by Lane Hart
I kept looking outside and saw that it was getting darker and darker outside. I wondered what Blake was doing to get me out of here. I would’ve checked my phone, but I couldn’t risk Donato seeing me. So, I had to ignore every time my boobs vibrated. Luckily, this went unnoticed by Donato. Even though his gaze kept falling onto my boobs, it didn’t stop him from grazing my thigh.
I painfully got through dinner and we got up to leave the dining room. I had freedom from Donato’s grazing hands and all I wanted to do was jump into a boiling pot of water and burn off his essence. His aftershave was overpowering my natural scent, and I dry-heaved again but made sure to be silent about it.
Donato wanted to show me some of the remodeled rooms around the house. He ignored my loud comments about feeling full and exhausted. He gripped my wrist and insisted that I see the rooms. They had changed since the last time I was here as a child. We walked up the marble staircase. My heels made loud clacks on them, so loud that they created echoes that sounded like jail cell doors slamming shut on me.
When we made it to the top of the stairs, Donato swooped me up with his arm and was practically pulling me far away from my bedroom door so that I wouldn’t be tempted to make an excuse for going in there and abandoning him.
I was starting to feel like danger was on the rise for me and I silently panicked. I tried to remain calm and cooperative as he showed me three rooms. I didn’t remember one room from the next because I was fearing for my life. I kept looking out windows and seeing how much darker it was getting.
I kept feeling my boobs vibrate and I knew it was Blake texting me nonstop. I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid if I made a run for it now, I was sure to end my life almost instantly or at least be tragically injured. I had to steady myself as I pretended to be interested in what Donato was saying. I began to have trouble holding onto my wine glass. I couldn’t feel the tips of my fingers anymore.
“Are you okay, Madeline?” Donato asked. There was no sense of concern in his voice. He was only asking to be courteous, I guessed.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just too much good pasta.” I tried to laugh but it sounded more like a mouse squeaking. “Yes, we stole that chef straight from Italy.” He laughed the oddest laugh I had ever heard. It sounded like a cartoon car horn.
I tried to laugh again but it came out as a loud squawk. He looked at me oddly and then guided me back downstairs to show me the rumpus room. It was more toward the back of the house, but there were enough open exits. I still felt trapped and Donato was getting more and more aggressive with me. It hurt when he tried to touch me, and with every resistance from me, he would hurt me even more.
Chapter Sixteen
Blake
I was shocked to my core as my friend went on explaining how Mr. Ricci put the hit out to kill the Biancos. I had to get myself to focus as I listened to the details he was giving me. I hadn’t even noticed when my friend had stopped talking and started calling my name through the phone. “Blake?” he shouted, and I jumped in my seat.
“Yes, sir.”
I could hear him laughing on the other end of the line. “Blake, are you okay?” I said that I was.
“I just want to save Madeline, that’s all,” I said this breathlessly, and I heard him laughing again on the other end.
“It sounds like you’re catching feelings, Blake.” He continued to laugh.
I couldn’t even joke around with him. I was so broken down. I was standing front of a mirror and seeing the dark circles forming under my eyes. “I’m not catching feelings for her. I already have feelings for her. Deep feelings.” I put my head in my hand and walked over to sit on the couch.
“Wow, that’s pretty serious.” We were both silent. “Have you slept with her yet?” He cackled a bit.
“Yes,” I deadpanned.
He stopped heckling me and then we got back to business. “Buddy, I would stay in touch with her and get her out of there,” he said very directly. I began to breathe heavily again and then I pulled myself together.
“Okay, how do I get her out of there? She sent me a text that Donato wanted to have dinner with her in the house.” I had to fight back feeling violently ill as I said this. Anger built up in me. “The whole family will be out for the night.”
I heard him gasp on the other end. “You have to get in there tonight.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Duh.”
My friend told me to wait a minute. And then he came back to me to give me a layout of what secret passages I could access that would avoid security cameras and avoid being seen by anybody else in the area. I wrote everything down and I even made him repeat things several times. I could tell he was ready to strangle me, which made me glad that this conversation was over the phone.
“Good luck, man, and I would stay in constant contact with her. Text her every few minutes or so. Keep doing it even if she doesn’t answer back. She’ll know it’s you, and that may give her some level of comfort in knowing that you’re coming. And if she is able to answer you, then that’s even better.” We were silent for a bit.
“Good luck, man,” he said, and I thanked him and told him I would let him know how the whole operation went once I had Madeline safely out. We hung up and I sat back for a minute to take everything in. I read and re-read the instructions he gave me. I studied them as if I had a bomb to defuse.
I got up and made a pot of coffee. I was going to need the extra energy. I packed a bag and decided to dress all in black. I knew once I rescued Madeline, the Riccis would be out to get both of us, so we couldn’t risk coming back here.
I called a motel that was far enough away and easy enough to get to once I drove away with Madeline. I kept texting her what I was doing. She responded once or twice and then she stopped, so I figured that she was already having dinner with Donato. This thought infuriated me, and I drank my coffee as quickly as I could. I could feel the caffeine pulsing through me, and I was ready to go. I grabbed everything I needed and sent a couple of texts while I ran to the car.
I drove and started to feel the caffeine mixing with all of my anxiety. It wasn’t the most pleasant combination for me to feel. The drive seemed to take longer than Google Maps was letting me believe. I turned on some music to calm me down a bit and help me focus.
I had the instructions in the passenger seat and would check them at every red light. The only music I could find on each station was hardcore gangster rap. It seemed fitting so I went with it.
I was coming close to the Ricci estate so I turned the music off and turned my headlights off. I drove as quietly as I could and found an easy spot to park in so that I could find it easily again. I got out and had the instructions memorized by this point. I stuffed them in my pocket anyway out of nervousness. I also stuck my gun in my back pocket.
All I had to do was walk around the gate of the property to where there were a few lose bars. I just had to wiggle them open enough to slide through and then walk through some very tall bushes and that led to a secret passageway that led to the rumpus room at the back of the house. It had been designed for the Ricci family to flee when they needed to from their home. It was almost too easy to accomplish.
As soon as I got through the secret passageway toward the rumpus room, I heard screaming. I knew that it was Madeline, and I began to run and then creeped up to one of the closed doors where I could hear her screams getting louder and louder. They were shooting right through me, and I pulled my gun out from my back pocket. I tried to be as quiet as I could. I had no idea what I was going to see behind those doors.
I put my hand up and slowly pushed it open. The first thing I could see was Donato with his pants dropped, and he was pinning down a screaming and thrashing Madeline.
I felt vomit rise in my throat and tears fighting to come from my eyes. I steadied myself and aimed the gun for the back of Donato’s head. It was difficult to make my shot at first because he was moving around so much. I tried to keep my focus on the back of his greasy slicked-back hair. I didn’t want
to drop my gaze as I would see Madeline in a state of pain that I never wanted to see her in.
I head a steady target and waited for the right moment and then shot my gun. It went right through his head and down he went. I hoped I wasn’t too late for Madeline.
I heard her yelping and I ran to pull a dead Donato off her. She had the most terrified look on her face, and I pulled her up off the pool table and held her shaken little body. She cried into my black hoodie and even blew her nose a couple of times. I didn’t mind at all.
Chapter Seventeen
Madeline
Donato and I stayed in the rumpus room for a long time. I listened in and out of what Donato was talking about, and I retained none of what he said. I just kept checking how dark it was getting and how much my boobs were vibrating from all the texts Blake was sending me.
“Madeline, come here.” Donato motioned for me to come stand near him. I moved as close as I was comfortable with. He reached out and grabbed my waist, forcing me to be closer to him. I could feel the hotness of his breath and it smelled like wine.
“I’ve always liked you.” He smiled that toothy smile and I nodded my head that I heard him. “You were so cute as a kid, and now you’re a gorgeous woman.” He didn’t stop smiling and I felt his hands press harder into my waist. I nodded my head up and down. “You playing coy with me?” he chortled, and I didn’t respond.
Suddenly, Donato stood up and shoved his tongue down my throat. I practically gagged as I felt his erection poke me hard in the stomach. I screamed a muffled scream and then I pushed him away from me for air. He slapped me hard across the face. “Oh, that’s how you’re going to be?” he shouted, and then he went to the windows and closed the blinds and shut the doors.
I was still gasping for air and holding my cheek. He came charging at me and grabbed my wrists and threw me onto the pool table. When I looked up, I saw him whipping off his belt and unzipping his pants.
I began to scream repeatedly at the top of lungs. Donato kept shouting for me to shut up. He put his hand over my mouth and I bit him. He pulled his hand back and there was blood. He slapped me again and spread my leg apart. I continued to scream loudly and tried to fight him off.
His strength was too much for me, and he pushed me further on the pool table and pinned my legs down with his knees. He took his dick out and was about to force himself into me when suddenly, I heard a loud bang and he fell on top of me.
Before I knew what was happening, I saw Blake’s face and he was pulling what I realized was a dead Donato off me. Had he killed him? I was shocked but not surprised. I had never been around a gunshot before and my ears were ringing.
I held onto Blake so tightly and cried uncontrollably into his black hoodie. “I’m so sorry, Blake. I’m so sorry. I will never do anything behind your back again.” I felt him hold me, and he made calming hushing sounds and held my head.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. You’re safe now.” He said this calmly, and I replayed his calling me sweetheart in my mind.
He then told me we had to leave quickly, which was fine with me, seeing as I didn’t want to be under the same roof as Donato, my almost-rapist. I kicked his lifeless body a couple of times and then Blake guided me out of the rumpus room. We grabbed my things and exited out the way he came into the house.
We drove off into the night, and Blake pulled up into an abandoned gas station well outside of town and parked behind the abandoned building. He told me that he wanted to let me know everything he did so that I knew what was happening.
I was still a little shaken, but I agreed I would listen to him. He also told me that we needed to stay somewhere else for a while until he was given the clear that it was okay to return to my parents’ estate.
Chapter Eighteen
Blake
I paced the ground back and forth in front of the car. There was barely any light except for some lamp posts and the moon and stars, and Madeline was sitting on the hood of my car. I was trying to figure out the best way to tell Madeline about everything with the Riccis and what I had been up to in helping to plan their deaths. It was hard because she felt so fragile.
I tried to start from the very beginning when she left to stay with the Riccis. “So here’s the deal. From the start, I knew that it had to be the Riccis. I knew that they would still be after you once they found out you weren’t in the car when it exploded.” I stopped and got down on my knees in front of Madeline.
“Maddie, I’m still so sorry for putting you in that position.” She told me she understood why I had done so.
“It turns out that there was enough evidence that showed that the Riccis and their friends were the ones who planned the explosion. Beyond that, they had been building up so many enemies with other mobster families. They were pulling off major business deals behind everyone’s backs and getting very greedy.” I stopped to make sure that Madeline was okay.
She waved her hand at me to continue, so I did. “And that’s why I got angry with you for leaving to their house before I realized what a danger that would be for you.” I wiped away tears that were forming in her eyes and kissed her forehead.
“I learned all of this through my friend who works security for the Colombo family. All the enemy families of the Ricci family had planned to get rid of both Mr. Ricci and Donato Ricci. You see, they couldn’t get rid of one. They had to get rid of the other too. If one was killed, then the other would seek revenge on the other’s death. So, I had to quickly pull together all the enemy families, and we began plotting revenge by killing them and their friends. The scary part is that they didn’t work alone.” I paused to catch my breath. Madeline looked a bit confused by the last part. “The Ricci family didn’t work alone on plotting the car bomb.” She nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“They had pulled friends from everywhere to attack your family. It was crazy what they did to try and pull this off, and I’ll spare you the gritty details. But with every new piece of information, I became more and more worried about your being at their house, and there was nothing I could do until we had planned everything out for their murders.” I continued, feeling a lot of rage build up in me as I talked about it.
The camera footage of the explosion was still playing through my mind, and then I looked into Madeline’s eyes and that somehow calmed me down a bit.
“I’m just happy I saved you in time before he could scar you.” I was breathing fast now. Madeline looked at me and said it was still traumatic and that she would get over it in time. I kneeled down to her and looked her in the eyes. “He almost touched you in a way that scars people for life. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I had even suggested that you go to them.” She put her arms around my neck and hugged me.
I stood up with her still wrapped around my neck and held her body to mine. “You’re safe with me, and you are going to go on and live a glamorous life after all of this.” I kissed her ear.
Chapter Nineteen
Madeline
I watched as Blake looked like a madman as he was explaining to me what he had done to ensure that revenge was made on the Riccis for killing my family. I had known this man for three years and I’d never seen so much passion coming from him. It was a very attractive quality. I was still shaky from what had just happened to me, but I was willing to sit and listen to what he needed to tell me.
He explained that he had a hunch it was the Ricci family from the start and that he was sorry for putting me in such a dangerous situation. I knew that I had taken it upon myself to pull off that part of the plan, and I could see the guilt and sadness in his eyes for even suggesting it. “Blake, I understand why that would be your first idea. You didn’t know dangerous they really were. Please continue.” He stood up and continued talking.
As Blake went on and on, my mind wandered in and out of the conversation. I started to think about Italy and my designs. I would pull myself in to hear important bits of information and then I thought of my parents and how
I would have to bury them soon. And then I heard Blake talk about what Donato almost did to me. Scar me? Donato was a disgusting pig who got what he deserved. It was too bad it had to be me to see his tiny cock and then having him die on me. But I had to let it go in order to move on.
“It was traumatic, but I’ll get over it in time.” He looked like he had just seen a ghost as he looked at me. He kneeled between my legs and said people get scarred for life from those experiences and that he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if it had happened.
He was acting like he almost got raped and it was starting to annoy me. It had almost happened to me, and on top of that, I’d had to deal with him for days, and then his aggressive behavior leading up to it. And I was already trying to move past it in my mind. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Instead of continuing to talk about it, I wanted to end this conversation and find a motel. I was shivering and I was still wearing the disgusting Saint Laurent dress. I looked at Blake sympathetically and then wrapped my arms around him. He lifted me to his body and squeezed me tight. He told me that I was safe now and that I was going to live a glamorous life after all of this as he kissed my ear. He really was sweet.
Chapter Twenty
Madeline
Blake put me down and I looked into his eyes. “I will never, ever go behind your back again.” He smiled and kissed my hands. He suggested that we get a move on to a motel. There was one way down the road that he had booked ahead of time before he headed out to save me from Donato.
We drive off into the night on an empty highway. The sound of his car’s engine put me into a somewhat relaxed mood. We picked up some food on the way, even though I was still full from the enormous pasta dinner I was forced to eat. We did get ice cream, and it felt nice and cool going down my throat. I was also trying to put on a happy front for Blake, but really, I was trying to slowly let go of emotions when they came to me and they were coming in waves now.