Cost for his life

~ KAIA’S POV ~

A sudden rush of cold water slammed against my face, jolting me into consciousness.

I blink hard, my eyes straining to focus as droplets trailed down my skin. I swept my hands across my face, wiping the sting away as I pushed myself upright.

As my vision sharpened, my eyes met those of Rodriguez Mavrosso.

Rodriguez?

Instantly, I scrambled backward in fear. My heart began pounding rapidly against my chest as his gaze narrowed—piercing straight into mine.

“Please, I beg of you,” I muttered, my voice barely leaving my lips.

He leaned back, standing upright, though his gaze stayed fixed on me.

With a single wave of his hand, his bodyguards seized me, yanking my arms tightly behind my back.

“Please, I just want my son,” I muttered.

“Not so fast.” he said, his voice sharp but steady.

Tears burst from my eyes, blinding me. My knees buckled as I watched him light a cigar with infuriating calm.

In the twinkle of an eye, my happiness was snatched away from me, as if it had never existed. I never expected my day to turn out like this. I just wanted to pick up my son and return home.

How did I end up in this mess?

And not just any mess—but one enormous enough to have Rodriguez Mavrosso in it.

Rodriguez, a well-known drug dealer and head of the Mavrosso cartel in the mafia world of Italy. His name was always whispered with fear among men of class.

And now…I stand before him, praying I get out of this alive with my son.

“Let’s make this quick,” he said, snuffing out the cigar, a heavy plume of smoke drifting from his nose.

My heart skipped a beat as suspense washed over me.

“You work for me, or your son dies,” Rodriguez said. His voice…. It's the same as the man I spoke to earlier on the phone in the taxi. The same vileness. The same rage.

My chest caved and tears wouldn’t stop. Each word from him forced my eyes open wider with dread.

“Seduce Vittorio Caruso, gather all information about his men and assets. And poison him,” Rodriguez said, his tone void of emotion. His voice echoed against the walls, sending vibrations through me.

“Please…let my son go,” I muttered through tears.

“Letting him go will be of no use to me.” He sneered. “You have three months. Go against my instructions, and your son suffers for it.” he said vilely.

“Why me of all people?” My voice filled with rage and bitterness. “Aren’t you wealthy enough to hire an assassin to kill him?”

Pow!

He fired at the fuel tank beside me. My ears buzzed violently from the sound.

“An assassin, you say?” he thundered. His voice echoed loudly within the walls, sending chills down my spine.

One of his bodyguards stepped forward and took the cigar from his hand.

The moment the cigar left his fingers, he leaned toward me and grabbed my jaw, digging his fingers deep into my cheeks.

The pain knew no bounds to the pain in my heart.

“Now don’t play stupid,” he snarled. “You know why I chose you.”

I couldn’t speak as his grip tightened. His gaze bored into mine, vile and piercing.

“You wouldn’t want to test my patience.”

He loosened his grip, shoving me back and snapped his fingers.

Immediately, two men dressed in black strode into the room carrying a briefcase.

They placed the case on the wooden table beneath the small television hung on the wall.

Within seconds, a clip flickered onto the screen.

My eyes widened in shock as my past life played before me.

No. This can’t be happening. This possibly can’t be happening.

I buried this years ago. I changed. I moved on—for my son’s sake. For Kai's sake.

More tears streamed down my face as I watched it all.

My knees weakened with every second until I collapsed onto the ground.

“Please, Rodriguez…please,” I pleaded bitterly.

“I thought you had forgotten,” Rodriguez sneered, sniffing his cigar. “Seduce Vittorio like you did with the other men, gather all the information I need, and poison him.”

Please let this be a dream. I want out of this nightmare.

In one blink, my happiness was gone. My son was taken from me, and now my past has resurfaced.

I pinched myself hard enough to bruise and wake up from this…from this mess, but nothing changed.

“Rodriguez, please, I can’t do what you ask. I don’t even know this man, Vittorio. Please, let me and my son go,” I cried.

Rodriguez laughed harshly, as if I’d told a joke.

He snapped his fingers, and another clip played on the screen.

Kai.

My baby.

“Please, I beg you…please don’t hurt my son!” I wailed.

“If you want him alive and well, follow my instructions. Do that, and you’ll have him in your arms again,” Rodriguez said, exhaling another heavy plume of smoke.

“Okay…okay. I’ll do it. Please don’t hurt my son, please,” I said, left with no choice.

Seeing Kai in tears stripped me of all resistance. I can’t lose him, he's the only reason I have to live.

“Good girl,” Rodriguez grinned, wicked and satisfied. “You know his name. Do your thing.”

He snapped his fingers.

A sharp sting pierced my skin from behind, seconds after my vision began to blur.

“Let me see my…baby…please,” I whispered.

Suddenly, everything went dark.