Swan forgot how to breathe. Her heart pounded faster, threatening to burst out of her. Her fingers, pressed into the hardwood floor, trembled as Alessandro pinned his dark gaze on her.
She couldn't see him properly. The room was dark. And, she was certain he couldn't as well.
However, she could see his creepy smile through the darkness of the room. She could picture the deathly intention behind his gaze as they regarded her darkly.
Swan felt his dark aura and his intimidating presence consuming her. She saw his beautiful features and his dimples poking deeper as his dark smile widened.
His face had the blood of her brother spilled on it, staining his features. He also had a few spills all over his white expensive shirt. He had an intoxicating scent of lemon. Swan felt nauseous inhaling it.
"Hello there."
He greeted, widening his smile and flashing blood-stained teeth. Some of them blood from her brother's assault earlier had definitely spilled onto his teeth.
It made her shudder even more.
He was a psychopath and Swan wondered how her brother had managed to get involved with such a person.
"P-please, don't hurt me."
Swan pleaded, more tears flooding her face.
"Don't worry, baby. You are safe with me. However, I can't promise the same about your other siblings. Anticipate my return."
He had a strong Italian accent that matched his gruff tone as well.
He plucks out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his blood-stained face.
Then, he gently got on his feet and strode out, dumping his handkerchief on the floor, on his way out.
Once Swan heard the front door close and she was certain they had all left, she slid out of her hiding place and darted into the messy living room.
Blood spills all over their couch, walls, front door and the floor. Their center table is split into half and one side had blood painting it.
She quickly fishes out her phone in her shaky hands and dials an emergency number.
By the time the ambulance came around and had her brother driven to the hospital, it was already past midnight.
~
Landon was immediately dressed up in hospital gown and rushed into an operation room on arriving at the hospital. A few hours later, while he was still being operated on, Melody, Swan's elder sister, and Nate, Swan's boyfriend, rushed into the waiting room, ambling towards her.
She wrapped her hand around Melody's waist immediately she sees her, gripping tightly onto her black sweatshirt.
"What happened?" Melody asks, pulling out of Swan's embrace.
"I stopped by the house and saw the crime scene. What really happened?" Nate chimed in, his brows curved in worry.
Tears trickled down Swan's eyes and a noisy sob tears through her throat.
"T-they c-came…They b-bad guys. T-T-they beat him. B-broke his fingers… banged his head…blood everywhere. I-I—"
Swan began to panic again, her hand trembling. Nate quickly pulls her into him, wrapping his arms around her to calm her.
"It's fine. You are fine. You are safe."
As Swan nuzzled into Nate's embrace, she could see Melody glaring at them out of her periphview's view. But, she quickly dismissing it, assuming she had only reacted to the recent event.
~
Two hours later, the doctors wrapped up the operation and reported to Swan, Melody and Nate that he had brain injury - a bone in his skull was cracked due to the assault - and it would be difficult for him to gain consciousness. Hence, there is a high possibility that he would go into coma.
While Nate drives Swan home later that morning, few minutes after dropping off Melody, he noticed Swan still had her fingers trembling and he covers his hand over hers, trying to calm her.
"Swan, you've been trembling all morning. What did you see? Was it that bad?"
Nate's question fell into deaf ears as he is met with total silence.
"The Police officers came by to take your testimony on the accident but, when I told them your condition, they said it'd be completely useless."
Swan's head snapped to Nate, her eyes growing wide.
"Well, w-why did you tell them that? I could have made the testimony!"
"Was I wrong? You are not in your right mind to put down any testimony as a witness. Also, you've been acting weird all morning. If you can't tell me what happened, how are you going to do that with the police?"
"I would have. They are the police and they would help catch the criminal."
"What criminal, Swan? Did you see the person's face? What did they look like?"
Nate pressed, growing more curious.
She had infact seen him and although it had been dark, she would recognize him right away if she was asked to identify him. His dark aura would do the job of identifying.
"Just tell me what happened. Who are these people and why did they do that to Landon?"
Nate prodded.
"T-they are a group of men. One of—"
Swan is interrupted by the buzz of her phone. She dug into the pocket of her jeans and fished out her phone. A message flashed the screen, staring right back at her. When her gaze skated over the message and the words assimilated, she froze into her seat.
She read the message again and confirmed what it had said: "Ah. I was in a bit of a rush so I forgot to add, "if the event of last night goes out, your boyfriend is next."
"Who is that?" Nate asked, throwing a quick glance at Swan's phone screen but Swan had locked her phone before he got a chance to see the message.
"It's nothing."
"What do you mean "nothing"? You received a messaged and went pale. I'm not stupid like you, Swan." Nate spat, his voice rising over the noise of the car's engine.
"It's nothing, don't bother."
"Well, now I want to bother." Nate barked, reaching out for her phone but, before he took a hold of it, she quickly tossed it out of the window and at the road as the car zoomed by.
"Bitch, are you crazy?!"
Nate shrieked, eyes almost popping out of its socket.
"I bought that phone for your broke-ass!!"
"I-I'm sorry. I just can't let you see the message."
Swan bit down on her lower lip nervously as Nate pulls into a corner and stomps angrily on the break.
He undid his seatbelt and bolted out of the car. Swan couldn't see but, she was certain he went back to the spot he had thrown the phone.
After a short while, Nate returned with the phone in his tight grip. The screen is smashed and its back is dented. Passing vehicles had possibly climbed over it.
Nate slipped back into the car and threw the phone on her lap.
"Repair it."
"Nate, I—"
"I do not want to hear another word from you, just repair it!"
Swan cowered in her seat at Nate's bellow, her fingers returning to a trembling state. Swan always went into a panic display whenever she is scolded or screamed at.
"W-why are you screaming at me? I just didn't want you to see the message."
"Repair it. And, once you've, you show me the message—"
"But, I—"
"Don't you dare interrupt whenever I'm speaking!"
Nate's voice vibrated through the silence of the car.
"Once you've repaired it, you'd show me that message, whatever the hell it is. And, you'd tell me what exactly happened to Landon and what got you cowering like a fool."
"Nate, I'm just—"
"What did I say about interrupting me?"
Swan immediately clasped her mouth shut.
"I give you three days to do that."
Nate doesn't wait for a response from Swan and just started the engine and started onto the road.
~
"What are you doing here?"
Melody asked, her brows knitted in confusion as she stared at her sister lingering by her door entrance.
Swan flashed her a bright grin.
"You know. I can't stay there. Though, the place has been cleaned off but, I might get reminded of that accident if I stay there. I want to sleep with you, tonight."
"And, your boyfriend?" Melody raises a brow.
"W-we kinda had a big fight."
"You always have a fight. Why can't you just break up?"
"I-I still like him." Swan said, her cheek flushed with crimson red.
"You are such a dumb ass. That man is using you. He doesn't like you one bit. He is average and ugly so, he is staying with you to prove a point that he bagged a pretty woman, still. Open your eyes."
"Nate is not ugly." Swan muttered in her breath.
"Whatever. You can't stay here tonight."
Swan's head snapped up.
"What?! Uhm, why not?"
"I'm expecting a visitor by night. I'm going to be entertaining him."
"What type of entertainment? I can help with that."
Melody cracked a smile.
"That's not the type of entertainment I'm talking about, dummy. I mean," She leaned in to whisper into Swan's hear. "Your body, kinda."
Swan flushed.
"Anyway, see why you can't stay here?"
Melody said, reaching for the door to shut it in her face but before she could close the door completely, Swan put her leg to stop it from slamming into the door sill.
"I will be in the second room. I'd try my very best to be quiet. I might even be asleep by that time." Melody regarded her with a blank look, still not convinced. "I'd put earpiece in my ears while the entertainment is going on."
"What else?" Melody asked dryly.
"I can help you clean as well."
"Okay." Melody suddenly said, opening the door wide to receive Swan in her apartment. However, as Swan made it into her apartment, she understood why Melody had accepted to have her over as soon as she volunteered to help her clean.
~
After an exhausting evening of cleaning Melody's messy room, Swan retires to the guest room by eight pm. Melody had informed her that the visitor in which she was to entertain was by already close to the apartment so, she allowed them some private as promised by her.
She had brought her brother's burner phone along with her and planned to blast music through it while the entertain with Melody and her visitor went on.
However, as she was set to pluck in her earpiece, something caught her attention on the Phone. The messenger app had multiple unread message but, only one piqued her interest.
The one with the same number which had messaged her early that morning. The one that had threatened to come for Nate if she spilled what happened last night.
She went through their history of her texts and went pale when she saw one from the number, "You can't escape me. Even if you do, your siblings are right there. Melody is it? I know a few of my colleagues that may be interested in purchasing her. I still hold all the cards, piccolo."
Swan swallowed. Just as she was about to burst into the living room to inform her sister, she heard the door close softly and a voice resounded in the living room.
"Where is she?"
It was Nate's voice.
"In the room. Don't worry, she has a earpiece plugged into her ear. She won't hear us."
"What about my perfume? What if she recognizes it?" Nate asked.
"She won't. Even if she perceives it, she'd never guess it was you. She is dumb, remember?"
Both of them chuckled lightly and after a moment, Swan began to hear sounds of kisses. Wet lips moving against each other.
"I couldn't stop staring at your ass at the hospital today. And, I was fantizing about things I want to do to it. Would you like to bend over so, I can finally fuck it?"
Melody laughed softly.
"Of course, baby. You don't have to ask. Fuck me hard and merciless, baby."
A few minutes later, sounds of skin slapping into each other roughly filled the whole apartment. He took her from behind twice, gave her a head, let her suck him, fucked her on her kitchen counter, and let her ride him thrice on the couch. Swan heard everything. Perched on the floor, tears rolling down uncontrollably, she listened to everything. And the sound of their moans felt like poisonous venom.