THE KILLER THAT CLAIMED (A dark, mafia romance)

They didn't take me back to a cell. That was the first thing I noticed.

 The second thing I noticed was the silence. This place they were taking me for the "clean up" was quieter.

 A lot cleaner as well.

 "Stand still."

 The order came as soon as they pushed me into a brightly lit room. I blinked against the sudden light, my eyes struggling to adjust.

 After being in the dark cell for so long, everything felt too sharp and too bright.

 I hesitated for half a second while I struggled to stay put.

 A hand grabbed my arm.

 "I said stand still."

 "I''m trying," I whispered quickly, exhaustion rising.

 The grip loosened.

 Women entered the room. They were not like the armed men. They had a ofter movements and calmer faces.

 But their eyes... their eyes told me everything.

 They were just as important as the guards and on some level, maybe more ruthless.

 "Clean her," one of the men ordered the women before stepping out.

 That was it.

 The door was slammed shut and suddenly... I was surrounded.

 "Take off the dress," one of the women said.

 My breath hitched.

 "Wh...what?"

 She didn't even react. "Take. It. Off."

 My hands trembled as I reached for the fabric. The dress I had worn two nights ago felt heavier now.

  A lot dirtier too.

 Stained with dirt and tears and sweat and blood. It didn't belong on me anymore.

 I didn't belong in it anymore.

 I pulled it off slowly, my fingers shaking, my chest tight with humiliation.

 I wrapped my arms around myself immediately, trying to hide my nakedness, trying to feel like I still had any dignity left.

 They didn't care.

 Hands pulled me forward.

 Warm water hit my skin and I flinched.

 It had been so long since I felt anything gentle that my body didn't know how to react. My shoulders tensed, my breath uneven as they began to wash me.

 Carefully and efficiently like I was an object being prepared and not a person.

 "Stop shaking," one of them murmured as she washed my hair.

 "I can't," I whispered.

 She didn't respond.

 They scrubbed away the dirt. The blood. The evidence of everything that had happened. My husband's vile touch.

 The floor of the cell. The fear.

 But they couldn't scrub away what I felt inside.

 That stayed.

  I fear it was never going to leave.

 "Turn," another ordered.

 I obeyed immediately.I didn't even think about resisting anymore. There was no point.

 They rinsed my hair, brushing through it gently.  

 The softness of it made my throat tighten. I wasn't expecting this, didn't understand it and hence, I didn't trust it.

 This didn't feel like kindness.

 When they were done, they wrapped me in a soft cloth. Dried my skin. Dressed me in something new, simple, but clean.

 "Good," one of them said, stepping back. "He won't like mess."

 My stomach twisted.

 He.

 Bane.

 The door opened again. It was one of the guards that had brought me here.

 "Bring her. The boss wants to see her now"

 My heart started racing immediately.

 This was it.

 My feet moved before my mind could catch up. I followed them out, my hands clenched tightly at my sides, my breathing shallow.

 "Please..." I whispered before I could stop myself. "Don't-"

 "Stop talking," the man beside me snapped.

 I shut up immediately.

 We stopped in front of a large door. Bigger than the rest.

 The man knocked once and then opened it without waiting and took me inside.

 "Boss. The girl is here"

 The room was... different.

 It smelt like power and at the center of it... was him.

 Bane.

 He stood near the window, his back partially turned, hands in his pockets.

 "Leave us," he said.

 The man beside me obeyed immediately and left. The door shut.

 And suddenly...It was just Bane and I.

 I didn't move. I didn't speak. I didn't even know how to exist in the same space as him.

 He turned slowly.

 His eyes found mine again and just like before I couldn't look away.

 "Come here, Amaya."

 I took a step forward. Then another and another until I stopped a few feet away from him.

 He looked at me fully now and my heart was beating so fast I thought I might collapse.

 "You clean up well," he said.

 My throat tightened.

 "Thank you..."

 Why did I say that? Why was I thanking him?

 I didn't understand anything anymore.

 "You were married two days ago," he said.

 "Yes." My voice came out barely above a whisper.

 "And now?"

 I was almost excited to say the next words that came out of my mouth.

 "He's... dead."

 "I know. I was the one who ordered the hit."

  "What happens to me now?"

 I finally asked.

 Silence fell between us.

 "What happens now is that you belong to me, Amaya Vancouver."

 The words landed like a final blow.

 I froze and my mind went blank.

 "I....." My voice broke. I swallowed hard. "I don't understand..."

 His expression didn't change.

 "You were bought," he said simply. "Then taken," he took a step closer, "Now you're mine and belong to me."

 I shook my head slightly, panic rising.

 "Please... I can't... I don't want that"

 His hand moved suddenly gripping my chin. It wasn't violent but it was firm and unyielding.

 "You don't get to want," he said quietly.

 My breath stopped as tears filled my eyes instantly. This can't be happening to me.

 "Listen carefully," His voice cut through everything.

  "If you agree to be my little princess..." he said slowly, his grip tightening just enough to keep my attention, "you live."

 My heart pounded violently.

 "And if I don't?" I whispered.

 "I send you to meet your husband. I'm sure he misses you already."

 My knees nearly gave out. I sucked in a sharp breath, panic and fear and confusion crashing over me in waves.

 I had two options.

 Die...

 Or...

 Accept this.

 Accept this man who could be worse than Raul. But at least this time, I got to choose.

 My lips trembled but his eyes didn't leave mine.

 "I..."

 "Go on, princess" he said calmly.

 "I agree," I whispered.

 His grip loosened but he didn't step away.

 Instead his thumb brushed lightly against my cheek, and he leaned in and said to me.

 "You'll learn to love it here"