Lilith
Pinning him with a confused look, I furrowed my brows as his words replayed in my head.
It doesn’t make sense.
How would I offer myself to a complete stranger? Who were they anyway?
“Who is your boss, and what do you want from me?” I asked, trying to sound brave, but my shaky voice betrayed me.
Clenching my jaws and fixing my eyes on his face, I refused to give in to his intimidating aura, although I was terrified inwardly.
“My boss is in the car waiting for you, Lilith Parker,” he revealed, making my heart somersault in horror.
The way he mentioned my name boldy filled me with dread.
I could tell that he was no good.
“If you follow us, we will clear the medical bills, and your family will be taken care of. They will be discharged after they are healed, and they won’t have to suffer anymore,” he spilled without an ounce of emotion slipping in his voice.
“And if I don’t?” I asked, trying to toughen up my expression by folding my arms and hardening my face.
“They will die, and we will forcefully take you with us. We are very powerful people, and no one dares disobey our orders,” he revealed in a boastful way, his voice accented with pride.
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets as my heart pounded in fear. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because we can’t let Calix and his father have you. They own a business, and they are our biggest rival. Our highest paying customer will do anything to have you, even if it means sending us to forcefully drag you into our territory. Calix will never be generous with you, but we are. We’ve been watching you for days.”
My breath hitched as reality crashed in me.
They had to be part of those creepy people sending those scary messages.
All these while, their eyes were on me.
I wasn’t safe anywhere until they wanted me.
“What if I refuse both offers?” I cocked my head to the side stubbornly, scrunching up my face in disapproval.
“You don’t have a choice, sweetheart. You have 24 hours to give us a reply, or you will lose your mother and sister, and you will be sold off forever.” He grunted, turning to leave, but I was not done with him yet.
“Who are you?”
I deadly smirk curled up on his lips. “I am the stuff of your nightmare.”
*****
It was 3 hrs until my mother and sister were forcefully discharged from the hospital.
45 hrs of toiling relentlessly to clear the medical bills. 45 hrs of toiling in vain.
I hadn’t slept. All that bothered me were the words from the strange man.
The time was drawing nearer, and it scared the shit out of me.
I wish Alpha Casper wasn’t affected by the stupid curse. He would have tracked the man and raided his hideout without sparing any soul alive.
I missed him. I wished he would get better soon.
My life was a mess without him.
The thought of him losing me was like a stab of pain in my heart. He would think I left him, not knowing I had been trafficked. I was afraid he would never see me again, just like his experience with Marina. He might never fall in love again.
My eyes were dried as I had used up my tears, and my heart was aching.
Maybe I should give up my life to save my family. At least, these men were generous to take care of my family, unlike Calix and his father.
Moreover, no matter the option I picked, I would be trafficked.
I sat hopelessly on the floor in front of the hospital, waiting for them to collect me.
But in the apex of despair, I felt a jab of strength that triggered me and erased my hopelessness away.
At once, I picked myself from the floor, chasing after the men that walked past me.
“Excuse me, sir,” I called, trying to meet up his pace.
He slowed down before turning to look at me with curiosity.
Finally, he halted in his tracks, maintaining a reasonable distance between me before arching his brow.
“We are in a hurry, lady.” The first one spoke in an unfriendly manner. His first tooth was a bit chapped, while the second maintained a cold demeanor, gawking at me with high interest.
His stares were terrifying, but it was the least of my worries.
“I want to see this lovely phone and wristwatch for a decent price. Are you interested?” I said, using my marketing voice with a sweet smile plastered on my face.
“Sure. They look new.” The first one said, admiring it.
A jab of pain raced down my spine as the night Alpha Casper gifted me the items flashed in my head.
What excuse would I tell him when he finds out they are gone.
A brilliant idea popped in my head, filling me with satisfaction.
It was stolen. Perfect excuse.
“How much?” he demanded with a greedy grin on his face, revealing his chipped tooth.
“Relax,” the second man said to him before collecting the items from his hands and placing them on mine.
“We are not interested in buying them.” His voice bled of a strong Russian accent.
I bit my lips as the heavy taste of disappointment burnt my throat.
My chance of raising part of the money was slipping before my hands.
“I will reduce the price…” I pleaded desperately in a cracked voice.
“You need money?” The second man asked, and I nodded, giving him a rapt attention.
“You have someone in there?” He asked again, pointing his thumb in the direction of the hospital.
“Yes,” I muttered, clearing my throat as I was on the verge of bursting into tears.
“How much do you need?”
“$20k for surgery and medications for my mum.”
His eyes narrowed as they roamed about my face as if studying me to find out the truth.
“I will lend you $20k, but you will pay back $25k. $5k is the interest,”he said, greed flashed in his eyes.
“That’s a lot!” I screamed as my mouth fell open in shock. “The interest is too high.”
Why was he taking advantage of my desperation?
“You want money or not?” he half-yelled impatiently, groaning as he turned to leave with his friend.
I halted for a minute, giving it a brief thought before letting out a deep sigh.
“Fine. I will take it,” I replied dejectedly with a heavy frown, overwhelming my face.
His eyes shone in excitement, and his lips curled in a devilish smile.
“Follow me!”
*****
After walking for almost an hour in silence, we finally entered an apartment.
Loud noises of men and the heavy stench of cigarettes and alcohol hung in the air.
“Wait here,” he ordered, and I watched him disappear into the dark. After exchanging pleasantries with some men who called him Ricky.
He spoke Russian to a man who looked like their leader. Several girls were clustered around him, caressing him, and a stick of cigar poked out of his lips.
My heart froze when they looked at me before resuming talking.
In less than a minute, he walked towards my direction with a wad of cash and a mischievous smile on his face.
“Your lucky day,” he sneered. His thick accent dripped from his voice.
I was about to receive the money when he seized my chin, slamming my back to the wall in the flash of light before his eyes turned pitch black.
“My money must be returned in 2 weeks, failure to do so, you will be captured. Don’t try to play smart by running away because all my men have their eyes on you, including my boss.”
Blasted by fear, I gulped hard, digesting his conditions. “Yes, Ricky.” I whimpered as his sharp nails dug into my skin.
I could feel warm liquid trickling down my face and the metallic scent of my blood filling my nose.
“2 weeks, Lilith Parker!” My heart skipped when my name slipped off his lips, and fear covered my face.
The sharp claws of terror crawled over my skin as air rushed out of my lungs.
“Else you will look for death, but you won’t find it. Now, get out of here!”