“Yeah. I’m grateful you’re here Frankie. We wouldn’t have made it this far. I’d be dead and I wouldn’t get the chance to help in some way. Whatever that way is.” I’d fully accepted that I was by no means out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot. I wouldn’t be either until this was truly over and Balthazar dead, dead, dead.
I’d always be looking for him. Always seeking vengeance. Until I got it.
“This Balthazar guys seems to be of the worst variety. Shoot on sight?” he asked.
I nodded. “Shoot on fucking sight pal. No questions to ask.” There was nothing. Nothing I needed to know. I got the answers I’d wanted from the past and found out the link was Ethan. The traitor was him. He was the link that connected everything. What else did I need to know?
“Then I’ll aim for his head when I see him.”
That was exactly the plan I had too.
You couldn’t negotiate with people like Balthazar. You just had to take them down.
I’d aim for his head and blow it off his miserable body.
We got to the clearing a little earlier than planned.
Earlier was better.
We got set up outside some caves on the other side of where we wanted to be. The landscape around was a mixture of mountain range, desert and groves of trees here and there. In the bright daylight the place would look similar to being around certain parts of the Grand Canyon minus the green.
We were aiming for the route Dorian suggested which was through the meeting rooms and office section of the facility.
Although we were going in as one, I’d split the guys going inside into two further teams for the purposes of getting direction from Wes and Dorian.
Jack was in charge of the marine guys and they would get direction from Dorian. I was in charge of Giovanni and Frankie. I got Wes. I needed Wes for more reasons than just direction.
My best friend sometimes had a way of helping me to focus, just from hearing his voice.
Once we’d gathered the things we needed we were ready. We then gathered together in a circle by the trucks and I stood at the head to give the last piece of guidance.
“Guys this is a very dangerous mission,” I began. “The people we’re going to see are known terrorists and they won’t care about protecting themselves. Their goal if they see us will be to stop us and that means sacrificing themselves to do that. The Spades in the Ra are the elite. They are skilled. Very skilled. If you get in the vicinity of any of them shoot to kill.”
I thought that was the best advice I could give anyone. The shoot to kill missions were always the most difficult because often times you weren’t given the full run down of the crimes that made it so. You just had to shoot to kill and it felt more assassin like. I didn’t really like those sorts, but there was always a very good reason behind them.
Everyone nodded and looked ready.
I noticed how quiet Giovanni was. It was unnerving. I wasn’t used to it.
That fucking asshole was always blowing up about something, or shooting his mouth of about shit.
I took the lead and led everyone down the path. It was dark. Pitch black at one a.m. Perfect though for what we needed. I hoped we could be out of here by sunrise.
There was a cave that led to the tunnels. Dorian told us we could get to the entrance that way so we went through there. Next was the one mile walk to the entrance to the facility.
It reminded me a lot of the secret chamber Giovanni had.
Had that same shit smell too that made me want to heave. The facility was supposed to be hidden but I was certain anyone who happened upon the place would know from the smell that people were here somewhere.
We got to the entrance and the guys took out their tools to get in. The best part of the virus I set up for the place was that we could hack the rest of the system.
I got Dorian to replay the last couple of hours of footage so nobody would be any wiser on our entry. Nobody would know we were here.
Not one iota.
We got inside a section that looked like a large storage room.
“Here’s where you guys gotta be careful,” Wes spoke into my ear piece. His voice was as clear as if he was right next to me. “There’s a few patrol guards walking the floors just outside. Everything else is quiet.”
“Is there a path we can take that will evade him?” I asked.
“When you go outside head up the corridor then take a sharp right. Go down the stairs and follow the path on the map.”
That sounded like a good plan. Wes had made us maps that would definitely come in handy. He’d done a straightforward route to Jia and another with details of the whole place.
“Thanks Wes.” I looked to Jack and the others. “Just follow me guys. There’s a guard outside so let’s get in stealth mode.”
When they nodded I turned to continue to where Wes directed. We got out seamlessly and I almost felt hopeful that this would work. We’d gotten into this facility. This secret facility we’d christened Ra headquarters.
That had to be a plus for us. Something to hang on to.
We got down the path where Wes directed and the next thing to do was go up. we had to go up and the best way up was by using the stairs. The problem with the stairs though was the chance that other people could be using it too.
I led the guys out to the stairwell. It was one hell of a size for back stairs. There was an elevator shaft next to it. We needed to get to the tenth floor.
We proceeded up as quickly as we could go but something caught my attention just as we got to the fifth floor. It was a little light that flickered.
“Stop.” I held my hand up and the guys all stopped.
The light came back and grew bigger as it flickered over us. Then it split into two as it bounced over us, then five.
Fuck!
I realized in an instant that it must have been some type of motion detector that had been manually set up in the security system. Something that didn’t go down when I scrambled the security.
Shit!
The lights all jumped together and started swirling into a vicious circle. There was a snapping sound by the doors like they were sealing shut. Right from the bottom where we’d come and up.
“Guys move. Run! Get to the next floor and get out.” I called out, but fuck, the light turned into some laser beam and cut right through two of the marines with Jack. Without warning their bodies cut in half before us and fell to the ground. They were dead before they even realized they were.
When we saw that I didn’t need to give any further command. We all ran and tried to avoid the lasers that were growing bigger and gaining on us.
We got to the next floor but the doors wouldn’t open.
This looked like the atrium and there were three separate door entrances.
Jack rushed across to the door nearest him and opened it. We followed but by the time we got there the laser lights were there. The only escape for me and Giovanni was to rush to the other door.
We only fucking got through by the skin of our teeth.
I looked through the glass panel in the door and saw the laser lights swirling in a mass of bright light. There was no way that any of us could go back that way.
No way in hell.
And now we were all split up.
“Jack can you hear me?” I said into my communicator.
“Yeah. We’re good Xander. Let’s just keep going. Whoever gets to Jia first grabs her. See you outside boy.”
I really hoped so. I really did.
I looked to Giovanni and he frowned.
The two of us stuck together just sucked the hope away from me.
Chapter Sixty-One
Jia
When Pa locked me away in my room when I was sixteen I thought it was the worst thing in the world.
My little room had an ensuite bathroom so it was easy to keep me in there without letting me out. I got food given to me five times a day. Whatever I asked for.
In the beginning I was so dis
traught over ma’s death that I didn’t really get frustrated about being locked away.
It made sense that Pa wanted to keep me safe. After all I’d been seconds away from death and he’d saved me. That was what happened. So I never said anything when he told me to stay in my room and stationed a guard by the door.
I felt safe.
Unlike the cage I was in, my room looked more similar to a fancy penthouse suite in a hotel with all the stuff I’d loved as a teenager.
I never had posters of boys I liked or bands.
I was different and loved the medieval look. I had a four poster wrought iron bed with the chandelier to match and instead of lightbulbs I loved candles. I had floor boards with various candlesticks decorating the place.
It was beautiful and looked like it had been pulled from a painting.
The first few weeks of being locked up weren’t back but the next few were awful and Pa got aggressive as he looked for the men who’d assisted in breaking into our home. He was out for the blood of everybody. Not just the man who’d been responsible for the damage.
I’d heard gun shots a lot when people pissed him off and soon the whole being locked away in my room thing came to light for what it truly was.
It was somewhere I loved but I was a prisoner in my own home. Not allowed to leave, not allowed to speak to anyone.
It was safety.
Not like this.
I was scared to sleep, because earlier when I dosed off I woke up to find Balthazar watching me and touching himself.
As if he hadn’t creeped the fuck out of me enough.
As if I hadn’t had enough of the disgusting creeps that had come my way, it seemed like my end would come with the worst of them all. This asshole.
It had to be late now. Very late and the room was lit by a lamp.
I sat in the cage waiting.
It was a while ago since I’d seen him but what I wanted to see was him come in and go to bed.
The plan was very simple, quite unlike the plan to escape that had gone to hell earlier.
It was simply this: once he came in and went to sleep I’d sleep too. I’d close my eyes and sleep.
Of course that was providing his promise of having later didn’t mean now, or anytime soon.
He looked like one of those guys, those creeps who liked the game. Who liked the fear. That was what I’d worked out.
I remembered Anya watching one of her criminal mind shows. She loved anything like that. While I’d complained because I didn’t want to miss the start of the Real Housewives of Beverly hills, she’d been glued to the screen watching a show about serial killers. It was supposed to be our girls night in.
The girl had a good head on her keeping up to date and clued up on things like that. Maybe if I wasn’t raised around so much guns and violence I too would have delved into those sorts of shows. What I loved though was more of an escape for me.
If however, I’d watched a little more of criminal minds with Anya I may be able to figure this guy out more than I had.
What I did guess though was that fear was a big turn on. The more afraid I got the more turned on he got. Only time could procure the fear because the longer I stayed in here the worse I got. Add the ways he’d both grossed me out and creeped me out to the mixture and I was one damn mess that would be perfect for him.
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
My heart squeezed at first and was so painful in my chest I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I could barely breathe, could barely take my next breath.
Jesus…
The door opened and I sucked in a few short breaths to keep from passing out and also to steady my fear.
He came in and closed the door behind him.
I was really hoping and praying he’d just go over to his bed and sleep, or go change in the bathroom and then come to bed, but he looked like he had other things on his mind.
His gaze instantly snapped to me in a feral, primal way. It reminded me of some sort of savage beast who’d just picked up the scent of their prey.
Savage, that was him to a T.
He kept his gaze trained on me sitting in the cage with my knees hugged to my chest.
He backed off his jacket, tossed it on the chair nearby and came over to me.
When he opened the cage door tears stung the backs of my eyes.
This was it. God… this was it.
I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to do now.
What the hell could I do to stop him from doing whatever he wanted to me?
He kept standing this time instead of coming down to me.
“Still awake,” he chanted in a sing song taunting voice. “Still wide awake. She thinks it’s better to stay awake so she can see what happens next. That’s okay, should have gotten your rest though. You needed it.”
“I’m not tired,” I replied. It was a lie and we both knew it was.
Exhaustion had come for me hours ago and I was certain if I felt the way I did –like I hadn’t slept in forever – then I must have looked exactly like that too. I was sure.
He answered with a smile. “You know it’s amazing when you aim for something and end up killing two birds with one stone. You were Plan B, although you were my plan A. It’s so much simpler to just hit where it hurts. Go to the weakness. It never fails. I’d planned to take you from the get go and make your father give me those damn blueprints. If I had everything would be over, I’d be richer, you’d be dead already, him too for being so annoying as fuck. But guess what?” he laughed a crude sardonic laugh that made my skin crawl. “I like it this way. Ethan wanted to do things as clean cut as possible. No kidnapping and no unnecessary deaths. I’m so glad I listened to him. Had I not, I wouldn’t have known how much Xander Cage cared for you. I wouldn’t have known it one bit. I would never have known that the man was still alive and looking for me. I didn’t know how that managed to slip under the net. He’s good like that though. Better than me, but that might be because I like a cameo every now and again. It shakes people up and they know I’m not some myth. I’m their worst nightmare.”
“Do you just like to hear the sound of your voice.” I had to ask because I didn’t know why he thought I needed some content to what had happened. Right now I just wanted to die.
He laughed again. “Just like your father. You really are a Marchesi. I like my women fiery. The point of my speech that seems to have bored you was to tell you I’m glad I’ll get to take another woman Xander holds so dear to his heart. I never got to have fun with the first one. I’d planned to cut her head off and send it to him, but she wouldn’t have allowed herself to get caught the way you did. And fear was lost on her. Nothing scared that woman. Your fear arouses me.”
And his words sickened me.
Of course I would have to be the one to be weak. Unlike Claire as he quite rightly pointed out.
I didn’t answer although he gave me an expectant glare like he was expecting me to give an answer.
“Stand up,” he demanded.
I stood on shaky legs.
No point protesting or fighting simple commands.
“Take your clothes off.” He spoke so cool and calm as if he was talking about the weather.
“No, please.” I shook my head. “Please, please.”
He smiled and pulled a gun from his back pocket. He pointed it at me and my whole body seized up with numbness.
“Take your clothes off… now! Or I’ll shoot you. Handing you over to your father alive is a courtesy. But push me and I may change my mind.”
I started to shake and tremble knowing he meant every word. He’d do it. This man was some kind of monster. He’d have no compassion. He didn’t care.
When he pulled the trigger back I slipped the straps of my dress down and pushed it down the length of my body so I could step out of it.
Fuck…
I was doing this. I was taking off my clothes in front of this mad man. I couldn’t even drag it out because I didn
’t have much to take off.
Just the dress and my underwear. My underwear which was next but I went for my sandals instead.
“No, no, nice try. Leave those on.” He waved the gun down at my feet and beckoned me to straighten up. “Bra and panties off now.”
I looked at him and stared long and hard deciding I couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t.
I lowered and instead of dragging down my panties like he thought I would do I pulled my dress back on.
I was done. If this was it then this was it. He may think I was weak and defenseless but that didn’t mean I had to be.
I shocked him to shit when I stepped forward, right in the line of the gun.
“Kill me. Just kill me. If that’s an option I want that.” I squared off with him. “You won’t treat me like shit and make me take my clothes off so you can fuck me before you kill me. Kill me first.”
It was the most bravest thing I’d ever done in my life and he didn’t like it.
He growled and raised his hand to slap me again but a knock sounded at the door.
He looked to it eyes blazing and stormed out of the cage.
“Come in,” he called out.
A dark haired guy as tall as him came in carrying a machine gun. “We have company boss. Giovanni and Cage are here and they brought company. They also screwed with the surveillance.”
Xander and Pa was here?
Together?
They were really here?
Oh God… my heart started beating again. It felt like it had stopped and started up when hope sparked from deep within.
Balthazar bared his teeth like the animal he was, picked up the little vase that was on the table, and launched it across the room.
“Fuckkkkk!!!! What the fuck are you saying to me?” Balthazar bellowed.
“What should we do?” the guy asked.
Balthazar looked to me, marched over and grabbed my arm so hard it popped and I almost thought he was going to pull it out of its socket.
Game of Love : A Mafia Romance Page 49