FALLING FOR MY KIDNAPPER

"Do that again" he growled. I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked away the tears. "Cry. show me how scared you are" he whispered in my ears and I couldn't help but shudder. His voice was scary and it gave me goosebumps. "Let me go!" I whimpered. "What did you say, hm?" he asked as he tugged on my robe which made me let out a soft gasp. ... He is a man always with a plan because he is a man from the streets.

Known for his ruthlessness and bad temper, Fernando Rioz took over the underworld business, passed down by his old man, Mr. Ruiz. Forced to experience life at a very young age, Ruiz took in young Fernando and introduced him to his syndicate business. The young Fernando was everything Mr. Ruiz ever wanted in a child. Young, intelligent, and resilient. Just like everyone who had been in his life, Fernando lost Ruiz to the cold hands of death. Now he is the leader of the underworld. Who was Fernando Rioz? He was a man people feared in the underworld. A heartless and ruthless 30-year-old man who would do anything to get what he wants. He loved vengeance. He loved blood. His belief; this world is a cruel world and only the fittest will survive. This is a story of blood, vengeance, and of course, roses. .........

Present day.

"ALDO! ALDO! A man shouted at the top of his voice. He was carrying a frail-looking little lady. "Riel, what happened this time around?" Aldo, the doctor asked. "Aldo I don't know. She just suddenly collapsed again" Riel explained. "I need a stretcher please" Aldo shouted to which two nurses quickly came with one. "Take her to the ER. I'll be there shortly." Aldo said to the nurses. "Don't worry Riel. She'll be fine I promise" Aldo assured. "Aldo...please do everything to make sure she's going to be okay. She's the only one I have please" Riel pleaded emotionally on the brink of tears. ..

Riel's POV

Mia has always been sick. She was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 3. I watched how my parents struggled to pay for her hospital bills. Her health was always an issue. I saw how it exhausted my parents physically, emotionally, and mentally. I wasonly11backthen.I had very limited education. My parents couldn't afford to make ends meet so I dropped out of high school. I didn't know what to do exactly on how to help my parents so I just did the basics. I helped people sell their wares and collected very little in return.

Any money I made, I would give it to them. They felt bad for me but what could they do? They had no choice but to collect it. As if our suffering wasn't enough, my dad just had to die. It was a very painful loss for our family and shortly after, my mom died too. It was then I knew shit was getting real. Their deaths weren't natural. They were killed. It was from the same hood where I met the swine, Fernando Rioz. Fernando used to be my very good friend. We weren't just buddies, we were brothers. We had a lot of things in common. We were both age mates, orphans, poor, hungry, and dropouts. Until one fateful day, Fernando told me about his supposed father. He said, "Riel, I want to introduce you to someone" "Who?" I asked. "My father" "Your father? But you don't have a father" I said as a matter of fact. "I know but he's like a father to me. Riel, I need you to follow me tomorrow. I've told him about you" he said.

That meeting, that meeting was where all my problems began. His 'father' was the Big Boss. He was the leader of the XRV syndicate. We didn't call him the Big Boss or Mr. Ruiz like everyone else. We called him 'father' because he treated the two of us like sons. Although he was closer to Fernando probably because he met him first I could see they shared that father-son bond. The Big Boss never showed any emotion but whenever it came to us, especially Fernando, he would show his soft side. I wasn't bothered about their closeness though. I joined the cartel for the money. I had a very sick sister to treat. Anytime I was about my shady deals, Mia would be looked after by our neighbor. She looked after her till she turned 8. She was like a mother figure to her. I didn't need to be looked after. I was never around. The syndicate required muscles and time. I stayed at the cartel all day and would only return late at night to see my little sister plus I had turned 16. Mia was the only reason I joined the cartel. I stole, sold drugs, trafficked them, sold armories, and dropped bodies for the Big Boss. Fernando did those things too. We were both doing it for the money. He didn't want to go back to the miserable life he lived before where he could hardly eat one meal a day and I also wanted the money not only for Mia's sickness but so she wouldn't live the life I lived. I wanted her to have everything the easy way. And though she did, she was still sick. One thing I liked about myself and Fernando was our will to survive, to strive. We both wanted to bask in the glory of wealth. And aside from that, we were the most feared in the cartel. We were both fearless, ruthless, and heartless. We loved blood very much. I thought the bond will never be broken until one day when we had just turned 18. The Big Boss was planning a grand birthday celebration for us both. I was on my way to his office where I overheard a very familiar name. Dimitrios Duran, My father's name! I didn't believe in coincidences and so I listened further. He was talking about my family with his P.A. They conversed further until I discovered a very shocking truth. I didn't go in any longer. I just stumbled back to my room. Shortly after, I heard a knock on my room door. Knock knock! "Riel, look what Father got us," he said before opening a small box. Inside it was the latest version of guns. I took the shiny black metal in my hands and the only thing that came into my mind was driving a bullet into the Big Boss's head. I looked at the smiling face of Fernando. Just like me, the only time he smiled was when we were together or we were with our so-called father.

After what I heard in the office, I swore I was going to kill that man. I felt bad for my brother, Fernando but even more for my little sister. I never told Fernando I had a sister. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, but I knew Fernando would want to get close to her because of his love for me. He believed we were brothers so he would automatically want to extend the brotherly love to Mia. And as much as I would have wanted it I couldn't. Fernando didn't keep anything from the Big Boss so there was no doubt he would have told him. And the last thing I wanted was to drag my sick little sister into my messy world. I was too far gone in the life of crimes and Mia was the only one who kept me sane. She was the little sunshine in my messy dark world. It was the news I heard that day that made me plot my revenge against the Big Boss. And when I turned 23, I wanted to kill the Big Boss with the very gift he gave me. But he didn't deserve to die easily. I started by kidnapping him in his very own house. I held him hostage then started poisoning him bit by bit rendering him paralyzed. Fernando and the entire XRV cartel searched for Big Boss. Of course, I joined them. I wanted to kill the old man with my very own hands but I had even better plans for him. I sold him to his enemies. Ruiz didn't expect me to be the one behind his kidnapping and torture. I had nothing to be afraid of when I revealed my face to him at the point of exchange. "You thought I would never find out?" I asked him. "How did you know?" He asked me back from his wheelchair. Two of my most trusted bodyguards were behind him. "You don't need to know," I told him. I then faced Mr. Black, our rival, and his enemy, "You can take him." "It was nice doing business with you Riel," he said stretching his hands out for a handshake. I looked at his extended hands before walking past him, totally ignoring him. "But why though? I'm? curious what happened between you both that you had to throw him to the wolves?" I heard Mr. Black ask behind me. I paused in my tracks turning around, "You don't need to know what happened between us. It's a family issue" I said and the word 'family' tasted sour in my mouth. Because I thought that was what we were, a family until I found out the truth.

The exchange took place at the border but unfortunately, after the transaction, I didn't make it home. Another one of my most trusted men informed me Fernando had already found out. I knew all hell would break loose if he found out. He would kill me for sure. And from there, I vanished. Fernando got to the border too late because, by the time he and his men arrived, Mr. Black, the Big Boss, and I were long gone.

Two months after the disappearance of the Big Boss, the XRV cartel was a mess. Word got out that the biggest cartel was left without a leader. Our rivals and enemies started storming in on the XRV cartel. It was at that moment I knew he needed me the most. I knew the proud and arrogant Fernando would never call me, so I helped my brother from behind the scenes. I killed for him and even though we had a blood feud going on, he was still my brother. The fight among cartels finally ended making Fernando the leader of the XRV cartel.

I couldn't go back to the place that made me, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't go back to my home. So instead, I built my cartel. The Big Boss already taught us what we needed. I knew I was more than ready. Some of my trusted men at the XRV cartel joined and I recruited the rest myself. I named it R.D. cartel, my initials. Although the XRV cartel was much bigger than mine. It had more people, more merchandise, more weapons, connections, and whatnot.

The R.D. cartel was nothing compared to the XRV cartel because Fernando brought it upon himself to make sure I didn't succeed in the drug business. He blocked business associates and blocked our possible entries and movement of merchandise. He wanted to ruin me. Fernando knew of the RD cartel but didn't know where we were. We operated in the shadows. And now, we had turned 30 and Fernando was still after me. He chased me for eight good years and he was still chasing me. He declared me wanted in the underworld. He wanted my head and I knew it. ....... "Riel she's stable now" Aldo, Mia's doctor told me, of my reverie. I rubbed my face with my palms before going into the ward. "Hey baby girl" I called out to my sleepy sister immediately I entered. She lazily opened her eyes to see who was calling out to her. see my guess, I collapsed again" she said smiling through her words. "Aldo said you're fine now. We'll be home soon" I said. "Riel I'm sorry. I distracted you from your work again" she said guiltily. "Hey.. hey .. it's not your fault okay? I was coming home anyway " I consoled her. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel guilty for no reason. for to feel no idea what my 'work' is. I told her I was an agent. I sell the properties of big businessmen to other rich folks. That was the 'work' she thought I was doing. .......

The drive back home was not very long. I opened the door of our mansion and carried her in. "Oh, Riel you're here?" Our neighbor, Larissa who used to take care of Mia since our parents died said to me. I employed her to be Mia's nanny since we moved from the slums. She didn't have any family of her own. She neither married nor had any children. She looked surprised seeing me though. Same with the maids. Well, why wouldn't they? I was never around. "Prepare something for Mia to eat. I'll be back" I said almost leaving again. "Riel, won't you stay to have lunch with us?" Mia's ever-so-gentle voice rang out in my ears. I looked at her big doodly eyes before sitting down at the dining room. Larissa arranged a lot of meal before us as if it was a feast. She was probably happy I was at home and eating with them for the first time in a very long time. "You should eat more," I said to Mia, putting a lot of meat on her plate. "Riel, I can't finish it," she said laughing. "What's funny? Why are you laughing?" I asked confused. "You look funny anytime you're worried about me," she said. "Oh really?!! Whatever just eat" I said adding rice to her plate. Just then my phone rang. They needed my attention at the cartel. I looked up from my phone to Mia only to see she was looking at me. "It's work again. You can go, I understand" she said disappointed again. "I'm sorry. I'll be back soon. I promise" I said before giving her a peck on the forehead and left.

ThethirdPOV.

Mia sighed immediately Rielle ft. She understood why he was working so hard but she was still disappointed. She loved her brother very much. She loved his company; he was her only family member making her very fond of him.

..... Riel'sPOV.

"What happened?" I asked one of my men. We were at the warehouse where our merchandise was. "We were blocked, boss. It seems word got out that we were going to take that route and thus the attack on us" he explained. We had a rat among us and I knew it. If there was one thing I hated the most, it was a betrayal. I hated traitors. "We'll take another route. Gather our men, and arrange the merchandise. I'll be with you shortly. "I said to him before taking out my cell phone from my pocket. "Are you going with us?" Ryu, my right-hand man asked. "Of course " I answered. "Riel, Fernando's men will be there. Who knows, Fernando might be there as well" he said worriedly. "Ryu, it's high time we started fighting back. I didn't want to fight back, back then because we had limited men but now even though his men are still by far more than we are, we need to fight back. If we keep hiding in the shadows, we'll never be the biggest cartel we've always dreamed about. And aside from that, Fernando will always have the upper hand if we show him we are afraid" I said as a matter of fact. Although I saw Fernando as a rival I held a grudge against him. It was in man's nature to be competitive. I wanted my cartel to be the biggest in the underworld. It was nothing personal, it was simply business. And I held a grudge against him simply because he wanted to kill me. I wasn't a saint. I am going to fight back. .......