Captured by the Beast

KAIA

Don Cristo and I had never crossed paths in person, but our conversations were always direct. It was as if he didn’t trust anyone else to assist him in his search for this girl. He had come to the realization that he couldn’t locate her by himself, and so he had no other option but to seek assistance.

He seemed to appreciate the fact that I was a woman. He confessed that he didn’t trust men around her. Her name was Lia.

He professed she was his one true love. His ~little one.~ The chill that coursed through me when he referred to her in that way was unsettling. There was a sinister, almost perverse undertone in his voice when he spoke of her.

So much so that, after our conversation, I informed him that I had reconsidered and wouldn’t be able to assist him. His anger was palpable, and I had to disconnect the call when he began to threaten me with what he would do if I didn’t comply.

I was trembling as I dismantled the phone, scattering its pieces throughout the city.

I should have anticipated that it wouldn’t be the end of it. A week later, I was returning home from the grocery store when I noticed a heavily tinted SUV tailing me as I strolled down the sidewalk.

I dropped the bags I was carrying and bolted. Only then did I hear car doors slamming and the ominous thud of footsteps pursuing me.

They apprehended me as I attempted to scale a fence, and then a hand clamped over my mouth and nose. I tried to scream, but the cloth pressed against my face was evidently soaked with something. I don’t recall anything after I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I found myself in a spacious bedroom that could have been straight out of a luxury hotel. A bottle of water and a bottle of painkillers, presumably for my throbbing headache, were on the nightstand. But all I could focus on was escaping.

I dashed to the door, battling waves of nausea and dizziness, only to find it locked. I pounded on the solid wood, screaming for release. This went on for hours until my voice was raw.

Until, at last, the door swung open and the beast entered. Don Cristo.

I was perched on the bed, my arms wrapped around my knees, my face streaked with dried tears when he took a seat beside me.

I recoiled when he reached out to brush my hair from my face. He was attractive for a beast, with dark eyes and neatly groomed hair, his body encased in a navy pinstriped suit. The epitome of a perfect gentleman.

But I was aware of the darkness that lurked beneath that impeccably tailored facade. I had heard it firsthand over the phone.

He greeted me in a gravelly voice that carried an undertone of threat. “Hello, Kaia.”

Ever since that phone call with Don Cristo, I had been digging up information on him. He had succeeded his Uncle Antonio as Don. Despite his youthful appearance, he ruled with an iron fist, and I could see why.

I was beginning to realize that he was a master manipulator. I knew he wouldn’t think twice about killing me, and my thoughts kept drifting to Irina. Alone. Unaware of my whereabouts or if I would ever return.

As if he could read my thoughts, his voice softened. “If you do as I say, Irina will be unharmed.”

My eyes widened at the mention of my sister, and a wave of fear washed over me. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

Cristo pulled me into his arms and gently rocked me as I let the tears flow. “Shh…,” he whispered into my hair.

I stiffened in his embrace, but I was powerless. “Help me find my Lia, and I’ll return her to you.”

~He had taken her…~

So there I was, trapped in his Mexican fortress. That’s how I discovered the true extent of Don Cristo’s power. He was the puppet master behind the largest human trafficking operation in Central America.

The horrific videos I stumbled upon, showcasing the atrocities his men committed against those girls, made my stomach churn. Yet, there was one man who held even more power—a man whose name was only whispered in hushed tones. The pakhan. He was my only hope. And not just in one way.

From the information I managed to unearth, Aleksandr was vehemently against human trafficking. He was systematically eliminating the key players. I had a hunch it was somehow connected to his wife’s tragic death, but the details eluded me.

If I could serve up Cristo to him on a silver platter, maybe I could win him over. Maybe he could help me find Irina.

My own attempts to locate her had been fruitless. Cristo was cunning. He knew I’d be searching for her. He only allowed me access to what he deemed necessary, assuring me that Irina was hidden in a place so remote, so desolate, that no technology could find her. He was the only one who knew her location.

So, I did what he wanted. It took some time, but I found Lia for him. She had moved to the city for school, making her easy to locate. The hard part was handing her over. It was a trade-off. I’d get Irina back, but at the cost of Lia.

Unless I could find a way to eliminate him entirely. For that, I needed the pakhan’s assistance. I had no idea how to contact him. That was until one night, when I saw two people being dragged into the house. One of them was Lia.

I ran facial recognition on the man accompanying her. ~Santiago Cabral~. He was the man I’d found with Lia. Don Anton’s top enforcer. The same Don Anton who was in cahoots with the pakhan.

Over the past few months, Cristo had given me free rein of the house. He knew I wasn’t going anywhere, not with the leverage he had over me. So, I listened. I observed. Until I was ready to execute my plan and sneak down into the cells.