Ruthless Captor: A Mafia Romance (Corrupt Minds Book 3)

by Camille Alexander

  “That’s very considerate of you, thanks. Perhaps next time you can show my toilet bowl lid the same courtesy.”

  “Sorry about that, but you had it coming.”

  “Indeed. Are you in a relationship? Is there a battered and bruised man out there somewhere looking for his feisty brainbox?”

  “Not at the moment, no. I’m giving relationships a bit of a rest. In my experience, the good ones are hard to find. How about you? Got any other girls locked up somewhere out there?”

  “Touche. Nope, just you. I’m a one kidnapped girl at a time sort of guy.”

  “I’m not surprised. You’re not exactly upping your appeal with deli sandwiches and store brand shampoo.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Do your parents live here in Chicago? Does your mother know you torture defenseless women for a living?”

  “No, they died when I was young.”

  I felt a tiny pang of guilt. “I’m sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine what I’d do if my parents weren’t around. They must be worried sick about me.”

  He didn’t comment on that. Either he didn’t care, or he felt too guilty to say anything. His face gave nothing away.

  “Who brought you up then?” I tried to steer away from dangerous topics.

  “A very caring family took me in. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know where I would have ended up.”

  I added seasoning to the pasta sauce and made garlic butter for the ciabatta.

  “Can I pour you some wine?” Giani stood over the counter and filled a glass for himself.

  “Yes, thanks.” The kitchen was alive with aromas, not least of all his cologne. I associated the smell with our kiss. I wouldn’t ever forget it I thought, as the memory of his lips on mine lingered.

  He wore black; it seemed to be his thing. Not that I was complaining. His olive skin and blue eyes stood out even more against the black. His jeans were painted on; I could see every muscle in his legs and butt as he moved; his polo neck jersey clung to his torso, showing off his sculpted arms and abs.

  Dying was the last thing on my mind as I watched him move. I had visions of him thrusting hard into me. It was all I could do not to drop the food all over the floor. I was far too hungry for that.

  ***

  GIANI

  I watched her as she slept, her chest moving steadily up and down, her face relaxed and angelic, framed with a halo of black hair. She was so beautiful.

  While she slept, I lay on my bed, thinking. I felt more human as the day went on, the hangover all but passed. I didn’t want to fight with her anymore. We were both in an impossible situation, and there was no point in making it worse. I’d bought the ingredients on her list, and laid them out on the kitchen counter for her. As I lay there, contemplating life and its wicked curveballs, I wondered how Celina and I would get along under different circumstances. She was a firecracker, I liked that about her. An independent woman did it for me. I didn’t have the time or the energy to expend on a woman who had no mind of her own.

  It was no secret that I had the attention span of a hummingbird when it came to people. If they bored me, I lost interest. I was convinced that no one could accuse Celina of being boring. It wasn’t just her body either, which was a fucking good reason to want to stick around, but her sharp mind and wit kept me engaged. I thought again of our bodies moving against each other, the way she arched her back when she came, the gasp from her lips as I drove my shaft deep into her.

  Everything about her body was perfect. Right down to the freckle on the left breast. Before I could simmer down, I became hard. My cock was throbbing with want for her. Her warm, wet, pink pussy did exciting things to my imagination. I couldn’t burst into her room and ravage her again, so I did the only thing I could. I satisfied myself. As I came, my mind’s eye watched as her neck arched, and I felt again how her pussy quivered. Mrs. Palmer and her five daughters were a poor substitute, but it was my only option or I’d explode.

  A shower was called for. A fresh start to the dinner. I stood under the pelting water, the streams rushing past my ears. My favorite sensation as a boy was swimming. I’d keep my body submerged for as long as my breath held. The underwater sounds calmed me. They took me to a peaceful place where my father wasn’t yelling at my mother, and my mother’s loser boyfriends didn’t kick the shit out of me. It was a safe space.

  I checked on her a short while after that, but she was out for the count; so, I called Vinny.

  “How ya feeling today, bud?” He was cheerful.

  “Like a whiskey truck hit me and then backed up over me a few times. How bout you?”

  “Yeah, you skinny runts can’t hold your liquor. I’m ready for a marathon. No pain here.”

  “Rub it in, why don't you? Any news from your side? I spoke to Reggie this morning, and he told me that, as far as he knows, no one has any idea who did the hit or where Celina is.”

  “Oh, so now it’s Celina, not the Pisano woman? I hope you know what you’re doing, G. You’re playing with fire.”

  “What can I say, Vinny? It’s complicated.”

  “No, it isn’t. She’s a Pisano, and you’re a Coli kid. Do you imagine for one moment that her father will welcome you into the family with open arms? She’s gonna get you killed, Giani. Get rid of her.”

  “I can’t Vinny, I just can’t. It’s way too late for that.”

  “Ah, shit, G. You’re falling for the pussy, aren’t you? She must be something. Well, better you make a plan, and I mean stat because soon the Pisano’s will find you. Then you’re fucked, for good.”

  “Just keep an ear to the ground, Vin, and let me know if you hear anything.”

  “Will do, my friend. Don’t get dead!”

  ***

  GIANI

  Dinner was a damn sight better than I expected. We had an interesting conversation: mostly probing for information, but we weren’t ripping each other apart. A step in the right direction, I hoped. It felt good having a woman in my home. I was used to being alone, but somehow, Celina’s presence felt right. She was quirky, sassy, interesting to talk to, and one hell of a cook.

  I poured us a glass of wine each and sat down at the dining room table as she set down the dishes she’d prepared. Barefoot and pregnant—not this one. We sipped our wine and ate. Like two boxers sizing the other up, we circled, bobbed, and weaved through our conversation. I was guarded when she asked me more questions than I was ready to answer, but I tried not to let it show. I put on my poker face. Pity I was such a poor player.

  “So, tell me about you,” she said as I took a bite of the pasta. She saw me trying to chew at speed so I could answer her without spraying her with sauce.

  “What would you like to know?”

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty-nine. And you?” I guessed it was a harmless bit of information. What would she do? Check the birth register?

  “Twenty-five. Have you ever been married?”

  “With my charm and deli sandwich fetish, what do you think?”

  “Some girls like that sort of thing. The sandwiches, I mean.”

  “Good to know. Have you walked the aisle, or come close to?”

  “I came close, but thankfully not.”

  “What? He buy you store brands?” I gave her a cheeky smile.

  “If only.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  Her expression was a mix of anger and pain. He must have done a number on her. She wasn’t the type of girl who’d allow a man to push her around. Was her attitude a defense mechanism?

  “Yeah. I kicked his ass to the curb. No one owns me.” She looked at me as if to say, “that includes you.” I got the message, loud and clear.

  “The family who took you in, what are they like? Were they friends of your family? Didn’t you have grandparents?” Her question caught me off guard. I had to consider it before I answered.

  “My grandparents were too old to look after me. A young boy can be a handful.”


  “True. So where did you go?” She was like a dog with a bone.

  “A family who knew about my situation took me in and raised me. I felt loved. I was happy.”

  “That was very decent of them. They must be good people.”

  “They are. I owe them my life.”

  “How old were you when your parents died?”

  “I was thirteen.”

  “How did they die?”

  “I don’t like to talk about it.”

  “Fair enough. So, I know you shoot people for a living, but what do you do in your downtime, apart from keeping me locked up?”

  “Okay, your ten minutes are up. Let’s just eat our dinner.”

  “Fine by me.”

  “That shirt looks good on you.”

  “Thanks, it’s brand store couture.” Her sarcasm was playful. I was glad she was in a better mood. I had only two toilet bowl lids left.

  Chapter Nine

  CELINA

  I was back in my room like a good girl. Giani stood at the door as I sat down on the bed. There wasn’t much else to do.

  “I’m going to go stark raving mad just sitting here. Don’t you have any books I could read? If I promise not to swing a makeshift weapon at your head.”

  “I have a couple of biographies lying around. I’m not one for fiction.”

  “Neither am I. Contrary to popular belief, women like biographies too.”

  “That wasn’t an insult. You are smart, too.” I smiled at his attempt at an apology. “I’ll bring you a few to choose from.”

  He disappeared and locked the door. There was no way I would sleep—not after the protracted nap I took earlier. Other than wracking my brain to find a way of escape, I had nothing else to do. Not that I expected any reading material to go in. Biographies weren’t always light reading, but I’d give it my best shot.

  Giani came back a few minutes later. He had a stack of books in his hands. He placed them on the table next to the chaise lounge.

  “What? You think killers and kidnappers can’t read?”

  “Now that you mention it.”

  “I’ll have you know, Miss. Brainbox, that I went to the best private school in Chicago. I’m what you’d call a rough diamond.”

  “So, why do you use your powers for evil, Superman?”

  “Just read your book and go to sleep my little brood of vipers.”

  He left the room, locked the door, and left me to my “light” reading.

  ***

  GIANI

  I had to get out of her room. I was afraid that if I stayed any longer, I would do something that I would regret a second time. It was time to go to bed. Hopefully, she wouldn’t haunt me in my dreams.

  My phone woke me up early the next morning. It startled me. I didn’t get much sleep. It was Tony.

  “Someone better be dead.” I was in no mood for conversation.

  “You want the bad news or the really bad news?”

  My heart skipped a beat as my gut fell into my knees.

  “I’m listening.”

  “Reggie fucked up. He told the wrong someone that he had breakfast with you. That someone probed him for details, and the weasel must have said too much. The bad news is that he’s in ICU with a cracked skull. The really bad news is that the Pisano’s are asking questions about you.”

  “Fucking Reggie. I should have known better than to probe him for info. Fuck!”

  “You better find a place to lie low for a while. Like Spain.”

  “Thanks for the heads up, Tony. I owe you.”

  “I can’t collect if you’re floating in the bay, so you better take care of yourself.”

  I ended the call. I knew it was just a matter of time before they found me. I couldn’t sit around my apartment and wait for the cavalry to arrive and kick down my door. I needed help, so I called the only person I knew would help me.

  “Hi, Don. I need your help.”

  “Come to the house and we’ll talk.”

  This wasn’t something I could talk about over the phone; I needed to look Dominick in the eyes when I told him I fucked up and the whole Coli family was in danger because of me. I got dressed and made my way to the mansion.

  ***

  CELINA

  A biography or two down, I drifted off to sleep. I had crazy dreams, disjointed and weird—not surprising after the week I’d had. I expected Giani to liberate me from my prison so I could stretch my legs, but he never came. As the morning dragged on, I had a disturbing thought. If something happened to him, I’d be pretty fucked. No one knew where I was—I was pretty sure that a kidnapper wouldn’t be stupid enough to announce to the world that he had someone locked up, just in case he snuffed it.

  The harsh realization of such a potential dilemma did nothing to ease my mind. I was being naive. Was I genuinely expecting a man like Giani to keep me safe, or alive for that matter, when his own life was in danger? It was just a fuck, Celina; nothing more, nothing less. You are dispensable, so don’t get too cocky. Your pussy isn’t going to save you.

  I had a choice to make. Be a sucker and die, or be a fighter and survive. I was too stubborn to die.

  ***

  GIANI

  The drive to the mansion to meet with Dominick went by way too fast. I wasn’t ready to disappoint him. The gates were locked as I drove up to the guardhouse. Eddy waved me through. There were more armed guards within the estate than normal; I suspected the news of a failed hit flipped the switch onto “watch the fuck out!”

  Gina was in the kitchen when I entered through the kitchen door. I did that as a rule, probably a habit I picked up when I was a young boy. The kitchen was my favorite place. Gina was always faffing around in there, planning menus and baking my favorite Italian biscuits.

  “Hi, Giani. How are you, my darling?”

  I kissed her on her cheek and hugged her tightly.

  “I’m all good, Mama. It smells great in here. Can I grab one of those?” I walked over to the stove where a tray of freshly baked biscotti lay calling.

  “Of course, my darling.”

  By the time I came along, Dominick and Gina’s children were all grown up, so in essence, I was once again an only child. That entitled me to as many cookies as I could eat, and as much PlayStation as I could fit in after school. I loved them so much.

  “Dominick is in his study, Giani. He’s waiting for you. Is everything alright, my boy?”

  “It will be soon, Mama. Don’t worry.”

  I left the kitchen, biscotti in hand, and walked to the study. I knocked on the door.

  “Come in. Ah, Giani, my boy. Sit down.”

  “Hi, Capo. You look well. I take it the merger is going well.”

  “I’m happy to say it is. Thank you for keeping an eye out for me, Giani. I can always depend on you.”

  Great, how was I going to tell him what I did after that?

  “Spit it out, my boy. You look squirrelly, like the time I busted you test driving my new car.”

  “You’re not going to like this, Capo. I messed up big time.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.”

  I squirmed in my seat before I spilled the beans. “The hit didn’t go exactly as I planned. Pisano’s hitman jumped me unexpectedly, so I ran after him as he made for his car. I popped him before he could drive away, but unfortunately, someone saw the whole thing.”

  “Okay. Did you take care of the problem?”

  “Not exactly. It was a woman. I don’t like killing women, Capo. I had to know what she saw, so I took her to my place. She’s still there.”

  “So, let me see if I understand. You popped Pisano’s man, then you kidnapped a woman, and now you’re holding her at your apartment. Is that about right?”

  “Yes. But that’s not the problem. The woman is Pisano’s daughter.” I waited for the bomb to go off. I braced myself as best as I could.

  “What the fuck have you done, Giani? If Pisano finds out the Coli’s kidnapped his daughter, we’re all dead, for
sure. This is going to start a war. He’ll feel vindicated when he finds out. God knows he’s been painting me as the bad guy for long enough; now, he has a reason to feel justified.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was anger or concern I saw on Dominick’s face. I couldn’t speak. My heart was shattered in a thousand pieces at the knowledge that my stupidity would harm the very people who saved me from a life of pain and misery.

  “I’m sorry, Capo. The last thing I wanted to do was bring harm to you. I don't know how to fix this. Apart from killing Celina and dumping her body in the ocean, which is out of the question, I’m out of ideas.”

  “There’s only one way to keep you alive, Giani. Bring the girl here. We’ll protect you until we figure this out.”

  “I’m sorry I disappointed you, Capo. I would never knowingly put you in danger.”

  “You’re a good boy, Giani. Now go. Fetch the Pisano girl.”

  ***

  CELINA

  My imagination was running away with me as I sat around the room, twiddling my thumbs. What if something happened to Giani? Would I die here of boredom and starvation? I could always try to break down the door, but it was solid—I tried before when my captor was out.

  Before I could flip out completely, I heard the key turning in the lock. I was about to crap on Giani for leaving me alone for so long when I saw by his facial expression that he meant business.

  “What’s wrong? What’s happened. You look different.”

  “I’m sorry.” He rushed at me and, before I could move away, and he jabbed a needle into my arm.

  “Ouch! What the fuck are you doing? Giani!” He watched as my body went limp. I was out cold.

  Chapter Ten

  CELINA

  I woke up in a strange room. It was much larger than the one I was in before. The sun shone through the window, and I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and people talking. I lay still for a few moments, my head groggy and my eyes desperately trying to focus. Where the fuck was I? What happened?