“Cole?” She said. Her voice was shaking, I knew she was crying. “Yes. No matter what happens. That’s my answer. If something goes wrong, I love you, forever baby. Forever.” She cried.
“Forever. I will Anika. I promise I’ll keep you safe.” My voice was fierce and strong. I didn’t want her to think I would fail, even if I didn’t believe it myself.
The line went dead. I wasn’t even sure what to do first, but I knew I had to call my father.
Cole 2
Anika
How could a day that was turning out to be the best of my life, go so horribly wrong.
Joe had untied me not long after he’d… oh my God. How was I here? What did I do to deserve this? My ankles were still bound with zip ties to the frame of the bed, which was a small blessing. My blood was being soaked up by the sheets. I was pretty sure the bleeding had stopped now, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at my injuries.
I lay there, contemplating my future. I began with the here and now, which took me to an outcome that was the opposite of good.
Since that wasn’t productive, I decided to focus on my future with Cole. I said yes. He’d proposed… a proposal which kicked my ex’s, Evan, right out of the ball-park of marriage proposals.
In the weeks that Cole and I had officially been a couple, we had covered an enormous amount of ground. We made a deal: don’t hold anything back. Whatever needed to be said was said. From pet-peeves to sexual preferences, we left no stone unturned. He knew I’d been repeatedly molested by none other than the man who was my current abductor. He also knew that my mother was not only aware of what was done to me by her then boyfriend, but encouraged him to defile me in a number of other disgusting ways. Cole admitted he was concerned that one day he might try something with me, something sexual in the heat of a moment filled with passion that would trigger something ugly that Joe and my mother did. Although he didn’t completely believe me (or he thought I was in denial) I had managed not to allow any of that to sully what I might share with a lover. My mother and Joe may have stolen my childhood and my innocence, but that was where it ended for me. There were a couple of exceptions, but even then, nothing sexual had ever triggered an anxiety attack for me.
Singing was different.
When I was a little girl and after my dad walked out on us, my mom changed. Almost instantly, she became mean. It started with a slap here and there and she never apologized. It was as if she got worse every day that passed. Most afternoons, she would start drinking as soon as we got home from school. She would pick me up a half hour after the other kids, but I was allowed to stay in the principal’s office and wait. One day she came in and greeted the familiar women, and said, “Come on sweetie, let’s go get ice cream.” She led me to the hall outside the door and said in a dark whisper, “Don’t fucking move.” Her demeanor changed again and as she went back into the office and said to the women there, “Has she seemed okay to you?” This was directed toward the principal, a woman she’d known for years.
“Well, Marla, she’s been very quiet. Mrs. Tully has expressed a concern regarding Anika.” Mrs. Tully was my teacher. She had huge breasts and always had bright pink lipstick that smudged to the corners of her mouth. She was also really nice to me.
“I was afraid of that…” my mother said concerned. “Since her father left, she’s been getting worse. She… we…” then she broke into small sobs and I could hear the women move to comfort her.
“Oh, Marla. Have you heard from him?” My principal, Mrs. Avery asked.
“He said he couldn’t do it anymore. He said he told me he didn’t want kids, but when I found out I was pregnant… I just couldn’t… she’s so sweet, I thought it would be okay…”
“Men are assholes.” This was said by Mrs. Weizenhunt. She was at least one hundred years old and she had said a bad word.
I listened in shock and wasn’t sure what had surprised me more. The fact my dad left because he never wanted me in the first place. That my mom had just turned into a different person, or that Mrs. Weisenhunt had said a bad word
“You tell us what you need, Marla. We’ll look out for her. You’ll get through this.” Mrs. Avery told her.
“Thanks, gals. I better go. I promised my baby girl ice cream.” She said tugging on every heart string in the room.
She came to the hallway and took my hand, knowing all eyes were watching her walk away with me. Then in a voice only I could hear she told me, “You better get smart and quick, little girl.” I was confused, but she was my mom so I did exactly what she told me and studied like crazy.
That month I made the honor role at school. My grades had always been good, but we had just taken some big test. All the kids had to take it and my score was the highest in the school; even higher than the older kids.
There was going to be an award given to me at the school assembly, so I gave the letter to my mom, letting her know I did what she told me to: I got smart. Apparently, that wasn’t what she meant. That’s when the real beatings began.
Mom didn’t come to the assembly, but when Mrs. Avery handed me my award with a huge gold foil sticker on it, she held me back by my shoulder so the vice principal could take our picture. Unfortunately, her thumb pressed into the tender wound on my back and my knees buckled. I recovered, terrified that she’d ask me what was wrong, but she gently helped me stand up for the photo. The assembly had been in the morning and I worried all the way until lunchtime recess that I would be called to her office.
When the lunch period ended, Mrs. Avery appeared by my side and asked me to come with her to her office. I was crying before she closed the door.
“Anika, what happened today in the auditorium?”
“My knees went funny.” She pursed her lips and went to the office door. She closed a set of drab tan blinds on her door followed by an identical set at the small window.
“Turn around and lift up your shirt.” She ordered. I hesitated for a million reasons, but in the end, doing what a grown-up and an authority figure told me, won out. I lifted my shirt as fresh tears of pain hit my cheeks and heard her inhale. “Put your shirt down and have a seat, Anika.”
I sat down and hung my head.
“Who did that to you?”
I shook my head.
“Ms. Redding, I asked you a question. Now, who did that to do?”
I looked at her and summoned strength from God knows where and told her the truth. “Mommy.”
“You’re lying.” She stated.
“I’m not allowed to lie, Mrs. Avery.” I cried.
“No one likes a liar, Anika, and do not talk back to me. Your mother has been a highly respected teacher in this school district for ten years. She has a wonderful reputation as an educator and is highly committed to the well-being of children. You have a sitter, don’t you? She mentioned a girl who lives down the street from you?”
I just sat there and listened to her talk. My mother had given herself an alibi.
“Your mother has had a terrible time lately, Anika. I am so disappointed that you would look me in the face and lie. I’m tempted to take away the award, but I don’t want to add to your poor mother’s worries. No more lies, Anika. I will have a word with your mother about that girl. You may return to class.”
“Please!” I begged. “Please don’t tell her!”
“She is your mother and she must be made aware of this. That will be all Anika.”
I opened my eyes again and saw Joe approach the bed. “How are you feeling, Annie?” He smiled that evil smile at me.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why do I ask?” He queried.
“Why me?”
“I want what belongs to my family and your findanzante stole.”
“I don’t understand… why me, when I was little, and now… why?” I asked again.
He cupped his hand around my jaw, a gesture that should have been tender, but instead repulsed me. “Your mother, she was easy….a sweet, tight cunt. I gave her money, I
gave her drink, and she let me have you. Easy.”
I closed my eyes tight. I assumed he was going to have his way with me. I also assumed I was going to die. I had no doubt Cole would do everything possible to save me. He would move, not just mountains, but continents to save me. He already had. He had healed wounds that had laid dormant in me for so long, I had coasted through life thinking they could never touch me again.
I was wrong.
“Serena?” I asked. I remembered sometimes he would call me that.
“She is my cousin, but we were in love. My uncle, he did not understand. I brought Trinity Hotels to greatness, Anika. But then the vineyard, it began to fail. My uncle sent me to Italy, to Sicily, to strengthen our business ties for the vineyard. I never stopped loving my Serena. Never. When I came back to the U.S. she was gone. I had to continue to build the family business, the hotels and the vineyards, so I could secure a future with my love. But a man has needs, Serena knows this. I met your mother, a woman who would spread her legs and give me her daughter, perfecto! You kept me in good company until the day you left, didn’t you Annie?”
I closed my eyes slowly and asked a question I needed to know the answer to. “Are you going to kill me, Joe?” I didn’t whimper and I didn’t beg, but I had to know.
“Annie, I want my cousin and I want my family to let me have her. If you can give the company back to my uncle, I believe that will be all the convincing he will need. But…” it was then he laid his hand over my damaged one and took one of my fingertips between his thumb and finger and squeezed hard. I cried out, a shriek of pain, “If your Cole cannot convince his papa to do this, I’m afraid that leaves me no choice.” He smiled.
My fate was in the hands of professional asshole extraordinaire, Richard Carlyle. This meant I had a snowballs chance in hell of surviving.
When the tears and pain became more distant, I went back to Cole. I pictured the sketches he’d drawn of me and tried to keep my focus on that. I had more questions than answers and seeming as how I had nothing to lose, I decided to engage Joe in conversation again.
“How did you know I was with Cole? Was it the auction?”
Joe’s family, the Drago’s, had hosted an annual fundraiser which I donated a painting for….ironically on behalf of Trinity Hotel, a company my fiancé owned and his father had bought. Richard Carlyle was known to be an aggressive business man, and I didn’t doubt he had pissed off Joe and his family in the process.
“You’re a Drago. I always tried to find out your name, but you never had a wallet, nothing.”
“I’m far from stupid, Annie.” I thought it best not to comment on that.
“So after you saw me in the bar…”
“I had been looking at boutique hotels to add to Trinity. My plan was to secure these small struggling hotels, and make them beautiful like the vineyard is now. I also had been following Cole Carlyle and it seemed he had the same idea. He went into that bar, I followed. Then your relationship developed and I knew it was fate. He handed me the key to return the company to my family and get Serena back… you.”
Cole would be devastated if he thought he was to blame for this.
“I must prepare to make another call to your Cole, Annie. You stay quiet, as we agreed… yes?”
I nodded and listened for my fate.
Cole 3
Cole
It took less than an hour for my living room to fill with Gus, Aimes, and my mother. The four of us stood there, waiting for my father to arrive with someone who would make sure everything was done quickly and efficiently.
“I need to call the police.” I was officially losing my mind.
Gus was almost as calm as my mother, “Let’s see what your old man has to say. If we call the cops, Cole…” He shook his head slightly.
He didn’t want to say what deep down, I already knew. Just then, my father walked in the door followed by three men. One was my friend, Olaf. The second was my father’s lawyer, Daniel Scribner. The last was someone I didn’t know, but, for lack of a better description, looked like an extra from, “The Godfather.”
“Richard.” My mother gave him the voice. The one that told him everything without saying anything. They may not get along, but my parents were experts with the look and the voice. She whispered something in his ear and moved back to Aimes. “Come with me dear. Let’s get some fresh air and let the men get to work, shall we?”
Gus gave Aimes’ hand a squeeze and she reluctantly followed my mother to the deck outside.
“Where can we have privacy, son?” my father commanded. I ignored the son bit. It irritated the hell out of me when he called me that. A fact he was well aware of.
I led them all to the garage and leaned against the door of my car, flanked at each side by Olaf and Gus, facing my father, Mr. Scribner and Thug. I relayed everything that was said between Anika’s captor and me. When I finished, my father asked me, “Did you look in the box?”
“It’s there.” I point to the hood of my car.
“Have you looked inside, son?” His manner was almost gentle, which caught me off guard.
“I waited. I didn’t want to do it alone.” Maybe this was a pussy thing to admit to, especially to someone as macho as my fucking father, but it was the truth.
“We can do it and spare you, Cole. You can go and join your mother and that other woman, her friend, everyone will understand-”
“No. I did this to her. I caused this. I need to know.” I had time to connect the dots enough to know that Giuseppe Drago, Jr was, in fact, Papa Joe; a man that had done terrible things to my Anika. I also knew my father had taken the Drago’s hotels and now Anika was paying the high price of his greed.
No one stopped me as I stood in front of this small box. I was terrified what it would be, but I had to do it. My hands were shaking when I reached down and took it in my palm. It didn’t feel like there was anything inside and I hoped that it was just some kind of psychological mind fuck. Just a game. I held it in my left hand and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. When I opened them, I removed the lid. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
The men all gathered around me to see ten bloody fingernails lying amongst an engagement ring. Olaf leaned into me, took the box from my shaking hand, and gave it to my father. He pulled me away so he could talk to me. “They’ll grow back, Cole. She’ll have her life. This is probably the worst that will happen. Your father’s an asshole, but he’ll deal with this quickly and get her back safe.”
I leaned over, my head between my knees trying not to puke.
“It’s him.” I heard the thug say to my father.
“Are you sure, Giovanni?” he asked to confirm.
“From everything he said about Serena, of course, it’s him.”
“Him who?” I asked. I was certain of his identity, but I hated the feeling of not being in control of anything.
No one spoke. “Father, so help me God, I am going to make you bleed if you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on right the fuck now!”
“We need to talk to the girl. I’m sorry, Gus was it? We need to know what she knows.” My father took over as usual and ignored me.
Everyone began to walk back into the house. “Wait a fuckin’ minute! I want to know when the transfer is happening. I want to know what the fuck this has to do with Anika and me.”
“We’re just putting the pieces together, son. We do not have time to explain things now. Come on.”
The slider opened, my mother and Aimes appeared. My father was going to take charge and I knew from here on out, he was running the show. I hated to admit that I was grateful. My mother went into the kitchen and began to make a pot of coffee. It was going to be a long night, but being a good host was the last thing on my fucking mind right now.
“Amelia, is it?” My father asked.
“Yes.” She said between gasps.
“Listen. I have a reputation for being an asshole and forgive me, but we don’t have time for your tears right now. Now
then, tell me everything you know about this man, Joe. The one from Anika’s childhood? I need to know when the last time she saw him was.”
“The last time was a couple of months ago. He attacked her after work.”
“And before that?”
“Before that… when we were fifteen? I remember because her mom beat the crap out of her. I had to hide her from my parents for a week.”
I wanted to beat the shit out of something.
“Had you ever seen this man, this Joe?”
“No. I tried to get her to report it, but her mom was a school teacher. No one believed her when she was younger. She tried to report it to her principal once. Then when she got older, she tried to find out his name, find out more about him, so she could report him. He never carried any ID on him, so she couldn’t even go through his wallet. All she knew was he was around for about seven or eight years, then he was gone.”
“I am so sorry.” The thug said to my father.
“Who are you?” I asked in a fuck you sort of way.
“In a minute, son.” My father said.
“No! Not another fucking minute. You’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on right now!!”
My mother swept up to me and yelled, “Calm down, Cole! Go get a drink, drink it and calm down!” The shock sent me to the liquor cabinet more than anything else. My mother never raised her voice to me.
I lined up a few shot glasses in the kitchen and as I poured the last one, my phone rang. The entire room looked at me, silently. Until my father spoke.
“Cole, put it on speaker. No one say a goddamn word, understood? Cole, you tell him the transfer will take place at nine a.m. east coast time at the absolute latest. Trish, pen and paper. Now! Answer the call, Cole.”
“Hello?” I said.
“Ah, Mr. Carlyle. Have you made arrangements?”
Cole (The Leaves) Page 2