Chapter 1 PROLOGUE

Whoever invented one night stands should be nailed to the cross!

"Arghh." Lily winces, her stomach twisting in knots as fragmented memories come flooding back; she flirted with him, shared one drink too many, and it was all so unclear. But this... this.. wasn't part of the plan.

"Where am I.. what is that smell?" she muttered to herself as she made an attempt to sit up. The bed felt uncomfortable. The dimly lit motel room made her head spin.

Shit! What had she gotten herself into, having an illicit affair with her clients supposed groom?

Briefly, she looks about the room: the gloom is hardly lessened by the small light that struggles to seep between curtains. Her stomach heaves on the sight of the blood-dark, carmined stains across her hands, her clothes, and the bed.

Panic clawed at the throat in a vice while trying to make out that awful smell, she suddenly jerks her head to one side.

"What!.. what in the!!??.." Lily gasped, her hands quickly covered her mouth in shock.

Next to her, Damien Kalashnikov lies utterly limp, splayed across the sheets-a knife right in his chest. Blood pools around him, seeping into the mattress. The breath catches in Lily's throat.

Her eyes widen in disbelief as a sharp shriek erupted from her. She try's to lift a hand.

"Oh my God... no, no, no..." The action sends her stumbling backward, her legs too trembling to hold her weight.

"No , I shouldn't be here, I need to get out from here." she was panicking terribly, her brain currently frying out and giving up on her.

Oblivious to the movements in the room, It took her time to realize that she wasn't alone in the room alone. Lily eyes squinted as she...

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.. oh my god!!!.." she screamed out her lungs, knocking off the bed side lamp. Leaving the room less illuminated.

"Why did you kill him?!" A huge looking man sat on the armrest asked in a strong but low gruff. Fuck!

Five figures form from the dark inside. Eyes cold as ice; dead silence-the thousand-mile stare of predators waiting for their target to twitch.

"Who.. who are you people! Please I know how it looks and I know what you all are thinking but I promise I didn't have anything to do with this." she said and gestured her hands in a circular movement to further pass across her message.

As if the light bulb on the ceiling was a paid actor, it began to shake.

A tall man stepped forward and his hair sends shimmering lustrous under the dancing light. His face is unyielding, his tone spilling over with malevolence.

"I will ask you this same question.. Why did you kill Damian Kalashnikov?"

She recognized this man!

"I-I didn't!" Lily stammers back against the headboard, as if in retreat. "I don't even know him." she added in a rush, with fear laced in her voice.

"Liar!" The man screamed out

She tries shaking off the blood on her hands onto her dress but manages to smear it.

"I swear, I didn't-"

They were accusing her of killing a Kalashnikov?

A Russian mogul?

Shit!

"Do you or do you not know him?" He asked his voice so icy it could freeze up the entire city. The way his eyes dilated under the dim light, he was one of the men from the warehouse.

" I dont-" she was harshly interrupted The man's face turned sour.

"Don't lie to me."

Tears prick the corners of her eyes as the others close in. Their accusing stares smother her. She had looked frantically around, her mind racing for a coherent explanation. "Ok!, I.. please.. I know him , but I also don't know him well uhhh.. We only met yesterday at the bar, I don't...., I don't know what happened. I didn't kill him, I swear!"

"Save it, Now, where the fuck is the video you recorded!" one other monster with thick beards growls.

Who are these men!!!?

Video? No no!

"No, it is not what it seems! I uhh.. please there's no video." Lily cried, yelling uncontrollably as she kept shaking her heard. Please "I didn't do this!"

Lily struggled to arrange her words. "Please I'm begging you! My camera broke.. and and I fell, my camera broke please I'm begging... There's no video."

In another swift unexpected move, one of the man lunges at her, grabs her by her neck, and then hauls her off the bed onto the floor with a thud. Pain shoots up into her side, but before she even has a chance to scream, a boot slams into her ribs.

"Shut up!" he snarled in some low and threatening tones. "WHERE IS THE VIDEO."

And in that moment, recognization dawned on Lily's face; where they the men from.. last night?

"Pl.."

"Tie her up immediately!" The huge man bellowed, not wanting to hear anything from her again.

Lily gasped, her body shaking amidst the arsenal of fists and feet on continuous onsets. She curled up trying to protect herself from them, but it was just too much pain.

With every blow she had taken, she drew one step closer to the edge of unconsciousness and her vision hazed.

This couldn't be real.

Damian's wedding-Today was supposed to be his wedding- She hadn't known he was in some sort of Mafia?. She hadn't known that wild night of indulgence would lead to this... this nightmare.

Oh fuck! What if he was still going to continue with the wedding..

This man pulls her up by the hair, dragging her toward the door. "Get her in the car," he ordered.

"No, please!" she screamed, fighting in their grasp, but it was pointless. She was too weak, too disoriented.

They tossed her out into the cool night air. A black sedan waits at the curb. One of them quickly opened the trunk.

"Helppp..Helll..." she tried to struggle.

Can't anyone see her being kidnapped? Yes it's midnight but is this really how she will meet her end?!..

"THROW HER IN!" Their supposed leader seethed angrily.

Panic began to well in Lily's chest. Before she can think anymore-under that tide of adrenaline -she whips around with all the strength in her out of their grasp and runs.

Her legs screamed along with her as she ran down the alley, her vision blurring from the pain and panic. She doesn't know where she's going-only that she has to get away.

New wave of terror: footsteps pounding behind her. Shouting, cursing- chasing her down.

BANG!

Someone just shot at her?!

"Ahhhhh! No ...no..lord no.." She prays. Not wanting to give up.

But her body's failing her. Her strength wavers, her lungs screaming for air.

Her pace faltered, and before she could react, she's yanked into a shadowed corner, a hand clamping over her mouth.

She kicked and struggled, eyes wide in panic until she realizes it isn't one of her attackers. His

voice coarse and threatening.

Lily freezes, heart pounding in her ears, as she looks up squinting to make out his face in the dark.

"Wh-?

"Quiet." he whispered, pressing her against the wall. The footsteps approach then fade away.

Lily is shaking, her eyes shut tight as she's so scared that she can't even move. Very slowly, the man takes his hand from her mouth, but the danger clearly isn't over.

"Who are you..please don't.. I swear I didn't kill anyone.."

She barely got the words out, before going out of breath. Loosing consciousness.

The last thing she felt was the firm grip on her arm as she collapsed on the strangers body.