Everyone’s eyes are on me. I don’t know if I’m going to piss myself or throw up.
The tall man gets up in my face. I want to gag. His face is glistening with sweat and he smells of stale cigarettes.
“Okay, princess. Let’s hear what you know. Dante’s waiting to take another round.” He sneers in my face.
I don’t speak. I don’t even remember the question.
“Who is double crossing us? Who is the spy for the Bianchis?”
I feel my lips quivering. I don’t have an answer. I’m not fast enough on my feet to even think up an answer.
“Maybe we should just show Antonello how lovely you look. Have him come right to us.”
A couple of them laugh and agree. I feel like they just agree with whatever this guy tells them. Honestly, I can’t blame them. He’s so scary I think I’d agree with whatever he says too.
“At least this way, we can just torture the source. Have him give us all the information. Lucky for us, Dante can get even the proudest man to turn into a blubbering baby right before his very eyes.”
The room erupts in laughter.
No, they can’t torture Nello. Not because of me. I don’t care if he doesn’t love me back.
“Get the camera.”
I’m visibly shaking now. I’ve been nothing but a burden to Nello all this time. Now he’s going to be tortured all because of my big mouth.
They’re getting another light to shine in my face when a horrible thought comes over me. What if Nello gives them the okay to kill me? There’s no way he’d put his famiglia on the line for me. That’s why he took me in as his prisoner in the first place.
I cry silently and let the tears fall. This could really be the end for me.
It takes a few minutes before I hear ringing and realize they’re connecting Nello to FaceTime. I look down at the floor. I can’t bring myself to look up.
“Lorenzo. Want to tell me why the fuck you’re calling me?” I hear Nello’s voice pick up. He doesn’t even sound worried. It’s like he doesn’t even care I’m missing.
“We have something of yours that I think you’d like back.”
Everything happens so fast. Someone pulls my head up by my hair and someone else puts a cold gun to my temple. I want to scream but my voice is so raw and the fear so real I’m paralyzed.
Lorenzo holds his phone up in front of me and I know he’s showing me to Nello.
I brace myself for the words I know he’s probably going to say. I wait with bated breath for him to allow them to kill me.
“How much?” His voice doesn’t sound angry. In fact, he sounds rather annoyed.
“One hundred thousand dollars should be enough. If she’s worth it, that is.”
“Done.”
“Tut tut, Antonello, you should know me better than that. That’s not all.”
“What the fuck else do you want?” He bites out.
“You’ll see. I’ll let you know tomorrow. If you don’t bring us the money by noon she’ll be dead. Although,” He looks around the room. “Paolo over there has been very, very loyal lately.”
I look over at the greasy, disheveled man by the stairs. The one who has been leering at me since the light turned on. He’s staring right at me right now and licking his lips.
“I think we’ll let Paolo have his way with her first.”
“Nello! Nello, help me!” I finally scream.
The man with the gun whips me across the face with it. The force knocks me over and takes the chair with me.
I land roughly on my side and cry out as the chair crushes my arm.
“We’ll be there at noon tomorrow,” I hear Nello calmly respond.
Someone detaches me from the chair and I’m left on the floor in a heap.
I hear them all filing back upstairs and the light is off again. As I hear the last of them exit and the door close I hug my knees to my chest and cry.
Antonello
“I should fucking kill you!” Uncle Sal slams his fist down on his desk. “You lied to me! You put yourself before the good of the famiglia! And worse yet, you put us all in jeopardy by harboring a witness!”
I’ve never heard him yell like this. And my uncle is one scary fucker. I think there’s a chance he may really kill me over this. I wouldn’t blame him if he did.
“I should fucking kill you, Antonello!”
I sit on the leather couch and put my head in my hands. I should’ve known this was all going to come crashing down like this.
“Is she in Newark?” His change in tone reminds me that above all, I’m his nephew. He and my father were as close as anything. He won’t kill me. He wouldn’t ever do that to him. Although, when I look up I and see his eyes still burning fire, I’m not one hundred percent positive.
“I can’t say for sure. I don’t know how many spots they have, but I know she definitely wasn’t in one of the warehouses.”
“Call Niccolo from the burner phone. See if you can get a hold of him.”
“Gian tried three times already.”
I’m trying not to show weakness. I’m trying to hold it together and man up. But seeing my dolcezza on that screen killed me. I was halfway through contacting my private jet to fly me to her hometown in Georgia. I was almost sure she went back. When Lorenzo called I was taken for a fuckin’ loop. I was not expecting to see my little witness on the screen. I tried to hide my surprise and my rage. I can’t let Lorenzo know she’s my weakness. Hearing her scream and watching them put their filthy fucking hands on her had my insides turning inside out.
The second we hung up I lost it. I think I did a few hundred dollars in damage to Uncle Sal’s office. Tony and Gian had to hold me down before I went and singlehandedly murdered Lorenzo, getting myself killed in the process. Which I’m sure is what would happen.
We need to figure out where she is. Niccolo may be the only one who can help us.
I can’t believe this is happening.
Caterina won’t talk to me. She left with Dominick shortly after finding out the truth about Violet. Even my mother won’t talk to me.
This is why the women need to stay the fuck out of business.
“You’re bleeding all over my fucking office.”
I look down and see blood dripping onto my uncle’s carpet from the cuts on my hand. I think I might’ve smashed a glass bottle or two from his wet bar. I don’t even remember. I was seeing red.
“I can’t just sit here. I don’t know what they’re doing to her right now.” I jump up and I’m about the leave the room but my uncle grabs me.
“I told you to stay here until we get more intel. Now sit your fucking ass down, Nello. I won’t have you making any more stupid decisions!”
Gian busts through the door an agonizing hour later.
“Newark. Niccolo is there right now. He’s going to team up with us when we get there.”
I can’t waste another second. “Give me the address. Let’s go.”
Tony and Stefano come in and we start strapping up. Uncle Sal opens up the safe and hands up each a few weapons.
I need to get to her. I can’t let them kill her. Not when she doesn’t even know how I feel about her. I swear I will rip apart any fucker that touches her.
We get out to the car and Matteo is waiting behind the wheel. The soldiers take another car behind us. The plan is going to be that we enter first and they follow in after.
The ride to Newark takes forever. Matteo is driving at least one hundred mph, zipping around cars like nothing, but it feels like it’s not fast enough. I’m anxious and the only way I can calm myself is by gripping the butt of my gun inside my jacket, knowing I’ll kill whoever touches my Violet.
Nobody speaks on the way there. The tension in the car is tangible. This will be the official start of war. This is a huge thing the famiglia is doing and it means a lot that they’re doing this for me. For Violet.
Matteo pulls down the street slowly and parks a few houses down. We wait a few minutes and d
iscuss the plan once more. My adrenaline is pumping. I don’t care how many Crisantis I kill tonight. I want my girl. I’ll do whatever I have to in order the save her.
The strict instructions from Niccolo were to enter through the side door. He said it’s the best approach to ambush them. He’s going to wait by the basement door as if he’s guarding it and he will let me slip in and get to Violet.
Tony leads us in and everything happens quickly. The Crisantis don’t even know what hit them by the sound of the gun shots ringing throughout the front room. I see one of the soldiers coming at me and I aim easily and pull the trigger on my gun. He topples over onto the floor. I grab his gun and run to the left like Niccolo told us. I turn into the kitchen and instantly spot Niccolo by the door to the stairs. He aims his gun at me and I elbow him out of the way for show, not that anyone is even paying attention to us.
I race down the stairs, practically tripping over my own feet on the way.
“Violet! Violet! Are you down here?”
I don’t hear her responding. I’m frantic. It’s dark as hell so I grab my phone and use the flashlight to scan the room.
I see her curled up in a ball on the floor in the corner. “Violet!”
I hear gunshots ringing upstairs and I can’t even bear to think what could be happening. I hear more commotion and I’m assuming the soldiers are coming in now.
When I get to my dolcezza she’s shivering. I see her chained to the floor but I’m still using the light from my phone. I try to think fast on how to break the chains in the dark.
I hear a set of footsteps running down the stairs and I tense up.
“Nello, it’s me! Relax!” I hear Matteo’s voice and I calm.
“Niccolo gave me these! We have to hurry!”
He hands me a pair of bolt cutters and holds the flashlight on the chains. I quickly snap through the metal. Violet still hasn’t spoken. I’m not even sure if she’s opened her eyes.
We get her free and we race up the stairs. I’m clutching onto her small body in my arms and as the light shines down from the kitchen upstairs I can see her body covered in blood, dirt, and bruises. I want to murder.
But my only focus right now is getting her safe. It’s much quieter upstairs and I realize everyone must have fled except our men. They’re already heading out to their cars. I step over a dead body and Matteo gets the door for me as we get Violet to the car.
I slide into the backseat with Violet still in my arms. She hasn’t stopped shaking, although at least now her eyes are open. Matteo gets in the driver’s seat and starts the car. I have no idea if we should head home or to the hospital. I jump when Gian tugs on my door handle. I let him in and slide down so he can sit next to me. He hands me a blanket.
I do the best I can to cover up her almost naked body. I hug her to my chest to get her warm. I just want her to be okay. It kills me to see her like this. She’s so vulnerable as she curls into me. Matteo starts driving. I don’t even know where he’s taking us, but I don’t ask. I’m too worried about Violet.
“Dolcezza, talk to me. Please, say something.”
She focuses her eyes on me but then closes them.
“Is she okay?” Gian says next to me.
“I have no fucking idea!”
I hold her close to me for the rest of the drive. She stops shaking and I think she falls asleep. She still hasn’t spoken to me.
It’s about forty-five minutes later when Matteo pulls up in front of my house. I see Dominick and Piero’s cars out front and Dr. Butler’s car. He’s who the famiglia uses as a private doctor. We’ve known him so long he was there the night I got my first gunshot wound.
Gian helps me cover Violet better with the blanket before we get in the door.
I head immediately towards the stairs and I hear Caterina crying in the living room. “Give them space right now, Kitty Cat.” I hear Dominick say.
Doc meets us upstairs and examines Violet’s body. I shoo Gian the fuck out of the room. I don’t need any more eyes on her body tonight. Doc looks her over and I run to draw a bath in the claw foot tub. I even toss in one of her lavender herbal shits she has in some jar. The thing starts bubbling. I guess I did it right.
I run back to the bed and Doc is still doing his checks. I’m feeling anxious. I don’t know what kind of shapes she’s in.
“Nothing’s broken. Just a lot of scrapes and bruises. She’s in shock right now, but she’ll come around.”
“Thanks, Doc. Go see Matteo when you get downstairs. He’ll take care of you.”
I eye my poor dolcezza on the bed. This is all my fault. I should’ve never left her alone at the party. There’s no way she’s going to want to stay with me after all this. It would kill me if she asked to be set free.
I lift her small body and I carry her to the bathtub. I gently lower her into the water.
“I’m sorry, dolcezza. I’m sorry for all of this.” I soap up her loofah and gently start to clean her body.
“I’m the one who’s sorry.” I lift my eyes to hers, grateful to hear her talk. Her voice is raspy. I’m sure it feels sore from screaming. I want to tell Caterina to fix her a cup of tea but I don’t want to leave the room. Instead, I fill her a glass of water. She drinks it and tries to clear her throat.
I gently scrub her body, taking extra care around the cuts and bruises. I feel fire in my veins as I see bruising coming through around her face.
“I want you to tell me what they did. I want to know who did it. I swear, if they so much as even touched you, I will fucking rip them apart if they’re not already dead.”
She gasps and I stop scrubbing her instantly. I thought it was my words that made her react but I realize it’s my inability to be gentle as I graze over her scrapes and bruises with the loofah.
“It’s okay. They didn’t do anything more than what you saw on the camera. I was just really scared.” Her voice is coming out small.
“It’s all over, dolcezza. You’re safe now.” I lean forward and I kiss her forehead. I finish washing her and then I help her wash her hair. It’s a tangled mess and I don’t know fucking shit about hair so I let her try and detangle it. She’s wearing a fluffy robe and I’m dressing her wounds when I hear the bedroom door open. “Nello, it’s just me. I brought up a few things.”
I hear the door close again. I peek in the bedroom to see what Caterina brought up. This is why she’s the best twin sister. She can read my mind.
She brought up a mug of tea and what looks like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I shrug. I didn’t even know I owned jelly.
I carry it back to the bathroom and Violet looks at it with sad eyes. “What’s wrong? You’re not allergic to peanut butter, are you?” It scares me how much I still don’t know about her. There’s so much I never cared to ask.
“No, it’s just, that’s my favorite sandwich. Caterina is the best friend I’ve ever had.” I watch as a tear falls down her cheek.
I love that Violet has such a close relationship with my sister. It actually warms me inside. “So why does that make you sad, dolcezza?”
She looks at me like I’m crazy. “Because I’ll never see her again.”
“What? Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re going to send me away aren’t you? Either that or kill me. After all the trouble I caused I’m sure you’re going to just—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I interrupt her and walk her back to the bedroom. I lay her down gently on the bed next to me. “Dolcezza, you’re not going anywhere.”
“But what about the deal? What about your uncle and everyone finding out? Didn’t you say they’d kill me because I’m a witness?”
“There is no deal. And don’t worry about all that. My uncle understands everything.” I tuck a few strands of her wet hair behind her ear and I pull her closer to me.
“What do you mean? The deal is off?”
“Dolcezza, there is no deal. I’m not sure there ever was.”
“So, if there�
�s no deal and your uncle isn’t going to kill me for being a witness, I can just go back home to Georgia.”
My stomach sinks. I take her face in my palms.
“Is that what you want? To leave me?”
Her eyes glisten. “Isn’t that what you want?”
“No, dolcezza. That’s not what I want at all. I want you to stay here with me. I want to come home to you every night and try your cooking. I want to spend the weekends in the city with you. I want to show you how to drive my car, and show you how to properly fight me with a real weapon. Not your Swiss Army knife.” I get a laugh out of her for that. “I want to roll my eyes with Piero and Dominick when you and Caterina are playing jokes on me and laughing until you cry. I want to show you off to the famiglia and show them how proud I am that you’re mine. Because I want you to be mine. For real.”
Antonello (Mob Men Book 1) Page 15