by N. Tetterton
Then he halts.
“… De Santis.” Is all I hear from the stage and my head snaps to look at him as he shrugs, removes his fingers from inside of me,. leans over, kisses me even with the shocked look on my face, and he stands, buttoning his tux jacket, and walks up to the stage. The slideshow of pictures shocks me as they all show moments with Luce and kids and I realize that the entire banquet is for him. His donations and what seems like time he spends in the children’s hospital.
I sit stunned as he nods and says a few words, not really being able to really listen to what he is saying because the shock of this realization is almost too much. This entire time I have been thinking of what a horrible man that he was and all along he had some good qualities, after all.
Shocking that maybe even the devil has his own morals, after all.
When Luce walks back over to the table, he sits down as I smirk up at him. “What?”
“You do have a heart.” I tease him as I take a sip from the glass that sits in front of me.
“It’s just business.” He tells me, causing me to laugh and the rest of the table to look at us.
“Bullshit.” I look up to him as my smirk grows and I can see out of the corner of my eye that the rest of the table turns, looking away from us quickly, I’m sure because no one wants to see how Luce De Santis’s date talking back to him like this is going to play out. I watch as his jaw ticks, fueling my bratty attitude to grow. “You looked happy in those pictures.” If it wasn’t for the people talking around us, I’m sure that I could hear his teeth grinding together.
“You better watch yourself, Little Girl.” He glares at me, leaning in to me so only I can hear him. I don’t let my face falter. “It’s just business. You throw around enough blood money and even the most law-abiding citizen will stop being able to see a difference.” Rolling my eyes blatantly in his face, I turn back in my seat, sitting straight and he growls just loud enough for me to hear him. I’m sure edging closer to pissed off at me, rolling my eyes at him again. Now, I’m just tempting fate.
I’m sitting next to him as people come up and talk to him about business. I feel like this is what it feels like to be a trophy wife. No one takes you seriously, you’re just a pretty face that’s there, like good art. Throughout the conversations, I feel Luce reach over and place his hand between my thighs. He doesn’t look over at me, just continues in the conversation, but I can read the action. He’s trying to tell me he knows I’m bored and that he’s sorry. Also he’s appreciative that I’m here with him… even if he could never tell me that, himself. I create characters and backstories for each person, mostly men, who approaches us.
After the man who looks like a cross of Col. Sanders and Yoshi from Super Mario Brothers, I’ve named him Col. Yoshi, leaves. I lean over to Luce. “I’m going to get another drink. Do you want one?” He slowly shakes his head before he looks at me, cutting his eyes. I’m sure that he’s debating whether I need another drink. “I’m fine. Full motor functions. I’m going to need at least one more if I’m going to get through the rest of this.” His face falls as much as Luce’s face changes, when he’s out in public, and he nods his head slowly. The action clearly tells me he knows I’m fucking bored out of my mind.
I slowly hold out my hand and he looks at me, confused. “It’s an open bar.”
“I know.” I nod my head, smirking. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to tip them.” Smirking, he reaches into his jacket pocket and hands me a 5 dollar bill. Looking highly underwhelmed, I continue to hold out my hand until he actually chuckles at me and then he hands over his entire wallet. “Thank you.” I smirk back at him as I open it and pull out a 50, before handing it back over and leaving the table.
As I approach the bar, one bartender stops what he is doing and moves over as I close in on it. I can only assume that he remembers me being up here with the honoree earlier… or he knows who Luce actually is. I can never really be sure which one.
“Another round?” He asks.
“Just one more for me, please.” I smile at him as I slide the bill over to him and he looks confused as he hands me the vodka soda back over and I smile as I start to leave the bar.
“You know, they get a percentage of the event, right?” the voice sounds from next to me. Looking over, I see a man standing and smiling at me.
“I know.” I nod my head, politely smiling at him.
As I turn and walk away he reaches up, holding me to my place as he laughs, “These things are always boring.”
As soon as his hand touches my arm, I grimace, looking down at it. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“Why’s that sweetheart?” The way that he says sweetheart causes my skin to crawl.
“I’m here with someone.” I tell him, honestly.
“I’m sure you are.” He raises his eyebrows as he blatantly runs his eyes down my body.
❖
Luce
Glancing over at the bar, I see a man talking to Nyx as she starts to walk away.
I want to run over to her and fucking take her out of here, over my shoulder, but I force myself to not cause a scene. When he puts his hand on her arm, I can no longer hear what everyone is saying at the table. I just watch as she glances down at it and then back to him. I can see on her face that he should be worried, and if I didn’t absolutely know that she can handle herself in any situation that she doesn’t want to be in, then I would go over and intervene. After Nyx scarred my face and held a gun to my nuts, I’m convinced that she doesn’t need anyone to fight her battles.
Yet, I keep an eye on her just in case.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” I glance over at her quickly as she looks up at me after sitting down in her chair.
“What?”
“I saw you over there with him.” Glancing over, I’m not even sure why I’m sounding jealous right now.
“We were just talking.” She shrugs as she takes a swing of her drink and he glances over to her before his eyes widen as he locks eyes with me. “I told him I was here with someone.”
Someone, she said, fucking someone and not something closer to the man who will spread your body out for the pigs to eat later tonight if you don’t watch yourself. “I’m sure he understood.”
“He didn’t.” She glances down at her drink before she looks back up at me.
“Well, you obviously didn’t tell him who you belong to.” Reaching down, I pull her chair into me, but she doesn’t answer. She only continues to stare up at me.
“I don’t belong to anyone.” She glares back at me. Then she leans into me. “If you are asking if I told him I am here with you. No, I did not.” I clasp my hand around the back of her neck as she shifts in her chair. “Not because I didn’t want him to know, but because I didn’t want him to make a mess when he pissed himself in fear.” Cutting my eyes to her, she smiles before she leans in and kisses me once and leans into my ear. She slips her hand into my pocket as she rubs her hand up my hardening cock. “Should I show you right here who it is I’m really thinking about?” Cutting my eyes, she hesitates for a second and then laughs.
“Little Girl,” I grip a hold of her wrist, “you better stop trying and tease me before I put you over my lap in front of everyone.”
“Dare you.” She looks up at me, trying me. Then she laughs, “You’re too territorial to put me over your lap and pull up my dress in front of everyone.” She smirks up at me. Then she stands up and walks away from the table toward the bathrooms.
“De Santis.” The man from the bar walks up to the table, placing his hand on the chair, leaning on to it. I say nothing to him, just nod. “I didn’t see her over here with you before I said anything.”
“Maybe you should pay a little more attention to your surroundings.” I nod to him. Slowly he nods his head and starts to say something until Blaine is speaking low to me.
“You need to come quick.” He mutters to me and I stand, not even looking at him befor
ehand, because if he tells me I need to come… I need to come.
I’m looking around for Nyx when Blaine talks again. “You won’t find her.” Internally, I start to panic. “We tried to stop her, but the valet had already brought the car around when we actually saw her.”
“What?” I snap to him as I reach into my pocket for the valet ticket, to get my car back, but notice that the ticket is no longer in my pocket. And I put all the pieces together. She wasn’t trying to tease me, she was distracting me as she took the ticket and got the car, which can only mean that she is on the run… again.
“She took the car and left.” As we move out of the doors of the building, Gunner is waiting with the SUV. Blaine tries to make it to the driver's door, but he gets my point as I push past him and get in the driver’s seat. Then we’re out of the parking lot. “Sal’s already following her.” He tells me as I just nod my head.
Sal’s voice echoes through the car as he says, “We lost her.”
“What?” I snap at him.
“Ugh, Boss, we lost her. She got out of our sight.”
“Fuck,” I snap before I hang up the phone. Picking up my own, I pull up the app for my car and track it back. “What the?” I mutter immediately, turning the SUV around and heading in the direction that it tells me too.
❖
Sliding into the driveway, I come up behind the car.
“Why would she just steal the car to come back here?” Gunner asks no one in particular as he looks up to the house.
“I’m not sure.” I mutter as I hop out of the car because I know something is wrong. All the lights in the house are out and the front door is wide open.
“Boss, don’t go in.” Gunner calls to me as I turn and look at him.
“He’s right. It could be a trap. Wait for everyone to get here.”
Pulling the gun out from under my jacket and pushing the door the remaining way open with it, I quietly walk through the entryway. We were only minutes behind her, but when shit like this happens… minutes are a long time. Anything can happen. Turning towards the living room, I hold my hand out to stop the men as, for a second we take in the scene. 100 feet from us, Nyx is hung from a rope on the ceiling and her head is slumped forward between her arms. They cut the dress that she left the party in from the slit in the leg up, that hours before I was teasing her through, and to its neckline. It’s still on her body, but it’s barely hanging on by the small straps that hold it on to her arms.
“Fuckin’ bitch.” The man standing in front of Nyx winds his arm up and strikes her already slumping face. Suddenly, her dress falls to the floor as the one behind her cuts the straps on the top, exposing her tits, and he leans over, bringing the knife up to her side. I nod to my men and we quickly go into the room.
Gunner snatches up the man with the knife as Blaine grabs at the one who was striking Nyx, and I reach up, cutting the rope that holds her, as she falls into my arms. Leaning over and picking her legs up over my arm, looking over to see the man who is standing in front of Nyx with his belt undone and I see red. I need to get her somewhere safe before I can deal with them.
The realization quickly dawns on me that this is the first time in my life that someone’s well-being has trumped dealing with business.
But then again, this isn’t business, this is entirely personal.
I have no fucking clue where Ruby is during all of this.
But that question is quickly answered as I walk down the hallway and find her laying lifeless there.
Fuck.
Three flights of stairs with someone who is nearly dead weight even cause someone who is in shape to become winded. Once I lie her down on the bed, I pull out my phone and call a cleaner as I wait for Doc. Then I strip out the button-down tuxedo shirt and toss it into the dirty clothes.
It doesn’t take Doc long to get to the house and up the stairs into the bedroom. “I got her, Luce.” He nods to me before I’m out of the room and back down the flights of stairs until I’m in the basement. This part of the basement isn’t like the part where Nyx was locked in a few years ago.
No, this part of the basement is primarily for these types of encounters. Pushing the door open, I see one man chained up to the wall from the ceiling. Ironically, in the exact position that Nyx was just in. Blaine and Gunner are both in here and as they lift his head, I see that it’s the man who was cutting her dress off of her. “Who is he?”
“Tadeo ‘Tarzan’ Ochoa.”
“Shit,” I mutter, “wake him up.” I’m pissed. This is the man who was slamming Nyx around and was planning on doing things to her I am only allowed to do now.
“He’s not going to talk.” Blaine says and I just nod my head. I know that he won’t… The smelling salts come out and Tarzan is looking at me.
“¿Quién te crees?” He shouts up to me.
“I’m the man whose house you just broke into.”
“Jódete, nunca te diré nada.” He shouts again.
“Fair enough.” I tilt my head for a second before raising my arm and pulling the trigger. The blood that sprays the wall behind him doesn’t even phase me anymore.
Moving over to the second man in the room, I nod in his direction.
“Who is he?”
“Cruz Belmonte.” I look at him, curious, when he adds. “One of Arlo’s lieutenants.” Blaine pops the smelling salts underneath his nose. Cruz pops his head up and looks up at me quickly.
“You have made a powerful enemy.” He tells me, causing me to laugh as I look over at Blaine.
“I’ve made my share of powerful enemies over the years.” I laugh as I gently slap the side of his face and add. “You know, who’s not here? Who was it you think took down the Walsh clan? Who do you think ended the Conte family? The Markov Bravata? Cassius De Santis?” I laugh out, “That’s right, I had no qualms taking down my own father, so you might as well add the Javier Cartel to that list.” Moving around him strategically so that he has to see his counterpart hanging from the ceiling sans important brain matter.
“I- uh- was only following orders.” He quickly shouts out to me. I feel somewhat relieved that he may talk to me after-all. “You know how it is.” He mumbles to himself, causing me to laugh.
“No, I don't. Tell me, how is it?” I ask him as I pull the chair behind me closer, the back of the chair closer to him as I step over the seat and sit down, leaning onto the backrest, with the gun still in my right hand and I lay it across the back of the chair, and propping my head up with my left hand.
“Uh,” he pauses as he looks up at me. “I have to follow them.” He stammers over his words before I laugh out and look back to my men as they stand, staring at me, wondering what the fuck is going on with me.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I mumble to him as I flick the gun around and get some sort of joy out of watching his eyes intently watch the gun. “I got that. I have plenty of people who work for me. I know what I expect of them. I’m more interested in what your orders were.” I ask him and watch as he shudders, looking up. He knows what they will do to him if he tells me why they were here. His eyes move across the room to where Tarzan hangs from the ceiling.
“You won’t have to worry about following his orders anymore.” I shrug at him as his eyes widen and he quickly looks away. “So, just let me know what it was.”
“Why does it matter if you’re just going to kill me, anyway?” Standing up quickly, I kick the chair to the side of the room as I walk up to him.
“Because this gives you a decision about your death. Do you want to die slow and painful or would you rather die a quick death? Hell,” I pause as I grip his hair in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “Who knows, maybe I won’t kill you at all.”
“You wouldn’t keep me alive.” He mutters to me as I laugh.
“I know you don’t know me, but I can guarantee you I don’t lie. If I say I may not kill you, it means that depending on the information that you give me, you may be
more useful to me alive than dead.” I see a small glimmer of hope behind his eyes.
“Wh-what do you want to know?”
“What were you told to do?”
“Come and get the girl.” Then he pauses. “Well,”
“What?”
“Torture and kill you, then take the girl back with us.”
“Torture me how?” Cocking my head in his direction.
“Making you watch.” He hesitates, but it’s all he needs to say because his eyes drop to my hand around the gun and how it’s tightening around the grip. He knows that I’m aware of what he’s saying. “Uh,” he clears his throat. “He didn’t want us to kill her. He said it was too easy for her. Said that she caused 5 deaths that night. And that if Lucian fucking De Santis was that hard up for her, she must have a platinum-filled pussy.”
Nodding my head, I walk back up to him. “I get it.” I continue to nod my head. “I mean, I’m sure in over the decade that I have been in this game that I’ve ordered something similar.” I glance back to my men as Blaine just shakes his head. “Or not.” Pulling the chair back over to sit in front of him, I look up. “So, what are we going to do about this?”