Announcement: Since this chapter was of 20k words I have split it into 2 chapters of 10k words each. The next chapter would be posted after 3 days, given the readers are interested.
Warning: Graphical violence, sexual content. There is also some inappropriate scenes but they're inline with plot and would be addressed as wrong.
Please, remember the plot revolves around the mafia and the characters will act as such.
Chapter 3 (Part 1): 'A heart of broken glass, defiled'
The room was dark and deathly quiet. She had just woken up from a very disturbed slumber. She looked around. Where was she? She felt her head spin. It was strange to be dizzy in pitch black.
What happened? She couldn't remember anything at all.
She stretched on the bed. The silk sheets slid through her fingers and caressed her skin. Perfume. She could smell it now—a familiar fragrance. The scent of someone she knew. Who? She ran through her mental file of the people in her life with amazing scents.
"Damon," She whispered.
..
..
He was at the meeting but his mind was somewhere else. Series of memories flashed before him. Some very happy memories. The memories he cherished more than life. But they were all meaningless now. Weren't they?
He opened the file and once again, looked at Elena and Mason's engagement pictures. Yes, it was her. She was the Mayor's fiancé.
His stomach started to knot, and he felt as if someone just kicked him in his gut.
"Have you informed the Lockwood's about ransom amount and also about our deal? About Klaus's bail?" Damon asked Kol, one of his most trusted men.
"Yes, we did," Kol replied. "And we didn't call from a private phone. We broke into a house and used their phone, we demanded Klaus's release and the ransom amount, and also demanded their withdrawal from our bases."
"Good. " He instructed, strictly. "Any response from their side?"
Kol shook his head.
Wow, did they not care about her at all?
"And… call Augustine, tell him that fifty thousand is very less price for this job, I refuse to do anything under less than a hundred thousand increment to the final price,"
"Damon, I don't think he would-,"
"Did I ask for your suggestion, Kol?" His tone as hard as steel.
Kol swallowed thickly under his strict stare but then nodded and left.
What was he doing? Would he really hand her over to Augustine knowing what he could do to her? No, of course, he wouldn't but he couldn't exactly rebel from Augustine either. He would be shunned from the underworld; the only place he had left now.
He will save her but he had to be very careful.
He looked at the pictures again, feeling anger and the feeling of betrayal boiling his blood again.
Why was he trying to save her when she had ripped his heart out from his chest and stomped it to dust?
He felt something furry touch his leg. "Hello, Miss Doe, You're finally awake," He said, picking the little kitten up.
"Don, the girl had been making a fuss, should we feed her?" Tyron asked him.
"Yes," He said after thinking a bit, "Order Chicken Parmesan," He remembered her love for that dish. "And less salt, she has a blood pressure problem,"
"Don, did you knew her?"
"Focus on work, Tyron," He said, strictly, snapping out of the daze of the memories.
"Yes,"
"And I don't want anyone mingling with her. Don't talk to her. Don't stay around her. Don't even look at her," He warned, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Yes, don."
..
..
"Let me out!" She shouted, tapping on the door. "Please! Is someone out there?"
She had been knocking on the door, pleading to be released. She didn't know why and who would keep her captive like this? What did they want with her?
A part of her knew who her captor was but she tricked herself into believing that it couldn't be him at all because that was impossible. Wasn't it? He never contacted her in the past five years, why would he bother now?
She heard someone step close to the door. She took a few steps back, looking for anything, some sort of weapon to defend herself.
Her eyes fell on a lamp. She picked it up, standing behind the door.
The door opened, a muscular man entered, holding food tray. But before he could say anything, she hit him with the lamp with all her might. The man fell with a scream.
Elena gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth, hands shaking. This was her only chance. She had to run. She leaped over him and ran as fast as she could.
"The girl is trying to escape," She heard a voice.
"Catch her,"
She didn't stop to look how many people were following her. She could hear them ordering her to stop, inching closer to her.
And then she slammed into a hard chest. She almost fell back, had it been not his tough grip on her back.
With all the strength she possessed, she looked up at the man she ran into. Frightened brown eyes met cold blues. She gasped. So, I wasn't wrong. It is him.
"Surprise!" He said, with a mocking smile.
She couldn't muster the courage to speak to him, she was still in shock. She gasped his name as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Missed me?" His tone was playful yet cold enough to run a shiver down her spine.
"You…you're really here," She tried to touch his face as if checking to see if it was indeed him or her vivid imagination playing her mind again. But before she could, he stepped a couple of steps away, as if her touch burned him.
"Yes, I am alive. Surprise, right? God knows how I managed to escape," He said with a sigh, moving his hair out of his eye, inching closer. "But the question is why are you alive, especially after everything you did to me,"
"I…," She struggled to speak. She tried to think but right now, she couldn't. She tried to speak but her voice failed her. Maybe she was still in shock.
"You haven't changed a bit?" Her eyes traveled him, not getting enough of him.
"I did," He answered, "your eyes don't affect me anymore," His face was like stone, emotionless, his eyes dark and empty, devoid of feelings, and his lips taut, almost cruel, and determined.
Her eyes darted to the photographs in his hand.
It was her.
Mason and her.
His eyes followed hers and brimming with anger when he found the object of her attention. "Congratulations, Engaged finally huh. Not a good choice though. The guy still hasn't responded to our demands. Not sure if he actually cares about-,"
"Damon, you have to listen to me,"
"Shush." He pushed a finger against her lips but stopped before his finger could touch her. This moment reminded him of a memory, a memory of a lifetime ago. "No talking… because I'm a little easy to convince," He said, reminding her of her betrayal. "Learned that the hard way,"
"Would you at least listen to me till I finish?"
"No," He refused. "Lock her up in the room again. Keep a strict guard. And if she so much steps a foot out of that room, I'll kill all of you," He ordered a couple of men that had been quietly standing behind him this whole time.
"It's not what you think. I tried everything. I tried to talk them out of their decision but they took me off the case, I…,"
"I said no talking." He hissed. She flinched, taking a step back.
"Don't worry, you'll enjoy your stay here," He said, "You love to experiment your knowledge on criminals. You'll have countless unredeemable cruel and mental patients to observe here, we won't bore you,"
"How long are you going to keep me here?"
"As long as I want,"
"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" She demanded.
"That's for me to know and for you to dot dot dot,"
"Damon, you can't do this. It's-,"
"against the law. Spare me the lecture,"
"I refuse to stay here," She said, firmly as if her word was final.
He rose a brow, amused by her courage but then his face contorted into a furious look that ran a shiver down her spine. "Like hell, you will." He stepped towards her and she stepped back reflexively.
Elena suddenly found herself trapped between the cold wall and the heat of Damon's body, her hands crushed against his muscled chest as he slowly lowered his head as if intending to kiss her but instead he caught the back of her neck and tilted her face up to look at him. "Firstly, mind the tone. The man standing in front of you isn't the fool who was in love with you five years ago. I will not be spoken to like that. And secondly, you have no other option, you're trapped here and if you try to escape, not only will I bring you back but I'll send someone up to your darling fiancé's house and have him killed within seconds. Wouldn't want that, would you?" He inquired, caressing the side of her cheek.
Her eyes filled with heavy, painful tears of hopelessness. What has she done to him? She looked at him worriedly. Even her tears couldn't melt him. Years ago, her word, her smiles, everything meant more to him than anything in the world.
"Please,"
"How does it feel to be helpless?" He asked. "When you have nowhere to go, no one to talk to. No one to help." It was what he felt when she abandoned him.
It took her minutes to understand what he meant.
"Lock her up,"
..
..
As much as he told himself that she didn't affect him, but it was ridiculous. Because it was clear as daylight that she still had control over him and his heart like she did five years ago. She was the first woman that had made him feel and he couldn't ever let go of that. He could never get her out of his head or his heart. She was there to stay. Forever.
He clutched his glass of bourbon tightly. Turning on the stereo, music blared in the room.
Before she walked into his life. He was fine, he had learned how to squash the killing guilt that came with the life he lived. He had turned off his feelings. He had a stone cold heart and damaged the soul. He knew he could never be redeemed so why should he even try? Then she showed up and destroyed everything. She broke his walls one by one and ruined him by giving him something too poisonous for a man of his profession; a hope, a chance to redeem, a chance to live.
Like a fool he followed it. He took the bait in hopes for a happily ever after. He didn't want to be a monster anymore. He wanted a normal happy life like everyone else. He didn't want to be hated. But as soon as he reached for her, he found out that it was all a cruel joke, she was taken away and he was pushed back into the dark, where he was forced to learn to live without hope again.
He gulped down the entire drink, making another, but instead of pouring it, he took hold of the bottle, why couldn't he have it?
There was still no word from the Lockwood's. They didn't care about her. Did they? If Mason loved her so much why wasn't he here to save her? The answer was because he didn't need her, didn't love her like Damon did, he could do without this wonderful girl, he had everyone. He had family, he had friends. He had social reputation. He could get any woman he desired. But Damon had no one. The only person he ever loved betrayed him and left him to die.
He closed his eyes and saw the pair of loveliest smiling eyes, her eyes. It infuriated him and calmed him at the same time.
Drinking to a point when he could drink no more, he got up, held his head in hands as he stumbled towards his room, the word 'Hope' just kept booming in his head. Memories after memories flashed before his eyes.
He clenched his fists and started to pace towards her room, he wanted an explanation for what she did to him or maybe he wanted revenge. Or maybe he just wanted her to see the wreck she made him, not that he was full of life to begin with, but she was the one who ruined him completely. He wanted to know why she did it? Why?
When he unlocked her door and stepped in, he found her asleep, how can someone so cruel sleep so peacefully.
He went to lean over her and before he could touch her, her eyes lazily opened and widened at the sight of him. Before she could scream he pushed a finger against her lips. "Shh. Don't bother. No one would listen anyway."
"What are you doing?" She gasped. She inched closer, sniffing him, "Are… are you drunk?"
He made a little tilted 'u' with his thumb and index finger, "A little," He stumbled on the chair near her bed. She rushed to hold him before he could fall.
"Are you okay?" She asked him, holding his hand.
"No," He shook his head, "No, I am not. And it's all your fault," He hissed.
"Damon, I can explain,"
"No. No you can't. You have broken me and there is no explanation for that. But you know fuck it. I don't care. I know what to do to make myself whole again,"
"You're getting this all wrong."
He rolled his eyes leaning over to grasp her hand and pull her closer to him, "No. No, no and no," he cupped her face stroking her hair too, "You need to listen to me."
"You did this to me, Elena, you ruined me. I loved you, I love you so much and you ruined me,"
"I don't underst… you're just, this isn't you,"
"You thought of me as a lost cause right? I couldn't be redeemed but I could be experimented on. You thought you'd manipulate your work out of me, fine, but why would you get my hopes up, when you wanted to crush them, why the fuck did I think of you as my happy ever after, when all you did was pushing me off an edge, and what if I had died, you would have married Lockwood, forgetting me, letting the memory of me sink to oblivion, while letting him touch you! Touch what's mine."
He stepped to her while she stepped back, "To you it must have been a mere task, making love to me was a job to you right, tell me how does it feel? Sleeping with someone you have no emotions for, telling them you love them over and over."
She shivered shaking her head as he growled at her, "Answer me."
She reached for his face, "I do love you, I never lied… calm down, please."
"You liked sleeping with me? I remember you enjoyed it."
"What are you doing?"
"You say you love me, but you left me."
"I… I do. I-,"
"Yet you're marrying someone else,"
"Damon, you should go, I don't think you should-,"
He bent his head and inhaled a deep breath, his lips hovering over her pulse. Heat flashed up her body, and just as quickly a shiver wracked her insides. His hot mouth slid up her neck, tiny kisses following all the way down to her breasts.
"Damon-, please, I don't… please, listen I-,"His lips were leaving a trail of fire behind them on her neck but she resisted to temptations. Not like this. She thought. Not when he was so vulnerable. "Damon-, stop."
"Why? I thought you loved me,"
His lips traveled up her neck to her chin to her lips. "Stop. This isn't right. Damon, you're better than this," He grasped her wrists, holding them above her head.
"NO I AM NOT." He growled trying to kiss her again but before he could, she managed to pull her wrists out of his hold and slapped him hard across the face. It hardly affected him but sobered him a little as she pushed him away, "You said you loved me, is that what you call love?"
She looked hurt, he stood there watching her as she rubbed her forearm.
Guilt crippled him. What was he about to do? Had he finally lost it? Before he could say anything, he felt bile rise up his throat, he turned to rush the attached bathroom and vomited till his throat burned, he got finished and couldn't feel anything heavier than his head and lighter than his feet, head in hands he fell near the door, he could hear the feeble sound of her she stepping closer to him.
He suddenly remembered that he had a gun in his pants. She could take it out, kill him and escape. She sunk to her knees, cupping his face as if examining him. Her eyes fell on the gun in the pocket of his jeans.
There it was.
Her chance to escape. But could she leave him here?
She sighed, taking out his gun from his pocket and putting it to a side. She then dragged him back to the room helping him up, she realized he couldn't go back, he was almost asleep, mumbling something under breath.
"Damon… get up," She helped him up, supporting most of the weight of his body and pushed him to the bed. She then took of his shoes and put them to aside, arranged, just like he liked it.
She sat next to him and for a while just stared at him, she knew whatever he did was under the high influence of alcohol and hurt but he still caused her pain, she didn't know to hate him? Pity him? Or love him? But he had held her responsible for what he was. She wondered what he thought of himself? Maybe a monster.
Was it bad that she felt guilty and responsible for how much he hated himself now?
"I have never stopped loving you," She said, biting her lip.
Running fingers through his hair and thinking of all their mutual memories, she never knew when she fell asleep.
..
..
She woke up to find herself alone. She never knew when he left. He probably wondered how he got here? She was sure he didn't even remember what he attempted to do last night. She rose up, bringing her knees to her chest, wrapping her hands around her body. She wondered how long he will keep her here. Was he ever planning to let her go.
It disappointed her to the core that he had returned to his old ways. He was even more cold-hearted and ruthless now, more dangerous. He didn't even spare her. She always thought of herself an exception to his anger but last night she realized that she had broken him completely. She had pushed him off the edge and she was in as much as danger from him as the next person.
The line of her thoughts broke when there was a knock on the door.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Can I come in?" She heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Uh.. sure,"
A young boy in his late teens entered. He had a child-like face but quite a muscular body. He didn't look like he belonged from a dark world such as this.
"I have your breakfast," He said almost too mechanically. "We have brought you your dresses, I'll put them in your closet. Would you like me to run you a bath?"
"Umm. Sure,"
He nodded and left. Once, he left Elena realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday. She was really hungry. She uncovered the tray. Her eyes widened looking at luxurious breakfast. She was sure none of Damon's victim would get treated like she was being treated. Almost everything on the tray was her favorite.
'He remembers' She thought.
But despite the growling in her stomach, she put the tray to the side.
Just then Kol reentered. His hands were full of plastic bags of dresses.
"What's all this?"
"Well, apparently, you're going to stay here for a while. So, Don ordered us to buy you stuff that you would need."
"Don?" She rose a brow.
"Damon."
"What? Wasn't he a contract hitman,"
"He had a rank upgrade when he managed to kill George,"
"Mayor George?" Her eyes widened.
"Who else?" Kol smirked.
She shook her head, disapprovingly.
"You haven't eaten." He commented looking at the untouched food tray.
"I don't want too."
"Don will not like it,"
"I don't care what he likes and what he doesn't." She replied carelessly.
"You know I think I know you from somewhere else, are you related to Ex Mayor George?" Kol asked, he distantly remembered something about her, like he had seen her picture somewhere. Maybe she had been a family member of one of their victims.
"He's my fiancé's brother,"
"Oh. No, not that. Maybe I have seen you somewhere else," He said. But she never replied. She didn't want to talk to him. She was far too upset.
"Very well then," He said as he left.
..
..
Augustine was a bit furious that he had raised the price but he agreed anyway. But the thing that worried him was that, there hasn't been any response from Lockwood's end. If they didn't hurry soon, Elena's life would be in grave danger. He'd decided that he would give Augustine what he wanted and that was Klaus's bail and the ransom money, and afterward, instead of returning Elena he would keep her.
Why should he hand her over back? He was selfish. He took what he wanted. He would not give up the only ounce of happiness life gifted him with. No matter what. He figured that she could escape last night, she could have easily killed him and escape but she didn't. So that meant that maybe she did… wanted to stay with him. But he didn't care if Elena didn't approve of it. He didn't care if anyone approved of it. She was staying with him. And that was final.
He was working on another contract, assigning duties to his team, he didn't go out for each assignment himself anymore. He would assign tasks to his men and let them finish the job. He only went on big assignments, the ones that brought a lot of cash.
"He will leave the house at two, kill him there. Make it look like an accident." He said coldly. He no longer cared about anyone anymore. If anything, he enjoyed the thrill, the power over someone else's life and fate. The world had treated him like trash and now it was his turn to give it what it deserves.
"Damon, Elena refused to eat," Kol interrupted the meeting and his thoughts.
His face hardened and his eyes filled with anger. He knew she was stubborn. She wouldn't be easy. But this was ridiculous.
"I want the job done till three and I would be waiting for confirmation call by 3:05. You may all leave now." He ordered, folding his arms on his chest.
Everyone nodded in approval and picked up their guns from the table and left. Once they were out, Damon gestured Kol to take a seat. He did as told.
"Kol, what did you call her?"
"Elena," He replied, confused.
"Hmm." He stood up, his hands in his pockets. "Why didn't you call her 'that girl' like everyone else here does? Who gave you the privilege to call her by her name?"
"I… I didn't know it was a big deal,"
"This is a big deal, Kol. Familiarity creates sympathy. Sympathy leads to love. And love makes one revolt. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
He shook his head, nervously, still confused.
"How about this? Stay detached if you want to keep your head. Is that clear enough?" He asked, his eyes threatening as if daring him to refuse.
"Yes, Don."
"Good."
..
..
She was sitting on the bed, looking at the roof, her finger tracing an invisible pattern on her hand, when the door busted open and he came in like angry tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
She didn't react at all. She had a plan in her mind. She wanted to push his buttons and see how far he could allow his anger to consume him? Would he hurt her too? She wanted to see if the love was still there. Did he still feel or did he shut himself to the world and her completely? The episode from the last night implied that he still felt but his disappearance in the morning confused her.
"What?" she asked, not looking at him.
"I sent you breakfast,"
"I know."
"Was it not in accord to your liking?"
"You know pancakes are my favorite," She rolled her eyes.
"Then why didn't you eat,"
"Because I don't want to. I refuse to eat until you release me," She said, looking at her nails.
"You're not going anywhere." He said almost too hurriedly. "Your fiancé hasn't still agreed to our demands. It's going to be awhile. So, you better-,"
"I'm not eating unless and until I'm freed." She replied strictly.
"Fine. Starve. I don't care." He said, shrugging.
"Sure,"
He was about to go but then he turned. "Look, Elena-,"
"I've already told you my demands,"
"You're in no position to make demands," He growled. "So you best do what I say. And I'll not take no for an answer." He warned.
"No, I won't." She said, carelessly.
"Elena, don't make it more difficult than it already is,"
"Why is it difficult for you? You're used to this, aren't you? You bring your victims here and torture them to death, this is what you've done all your life, it mustn't be so difficult." She said, jumping off the bed and standing in front of him. "Why, Damon? I thought you didn't like this life. You told me you get nightmares, don't you? You hear their screams; you hear them beg for life. You never wanted to return here than why would you come back?"
His face flashed with anger, his nostrils flared and his eyes filled with fire. "Don't. Don't go there."
"Why?"
"I don't want to be reminded of the biggest mistake I did or-,"
"Or what? You're afraid you'll hurt me?"
"Stop it, Elena. Stop acting like I left you. I readily gave up everything for you. But you deceived me. You left me to die for a mere promotion. I trusted you, I believed you when you told me that we could be together if I confess,"
"I tried, Damon. I tried so much. But they took me off the case. I got fired, they canceled my license I-,"
"Boo hoo. They fired you. Well, they were about to kill me! I would have ended up on the electric chair if it weren't for Augustine. Not like it matters to you. I bet you wouldn't even remember my name. You would be happy in your happy little heaven with Mayor Mason Lockwood."
"Yes, I would be." She hissed.
"Oh, really? Guess what, princess? He hasn't even contacted us yet. We've told him our demands but he never answered. He's not even trying to get you back. He prefers his money over your life." He had a wicked smirk on his face.
"Well, he will contact, I'm sure of that. It's not like I'll stay here forever. He'll free me from you by hook or by croo-,"
She never completed when he pushed her against the wall, making her yelp. "Not one more word, Elena."
"Or what?"
"Or I'll kill you," He warned.
"Try me," She said bravely, locking eyes with him. She saw it, the love in his eyes for her, he couldn't imagine hurting her, how on earth would he kill her. She knew he couldn't breathe in a world she didn't live in. He was still hers and she ruled his heart and his mind.
"You can't hurt me, Damon. You won't. You love me far too much for your own good," She said, gazing into his eyes. "And I-," Before she could complete, he pulled away from her, as if scared that she saw too much. "Don't. No more lies."
"They're not lies."
"You'll not manipulate me this time," He said more to himself than her. "I'll not give you the power to break me again." He said as he took a few steps backward. He was acting as if he had seen a ghost.
Before she could stop him, he turned around and rushed outside, locking the door after him.
..
..
A week had passed now. Elena and Damon came to a negotiation on her living terms. At first she had refused to eat until she was released but then when she saw that he was in no mood to compromise on that and hand her over, she had no other option but to accept and wait for Mason and his family to negotiate with them and somehow free her from them.
But even she had to admit that she wasn't being treated as a victim rather she was free to walk around the house and do whatever she desired, have whatever she wanted… except for going out of the house. She noticed that none of the crew, people from his gang, didn't dare to look at her, as if afraid of someone. She knew who, though.
She decided to take advantage of her selected freedom. She had observed that Damon ignored running into her. It was like he was afraid that if he stayed around her, she would break his walls again and he would end up cornered and vulnerable. He didn't trust her at all.
But Elena needed him to talk to her. She wanted to clear the misunderstandings and tell him that she really did only love him and that she never left him. They'd been both victims to circumstances. She couldn't stand to see him stay in his dark world forever, especially when she knew he despised it. He only returned because it was his only choice. She wanted to pull him out of the darkness again and make him see the errors of his ways. But for that she needed his attention and to get his attention, she needed to get under his skin.
She opened her closet and looked through her dresses, that he had a bought her, according to Kol. All the dresses were beautiful and expensive, and almost all of them were in her favorite colors. She knew he knew that she liked to dress up and that she loved colors. She realized that Damon didn't forget anything about her.
Dressing up in the shortest shorts and a skin tight baby blue shirt, she made her way to the kitchen. She had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes bulge out when he saw her, but then he looked away as if unaffected. He was briefing his team over some other contract maybe. She couldn't listen because they were talking in a very low tone.
Like always none of the men looked at her as she passed the hallway, it was like they had been forbidden from so much as stealing a glance of her.
"You're dismissed," She heard Damon finish the meeting and gestured them to leave immediately. His focus turned to the cardboard model of a building placed on the table. He was making a strategy to finish his job and escape undetected. She knew because he had told her that it helps, long time ago when he was her patient.
She picked up a bag of chips from the counter and walked to him. She noticed him visibly tense when she sat opposite to him. She placed the bag of chips and table and ate nosily. A couple of chips fell from the bag onto the table. She knew he despised mess but she did it on purpose.
He ignored her as if she wasn't there, still focused on the model, moving a toy gunman from this room to another room.
"Oh, dear. You're such a klutz, look at the mess you made. You're twenty-eight now and yet you have table manners of a six-year-old. Mama would be so disappointed," she said as she munched as loudly as she could, enjoying him wince with each 'crup' sound.
He had that face on again, one that was the epitome of strained patience.
"Should've gotten a napkin. Well, too late now. Not that I have to clean it up. Speaking of cleaning up, I have so much laundry to do when I get back home, I mean-,"
"Who are you talking to?" He finally interrupted, confused. She was awfully talkative he remembered that, and he had once loved that trait.
"Myself." She replied, as if obvious, "No one over here talks to me, I get bored, so I decided to enjoy the company of-,"
"Okay, okay," He interrupted, pretending to be irritated. "But can you keep it low?"
She nodded, sighing.
"Why are you here though? The meeting is over."
"Elena, I think you suffer from chronic amnesia. This is my house remember?" Damon replied. His voice was devoid of inflection as it always. Any other person would have missed the sarcasm but she knew him more than he knew himself.
"I don't suffer from amnesia. Thank you very much. It's called hope. I'm hoping that if I think it enough, I will wake up from this nightmare, of being stuck in your house!" Elena retorted, shooting him a big fake smile.
He rolled his eyes at her antics, ignoring her comment. Why did she want to go so bad? Didn't he give her everything here?
"Elena, you should go to bed," He was treating her like a child, ordering her around like he ordered everyone. She pursed her lips. You're not getting away easy tonight.
"No."
"Suit yourself," He shrugged, eyes fixed on his work.
He looked so unaffected that it bothered her. Deciding to take another go at him, she crunched on the chips as loud as she could. She did it over and over again, until she noticed him biting the inside of his cheek as if resisting to shout. She smirked when he looked at the mess she made on the table. Bits of chips everywhere. Her hands and the table cover dirty with ketchup.
He finally warranted her with his attention. Despite the irritation visible on his face, his eyes were warm. "Kol!" He clicked his finger.
"Yes, don." He almost appeared out of nowhere.
"Please," He gestured at her direction.
His eyes widened when he saw how she had trashed the table. "Miss… can you please go to your room, I need to have this table cleaned."
"No." Elena refused bluntly.
"Miss, you don't understand,"
"I do." She replied evilly. She looked at Damon innocently, locking eyes with him finally, "Am I bothering you, Don?"
" Of course not, Miss Elena. You are my guest feel free to eat like an ill-mannered child if it suits your fancy,"
"What did you call me?"
"Elena, I really don't want to deal with you right now. I have work to do."
"You picked the fight"
"I am not resorting to the childish nonsense of who started it."
"I'm not a child," She said, involuntarily stomping her foot.
"Whatever. Kol, please, can you escort Miss Elena to her room."
"'No, Kol. I'll not go. I'll stay here all night if I want to."
"Elena," He warned.
"That look won't scare me. You can scare them off with that big scary eyes but I have seen you in your worst, Damon Salvatore and I wasn't even scared then. I know you won't and you can't do anything to me. You can't hurt me even if you wanted to."
"And why do you think that?"
"Because you're in love with me," She said with an airy pride. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Kol's mouth fell open.
"That man died five years ago. This man," He pointed to himself, "-isn't in love with you."
"Poor Damon, deceiving himself again." She said, pouting. "You're afraid to admit it but this is the truth, no matter how much you try to deny it."
"Very well then Elena, you can entertain as many petty assumptions about me as you very well please. Now can I return to my work,"
"Work or a contract?"
"None of your fucking business,"
"It is my business. One of these days you'll end up getting hurt, or killed. Do you have any idea how would I-,"
"Don't pretend to care," He hissed.
"I'm not pretending. If you would listen to me you'd know I never gave up on you. You were never a mission to me. I loved you… still do. I was deceived by my department head. He promised me your bail but then backed out once he got what he wanted. I fought, I really did. I even lost my job because of it. But it was impossible to get to you. I had half a mind to break you out but before I could do anything you escaped. You didn't even bother to contact me, not that I blame you, but you should have had more trust in me,"
"Kol, take her away please,"
"You don't believe me?"
"No."
"Is there someone else?"
"Moving on was only easy for you," He said with so much hurt in his voice that it broke her heart.
"That is another story, I would tell you, if you would listen to me,"
"I don't want to,"
"Well, you have to." She insisted.
"Don, you really should listen to her. The girl would stop eating again and-," Kol stopped when Damon glared at him. Stop giving her ideas.
"Yes, I would. I refuse to eat until you listen to me,"
"Fine, Starve!"
"If you wanted to kill me, take your gun and kill me now, you don't need to starve me to death," She tried another tactic. Emotional blackmail.
He threw his hands up in frustration. He got up of his seat and placed his palms on the table that was in between them. He looked down at the counter with barely concealed irritation, regaining his composure. Elena tried to stay angry and not get distracted by the way Damon's arm's flexed, the way his veins protruded from the layers of pale skin.
"Elena, why does everything with you has to be a direct challenge?"
She walked around to stand face to face with him.
"Because Damon, when you say things with such insinuation what am I supposed to think?"
"Elena, don't annoy me. I won't hurt you, but it would take me a second to send someone at your fiancé's house and kill him and his family," He threatened.
"I refused to go before you let me explain," She folded her arms on her chest.
"Fine. Stay here. Don't sleep, for all I care," He turned to leave but she stood in front of him, blocking his way.
"Move,"
"No,"
"Elena, don't."
Elena had had it with his stubbornness. So she did what she always did when she got frustrated. She pushed him hard.
"Don't. Do. That. Again". His face was beginning to resemble that of a furious man.
Since Elena was Elena, she did not pay heed to Damon's warning instead she pushed harder. Next thing she knew she was pinned between a very angry Damon and the table. She tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. The man was a solid as a rock. Surrounded. Consumed. He covered every inch of her.
She pushed harder. "I told you not to do that". He grumbled. She could feel the vibrations of his chest under her palms when he spoke. She could also feel the anger rolling of him in waves. Waves that were crashing around her, to the point where she was drowning in it.
He saw the intensity in her eyes and took her want for her fear. A memory flashed before his eyes. A memory of the night a week ago, when he found himself sleeping next to her. That night he didn't remember how he got there but today he did. He remembered pushing her against the wall, he remembered her pleadings, he remembered himself attacking her neck, kissing it till it bruised. He remembered her struggles. He was disgusted with himself.
He pulled back, a look of horror on his face.
She knew he remembered now. "Damon," she whispered but he shook his head, as if still in shock and rushed away.
..
..
He'd resorted to pretending she didn't exist. She tried to get him to talk to her but whenever she entered a room, he would leave. The only time when he talked to her was when he had taken her out of the house to some other place and made her call Mason asking him to send her help as soon as possible.
She didn't understand why he would want her to ask Mason for help when he had told her clearly that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He had some game plan in mind and she had to know it.
She looked at the grandfather clock—nine twenty-five. It was time for his dinner, and right now he must be in a meeting, she knew because she heard him talk about it to Kol. She looked at herself in the mirror and checking her appearance, one last time, and then made her way down to the main room.
As expected, he was in a meeting. She walked past them to the kitchen. Their eyes locked once and she noticed his eyes travel down her body, disapprovingly before looking away.
What? She thought. Did she do something wrong?
"Hey… Elena," Kol whispered, sliding beside the counter, speaking through the corner of his mouth. "Do you need anything? You shouldn't come down during meeting times, you know."
"I thought I was allowed to exercise free will, didn't your boss say that? I'm free to do anything I desire as long as I stay inside the house," She reminded them of their agreement that happened in the first week.
"Yes, you can." He sighed. "You enjoy annoying him, don't you? Do you even know how dangerous he is?" He said after a while.
"I am aware," She replied. "I was his doctor first,"
"Oh, then you know that he-,"
"Kills for money. Yes, I do. I'm not afraid of him, though. He can't harm me," She replied carelessly. "Aren't you too young to be in mafia?" She asked. He barely looked nineteen.
"My brother Klaus. He was one of the Dons before he got arrested. All our properties are sealed and Klaus's enemies are after me. I had nowhere to go before Damon took me in. I'm to stay here until my brother returns."
She nodded, understandingly. Everyone here had sad stories.
"I best go, he doesn't like it when we talk to you," He said as he went out of the kitchen.
She rolled her eyes at his statement. It took her a while to remember why she was here in the first place. She wanted to make herself a cup of strong coffee. She searched for coffee beans. They were in the top shelf. She tried to reach for them on her tip toes, her blue and green striped shirt moved up and exposed the small of her back.
Then she felt something hard and warm on her back, and saw a very male hand, reach out and get the jar for her. She knew his touch before she even looked back. His firm body pressed against hers as he reached for the bag. The heat that was emanating from him onto her, reminded her of a beautiful nights long long time ago.
"Here," Damon handed it to her.
"Thank you,"
"What are you doing here right now? And what are you wearing?" He hissed under breath. Didn't she know that a lot of sexually frustrated criminals were roaming around here?
"They're not looking, you've warned them pretty well," She said taking the jar from him, turning around.
He took a deep breath. Yes he did warn them. No one would dare look at the woman that belonged to him only. She could parade naked around the house and none of them will dare look at her.
"Are we talking or are you still going to ignore me?"
"Not again, Elena." He said as if annoyed.
"I'm not lying, Damon. You know that. I wanted to be with you just as bad as you wanted to be with me,"
"You've a funny way of showing it," He said, holding her hand, showing her the engagement ring that still adorned her finger. "I've a reason for that,"
"Whatever," He said turning to leave, not giving her much thought.
"One of these days, you'll regret not trusting me," She called after him but he never looked back.
..
..
He was drinking again and thinking about her. He always thought about her. She never left his head. Slowly, she was breaking his resolve again, with her sweet words and her love filled eyes. He didn't like that. He didn't want to be weak again. Only, he knew how hard it was for him to live through her deception. He'd wanted to die every second.
He tried to think of something else. Mason had agreed to release Klaus. Now, the ball was in his court. He needed to play the game wisely. He wanted to complete the task and not give up Elena at the same time, but that wasn't as easy as it sounded. Augustine wanted her dead because her fiancé Mason, the corrupt mayor, who had also once been a part of Augustine's circle had backstabbed Augustine on a deal and joined their rivals. Augustine wanted everyone close to Mason dead. But what he didn't know was that, Mason's fiancé had once been Damon's beloved. And he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, at any cost.
Elena.
She had no idea of the danger she was in.
The line of his thoughts broke when he heard a crying sound coming from the upper floor.
Strange. He thought. Who would be up in this wee hours of the night. He got up, followed the sounds and was horrified to realize that the voices were coming from Elena's room. It was as if she was struggling against someone.
He kicked the door open. His eyes widened when he found her pinned to the bed with one of his men, Bruce, on top of her trying to tear off her clothes.
"Boss…,"He said getting away from her.
Damon hurried to the man, held him by the collar and hurled him against the wall. He could hear Elena scream in fear. He grabbed at Bruce's shirt forcefully pulling him off of the ground. He punched him in his face repeatedly. The man never defended himself, only crying and begging for mercy. His mouth was now bloody, his nose broken and out of line.
"Damon, stop. Please," She tried to hold him back but he growled at her, ordering her to get away before he ends up hurting her too. He took out his gun from his back pocket and shot the man straight in chest.
Elena stood there, thunderstruck. She just saw someone murder another human. Oh God.
He turned around, hurrying to her, holding her arms, looking for any wounds, checking. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you-," He asked her if she was fine, if she was hurt, she saw the anxiety in his eyes, the pain in his soul for her. His eyes were as warm as they used to be. He looked at the dead body on the floor, "How did he even get here. Kol! KOL!" He shouted. Kol was supposed to keep her safe.
"He didn't do anything right?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"Is everything okay?" Kol and a couple of other men entered the room. They were fairly shocked when they saw the awfully bruised dead body on the carpeted floor. It took them a couple of minutes to connect the dots.
With a very grim expression on his face, Damon warned Kol for his carelessness and ordered him to get rid of the body. He took off his jacket, and covered Elena with it. He put an arm around her possessively and took her to his room. He helped her sit on the couch and gave her a glass of water to calm her nerves. She was still shivering.
He hugged her with great affection, but with inexpressible grief that she had to suffer so much. She pulled back, surprising him.
"Elena…," He said as if asking for an explanation.
"Is that why I'm here for? So that I'm compromised every other night because you think I betrayed you,"
"Of course, not." He said, "I-,"
"A couple of nights ago, you-,"
"I remember," He inched closer to her, "and you have no idea how sorry I am." He wanted to hold her but he felt himself unworthy of touching her. Not now, especially when he remembered. He was no better than Bruce. He hurt the woman he loved more than anyone in the world.
"He tried to… and I was helpless I couldn't even call anyone for help,"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," He pleaded, reaching for her hands. "I promise to protect you now. I promise no one will ever hurt you,"
"I could have run away that night, but I didn't," She interrupted him. "Not because I couldn't," She said. "But because I never planned to leave you, not then and not now. I love you, Damon. And I want to be with only you, forever. I don't care what you are and what you've done. I know any sane person would think that I've gone mad and maybe I have but I'm not sorry that I fell in love with you."
He felt her words break his walls. It wasn't a good choice. They'd just been through the cruelest situation; they were overwhelmed by all sort of emotions. They needed comfort and love. And they found it in each other's souls.
He took her face in his hand, and she pressed her cheek against it. It had all happened so quickly. He inched closer and softly kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks and finally her lips. Soft kisses, kisses meant to heal, to soothe away the loneliness. Beautiful, eager, he kissed her and clasped her yet closer and closer until there was no distance between them.
..
..
**I will post the second part of this chapter in three days.**
Thank you all for your support. I seriously have the best support group. Thank you all for your kind comments and sweet reviews. I wish I could hug you all.
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Bonnie, (Salvatoreboys4ever), Vidhi (VitsAsh) and Carol (scarlett2112) are my inspiration, do check out their profiles and their wonderful stories.
See you on Sunday!