that were now beginning to feel heavy in my arms after holding them for so long.

"Yes. Could you come see them on my desk?"
I nodded and I walked around the desk so I could put it on the empty space.

As soon as I put it down, I felt a hand on my hip. This was uncomfortable.

"Um Dante?" I said as his hand started massaging my hip.

"What are you doing?"

I tried to slap his hand away, but his grip tightened.

"Dante stop." I demanded, and his eyes darkened. He turned me to where I was facing him while he was sitting in his desk chair.

He was still taller than me this way. He put his other hand on my other side. 

"I said stop!" I screeched as I became very aware of my situation.

I was alone in a room with him.

No one was there to come to my rescue.

Flashbacks of that night when I was fifteen began to surface and I forced them down. I needed to get out of this.

With as much force as I could muster, I kicked his shin.
It couldn't have hurt him much, but it was so unexpected that he loosened his grip on me and I ran to the door only to find it locked.

He looked angry now, no he looked pissed. He stalked towards me.

He was a predator, and I was his prey.

I quickly ran across the room to his desk, and grabbed the huge dagger that was hung up on the wall. I held it up towards him, the dagger feeling heavy and wrong in my grip.

"Now what are you going to do what that, princess? Just put it down and we can talk about it." He was angry, I could tell, but his voice was calm. Somehow that was scarier, and pure fear was pumping adrenaline so fast I could hear my heart beat in my ears.

I shook my head violently, tears spilling into my cheeks. There was no way out of this. I had no escape.

He took a threatening step forward, "I said put it down."

I shook my head again.

I was still behind his desk when I made the mistake of looking behind me.

Huge floor to ceiling windows showed the view of the city.

And how far up we were.

The dagger clattered to the floor as my vision became blurry. My heart raced and the tears fell faster. The last thing I remember were big black boots before darkness consumed me.

***************************************************************

I wasn't aware I had passed out until I woke up on the couch that was in the corner of the room.

I sprung up, standing on the couch that was probably tens of thousands of dollars.
Under different circumstances I would've felt bad.

"I thought you died there for a minute." His chilling voice boomed throughout the room.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
I tried to make a move for the dagger that was back up on the wall but he was up and in my face before I could step off the couch.

"Don'y even think about it," he growled down at me. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"Sit down and we will talk about this." He demanded with his velvety voice.

I thought about it. He could easily hurt me. Maybe if I did what he said he would let me go?

I slowly sat down on the edge of the couch. It was the most comfortable thing I've ever been on and screamed luxury.

"Good girl."

Good girl?

Somebody give me a bucket because I am about to barf.

I decided not to say anything about it though, because to be honest I am a coward. I am too afraid of making him angry again to pull anything.

Just as long as we stay a good distance apart.

I sniffled, my nose runny from crying before I spoke, "What was that about?"

"I was just playing with what's mine."

Mine?

The fudge was he on about? I am a human being with rights and emotions.

"W-what do you mean yours?" I stuttered, hating myself for it. I might have been petrified, but he didn't have to know that.

"I meant it how I said it. Now come here."

This couldn't be happening. Who was this man? Surely he was not the same man who helped me out at the gas station all those weeks ago.

I shook my head so fast I was afraid my neck would snap.

"N-no! Your crazy! Y-your a psychopath! Leave me alone." I screamed, panicking.

The reality was quick to set it again; I was dealing with an obviously deluded man.

I ran to the door, hands shaking, and I internally sighed in relief when the handle turned.

Ha! Take that you son of a gun!

I glanced back at him before I ran, only to see him chuckling which made my skin crawl.

"Your going to wish you didn't do that, baby."

With that I ran.

I ran all the way out the building.

All the way down the crowded streets.

All the way into the café.

"Estrella, dear, what took you so long? You've been gone nearly the whole day."

I turned to her and she gasped as she took in my appearance. I probably looked a mess. My mascara was running down my face for sure, an obvious sign that I had been crying.

"Oh my sweet girl, what happened?" She asked as she enveloped me in a hug, the sweet smell of her perfume filling my nostrils.

I broke down then. I sobbed into her shoulder, replaying the events of the day, and the weeks that had past.

After I was done crying, I slowly looked up to see her face. It showed great anxiety and worry for me.

It meant a lot, even though she may never know it, because no one's ever cared for me before.

"I don't know what I can do to help you. Anywhere you go, he will find you."

"What do you mean? Who is he?" I inquired. I knew he was someone important, I just hadn't connected the dots yet.

"Sweetie, he's Dante De' Luca. Have you not figured it out yet? He owns a multi-billion dollar company and is the Don of the Italian mafia." She spoke with pity and sadness in her eyes.

My face paled.

I had gotten mixed up in the mafia?