Caught in the Trap: A Reverse Harem Academy Bully Romance (Mafia Lords of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  5

  Skye

  “Stop!” the stranger called from behind me but I ran. “Please, Maria. Stop!”

  “I’m not Maria,” I shouted, moving through a dark alley, hoping no one else was waiting to capture me.

  “Stop…” My pursuer’s voice sounded heavier than before. Risking a glance back, I found him leaning against the pole of a flickering streetlamp. He was bent over and panting. I slowed down, almost coming to a stop to watch him. Next moment, he’d slumped to his knees, clutching the side of his stomach.

  “Please, help me,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

  The street lamp suddenly turned on fully, bathing the ground in a wide circle of light. The stranger stared up at me and I felt my heart flutter at the sight of him. He was young, barely a few years older than me with the face of a beautiful angel. The look of pain twisting his features seemed to stab a dagger in my own gut.

  Without me realizing it, my feet moved toward him until I was crouching beside him.

  His hands came to rest on my shoulders as he drew himself against me.

  “I wasn’t wrong. It’s really you, Maria.”

  The sound of men’s shouts and voices reached our ears, making us both look toward their direction.

  “Help me,” he whispered.

  I looked down at the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my life. Not only was his face gorgeous, but even his attire of super luxurious tux added to his allure. It didn’t make sense for someone like him to end up in a dark alley like this, hurt and chased by a group of pursuers.

  “Come on,” I said, flinging his arm around my shoulder and helping him on his feet. Part of me wondered what the hell I was doing trying to rescue a stranger who’d just been chasing me but my instincts didn’t fire up as they often did at the prospect of a threat.

  The young man leaned heavily onto me. He was at least two heads taller than me. As I led the way toward a side alley, I became acutely aware of his scent, reminding me of wildflowers and woody herbs. It enveloped me in a haze as we crossed the narrow alley, drowning out every other thought in my mind.

  We came out onto another street which was busier and well-lit. Cars zoomed past us. No one would openly attack us in an area like this.

  The sound of gasping had me looking to my side. This close to him, I noticed the growing crimson patch on his white shirt.

  “Were you shot?” I asked.

  He gave a nod.

  “Are those men here to kill you?”

  Another nod.

  Taking a deep shuddering breath, he fixed his gaze on me. Sweat coated the strands of his dark hair, making them fall limply over his eyes.

  “You need to get to a hospital,” I said. A sudden moment of déjà vu overcame me. Hadn’t I said the same words to another stranger last night? I looked back at the man before me. “I am going to hide you behind those dumpsters,” I said, gesturing towards a line of garbage containers on the far side of the road. “Stay there until help arrives.”

  His hand came to clutch at my wrist. “Don’t leave me.”

  “You need help. Come on,” I said, struggling to haul him to his feet.

  He leaned onto me heavily, threatening to take me down to the ground along with him. He was amazingly tall but right now, he was bent over and using me as a support.

  “Take it slow,” I said while sweat gathered on my forehead.

  My breath was coming out in pants and gasps by the time we crossed the road and reached the dumpsters.

  “Stay here,” I said, making him sit behind one of the dumpsters. I pulled another one close to him, effectively hiding him from sight.

  “Maria, please don’t leave me,” he whispered, his head slumping backward and hitting the garbage bin behind him. Kneeling down beside him, I felt around his jacket pockets, coming across the hard outline of a gun. I looked back at the stranger with the angelic face. Was I doing the right thing by helping him? Giving my head a shake, I continued to look for his phone, finally finding it in one of his pant’s pockets.

  “What’s your password?” I asked.

  He opened an eye to stare at me while his chest rose and fell in an erratic rhythm. Extending his hand toward me, he silently asked me to hand the phone to him.

  Once I placed it in his palm, he made a complicated movement with his thumb. “Take it.”

  The lock screen had disappeared. Without wasting another second, I called for 911 and quickly told them where to find him.

  “It’s done,” I told him, sliding the phone inside his jacket pocket. “Help will be here soon.”

  Just as I was about to get back on my feet, he grabbed my wrist in a surprisingly hard grip and pulled me down against him. “Don’t leave me,” he whispered, his eyes filling with desperation.

  “You’ll be okay,” I said, pushing at his chest to get away from him. While I’d love to get to know a guy as handsome as him, this wasn’t the moment. There were people looking for him, intending to kill him. He had to stay hidden until help arrived. Leaning down, I stared into his eyes. “You don’t need me anymore. Be quiet and stay here until people come to help you.”

  A sudden hacking cough overtook him. His grip on my wrist relaxed and I took the opportunity to get away from him.

  “You’ve done enough,” I told myself, running into a darkened, narrow alley nearby. “There is nothing else you can do for him.”

  A couple of minutes later, the faint sirens of an ambulance reached my ears. They’re here, I thought, catching sight of the flashing lights on top of an emergency van.

  For the second time within twenty-four hours, I hid myself to watch a group of paramedics carry away a bleeding body. Both the victims had been young men close to my age. Part of me wondered if ‘Maria’ was a code word. They’d both been severely injured and had said the same name. It made absolutely no sense but I wished it would stop.

  I didn’t want to see any more people injured with only me around to save their lives. My life was screwed enough as it was. I couldn’t handle another calamity.

  Clutching my grocery bag, I hurried toward my apartment, absolutely unaware of how the word ‘Maria’ was forever going to change my life.

  6

  Skye

  I’d planned to stay in bed until late the next morning but fate had other plans for me.

  The sound of my ringing phone woke me up once again. Shouting curses into my pillow, I felt around for my phone, my eyes barely wanting to open.

  “Hello?” I mumbled in a half-asleep state.

  “Hey, kid. Get down here right now.”

  “What?” I forced myself to sit up at the sound of Sergei’s voice. What could he want with me today? He already got what he wanted from me yesterday.

  “Don’t make up any excuses and get here as fast as you can. You don’t want me sending my men to your place, do you?” His voice was heavy with warning.

  “N-no,” I blurted, suddenly feeling wide awake. “Just give me some time. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Don’t make me wait too long, kid.” The call switched off.

  I shoved at the hair falling over my face, kicking at the blanket with a hiss of frustration. A yawn stretched my mouth wide as I climbed off the bed. It was unfair how the universe wouldn’t let me sleep for one single day.

  Heading into my tiny bathroom, I splashed my face with some water. My eyes still smarted and looked red. Sprinkling water on my hair strands, I raked my fingers through them in an attempt to comb them without actually needing to brush. Sergei’s threat-filled voice rang in my ears, making me hurry up.

  Without bothering to eat, I donned on my signature black hoodie and baggy jeans. I only took my phone with me, wanting to find out what Sergei wanted with me this early in the morning. Everything else could be handled later.

  On the way to his shack, my mind kept thinking of the events of the past two nights. Did I accidentally involve myself in something I shouldn’t have? Besides, no one had seen me helping the
two strangers. I’d made sure to leave no trace behind. Even if it was one of them who tattled on me, they couldn’t have found me so quickly. I didn’t even give them my name. They just kept calling me ‘Maria.’

  The thought of that name sent another shiver down my spine.

  A group of shady looking men crowded outside the building. They all appeared to be older with large, ugly scars marring the skins of their faces and forearms. Tattoos marked them. Their mean gaze fell on me and wouldn’t move. There was no sexual intent in those looks. They were watching me, observing the way I moved, assessing whether I posed any threat to them.

  I came to a stop before the entrance of Sergei’s office shack. The men stayed in their positions, watching but unmoving. Once I was sure they wouldn’t stop me, I moved forward to enter the building.

  Sergei was in his meeting room. Several men stood crowding him, their eyes watching me as I walked forward.

  My nervousness was steadily growing. Why would he have so many men around him? Even if he wanted to hurt me, he could do it on his own. He didn’t need a battalion of gangsters to hurt me.

  “Skye.”

  My head whirled toward Sergei at the sound of my name. He’d never called me by my name. It was usually “kid” when he addressed me.

  “What’s going on here?” I asked.

  “You are wanted by one of the kings.”

  “Excuse me?”

  He shook his head and an expression of regret settled over his aging face. “Apologies, kid. You were a good one. I’m actually sorry to see you go.”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, feeling my heart thundering in my ears. “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t resist,” he said, gesturing toward one of the men standing behind me.

  Turning around, I saw a tall man approach me with a syringe in his hand. My feet stepped back, my butt hitting one of the chairs near Sergei’s desk.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I shouted, turning back to look at Sergei. “Why?”

  He stayed quiet, watching me with a regretful expression.

  Two men came forward to hold my arms in tight grips. My face screwed up with pain but I didn’t scream. All the words seemed lost on my tongue as I tried to process what was happening to me.

  “The kid looks like she’s hurting,” said Sergei in an annoyed tone. “The instructions were not to hurt her. We can’t leave any marks on her. Be as gentle as possible.”

  The grip on my arms loosened but not enough for me to break free. I looked up at Sergei just as the tip of a cold needle pressed against the side of my neck.

  “Why?” I screamed as the sharp sting of the needle piercing my skin overtook my mind.

  It was only a moment before my vision started going hazy. The pain on my neck disappeared next. All sensations were wiped away from my shivering body as an impenetrable black veil descended down on me.

  It was almost a surprise when my eyes opened and I felt the flow of air through my nostrils. I was almost certain Sergei was going to have me killed.

  As my vision cleared, I found myself in the most unexpected place. Sergei’s dingy, dank room was gone. Everything around me was bathed in sparkling bright light. The room itself was vast and luxurious with white leather furniture. Looking down, I found my body slumped on a chaise lounge. There was nothing binding my hands or feet.

  “What is this place?” I whispered, looking at the vast space. There was a large desk and a black leather chair at the far end of the room. Cabinets, painted white to match the rest of the décor, stood at the sides. Even a magnificent chandelier hung over the center of the room, its dangling crystals catching the sunlight and throwing rainbow-colored reflections on the high ceiling. If I had to guess, it looked like a kind of office but for a royal prince or king.

  “No one was expecting you to wake up this soon,” said a voice from behind me.

  I jumped up, almost falling off the chaise lounge from shock. Whirling around, I found a young man standing right behind me.

  “Who are you?” I asked at once.

  He didn’t reply but stepped toward me, making me crawl backward on the thickly carpeted floor. The stranger was a young man, close to my age with wavy silver blond hair that fell into his jewel-like green eyes. His gaze was predatory as he stared at me intently.

  With a sudden move, he dropped to his knees and shot out his hand to grip my ankle tightly. “You can’t run,” he said, giving my foot a hard tug and making me slide toward him.

  I kicked at him with my other foot but it looked like he was expecting that move and caught it in his other hand.

  “Let go!” I shouted, struggling to pull my feet out of his grasp but his grip didn’t break. Instead, he pulled me even closer and moved forward to straddle my thighs between his.

  “You’re not very bright, are you?” he said in an easy tone, bending forward and capturing my wrists. Pining them over my head, he leaned down, his nose only an inch above mine. “You’re so easy,” he whispered as I twisted and turned underneath him, struggling to get him off me. “I see the resemblance but you’re absolutely ugly.”

  Tears stung my eyes as a new horrifying idea seeped into my mind. Looking into those cruel eyes, I said, “Did Sergei sell me?”

  The stranger blinked but then a soft laugh escaped him as he leaned further down, burying his face in the crook between my neck and shoulder. His breath fanned the sensitive skin of my neck as his nose sniffed at me. “At least you smell good. I wouldn’t mind tasting a little sample.” Next moment, his teeth sank into my skin painfully.

  I cried out, desperate to get him off me.

  “Stop!” he hissed, raising his head to look down at me. “I am not going to hurt you.” He let go of my wrists and got off me.

  Scrambling to my feet, I walked several feet away from him. The skin on my neck stung at the spot where he’d bitten me. He grinned. He was actually having fun seeing me acting like a cornered animal.

  “Tell me what you want from me,” I said in low voice. I balled my fists at my side to stop the way my body shook. Even though I was scared, I had to know what made Sergei drug me and sell me to a cruel guy like him. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “I didn’t bring you here. My uncle did.”

  I stared at the young man, noticing his designer jeans, fashionably ripped t-shirt and the expensive leather jacket. He was extremely handsome too, a trait I missed while he was attacking me. In fact, he looked like a runway model for Abercrombie & Fitch except for the edgy, lethal expression in his eyes. There was not a single similarity between him and a scarred, ugly gangster like Sergei.

  “Is Sergei really your uncle?” I asked. “You live in a place like this,” I gestured around the lavish room, “and he lives in a dump like my neighborhood. Sorry, but I don’t believe you.”

  A soft chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. “Be a good girl and wait here. I will let my uncle know you’re awake.” Reaching the door, he glanced back at me. “Don’t even think about running. You’ll just hurt yourself and waste everyone’s time.”

  He left me standing there. It was so tempting to run to the door and yank it open and then run out but I knew there would be people manning the corridor outside. Even though I’d gotten involved with Sergei, I’d never really learned how to fight. So far, I skated through high school by avoiding conflict and taking hits without a word. There was no hope of me fighting through the men out there who would surely have guns and knives on them.

  With nothing else to do, I inspected the room around me. Sunshine fell in thick shafts from a window in the far corner where the desk lay. I walked toward it, hoping to at least get a feel of where they’d brought me. Perhaps, the room wasn’t too high and I could jump out and make a run for it.

  Heart thumping in my chest, I reached the window. Looking out, my gaze went to the green hills in the distance. However, as I looked down, all my hopes of climbing out vanished from my mind. The ground was several feet down below,
impossible to climb down unless you were Spiderman. Heck! Even Spiderman would have trouble escaping because there were armed men patrolling the grounds with huge guns in their arms.

  Desperation clawed inside me. What was going to happen to me? What would happen to Mom if I couldn’t get out of here and pay the monthly charges at the care center?

  “This is bull shit!” I shouted, kicking at the wall.

  The sound of the door opening at the far end of the room caught my attention. Looking that way, I found myself staring at the least expected person. It was the same man I’d collided with at the party.

  Walking up to him, I looked into his impassive face. It was impossible to know whether he was angry or upset or happy to see me. His silvery gray eyes gave nothing away, making me nervous.

  “I can apologize to you a hundred times,” I said, meeting his gaze. “Please, just let me go.”

  “I don’t need your apology,” said the stranger. “Have a seat.” He gestured toward a couch in the corner. The younger man I’d seen earlier gave a nod.

  Without a choice, I took a seat. They came to sit around the chairs placed around a shiny mahogany coffee table.

  “I am Nikolai Ivanov,” said the man. “This is Christian,” he added, motioning toward the younger man. “He is my nephew.”

  “Okay…” I looked between them. There didn’t seem to be much of an age gap between “nephew” and “uncle”. They looked more like brothers, separated by a few years. Taking a deep breath, I forced the question plaguing my mind. “Why have I been brought here? If it’s about that day at the party, I really am sorry.”

  The man called Nikolai held up a hand, silencing me. “Don’t bring that up again. You’re not here because of that but something you did afterward. You saved two lives one after the other. The very people you should’ve stayed away from know of your existence now. If I hadn’t removed you in time, you’d be in the wrong hands.”

  “Wrong hands?” While I could tell the man wasn’t lying, there was no way he got me drugged and brought in here out of the goodness of his heart. Things didn’t work that way.