Captured by the Mafia King - Book cover

Captured by the Mafia King

Tania Shava

2: Chapter 2

Talia looked up at the beautiful mansion. At the front was a circular driveway with a glimmering fountain. Dozens of expensive cars were being shuttled in and out by valets.

She had known these people were rich, but nothing like this. She was going to be wildly out of place, and she debated whether she should go in, even as she wandered closer.

Axel seemed mysterious though, and Talia couldn’t help but be intrigued.

She was a sucker for a tattooed bad boy, and those dark, dangerous eyes had haunted her all night after she left the hotel.

Plus, it seemed like there were a lot of people at this party. She would be safe.

Before Talia could change her mind, a voice at her side interrupted her train of thought.

“Ms. Talia?” A man with the bearing of a butler looked expectantly at her.

“Yes,” she replied, surprised. “That’s me.”

He gestured toward the door. “Please.”

The door shut behind them, and before Talia could ask how he knew her name, the butler asked, “Can I offer you a drink?”

He passed Talia a champagne flute seemingly out of thin air without waiting for an answer.

She sipped the champagne, and her eyes widened. She’d only ever had cheap sparkling wine and hadn’t been much impressed, but this was delicious. She finished the whole glass in two long sips.

She was guided to the back garden, which was filled with people. The garden was beautifully manicured and speckled with lights. It trickled into a forest that was almost invisible in the dusk.

Talia walked around, scanning the crowd for a recognizable face—Axel, Sophie, or maybe even one of the men from dinner.

When she couldn’t recognize anyone, she settled on finding the bar.

“What can I get you, sweetheart?” the bartender asked.

“Just some champagne, please.”

He laughed. “Oh, come on. Don’t be boring. Try something new. Want to try the boss’s favorite?”

“The boss?”

The bartender gave her a funny look. “Axel?”

“Ah.” Talia realized her mistake. “Of course. Yes. Axel.”

The man passed her a heavy tumbler full of a crimson liquid, the same shade as the seal on the envelope.

The color of blood.

Talia swirled the liquid in the glass, and it shimmered. The cocktail tasted like lavender and blueberries, sweet but not too sweet.

“Do you happen to know where I could find him?” Talia asked.

The bartender shrugged and glanced back toward the crowd of people. "I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.”

As she walked around the party, Talia sipped her drink and searched for Axel, but he was nowhere to be found.

After a while she gave up. She desperately needed to use the bathroom.

She turned and jumped, finding the butler right behind her.

Is he following me?

“Can I help you, Ms. Talia?”

“I’m looking for the bathroom.”

“Just down those stairs and around the corner. Don’t get lost now,” he warned her.

This was getting too weird. She was going to leave after she found the bathroom.

She followed a path that was dimly lit by a row of lanterns. The music grew fainter with every step until she eventually couldn’t hear it anymore.

Now that she was away from the crowd, the house and the grounds felt sinister.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

Her stomach lurched.

There was something eerie in the air.

Talia couldn’t help but feel like somebody was watching her every move.

She could feel invisible eyes scanning her body.

Talia remembered Axel’s last words to her. The memory made her blood run cold.

I will be watching you.

Like a hunter stalking his prey.

Am I the prey?

Talia looked over her shoulder, paranoid that someone was following her, but there was no one there.

Suddenly she was struck by exhaustion. Her eyelids felt heavy, almost too heavy to keep open.

I had a long day at work today. I must be really tired.

Talia leaned against the wall.

She could barely lift her head.

Her vision slowly blurred.

It was like the whole world was spinning out of control.

What is happening to me?

I need to get home.

The last thing Talia saw before succumbing to darkness was Axel walking toward her with a devilish gleam in his eyes.

***

Talia’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

This is not my bedroom.

The more she looked around, the more confused she was. The ceiling was high, leading up to a stained-glass dome. The walls were lined with a rose-patterned velvet wallpaper.

The sheets were made of smooth silk, unlike her cheap polyester sheets at home.

Where am I?

On the bedside table was a bottle of painkillers and a glass of what looked like ice water. Condensation trickled down the side of the glass onto a note, handwritten in black ink: Drink up.

Talia couldn’t remember what had happened the night before. The last thing she recalled was trying to find the bathroom, then it all went black.

She must have gotten too drunk and fallen asleep at Axel’s mansion.

No. That cocktail was deadly.

She noticed the clock on the wall: 12:34 p.m.

Shit.

She was supposed to have met Mia for brunch half an hour ago.

Talia jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. When she got there, she could only gape for a moment. The bathroom was as beautiful as the bedroom.

The floor and counters were beautiful marble, and all the fixtures were gold. Three walls were covered with delicate pearl wallpaper while the fourth was a floor-to-ceiling mirror.

Lush plants stood in the corners and hung from the ceiling.

Most inviting of all was the golden bathtub right in the center.

Talia wished she had time for a nice long bath, but Mia would kill her. She opted for a quick shower instead.

Afterward, she noticed a plush robe hanging by the bathroom door. It was chilly, so she put it on over her dress from the night before. She would have to ask Axel for a sweater before she left.

She couldn’t find her phone. Or her purse. Maybe Axel had them, or one of his many servants did.

When she went to open the door, it was locked.

After fumbling at it with no luck, she bent to look closer. There was no lock on her side of the door.

She shimmied the door handle in case it was stuck, but it did not budge.

Talia was beginning to be scared.

What is this thing made out of? Solid steel?

She needed to find her phone. She needed to call someone to come help her.

Maybe I could get someone’s attention through a window.

The only window was on the ceiling, and there was nothing she could climb on to reach it.

Talia tried banging on the walls, but the cushioned velvet swallowed all the noise she made.

The room was soundproof.

Suddenly her fragmented memories of the night before turned sinister.

Axel’s shadow looming toward her.

That special cocktail.

She hadn’t fallen asleep there.

She had been drugged and kidnapped.

What was he going to do to her? Why had she been so stupid? What had she thought was going to happen when she came there?

Suddenly a dark and husky voice she recognized boomed through the room.

“Hello, Talia. I’ll come in and explain everything, but only if you promise to be a good girl.”

It was then that she noticed cameras in every corner of the room.

“I told you I’d be watching you.”

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