Vanessa
Three days had passed since I narrowly escaped murder or kidnapping, but Diego has once again confined me within these suffocating walls. Anger and fear mingle within me, a potent cocktail that burns hotter with each passing day. I know he's been busy torturing some guy, but that doesn't justify treating me like a prisoner again.
Not when I didn't do anything wrong this time!
I've been pestering Danny about my captor's whereabouts all day, but every time I ask, he just grunts and turns his attention back to his phone. Strangely, I think he's starting to grow on me though...like toe fungus you just can't get rid of. The fact that he hasn't hurled a derogatory word my way in a while gives me a glimmer of hope-maybe, just maybe, he's harboring less animosity towards me.
I lay on Diego's bed, my gaze fixed on the unyielding ceiling, casually toying with the collar around my neck. The room holds the oppressive silence of captivity that grows tighter by the minute. An hour ago, Danny demanded that I come down for dinner, and even Alicia pleaded gently, but I just locked myself in the bathroom until they left. My appetite has all but vanished since someone was literally murdered in front of my eyes, so Danny has been letting me eat a piece of a fruit or vegetable and leaves me be. As long as it appears that I'm complying with the rules, he's satisfied.
Even with my back turned, Diego's authoritative presence suddenly sweeps into the room like an approaching storm, yet he doesn't say shit to me, or acknowledge that I even exist. This has become our norm though, I guess I'm nothing more than furniture to him when he doesn't need someone to take his control issues out on.
I hear him shuffle around in his drawers across the room before going into the bathroom. Once the shower starts running, I scurry out of the room. I don't want to be in here when he gets out. I have a feeling that tonight he won't be leaving me alone. He's been torturing people and shit, I'm sure there's some...frustration he's ready to unleash.
I roam downstairs to the kitchen where the men are enjoying dinner and drinks. The room falls into an abrupt silence as all eyes fixate on my presence, tension thickening the air. Danny, with his eyes narrowed, breaks the silence with a gruff demand in his accented voice, "Did Diego give you permission to be down here?"
I crinkle my nose. "No. Why? I haven't needed his permission before," I retort sarcastically.
He frowns. "I don't want Jefe thinking your attitude has gotten unmanageable. He desires an obedient pet."
"Well, fuck what he wants. I behaved, complied with being locked up in this hellhole, and I didn't get what I wanted!" I shout, striding over to the table to snatch the glass beside Danny.
I don't give a damn whether I'm legally allowed to drink or not; nobody follows the law in this house anyway. Before he can protest, I pour the unknown contents of the glass into my mouth. It burns my throat, making me cough. "Eww, what the fuck is this?" I choke out.
The men burst into laughter, but like a light switch, they all stop as their fearful gazes shift behind me. "Tequila, Mama. Are you enjoying disrespecting me in front of my men?" A familiar voice slices through the room.
Ah shit.
Reluctantly, I turn to see his icy, blue eyes gazing back at me, a raging fire palpable within them. Dressed in grey sweatpants and a black muscle shirt that clings tightly to his powerful biceps, he quirks an impatient eyebrow my way. "I asked you a question, Mascota. I expect an answer."
I'm learning that when he calls me 'pet' in Spanish, he's looking for my obedience. Well, he's not getting it tonight. Each act of defiance becomes a small victory for me, a small taste of the freedom I desperately desire.
"Fuck you, Diego," I spit, glaring directly into his eyes as I down another glass of alcohol. Leroy's this time. I hear him grumble something under his breath, but I'm too busy taunting his boss to care.
A dangerous smile curls on Diego's lips. "It seems you need to be reminded who you belong to."
Ice runs down my spine, but I'm too angry to back down now. "Again, fuck you. Five more months, and I'll never have to see you again," I fire back.
There's nothing I want more than to be free from this world. Diego's world. A place where innocent little old ladies catch bullets in their brains just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Where cruel, scary men are hunting for me, and I still don't know why. How can anyone willingly choose a life like this?
Five more months, I remind myself.