He shrugged. “Don’t know what?”
I took a step back. “You better watch that half-brother of yours. He’s going to get us all killed if he isn’t careful.”
“And why is that?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
He nodded. “Now you’re getting it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t attempt to hold your head above mine when we both play the same exact game.”
“Yet, that’s what you’ve been doing all of these years with my auctions, right? Assuming you’re better than us because we supposedly hurt women and you don’t?”
My eye twitched. “Hurting women is for animals. And I’m no animal.”
“Says that wild look in your eye, sure.”
I lunged at him, but three guards stepped in front of us. All of them, backing me up until my ass sat on the front hood of my car. I held my hands up to signal the fact that I wasn’t drawing a gun, and when the crowd of muscle parted I saw Ronnie standing in front of me.
With a manila envelope extended in my direction.
“You can thank me for the work later. But right now, I have much work to be done.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What are these?”
He turned his back. “You never ask the right questions, Mateo. You should really work on that.”
I held these up. “What the hell kind of game is your family playing!?”
He waved at me as he walked back toward his house. “Call me when you’re ready to start asking the right questions!”
I ripped open the envelope as I walked around to my door. I let myself into my the convertible and dropped against the leather seat. I looked up and saw those same three bodyguards standing there with their hands clasped in front of them, staring me down as if I were dumb enough to charge right through them.
I knew those men were capable of taking me out before I even got my foot on the gas.
I peeked inside and saw what looked like pictures. But, when I slid them out, my eyes widened. I flipped through all of them--fifty, in total--and my gut tied itself into a knot as the world around me turned on its axis.
“I should’ve known,” I whispered to myself.
I tossed the pictures into the passenger seat and threw my car into reverse. I backed down the dirt road until my tires hit pavement, then I whipped a U-turn in the middle of the road. I blazed a trail back to town before whipping a right and soaring down the road that would take me all the way back to my place.
I had to call some emergency meetings with people, and not all of them would end well. I had to ask some pointed questions, and not all of them would end in a life saved. My trigger finger jumped and jolted the closer I got to my house, and as I drew in deep lungfuls of salted ocean air, I thought about how well the fishes would eat tonight.
There are going to be a lot of flags at half mast by the time I’m done tonight.
29
Charlotte
I struggled against the man lugging me back into the basement. “Let go of me. Stop it!”
He tugged me along. “All you have to do is listen. Literally, that’s it.”
I lunged at him, biting him in his bicep. “I would rather starve.”
The man cocked his hand and cracked it against my cheek, causing my eyes to automatically water.
“Trust me, that’s exactly what he’s got planned for you,” the man said hotly.
I almost fell to my knees with the pain before the man snatched me up around my waist. He tossed me over his shoulder and I stopped fighting as silent tears streaked my cheeks. I heard him press his hand against the back wall of what used to be my closet down here, revealing a hidden door much like the one Mateo’s office sat behind.
Only this one had a staircase leading into a dank, deep, dark cavern.
I knew struggling was a waste of precious energy, so I sucked it up as the man tossed me to the ground. He shoved me into a puddle with his foot that sat against a corner, and I pressed my cheek against the cold stone wall. I felt the security man staring at me before he let out a sadistic chuckle, and then he did something that stole my breath away.
He planted his steel-toed boot right into my gut.
“Jesus,” I gasped.
“There’s no God to save you now,” he grumbled.
And as I listened to his footfalls rattle up the stairs, I let the tears fall.
Until I heard a noise.
It caught my ear, but it was so faint that I thought I imagined it. I figured it would be the first of many sounds I’d hallucinate, but then it grew a little louder.
And a little louder.
Until finally, it became almost coherent.
“Let me know when you can hear me,” the whispered voice said.
I swallowed hard. “I can hear you.”
I felt a hand clap over my mouth and my eyes widened. I struggled against the touch as I felt my ass being dragged across the floor. My leg caught on a stone and I felt my skin tear open, causing me to cry out in the palm of whoever had their hand over my mouth.
But, it wasn’t until my eyes focused that I saw who was pulling me deeper into the darkness.
“Lorenzo?” I murmured.
His eyes implored mine. “Don’t scream. I know your leg hurts, we’ll get it patched up. But, don’t scream.”
His hand slowly slid away from my face and I let out a sigh. He stared at me before he placed a finger over his lips and thumbed over his shoulder.
“Follow me,” he whispered.
I nodded to let him know that I’d heard him, and then I stood to my feet.
I tried to pick up my chains as much as I could so they didn’t drag and make noise, but it was hard. For every beat of silence Lorenzo kept, my chains seemed to fill it effortlessly. I was ready to cut my hands and feet off just to get rid of them. But, the further into the darkness we traveled, the further away we seemed to get from the house.
Until an oval outline of light started shining in the distance.
“Stop,” Lorenzo whispered.
I did as he asked and there was enough light for me to watch what he was doing. He held up what looked like an old-school, rusted-up key. I furrowed my brow as he took my wrist, jamming the key into the lock. And after jiggling it around for a while, the shackle fell away from my skin. One by one.
Until I was free.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He took my hand. “We need to go. Now.”
For a split second, I felt my heart cry out. It screamed so loudly that it stopped me in my tracks and Lorenzo had to pull me along in order to get me to move. Something had me paralyzed. Something that my senses registered that my brain hadn’t pieced together.
But, when Lorenzo rolled a massive boulder away, I saw the sandy beachline sprawled out before us.
“Where are we?” I whispered.
Lorenzo looked around. “About a half a mile away from the house. Come with me. They’re going to be looking.”
I pulled away. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. What happened to our original plan? Where you were supposed to plan a meeting or whatever?”
He motioned to the blood-stained rag around his leg. “Didn’t really count on a few things.”
I shook my head. “How in the world did you get away from them? I saw them haul you off.”
“Are you going to keep asking stupid questions? Or, are you going to let me get you out of here?”
A voice yelled in the distance. “There they are! Char! Please, don’t do this!”
I whipped around at the sound of Teo’s screaming voice and I heard his panic wafting along the breeze. I saw little black dots scurrying toward us with Teo hot on their heels.
“He’s going to kill you! Please, just let me keep you safe!” Teo roared.
And when I turned to face Lorenzo, he cursed beneath his breath. “Fucking hell, you stupid bitch.”
With those words, my eyes widened. And even though my leg hurt, I backtracked as quickly as I could. I’d ma
de a mistake. A great, miscalculated mistake. I scrambled as quickly as I could away from the man, leaping onto the shoreline and booking it for Teo.
“Teo!” I exclaimed.
“Take fire!” he roared.
But, when I felt someone grip the back of my neck, I knew I was in a lot of trouble.
“You should’ve learned your place the first time around,” Lorenzo growled.
I struggled to get away from him, but his arm wrapped around my neck. He kicked my knees out from beneath me as Teo’s men sprinted to get to me. And as he dragged me backward, something green and smelly came into view.
Before a rag descended over my mouth.
“No! No, you won’t get away with this!” I exclaimed.
I heard Lorenzo speak to himself. “On my mark, take them all out.”
“No!” I shrieked.
“Char!” Teo exclaimed.
“Now!” Lorenzo grunted.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins as the world around me started dimming. I heard machine guns fire off from every angle as tears rushed my eyes. Lorenzo cackled as he scooped my limp body into his arms. I heard multiple sets of footsteps digging into the sand beside us as my head fell back.
The world turned gray as I watched Teo and his men dip behind the rocks, covering themselves from the fire.
Oh God, he was right.
“Let me know when it’s finished,” Lorenzo said.
His voice sounded so far away while the gunfire seemed to slowly dim itself. As if someone were controlling the volume on a television.
“I said, tell me when it’s all done! Not one by one!” Lorenzo roared.
Silence filled the air as my eyes closed. It felt like the world was moving in slow motion. I swear I heard every gunshot that fired and every ricochet as they hit the rocks. And the more Lorenzo walked with me, the more winded he became. I felt us drop into the sand before something slammed back over my face. It covered my nose and my mouth this time, leaking into my eyes and causing them to burn.
And when I drew in a deep breath to scream, I felt the chemical agent stinging my eyes fill my lungs and my throat.
Chloroform.
I’d heard many of my clients explain the sensation to me, but those explanations had nothing on the actual thing. My stomach wanted to vomit, but my throat was too weak to open. My eyes wanted to pop out of my head and run away, but my eyelids wouldn’t budge. I tried, by sheer force of will, to lift my hands. To kick my legs. To do anything that helped me fight against the worst mistake I’d ever made in my life.
It wasn’t a slow blackout, or an instant one. It was nothing like the movies or television shows I watched growing up. It was slow, and agonizing. It was brutal, and torturous. And in that moment, every statement Teo ever made about this man rushed my brain.
Taunting me, as if my entire body was saying, ‘I told you so’.
“Teo,” I whispered.
My throat felt dry and scratchy like sandpaper. My tongue fell back into my throat and I started coughing. Sputtering. Choking on my own organs as if someone were force-feeding them to me. And still, the gunfire didn’t stop.
It showered around us in a never-ending storm that made me fearful for Teo’s life.
No one could survive this.
“Just pass out already,” Lorenzo growled.
I felt him sliding me against what felt like a seat before he tossed my legs inside. I rolled onto the floorboard of the car and smashed my nose against the floor, but I was too weak to cry out. My wrist dislocated itself beneath the force of my falling body, and I should have been in pain. I should have been screaming and crying for a doctor as the wound in my thigh bled down my skin.
I felt nothing, though.
Nothing except panic rushing through my veins.
I managed to get my lips to move. “You’ll never get away with this. He’ll come for me, and he’ll kill you.”
But, the words Lorenzo pushed out through his cackle broke my heart.
“Too bad your debonair captor is already dead.”
And with those words, I gave myself over to the darkness. Knowing damn good and well there was nothing left in my life to keep fighting for.
Especially since it seemed like my mother didn’t give a shit at all.
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Bonnie
I stared at myself in the mirror as I donned the traditional white, lacy gown. As its fabric fell softly over my curves, I drew in a deep breath.
This was the day.
The day I’d be handed over in marriage to a man I barely knew. And although my internal warning system blared loudly in the back of my mind, I understood my position in life.
I understood what I had to do.
I studied my brown eyes. How the smoky hue my aunt had painted onto them somehow accented their soft color. They looked almost amber, with speckles of honey that sparkled wondrously against my tan skin. My naturally auburn hair was piled high on top of my head in soft ringlets, begging to be let down. The sheer amount of hair spray I had holding my tendrils in place could’ve held up the Eiffel Tower if given a chance. My ruby-red lips contrasted the white dress nicely, accented by a thick gloss, forcing all gazes to pause and revel in their beauty.
“I look like Brianna,” I said.
My aunt sighed. “Well, if you look like your cousin, then I’ve done my job right. We’ve only got one shot at this, Bonnie. You’re our only hope.”
“Aunt Luna, what is this man like?”
She glanced sideways at me. “You know not to ask questions.”
I rolled my eyes at my own reflection. “Why? Because it won’t change my circumstances?”
My aunt shushed me with a piercing look in the mirror. A white gold comb smattered with small diamonds found its way into my hair before the sheer veil was flipped over my face. I looked like I was about to get married. Hell, it felt like it. But this wasn’t my wedding day. Not really. This was the day I would be given away as a prize to the highest bidder.
Supposedly.
Not really the highest bidder, per se. No one had paid any money for me. In my world, women were given away as prizes in trade deals. In my case, a deal had been brokered between my family, the Morettis, and his, the Rossis. Two major crime families who needed something from the other one. And I was to be the bridge between them.
Business as usual.
“Come. We’re going to be late,” my aunt said.
I turned to face her. “Thank you.”
She paused. “For what?”
I blinked back tears. “For taking me in when I had nowhere else to go.”
She cupped my cheeks. “Oh, preziosa, your uncle wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
She kissed my veiled forehead before my uncle threw open the door. His eyes twinkled with pride as he stared at me, taking in my final form. The culmination of weeks of work. The dress I wore had been painstakingly created by hand. Every bead, every pearl, and every sequin had been sewn with love, adoration, and a bit of frustration.
“Bonnie. You look marvelous,” my uncle said.
I drew in a deep breath. “I’m ready when you are.”
My uncle held out his arm, and my aunt handed me over to him. Slowly, we started down the hallway. Those events were usually a more formal affair. They were held in the ballroom, with a stage where I would stand so everyone could ogle me. It was a chance for the man in question to turn me down as an offering if I wasn’t to his liking. However, both of our families were knee-deep in a war we had no business fighting.
Which meant time, and protection, was of the essence.
>
With every step I took, my heart hammered harder in my chest. Would he like me? Would he accept me? Would he appreciate me? Few of us were that lucky in our lifestyles. Then again, none of that mattered.
Not for the plan.
“I present to you Brianna Moretti, my beautiful daughter.”
Everyone’s eyes were on me—the fake Brianna—as my uncle announced my entrance. Then, we started down the stairs. I kept my head high and my eyes straight ahead. The men in those situations didn’t like it when a woman stared at them. So, I locked my eyes onto a spot on the wall and pivoted as necessary. The men of the Rossi family made a path for my uncle and me to walk as we ventured into the middle of the marble-floored foyer of their home. And as I stood there, feeling their eyes on my body, I drew in a steady breath.
It’s almost over. Just stay calm.
It was what I had to do. Not only for the sake of my family, but to repay my uncle for the sacrifices he made for me. I owed that man my life. And if what I had to do to bring honor and protection to the family when we needed it the most was to marry a Rossi, then sign me the fuck up. Family was everything to me, and losing my own when I was only five years old had devastated my world.
I would’ve been nothing—and had nothing—had my uncle and aunt not taken me in.
“Move.”
A disembodied voice rose up from the crowd, and the suited men parted. I kept my eyes locked on the wall, allowing them to look me over and size me up. Looking the role of a future wife was the most daunting task of all. My innocence had to be intact. My delicacy had to be showcased. I needed to be equal parts strong and feminine, which I hoped I looked.
But I broke rule number one the second I smelled his cologne.
Never look him in the eye.
My aunt’s voice rang out in my head as my eyes searched for the origin of that scent. With notes of pine and tobacco, it reminded me of my father. Of the memories I had sitting at his feet while he had been in his study, sucking on his pipe and working his ass off. My eyes found the man coming for me. His steel-gray eyes locked with mine. His raven-black hair sat impeccably on top of his head, slicked back with grease and the sides painstakingly shaved with a fade. He was tall. Easily six foot three. The lankiness of his limbs greatly contrasted the short and stout men of his family.
Liar : An Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance (Sold to The Don Book 2) Page 16