Cupid's Cabin

05 | Blood Stains

05
blood stains

Claudia and I duck under the tables quickly. I jump when I hear blood curling screams from women and more powerful gunshots all around the mansion.

Claudia whimpers, "Are you okay?" she whisper shouts.

I shake my head frantically, "Is any of this okay?!"

She looks down, "He's probably wondering why we're not out back."

I force Claudia to look me in the eyes by grabbing her jaw, "You need to be specific. Who's he? What's out back?"

She sighs, "Aiden wanted us out back but I heard Jordan on the phone earlier talking about girls being behind the stage curtains and a 'performance'. I'm not sure what he meant but I know it's not good. Aiden brought you here for a reason and I'm pretty sure he was planning on selling you or something."

I take in all her words. I hate her even more for suggesting on going to this stupid 'vacation'.

"I hate you," I growl, "I hate you for bringing me here. I hate you for leaving me many times. I hate you for acting as if everything's okay when it's not. I hate you for supposedly being my friend when you have a strange way of showing it. And I hate you even more for pretending to save me when we're sitting ducks under a fucking table."

She looks at me, conflicted, "I'm sorry, Nora. I really am, but I'm trying to fix it!"

"Eleanor?" Aiden calls out, "Eleanor!"

I jump and Claudia does too. She squeezes her eyes tightly and hugs her knees to her chest, rocking herself back and forth.

I don't know what to do. Is she having a panic attack? Is she scared what Aiden will do when he finds us under the table? Many thoughts run through my head but it's overcrowded by the screams and machine guns.

I hear a thump beside me. I slightly pull the table cloth up and see a dead body with a bullet through a woman's forehead, her eyes wide open and blood coming out from her mouth.

I cover my mouth and hold in my scream.

Claudia starts sobbing, covering her sounds with her hands. I drop the cloth and scoot back as far as I can. That's when I feel a tight grip on my hand.

I'm pulled out from underneath the table, screaming. I kick and punch my way from the tight grip, to no avail. The person spins me around and I'm face to face with a strange man.

He holds a gun near my temple, his eyes telling me shut up.

I obey silently.

He smiles, tilting his head, studying my facial features. "My, my..." he breathes, "You are magnificent. No wonder Aiden likes you."

I breathe heavily, trying to calm my racing heart. I see Claudia being pulled from under the table too, screaming to be let go until she gets slapped and shuts up instantly. Her eyes find mine and she tells me to stay calm.

The man caresses my hair, petting me as though I'm a dog, "We'll see how much you mean to him now, shall we?"

He shoves me forward and I see Aiden turn around with a menacing look on his face. His clothes were slightly torn and covered in blood. He was holding a gun and his dark eyes find mine, shock and anger in them.

"I don't share my women Lorenzo, you know this," his deep voice was soothing like he was talking to a baby.

Lorenzo laughs, rubbing my back almost in a soothing manner. I'm confused for a moment. Wasn't he going to kill me? Or is he using me to get to Aiden, a man I barely knew?

Being collateral damage sucks.

"It's funny how you don't share your women, but you give shares of your company to me all the time," he pauses, "At least, you used to."

"That was before you made the mistake of loosing some important weapons," he responds calmly, but coldly, "I don't like idiots as employees, Enzo."

Lorenzo's grip on me tightens. I whimper loudly, making Aiden's eyes go back on me for a second before looking back at Lorenzo.

Lorenzo tsks, "I'm afraid I'll have to get my revenge, Aiden. Why not use her?"

Aiden smiles widely, his eyes wrinkling and his dimples on display. For a moment he looks normal. Not a killer but a man who's happy.

"You think I care for a little girl like her?" he asks, "I just met the girl. You can do whatever you want, but like I said before, I don't share my women. So if you plan on fucking my princess, then you better look someplace else."

I'm conflicted on whether I should be mad he's antagonizing Lorenzo to kill me and for calling me a little girl or whether I should be flattered he called me his princess and some personal sex slave of his, which I have no problem being, but at the same time, I do.

"You expect me to believe you've invited her to your suite, took her on your private jet all the way to Paris in a beautiful dress no doubt, because you don't care for this so called 'little 'girl?" Lorenzo asks doubtfully, "I'm afraid you've mistaken me for a fool."

Aiden moves his shoulders in a circular motion, stretching his sore muscles, "So what's your plan? I advise letting her go and handing her over. She's too expensive to let slip."

I force my eyes down. Aiden's words hurt but then again, we don't know each other so why does it hurt so much?

Lorenzo's quiet. I can hear his breathing. It was deep and calm, almost relaxing. His tight hold on me loosens and I sigh in relief, rubbing my arms from his harsh fingers. I feel Lorenzo step back but I'm too afraid to turn around and meet his gaze.

"Alright then," Lorenzo says, "Maybe we can deal with this later like men. No women, no leverage, no weapons, just memory lane and a flash key."

I can't help but look up and watch Lorenzo. His eyes meet mine and he smiles, acting normal as if he wasn't holding a gun to my head and threatening my life a minute ago.

He steps back without removing his eyes from mine, "See you soon, love. Keep me in your nightmares."

The man holding Claudia leaves too, making her relax and hug herself, looking at the ground. My jaw is dropped as I watch Lorenzo leave freely. I'm surprised Aiden isn't shooting him.

Maybe he didn't care about me as much as I'd hope.

"Are you alright?" Aiden's deep voice calls out.

I turn to him blankly, probably looking like a damn drug addict with my messed up dress, hair and pale face.

"What would you do if I wasn't?" I question, my voice barely audible.

His dark gray eyes stare at me, "I don't know what to tell you."

I nod, stepping back until I'm beside Claudia, "Thanks. Guess I know who I'll be staying with for the night."

His eyes flare, "You can't be angry at me for something I didn't do."

"And what would that be?" My tone is soft but my words are accusing.

"I didn't kill these people. I didn't threaten your life. I didn't—"

I cut him off, "Yeah, I got that. But you weren't exactly trying to save my life either. You were making him angrier by the second."

"That's not my fault."

I shrug, "Never said it was. I want to go home."

He nods, turning around and walking out the doors without waiting for us to follow him. The men who works for him follow after.

Claudia speaks up quietly, "And to think, we were so close to escaping."