by Cheri Marie
“Shh. I’m going to do everything in my power to bring them home.” I spin around to face him. He leans down and tenderly kisses me. I know that he’s not trying to get me into bed but he’s letting me know that he’s here.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “Who do you think is responsible for this?”
“I don’t know. How much of the business do you really know?”
“Enough.” My dad always taught me to never show my hand right away. Bluff my way just to get him to spill what I need.
“I doubt that but okay. Let's go.” We make our way to the study. We pause outside the room listening for any kind of noise. Nic takes a breath and pushes the door open. He freezes in the door way. “Dad!”
I peer over his shoulder and lying on the floor with a wound to the face is Dominic’s father.
We rush to his side crouching down in the floor and I begin checking his vitals. He's barely alive and needs medical attention. I start to dial 911 to get help but I hesitate knowing that the minute the cops get into this apartment, it’s all over.
“We need to get him downstairs so the bellman can call 911 about a tenant falling.” I say out loud. I look towards the doorway to see Matty standing there and he nods as he dials 911. He picks him up to carry him to the elevator to be downstairs.
“I need to go with my dad.” I nod as Nic rushes past me and I start searching the room for surveillance equipment.
“Sorry, here.” The bookcase in the corner of the room moves as ultramodern monitors, keyboards, and computers are revealed. He types something in and tells me that he will call me.
I take a seat in front of the set of monitors and slowly start looking over the footage. I see my father entering the apartment. I watch him having an enjoyable time with Mario and Nic. Then shortly after Nic leaves to come and get me, a few men in ski masks enter the apartment, hitting my dad on the back of the head. Mario is too weak to defend himself so one of them keeps hitting him with his gun in the back to keep him moving. I look back to the living room to see one man has my dad’s arms holding him behind him while the other one is hits him in the stomach. I gasp with each hit. My dad isn’t a young man but he isn’t that old either and he does keep himself fit.
The third man returns and hits my dad on the temple with the barrel of the gun knocking him out cold. They cover his head with a black hood and drag him from the apartment. I sit forward in the chair trying to get a better look at the dial above the elevator car. I want to see if I can make out the floor they took my father to.
“Damn it.” I yell at the screen, the footage is too fuzzy to make out any kind of numbers on the panel.
A throat clearing behind pulls my attention from the monitors. Matty’s back in the doorway watching me.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I don’t know where they took him. Who would take them? I don’t understand what the fuck is going on.” I tell him. I turn back to the screen and rewind the footage to try again, but I feel a pinch on my neck, then everything fades to black.
Chapter Six
Dominic Ferrari
My head is pounding as I try to figure out what happened to me. I try to move my arms but I’m shackled in. The last thing I remember is Matty helping me to the elevator with my dad then everything getting fuzzy, the space around me fading to complete darkness. I hear a moan coming from the other side of the room.
“Who’s there?”
“Son?”
“Dad? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened?” He weakly asks.
“I don’t know. Bella and I came home to find signs of a struggle, you lying in the office bleeding and her dad was nowhere to be found. When I left to get you help, she was watching the video to see if she could spot anything.”
“Where are the Ricci’s?” My dad starts to move around rattling his restraints.
“Will you keep it down, there’s a marching band going on in my head.” I sigh with relief when I hear Roberto Ricci’s voice from the next room. “We’re in some sort of basement cells from what I can gather. Where is Arabella?”
“Back at dad’s place as far as I know.” I feel like shit now that I left her alone. The door starts to rattle and a bright light shines blocking us from seeing who is coming in.
Our cell door opens, and a tall man walks in. He grabs at my chains unlocking them. He drags me from my seat to a set of stairs without a word. I walk up the stairs and come to a room that has a chair in the middle of it with someone chained to it. The walls are concrete and the smell of bleach fills my nostrils.
“Well, look who is late to the party.” My head turns to see Matty standing behind me. My mouth opens, but no words come out. “Oh don’t look so surprised,” he says.
“What do you want, a seat at the table?” I ask. “You really think this is the right way to get that seat?”
He doesn’t speak, instead he knocks the shit out of my knees and I going flying forward. I wince from the pain but keep my wits.
Somewhere in the room, I hear a slight groan. My heart stops when I realize who it is. “Bella?” She groans again as I say her name. I try to crawl over to her but someone pulls on the chain to get me back to where I was standing. This is about control and this one person has it.
“Do you feel like a big man now? Beating a woman to an inch of her life?”
“Oh, she had it coming and so much more but anywho we’re digressing. Here’s how this is gonna work. You’re going to call a meeting of all of the heads of the families in the area. You’re going to inform them that the Riccis are gone for good and that you’re stepping down to take care of your dad.”
“And why would I do that?”
“If not, then Bella gets a bullet right to the back of her head and you’ll be there to watch it happen.” Matty says as one of his henchmen grabs her by the hair to show her face. Bella’s eyes are swollen shut, her lips are bleeding, her neck is bruised and I can see imprints of what resembles hands. Someone tried strangling her. I try to lunge for her but I’m yanked back into place. “She’s not yours to touch.”
“Oh, is that what’s this about? You’re throwing a tantrum that her father didn’t choose you but me instead, so you take us all hostage and beat the shit out of the one innocent person in this whole entire world? Grow up, Matty. It’s not just about this life when it comes to Bella.”
“Don’t you dare tell me about Arabella Ricci. I know her better than anyone.” Matty yells in my face and I can smell the whiskey on his breath.
“So, you’re going to let her dad die and she’s just going to run into your arms?” I laugh at him. “Kill the one man who is her entire world, good luck with that one.” Matty’s face goes void of emotions. He didn’t think things through and now I need to figure out how to get us out of here. “Let the old men go. Kill me. I’m the threat.” I offer.
“Daddy?” She moans. I’m internally relieved that she called his name and not mine. The torture would be worse for her.
“Are you going to keep her away from him?” I whisper so she doesn’t hear me. Matty doesn’t even listen to me as he bends down to give Bella some water. I’m trying to walk closer to her but I can’t move. My restraints harness me in.
“So, are you going to do it?” Matty stands toe to toe with me. I look to Bella and nod. I swallow hard trying to not show any emotion to this dead man. “Good.”
“They’re not going to believe me. You’re going to need my dad to do it. I know he’ll do it.” One of the hooded men leads me back down the stairs and tosses me into the cell.
“What happened?” Roberto asks, “Did you see Bella?”
“I did and they beat her up. It was Matty. This is all Matty.” I explained what he wants from me. Roberto curses under his breath. “I don’t know who is calling the shots but Matty isn’t in charge.”
“Do you know where we are?” My dad asks me. I describe the room to him. “Damn it. This sounds like Tony’s cabin.” I lay my head
against the cold concrete. Now we know the shift of the new family. How is Matty related to Tony though?
“I’ll do it. This isn’t for something that Mario or you need to do.” Roberto says. “This is my doing not yours. I’ll give it over to Tony or Matty whoever they want as long as we’re all freed, and Bella is safe.”
“I don’t think Matty is going to let Bella go. He’s in love with her and thinks that she’s going to be with him. In some twisted version in his head, he wants your blessing.”
“He’ll never get it.”
“Berto, you’ll have to if you want her safe.” My dad huffs out. “We’re going to need to devise a plan.”
“Mario, I can’t give him my daughter.” I hear Roberto grunting as chains start to clang around.
“Listen here you old coot,” My dad starts but the door opens.
“Oh, looks like everyone’s awake.” Tony smiles after switching on the light. “Did the young man tell you what I want?” He stands at our cell door.
“Yes, he did.” My dad answers him as he struggles to stand up.
“I’ll do it, on one condition.” Roberto speaks.
“Oh, I don’t think you’re in any position to bargain with me.”
“Let Bella go.”
“I can’t do that because apparently my son has taken a liking to her and wants her as his wife. So, you’ll give us your blessing and we’ll merge the families. Mario, you’ll sign all of your deeds over to me. I’ll have complete control of every aspect of the organization. You three will simply go away and die somewhere.”
“Why?” I question Tony before he heads to the bottom of the stairs. “You didn’t need to punish Bella with your fists or take us hostage.”
“Oh yes I did. You, especially Dominic, needed to know that I can get to you anytime I want.”
I’m not leaving here without Bella.
“Now, let’s go have some dinner, shall we?” Tony claps his hands and Matty with two other henchmen that I don’t recognize. They start to unchain us. “We’ll get you cleaned up. At dinner, Roberto, you’ll tell Arabella about her wedding to Matty. Dominic, you’ll support it, or Mario here gets a bullet into the back of the skull.” Tony turns his back to us. I’m seething with hatred right now and I want to rip every limb off of him. As they push us up the stairs, I take notice of everything in the rooms. Bella isn’t in the chair anymore, but I see blood near the area that she was sitting and I feel the acid moving up from my stomach into my throat. In the fleeting time that I’ve known her, Bella has become the one that I need to protect, be with and never let her out of my sight again.
We enter the dining room where the other heads of the families are seated. They look up to us as shock originates on their faces. We’re beaten, bloodied and weak. Matty’s henchmen push on our backs, mine a little harder almost sending me flying into the table. As we take our seats, we wait for Bella to come in so Roberto can make the necessary announcements. I sigh looking around the table stopping to glare at Tony and Matty who are at the heads of the table. When I get out of here, they’re dead.
“Ah, look the beautiful woman of the hour.” Tony stands and walks over to her. Roberto tries to get to his daughter but is blocked by Tony’s guards. Bella gingerly walks into the room holding her rib cage. Her right eye is slightly open enough to show how bloody it is, while the left is completely shut. She sits down across from me and I see the lone tear slide down her delicate cheek.
Remembering that day makes my blood boil. I would have given my life to protect Bella from the punishment that was delivered to her at the hands of Tony and Matty. Those two should be worm food….and somewhere, maybe they are.
“Boss, we’re here.” My driver informs me. As we get out at the house that Tony called home most of his adult life, I walk up the stone sidewalk trying to keep my cool. I look around to see if I’m being watched more out of habit than anything. I knock on the door twice waiting for someone to answer the door.
“Dominic how lovely to see you.” I’m greeted with a smile from Claria, Matty’s mother and Tony’s wife, “Come in.” I nod as we walk past her.
“Claria, have you heard from Tony or Matty lately?”
“No. I’m getting worried. My brother Joe is helping with the search. What is the family doing to search for them?”
“I have my best men on them. Can I speak to Joe?” She nods as she ushers us to the office. My security and I walk into the very cold dark office. My men shut the door, “Joe, do you know why I’m here?” He looks up from the papers on the desk.
“Enlighten me,” he says.
I sit down across from him and I see him reaching underneath the desk. “Try it fucker and I’ll end your life right here and now before you even get your hands on that weapon, understood?”
He nods as my two men have their guns pointed at him. “You’re going to tell your sister out there that we’ve found a lead on your brother in law and nephew and that you want to check it out. You’ll leave here with no one following us, no tails, and we’re going to go to a remote location to talk privately.” He swallows hard. “What do you have to say?”
Joe stands, and my guy frisks him to make sure that he doesn’t have his cell phone or weapons. I send a quick text to Bella’s driver letting him know where to take her. She’s going to get her revenge.
Chapter Seven
Arabella Ricci
Mario’s chemo treatment took a lot out of him so I’m making sure that he’s resting comfortably and that the staff knows to let him rest.
“Ms. Ricci?” I hear behind me as I close the door to Mario’s room.
“Yes?” I turn to see the woman who took care of me after my beating. “Oh, my mother in law, Claria, what can I do for you?”
“What are you doing to find your husband?” I don’t hear any emotion in her voice.
“Nothing. He can rot in hell for all I care. Now get out of my house.”
“Oh, I guess I should tell you which husband I’m talking about, Dominic.”
I freeze. How did she know about us? I thought we were careful, “Where is he?” I ask.
“He left the house earlier with my brother, but Joe left his cell phone and gun at the house. It’s not like him,” she says, her voice giving off a condescending tone.
“I don’t know. I’ve been busy all morning. I’m sure it’s family business nothing to concern your pretty little head with.” I smile sweetly at her.
“I wish Matty would’ve had me kill you instead of your father, now that was a good man,” she spits. She turns to leave and her words register between my ears. My blood runs cold and I instantly feel rage.
“What did you just say?” I ask hoping she’ll repeat her words. My trigger finger itches to drive a bullet through the back of her head.
“Oh, please don’t play innocent with me. You’ve been killing off the families of everyone Tony’s ever done business with and I knew that when you killed his money man that it’d come straight to me.”
“He never mentioned your name before I killed him. This is quite interesting.” I lick my lips, “So how do you want to die? Slow and painful? Fast and painless?” Claria opens her mouth to speak but I step closer to her and her eyes go wide. “Or do you want to die next to your son and husband?” I whisper close to her ear before taking a snip at her ear making her scream.
“You have them?” Her voice quivers.
“Yes, I’ve had them the entire time.” I pull out my cell phone, not wanting to take my eyes off of her, I say, “Call Dominic.”
“Hey babe. Where are you?”
“I’m at the apartment. I have a visitor, it seems that Claria is worried about her brother. She confessed to killing daddy.”
“She did?” He seems surprised. “Her brother Joe confessed as soon as I put him in the trunk of the car. We’re heading out to the cabin to take care of business.”
“Terry just walked in with some rope, are we going to have a reunion?” I laugh, the sounds sinis
ter, trying to put more fear into Claria. “See you soon love.” I hang up not waiting for a reply.
Terry ties her up while I fill a syringe with Haloperidol. She’ll sleep on this little trip we’re taking and she won’t remember how or when she got where I’ll leave her to rot.
It’s about an hour later and we’re at the cabin. Terry grabs Claria and I walk into the cabin to see Tony, Matty, Joe, and an empty chair. Matty and Tony look so pale. Joe’s struggling with the restraints and Dominic hits him with the butt of his gun.
“It’s a reunion of gangsters. Shall we begin?” I smile at them. Dominic comes to stand near me.
“Who should we start with first?” Dominic asks.
I stand next to Matty, placing the barrel of my gun right between his eyes. “We should start with him.” The fear in Matty’s eyes arouses me and my blood lust simmers in my veins. Tony just sits there while Joe begs him to do something.
“What do you want from me?” Matty yells.
“Is that any way to talk to your wife?” I smirk at him before hitting him with the gun. “I think that it’ll be fun to start with your mommy.” I move to stand in front of her and I see Tony’s shoulder twitch. I’m going to enjoy this and I’m going to torture her. “So, you confessed to me that you shot my dad so I should put the bullet between your eyes. Matty, what did you say about your mommy on our wedding night? Oh, that’s right, a worthless spineless woman. He wanted me to be just like you, taking orders.”
“He’d never say that.”
“Oh, he did and I have proof. See, I record everything. It’s a clever way to protect myself and those I care about,” I look to Matty then back to Claria, “and well since I can’t stand your son I can show you.”
“Bella, no.” Tony begs me and looks to Dominic for help.
“Move her in front of Tony. I want him to watch.”