The Game

by A. J. Carella

  Suddenly, he was brutally yanked back and landed on the kitchen floor with a crash. He had been so caught up in the moment he hadn’t heard Luccio get home.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Luccio stood over him, angrier than Kyle had ever seen him. Before he had a chance to say anything he had turned to Tara and, with a backhand across the face, sent her crashing against the kitchen cabinets. White hot rage took hold of him. With a roar he lowered his head and ran at Luccio. Tackling him, they both went crashing into the kitchen table. The impact left Kyle dazed long enough for Luccio to pick up a kitchen chair and smash it over his head. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Luccio advancing on Tara, and he couldn’t do a thing about it.

  He wasn’t out long but it was long enough for Luccio to go to his office and get one of his guns from his safe, a gun he was now pointing at him. “That’s how you thank me for giving you a job, you motherfucker? I paid for this whore. You want one? Then go and get your own.”

  He moved closer to Tara who was stood with her back to the counter, clearly terrified, with blood coming from her nose. Kyle tried to stand up but Luccio aimed at his head. “Move and I’ll shoot. I’m gonna show you what money buys you.”

  With one hand still holding the gun aimed at Kyle he grabbed Tara’s arm and roughly turned her around. Kyle knew what was coming and he felt sick. He desperately wanted to look away, not to witness what was about to happen, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let her down now, when she needed him more than ever.

  Looking into her eyes, he tried to will her to be strong as Luccio yanked down her shorts and pushed her down over the counter. With one last smirk in Kyle’s direction he took his cock out of his pants, slipped a condom on it with his right hand, and rammed it into her. Kyle couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers even as he felt himself crumble inside. The devastation was coming off her in waves. It almost overwhelmed him because he could do nothing to help her. She needed him now though and he had to be strong for her. After what seemed like an eternity it finally ended and Luccio pulled away.

  “I understand why you wanted to nail her. That’s some nice pussy.” Laughing as Tara sobbed, he turned to Kyle. “You’ve got an hour to get your stuff and get off my property. After that, all bets are off.”

  Grabbing Tara, who was struggling to pull her shorts up through her sobs, he told her to go upstairs to his bedroom and pushed her toward kitchen door. Having no choice, she staggered from the room.

  “You’re going to pay for this, make no mistake.” Kyle glared up at him from his position on the floor.

  “Of course I am. Now let’s go, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Getting up and with Luccio following him, they went to his quarters. Luccio stayed in the living room while he packed what he could carry in a gym bag. A plan was already forming in his mind and, checking that Luccio wasn’t paying attention, he slid a manila folder out from under his mattress and into the bag. As he was escorted off the property, he looked up at the main house. He could see Tara standing in the bedroom window looking down at him with one hand pressed to the glass. He smiled at her to reassure her, and let her know it would be okay.

  Getting into his car under Luccio’s watchful eye, he swore to himself that he would be back for her and that he would make him pay. He hadn’t thought he’d be capable of caring for someone again after Lori, but this woman had shown him he was wrong. He wasn’t about to let her stay in the clutches of that monster. With no idea where he was headed, he drove out of the main gates.

  Having nowhere else to go he drove to the nearest cheap motel and checked in. Grabbing his stuff from the car, he walked up a flight of stairs to his room on the second floor. It was dirty and run down, and the sheets on the bed looked as if they hadn’t been changed since the last president was in office, but he didn’t care. It was somewhere he could sit and decide what to do next. Whatever it was, he would need to do it fast as Tara was due to leave in the next few days. Reaching inside his bag, he pulled out the manila folder that he had slipped in there under Luccio’s nose. He had been saving it as insurance in case he ever needed it. He needed it now. It was the only thing that could get them out of this mess.

  Knowing it would be suicide to head back to the house now before Luccio had had a chance to calm down, he reluctantly settled in for the night. He knew he was unlikely to get any sleep, so he stretched out on top of the bed fully clothed and stared at the ceiling. His mind wouldn’t stop replaying what had happened earlier and he couldn’t help but wonder what Tara was going through now, and it scared him.

  The night seemed to drag on forever, but eventually the darkness receded and morning came. As soon as it was fully light Kyle grabbed the folder, jumped in his car, and drove back over to the house. His stomach was in knots as he let himself in through the front door, having no idea what he might find. He stopped just inside and listened for voices. Silence.

  Quietly taking the stairs two at a time he made his way up to Luccio’s room and gently opened the door. “Tara?” he whispered urgently, noting that the bed was empty. No reply. Going further into the room he checked the closet. Empty. Feeling a finger of fear crawl up his spine now he ran downstairs, not caring if anyone heard him. Going straight to Luccio’s office he flung the door open. He was sat behind his desk and didn’t seem surprised by the intrusion, not even bothering to look up from his papers.

  “Where is she?”

  Luccio looked up. “Good morning Kyle. Come to ask for your job back?”

  “Where is she?” He repeated, practically shouting at him now, fists clenched at his sides.

  He smirked. “You mean the whore? Well, after I informed her boss of what she’d been up to he insisted she return home. I must say, he didn’t seem very happy with her. He had a car pick her up first thing this morning.”

  Kyle was stunned. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  Luccio’s smile disappeared. “You didn’t really think that I was going to let you both make a fool of me like that, did you?” His mouth set in a hard line. “I warned you when you started to work for me. Don’t ever cross me. Now, get off my property.”

  Kyle couldn’t believe he’d ever let himself work for this man. How had he ever managed to justify it to himself? Unable to stop the rage inside him from boiling over, he reached across the desk with both hands and pulled Luccio from behind it. Pulling back his right arm he threw a punch that sent him crashing to the floor. Luccio looked up at him, wiping the blood away from his nose with the back of his hand, and smirked.

  “Oh, Kyle, you have got it bad haven’t you?”

  Taking a deep breath Kyle tried to calm himself down. He had planned on using the contents of the file to gain Tara’s freedom but he saw another way of using them now. Picking the folder up from where he’d dropped it when he punched him, he scattered the contents on Luccio’s desk.

  “Get her back here now,” he demanded.

  “Why on earth would I do that?”

  Grabbing him by his shirt front, Kyle pulled Luccio to his feet. Dragging him over to the desk he pointed at the papers. “Go ahead, take a look.”

  “What’s this?” He asked, picking up a sheet of paper. Kyle watched as the blood drained from Luccio’s face. “Where did you get these?”

  Now it was Kyle’s turn to smile. “I’m ex-LAPD remember? You don’t think I knew what was going on with all those shipments of ‘clothing’? Every single drop off, every collection, dates, times. Everything the L.A.P.D. needs to put you away for a very long time is there in those papers. All it will take is one phone call.”

  Luccio just laughed. “And then what? You’ll be prosecuted as an accessory. And you still won’t get the girl back. Not much of a plan.”

  Dammit he had a point. He only had one more card to play. He hoped to God it worked. “Maybe. But I have a lot of friends on the L.A.P.D. I’m sure they would be more than happy to let it be known to all the people who get taken down with your operati
on that you gave them up for a reduced sentence. That should make your time in lock up much more painful.”

  For the first time, Luccio looked uncomfortable. Kyle held his breath. Was he going to call his bluff? “I couldn’t get her back if I wanted to. She was on a flight back to London first thing.”

  Kyle let out a breath. It had worked but now what? Sitting down in one of the chairs by the desk he put his head in his hands. He had never expected her to be gone, so hadn’t planned for it. He needed to think. Suddenly, it dawned on him. If she couldn’t come back to him, he would have to go to her.

  “Where’s that invitation with the contact number on it?” he asked as he started opening desk drawers.

  “What do you want that for?”

  “How the fuck else am I going to get hold of them?” he answered hotly.

  “Are you nuts? The Group are not people you want to mess with and they know all about you, they’re not gonna let you anywhere near her.”

  Kyle cursed. “I’ll just have to play for her then. Where’s that damn number?” he said as he turned another drawer upside down.

  “For fuck’s sake, calm down. I’ll get it for you.” Reaching into one of the drawers Kyle hadn’t opened yet, he pulled out the golden invitation and handed it to him.

  “Good. Now do exactly as I tell you.”

  Luccio’s mouth dropped open. “Me? Don’t drag me into this!”

  “All this is your fault and if you don’t do exactly what I tell you…well, you know what’ll happen.” Knowing he had no choice, Luccio agreed.

  Chapter Twelve

  She hadn’t been happy to get back to her London apartment this time. Everything had changed. What had once seemed light and airy to her now felt hollow and empty. She hadn’t even bothered to unpack, her expensive clothes and shoes left to languish in her case, no longer important. While she’d kept her emotions under lock and key she hadn’t cared that she lived in a gilded cage. She had known that it wasn’t forever, and that eventually she would get out. She had been perfectly happy to do what was needed for as long as was needed. Now, though, every minute under Sergei’s control felt like a lifetime and she didn’t know how she was going to carry on. She knew she had to, though, she had no other choice. Sergei had been absolutely furious and had instructed one of his men to accompany her back on the flight and not to let her out of his sight. He was standing in her kitchen right now. Sergei himself had told her he would be around to see her that night, and she knew she was going to have to pay for her transgression. She didn’t regret it though. Kyle had brought out something in her that she had thought was long dead and she would be forever grateful to him for it.

  The doorbell rang at exactly 7 p.m. With a deep breath she stood up, straightened her skirt, and opened the front door. Sergei pushed past her and into the living room without a word, closely followed by three of his men. “What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” He yelled as he turned to her. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him so angry. “Do you know what damage you could do to my business if it gets out that our prizes fuck the help?”

  Tara didn’t know what to say. “Well do you?” She nodded. “Really, Tara. You of all people? I thought you knew better.”

  “I do and I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “Damn right it won’t. You know how it works. You want out? Fine. You pay the release fee and you’re free to go. Until then I own your ass and don’t you forget it.”

  “I won’t. I don’t know what came over me.” It felt like a betrayal but what choice did she have? She couldn’t just walk away. It was far too dangerous, and she didn’t have enough saved yet to buy her way out.

  Sergei sighed heavily. “Well, I don’t have a choice. If any of the others found out I’d let you get away with this they would all try it, and that would be the end of the Games. You’re going to have to be punished.” He abruptly turned to walk away.

  “Wait! What do you mean punished?” She asked, scared. Sergei shook his head sadly. “The boys will show you.” And he left, closing the front door gently behind him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The waiting had been the hardest. Not being able to do anything, willing the days to pass quickly. Luccio had made contact with the Group with Kyle standing closely by watching his every move. He’d been very convincing, he had to admit. But then he was very motivated. They’d informed him that Tara was scheduled to be the prize at a game in London in two weeks. Creating a fictional friend, he had asked them to extend him an invitation as a favor to him. He had had to convince them that the ‘friend’ was wealthy and could afford the entrance free before they had been prepared to give him the details. Eventually they had agreed, and he’d been given the details of where and when the next game was taking place. He’d been furious when he’d realized he’d have to put up the 100k entrance fee, but Kyle had gently reminded him of the joys of prison and he’d had no choice. He hadn’t decided what to do about Luccio, if anything, but for now, at least, that was a decision for another day.

  Now, as he stood in line waiting to board his flight to London, he felt he was actually doing something. Am I crazy? He thought to himself as he settled into his seat on the plane. He knew something had passed between them, there had been some sort of connection, but he had no idea if she felt about him the way he undeniably felt about her. But he had to find out. The feelings he had were too strong to ignore and he had to know. It was with these thoughts swirling around his head that exhaustion finally overtook him, and he fell asleep for what felt like the first time in days.

  The plane was making its final approach when he woke several hours later. He had slept for the whole flight, and apart from a stiff neck he felt refreshed. Exiting customs, he bought a London A-Z map from one of the many shops in the terminal and made his way to the Avis counter. Checking his watch, he saw that he had a few hours to kill before show time.

  Not knowing London, he decided it would probably be good idea to make himself familiar with the area. The address he had been given was in East London so, after collecting his rental car and checking the route on his map, he made his way there. Fighting his way through the thick traffic across London, he’d had to keep stopping and checking the map before eventually finding himself on an industrial park. It looked like the recession had hit here too as most of the units were empty. After a few minutes, he found the one he was looking for. It appeared to have been empty for a long time. Satisfied that he had done all he could for now, he decided to find somewhere to get freshened up. Remembering a Premier Inn he had seen on the way over, he got back in his car and left the park.

  He suddenly realized he was absolutely starving so, after checking in, he headed to the restaurant. He’d been willing this day to arrive but now that it was here he could feel the tension knotting in his stomach. His future rested on a game of chance. Yes, skill was involved but chance played a huge part in it, too. He didn’t even know who he was up against. Were these amateurs? Were any of them professional players? Despite his hunger, he found he couldn’t finish his meal and pushing away the half eaten plate of pasta he headed up to his room. The fictional character created by Luccio was a wealthy industrialist and he needed to look the part so, before leaving L.A., he had bought himself a very expensive new suit. Taking it out of his suitcase, he hung it up so that any creases would fall out while he had a shower. After getting dressed and adding the expensive watch that Luccio had ‘loaned’ him, he checked himself out in the mirror. He would do. Emptying the rest of his stuff out of the bag that hadn’t left his side since he’d boarded the flight in L.A., he lifted up the removable bottom. One hundred thousand dollars in neatly stacked bills sat there, courtesy of Luccio. Kyle allowed himself a smile when he remembered the distinctly green shade his ex-boss had turned when he’d handed them over. Now all he had to do was win the game. No pressure.

  Chapter Fourteen

  In the two weeks she had been back in London, Tara had managed to co
nvince herself that she should have never got involved with Kyle. It had been foolish. A moment of weakness. It hadn’t been some great romance, she’d just got caught up in the idea of it. She’d foolishly allowed herself to imagine what life would be like if she’d been just a normal girl when they’d met.

  She was angry at herself for allowing him to awaken feelings in her she’d never known. She’d been okay before, but now her whole life, her future, seemed empty and pointless. She was numb, like an outsider looking in on her life dispassionately. She would have to accept that this was her life until she could buy her way out, and she needed to make the best of it. She had to forget, to move on, or her life would be unbearable. If she’d doubted it before, Sergei’s visit had shown her the error of her ways. By the time the three were finished with her she hadn’t been able to walk. It had taken a week for the bruises to go down enough for her to leave the house, not that she had wanted to. The shopping trip she had planned what seemed like years ago now no longer held any appeal. Seemed frivolous.

  By the time Sergei had called her a couple of days ago and told her she was expected to participate in another game, she’d welcomed it, welcomed the idea of immersing herself in the old Tara, hiding behind her walls again. It would keep her busy and take her mind of Kyle and hopefully by the time it was over, she would have managed to, if not forget, accept that it just wasn’t to be for people like her. Slipping into a cream silk blouse and black pencil skirt she sat on the couch and waited for the car to arrive.