by Tia Siren
“So what if I did? It was no reason to get blind drunk,” Christian said.
“Stop talking,” Fabio said. “Alberti, when she's dressed, take her to number two and lock her up. Stay with her and make sure she gets some food now and again. Understand?” Alberti nodded. “Christian, come with me.”
Christian followed him outside. “You're on collection duty. I don't want you anywhere near her anymore. Got it?”
“But—”
“But nothing. Go fuck someone else. You've fucked her for the first and last time.”
Christian reluctantly took the car he had driven there the previous evening and headed back to LA. Collection duty meant he would be taking money from business owners in return for protection.
*****
“I'm sorry, Amy. Please forgive me. You mean everything to me. If you leave me, I'll hang myself.”
“On your knees. Beg for me,” Amy said.
“Anything you want. Just stay with me. I can't live without you.”
The digital alarm clock that had sent a flickering green across the bedroom all night burst into life. Christian opened his eyes and groaned. Again he was bathed in sweat, and again he'd had that awful recurring dream. She was haunting him. He couldn't get through a night without being subjected to it. It was as if she was taking her revenge. For the last few nights, he'd dreamed he was so full of remorse for what he'd done, Amy so angry, that he let her dominate and humiliate him. It didn't matter what he told himself when he was awake; when he was asleep, he turned into a soft, subservient, hen-pecked man who was so full of remorse he would do anything to appease her.
In the car on the way to his first collection, he wondered how long his dreams were going to last. He was hardly able to function during the day. He was tired, irritable, and even his penchant for eyeing up pretty women seemed to have deserted him. It was serious.
“Mr. Singh, please don't make this any harder than it already is. You know the amount you and Mr. Affini agreed. There's only half of it here,” Christian said, looking into a brown envelope. He didn't even have to count it. He'd been collecting money for years, and he could tell how much was in an envelope by eye.
“Please, Mr. Christian. Next time double, okay?” Mr. Singh said in a thick Indian accent. “We're in a recession.”
“Does that stop people eating?” Christian asked.
“No, but it stops people buying luxury items.”
“Listen to me. If you don't pay in full next week, something very nasty will happen to your wife. Got it?”
Mr. Singh scowled but nodded. He knew Christian wasn't joking.
Christian walked out of the shop and into the sunlight. A young man was sitting on the hood of his car. “Get the fuck off my car, you punk,” he shouted. The boy stuck a finger up at him and jumped down.
“Rosie, are you at home?” he asked into his cell.
“Sure, baby. Come round whenever you want.”
Twenty minutes later Christian pulled up outside the mansion. He got out of the car, walked up the stone steps, and rang the bell.
“Jesus, you look terrible,” Rosie said. “What happened?”
He didn't say anything until he was sitting down on the sofa in her sitting room. “I feel like shit, and I don't know what to do about it.”
Rosie was Christian's mother. Not his real mother, but the next best thing. She was fifty-five, the widow of one of Fabio's former enemies. She and Christian had met at a party and gotten on so well that they'd talked through the night about a whole range of things, many of them deeply personal. They began to meet and talk. There was never any mention of the having sex. It was purely platonic, just two people who got on.
“Tell me,” she said. She ran a hand through her dyed blond hair and crossed her legs.
“A woman. I feel like shit because of a woman.”
“Have you killed someone?”
“No. Nothing like that. I feel I have betrayed her. It was one of Fabio's jobs. I had to win her trust and kidnap her.”
“Ah. One of those jobs. Tell me, how many people has that asshole kidnapped in his life? It seems to be his stock-in-trade.”
“I don't know.”
“So you led a girl to believe you were a nice guy, had sex with her, and then handed her over to Fabio,” she said.
“You know me so well, Rosie. I often feel I don't have to explain anything to you. I shouldn't have had sex with her. It was a horrible thing to do.”
“Jesus, Christian, it's not like you to have regrets like that.”
“No. That's why I feel like shit. Do you know what I've been dreaming the last few nights?” Rosie shook her head. “Dreams of remorse. I kneel in front of her, naked, and plead with her not to leave me while she mocks me.”
“Wow.” Rosie raised her eyebrows and folded her arms under her considerable breasts.
“What the fuck should I do? “
“You're in love with her.”
“No way. Me? I don't love anybody but myself.” He looked around the room and wondered how many people Rosie's late husband had robbed to get that rich.
“It's true. You are arrogant, self-obsessed, and vain, but take it from me, you love her. What do you feel when you think about her?”
“Like I've let her down. Like she's important to me. But I've screwed women and abused their trust before and never thought twice about it.”
“That just proves it. You care about her.”
Christian stared at the Ming vase on the table in the corner. “I guess so.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I don't know. It's too late. She'll never forgive me whatever I did.”
“Set her free. Tell her it was a huge mistake and that you're sorry. Then tell her you love her and want a chance to date her.”
“Sorry and love are words that don't leave my mouth. Besides, Fabio will kill me if I do that,” he said.
“Then stop being a wuss. Leave her where she is and get on with life.”
“I can't. I want her.”
*****
Fabio stormed into the room and looked at Amy. She was tied to the bed by her arms and ankles.
“Why didn't you tell me?” he growled.
Amy was lying on her back and had to crane her neck to see him. She'd spent the last few hours staring at the ceiling.
“What the hell are you talking about? Let me go. You should be ashamed of yourself. You're a bully. I'm just a young woman who has done nothing to you.”
“Your father doesn't give a shit about you, does he?”
“If you'd spoken nicely to me in the first place, I would have told you that you were wasting your time. My father hasn't bothered with me since I shopped him to the authorities for his lurid behavior with young girls.”
“‘I don't give a shit about her. You can kill her as far as I'm concerned.’ That is what he said to me,” Fabio said.
“So your plan to get him back here won't work. Let me go.”
“No. I'm afraid that won't be possible. If I let you go, you'll tell the cops.”
When Fabio left the room, Amy screamed and tried to break from her shackles, but it was useless.
The kitchen in the terraced house they called “number two” was in a terrible state.
“You're a pig, Alberti. Look at the state of this place. Clean the fuck up,” Fabio said.
“Okay, boss,” Alberti replied gruffly.
“Her father doesn't care about her, so he's not going to exchange himself for her. We're stuck with her. If we let her go, she'll go to the cops. Here's what I want you to do with her. You remember how we killed the mayor's wife?”
“Morphine, boss?”
“Yes, morphine. I'll get someone to deliver it. Inject her, wait till she's dead, and then dispose of her body. Dump her at least ten miles out in the ocean.”
“Yes, boss. Will do.”
“And, Alberti, if you fuck up, I'll kill you.”
*****
Maria was lying face down on a sunbed next to the pool when Christian arrived. She hadn't seen him standing in the corner of the yard of her brother's house. He'd been observing her for a few minutes. He'd seen her breasts when she'd removed her bikini top to prevent white stripes. They were beautiful breasts, the type he liked—full and heavy. Normally he would have felt himself getting hard at the sight of them, but nothing happened. It was as if he was suddenly impotent. He hadn't even bothered to look at any of the scantily clad young women on his journey to Maria. Worse still, he was now presented with an ideal opportunity to seduce her, and he didn't care.
“Maria,” he said. She turned over, forgetting she was topless, and suddenly thrust her arm across her chest.
“Jesus, Christian, you frightened me to death.”
“Maria, I need your help.”
“Why should I help you? You threatened me the last time we saw each other.”
“You have to tell me when Alexander Gorev is next coming to the States.”
She reached for a towel and wrapped it around her. “Why? You'll only kill him.”
“I won't, but Fabio might. Do you care? It was only a casual fuck, wasn't it?”
“I won't tell you. Why should I send a man to his death? You can torture me all you want, but I will never reveal when he comes to the US. Why do you want him anyway?”
“Fabio wants him to exact his revenge. He's taken his daughter hostage.”
“So wait until he comes for his daughter.”
“I don't think you understand. Fabio won't release her when Alexander arrives. He'll kill them both.”
“Go and rescue her then. You always play the big hard man. See how hard you can be when you're up against Fabio. You won't last a minute.” She laughed. “Now fuck off. You're standing in the sun.”
*****
Alberti waved to the man and watched as the car drove to the end of the road and turned left. He looked at the bottle and syringe in his hand and smiled. He enjoyed this kind of work. It turned him on. He might even have a bit of fun with her before injecting her, he thought. First he needed a drink, though.
*****
Christian stopped outside Fabio's house and nodded to the guards who were hanging around outside the front door.
“Christian, have you come to hand in the money you've collected?” Fabio asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.
His office reminded Christian of a lawyer's office. There was a large desk in the middle of the room and bookshelves on all the walls. Not that Fabio read much. He just had them for effect.
“Here,” Christian said. He tossed an envelope full of cash onto the table and sat down on the opposite side of the desk.
“What's this?” Fabio asked, taking the money from the envelope.
“A few couldn't pay. They promised to pay more next week.”
Fabio flew into one of his rages. “Fuck you. You're going soft. I told you before, if they don't pay, thrash them. And if they still can't pay, kill them. Jesus, I'm surrounded by idiots.”
“There's more. I want you to let the girl go,” Christian said.
“You've gone mad. No way. I told you before, she'll just grass us up. She's going to die.”
“What? No. Wait until her father gets here,” Christian said, trying to buy himself more time.
“You don't know, do you? Her father isn't coming. He doesn't give a shit about her. In fact, he told me we should get rid of her.”
Christian hadn’t expected that. Surely every man loved his daughter. “So what are you going to do?”
“Kill her. Alberti should be doing that about now.” Fabio looked at his watch. “The delivery should have arrived.”
Christian leaped over the desk and kicked Fabio in the chest. He fell back out of his chair and landed on the ground. Christian took him by the collar and punched him so hard he knocked his front teeth out. When Christian banged Fabio's head on the desk, Fabio fell into unconsciousness.
*****
Alberti's hand shook as he put the syringe into the pot of morphine. In his drunken haze, he couldn't remember whether he should inject her three or four times. What the fuck, he thought. He would pump the whole bottle into her. That would do it.
He climbed the stairs to the bedroom where Amy was lying, asleep, and opened the door. When he saw her, he began to breathe more heavily. He looked at her breasts, which were still encased in the dress she'd worn at the wedding. He walked to her, lifted her dress, and looked inside.
“Nice,” he said when he saw her smooth legs.
She woke up and screamed. She thrashed around as never before but was still unable to break the rope.
“Be quiet. I'll be very gentle,” he said. She was wild. She saw the needle in his hand and realized what he was going to do.
Better give her a little bit to calm her down, he thought to himself. He couldn't have any pleasure with her in that state. He grabbed her arm, slipped it between his legs, and held it. He found the vein and injected her.
Amy felt a sudden calm. All feeling in her body was gone, and she was floating without a care in the world. She was conscious of him, but he was insignificant. Alberti went to the foot end of the bed and lifted her dress again. This time he began to push the material up her legs.
The sound of the metal bar hitting his skull made a hideous sound, a dull thud of death. Christian stepped over him and looked at Amy. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was smiling at nothing in particular. He untied the ropes, picked her up, and carried her downstairs.
When he reached the hospital, he burst through the door with her in his arms. “Get a doctor,” he shouted.
The waiting room smelled of stale sweat. It was one of those rooms that was constantly open to the public and always smelled a certain way. Amy had been in the emergency room for more than an hour. Surely they knew what was happening to her by now, he thought.
He stood up and paced around anxiously. When a nurse arrived, he took her by the arm and asked her what was happening. “The doctor will be out in a while,” she said. Another hour went by before a tall man in a white coat arrived.
“She's going to be all right. She's had a high dose of morphine, but not enough to bring any lasting damage.”
“Can I see her?”
“You can see her,” he said.
Christian followed him through two double doors and into a large room full of frightening-looking appliances. “She's in the last room on the right,” the doctor said.
When she saw him, she stiffened and sat up in bed. “Doctor!” she screamed. “Help!”
The doctor came running into the room.
“This man means me harm,” she said. “Call the police.”
“But he was the man who brought you here,” the doctor said.
She looked surprised. “Really?”
“Yes. Without him, lord knows what would have happened to you.”
“All right. I will talk to him, but only for a short time. I don't trust him.”
Christian walked to her bed and stood next to it. She looked pale and drawn. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I was terrible to you. If you can ever forgive me, I would be very grateful, because I have fallen in love with you.” It wasn’t as bad as he'd thought, getting his feelings out.
“You love me? You've got a very strange way of showing it.”
“I killed him.”
“Who?”
“The man who injected you. He's dead, and I don't think Fabio is very well, either.”
“What am I to think of you? When I first met you, I ignored the fact that you are arrogant and strut around the place as though you own it. When we made love, I was more turned on that I have ever been. But you put me in so much danger; I was almost killed.”
He took her hand. She let him. “I know I have done wrong. You are the most wonderful woman, and I don't want to live without you.”
She smiled at him. “You are an impossible man. You are dangerous, conceited, and aloof. I don't know whet
her to trust you or not. I'm attracted to you, but I don't like what you are.”
*****
“Have a word with your son. He's out of control. I can't handle him. I don't want him turning out like you.”
“Okay. I will. But you know, I wasn't so bad.”
“What? You killed people. You took money from poor innocent people. What do you mean you weren't so bad?”
“I was young and wild then. I've provided for you and the kids with the proceeds of honest endeavors since we got married, haven't I?”
“Yes, you have. But you were bad once. That's why I'm so scared our son will turn out like you were back then.”
“Okay. I'll speak to him. Come here.”
She leaned against him and put her head on his chest. “You know, you're still a good-looking chick, for your age. How about we go upstairs? The kids won't be home for ages.”
“What do mean, 'for your age?' You cheeky swine. Look at yourself. You're gray.”
“But you love me, don't you?” he said.
“Come on. Let's go,” she said, taking his hand.
When Christian finished and slumped on top of her, he kissed her forehead and cupped her face. “You will never know how glad I am that you gave me the benefit of the doubt after that kidnapping incident.”
“You were very lucky. I had a lot of other offers from non-criminals at the time.”
“Did you?” he said, slightly shocked.
“Yes.”
“So why did you choose me?”
“Because you were tough and I knew you'd look after me. I believed in you, despite everything.”
“But it was a year before you called me.”
“It took me a long time to get things straight in my head. Or said another way, it took a year to realize that if I didn't marry you, you would never leave me alone.” She laughed.
He put her nipple in his mouth and sucked. She gasped when he bit it gently. “You still like that, don't you? After all these years you still like having your nipples sucked.”
“Yes, but be careful. If you keep doing that, I'll get turned on again and want more. You're not as young as you used to be.”
“I can perform whenever you ask me to, whether I've just had sex or not.”