At sixteen, Dino finds himself bound and terrified by the nameless men who've kidnapped him.

Blind, Bound, and Afraid

When Dino was young, he faced the same trials everyone else faced when you were the heir to a big and powerful Mafia family.

He got kidnapped.

The difference between Dino and the rest of the kids his age, however, was that Dino didn't know how to defend himself.

Dino did his best to remain silent as a pair of hands picked him up from what Dino presumed was the trunk of a car. Dino couldn't tell very well where he was due to the blindfold hindering his sight, but he could make a few educated guesses. You heard about these types of things all the time at school. Dino just didn't think it would happen to him.

Why in the world had he been kidnapped?

Dino didn't know much about what his family did. He didn't care to know. He spent most of his time by himself, reading books and learning to play the violin in his free time. He was reclusive at school and didn't have many friends. The only people in his life who were constantly there were his bodyguards.

Dino's mother had died three years ago. He hadn't seen much of his father since then.

His father was always busy dealing with the "Family Business." Dino hated it all, and refused to get involved with anything related to the Mafia. Still, it was his family, so Dino heard things from time to time. Things like the fact that his father was losing power financially. The Cavallone Family was collapsing.

Good, Dino had thought bitterly when he found. If his father lost his standing, there would be no need for Dino to inherit the Family.

He'd become so reassured with this knowledge that Dino had become more reckless over the next couple of months. He ditched his guards more often, and though Dino felt bad for getting Romario in trouble, he couldn't help but to act out.

It was that kind of mentality that led Dino to this moment.

Now that he was here, kidnapped for the first time in his life, the blonde was terrified. He didn't understand why this was happening. Why would anyone bother to kidnap him? His Family wasn't a threat, and there was no way they could afford a ransom. This was pointless.

Dino tried to say as much at first, but he shut his mouth and kept his comments to himself after receiving a few harsh words and a particularly vicious slap across his face. Dino felt the inside of his mouth bleed, and he tried to ignore the strong, bitter taste sliding down his throat as he swallowed uneasily.

He wished he knew what to do. It was hard to think straight. His heart was hammering against his chest in fear and it was hard not to make a sound when all he wanted to do was cry. If Squalo was here—

Squalo wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, Dino realized miserably. He could already vividly picture the white-haired teen thrusting his sword into his kidnappers' chests with a wide, merciless grin. Dino didn't approve of violence, but in this case, he kind of wished he had done something as cool as that. The way Dino had frozen still when his kidnappers had appeared was embarrassing. He was sort of glad no one had been there to see him act so uncool.

Dino immediately took back that thought. Did anyone see? Does anyone know I'm missing? he wondered, and for the third time that day, he despaired over having ditched his bodyguards.

Romario will come to save me… right?

Dino tried to be optimistic, but it was hard. The ropes binding him to the chair were tight and uncomfortable, and the blindfold covering his eyes made this whole situation all the more scary.

At least he wasn't gagged, though Dino had no intention of opening his mouth again. His cheek still stung.

Dino wasn't sure for how long he was there in that room. It felt like forever. There was nothing to distract him, and in the silence, he became more and more afraid that no one would come and rescue him.

Finally, Dino's hearing began to pick up the sound of a pair of voices talking. They sounded muffled, but they became all-too-clear once the door to the room Dino was in opened.

"I don't know, man. I'm just doing what we're being paid for. I don't care 'bout some ransom. That's all up to the Belfani Family," one of the guys said.

The Belfani Family…? Dino sucked in a harsh breath, feeling as if the word had physically hurt him. The Belfani Family was one of their allies!

Why?! Dino thought, his face scrunching up in despair.

There was a loud, smacking noise, and then another voice hissed quietly, "The hell's wrong with you, man! Watch your mouth!"

"Tch! Whatever. Who cares if the little bratheard us?"

Footsteps neared him. The pain of the Belfani's betrayal quickly faded as fear seized Dino's chest. He tensed and tried his best to get away even though he was tied to the chair, but his struggles only made the approaching man chuckle briefly. His low, gruff voice reverberated across the room, and Dino's eyes clenched shut behind his blindfold as thick, calloused fingers grabbed both sides of his face. Dino's head was turned from side to side in quick, rough movements that made a terrified shiver run down his spine.

"It'll be a shame to kill this one though," the man who was holding on to him muttered. Dino wanted to nod at his words. Despite his vow to keep silent, he felt the urge to open his mouth and say something, anything, to bargain for his life.

The choice was taken away from him when the stubbly nail of the man's thumb pried his bottom lip open. Dino didn't even have the temerity to bite the man's hand off. He sucked in a quiet breath and felt his body freeze. The man before him clicked his tongue loudly before letting go of him. "What should we do? Boss didn't say we had to kill the brat immediately, did he? You think we—?"

But whatever suggestion that was about to come out of the man's mouth was abruptly cut off.

Dino heard the faint telltale sound of lights flickering off, and then the much louder sound of gunshots. The deafening barrage of firearms being emptied pierced through the room, and like a bullet, hope shot through Dino in less than a second.

"Fuck!" cursed the man nearest to the door. "How'd they find us so quickly!?"

Dino could hear a crowd of familiar voices yelling over the firefight happening outside. He bit his lip, trembling with relief at the knowledge that he was about to be rescued.

"God dammit!"

The heated growl was nearly inaudible amidst the continuous, booming explosions, but Dino jumped in his seat and let out a loud gasp as he felt a large hand grab onto the back of his neck. The fingers pressed tightly against the sides of his throat, and it was at this moment that he finally found his voice.

"LET ME GO!" he cried out loudly. He ignored the tightening grip on his neck and struggled against the ropes as hard as he could, but it was impossible to get free. The thick, frayed rope dug into his skin painfully. "LET GO OF ME, YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!"

"Quiet!" the man holding him hissed into his ear as he slapped a hand over Dino's mouth. "Stay still, you little shit, or I'm 'onna cut your throat open!" Dino sunk his teeth into the man's fingers but cried out a second later when he felt his hair being pulled harshly. Dino's breath caught in his throat and he let out a whimper when he felt the sharp, cold feeling of a blade pressing against his throat.

"I said, be quiet!" the man hissed again.

Dino's neck prickled. A warm, sticky liquid tickled the skin of his throat. Dino's eyes clenched shut as he felt tears soak the cloth of his blindfold, a few wetting his cheeks as they slid down his face. It was hard not to move when his body insisted on shaking like this. His heart pounded anxiously as he prayed to God that he would make it out of this alive. He didn't want to die here, not like this. Not at all.

Dino didn't know how long he stayed like that. His mind blanked out of everything but his fear, and the muffled sound of bullet casings clattering across the concrete.

"…You think it's over?"

When he came back to himself, Dino realized that the comforting sound of gunshots had finally died off. His nails dug into the skin of his palms as panic began to rise through him once more.

The two men that were in the room with him began talking in hushed tones.

"…Sounds like it is. Why don't ya take a quick see?"

"What? No way, man!"

"Don't be such a chickenshit, just do it!" the man holding on to Dino snapped impatiently.

"Tch…"

Dino wasn't in his right mind to track the men's movements, but he faintly registered the sound of footsteps walking away. A door opened noisily, creaking. Dino held his breath and waited.

"I don't see—"

The earsplitting crack of a rifle being shot rang through the air, followed by a muted thud.

"Shit!" The man holding Dino tightened his grip on his hair. Dino clenched his jaw and tried not to cry out when he felt the knife shake slightly against his skin.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die here, and Dad's going to be all by himself now. Romario's going to blame himself, even though all of this is all my fault.

Silent tears ran down Dino's face, the damp, thick droplets sliding down like an unending rain. His lip trembled, but he tried hard not to move a muscle, all too aware of the blade pressing against his throat.

The creaking noise of the door sliding open filled the air once more.

"Hey! Get back, man!"

There was a short, startled hiss, followed by the sound of a cocking gun. "Put the knife down, or I will shoot you."

Romario!

It took all of Dino's self-preservation not to move upon hearing the familiar voice. He bit his lip and dug his nails deeper into the palms of his hands. His toes curled inside his sneakers as he forced himself to stay still.

"Hah! As if! How about you let me go, man? Let me go, or I'll kill the little brat," his kidnapper promised in a steadier, cocky voice.

"Put the knife down," Romario snarled, his voice low and angry in a way Dino had never heard before.

"Tch. You think I'm jokin'?!" the man holding onto him growled.

Dino wasn't sure what happened next. All he knew was that pain burst in the left upper side of his back, and he was screaming. He heard the sound of gunshots firing off into the distance, a curse, and then running footsteps. A door slammed open, and then….

And then Dino passed out.

When Dino woke up, he was in his room, and there was a hand holding on to his own.

Dino tensed and immediately tried to snatch it back, but the movement caused him to cry out as pain flared up across his back.

"Dino!"

The familiar, comforting voice of his father made Dino struggle to open his eyes. He gasped and bit his lip, doing his best not to cry in front of him. But the look on his father's face only served to make the knot in his throat tighten.

"Oh, Dino, you're finally awake," his father muttered in relief and grasped on to his hand tighter. "I was so scared that—dammit, son, what were you thinking? You nearly died!"

Dino's lip trembled. "I'm sorry…" he whispered in a quiet voice, and squeezed his dad's hand back with equal strength, unmindful of the pain this caused him.

But his father seemed to realize what he was doing and he quickly urged him to relax. His warm, long fingers brushed Dino's hair away from his face in a tender, familiar way. Dino closed his eyes at the nostalgic touch and swallowed heavily.

His father's breath stuttered for a moment, and Dino's heart clenched at the sound.

"It's okay, Dino. Forget it. I'm just glad you're safe," his father finally whispered.

"Dad…"

His dad didn't leave his side the entire night. He stayed there, holding his hand, even after Dino slipped back to sleep.