33. Gianna
Chapter thirty-three
Gianna
There’s a deafening noise outside the house. I know something is fucking wrong.
My baby… I need my baby here with me. What’s happening?
“Mateo!” I yell, banging on the door. “Mateo!”
“Oh God,” I mutter to myself as I hear gunshots.
Could it be Luca? Or my brother? Perhaps one of the rival gangs is starting a war with Mateo. I don’t want my child to be caught up in any of this.
“Open this fucking door!”
I take a step back, panting hard as I hear the clicking sound of the lock. Someone’s here. My heart sinks when I see Mateo. For a split second, I almost thought someone must have come to save me.
Mateo looks pissed as he walks into the room with a gun in his hand.
Oh, God.
I’m walking slowly backwards as I spot the gun in his hand.
“Hear that?” he grunts through gritted teeth, as he points the hand with the gun in the direction of the window. “Your fucking brother and Luca have come to save you.”
I'm in shock. They are working together? Do they finally realize who the real enemy is?
“Not on my watch. I should have killed them both when I had the chance. You’re coming with me.” His gaze is menacing as he covers the distance between us, the gun pointed in my direction.
“Mateo, please don’t hurt me.”
“Today was supposed to be our fucking wedding celebration and now those sons of bitches have ruined everything. Everything!” He points the gun to my head. “Stop playing fucking games with me.”
“Let go of me, Mateo,” I yell, as he grabs my wrist and squeezes hard.
“You don’t seem to get that you’re mine now and I’m never letting you go.”
I swallow a hard gulp as he tightens his grip on me with the gun trailing the side of my head.
“We are a family now, Gianna.” Mateo places a kiss on my forehead. “Now move.”
I pause for a moment.
“I said, fucking move!” He keeps the gun pointed to the side of my head as I take the first step. “I won’t hesitate to fucking shoot you if you try anything funny.”
I reach for the doorknob, my fingers trembling. “Where’s my baby?”
“The maid is getting her ready. We are leaving.”
Mateo is behind me with his gun still pointed at the back of my head.
“To where? Where are you taking us?”
“Stop asking stupid questions and fucking move!”
I spot Rico walking towards us. He stops right in front of us.
“Boss, we caught Pietro trying to open the doors.”
“That fucking bastard!” Mateo pushes me to continue moving.
Where are you, Luca?
“Tie him up and bring him with us. I have plans for that dickhead.”
“Okay, Boss.” Rico leaves us as I walk slowly, buying more time for my brother and Luca.
Did Pietro really help them? If he did try to open the doors for them, that means they’re close to saving us.
“Walk faster, Princess. We don’t have all day.”
I grunt as Mateo shoves me roughly to walk faster. Sophie’s maid joins us when we reach the living room. Mateo’s brother is on the floor with a bleeding mouth and swollen eyes. His hands are tied behind his back.
“Sophie!”
“Don’t,” Mateo warns, as he pulls my arm back, stopping me from reaching out to my baby. She’s fast asleep on the maid’s shoulder.
“You tried to fucking betray me?” Mateo yells at Pietro.
He has a smirk on his face as he stares at Mateo with his eyes half open. “Fuck off!” he grunts back.
“You’ll regret ever messing with me, brother.”
I’m hoping to God he doesn’t take a shot at him while he wriggles his gun carelessly in the air.
“Rico, take her!” he orders, motioning his head toward Sophie.
What’s happening?
“Mateo, what are you doing?” My heart is beating faster as Rico walks over to the maid and grabs my baby. Sophie turns but doesn’t wake up as he places her on his shoulder.
“I told you, Princess, we are leaving.”
Four heavily armed men are stationed by the door. There’s a heavy metal shelf by the door blocking it from being opened. Rico receives a call and ends it almost immediately.
“It’s ready, Boss.”
“Good. You’re coming with me.”
I grunt as he grips my arm firmly.
I’m thinking of how I can escape with my child as I stare at him. If Luca or Giovanni don’t make it inside, I need to get the fuck out of here without their help. There must be a back door around here somewhere, but I’m fucking surrounded.
There has to be a way, Gianna. Think.
Some men hold Pietro up as the four at the door release the safety to their guns. Two of Mateo’s men move the shelf away from the door. I'm about to make a run for it when Mateo reaches for me.
“We are moving out together. Stay close and don’t let those fucking assholes get to us,” he instructs his men.
The four men open the door and begin to fire shots. I shriek from the deafening sounds.
Mateo is pulling me as he leads us out of the house. I can hear Sophie’s cries from behind. The noise must have woken her up.
Wounded bodies are scattered in the compound as Mateo drags me into a black Jeep parked in front of the house. I don’t catch sight of my brother or Luca.
Shit !
Rico joins us in the backseat with Sophie still crying.
“Give me my baby,” I grunt as I reach for her.
Mateo doesn’t stop me this time, as he lets me have her. “Drive,” he orders. He turns to Rico. “Tell them to kill everyone. I want both of them dead.”
I turn to stare at Rico as he nods in response. My heart hurts. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing both Giovanni and Luca. Worse, no one is saving my daughter and me from Mateo.
Oh God, no.
The driver speeds out of the compound while shots keep flying in our direction. I hug Sophie tightly, a tear sliding down my face. I’ve never felt this helpless before. I’m praying Luca and Giovanni find us. God, please.
“I’ll keep you safe here,” Mateo says to me as the driver drives the car through a fence gate. There are armed men around. The driver stops the car in front of a warehouse.
This place looks like it belongs to Mateo. His men surround everywhere.
Sophie has fallen asleep in my arms. She looks so peaceful.
I’ve missed the days when my life wasn’t full of chaos. I’ll do anything to go back to those days when Mateo didn’t have me as his fucking prisoner.
“We’re getting out now, Princess.”
Another car parks behind us as we get out of the Jeep. Mateo holds my hand and leads us into the warehouse. Three men are inside as we walk in.
Pietro is being dragged in a moment later. The left side of his head is cut. It looks like he was hit again because the cut wasn’t there back at the house.
“Set that betrayer over there,” Mateo orders, pointing to a wooden chair in the corner of the room.
“Fuck you, Mateo!” Pietro grunts as he is being dragged to the chair. They are tying his legs and arms to it.
Fuck. What’s Mateo doing?
Pietro yells as he is being held back. He struggles to free his arms and legs, moving the chair violently.
I cover Sophie’s ears and try to walk out of the room. Rico stops me and keeps me in place. “You’re not leaving.”
“My baby’s sleeping; this is too much for her.”
“You either hand over the baby or stand right there with her. You choose.”
I shoot him daggers with my eyes, glaring at him. Fucking asshole. I’m clinging tightly to Sophie as she whimpers. Pietro’s yells have woken her up.
Mateo is by his brother now as he connects a hard punch to his face. “I get betrayed by my fucking flesh and blood.”
Pietro groans and coughs out more blood as Mateo connects his fists to his jaws again. I flinch from the intensity, taking a step backward. My back is almost glued to the wall since I have nowhere else to run to.
“I fucking trusted you, you bastard!” Mateo lands another punch on Pietro’s face. His entire face is covered with blood now.
“Please let me go; Sophie can’t see this,” I beg Rico.
He gives me a disapproving look and nods to one of the men.
“Fine. The baby,” he says.
The man he nodded at walks closer to us.
“I’ll go with her.”
“No, you’re not!”
Mateo’s attention is fixed on his brother. He is gripping his jaw.
“I’m not letting you have her,” I say through gritted teeth.
He grabs my arm and tries to take Sophie away from me.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!”
His grip on my arm tightens as he signals to the other man to take Sophie from me.
“Mateo!” I yell.
I’m holding Sophie tightly against me. They aren’t taking her away from me without a fight.
“What the fuck do you want, Gianna?” he grunts, pissed, as he turns to look at me.
Pietro’s head falls down, blood seeping out of his mouth to the ground. I can hear his pants.
“This is too much for Sophie. Please let us out of here.”
He pauses for a moment. “Take the baby, Rico. You stay here, Princess.”
“No… no, Mateo no.”
“Grab her,” Rico instructs the other guard.
“Stay away from me. Stay away from her!” They both ignore my yells. “Mateo! Fucking stop this!”
“Give her to me,” Rico orders.
The other man drags Sophie away from my grip as Rico holds my other arm.
“Please, don’t take her away from me,” I beg.
Sophie is crying loudly as the other guard pulls her away from me. She is fighting him back for carrying her but he doesn’t budge, taking her away from the room.
“Sophie! Don’t…wait! Stop, please,” I cry.
“Shut the hell up, Princess! She’s fucking safe,” Mateo yells at me. His eyes are full of anger.
“I want to be with her. She needs me.”
“Shut your mouth or I will fucking shut it for you,” Rico warns beside me.
Pietro’s yell fills the room as I stifle my sobs. There’s a dagger in Mateo’s hand.
Oh, God.
I yell as I watch him stab his brother in the arm.
“Why were you trying to fucking open the door when I gave orders not to?”
He groans loudly, his breaths getting heavier. I feel sick.
“F-fuck you.”
Pietro’s words anger Mateo even more as he smacks him hard in the face.
“Who are you working for?”
“I-I would have answered and said Father but he told me that I’m useless to him, remember?”
Mateo punches him again in the face and I jump in my skin. How can he be sane, doing this to his own brother?
“Don’t you dare bring Father into this.”
Pietro laughs crookedly. His eyes are heavy and his face bloody. He tries to keep his gaze on Mateo, who has his fists clenched by his side.
“He fucking turned you into this. Into a fucking monster,” Pietro exclaims.
Mateo pulls out the dagger in Pietro’s arm.
I’m breathing heavily as I take my eyes away from the sight. I have no damn idea where they took Sophie, or where the fuck Luca and Giovanni are at.
“Father was right after all,” Mateo replies, gazing intently at his brother. He opens his palm and one of the men beside him hands him a towel.
“Take care of this one, Rico. I can’t bring myself to kill my own brother.” Mateo wipes his hands clean as he walks away from Pietro’s side. “You’re coming with me,” he says as he reaches for me.
My heart skips a beat. If he does this so easily to his own brother, God knows what he could do to me… or to Sophie.
Rico releases my arm and lets Mateo grip me instead.
Fuck, Christ.
“I need you, Princess.” Mateo pulls me with him as he leads us out of the room to another.
I can hear my heart racing as he shuts the door after me. This room is smaller than the one we just left.
“I need you to calm me the fuck down right now.” Mateo tries to lower his lips on mine. My other arm instinctively slaps him hard in the face to stop him.
Oh, shit. What did I just do?
“Ma-Mateo, I didn’t mean to.”
“You fucking bitch!” Mateo slaps me back and then hits me hard against the wall. “You go off fucking Luca like a cheap whore and then refuse to let me fucking touch what's mine?”
“I’m sorry, Mateo. Please don’t hurt me.”
I’ve held him back from having sex with me, convincing him to delay it till the night of the ceremony he had planned. Just like tradition.
He slaps me again and grabs my top, ripping it off violently. I’m fighting him back with repeated punches to his body but it doesn’t stop him.
“I’ve had enough of this bullshit!”
My top is completely ripped open now. He grips both my arms and pins them to the wall as he starts to kiss my neck and trail kisses down to my chest.
“I’m going to make love to my woman.”
Right now? In the middle of the war? I don’t think so.
He stops kissing me as a loud noise comes from outside.
I won’t let him do this to me. My eyes move to the table in the room in search of anything I can use to hurt him. There’s a broken pipe by the other corner.
I’m done waiting for Luca or Giovanni.
I’ll save myself.