by Avery Hawkes
It was a small price to pay to have him try the cocaine, but it didn't seem like the plan was working. Robert was just leaning back in his chair, watching me.
"What's in it for you?"
"I just opened up in Italy," I motioned around the club. "I don't have the street knowledge you do. If I get you the product you need, I would ask for help in distribution."
Robert nodded his head, looking like he was thinking about it. Then, he pointed to one of his men. "See if that shit is what I think it is."
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Robert threw the baggie to one of his men. The large brute emptied the entire thing onto the coffee table in between us, then pulled out a credit card. He organized the white powder into three piles, then rolled up a large bill and snorted a line.
"Wheew!" The man threw his head back, wincing as he tried to snort it all quickly. "I've never had no cocaine like that, boss."
I spoke up. "I know it's difficult to find good cocaine here in Europe. The stuff I’ve been seeing on the street is garbage. Maybe you should try some.” I motioned to Robert.
There wasn't much time left. I knew that the drugs were hitting the thug’s system and we would know how he reacted within five minutes.
The man frowned, "Oh, I believe you."
I smiled as though it made me feel better that he trusted me, but inside I was dying. The cocaine running through my veins wanted to force the powder into his face, but I tried to be as calm as humanly possible. Everything was going to be alright.
"Maybe, we should talk about the terms somewhere less … loud?" I asked, hoping to God that I could get him away from the ticking time bomb of a man who sat next to him.
"We can stay here." Robert said. He was calm, his eyes throwing daggers at me. Something was not right.
"I-I-" The man who had snorted cocaine clutched his chest. He groaned and fell forward, his head hitting the table. Damn it, the drugs had worked faster than anticipated. Everyone stood up, watching as the huge man struggled to breathe, his face turning blue.
Robert reached behind his waist and took out his gun, training it on me. The others followed suit.
"What the fuck is this?" the man said, stepping forward to force his gun into my chest. There were screams behind me as a woman saw the men drawing their weapons.
"Drugs will do that to you," I said, putting my hands up. "My father used to tell me, never do drugs once, You might have a bad reaction."
"Fuck you," Robert yelled. "You think I can be so easily tricked?"
One of his men walked into the middle of the dance floor and fired his gun into the air. Chaos ensued. Women screamed and dropped to the floor, men scattered, looking for the exits. The DJ stopped playing his music and all I could hear were screams as the men fired their guns into the ceiling.
"Silence!" he yelled, his voice echoing the club. Another round of bullets made people listen. Women still cried and whimpered, but no one dared to move and be subject to a bullet in the head.
With my hands up, I looked over to the box. The situation was getting into the “shit-hitting-the-fan” category. All I could do was hope Piper was trained on Robert's head.
"I'll tell you what I'm going to do," Robert said. "You, you can live."
"That sounds nice."
"Shut up," he placed his pistol on my cheek, getting in my face. "I'm letting you live, but I'm taking Piper."
"You'll be disappointed to find that Piper isn't here," I told him, lying through my teeth. It didn't matter, she would put a bullet in his skull in a matter of minutes.
"Oh, really?" he grinned and it made my stomach drop. Robert whistled up to the second floor and out of the box came the sound tech. He held Piper's hands behind her back and had a gun to her temple.
Her face was like stone; she wouldn't let anyone see her fear.
Damn it. Why had I left her alone in the box? My insides were being torn into pieces seeing her like that.
"You piece of shit—" I said, but was cut off by blinding pain to my cheek. Robert had pistol-whipped me and I could taste the iron tang of blood in my mouth. There was nothing I wanted more than to bash his face in, but if I moved an inch, Piper's life would be in danger.
"You see," Robert said, grabbing my jaw with his hand and turning my face into his. "I know who you are. The filth you work for Rossi? I know Rossi. Your daddy's in bed with Napoli garbage."
I kept my gaze steady on him, making sure to memorize his face. I couldn't wait to see it again, after putting a bullet in between his eyes. But I kept silent.
"They enslaved us both and I'm going to free her from filth like you," He threw me down, kicking me in the stomach until I was on the floor.
Robert motioned for the tech to bring Piper down and she stood in front of him, not speaking a word. She was smart, if she said the wrong thing, she could get herself and everyone killed. Piper was much smarter than I was.
"You're finally free," Robert said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She tensed, but took it. I could see tears starting to form in her eyes and her knuckles were white at her sides.
"Let's go," he said. "Kill all the Mafiosos..except this one. I want him to suffer for this." He spat.
Piper and I exchanged a glance. As Robert grabbed her arm to take her away, she put up one finger and mouthed something. First Plan?
A few of his men stayed behind as Robert ducked away with Piper towards the emergency exit. The firefight began as soon as they left. I stayed down, watching to see what was happening. There was a guard who kept his gun trained on my face as all the others started hunting down my men who didn't get away. Any guy with a gun in the club was a target.
I didn't know what it was, maybe it was the cocaine that drove me crazy, but I couldn't stay on the ground. When a bullet whizzed past the man who stood above me, I used the distraction as my cue to grab his leg and pull as hard as I could.
He yelled and fell to the ground. His firearm going off and missing by a few feet. I reached behind me to take my own gun and push it into his face.
A spray of red followed.
I got up, using the leather chair as cover, and tried to see where Robert's men had gone. There was one by the staircase, the tech was near the bar, trying to get to the bartender behind it. No one saw that I was free from the thug who had been watching me.
It was my chance.
I sprinted for the exit. The door was open to let fresh air into the hot room, and one of Robert's men was guarding it, but I was ready.
Bam. Bam. I sent the man to the ground and he screamed in agony. Stepping over his crumpled figure, I winced, it was such a waste of life.
As I got to the alleyway that the exit lead to, I watched as a vehicle veered onto the main street, tires squealing.
There was nothing I could do, other than sprint. I wasn’t confident enough in my abilities to try and shoot out the car's tires. If I missed and a bullet went into the car, I could hit Piper.
Garnet might as well have been burning behind me. I sprinted with gun in hand down the street and turned quickly. There was a light that was red and Robert's car had already sped through it and out of sight.
I needed something faster.
There was a man on a Vespa waiting at the light and I decided that it was probably my best bet. I ran up to him and flashed my gun.
The guy about flew off the Vespa, screaming and swearing in Italian. He waved his arms angrily as I sped through the traffic, hoping that I could catch the car before it was too late.
The buildings flew past me. I whizzed by pedestrians on sidewalks and finally I caught up enough to spot the back of what I thought was the car, turning a corner onto a major roadway.
I was going as fast as I could, not giving a fuck about road signs or other cars. People honked and yelled at me, but I couldn't understand them. All I wanted was to find Piper.
Finally, I got a clear view of it. The car was in my sights and gridlocked in traffic. Hope surged in my chest and I stepped on the gas,
readying my pistol for the inevitable shootout that would happen when I got to the car.
As I weaved in and out of traffic through an intersection, I heard the screeching of someone hitting the brakes to my right. When I looked, metal and glass was coming straight toward me.
I held my breath.
And all was black.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Piper
Everything was dark. As soon as I slid into Robert’s getaway car, he put a black bag over my head.
“A precaution.” he said. It seemed more like a kidnapping to me. But I kept my mouth shut.
Oh, I wanted to chew Robert out, like I had done at the gala, but it was not the time to anger the man who was in control of my life.
I didn’t know how long we rode for, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour.... My concept of time was out the window as I panicked internally.
Had Luca survived the shootout? Was he coming to save me?
Even if he wasn’t on his way, there might be a manner in which I could make this work. Perhaps I could get some information out of Rob for the Mafia to use against him? It seemed unlikely at this point, after what went down at the club.
I shivered thinking about that little box. As soon as Rob’s men had entered Garnet, the tech had pressed a gun into my head. He had taken the rifle from me, making sure that I wouldn’t be able to fight back. There I sat, watching the scene play out. Watching as Luca tried to get him to take the drugs and the tech chuckled. They knew all along that they were walking into a trap and had turned it around on us.
I was sitting in the car. Every now and then, I’d feel Rob’s hand on my leg. It was like poison to me, making me want to kick him and try to get out of the vehicle. However, I just let him touch me even if I felt his fingers burned holes into my skin. If it got me out of the car alive, then I’d let it happen.
After what seemed like forever, the car came to a complete stop and the engine was turned off.
I waited, sitting in silence as the men talked amongst themselves in Italian. I could understand every word they said, but they were mostly celebrating the victory at the club. They were so cocky, arrogant and it made me grit my teeth in anger.
Finally, the door next to me was opened and a hand grasped my arm to tug me out of the car.
The lackey tugged the black bag off of my head after I had exited the vehicle, letting me breathe the fresh, fall air. It was refreshing and amazing to be free of the fabric prison, but I was just being led to another prison.
I looked up at the building that the car had stopped at. We weren't in Florence anymore, I could tell by the smell of the air and the lack of sounds. It was quiet out here and you could see the stars when you looked up into the sky. We were somewhere in the countryside, Tuscany most likely, and I held my breath as I looked up at the beautiful mansion that loomed above me.
It was old, older than the United States itself, even. The man who pulled me out let go and got back into the vehicle, while Rob stepped out with me. He placed his arm around my shoulder and smiled.
"Like it?" he asked.
I didn't know what to say. In any other case, I would have loved it. The pillars that lined the building were elegant. The stones that bordered the entryway were beautiful as well. I was sad that it was nighttime, so I couldn't fully appreciate the gardens that surrounded the home.
However, I had to realize that this wasn't a vacation rental, nor was it my home. It was the place Robert was taking me, to make me his personal toy, like he had done before.
"It's nice," I said, trying to keep my voice even. If I showed even the slightest hint of weakness, Rob would take advantage of that.
"I think you'll like it," he said, taking hold of my upper arm and pulling me toward the entrance. There was a butler waiting at the door for us.
"Welcome home, sir!" he said. I smiled politely in return. Rob didn't even acknowledge the man's existence, but brought me into his house and closed the large, wooden doors behind me.
The ceilings were high with a chandelier hanging in the middle of the entryway. A grand staircase twisted up to the second floor. Everything was made out of marble, and I realized that Rob had probably taken an older building and remodeled the inside to fit his expensive tastes.
"There are ten rooms upstairs," Rob said, leading me toward the staircase. "You can have whichever one you like."
"Thank you," I replied, feeling like a robot. Every time he talked to me, it was as though I was programmed to respond in a certain way. That's what years of an abusive relationship had done to me. It made me say the correct things to ensure my own survival. Now that I was talking to Rob again, it was like getting back on a bike after a few years. The first time was a bit rough, but now I was starting to slide back into what was comfortable. It was more than unsettling.
"I apologize for all of the drama." Rob said as he showed me each bedroom. He wanted me to pick my bedroom, but what he actually meant when he said I could pick whichever one I wanted was that he wanted to pick the one he thought suited me the most. We past the first two, which were both pink and purple. Those wouldn't do for him.
I shook my head. "No, I'M sorry."
That made his ears prick up as he opened the door to the next room. It was too small for what he had planned for me.
I went on. "I'm sorry for pouring that drink on you. To be honest, I felt trapped. I didn't know what to do … there were so many emotions." I hid my face in my hands and made some squeaking noises that could be interpreted as cries.
I knew what Rob wanted. He liked it when people realized he was right all along. The man got off on people groveling at his feet. Especially those who he wanted to be in a relationship with.
He grasped my shoulders and shook me a few times before I looked at him.
"I felt the same way, honey," he was using pet names now. I squinted up at him, trying to put on my saddest face I could. It was difficult to act like a poor, sad girl when all I could feel was unadulterated rage.
"I-I'm so sorry Rob."
"That's okay," he rubbed my back, trying to comfort me. "Let's find you a room."
He meant, let's find you a jail cell.
Finally, we were able to find a room that was suitable for me. It was green-themed, with vines painted up the sides of the walls. There wasn't much in the room, a bed, side tables and a dresser. To the left of the room was a bathroom, which was convenient for me. The windows were large and looked out on what I assumed were the gardens and the Tuscan countryside, but it was too dark to make anything out.
I was shaking, hoping that with all of the action and bloodlust Rob wasn't looking to get physical with me. Luckily, he stood at the door and smiled. Whenever he smiled at me, there was this creepy look about his face. His lips smiled, but his eyes were dead. Nothing was behind them.
"I'll see you in the morning Piper. We'll talk then."
"Goodnight, Rob." I whimpered.
I had never been so happy to see a door shut in my life. As soon as he had walked out of earshot, I quickly made my way over to the window. I couldn't open it. I looked at the latch and my stomach dropped. Someone had hammered nails into the windows so you couldn't open them.
This was a prison, and Rob used it as such more often than I would have liked to think.
I sank to the ground, then realized I still had my phone in my pocket. It was my key to getting out of there. While it could barely work to send texts out in the country and the battery was low, I made a last ditch effort and sent my location to Luca.
I pressed the button. Soon after, the screen went black. There was no telling if it went through.
I sighed and fell onto the fluffy bed. I was trapped in a Tuscan paradise on my honeymoon from hell. I just wished my husband would come save me.
When I awoke, it was morning, the birds were chirping outside, and the sun was streaming through the window. I had fallen asleep on top of the covers, still fully clothed. All of my dreams had been of guns, blood, and violence, so waki
ng up to my peaceful room was a relief. However, I knew that it was just as dangerous in Tuscany as it was back at the club.
I got up and straightened my clothes and hair and went to the bathroom. After using the toilet, I washed my face and used my finger to brush my teeth with toothpaste I found in a drawer.
I glanced at myself in the mirror and the woman who stared back was a stranger. She had dark circles under her eyes from all of the stress and her hair was messy and straw-like, even after a good pat-down. She looked miserable, tired and ready to give up on life.
It had crossed my mind a few times since I arrived at the house. All it took would be one of the dresses in the wardrobe tied to the bar in the closet. The void called me, nothingness more inviting than a life as Rob’s prisoner. The only thing that made the thought leave my mind was the hope that Luca had received my message, that there was still a chance I could get away from him. However, I filed the dark thought away in my mind, just in case I’d need it for later.
Someone knocked on the door to my room, making me jump up. I poked my head out of the bathroom, happy for the interruption from pondering suicide.
"Hello?" I asked.
As soon as I spoke up, Rob came into my room after unlocking my door. He looked refreshed and happy to be alive, unlike myself. Draped over his arm was a white sundress, which he placed across my bed. It had bows on it and I had to take a deep breath to keep myself from grimacing.
"Breakfast is going to be in twenty minutes," he said with a grin. "Go ahead and get ready, I brought you clean clothes for the day."
You can go fuck yourself, I thought. Instead I just said, "Thank you."
He looked me up and down for a few seconds, like he couldn't believe I was in his house. Then he turned and left, locking my door behind him so I couldn't escape. Walking over to the dress, I held it up to inspect it. It was light and airy, but also showed a lot of cleavage. There was no doubt that Rob was making me wear it so he could ogle my figure.