AUTHORS NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT EDITED. not that the others were too much but certainly are better written than this one. But nonetheless I wanted to update it. Enjoy!!

---------- Chapter 4 ----------

The procedure of live trade has been imprinted in my memory. As much as I'd like to say I hated it, I didn't. It is one of the cleanest jobs in my line of work as long as the trading party isn't as notorious as my family. The sequence of events never changes:

Get the person,

Beat them up to make the recipient more playable

Bargain for more than had been asked.

But most of all let them feel in charge before showing them who is the one playing dirty harboring cards up their sleeve.

The entire ride my hood was in the tight grasp of my captor, letting me see the way out of his manor and giving a chance at remembering the way back. My eyes roamed the vicinity of the luxurious car. The only people in it being the driver and his co-pilot, me and the old man sitting in the seat beside. In an alternative universe where my life is perfect he would have a heart attack right about now and the goons at the front would grow hearts of gold and let me run off into the sunset.

Unfortunately the world is the way it is and we all pay the price for our actions. My biological family must have screwed over the devil himself for the amount of misfortune they brought upon their lineage. Sparing a thought on those poor people who died in their name is a thought too many.

Suddenly the car wheels jolted up and down, driving through the numerous potholes in the now country side roads. I must have spaced out for way longer than one thought to not have noticed the change in scenery. The trees and fields all seemingly empty and delicately swaying in the breeze. The car came to a halt and the crunching of another behind us. I turn around to glance at its darkened windows matching the one I am held captive in. Lewi was my thought. He must be in there but in his current state all they could do is kill him for emphasis of their power. Which would end up in a war and neither side wanted it right now with new trade agreements being under discussion. The dark hood slipped on my head. The last thing in my line of vision is the wrinkled forehead and grey styled hair. He turned me around slightly and tightened the cuffs, binding my hands behind my back tighter than necessary.

As the warmth of the car is left behind all I feel is the caressing of the cool wind. It must be an early morning by now as light shines through the dark material. There's no horns or hum of the water. Not even a constant flow of car engine noise no indication of any living creatures being close by.

That is something new. Father never met out in the open. A bird starts chirping, joined by another. The moistened grass underneath my naked feet as we walk to the final destination with the unev. I can hear Lewis grunts as his dragging body is thrown onto the ground with a thud.

The sound of more footsteps crunching the occasional twigs under their soles conveys me were at the spot. The muscle man pulls me towards the ground forcing me into a kneeling position. "Here's your son, Vincent." Footsteps approach the body beside me without the pavement it's hard to know if the Angelos have not staged it. Why have me hooded. For the foreseeable future I'll be stuck with them and keeping secrets in the family results in those members dead.

Two more pairs of rustling feet joined and dragged my brother to the front and out of hearing range. He's safe. He's gone. My breathing quickened and heart sped up.

"I need to see her." Father growled out. It wasn't a set up. He was here. A stray tear glided down my cheek. Although unintentional if we are making this convincing might as well be a girl for once in need of her family.

"She's right here." A hand pushes me forward making me face plant the ground. If not the hood my face would definitely be as scratched as my exposed arms right now. Grunting I turn onto my back and sit up manoeuvring the cuffed arms to the front of my body. Then trying to take the cloth off my head, unsuccessfully as a chilling cane touched my palms softly but surely forbidding such movements.

"You know as well as I that it could be any other girl under there." The voice was behind me. Damnit must have twisted more than anticipated. The sleap deprivation from last night is beginning to kick in.

"Let's discuss our deal first."

"There's no deal until I see who's truly under that filthy rag." The disgust in his voice is not even trying to disguise the annoyance towards his opponent. What is he playing at? Why make a deal with the devil. I know my life is not worth this much to him. Even with the insygnia. It never equals the life of a family in this world.

I shouldn't be the bargaining chip. I should be shot by Father already. Suddenly the rag is taken off my head and as I squint my eyes trying to adjust to the brightness around us I notice the trees on one side. The field on the other and surrounding us all around with one road behind my capturer.

This is definitely not a place for a war. Nowhere to hide. No vantage point unless they have troops hidden behind the tree line with sniper rifles nobody's walking out of this alive. It dawned on me, I'm not walking out of this alive.

A sigh comes from father as my battered self is presente, dragged to my bare feet with twigs and stones digging into the already sensitive flesh. The stray hairs falling all around my face hid half of the damage. He takes a step forward and a gun is pressed to my temple. A hiss escapes my lips and father freezes. The cool steel sending waves of chills, in some way thrilling me. A smirk forms on my lips as I look up at Father. He froze, could it have been staged?

"Never imagined to be on this side Father." I croaked out, the lack of moisture in my throat reminding me of the human body's limitations of torture.

"It happens to the best of us." He says regaining his calm composure. "What do you want for her?" He snapped at the old man glaring to my left as I kept my eyes on Father.

"Her." He simply said pointing his cane at me tapping my leg.

"No." Father says. "She's not blood family, what do you want with her?"

"She might not be blood." He said with amusement in his tone. "But she does mean as much as your own boys to you. ISin't that right?" HE laughed with his goons.

Fathers eyes narrowed to slits his palm twitched in anger. This was a new spin on the events. In this moment it wasn't clear if he was acting the emotions or being consumed by them. For the first time my attention veered to the man behind. Twisting my head left to spot him in my peripheral vision the words left my mouth. "Don't this you'll get a loving statement out of any of them hun." With a smirk I return my gaze back to the family who is about to sell me out. My eyes travel to him. His eyes are dark, even his skin seems darker. I cock my head as he realises I am staring right at him. Those eyes coming to life. Trying to speak without giving it away to the others. We were never good at that. Even in an empty room with words to spare. I shake my head and drop my gaze to the ground, unable to stand the disappointment. They will throw me into another hell hole. To be used as a toy. Mistreated as any woman in this work is. Especially their women.

"Father... Please." Begging for mercy now is not a good move but my mouth has betrayed me. Asking, pleading as loud as I would allow. I lurched forward but as I do one of the goons grabs my hair and pulls me back. A grimace of pain painted on my face.

"She has been a little naughty, as you well know. Women and their tempers." He waves a hand with the statement. "Shall we talk business, then?" He took a step in front of me awaiting Fathers response. Father nodded and stepped forward and my breathing intensified while the man let go of my hair and held on the bicep tugging me closer to the exchange.

Another dark form met the two older men at the centre. His suit was tailored as well as my brothers, coloured black. The hair as shining as raven wings in the moonlight, the trousers accentuating his muscular legs as the black shirt hugged the top of his muscled body. He was holding a jacket slung from two fingers over his shoulder. He thinks he has won. He is the moron who it all began with. It's the son. It is his game and I have been oblivious to his presence since the beginning.

I am being dragged to the centre and stood behind the old man as the twat of a son stands next to me. "You'll make our marital life a wild adventure, sweetheart" He whispers in my ear with a chuckle. His breath caressing my cheek, disgusted, is an understatement of the feeling I am experiencing right now.

"What is her price?" The old man begins but Father doesn't reply. "Everything has a price." He laughs again. "What about her life?" The tone of voice rapidly switched to seriousness.

The old man reached to holster situated in the inside of his jacket, pulling out a small gun that glistened as the sun rays bounced of off it. With that same hand he motioned for my captor to toss me closer. Now I was laying on the ground looking up at Father with pleading eyes. The slight breeze blew stray strands of my hair adding to the distraught dear daughter scenario. Someone pulled me up to kneed in front of the two heads of the family. The glistening gun pressing to my temple. My eyes welled up with tears at the pressure with one stray drop rolling down my cheak. Couldn't have played it better. I close my eyes letting the remaining tears join the fall. Leaving my faith fully in Fathers hands. He always holds all the cards.

"40% of your gun trades." Fathers says.

"Smart men make smart decisions." He bellows with laughter. The gun is no longer in contact with my head and I fall to all fours. Shaking my head. "No!" I shout out. "Kill me instead!" My eyes are angry at Father at the man for not pulling through on my blissful ending. A set of hands pull me up to a standing position right in front of Father. He caressed my cheek with one hand smearing the flowing tears. "You'll live my daughter." I shook my head as my body betrayed me relaxing with the words, sincere or not there was only a handful of times he called me that. His Daughter. "Be safe." He said taking a step closer and embracing me with the other hand placing a kiss of the top of my head. "Be brave." He whispers and I am tugged away from them. Pained and cold from the events of the past. In no situation was I tied up, beaten and told to be brave. I am no puppet. He might have a plan. But mine is not to be the idle house wife and breeding machine to aid the infiltration of the ranks of the enemy. As I am being pulled back I glance towards Vincento. His eyes sternly set on me. A true tear slips out and pain must be evident on my face as is on his. Not being able to take the emotions for a minute longer I shut them off. Taking a deep breath I turn my back on the family that took me in, that raised me and transformed me into the monster I am today.

As we are approaching the cars I rip my arm out of the mans hold and tackle him with my elbow to the gut. He leans forward and my joined fists hit his nose hard enough to stun, not enough to cause damage. Another two goons come closer ready for round two. They surround me blocking all paths of escape around the car. I might not be able t o escape but definitely wont go down without a fight.

"Mariana, stop fighting now." Fathers voice boomed from afar as I can see their contract being signed. Surely I am not worth as much as he requested. Taking me off my game with his words I am tackled down to the ground as the same shined up shoes stop right at my face.

"Why don't we make her more cooperative, son?" Knowing what is coming next. I am let go by the tower of muskle sitting on my back, only to be landed a blow to my already cracked ribs. Blood spills out my mouth as I caugh at the foot and mercy of my fiance. With his shined up shoe he pushes me to the side with a smirk. He kneels on one knee and gets passed a cloth. Pressing it to my face he growls out "Don't make this too easy sweetheart." With that my eyes roll back and the darkness consumes my dreamless sleep. 

Word count: 2345