Pain. A feeling that has stuck with me for a while now.

I feel the drench of cold water being poured on me, jolting me awake. As I wake up I try to focus my vision then I notice the man that my family apparently owes money to, sitting in front of me cross legged with the tattooed man and another that I've not seen before, standing behind his back.

“Rise and shine red locks, how was your nap? I'm sure it was refreshing after such a night you had” the man sitting said looking at me with an unreadable expression,” and hope that you're accustomed to your new settlement, since it seems the chair and ropes weren't quite working out” he finishes with a tilt of his head.

I glance to look at my hand, still slow in processing since I came to, my hair is sticking to my sweaty skin, I have a busted lip and a sprained ankle, and I see that this time I have been cuffed with metal chains attached to the wall. The chains are as short as 5 feet, restricting far movements. This time, instead of a chair, I sat on the floor propped against the wall at my back.

I regain a bit of my senses and start to comprehend what is going on. I stare at the man in front of me and glare at him,” Who are you again, and what do you want from me?” I ask him, frustrated and alarmed at the change of situation.

We didn't even appear to be in the same place they kept me last time. This area has no windows, a table beside the man sitting down, security cameras facing both me and the door, it's bigger than the other holding room, and appears to have better supervision than the other. “ Sorry for the late introduction, you don't know my name do you?” he asks, looking at me.

He gets up from his seat and takes a few steps towards me, but keeps a good distance between us,” my name is Andrei, Andrei Ciobani” he states and he crouches down to my height,” and you, VannaRae have to choose now what would work for you” he says as he gradually rises to his towering height.

I sit there, unable to comprehend what it is he is on about,” how do you know my name?” I ask him as I move my arms in the chain constriction, to no use though, I stare at the man I tackled last time, noticing the sneer he looks down at me with,” oh VannaRae, I know your whole family very well, which brings us back to the case of your betrayal” Andrei says, forcing my eyes away from the tatted man,” how much do we owe you, I swear I will recover everything, i’ll pay you your money for as long as it takes but please let me I go, I beg of you” I plead with him.

Andrei looks at me with cold, calculated eyes as he lowers himself back down in his seat, “How sure are you that you will pay me my money, how can I trust you won't run?” he asks me quizzically.

I stare at him and lean my body forward as much as the restrictions would let me,” they are my family, I can't abandon them to suffer and they’ve lived here their whole lives and plan to do so, since you know my family, you would be able to track their movements, tell me how much it is” I state, looking him in the eye. No matter the amount, I have to get my family off the hook of this dangerous man.

He stared at me and gave me a cold, eerie smile that promised pain rather than relief,” Oh VannaRae, the time for atonement has passed, the betrayal goes far beyond money“ he finished with a cock of his head.

At that moment his phone dings on the table beside him and glancing at it, he turns to me with a smile on his face,” Just the thing I was waiting for” he picks up the phone, taps a few things, and turns the phone towards me.

The sight on the screen makes me freeze in terror, my blood runs cold as fear courses through my body at the sight of my family and best friend, bound to chairs, blindfolded, tears gather in my eyes at the sight of gunmen pointing their guns at my loved ones, Jasmine shouts at the men in the room, stripped of her sight but not her strong will,” you cowards!! You attack like scared little girls!! Untie us and face us like the men you pretend to be” Jas screams at their captors, she may be keeping a strong face but I know she's scared as well.

I stare at Andrei as the tears stream down my face,” What is it you want you monster, I don't even know what business you're on about!” I yell at him, totally confused about the betrayal he speaks of. He looks me dead in the eye, and a flash of menace crosses his facial expression.

He walks towards me, closer then the first time he came to me, stands by the side of my thigh and crouched down to my eye level, he removed his gun from his back pocket and tilts my jaw with it then unlocks the safety from it,” one should know not to cross the path that they can't return from, and your family has crossed me, so VannaRae, your left with only 2 options” he leaves his statement hanging and stretches his other hand towards his men, they put his phone in his hand then he continues,” either I give the command now and they kill your family, or you hand yourself to me and marry me” he states while staring into my eyes like he can read my soul,” and you have 5 seconds before I give the command “ he finishes, my mind hurriedly runs through his threat.

My parents, Jas, I can't let anything happen to them “1” he starts his countdown, I can't bear to lose another family, another life gone and it would be my fault, I get drawn back to the present as he reaches 4, starts to dial a number before I intercepted him,” I'll do it, I’ll marry you so don't touch my family" I state as I bow my head, my heart shattering at my lost freedom.