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The man didn’t reply. Instead, he reached out toward me.
I flinched, scrambling to get away from him but the long train of my wedding gown prevented me from going too far. The satiny fabric wrapped around my legs, shackling me to my position on the ground.
The stranger let out a rough chuckle.
Picking up the hem of my dress, he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. “Silky, soft, and light,” he crooned. “It suits you, Lucia.”
A sliver of surprise shot through the thick haze of fear. There was something familiar about the way he spoke. Not only that, I recognized his voice immediately. This was the same guy who’d grabbed me earlier.
“I’m going to have so much fun cutting through all this silk and satin,” he whispered.
It was only then I noticed the glint of sleek metal in his right hand. The sight of it, combined with his threat, sent a shiver through me.
“Does my brother scare you?” A different voice questioned.
Looking up, I gazed at the man who stood in the front. His eyes glittered in the dark as he gazed at me unblinkingly.
“Why have I been brought here?” I asked in a shaky voice. “I don’t know any of you. I’ve never done anything to harm you. Why are you doing this to me?”
“You might’ve forgotten about us but we’ll remind you. That’s a promise, Princess.”
“Think, Lucia,” said a third voice. This guy was leaner than the other two but just as tall as them. He stood behind the guy who’d just spoken. “Have you never done anything to hurt someone? Have you always been the good angel you pretend to be?”
Three faces erupted in my mind’s eye. John, Rafael, and Danny. Even when I was paralyzed with terror, I thought of them and how they’d died because of me.
There’s no way these psychos are talking about them, I told myself. How would they know anything about my past?
“Looks like she’s giving it a thought,” said the man who still knelt before me.
“What do you want with me?” I asked in a trembling voice. “Why have you brought me here?”
“Retribution,” said the man standing before me. “You owe us.”
“I don’t owe anyone anything,” I shouted. Using all my strength, I pushed myself off the floor and stood up. “Please, just let me go.”
“You can leave after we’re done with you,” said the man kneeling at my feet. Taking the knife, he made a sudden swiping motion.
A gasp escaped me as part of my skirt easily detached and fell on my bare feet.
“No...” I stepped back but before I could increase the distance between me and the stranger, my back hit a wall.
The leaner guy moved forward. Coming close, he laid a finger on my arm.
He didn’t hurt me but I shirked off his hand anyway. “Don’t touch me.”
Lashing out, he grabbed my upper arm in a tight, painful grip and pulled me against him. “You’re not the one giving out orders here, Princess.”
My terror-stricken mind thought of John and his brothers again. They used to call me “princess” too but their calls were sweet and filled with affection. It was almost disgusting how these crazy men were stirring up the memories of my best friends.
“Don’t move,” said the tallest stranger. “He’ll cut you if you do.”
“What?” That’s when I felt the cold bite of metal against my wrist. Looking down, I found my kidnapper kneeling at my feet as he inserted the blade of his dagger inside my snug lace sleeve.
My gaze stayed stuck as he lifted the blade upward, cutting open the sleeve like butter.
“Be very still,” the leaner man at my side cautioned as my kidnapper steadily moved up the blade, cutting along the sleeve.
Fear flowed through my veins like icy water. One wrong move and the blade would cut into my skin.
