by Fariah Zaidi
She looked nothing like the pictures Stefan and I had found in Rafael’s phone.
The pastel formals and floral dresses had been swapped for skintight leather pants and a black leather jacket with towering black heels. The wavy golden hair was now black and tightly wound in a high ponytail. And finally, the nude makeup had been swapped for edgy, smokey-eyes and dark rusty lipstick.
She looked every bit as beautiful, but right now, the leather overhaul made her look like one of those wannabe assassins from criminal movies.
“I see you recognize me.” she smiled, flashing a set of pearly whites, “My real name is Sienna by the way.”
“Talk about two-faced.” I commented, still taking in the transformation.
She laughed an actual, humorous laugh.
“I’m surprised you know me at all.” she started, “Rafael promised me he hadn’t told anyone.”
“Well, after you and this asshole here had him beaten and whipped,” I tilted my head towards Valentin, “we kinda found out.”
For the slightest, most minute of the moments, I saw a flash of remorse pass through Brooke-Sienna’s eyes. Just a moment, and then it was gone. But it was enough.
“Feeling guilty, are we?” I smirked at her.
But her façade was back on. And even stronger this time. She simply rolled her eyes dramatically and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees.
“Honey, your precious Rafael was my easiest honey-trap till date. It took three dates for me to convince him that I was some small-town girl with big dreams. The pathetic sucker was on his knees like that,” she snapped her fingers for added effect.
“I’m curious though,” I said after a moment, “What did you get out of this? I mean, what does this snake have on you that you’re going to such lengths for him?”
“Watch that mouth of yours.” Valentin warned me, who until now had been silently enjoying our conversation. But I ignored him and went on.
“Surely, you must have heard of Rafael before you went to play him. He is, after all, Stefan Esposito’s underboss. Are you sure he didn’t know about you already? Are you sure he wasn’t playing you just like you were playing him?”
My statement caused Sienna’s eyes to squint in doubt. Even Valentin’s. But even then she looked back at me.
“I got my job done, honey. And even if he did know about me, about my plans, he didn’t do much about it. So, in the end, it’s a matter of where his loyalties lay. He could’ve saved you and he didn’t.”
“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes this time, “you and I both know that’s a deflective answer full of bullshit. Allow me to let you in on something not so secret- Rafael is the most loyal person you’ll ever find. He’d rather die that betray his Family. So, if you think you’ve got him wrapped around your finger, you’re dead wrong. I feel sorry for what’s gonna happen to you when he comes for you.”
And there it was again. That sudden flash of fear and remorse I’d seen a few minutes ago.
“You seem to rest a lot of your hopes on them- Stefan and Rafael and the rest.” Valentin cleared his throat, “And yet, here you are with me. What makes you think you’re getting out of this so easily?”
“Oh, it won’t be easy.” I shrugged, “I made my peace with it a long time back. But I will get out.”
“And what if you don’t?” Valentin’s tiny ego took that as a challenge, as he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Then I’ll kill you myself.” I smiled.
And that’s when it seemed he’d had enough. He moved from his seat and towered above me, with the most terrifying snarl on his face. I gasped loudly when he buried his hand in my hair and yanked my head back with a painful tug.
“We are getting married in four days.” he gritted, “You are going to be mine. You are going to be my wife. Obey me and I’ll reward you, fail to do so and your punishments will be severe.”
My eyes watered against the searing pain in my scalp when he let go of me and pushed me back.
“And if you ever, ever disrespect me again,” he smirked darkly, his eyes travelling over my body, “well, we could always have a do-over of our first night.”
“You bastard!” I reached for him with a snarl. I was furious, enraged. How dare he?
But he skipped out of the way and moved back with a laugh while I was tugged back by the handcuffs on my wrist. God, if I only I could get my hands on him. I hated him. I hated him so much!
And then I watched him take out a gun from his pocket. Just like last time, I didn’t get to react when he aimed it at me and fired, the tranquilizer pricking me in my arm. And just like last time, the searing pain erupted in its place.
Sienna followed him as he headed back through the door at the end of the cabin. She took one last look behind her, winked at me and then left.
I slumped back in my seat, my emotions in overdrive. My heart was still pounding, and my eyes were still burning with tears. But I couldn’t focus on anything except for the drowsiness that overcame me as the drug began taking effect. My last thought was the deadline Valentin had revealed- four days.
What’s going to happen in four days?
Stefan
Beep. Beep. Beep.
What was that?
I tried to open my eyes. But my lids felt heavy. Everything felt heavy. I tried to move, shift a little.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Doctor? Doctor! I think he’s waking up!” someone shouted, “Dr. Khan?”
I opened my eyes this time, putting in all my energy. All I saw was black.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
What the hell was that?
My vision slowly started to clear. The morphed objects around me finally started to fall into shape- a small table, chairs, a couch in one corner. And when I turned to my right, there was Enzo and behind him was Dr. Khan.
“Stefan? Can you tell me how you’re feeling?”
“Water.” I croaked.
At once Enzo held a straw to my lips and I gulped down the cool liquid, almost crying from relief. The moment my head cleared, and my vision settled, I sat up in bed, ignoring the protests of my body.
“Stefan, take it easy.” Dr. Khan warned me.
“Where the hell am I?”
“In one of the bedrooms downstairs at the mansion.” she replied, “I was called after you got injured in the crash.”
“What the hell happened?” I turned to Enzo.
My words were slow. My memory even slower. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t recall anything past being in the car with Zara.
Zara.
“Where is she?”
My question made Enzo very, very uncomfortable. He didn’t meet my eyes and looked down at the floor, shifting in his position.
“Enzo, if you do not tell me where Zara is, so help me God, I will-”
“He has her.”
Dread. That’s what I felt in that moment. Even through the high of the painkillers, it seeped under my skin and froze in my veins at an alarming rate.
And then I was moving. I ripped the IV off my arm and got off the bed, noticing for the first time my bloodied clothes. I ignored the pain in my body, in my head and moved for the couch which housed my jacket, shoes and my watch.
Dr. Khan stepped in front of me, placing a firm hand on my chest, “You’re not fit to do anything quite yet. Yes, your other injuries aren’t severe but that wound on your head is.”
“Meera,” I grabbed her wrist, “I respect the hell out of you, but don’t you dare stop me right now. I need to go help my girl.”
And then I turned to Enzo.
“I need to know what the fuck happened with us, how he reached us and where the hell he took her.”
It took Enzo five minutes to fill me in on what happened. The guilt I’d been feeling kept building up.
“I was there.” I whispered, “I was right there when he took her.”
And without another word, I turned around and headed outside. I saw Mama Bella, Ria, Vincent
and all others gathered out in the hall. I saw my soldiers standing by the front door, their heads bent in shame.
Nothing mattered. None of them.
All I could think about was how I was there, and I couldn’t save her. My heart hurt, my head spun, and I could feel the pain meds wearing off. I felt defeated. Broken.
I headed straight up the stairs, stumbling a couple of times. Even when I fell once, I heard someone jog for my help. But I didn’t want it. I didn’t turn around to see who it was, I just raised my hand in a dismissive motion and carried myself up.
The moment I opened her bedroom door, I was attacked by her scent. Her sweet, lingering scent. I almost believed she would come barging about and throw her arms around my neck in a warm embrace.
But I came up empty.
That was my undoing.
And I broke down.
Sixteen:
Rise
Stefan
For the first time in years, I cried.
My knees gave away beneath me and I fell to the floor, clutching my face in my hands. I broke down into nerve-wracking sobs, my body shaking with each breath I took. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but I didn’t bother to wipe them.
My soul felt tortured as I relived, again and again, the events of today, cursing myself over how easily the monster took Zara away from me. I’d failed her yet again. After promising her that I would never let Valentin hurt her in any way, I couldn’t stop him. The guilt, the shame and the pain tormented me so much that I wanted to rip my heart out. I just wanted everything to stop hurting. God knows where she might be right now, what had he might have done to her.
When I felt a slim pair of hands wrap around me, I gave in. I clutched at Mama Bella and buried my face in her lap, overwhelmed by the fresh wave of tears that came over me.
“Hush now,” she whispered, her own voice shaking, “I’m here. I’m here for you honey.”
“I failed her again.” I sobbed, “I failed them both.”
“Don’t say that.” she admonished softly, “You couldn’t have done anything.”
“Valentin has her, Mama.” I whispered, my voice dry and raspy, “He’s going to hurt her again. He will break her.”
She made me sit up, gently raising my chin to meet my eyes. It was clear she’d been crying too. She held my face with both her hands and wiped away my tears with the pad of her thumbs.
“Listen here son and listen good. You still have a chance. It hasn’t been that long. You can still find her and bring her back. Remember your purpose and remember your creed. This war has been a long time coming. We’re going to finish what those bastards started almost twenty years ago. We may be broken Stefan, but we never, ever turn away from a war.”
It’s been a long time coming.
“Show them who the real king is. Show them your wrath.”
Zara
The next time my eyes opened, I found myself in a bedroom.
I pushed aside the covers and stood up in a panic, almost stumbling at the sudden rush in my head. I remembered the car crash, a wounded Stefan, waking up in an airplane, Valentin, Sienna, the tranquilizer, its searing pain- everything.
I rushed to the door, turning the knob frantically. But of course, it was locked. I ran to the windows, but they were barred.
Where the hell was I?
The bedroom was large, with hardwood floors and expensive furniture like a grey couch, a small table, a couple of chairs and a queen-size bed against one wall. It was bare of any other décor save for a large painting right above the bed. I peeked inside one of the doors that lead to a bathroom and another that led to a small closet.
When I finally got fed up, I resorted to banging on the bedroom door.
“Hello? Hello! Let me out, let me out, you assholes!”
It was several minutes later that I heard approaching footsteps and the jingling of keys. Cautiously backing away from the door, I stood at a safe distance, watching the handle turn and the door was pushed open.
And like every other time, the moment I saw Valentin’s face, I wanted to run away. Alas, there was no place to run. I could only stand there and wait for him to walk in, gloating and proud of what he had achieved today- me.
“There’s my lovely bride.” he smiled, moving towards me. His slow, taunting steps caused me to move back too, until the back of my legs hit the couch. I fell back with a yelp, instantly scrambling to get up. But he was on me. He leaned forward with his knee on the couch, until his face was inches away from mine.
My eyes came in contact with his green ones and the horror of that night began rushing to the surface. I held back my tears and gulped as he lightly caressed my cheek, his fingers slowly moving further down.
I recoiled, hating the way his eyes brightened with lust. My skin crawled and my stomach rolled with disgust.
“I’ve waited so long to have you.” he whispered, his hand right near my chest, “But I’ll wait three more days, until our wedding night.”
I wanted to cry out in relief when he declared that. But all I could do in that moment was close my eyes tightly as he bent down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
And then he was gone.
The moment he locked the door behind him, I scrambled from the couch, ran straight to the bathroom and threw up. My stomach rolled over and over again as I retched, clutching the sides of the pot for dear life.
It was only when I felt someone’s hand softly caress my head did I look up, only to find Sienna standing there with a look of pity of her face.
“Get the fuck away from me.” I spat venomously, slapping her hand away.
She only sighed and without any hesitation, hooked her hand under my arm and pulled me up. I swayed a little from the sudden rush, but I couldn’t deny how I felt somewhat better after having thrown up.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, sweetheart,” Sienna drew my attention to herself, “you are going to take a shower, because well, you’re dirty as hell. Then we’re going to clean up all your cuts and put you in a nice pair of clothes after which I’ll finally get you a hot meal. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like you can kiss my ass.” I muttered, shoving her from my way so I could get to the sink. I looked for a spare toothbrush and some toothpaste to brush my teeth, splashed some cold water on my face. Sienna followed me into the bedroom, as I took a seat on the couch and looked at her. I’d noticed a pair of jeans, a white top and a pair of slippers on the bed.
“Look, I know you’re mad at me-” she started.
“Mad at you?” I scoffed, “I’m going to put a bullet in that two-faced head of yours the first chance I get.”
“Look, there is still a lot that you don’t know yet.”
“I’m sure I don’t. But nothing will change the fact that because of you, one of my closest friends has scars that’ll probably never fade.”
“What if I told you that that it wasn’t me? What if I told you that I actually tried to save Rafael that day?”
“Then I’m going to tell you to fuck the hell off. If it’s the victim card that you’re trying to play here, save it.”
“Like I said, there’s a lot you don’t know yet.” she sighed, “You have to give me a chance to explain. I’m on your side here.”
“Let’s break down the facts, shall we?” I leaned forward, “You entered my Family’s business by lying, then you seduced the underboss, then you had him beaten up and then you helped kidnap me- all under Valentin’s order. By the way, did I tell you that he raped me two years ago? And killed my parents?”
She smiled. She actually had the guts to smile.
“I’m glad to see how amusing my misery is to you.”
“It’s not that.” she waved her hand, “It’s just that I’ve heard about your sarcasm from Rafael. And boy, he was right.”
I got speechless, confused for a moment at this sudden revelation.
“Rafael talked to you about me?” I asked.
“All the time. He was quite fond
of you. I thought he was in love with you or something, at first. But then I slowly realized it was admiration.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“So that you’ll know that I wasn’t in it just to betray him in the end. I was at first, yes, but I fell for him.”
Even as I looked at her, I couldn’t help but recall something Stefan had told me a long time ago. The eyes never lie. There was something in Sienna’s eyes that reflected the truth in her words. My gut told me to give her a chance. No matter how much I didn’t want to believe her, her eyes were begging to tell me something.
“And besides, Rafael isn’t the only connection I have to the Esposito Family. There’s another connection too, one that runs way back.”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed loudly, “Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that you’re related to Stefan or something.”
Silence. Sienna sat back and looked at me hard, not saying a word.
My supposedly sarcastic reply had apparently hit the nail on the head.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” I mumbled, sitting up straight.
“I am Stefan’s half-sister.”
Stefan
I walked through a sea of dead bodies and blood that covered the floor of the club. The owner, another close aid of Valentin’s lay gasping on a heap of his own men, with a hand pressed to his neck from where I’d sliced it open.
“I-I have a family.” he begged, stumbling over his own words, “Wi-wife and two d-daughters.”
My soldiers were dousing the place with gasoline around me as I crouched down next to him, digging a finger to the stab wound on his thigh. He couldn’t even scream. A couple more moments and then he’d be gone. Had it been anyone, anyone else, I would’ve hesitated. But the fact that he was a Romano triggered me above all else. It was no longer about dragging their asses to the basement. It was no longer about torturing out information.
All my mind raged about was Zara. My brave, brave queen. I couldn’t even imagine what she was going through right now. Alone and helpless with the devil.
“No mercy.” I gritted, standing up to my full height. I turned around and headed to the front door, taking out a lighter from my pocket. Snapping it open, I threw it on the trail of gasoline that ran all the way inside the club. The flames licked hungrily anything that came in contact- tables, chairs, drapes, everything.