A scream tears through me. My eyes open wide, but all I see is black. I’m tied down to a chair and blind folded. My heart races and my breathing comes up short. No. I shake my head frantically. This can’t be happening. “No!”
Smack! A hand lands hard across my face and whips my head to the side. The sound echoes through the room. I cry out in pain. My shoulders burn from the harsh movement. How long have I been here? Jax. Tears stream down my face. I bite my tongue. I don’t know if they have him. Whoever they are. I don’t know if they even know he exists. I keep my mouth shut. Who the fuck took me? What do they want?
Dom. The air stills in my lungs. Did he do this? My body shudders in agony and my chest aches with betrayal. I shake my head. He wouldn’t do this. How the fuck would I know? I don’t know him. I should’ve never talked to him like that. My shoulders try to turn inward, I try to close myself in, but I can’t. I’m stuck like this.
“Is she finally awake?” My head lifts and turns to a distant voice on my right. I don’t recognize the thick Italian accent.
“Yeah boss.” A very deep voice sounds from right in front of me and I instinctively try to get away. My feet scrape against the floor. Bare feet. It’s to no avail. Two large, cold hands settle on my shoulders and squeeze. It fucking hurts.
A deep, menacing chuckle is followed by the stench of foul breath and cigarette smoke. “You’re not going anywhere… doll.” My stomach drops and my chest hollows. Dom.
“That’s right. We know all about your boyfriend.” The large hands try to pull me forward, which only causes the searing pain to shoot up my shoulders and make me wince.
The other voice that sounded so distant before rings out very clear and very close, “Just answer our questions and we’ll let you go.” A hand reaches out and cups my face. I flinch from the sudden touch and I’m rewarded with another hard slap. I scream out again, against my will.
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I barely get the words out. They have the wrong person. I don’t know him. I only know where his office is and his name. Shame floods me again. I feel like a fucking whore. A stupid slut about to get married because some asshole made me hot and I gave into temptation. This is what happens when you’re bad. This is where you end up.
I try to keel over as a solid fist lands hard in my gut. The need to vomit floods my system and the pain radiates from my stomach to my back. Holy fuck that hurt.
“Don’t fucking lie to us!” The other man, Distant Man yells at me. Tears fall freely as I gasp for air.
“Be a good doll, we need to know where Dom keeps the files for his daddy.”
My head shakes viciously. “I don’t know. I swear I don’t know.” My heart hammers in my chest, beating furiously as if trying to escape. I wait in the silence, for something for anything.
A hard punch lands on my jaw. My bones crunch and I swear something cracks. I sob uncontrollably from the pain.
“You do know. There’s no reason to keep it from us. Just be a good doll. We saw you bring him the money. When he took it, where did he put it and where did he write down the drop. Where does he keep that pad?”
A loud ringing noise sounds in my head. White noise. It’s so loud it nearly drowns out their words. I don’t fucking know. I swear to God I don’t know. I think back to what happened. I try to remember. There was no pad. I think he just tossed the money on the table. I don’t remember. I open my mouth to plead with them, but it scorches with pain. I shake my head and plead with them, “I don’t know. Please. Please let me go.”
I whimper through the pain and prepare for another blow. And it comes. Landing hard in my gut again. I try to crumple over from the agonizing pain, but I can’t. Blood spills from my mouth as I cough it up.
They’re going to kill me. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to save myself.
Tears burn my eyes as my head starts to sway. Dom. Dom please, save me.
My head hangs low as my breathing comes in ragged pulls. He’s not going to save me. Knights in shining armor don’t exist. Even if they did, he wouldn’t be one of them.
Dom
I wake up to my fucking phone going off. I feel like hell. I drank a bottle of Jack last night and I’m really feeling it. But I don’t even fucking care. I feel like shit. Maybe if I drink enough I’ll convince myself the hangover is why my chest aches and the fucking scowl won’t leave my face.
I swallow hard. I don’t give a shit about Becca. I just wanted to fuck that sweet ass of hers. I probably only wanted her because she was such a challenge. I shake my head, slowly so I don’t make myself any dizzier than I am. That’s all it was. She was just a bit harder to get. That’s the only reason I wanted her. The only reason she got under my skin.
“This better be good.” I answer the phone with a pissed off tone. I don’t feel like doing shit today. I half hope that someone comes without their money. No, fuck that. I’ll just go to the gym. It’s been a while since I’ve really pushed myself with the punching bags.
“Boss.” I jack knife off the bed at Johnny’s tone. I wait silently. Something’s wrong. I don’t like how long he waits. I can hear him taking in a heavy breath.
“Spit it out.” I can only imagine it’s Vince. They must’ve got him on some fucked up charge.
“We gotta message, Boss. I don’t know how they found her.” My heart drops like a fucking anchor. He quickly adds, “I swear there was nothing on the tapes. I don’t know how they got her.” His voice raises with anxiety.
“Tell me everything Johnny.” I’m calm. Deadly calm. Suddenly, I don’t feel a fucking thing from my hang over. All I see is red.
“I got a text. A video. They have your girl, Rebecca.”
“Who and where?” That’s all that matters. I just need that and I’ll get her back. She’s mine. I don’t give a fuck what she said last night in the heat of the moment. I don’t give a fuck if she pushes me away again.
She’s mine.
“De Luca.” I hear Johnny swallow and that pisses me off. I wait for more while I climb out of bed and throw on the first clothes I find. Sweats and a white tee.
I snarl into the phone, “where!” He better fucking know.
“We’re on it now.” My hand tightens around the phone and I have to close my eyes. My shoulders rise and fall with my angered breaths.
“Someone decided to send us a message. To send me a message. And they didn’t give any instructions? You aren’t able to track the message?”
“It-It’s just a video.” My blood turns to ice. A video means there’s something to see. Fuck, no. I wait for more. I don’t want to ask.
“They roughed her up, Dom.” I can’t breathe. I swallow down my heart that’s trying to climb out of my throat.
“She alright Johnny?”
“She’ll be alright. I promise you Dom. We’ll get her back and she’ll be alright.” I wanna ask, but I can’t. I just need to get to her. I need to see for myself.
“What about her son?” A panic spreads through every inch of me. He’s just a child. They better not have touched him.
“Preschool. He’s still in class.”
“Get him out now. Give him to Ma and don’t let either of them out of your sight. You hear me Johnny?”
“I got you Boss. I’m on it.” Damn right he is. No harm is coming to her son. No one’s hurting him. Over my dead body.
“We’ve got to find Becca now Johnny. How long ago did the video come in?”
“Fifteen minutes.” He’s quick to answer.
“How long does Tony need?” I ask with a calmer voice than I thought I could manage. I shove my shoes on and walk out the door with my keys in my hand. I don’t know where to go. I don’t know where she is. But I can’t fucking sit around just waiting. I need to do something.
I’m the reason she’s in this mess.
“Any minute. We’ll know any minute now.” He answers.
“I’m calling Tony. Call me the second you hear anything.”
“
I will, Boss.”
I hang up the phone and quickly dial Tony’s number. As I listen to it ringing, the full weight of everything crushes my chest.
It’s my fault.
I led them to her.
I must have. I couldn’t stay away. I ruined her.
My eyes close as the phone goes to voice mail. Because of me, she may be dead right now.
“You sure this is it?” I’ve got two guns on me in the holsters and another in my lap. I chamber the round and sit forward in my seat looking at the run down warehouse. They better fucking be in there. It’s been forty minutes. That’s too fucking long. I watched that video over and over, looking for any kind of clue. My gut sinks and my fists clench. My poor Becca. She doesn’t deserve this shit. I got her into this mess and I’m gonna get her out.
“This is it boss.” Johnny answers. Vince leans between the two seats as the car behind us parks.
“Time to kill some De Luca fuckers.”
“Let’s go.” I’m the first out of the car. If they’ve got eyes on the parking lot, they’re gonna see us coming. There’s no way around it. It’s a warehouse in the middle of no where on a huge concrete pad with a run way for planes. There’s no hiding. No getting in or out undetected.
I hear the guys get out and come up behind me as another one of our cars pulls in. I don’t wait though. I’ve waited long enough. All of us will come. The entire family is coming to kill these fuckers. You don’t mess with one of us and get away. We’ll find you. We’ll hunt you down and make you pay.
That’s what we do.
Jack is the only one not here. But he’d be here if he could. I know he would.
We make a V, with me leading the way to the large steel double doors. There’s a chain and a lock on it. Anthony comes up behind me with the bolt cutters while we all keep our guns raised. The heavy steel chain drops to the ground with a loud clank and he quickly bends and pulls it away so I can pull the doors apart. They open with a loud groan.
They definitely know we’re here.
A cold sweat breaks across my body. They better not of touched her. That image that flashed through my mind yesterday, of her cold and dead on the ground, it flashes into my vision. I try to blink it away, but it won’t. I shake my head and grind my teeth. My gun held high. The huge room is empty. Concrete floors that are run down, but bare. No place to hide. Which is good and bad. It’s two stories with a racketing thin hall lining the upper level. It’s made of wire mesh flooring so each inch is visible. Six doors on each level. Two on each side and the back wall.
She’s behind one of them. Twelve doors to look through.
My gun moves to each door, each corner. Empty.
“Start at the left. Bottom floor.” I call out with determination and confidence.
“We splittin’ Dom?” My Pops voice rings out, but I shake my head. I’m calling the shots. My problem and my girl. I’m grateful Pop’s is ready to back me up. I don’t know how many of them there are. I want our numbers high.
I lower my hand with the gun down as I reach the door. I look back at the crew as I test the handle. Locked. I bet they’re all fucking locked. They’re steel doors. Not fucking easy to break down, but we got this.
I put my gun up to the keyhole and fire. Once, twice, three times. I give it a hard kick and it jostles slightly. Another shot and another kick. Everyone has their guns ready to fire as the doors open. They swing open with a bang, crashing into the walls. Boxes are piled high, nearly to the ceiling in several rows. I take a step in with caution, moving my gun. But a faint muffled sound from a distance makes me stop.
I motion for everyone to be still. I swear I heard something. I swear I did. I almost move forward but then I hear it. Not this room. I hustle my ass past everyone and on to the next. My Becca. I hear it clearer as I reach the door in the back left corner.
Locked.
Bang! Bang! Bang! I kick it open with no mercy, making my leg scream in pain. Again. I fire and then so does Johnny. We fire together, kick together. The door swings open and my heart stops. My Becca is hanging upside down, tied up by her ankles over a sink to the right of the room. Her head has her just barely balanced on the edge of a sink that’s over flowing. Her hair is soaked.
They left her to drown. They tied her up and put her head in a sink and filled it. As I take in the sight of her, she slips and her head falls back into the water. I run to her as her body thrashes and she tries to swing herself to the edge again. I pull her head out as soon as I get to her. Guns fire around me. I don’t even know where mine is. I don’t look up. A bullet whizzes by my head. Men shoot. My family and others. Foot steps ring out on the steel stairs at the back of the room. More gun shots. But all I can really hear is my doll breathing. Gasping for air.
My fighter. My survivor. I rip the soaked blind fold off her eyes and turn off the faucet.
“It’s alright. I got you.”
“Dom!” She screams out and sputters up water.
“It’s me, doll I got you.” She shudders in my arms as I lift her weight up and try to cradle her body as best I can. My entire body is trembling. Loud, heavy footsteps race towards me. The screaming has stopped. The guns aren’t firing anymore.
“They got away Boss.” I barely hear Johnny yell. I don’t care.
“Jax?” Becca’s head falls back heavy against my arm. She shaking from the freezing water. Her skin is ice cold and pale. Her teeth chatter and eyes don’t focus on me.
“He’s safe, doll. You’re both safe I got you.”
At my words, her body goes limp. Her eyes close. Fuck no. I jostle her in my arms, but she’s still.
“Help her!” I hold her closer to me and shake her body to try to wake her as I scream. “Somebody help me get her down!”
Dom
“You sure Dom?” Jack’s voice echoes in my head and I scowl.
I want to smash his fucking teeth in. I get that his woman, his wife, was ready to rat on him. I fucking understand. But this isn’t his woman. Becca isn’t a rat. I got her into that shit. She’s not at fault in any way.
And what he’s implying is unforgivable.
“If anyone,” my voice is low and deadly as I turn to face him and stare straight into his eyes with my hard gaze. I want what I say to be heard and understood. “Anyone touches her or implies that any harm should come to her or her son, I will slit your fucking throat open.”
“Just calm down Dom.” I look at my father like he’s the one who said it. Because he’s keeping me from destroying Jack. My fists are clenched so tight my knuckles are white. How could he fucking imply that we should kill her?
“She’s just seen a lot is all.” He leans back against the bookshelves in the office and I turn my head slowly to stare him down. Vince, Pops, Jack and I are in the office. Pop’s office. It’s a dark room with thick curtains and dark chestnut bookshelves lining the wall. They’re filled to the brim. Pop’s loves to read, but he also likes to hide shit. I know some of the books are for his secrets. I just don’t know which books, or which secrets.
Vince paces by the door with his hands in his pockets, his head bowed, staring at the antique rug as he walks. He doesn’t look up to respond to Jack, “she hasn’t even come to. We don’t know what she’s seen.”
“She was conscious when we were shooting. It doesn’t matter that we saved her. She could blab. She could sell us out.”
My father’s hands come down on my chest and then shoulders, shoving me into the seat in front of his desk. My breath is caught in my throat and adrenaline courses through my blood.
“That’s enough Jack!” He yells at Jack but his eyes are on me. I can feel them boring into me, but I’m not looking back at him. My eyes are shooting daggers at Jack. I fucking told him to shut his mouth. I don’t give a shit that he’s the under boss. Pops knows it. Jack’s days are numbered. I won’t allow it. I won’t allow anyone to keep breathing if they so much as think of touching my girl.
I shove my Pops away and sit
back in my seat, crossing my arms. I can’t turn my face neutral. I look pissed cause I am pissed. But I’ll bide my time, I’ll wait. But I’m not going to let him live.
“You need to calm down Dom; just think this through.” My father’s voice is calm and even. My brows furrow and I glare at him. He can’t be fucking serious. A look of shock crosses his face, “Between you and Jack. Just calm down, think it through.”
My tense shoulders relax slightly. I nod my head. He means me fucking up Jack. Thank fuck. I don’t know what I would do if he was talking about my doll. I swallow thickly and spear my hands through my hair and then grip it while I lean back in my seat. I stare at the office ceiling.
I just can’t get the image of her hanging there out of my head. Her face is bruised. Her eye, her cheek. She obviously hit her head more than a few times trying to balance herself on the edge of that industrial, steel sink. But it’s more than that. The bruises, the blood, they really fucked her up. All because of me.
She’s in my bedroom. My old bedroom at my parent’s house. Just a few doors down. She hasn’t woken up yet and that scares the shit out of me. Her skin was ice cold and pale. When the doctor stripped her down I saw the stab wounds on her legs. They didn’t show any mercy. Tears prick at my eyes, but I will them down. It’s all because of me. Cause I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants.
Jax is down stairs playing with Gino. I’m glad the two of them hit it off. Jimmy brought some remote controlled monster trucks over and the two of them are crashing them into each other. He keeps asking for her though, looking around all worried. Ma’s got it taken care of though. I’m sure as hell not letting him see her like that. I don’t want to scare him. I have to protect the little guy as best I can. Luckily Paulie’s the only one those fuckers managed to hit and it was only his leg. Doc took care of that with a quick stitch. A few days off and some whiskey will have Paulie good as new.
Dirty Dom: Valetti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) Page 8