Chapter 3
My survival instinct made me forget to think. I hurriedly nodded my head and loudly agreed, “Yes, that’s true. It's Uncle Graziano! You guys can call and ask him. Three years ago, at the city park in Lithuania, did he suddenly faint and then was saved by a passerby? I was that passerby. He said at the time that he owed me his life. So ask him if you guys don't believe me!”
Perhaps it was because my expression was too serious or perhaps it was because Uncle Graziano was quite prestigious in the organization, the men around me didn't come any closer to me. They then looked at each other.
“Mr. Thaddeus, why don't you make a phone call and ask? In case this little bitch really has some relationship with Uncle Graziano, it's not good for us to touch her.”
Thaddeus's eyes moved. He actually lazily pulled out his cell phone. On the other hand, my heart was tense to the extreme. I only stared intently at Thaddeus's mouth as it opened and closed. I wanted to know what he was saying. But he was speaking in the local dialect. It made me couldn't understand a word. Soon the phone hung up and Thaddeus frowned. My heart tightened and I subconsciously felt bad.
“Damn! Ferdinand said that Uncle Graziano had never even been to Lithuania in the past few years. You're lying to us!”
Thaddeus threw his cell phone over. He then directly hit my face. The blood from the corner of my forehead flowed down my face, but I couldn't care less. I was shocked and rushed to take another look at the tattoos on their necks. It was indeed my original. I really remembered every single stroke in it.
“No way! The tattoos on your bodies are really made…”
Before I had time to say more, the group of angry beasts had already surrounded me. They punched and kicked me.
“You are a fucking bitch! Are you playing us for fools, huh? What kind of person is Uncle Graziano that you can recognize?”
“How dare you call yourself Uncle Graziano's saviour? Today I'm going to take your life!”
Their fists fell on me like raindrops. I screamed at first from the pain and then whimpered. I tried to beg for mercy.
“Let me go, please. I really drew your tattoos.”
“You're a piece of shit! You are just a stupid person. Today we will let you know what happens when you lie to us!”
I felt that my internal organs were all shifted by their beating. The bones seemed to be sticking into the flesh. In the end, I didn't even have the strength to speak. I could only let out a few slurred syllables from my throat. I didn't know how long it took for the ordeal to finally end.
I collapsed on the ground. My eyes were swollen into slits. I couldn’t even see the world in front of me too clearly. Meanwhile, Thaddeus gave me a disgusted look.
“Your hands are too light and heavy, guys. Her face is broken. How can you deal cards?”
The little brothers quickly said, “This woman originally looks very ordinary, Mr. Thaddeus. She is not qualified enough to deal cards. You can directly send her to us.”
Thaddeus replied, "Whatever you want. Please, drag her away, so as not to be an eyesore."
I was dragged outside like a corpse by two men. They opened the door. The light outside was blinding my eyes, but the sky was as blue as ever. I couldn't help but think that a few hours or even a day ago, it was the same blue sky. But that time I was free and safe. At this time, I was dying.
After being dragged out of the room, I heard screams coming from the next room. Listening to the voice, it sounded a bit like my boyfriend, Eugene Pritchard. It seems that he didn't escape from this devil's den either. Now my heart was even more desperate as if it was drowning at the bottom of the sea. At this moment, I suddenly saw a group of people walking past. The leader of the bearded man looked very familiar to me. In a flash of lightning, I suddenly remembered that I had also seen him in Lithuania!
Chapter 4
He was that white-haired middle-aged man's personal bodyguard at that time. Now, I was even more certain that the man I saved was here. So with the last of my strength, I fought to break free from the confinement of the two people beside me. I dragged my almost crippled legs. I ran to the bearded man and fell to my knees with a thud. Without thinking twice, I hugged the bearded man's thigh. I only looked up at him. The taste of blood in my throat kept surging upwards. But I could only pop out a few words.
“Three years ago in Lithuania, I saved people. I drew a tattoo for Uncle Graziano.”
The bearded man frowned, seemingly thinking about the content of my words. Then, he suddenly smiled. Seeing him smile, my taut heart had a moment of relaxation. ‘Did he recognize me?’ I asked in my heart. But the next moment he kicked me away.
The bearded man roared in dissatisfaction, “Where did this wild dog come from? The blood is all over me. It's in vain that I only changed my clothes today. You two losers! You can't even take care of a woman. What's the use of keeping you!”
As he fumed, the two men who were originally escorting me quickly ran over. “Mr. Ferdinand, I'm sorry. It's all our fault for not being careful!”
While nodding and apologizing to him, one of them kicked me in the stomach. “Hei, bitch. What are you running for? Do you think you can run away?”
After kicking me over, they stomped on my head with their feet again. I endured the sharp pain. I then grabbed their ankles and bit them. When they loosened their feet, I once again hugged the bearded man's pants leg in a death grip. A moment ago, he showed some surprise. I hoped he would recognize me.
“Save me. Please, save me!”
But my pleas were not exchanged for his sympathy. The bearded man pulled out the electric baton he carried with him. He pressed it mercilessly on my back. After a painful electric shock, I was lying on the ground like a dead dog. I really couldn't move.
“You are a motherfucker! Today I met a tough guy.”
I no longer had any strength to struggle. I just could not allow these two men to drag me on the ground and pull me to a farther place.
“Why did it take so long to send a woman?”
“It makes me angry when I talk about this. This woman is crazy. She had to say she was Uncle Graziano's saviour. She also keeps talking about tattoos, as if she was sick in the head.”
“That is to say, she insists that she met Uncle Graziano and Mr. Ferdinand on the road. She rushed over without caring about her life. But it's true, there were so many people in the square at that time, why did she jump on Mr. Ferdinand alone? Did she really know Uncle Graziano?”
Hearing these words in my half-consciousness, my heart once again sparked a hope for survival. I really struggled to open my eyes. A few seconds later I raised my head.
“The tattoos on your bodies, I drew them. Uncle Graziano said that the peacock is your totem. The dragon represents that he belongs to the dragon,” I said in a hoarse voice.
The more I said, the expression of a few bodyguards in front of me was more and more gloomy. A few of them came together in a group and muttered in a low voice, “What she says is right. Could it be that Uncle Graziano really knows her?”
“It's hard to believe, guys.”
“But just now Mr. Ferdinand kicked her away. If it's really like what she said, Mr Ferdinand must know her!”
Just when the three of them were arguing, I didn't know who shouted outside. Someone shouted, “Pack up quickly. Uncle Graziano is coming over soon. Don't let those unkempt ones be seen by Uncle Graziano.”
My heart was beating wildly. It was my last hope. I couldn’t believe my last chance was coming soon. But the three people in front of me looked at each other. They then brought ropes to bind my hands and feet to death.
Chapter 5
They also took off a stinky sock from their feet and stuffed it into my mouth. I was so irritated that I wanted to vomit but couldn't. My eyes rolled straight up.
“If this woman is really related to Uncle Graziano, it's all the more reason for us not to let him see her. Right now, she doesn't even like human beings. But when Uncle Graziano gets angry, we'll be the ones to suffer!”
“Yes, that’s right. We didn't capture the person. Why should we take the risk? We definitely can't let Uncle Graziano find out about this!”
After hearing what they said, my hope was instantly extinguished. I just thought maybe Mr. Ferdinand was unwilling to save me for the same reason. And just then, the door was pushed open. I then saw a middle-aged man with a head full of white hair walk in. That head of white hair and a young face were clearly different from the ordinary people. What I thought was true, it was him. That man was I saved in Lithuania.
Even though I knew that he was also a member of this organization, perhaps even the leader, I still couldn't help but burst into tears. My hands and feet were tied together. My mouth also was stuffed with smelly socks. I still struggled. ‘Please, look at me! Quickly look at me!’ I said in my heart.
“Wooooooooo!”
“Hei, shut up. Be quiet!”
The little brother beside me saw me struggling. He grabbed my hair and slammed it against the wall next to me a few times. There were a few muffled thuds and soon there were more clumps of blood on the already dirty gray wall. My eyes went black at this time. I was dizzy. It was true now that I didn't even have the strength to struggle. I was thrown to the ground like a dead fish. It was so hard to even catch my breath.
Uncle Graziano's gaze skimmed lightly over my face. He frowned slightly.
“Why did you make her so ugly? Didn't I tell you all, people can't sell if they're half dead,” Uncle Graziano said with a tone of disgust.
“Yes, Uncle Graziano. You are right.”
The bodyguards nodded their heads. Mr. Ferdinand beside Uncle Graziano spat on the ground and clenched his fists.
“Now you're taking Uncle Graziano's words improperly, aren't you?”
When he spoke, the bodyguards panicked even more.
“No, it’s not true, Mr. Ferdinand. We will clean up now!”
“Uncle Graziano and Mr. Ferdinand, you guys don't know, this woman has mental problems. So we must deal with it. She has to be fixed properly.”
One of the bodyguards tugged on my feet. He then dragged me inside. Uncle Graziano took a brief look and raised his steps to leave. I knew deep down that if he walked out of this room, then there was really no more possibility for me to survive. So I fought and kicked the man who was dragging me with all my strength. He then let go of me in pain. Just when everyone thought I was going to run away, I turned my head and slammed it against the white wall next to me a couple of times. The three thuds managed to make Uncle Graziano, who had already turned around. He turned his head back. He gave me a rather curious look, seeming to genuinely think that I was sick in the head. I met his gaze and lowered my head. I then exposed the skin on the back of my neck.
Too bad for a few seconds it turned out Uncle Graziano hadn't reacted much yet. Then a bodyguard came to me. But I kicked him with gritted teeth. He then copied the iron rod next to him and gritted his teeth.
“Bitch, how dare you kick me? Go to hell!”
The iron rod was about to fall on my head. At that moment, Uncle Graziano suddenly said loudly, “Stop! Hold on.”
The iron was suspended and hung in mid-air. All eyes were focused on Uncle Graziano. He came towards me in big strides. He then squatted down and cupped my chin to look at my face. Unfortunately, my face had already swollen like a pig's head. My eyes were almost a slit. He frowned somewhat in disgust. I quickly lowered my head to show him the tattoo on the back of my neck.
Uncle Graziano then revealed a look of surprise and exclaimed, “Oh my God, it's you!”