|02|

Flashback

Eira's POV

My knee hit the cold tile with a dull thud as one of the girls held me down, forcing my head low as I tried to untie my hands which were tied by a thick rope bruising my wrist. The sharp stench of cigarettes invaded my lungs, making me want to cough. My eyes locked onto the shiny boots of a man lounging on the couch.

"She's the one who tried to steal the pendrive," one of the men said. I huffed in frustration. I had been so close to getting the pendrive back---until this idiot showed up. No one told me there were twenty men here instead of eighteen. Thanks to that misinformation, I was now on my knees on the club floor.

My body tensed when the man stood from the couch and began walking toward me. He stopped right in front of me, and the girl finally let go of my head, stepping back. Then the man knelt down and tilted my face up, forcing me to meet his eyes.

Damien Russo.

The most wanted criminal in Italy. A man known for hideous crimes, yet somehow, he managed to slip through the police's grasp every time. He was the reason I was in Italy instead of India.

My gaze dropped to his neck, where a tattoo peeked out from under his collar against his tanned skin. His black hair was disheveled, like he'd run his fingers through it a dozen times. I swallowed hard as I looked into his eyes-deep blue, not like any other blue I'd seen since arriving in Italy. His eyes were like a calm ocean with a storm lurking beneath the surface.

I coughed violently when he blew smoke directly in my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glared at him with pure hatred. No matter how good-looking he was, he had done unforgivable things. A small smirk curled on his lips, and oh, how I wished I could claw that smug expression right off his face.

"Fiery," he murmured, his voice surprisingly soft. Then he added, "And small."

"Untie my hands and see what this small thing can do to you," I hissed, my voice sharp and full of venom.

His eyes softened for just a split second before he slipped back into his cold, unreadable mask. Without a word, he stood and turned away.

"You're coming with me," he said flatly.

"You can't kill her, Damien. She's just a girl," said a man with blond hair.

I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back my rage as the same girl yanked me to my feet. Just a girl? Did they think I was some weak, helpless damsel?

"Who said I'm going to kill her?" Damien replied, his hands shoved casually in his pockets as he gave me that same infuriating smirk.

Bastard.

"So what? Like a sex toy?" the blond-haired guy asked, looking genuinely confused.

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my rage in check as the girl from earlier untied my hands. Damien just smirked and walked away, not bothering to respond.

"Daaamn," Blondie drawled, dragging out the word. "You're really gonna be a sex to-OUCH!"

He staggered back, clutching his nose as blood began to pour down onto the floor. I shook out my hand slightly after the punch I'd just landed, satisfied by the satisfying crack. I was pretty sure I'd broken his nose-at least a little.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Enzo?" the girl cried out in a panic, rushing to the side of the blondie-whose name, apparently, was Enzo.

Before I could react, two guards came up behind me and yanked my hands behind my back, tying them tightly. I flinched, not having noticed them approach. Spinning on my heel, I aimed a high kick at one of them, but they were quicker-grabbing my arms and lifting me slightly off the ground as they turned me around. I let out a frustrated huff.

"Well, now we know she wasn't bluffing when she said to untie her hands and see what she can do," Enzo muttered with a breathy chuckle, still clutching his nose as the girl brought him an ice pack.

I flashed a mocking smile as the guards dragged me out to one of the many cars. They shoved me inside and, just to be safe, slapped handcuffs on my ankles too. I rolled my eyes internally.

No. Calm down. I'm panicking-I'm being irrational. I need to breathe... I need to calm down.

Just then, a girl climbed into the car and sat beside me. I noticed something glinting in her palm... a needle? No---an injection.

My body tensed.

Panic surged through me as I tried to discreetly free my hands, the rope digging deeper into my skin. They're going to drug me. I cursed internally, struggling harder. The rope was too tight-I could feel it biting into my wrists. I was almost certain I was bleeding by now.

The girl suddenly lunged forward, forcing me to lean back. She hovered above me, the syringe now fully visible, gripped in her raised hand and angled straight for my neck.

Without thinking, I drove both knees into her stomach, using all the force I could muster despite the handcuffs on my ankles. She let out a sharp groan and staggered back-but recovered far too quickly.

Before I could react again, she plunged the needle into my neck.

My eyes widened in shock.

"This would've been much easier if you'd just stayed still," she said, her voice distant-muffled, like she was speaking from underwater, even though she was right in front of me.

My vision blurred. The world tilted. Everything spun in slow motion before darkness swallowed me whole.

✦ʚ♡ɞ✦

I opened my eyes slowly, my head pounding. Blinking against the light, I realized I was still in the car. It took a moment before the memories from earlier came rushing back, hitting me all at once. I groaned, holding my head---it ached like hell.

Wait... My hands?

I looked down and blinked in surprise. They were free. Both wrists were wrapped in bandages. I flexed my fingers slowly, wincing at the dull sting. I moved one foot experimentally, only for the other to drag with it-cold metal clinked softly.

Ankle cuffs.

So they'd only untied my hands.

I turned my head and looked out the window. We were parked in front of a mansion-massive, elegant, and glowing with soft lights. Lush, perfectly trimmed bushes lined the pathway leading to the grand front door. It was... beautiful.

They drugged me, I thought bitterly. So I wouldn't remember the road leading here.

Makes sense. He is the most wanted criminal, after all.

The car door opened with a soft click, and a silhouette of a man appeared, standing just outside. His hand was outstretched toward me.

I blinked, trying to focus, but the effects of the drug still lingered, leaving everything hazy around the edges. I couldn't make out his face clearly, but I took his hand anyway-because honestly, I didn't have much of a choice.

He pulled me up and out of the car, and the help was more than necessary. With my ankles still cuffed, walking felt like a bad joke. I might as well become a mermaid at this point-it'd be easier than dragging my feet like this.

As I stepped out, muscle memory took over and I instinctively led with my right leg. Big mistake. The metal cuffs tugged sharply against my skin, making me gasp. I stumbled forward, completely off balance, about to faceplant onto the unforgiving concrete---

---but instead, I crashed into a solid chest. A strong arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me before I hit the ground.

I'd almost forgotten I was still wearing ankle cuffs.

"Do you always lose your balance around handsome men, or am I just the first one to have that effect on you?" the man asked, his voice deep, smooth-and ridiculously cocky.

I looked up, already prepared to glare the life out of him... only to find myself face to face with Damien and that infuriating smirk of his.

✦ʚ♡ɞ✦

Damien's POV

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I watched her expression shift. First came the shock-her eyes widening the moment she realized it was me. But that reaction was short-lived, quickly replaced by something I knew all too well.

Hatred.

I tilted my head slightly, amused, as I stared into her deep brown eyes-eyes so dark they could easily be mistaken for black. Eyes that, once upon a time, shattered my heart with nothing more than a single, soul-crushing glare.

And yet, here we were again.

My smirk only seemed to stoke her anger further, which, oddly enough, satisfied me. Small, stubborn, and full of fire. Cute.

"Handsome? You?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "God, I'd rather kiss a frog."

I chuckled quietly as she placed her hand on my chest, attempting to push me away. I didn't let her go, watching as her fingers pressed against me.

But my eyes lingered.

Her wrist was wrapped in bandages-the same wrist I had carefully tended to not too long ago. I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. At least she wasn't so damn stubborn that she'd torn them off. That would've made the forty-five minutes I spent figuring out how to properly wrap a damn bandage a complete waste.

"Still obsessed with Tiana, little dove?" I said, watching as a flicker of confusion crossed her face. The corner of my lips curved into

what I might generously call a small smile.

So... she doesn't remember me. This is going to be even more fun than I thought.