Page 2 of Merciless Queen
The man, Javier, grabbed my mother, but I pulled her back. I didn’t want her to leave me. She told me everything would be okay, but I heard the fear in her voice as she let the man pull her and the other two followed them into her bedroom. I knew she was not screaming or fighting because she wanted to protect me. I wiped my bloody lip as I looked at the man in front of me. He was in his early twenties, maybe older, with dark black hair. He was thin but lean in his pressed suit. His eyes were evil as he wiped my father’s blood from his face.
“Harlow. That is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”
“W-Why did you kill him? Who are you?”
He smirked. “He owed me money, and he made a promise. It’s time to cash in. Tell me, Harlow, how old are you?”
I swallowed hard, scooting away from him, which angered him. His fingers tangled into my short hair as he pulled me back. I screamed, but he grabbed my jaw, silencing me. “Stop, please. I-I’m fifteen. I-I’ll be sixteen in four months.”
“Growing into such a beautiful woman.” His hand moved to my white button down and he jerked my shirt open, buttons flying across the room, revealing my simple black bra and the swell of my breasts. I bit the inside of my cheek as his fingers burned my skin. “Tell me, are you a virgin, sweet Harlow?”
“I—why?”
“Answer me,” he snapped.
“Y-Yes.”
“Excellent.” I didn’t like the darkness in his tone.
I jumped when my mom’s screams echoed through the house. Involuntarily, I jolted, turning on my heels to run to her side, but he grabbed me and forced me to sit on his lap. I struggled, jerking my arms, but it…excited him? More tears streamed down my face as I listened to my mother scream. What were they doing to her? Were they going to kill her, too? What about me?
The man held me down on his lap, and I felt him digging into my thigh. It made my stomach churn. I was a virgin, but his excitement in my struggle terrified me. He killed my father, what was he going to do to me? His hot breath made my skin crawl as he smirked against my neck. My body tensed as a wicked chuckle echoed in my ears.
“I’m trying to be a good man and wait for you to be older, but if you don’t stop wiggling, I’m going to fuck your virgin cunt right now. Fifteen is close enough to being an adult.”
A sob escaped my lips as I fell still against him as his wicked hands caressed my bare thigh. I tried to be still, but the emotions ravishing inside me won as grunts, cries, and the creaking of my mother’s bed seeped into the living room. I looked at my father’s dead body, watching the red bleed into the white floors. Red and white were beautiful together, but this…this was a nightmare.
A debt and a promise. What did my father do for him to be killed? I should’ve felt something more seeing him like this, but all I felt was numbness and fear. Was I truly numb if fear flowed through my veins? What was going to happen to us? Was he going to kill my mom, too, or do to me what they were doing to her now? Were we going to die?
It was silent between me and this man for a few minutes until the bedroom door opened and all three of them came out with my mother. She was only wearing her t-shirt thatwas ripped in places, with blood pouring from her nose and dripping from her thighs. Her hair was a mess as tears streamed down her face. I didn’t care what this man did to me—I wiggled from his grasp. My legs were moving before my brain processed what had happened, and I ran to my mom. She pulled me into her arms and sobbed as she held onto me for dear life. Right now, I was her lifeline.
“Get them to the truck.” I looked back at the man. “Welcome to your new life, ladies.”
CHAPTER 2
Caterina
Since I was a child,I saw dozens of men murdered. It shouldn’t have been as exhilarating as it was, but knowing I killed someone who was a menace to my kingdom was worth every second of the blood-stained hands. The satisfaction of ending a pathetic existence sent chills through my body as I watched the life drain from their fear-filled eyes.
With normal mafia-related business, I let my men handle the simple traitors, rats, or anyone threatening my family. I dealt with the monsters. The men and women who got off on hurting innocent women—trafficking and raping them for profit, destroying their lives. There was nothing wrong with consensual sex work—but I refused to let anyone harm the unwilling for some sick twisted desire.
The media bestowed me the title ofSavage Moretti Princesssince I’d rejected every marriage proposal from wealthy bachelors across the world. I was the princess, the pride and joy of my father, but tonight, I was getting in touch with my family roots. This was what I enjoyed most instead of the fake façade of smiling brightly and hosting galas. Tomorrow, I could go back to pretending.
Unfortunately for the man in front of me, he wouldn’t see the morning sun.
I smirked, my stiletto red bottoms clacking against the cement of the club’s basement. Each step made him quiver. He was putting on a brave face, but he was moments from pissing himself.
This man—no, this waste of fucking oxygen—tried to take one of my girls. He hurt my family. One of my dancers, sweet Angel, was brand new and naïve. She had the drive to dance, and she was good. One of the best at my club. The devil tried to taint an angel; luckily, she was protected.
Tonight, he would get a taste of his own medicine.
“You like to hurt women.” It was a statement, because I already knew. Angel, sobbing in my arms with a laceration on her face, told me that. “Cut them. Rape them.”
He grunted, pulling at his chains. My boys already did a number on his face. I could hardly recognize him with his swollen face and broken nose. Note to self: give my boys a raise. They did a damn good job of keeping the bastard alive when I knew they wanted to kill him.
Angel was lucky to be alive. I knew something was sketchy when Moxie told me Angel went away with someone, and he wasn’t a regular. Instantly, red flags screamed, and I locked my club down.One of my girls was in danger.I just didn’t realize how serious it was until a blood-curdling scream tore through the alley.
Malachi pulled him off of Angel before anything too damaging could be done. She had a few cuts and a gash on her face, but the bastard thankfully couldn’t get her panties off. Angel put up one hell of a fight, and she saved herself; we just came to pick up the pieces.
