Chapter One:

In a dimly lit room, where shadows danced along the walls creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere, two chairs sat in the middle of the room, their surfaces rough and splintered. Positioned to face each other. The only source of light was a flickering lightbulb, hanging precariously from the ceiling, casting a weak glow that barely illuminated the space.

One chair was empty and the other held a man whose appearance told a harrowing story of suffering.

He was disheveled, his hair unkempt, hanging in greasy strands all over his face, which was partially obscured by the shadows. His skin had taken on a pale, almost ashen hue.

The dark circles beneath his eyes hinted at the countless sleepless nights filled with fear and pain.

Deep cuts and dried blood marred his arms and face, a reminder of the brutal torment he had endured.

His wrists bore raw, irritated marks from the ropes that bound him to the chair, the fibers cutting through his skin. The man's breathing was shallow, almost like he was taking his last breath but death seemed far from him.

Suddenly, he felt cold water being poured on him, jolting him awake, that is if he was asleep.

The icy liquid cascaded over his face and body, shocking him into the present moment. The coldness seeped through his bones, heightening his awareness of his predicament.

"Looks like we're still alive," a low female taunted as he groaned in pain.

He yelled in pain when he felt long finger nails scratch his scalp, followed by his hair being held violently. His head was forcefully raised to meet the cold eyes of his captor.

In the underworld, she was known as "La Cacciatrice" or the huntress. She commanded respect and fear in equal measure. Her real name wasn't known, neither was a face ever seen, since her nose and lips were always hidden by her black nose mask. She was known as being ruthless, fearless and a master strategist, a woman who has clawed her way to the top in a male-dominated world.

Whispers in the alleys spoke of her uncanny ability to track down her enemies, much like a predator stalking its prey. Her eyes shape and calculating, seemed to see through everyone souls, making her a formidable opponent.

"You know, Marcus," she began, her voice smooth, yet laced with menace that send shivers down his spine.

"I've always believed that traitors like you deserve some kind of special punishment."

Marcus gulped, wondering what other torture had been prepared for him.

"I…I…don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you dare fucking lie to me punk," as soon as the words left her mouth, Marcy's felt his oxygen supply being cut off.

"Oh, I think you do. Tell me who it was now or else…." She leaned in, her face inches away from his.

"I swear…I….I didn't mean to. I was just following orders," Marcus stammered, his voice cracking.

Marcus felt him slowly release the grip on his neck, giving him the chance to take in deep breaths but his breath stopped when he saw her pull out a knife.

A wave of fear coursed through his veins when he saw his teenage daughter being brought in with a blindfold.

"No….please," he cried in despair. "Natalia!" He yelled in fear when the man in black pushed his daughter towards his captor.

"Dad?" She responded, her head moving around as if she could see through the blindfold. "What's going on dad? Why am I here?"

Fear crashed over him, drowning everything else. His heart raced, pounding against his chest as panic surged through him. The sight of her vulnerable and unaware of her surroundings and the danger that surrounded her twisted his insides in a way he has never felt before.

Every instinct screamed at him to shout, to warn her but he knew that would only put in in more danger.

Marcus struggled against his restraints, watching helplessly as attention was shifted away from him and ow to his daughter.

"Please Mafiosa , don't hurt her," Marcus begged helplessly.

A low chuckled sounded from the room, as he watched her stroke Natalia's arms with her knuckles.

"You raised a very beautiful daughter, I must say," she smirked, raising her knife and looking at it as if it was something interesting.

As Cacciatrice's knife glinted ominously in the how lights, Marcus's stomach twisted in knots. The fear pain was eclipsed by what was going to happen to him and his daughter, accompanied by his daughter's sobs and this made in him feel so small, insignificant and utterly trapped.

"Too bad you won't get to see her get married."

"Wh…what is she talking about dad? Where are you going?" Natalia asked, overwhelmed with fear and confusion.

"I can do you a favor though," Cacciatrice continued casually as she moved the moved the knife up Natalia's cheeks, resting the blade o her blindfold.

Without a warning, she slid the blade of the knife into the piece of black cloth and split it.

"Oh my God daddy," Natalia's hands flew to her mouth as soon as she saw her father's condition.

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she run to her father's side.

"I'm fine dear, don't worry about me," Marcus smiled weakly as his daughter pulled the ropes.

"You're not fine dad, you're all hurt and tied up. We need to get you out of here. I've already lost mom, I can't lose you too," Natalia sobbed, trying to untie the ropes.

"Why won't these things budge?" She yelled in frustration.

"That's because…your father has made some poor decisions in his life sweetheart."

Natalia turned to see a woman standing casually behind her. She was dressed in a pair of black leather pants and a black sleeveless top. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and half her face was covered by a nose mask.

"Who are you? And what do you want from us?" Natalia yelled angry, charging towards the woman.

"Let my dad go before I call the police." She yelled but Cacciatrice did move a muscle, instead the men who were scattered across the room stepped forward to hold her but they were stopped by Cacciatrice.

Natalia quickly realized that she was the boss.

"I would be pretty mad too if I saw my dad in this condition," she shrugged walking past the crying teenage girl to her father.

"You see Marcus, I have a very special talent for extracting information."

Without warning, she stabbed him the thigh, earning a scream from him and his daughter.

"And trust me when I say I can make it very uncomfortable for you." She smiled as she looked at the knife buried in his thigh.

"Pleas don't hurt my dad anymore! I can't take this," Natalia begged as two men held her back.

Cacciatrice glanced at her for a split second before turning to Marcus. She sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically as she sat in the chair opposite Marcus.

"You're really not making this for me Marcus. If you don't give me a name, I'll have to spice things up and make this every entertaining." She leaned back, crossing her arms again. A predatory smile spreading across her face.

"What do you think? Should I start with her fingers or toes?" Cacciatrice asked, gesturing to Natalia.

Marcus's breath quickened as he watched Cacciatrice slowly get up and make her way back to his daughter.

"It was Lucas. It was Lucas, he wanted you out of the way," he blurted out.

Cacciatrice's smile widened, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.

"Ah….Lucas. Never guessed it was him. Thank you for the information Marcus. See? It wasn't so hard."

She turned to look at him, her demeanor shifting from menacing to casual.

"Now let's see how well you can swim with the fishes."

Natalia's eyes widened as she looked at her father's horrified face.

She didn't understand what the woman meant but her father's expression was enough to tell her that it wasn't good.

"What do you mean? He told you what you wanted to hear! Why do you want to hurt him? You can't hurt him if he has provided you with what you need!" She yelled struggling against the two men's grip.

"I'm sorry Natalia but your father has sealed his fate. He knew the consequences of his actions but he still decided to go against me. He's responsible for whatever happens to him now," Cacciatrice said, wiping the blade of her knife with a white cloth.

"Please don't hurt my father. He's all I got. I don't know how I'm going to survive without him," Natalia begged, tears streaming down her face.

"Fine then…I'll let you dad live."

Everyone present looked at Cacciatrice as if she had suddenly developed three heads.

"Really?" Natalia's eyes lit up as she stared at her father with a faint smile.

"Yes….if you bring me Lucas's dick."

Natalia's heart sank, the demand crashing down her happiness.