CHAPTER 7

MIA POV.
I couldn't believe what was happening. One minute I thought he was going to give me back my necklace and the next I was being tossed over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. "What are you doing?" I shouted. My voice muffled against his back. "Put me down!" I demanded but he didn’t bother to respond. I struggled and kicked, trying to wriggle free from his grasp, but he held firm and panic started to well up in my throat. Oh Goddess! He’s kidnapping me and there is no one to save me. I thought as I hit his back with my fists. It seemed to make no difference as he just kept on walking, his long strides getting us further away from a club full of people. I was completely at his mercy.
Only when he put me down did I realize that we had reached a car, but before I could gather my thoughts, he pushed me into the passenger seat, his movements hurried. I scrambled to sit up, trying to make sense of what was happening.
“Please let me go…” I tried to plead but he shut the door in my face. I immediately tried to open the door, but he must have locked it from the outside. A few seconds later, the driver’s door opens, and he gets into the drivers’ seat and still not saying a word he starts the car and sped away.
"Listen, please," I said, trying to sound calm even though I wasn’t. "I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt me.” I pleaded as he drove, still not saying a word. “Look, I'm not feeling well, I need to go home." I tried again But Dominic just glanced at me, his eyes glinting in the streetlights that passed us by but ignored my pleas.
I had to think of something fast. I was trapped in a car with Dominic Romano, the mafia kingpin, and I had no idea where we were going or what he was going to do with me.
Dominic's gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, his eyes roaming as though he was looking for someone. Was he checking if we were being followed? I wondered. I don’t know what made me do it, but when Dominic looked in the mirrors again, I lunged forward, my hands grabbing onto the steering wheel. I saw Dominic's eyes widened in surprise as the car violently jerked to the side, sending the car careening off the road.
Everything became a blur as the car hopped off the road, hitting various things as it spun out of control. I screamed as shattered glass rained down on my head and my ears filled with crunching metal before coming to an abrupt stop as it crashed into a solid wall of a building.
The sensation of weightlessness filled my body but as soon as I tried to move, my body wouldn't respond. I felt heavy and limp. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I caught glimpses of Dominic's face, his eyes filled with concern and anger, and he was saying something… or was he yelling? I couldn’t tell because of the ringing in my ears and before I could wrap my head around what had just happened, everything went black.
DOMINIC POV.
I exhaled a shocked breath as the everything went deathly quiet after my car came to a stop against the side of the grocery store. I was still clutching the steering wheel, my knuckle white from the vice grip I had on them. It took me a moment to gather my senses, and I quickly looked to Mia, next to me. My heart thudded loudly as I saw her slumped to the side, but she was groaning in pain, meaning that she was still alive. I kicked open my door and quickly rounded the car to her side and had to use a little more force to open her door. The metal squealed as it protested in being opened. Mia's fragile body slumped towards me, making her groan painfully. I caught her, holding her upright as she struggled to stay awake.
"What were you thinking?" I demanded, my anger boiling over. "You could have killed us both, you reckless...!"
But before I could finish, Mia's eyes rolled back, and she passed out in my arms. I cursed under my breath. I'd never encountered a girl like her before - she was a whirlwind of chaos who had managed to fill my mind and thoughts. As I held her unconscious body, the feeling of frustration and concern overwhelmed me. I was usually very good at reading people, but she definitively was a force of nature, unpredictable and wild.
I gazed down at her, my eyes tracing the contours of her face. She really was beautiful, and her scent was intoxicating. "What am I going to do with you, Mia?" I muttered to myself as I shifted position to get a better hold on her. It was then that my attention was drawn to a clinking sound hitting the ground. Mia’s necklace. As I picked it up, the pocket watch pendant sprang open, revealing an engraved name that made my heart pause.
"Aurora," I whispered, my voice barely audible. The name struck a memory within me and my mind raced with connections and questions. Why did this necklace have the name, Aurora, engraved on it? And what did it have to do with Mia?
I looked down at Mia again, my gaze tracing the contours of her face, making my eyes see what I didn’t see before. The familiarity of a face I had seen before a long time ago and yet so unique to Mia herself in the here and now. She was still unconscious, oblivious to the realization that had just dawned on me.
I felt a sense of trepidation wash over me, suddenly wishing that I hadn’t seen the name on the pendant, but there was no going back now. If Mia was who I thought she was, then I had a responsibility to uphold and a promise to upkeep. With a sense of determination, I tucked the necklace back into my pocket and lifted Mia into my arms and got out of there.