THE RUTHLESS MAFIA KING AND HIS FEISTY HOSTAGE

Maya POV

"Please, please, please come to the mall with me?" Alice begged for the thousandth time in the last ten minutes. She is kind of obsessed with shopping, and apparently, there are some really good sales she can't miss.

"Fine! If I go, will you shut up?" I snapped, and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Alice squealed.

Alice and I have been best friends since we were five years old. She's the shy one until you get to know her, and I'm the loudmouth smartass. We balance each other out perfectly.

"You're the best, Maya!" She beamed..

"Yeah, Alice, you've mentioned that once or twice," I chuckled as we left my house and headed to my car. My parents got me a white Lexus SUV when I turned eighteen, and I helped pay for it with the money I earned working at their law firm. It's like my baby!

We jumped into my car and raced to the mall, singing and dancing to whatever songs were playing on the radio. When we arrived, I found a parking spot and we headed inside.

While shopping, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I glanced around but didn't see anything unusual.

"Earth to Maya!" Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face. I shook off my paranoid thoughts. I watch too many crime shows.

"What?" I asked, returning to our conversation. She looked at me like I'd grown another head but continued talking.

"I asked what you wanted to eat, but you zoned out!" she laughed, linking her arm with mine and leading me to the food court.

"Like you even have to ask," I snorted sarcastically. We always eat at the same place.

"Chick-fil-A it is!" She laughed and practically dragged me up the escalator.

Once we finished eating, we decided to visit one more store before leaving. As we headed downstairs, the feeling of being watched came back. I stopped and saw two men in expensive suits following us. I grabbed Alice's arm and we started sprinting.

"What's wrong?" she asked as we turned a corner, both panting for air.

"Shh, we're being followed," I whispered as we hid.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me tightly and pulled me up, covering my mouth. I bit his hand hard, drawing blood.

"You bitch!" he cursed, letting go of my mouth and slapping me across the face, making my cheek sting and my lip bleed.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" I yelled, but he squeezed tighter, making me whimper.

"No can do, bitch. You're coming with us," he spat.

Alice looked terrified, and I was scared too.

"You can't take her!" Alice cried, trying to run to me, but the other guy pulled her back.

"Don't touch her! I'll go with you if you leave her alone," I negotiated. They agreed, but Alice clung to me, crying.

"I'll be okay. I promise," I reassured her, though I was terrified myself.

"Can you let go so I can give her my car keys?" I snapped, but the guy holding me just grunted.

"Nope," he replied in a raspy voice that sent shivers down my spine.

"Can she grab them from my pocket?" I asked, annoyed. He had such a tight grip on me, like I could go anywhere.

"No," he snapped back rudely.

"I drove her here. She'll be stranded if I can't give her my keys, you moron!" I yelled, struggling against his hold, which only made him squeeze harder.

Then he grabbed both my hands with one of his and searched my pockets until he found the keys, tossing them to Alice.

"Take care of my baby, or I'll kick your ass, Alice!" I warned, tears streaming down my face. She smiled and picked up the keys.

"I will, I promise!" She hugged me tightly, and the guy released his hold so I could hug her goodbye. I whispered comforting words in her ear.

"It's going to be okay. Go to my house and call my parents. Let them know that I was taken and try to find me before they kill me and leave me in a ditch somewhere." I tried making a joke but honestly I wasn't sure what they planned on doing with me.7

Alice looked terrified, but I gave her a reassuring smile and urged her to leave before they changed their minds. She hesitated at first, but eventually ran off.

My heart raced as the guy holding me hooked his arm with mine and forced me to walk with him and the other guy. I wished it was the other guy handling me; he seemed less aggressive and wouldn't have hurt me.

Outside, I was shoved into a fancy Tahoe with tinted windows so dark I couldn't see anything outside. I was stuck in the backseat between the two guys from the mall.