Chapter One

Talia;

My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I darted through the street. I could feel them behind me and I increased my speed as I went into the dark alley.

It was supposed to be a simple job, go in,get out. I wasn't counting on seeing so many horrifying-looking men. Dammit! I should've done more research.

There just wasn't enough time and I needed the money urgently. I had to pay for my sister's emergency surgery. The doctor said that if she didn't get surgery soon, she might die.

I couldn't risk losing her. I had lost my parents at an early age and had been alone with my sister ever since. I had to become an adult quickly to care for her.

So I went to Diego for help and he told me about a quick job. I wanted to refuse as I had never engaged in such a huge theft. I was only a pickpocket, not some robber.

"This is a very easy job, you'll see." He had promised and I had no choice but to believe him. I promised myself that this would be my last job. I would just do as he said and get my sister back and that'd be all.

The job wasn't really difficult, but it wasn't as easy as Diego had said. I had to rob a house and it wasn't empty as he had said it would be.

I never expected it to escalate like this. Police siren was blowing all over and my heart began to race. If I get caught, who would take care of Ruby?

I increased my speed as desperation surged through me. I couldn't afford to be caught at the moment.

When I was sure that there was nobody following me, I heaved a sigh of relief and walked slowly to the dilapidated building where Diego was supposed to meet me.

"Wow! Damn Girl! You did it!" Diego smiled, showing off his dirty incomplete teeth as he patted me on the back, counting the bundles.

"Yeah," I said dully, but he mustn't have noticed as he grinned widely.

He then brought out a few bundles after he took his time to count and examine the notes.

"Your cut."

I collected it and counted it. Four thousand, five hundred dollars. I needed four thousand dollars for Ruby's surgery, but the money I brought was a lot. My cut should've been more than this.

"It's supposed to be more than this," I pointed out and he frowned.

"Now, now don't get me angry. You should be grateful I gave you that much—"

"What?" I raised a brow, wondering if he was just messing with me.

I had risked myself by going out and getting shot at, but he wants me to be grateful for that measly sum.

The money in that bag would be nearing a billion dollars.

"C'mon Girl! I saved your ass. And you know, information costs a lot" He said and I scoffed.

I was about to say something when he stopped me.

"Don't be ungrateful and take that money and get the hell out of here," he barked and I swallowed hard as I spun around to leave.

As soon as I got to our tiny house, I quickly looked for her.

"Ruby!"

A shabbily dressed young girl of about 15 years stood up from the ground slowly. She had been asleep on the floor.

She quickly ran into my embrace.

"Were you scared?" I questioned, not ready to pull away.

"Mmmmm,mmhhnn." She nodded.

"I'm sorry my love," I patted her back and pulled away.

Just then, her stomach growled and I realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before. A pang of guilt hit me. She was sick and needed to have surgery Urgently but I had left her alone to go commit a crime. What if I hadn't made it back?

I grabbed her hand and took her to the little eatery close by, all the while, clutching the bag of money tightly. And then I told her.

"I'm taking you to the hospital today."

She whipped her head to look at me.

"Sis—"

"I got some money and I think it should do."

I knew she wanted to ask how I got the money, but she kept quiet as she ate and as soon as we got to the hospital, I breezed to the doctor's office.

"Doctor, I have the money—"

His head shot up to meet mine. He must've been surprised at how I was able to come up with the money in such a short period of time.

"You have the money? Four thousand dollars?" He glared at me and I nodded.

"Okay."

I gave him the bag and as he opened it, glancing at the notes, he eyed me suspiciously and I began to wonder if he was already suspecting me.

"It's complete," I urged and he nodded.

"I can see."

He kept the bag aside and called a nurse.

"Take her inside," he pointed to Ruby and I was about to go with them when the doctor stopped me.

"A word, Miss Fisher."

There was a gnawing feeling in my chest that something was wrong, but I couldn't quite place what it was.

"Is everything okay, doctor?"

He stood up from the chair and walked out of it. He was behind me and before I could say anything, I suddenly felt something sharp prick my neck and a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out. He had drugged me. I knew it couldn't be for anything good, so I began to struggle to keep my eyes open.

The drug finally took effect as I slumped on the chair, letting the darkness envelop me.

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I opened my eyes groggily, trying to remember where I was and why my body ached terribly. I tried bringing my arms to rub my face but felt so itchy when I realized that they had been bound with something.

I was horrified and tried screaming when I found out that my mouth was taped shut. It was then that the memories of what happened earlier started coming back.

The doctor, Ruby—the money. The money! It must've been the money. There was a kind of look in his eyes after he examined the money and he looked at me with some kind of unrecognizable expression.

I gasped. He knew the money had been stolen. That was the only explanation. Because why else would he abduct me? My feet were also bound and I squinted my eyes. The room was also dark. The only source of light came from a hole in the window. I knew I was lying on the hard floor.

I tried to make out my surroundings but it was difficult and I eventually gave up. My heart began to race quickly as I thought of Ruby. I began to pray silently that he spare her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to her because of my foolishness.

I knew that the house I robbed belonged to bad men. I had seen the insignias in the room. I didn't know what they meant but I was sure of one thing. It was some sort of mafia logo.

I shuddered at the thought of getting into trouble with the mafia. A fear slid down my eyes as I thought about what would be done to me.

I heard the sound of a door creak open and I whipped my head back to try and make out the face of whoever it was. I would plead with them to spare Ruby. I would do anything they wanted me to do to pay them back.

Suddenly, a bright light shone on my face and I winced at its harshness. I closed my eyes and then began to make a muffled sound through the restraint.

There were two men in the room, but the one that caught my eye was the one in front. He was tall, taller than any man I had ever seen before.

The way his eyes darkened when they landed on mine made me gasp.

His towering height and dark brooding eyes were all he needed to intimidate me. He looked like a sexy giant on a runway.

He was dressed in a black suit and a white dress shirt, with the buttons at the corner opened, revealing a tanned skin and a tattoo on his neck. The tattoo scared me. It was the same insignia on the wall in the house I had gone to rob. Two snakes entwined on a pole.

Some strands of his jet-black hair fell on his face, complimenting his good looks.

I gasped as realization suddenly dawned on me. I was right all along. It was about the money. This was the owner of the house where I had stolen from.

As he walked towards me, I shuddered,suddenly scared of what he would do to me.