REYNA

I got to be with my mother for only a few more minutes before Viktor walked into the room and dragged me out. It felt as though I was losing her again, letting her slip between my fingers like I was trying to hold onto water. She cried for me, pleaded that Viktor let me go. Even in the dark, I could see the tears fall from her eyes and feel her soul that had come to life again with me in arms, harshly pull away from her body like two magnets of the same poles. She reached out to me, trying to take as much as of me as she possibly could. She wanted to hold on to the past few minutes as if she could grasp a moment into the palm of her hand and relive it over and over again.

"I will come back for you!" I yelled, while in the process of being stolen from my mother only the second time. "I will save you from this! Saint and I will save all of you from this!"

My mother was never given the chance to respond. The door slammed shut right in front of my face. It amazed me how I could still hear her weeping and the sound of her fists banging against the hideous wooden door. Even as my tears fell, a ghost of a smile came across my face.

To be fought for was all I ever wanted. To be wanted was all I ever fought for.

Viktor grabbed ahold of me and continued to drag me down the hallway. I glanced over at him to see a gun in his left hand as his right was occupied with the grip he had on my arm. His clutch on me was growing tighter and tighter around my skin. I was almost grimacing in pain, wanting to be released but having no strength in me to pull away. There was nothing I wanted more than to be free.

"You're hurting me," I gritted out, trying to rip my arm from his grasp. It only encouraged him to be more rough and aggressive as he led the way to his office.

As we shuffled through the house, I tried to see if there was any source of communication—there were no computers, no phones, not even a damn camera. I wasn't sure how I would get myself out of this mess. I yearned to fulfill my promise to my mother, and all I knew was that I was going to do it.

He pushed open his office door and practically threw me in before entering.

"You lied, didn't you? You said that if I let you see your mother, you would agree to be with me! You lied!" he exclaimed, striding toward me until he was directly in my face.

"Honestly, Reyna," he spat out, bits of his spit landed on my face, forcing my lip to curl in distaste. "I know how much Saint has taken a liking toward you. I saw it the moment he looked at you. You should have seen the way his eyes lit up like a damn Christmas tree. He's the one with the nerd kink—not me!" he shouted frustratedly.

Nerd kink?

"I offered you a chance of success. I offered you everything you could ever want, and you betrayed me. You want to save your mama, huh? You want to save every whore in here, huh?" he challenged.

I shivered in fright as I found myself backing away from him. There was something so dangerous in his eyes. It was like he was a predator preparing to attack its prey. He was ready to kill, and I could see the future in his eyes and it was covered in blood, and guns, and knives, and me.

He reached out and grabbed me by my chin, bringing my face impossibly closer to his. If either of us moved, our lips would touch. I only prayed that wasn't going to be the outcome.

"I thought you were different. I thought you were this fucking genius! I thought you would hate Saint after all the shit he put you through, but you are just as stupid as your fucking mother! She tore my family apart and for that, she will rot like the whore she is!" He yelled. It looked as though he had been punched in the gut until he plastered a smirk on his face like a mask.

"I would like to see the look on Saint's face when he sees you at the auction tonight—in my hands." He smirked.

My eyes widened at his words.

"My sister got a call that Alessandro Rubino wanted to make a purchase. I guess he's not as smart as he thinks because I track every single call my sister makes and receives. He was at Saint's residence. That means they were looking for you," Viktor informed me. My brows came together. Saint was looking for me?

"Don't get too excited. Now that I know he's coming, I can't wait for him to watch you on your knees sucking my dick just before I blow his fucking brains out." Viktor smirked. He then placed his on my temple and made a poosh sound. "Goodbye to that son of a bitch."

"If you kill him, I swear I will stop at nothing to make sure you are dead and everything that you built is taken down," I threatened. "You... don't... scare me."

Viktor's eyes narrowed. I assumed he was going to hit me, or scream at me, or shoot me, but instead, he laughed. He laughed like the maniac he was. He was laughing so hard that a tear fell from the corner of his eye.

"Is that so?" He questioned, chuckling.

"It is," I stated.

Viktor backed away from me, his smile never faltering.

"We'll see," he said. "Don't forget that I have your mother. If you want her to stay alive, I'd suggest you do everything I tell you. Is that enough to scare you now?"

I couldn't say anything. I was rendered speechless by his atrocious words. Once again, he was using my mother as bait.

"There is a dress and a pair of shoes on my desk. I suggest you put it on, fix up your hair, and be ready in exactly fifteen minutes," Viktor demanded just before walking out of the door and slamming it shut. He then locked it and allowed me to hear his retreating footsteps.

I glanced over at the desk to see a black criss-cross halter dress. It looked two sizes too small and the fabric appeared too thin. The shoes were tall and bedazzled in fake jewels. It was worse than anything Saint made me wear. It was degrading and provocative. I was almost sure that Viktor had done it on purpose.

Without another protest, I picked up the dress and began to place it on. Feeling a numbness coat my heart, and a wave of sadness slow down my every movement.

I had to do something. I had to get my mother out of there. I needed to save everyone.

—

whew! I'm trying to hurry it up but I'm a professional procrastinator haha.

Thank you all for reading. Please take the time out to answer the question below so I can better the story when I go in and edit it for future publications.

Question: Are there any plot holes that you can think of in this story so far? If so, what are they?