"Turn around slowly and put your hands in the air where I can see them, mi Estrella."

His dark and heavily accented voice makes chills run up my spine. My heartbeat stutters and falls to the pit of my stomach as I slowly turn around with both hands in the air.

His face looks the exact same as I last saw him a little over 2 years ago. He has a little bit of stubble that makes him look two years older than his young age of 23. His eyes a caramel brown with golden flecks that used to look at me with adoration now looks at me with eyes that are cold and cruel.

Memories of our time together the good and the bad crowd my brain. Him kissing me after our weekly coffee date at the beginning of our relationship. Him meeting my friend group in Las Vegas a month into our relationship. Us going to a cabin in Colorado for a winter vacation with his friends and mine. Him hitting me and threatening my friends at his Spanish mansion.

Me trying to break up with him after he punched an employee of my father's who was just trying to protect me. Him drugging me and taking me to his house in Mexico.

All of the memories overwhelm my mind and I have to take deep breaths to lock those memories that I have kept buried and never wanted to ever relive them ever again. I push them all back into their hole in my mind. I lock it with iron chains and a million locks that I know will break open after facing this nightmare.

He smirks at me as he watches me battle with thoughts of our time together. I stare at him with fear for what he has in store for me.

Don't give up now! I yell at myself as Declan's fingertips brush my bruising jaw. I flinch away from his fingertips that have inflicted so much pain upon my body.

He smiles at my fearfulness before removing his fingers from my chin to wrap around my neck. I grab his wrists to try and pull them away, but he tightens his grip and lifts me up, so my toes are grazing the concrete floor.

My eyes widen at the feeling of suffocation overwhelming me. He chuckles at my widening eyes before opening his mouth and spitting words out in Spanish.

"Te escapaste de mí así que este es tu castigo, estrellita," he spits at me and tightens his grip even more. I gasp for breath, but no air is able to get into my much-needed lungs. (You ran away from me so this is your punishment, little star.)

"Estuviste perdido durante tanto tiempo que comenzaba a preocuparme por tu salud, pero estuviste justo debajo de mis narices durante dos años completos," he tells me as realeases his grip from around my neck. I drop to the ground gasping for the sweet sweet oxygen that was not available meer seconds ago.

(You were lost for so long that I was beginning to worry about your health, but you were right under my nose for two whole years)

He walks around my depleted body before his shiny black dress shoes are in my line of vision as I stare a the ground in front of me trying to breathe.

He grabs my hair and yanks my head to look into his evil disgusting eyes. "I have missed you dearly mi amore," he says lovingly allowing his eyes to soften in a way that I have not seen since the night of the opera performance.

"I... have...not missed ...you," I spit with labored breaths.

His eyes darken and his fist collides with my cheek. Pain vibrates through my skull as blood drops down my chin from my split lip.

"Do not lie to me Estrella," he scorns. "I know for a fact you missed my dick pumping into your sweet pussy."

"Boss, I believe she would like that more than anything in the world maybe you should go ahead and give it to her," Eva smirks while stepping into the light of the mausoleum.

I glare at her with pure hatred shining in my eyes. Why would she want me to be raped? I have always thought that a women's worst nightmare is to be taken advantage of and having to lose her willpower over her own body. But this puttana seems to want to watch as I get raped like it is the most entertaining show ever.

Declan looks at her and smirks at her with a smirk that just oozes pride and male dominance. He turns his head as I put my head down trying to think rational thoughts as my emotions go haywire at his close proximity.

All I want to do is run far away from this monster that seems to only want me and no one else. I know if I do somehow escape like the last time my friends and family will suffer until I turn myself over to him.

I can not allow that to happen, but I also know that I can't go back with him. I can not allow him to take my body as he did 2 years ago. It would destroy me if I allowed that to happen to me again. It would be me giving up and allowing someone to take advantage after I've trained viciously to never allow that to ever happen to me again.

I learned how to use all different kinds of weapons and different kinds of martial arts. I made myself become a better assassin than I was before he took me as his own. I have studied different techniques to get out of different bondages when kidnapped. I have learned the art of not cracking under pressure in high-risk situations. The one that I have valued the most was learning how to shut off my emotions to the outside world.

This is why even though I have tears of fright running down my face I am emotionless waiting for the right moment to attack.

But even if I do escape this mausoleum there could be hundreds of soldiers outside the door waiting to take me down, if I did somehow get my way outside. I need to come up with a plan because right now I have two solutions allowing them to take me without a fight and pray that Mason or my father can find me wherever they take me or kill as many soldiers I can and hope one can take me down.

The 2nd idea seems ideal to me since I never want to go through what happened to me not that long ago. I have had a lot of tragedy and I just need some peace. Everlasting peace has never sounded so good to me than right at this moment as Declan pulls me up and leans over my body to inhale my sweaty bloody scent.

I am limp in his arms allowing him to sniff my scent. A whimper wants to come out of my mouth, but I hold it back by digging my nails into my palms. I feel the wetness as he licks my dried blood from an injury from the car wreck. I flinch away as he smirks at my disgust and fear.

He leans away and looks into my eyes. His eyes are predatory like I am his prey, and I have to clench my jaw to stop myself from looking away like a broken scared little girl.

He steps away and turns his back to me. I sag against the marble coffin and allow the large stone to hold my body weight since my legs can't hold me because of their shaking.

He walks to Eva and has a hushed conversation that I can not hear from the ringing in my ears. A dizzy spell hits me and I blink back the black spots that have appeared. I blink them away and realize it is just me and Declan standing in the empty mausoleum.

He stares at me with a cold expression before prowling over to me like a cat. He grabs my waist with one arm as the other wraps around my waist-long hair. He pulls my head so hard that I whimper in pain.

He seems to not react to my pain as he places his lips against mine. His lips taste like a putrid liquid and cleaning soap. I seal my lips shut so he can not get his tung down my throat. My actions seem to anger him because his fingers open my mouth with force.

His pointer finger is in my mouth and a wild desport reaction overcomes me, and I bite as hard as I can down onto his finger. His eyes widen in surprise with a mixture of pain as blood flows down his finger and into my mouth. His eyes harden with anger. He grabs my chin with his other hand and tries to dislodge my teeth from his finger.

"Let go," he bellows in anger. "If you do not let got his instant I will bring your little brother in here and shoot him in the back of the head as you watch," he threatens with a wicked tone to his voice.

Those words make my mouth release just as fast as I bit his finger. My worry for my brother heightens as I receive a punch to my stomach. I fall to the floor as my stomach radiates pain from what I can guess is a broken rib or fractured rib.

I get kicked in the same place he punched me and the wind gets knocked out of me. My head goes sideways with force and it isn't until later I realize it was a punch to the face.

The room get's blurry as I fall into unconsciousness.

***

I awake to a blurry body hovering over me. I blink to clear away my blurry vision to a man with several tattoos covering his arms looking worriedly down at me.

"Don't move you have two fractured ribs and a mild concussion. I have just stitched your split lip it will be tender so try to be careful moving your lips," Javier warns me.

He holds down my body as he finishes putting a cream on my elbow that has a small cut from glass particles.

"How long have I been out?" I rasp trying to clear my parched throat.

He glances at me before speaking. "Don't worry I came in right after you passed out. I made him leave and began cleaning your wounds," he reassures me trying to calm my panic which he succeeds in doing.

"How long?" I ask trying to get an understanding of how long I have been passed out on this cold hard concrete ground.

"About 10 minutes. I made sure to clean all of your cuts from the car crash, and the ones that were from him beating you," his eyes grow dark at the thought of him beating me.

I look away to clear my head of the past.

"Why are you still working for him?" I question turning my eyes towards him as he begins to pack his medical bag.

He avoids looking into my eyes. He moves a bag of cotton balls around his bag several times until he places them on top of some bottle of pills. "Ég verð að B. Hann hótaði lífi frænku minnar. Ég get ekki leyft honum að snerta hár á rauða krulluðu höfðinu hennar," he tells me in icelandic.

(I have to B. He threatened my niece's life. I can not allow him to touch one hair on her red curly head)

My eyes go soft at the thought of Amelia being threatened. She is like a daughter to Javier since the death of his brother he has raised her with help from his mother and stepfather.

His ice-blue eyes water at the sympathy on my face. He raises his hand and cups my bruised face. "I never wanted anything to happen to you elskan mín," he murmurs with a pain-laced voice. (my darling)

My eyes water but before I could reply the door to the mausoleum swings open and Declan steps in with Eva hot on his heels like the perfect lap dog she is.

"Mi Estrella, your finally awake," Declan smiles with joy.

"I was hoping she was finally dead," Eva murmurs with an evil tilt to her lips as she walks to the opposite wall and leans against it.

Javier grabs his belongings and leaves, but not before he gives me a lingering look that expresses his worry and pain for me.

I ignore his emotions and pay close attention to the man of my nightmares and his underlying. I push myself up and lean against the coffin steps.

Declan looks at my stitched and heeling body with disgust. "I always wished you would not bruise or bleed as easily. It would make you even more interesting than you are," he says to no one in particular.

"I know right she is so ugly when she looks black and blue. We should just skin her alive so we do not have to look at those ugly colors on her skin," Eva speaks her mind while filing her nails with a short dagger.

Declan glances at her and shuts her up at his look that says 'shut up and watch'. She shuts her mouth and stares at her long black cat-like nails.

Declan squats down in front of me and his lips thin as he stares at me. "I never told you why I beat you that night," he tells me brushing his cold hand against my knee.

At first, I do not know what he is talking about but the memory comes as fast as a bullet.

I stare at the cupcakes in the pink and white striped box. There are decorated in white buttercream frosting with edible gold glitter and rose gold pearls.

I open the note that I have already read three times and I read it for the fourth time.

'Mi Estrella,

I am so sorry for what happened in France. I was just angry and needed to let it go. You know I would never willingly hurt you. I love you too much to lay a finger on you. Please forgive and stop ignoring me. It hurts my feelings to have you ignore my phone calls. I miss you please call me!

Love,

Declan Diaz- your boyfriend'

I place it back down on the counter and walk away from the gift he gave me for our six-month anniversary.

I flop onto my bed like a starfish and think about that night three weeks ago. I knew how jealous and positive he could get. I should have worn something that covered me from head to toe. After all, it was my fault that men looked at me and angered Declan.

A small voice inside the back of my head spoke up from my thoughts. 'But a man you love should not tell you what to wear and then later punch because of other men's eyes on you.'

I ignore my inner voice and picked up my phone and clicked his contact.

"Mi Estrella, did you get my gift?" he asked with unusual sounds coming from the background.

"Yes, I did and I read the card," I told him brushing a wild thread from my bedspread.

I hear him take an intake of breath. "Do you forgive me?" he asks hesitantly.

"Yes, as long as you do not do it again," I told him with a stern voice even though all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry.

"I promise I will not," he says into the phone. "I am on my way there now."

Before I can respond he hangs up and I am left with a nervous and scared feeling in the pit of my stomach.

10 minutes later the elevator opens to my Declan in a pair of jeans and a white top that shows his bulging muscles. In his arms, he carries a leather jacket.

I take in him as his jaw clenches in an unknown emotion. He drops his leather jacket on the kitchen counter before prowling towards me.

When he gets in arms reach he grabs my jaw and pain lashes through my mouth. "You left and did not call me that requires a punishment my little star," he growls before his hand wraps around my throat.

I gasp in surprise and realise the reason why he was clenching his jaw was that he was furious with me. I flench as the pain intensifies and I bite my lip to not cry out. I taste the metallic taste of blood and realize that my tooth went through my lip.

He pushes me back and I land with a thud on the marble floor. Before I can get back to my feet to ask what is wrong my head moves to the side as a slap is heard throughout the quiet space.

"This is what you get for ignoring me," he spits with venom before hitting me.

He hits me again and again until my breaths are coming out ragged and painting. I want the pain to end and for the darkness surfacing to surround me in its comforting warmth.

After a kick to my gut, the darkness finally consumes me and I fall into the welcoming embrace.

The memory ends and I remember the feeling of fear and betrayal I felt that evening. It would be two days later that Sofia would die by the hands resting in front of me. Then seven days later he took me to Mexico and locked me up in the basement of his house. It wouldn't be 5 months until I would escape my capture after months of pain and trauma.

I have never cared why he beat me to a pulp that night, and it still does not matter to me. The only question I have right now is how I am going to escape for a 2nd time with my brother in tow safe and unharmed.

I bring my stinging eyes to him as he smiles at me. "I was so angry because in the car I got a call from Mateo saying you were spending some time with another man during our separation. No man will ever touch you again mi Estella. No one," he fumes and his hands curl into fists.

His last words echo in my head.

He wants to be the only person to touch me intimately. If I go with I will be like rapunzel locked in her tower to only give herself to the monster of nightmares and not her prince charming who has saved her from herself.

The man who would follow me into hell and pull me back to the surface. Mason has been there for me when I was in my darkest moments. I can not go to the rapunzel like tower not if it means never seeing Mason's face again.

I allow my eyes to go cold as Declan grabs me and pulls me up. He flips me around so my abdomen is pressed into the cool marble.

"Your ass is mine," he murmurs in my ear as he gropes my ass. "Your breasts are mine." His hand travels up my waist to cup my breasts. "Your pussy is my pussy to use as I see fit." One of his hands goes into the waistband of my pants and sticks his hand down my pants to put two fingers inside of me.

I bit my lip to make sure I do not cry out at the intrusion of his rough hand. He swirls his fingers around while chuckling maniacally.

"You do not know how much I want you right now," he murmurs into my ear as he rubs his erection against my ass. Bile rises to my throat, but I push it aside and focus on my breathing.

I have to get out of this situation .

As soon as I think that the sounds of bullets echoing from outside can be heard. "What the fuck?" Declan barks in anger. "Eva, go open the door and see what's happening."

She opens the door and pears out before closing it quickly after. "It is Morelli, he's here probably trying to rescue his lover," she snarls.

Declan causes in Spanish before shoving me at Eva and leaving out the door of the mausoleum, but not before ordering Eva to keep me in here until the situation is dealt with.

I take this as my moment to grab a knife I snuck into my pocket when Declan had me up against the wall. Eva glares at me before pacing the length of the mausoleum.

When she gets close I lunge forward with the knife aimed at her stomach. My actions surprise her and she stumbles over her feet as the knife plunges into her ribs.

We fall backwards with me landing on top of her and her below me. I am still holding the knife with blood seeping out of her wound and onto my fingers. "Bitch," she shouts in pain trying to dislodge me from on top of her.

I keep my legs even underneath me as I twist the blade in deeper probably hitting a major artery. In a desperate and weak performance, she reaches for her gun that slipped out of her hands as we fell. I pull the blade out with blood dripping from the knife I plunge it into her hand reaching for the gun.