Chapter Three

"How could you? How could you do that to me?!!!" Brenda yelled at her father.

"I was in a tight spot! You can't blame me for that!"

"You were in a tight spot?" She asked, her eyes wide with anger and her face red. "Then you sold your daughter to a man thrice her age? Is that what I am to you? Another gamble piece? Is that what I am worth to you? Answer me!!"

"You do not have a right to talk to me like that," Alex yelled back, combing his fingers through his hair. "I was desperate and he was going to kill me. Do you think for one second that if I died, you and your sister would have survived? Do you think you would be going to college or have a roof above your head?"

"Oh, spare me that crap! Spare me that f*cking crap!" Brenda yelled, her voice echoing across the room. "I have gotten where I am without you. I work my ass off every day to afford college and take care of Ralia. And what do you do?"

"I try—"

"You steal from me, lie to me, and make our lives more miserable. That's what you do! You have done nothing to contribute to our lives!!" She yelled, cutting him off.

"Brenda, I think you should calm down and—"

"Don't tell me to calm down." She said turning to her best friend who was trying to make the situation better. "I will not be calm while he tries to take my life from me. How on earth do you expect me to be calm?"

"If I had a way to change the things I did, I would," Alex said, shaking his head slowly. "I didn't think it would ever come to this."

"You didn't think?" Brenda was already frustrated and she couldn't control her anger. "You didn't think that gambling with criminals would get your family into trouble?"

Carla curled in one corner of the sitting room, watching their exchange. She had never seen her best friend that angry before. Brenda had always dreamed of a better life for herself and her sister.

"Yelling at me will not stop or change what has happened," Alex said, rising to his feet. "I lied that I traveled for a business trip to avoid Ramirez. He is a dangerous man you don't want to go against. He is threatening this family. Yes, he is not just threatening to hurt or kill me, he is after everyone. So, maybe you need to calm down for a minute."

Brenda paced about the room angrily, unable to muster a word. She knew how dangerous mafia lords were and how possessive they were of things they believed belonged to them. She remembered the way Ramirez was staring at her at the door. Shivers ran down her spine as she remembered his cold dark eyes and the way they danced around her body greedily. There was no way she could marry someone like him. But if he already saw her as his possession, she was in danger if she remained where he could find her.

She stole a glance at her father who didn't look disturbed. She couldn't blame him at all. After all, he was the one who offered her to him as repayment for his debt. He was also not the one going to live with him for the rest of his life. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes and she blinked back rapidly. She had to find a way to get out of the mess that her father had caused. She would not let her life continue that way.

"Think about it, Bren." Carla chipped in, pulling Brenda out of her thoughts. "It might not entirely be a bad idea. I know he might look scary and all but there are benefits to the marriage."

"What?" Brenda asked, bewildered. What was Carla trying to say? "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying that marrying a mafia lord who is filthy rich and can provide the things you want is not entirely a bad idea." She said, shrugging casually. "You just have to see the good side of everything and in this situation, all I can see is money, cars, protection, and authority."

Brenda stared at her best friend with her mouth wide open. She didn't believe Carla would ever say that to her. Why was everyone acting like they had a say in her life? She was so disappointed with Carla's response.

"I can't believe you will say that to me. I am so disappointed with you." She said, turning to face her fully. "I can believe he can say this crap to me but not you, Carla. Do you think this is the life I want for myself? Do you think I want to throw myself at men for money? If you think getting married to him is such a great idea, why don't you go ahead and marry him?" Her chest was rising and falling in anger.

"I was just trying to make you feel better about the whole —"

"I don't need you to make me feel better. I expected you to stand up for me as my best friend. But you sound just like my father." At that point, she couldn't hold back her tears and they streamed down freely.

"Your friend is right. Look at the bright side of things. You will finally be able to live a wealthy life." Alex said, forcing a smile on his face. "If things get better, you can take your sister and —"

"I will not marry him!" Brenda screamed furiously, causing Carla and Alex to flinch. "I will not become anyone's slave or possession forever. Because that's exactly what he wants from me. You can tell him that I am not interested. I don't care what he does with you."

With that, she turned around and marched toward her room. "He will be here tomorrow for you. I hope you get ready for him." Alex called out at the top of his voice as she walked to her room.

Immediately she walked into her room, she shut the door behind her, and collapsed slowly to the ground. She began to sob uncontrollably for minutes and only stopped when an idea flitted into her mind.

"I have to run away." She whispered to herself, clutching her chest. She quickly recalled that she had made some escape plans with her sister but Carla talked her out of it. She couldn't afford to marry Ramirez and the only way out was to escape.

However, she was scared of leaving her sister behind. What if Ramirez took her instead if he didn't find her? Would her innocent sister have to pay for her father's mistake? Or was she just overthinking things?

She wiped her tears with the back of her palms and rose to her feet. She would have to leave her sister behind if she wanted to escape successfully. Her father would know immediately if she tried to leave with Ralia. She needed to do everything alone. She had to escape immediately.

With that final decision, she dashed to her wardrobe and began to grab some of her clothes. She emptied her backpack and began to stuff her clothes in them quickly. She had never expected her life would come to that but it did.

She glanced around her room, trying to see if they were important things she had forgotten to take with her. She had her passport in case she needed to leave the country. She nodded her head when she confirmed that she had everything she needed.

Her heart was racing as she changed from her pajamas into jeans and a shirt. She wore her sneakers and held onto her jacket. With a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and walked to the window. She slowly opened it so that no one would hear her go out. She threw her bag out first and shoved her left leg out next. Sitting on the window with one leg in and one out, she took one last look at her bedroom.

She exhaled deeply and swallowed. "I'll be back for you, Ralia." With that, she jumped out of the window and escaped.