Viola didn’t always pop in for coffee before she left for work. We had just spent a week together in Milan, so it wasn’t as if we needed to catch up on gossip. Not that we were the kind of women who sat around all day ripping others to shreds with cruel fabrications or vicious innuendos. I hated that. I said what I thought, and if someone didn’t like it, they could move on. There was enough shit in the world for women to turn on one another like rabid dogs.
With my sidekicks busy as bees, I was on my own. Wouldn't be the first time I had to cut an asshole down to size all by my little self. I almost felt sorry for the poor chop. Almost.
***
GIANI
Great. Of all the women to capture, I would naturally pick the feistiest one. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful. This is not the time to think with your dick, Giani. Snap out of it.
I needed a tall drink, so I opened a bottle of whiskey and poured myself a double. I felt better as I threw it back, numbing my anxiety with the warming liquid. I thought of calling Vinny, but I wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. Vinny was a lover of women for sure, but when it came to his job, he’d kill one without batting an eye. I could wait a few days and see if anyone reported her missing. That was probably the safest way; something told me she wasn’t going to offer up any info without a fight.
The room she was in had no windows facing the street. That side of the apartment building was very close to a wall, so the developer decided against it. It bothered me a little the first time I saw it, but having a place to stash my hostage more than made up for the lack of aesthetics. I was exhausted. It was not the way I planned to end my day. A beer and a busty blonde perhaps, but not this. But as they say in the classics, shit happens. I had a warm shower and turned the heat up in the apartment. I didn’t want “Miss Smartmouth” to freeze to death in the night. Winter came late that year, but when it did hit, it took no prisoners. I was skeptical about sleeping, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
I woke up early, as I usually did, lay in my bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Mental note. Fit a large mirror. The abortion of a job the night before kept me from leaping out of bed and singing show tunes with the pigeons. What a fucking mess. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell Dominick, or Tony for that matter. They’d think that I was a bumbling amateur. It wasn’t like me to be so clumsy. My work was always tight and tidy; had I lost my edge? Was it time to put me out to pasture? Get a grip, drama queen! You’re only twenty-nine.
I got up, went to the bathroom to drain the lizard, and strapped my morning wood down securely with the belt of my thickest bathrobe. I didn’t want to scare my prisoner to death with my large cock before she had a chance to answer my questions. The time for big cock capers would come later.
I couldn’t face a day without my strong black cuppa. The carpet from my bedroom to the coffee machine in the kitchen was nearly worn out from overuse. I looked out of the large foldaway doors at the snowy landscape; it wasn’t Hawaii but I called it home. When the coffee machine called me to arms, I poured myself a cup and contemplated what to do with my new houseguest. There was no time like the present to have a quiet chat with the feisty beauty.
Her room was darkly lit and silent. I tiptoed to the bed to see if she was still breathing. The last thing I needed was a dead chic in my apartment. I watched as her chest rose and fell; thank God, she was alive. As I touched her face delicately, she startled, and her eyes flew open. They were dark, like onyx, almost black.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I was just checking to see if you were okay.” She lay still, staring up at me like I was the boogeyman. The woman was probably dying to use the bathroom. I helped her into a sitting position and took the gag out of her mouth.
“You bastard! Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re going to be sorry you ever met me.”
Her face was contorted with anger. Even with her vicious tongue and her pouty snarl, she was still the sexiest woman I’d ever seen.
“Okay, let’s see if we can get along a little better today. Would you like to use the bathroom?”
She looked at me with surprise.
“Yes, the bastard is being considerate. Now, do you need to go or not?”
“Yes, but I can’t go with my hands and feet bound, now can I?”
“I guess I could help you.” I smiled at her. She wasn’t amused.
“You even think of touching me, and I’ll bite your fucking fingers off.”
Something told me she wasn’t kidding. “Okay, calm down. I’ll untie your hands.”
“Am I supposed to slide to the bathroom on my belly, like a snake?”
“Cut the sarcasm or I’ll leave you there to wet yourself.”
She glared at me but said nothing. Her beautiful pink lips were sealed. I cut the zip ties off her hands, and she rubbed her wrists where they had left a mark. I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. Even after all she had been through and a night of sleep, she smelled like a field of flowers in spring. I tried hard not to bury my nose in her hair.
“Do you need a hand or will you manage?” I asked, never taking my eyes off her.
“I’m fine. Now get out . . . please.”
The please bit was an afterthought, but I let it slide. I left the room and locked the door from the outside. I heard the faucet turn on and water running into the basin. My mother didn't raise me to be a pervert, so I left the room and gave the woman some privacy. The thought of her undressing in my bathroom made me hard, but I snapped out of it quickly. She had a dazzlingly hot body; she’d probably get laid often, too, if it weren’t for her mouth. Perhaps some guys liked the dominatrix type, but I preferred being in control.
***
CELINA
I had worrying visions of my captor ripping off my clothes and having his way with me. He certainly looked interested and capable—he oozed raw sexuality. I was relieved when he didn’t. Under different circumstances, he’d be exactly who I’d choose to sleep with, but this was not the usual meet-cute. Oh, well done, Celina! That’s appropriate. Why don’t you cut the Prince Charming shit, and figure a way to get the hell out of dodge?
Sitting on the toilet was heavenly—crazy how the little things mattered when you were in a sticky situation. I was all sweaty from the heat in the room all night. Was it his plan to roast the answers out of me? After the longest pee ever, I filled the basin with water. I couldn’t bathe or shower because of the stupid zip tie on my feet, so I opted for a basin wash instead. Thank heavens he took off my boots before he zip-tied me; I'd kill him if he ruined my brand new investment.
It wasn’t the plaza, but at least the bathroom was clean, with fresh towels and soap. The tiles had a modern pattern in pale blue with white trim. I prayed I wouldn’t slip on the scattered mats and crack open my skull on the hard floor. Reports of my death by bathroom tiles would be mortifying.
It felt good moving around, even though it was more hopping than walking; I had a newfound respect for geishas. It was a letdown to put my dirty clothes back on but better dirty clothes than none at all. I found a new toothbrush, still in its wrapper, and fished around for toothpaste. If there was one thing that drove me scatty, it was morning breath. I wouldn’t speak to anyone before my teeth were clean; except in the case of an emergency like telling a kidnapper to go fuck himself. He knocked on the door after a while.
“You done in there?”
“Just a minute,” I answered as I scanned the room once more; then, it hit me—before it hit him. The toilet was the standard model, thank god, so I hopped over to it and very carefully removed the cistern lid. It was heavy—I was thrilled. Okay, asshole, come and get it!
“Okay, I’m done.”
I heard the key turn in the lock and waited for him to push open the door. He was about to experience a bit of Pisano bitchslap. As he entered the bathroom, I swung at his head with the makeshift weapon. The lid was cumbersome, so the swing was a little telegraphed. Unfortunately for me
, he saw it coming and ducked out of the way. The lid hit the wall and shattered, as did my hopes of escaping.
“You little bitch!” He grabbed my wrist and twisted hard. I squealed in pain and dropped to my knees, looking up just in time to see a hand coming down onto the base of my neck. A wave of nausea hit me like a shovel before my world went dark.
***
GIANI
It was time to phone Dominick and bring him up to speed. He needed to know that he was safe for his meeting. I dialed the Coli number.
“Hi, Capo.” It was odd to outsiders that I called him that. He was the man who took me in and raised me like I was one of his own, but I respected him too much as a man of power to call him by any other name. The man had a good heart, and so did his wife. They afforded me the same respect as they did their own children. If anyone even thought of harming them, I’d take them out without thinking twice.
“Giani, how are you, my boy? Everything okay?”
“It will be after tonight.”
“What happened?”
“I thought I’d tell you before you found out later. Pisano ordered a hit on you and Gina, Capo.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me? That bastard will do anything to get to the top. He’s been doing it for years: scheming, plotting, trying to turn others against my family. I’ll get him when the time is right. The son of a bitch needs to be taught a lesson in ethics.”
“I metered out an attitude adjustment. The Pisano’s are one hitman short. I wanted you to be at ease tomorrow. Vinny and I have you covered, Capo.”
There was no way I would tell him about Celina. I wasn’t ready for that. First off, I wasn’t ready to own up to my fuck up, and secondly, I wasn’t sure what I to do with the Pisano woman. Dominick had enough to worry about without waiting for Pisano to retaliate. The woman was my problem, and I had to deal with her, and soon.
***
I knew she was feisty, but bloody hell. The bitch almost took off my head. It was a good thing I had catlike reflexes or I’d have dined on porcelain for breakfast. There wouldn’t be another chance for her to get one over on me. I picked her up off the floor and carried her back to the bed. The floor of the bathroom was wet, a basin wash would do that, so her clothes were soaked. I didn’t want her to mess up my new sheets, so I took off her wet skirt, and pulled her shirt off over her head.
I stopped and stared at her lying there in her underwear. She was wearing a red and black g-string and a black lace bra. Fuck! There it was again. My small head was determined to take over from my big head. I couldn’t leave her like that, partly because she’d freeze, but mostly because I couldn’t trust myself around such naked splendor such as she. An old girlfriend of mine from many moons ago left some clothes in the spare room cupboard, so I picked out an outfit I thought would fit the feisty one and dropped it on the bed next to her.
Then, it occurred to me that I would most definitely have to tie her up again. She’d undoubtedly find something else to swing at my head if given the chance. I had to dress her. I checked to see if she was still out for the count; then, when I was sure she was, I cut the zip tie off her ankles. Her smooth, shapely thighs fell open as I did, unveiling her pussy. I wanted so badly to reach out and run my fingers around the lips, but I didn’t. If I was going to fuck her, it would be when she was awake and asking for it. I wasn’t a rapist.
I slid the sweatpants over her feet and pulled them up to her waist. The touch of her silky smooth, warm skin sent a tingling sensation through my body. My groin felt heavy again. I ignored my raging hardon and pulled the sweatshirt over her head. When she was dressed, I tied her hands and her feet together again, slipped her under the covers, and left the room, locking the door behind me.
The phone rang. It was Tony.
“How’d it go last night?”
“I hit the mark. Now I have to pray that the Pisano’s don’t find out it was me.”
“I’m sure Dominick will be happy. This could have ended very badly for him and his wife.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the tip, Tony. I owe you.”
“You bailed me out plenty, Giani; this one’s on me.”
He ended the call. Hunger pangs grabbed me by the short and curlies, so I got dressed and went downstairs to the cafe across the street from my apartment building. She’d be hungry when she finally came to, so I bought her a deli sandwich with all the trimmings. It was just tough shit if she was a vegetarian. I hadn’t had my coffee yet, no wonder I was feeling out of sorts. It could also be the fact that there was a stunning woman bound in my apartment. I ordered a double espresso just in case.
The room she was in was at the far end of the passage. With the bedroom and passage doors both closed, there was no way anyone would hear her screaming. I heard faint expletives as I opened my front door. They were barely audible, but I knew they weren’t complimentary. The caffeine steadied my nerves enough for me to face the vicious potty mouth, head-on. She stopped yelling when she heard the key turning in the lock.
“Honey, I’m home.” She spat in my direction as I walked towards the bed.
“That’s no way to treat someone who brought you breakfast, now is it?”
“You can shove your breakfast up y…”
“Hang on now,” I interrupted. “Before you say something you might regret, you may want to see what it is.” I unwrapped the deli sandwich and put it down on the nightstand. She looked at it then back at me. She looked hungry; the question was, was she as hungry as she was pissed off?
“Why am I here? What do you want with me? I know you had something to do with Victor’s ‘accident.’ Is it your plan to kill me too?”
“I haven’t decided that yet. Why don’t we have breakfast first, then, we can talk it over.”
She said nothing but searched my face to see if I was kidding or serious. Whatever she decided on, she didn’t say. Her hands were still tied, so I brought the sandwich to her mouth. She glared at me then at the sandwich before she opened her mouth. She took a small bite at first, then, a few big ones. The sandwich didn’t touch sides.
“I need painkillers. My head hurts like hell.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Whatever.”
“I’ll get you some. Then we’re gonna talk. Really talk.” I went to my medicine cabinet and grabbed a few headache tablets. Gorgeous or not, this woman better start talking, or I’ll have to get rid of her.
***
CELINA
I was getting really tired and pissed off with being knocked out cold. Perhaps I was poking the bear too often—time to change tactics. I’d play nice until I gained his trust, then make a break for it. I’d humor the bastard to get what I needed to escape. I wondered what the time was. When I fell, my watch face cracked, and I saw no clock in the room. My cell phone was in my handbag in my car, so no help there. I hoped someone would call it and take action when I didn’t answer. When he came back with the painkillers, I tried not to spew poison at him.
“Can you please cut my right hand free?”
“I don’t think so. How do I know I can trust you?”
“How do I know I can trust you?” I asked, hoping I wouldn’t piss him off beyond the point of no return.
“You don’t have a choice. Do as you’re told, or I’ll get rid of you.”
Well, that made it crystal clear. It was too soon to appeal to his softer side; who knew, did he even have one? In that case, I was screwed. He looked intently at me. I wished I could read his mind, but his facial expression gave away nothing.
“I promise not to try and escape again.” It was a simple reassurance. One I had no intention of keeping.
“If you try anything, I’ll kill you.”
He freed my right hand but tied my feet to the bed. “The painkillers are there.”
With that, he left the room.
Chapter Four
GIANI
I needed fresh air, my head was spinning. It was time to head out and find out if there
was news about the hit. I had a feeling the heat would come down on me pretty soon; I wasn’t looking forward to it. I kept Dominick’s schedule in mind. He was meeting with his business connection that afternoon, and I made sure nothing would go wrong. The threat of a hit quashed, I set about with last-minute checks. Vinny called.
“Hey, sniper, what’s up?”
“Hi, Vin.” I didn’t want anyone to know about the girl. One mistake in the assassins’ business and you were dead meat, or worse, unemployed.
“Have you heard the news?”
“What news?” I fully expected him to know about the hit. Word of a hit spread fast.
“Someone dusted Pisano’s hitman. I don’t suppose you know anything about that?”
“Vin, you know I can’t discuss things like that with you.”
“Fair enough. But that’s only half of the news.” I could hear he was itching to tell me.
“What?”
“Whoever hit the mark, took with him Pisano’s daughter. He’s super pissed. Just thought I’d mention it to you, just in case. See you, buddy.”
What the fuck! What a colossal fuckup. If I kept her prisoner, I was dead; if I got rid of her, I was dead. Great fucking choices. So much for trusting your gut, Giani. Let’s see how you get out of this one.
No wonder she didn’t tell me who she was. It was quite a secret to keep. Surely she had to know that I’d find out eventually. Was she incredibly smart or as dumb as a bag of sand? I guessed I’d find out pretty soon. I had a few hours to kill, but I wasn’t going to get into it with the girl. If I had the day to myself, I’d go down to my local and have a stiff one. But I have to keep my shit together, so I went back to my apartment.
Ruthless Captor: A Mafia Romance (Corrupt Minds Book 3) Page 4