18. Rafe
Chapter 18
Rafe
The sound of my growling stomach is like a feral animal, clawing and snarling from the depths of my torso. It rumbles and roars, a gnawing ache that twists my insides, a relentless reminder of the deprivation I’ve endured since my abduction.
The sound mocks me, taunting me with the harsh reality of my situation. I'm at the mercy of my captors as my life hangs by a mere thread.
The coarse fabric of the blindfold scratches against my skin like sandpaper is rubbing over the raw flesh of my injuries and intensifying the already throbbing pain in my swollen eyes. Hindering my sight, I’m only limited to mere glimpses of my surroundings, as the tightly bound cloth reveals only flickering slithers of light, and the briefest hints of my prison.
But I know I’m close to the ocean. The air is thick with the salty odor of the sea, a pungent aroma of rotten fish that invades my nostrils with each strained inhalation.
Beneath me, the cold, hard surface of a steel chair presses against my back, a mocking reminder of my captivity. But it’s the plastic ties around my wrists that send shivers through my battered body, the sharp edges cutting into my flesh with every feeble struggle.
Distant sounds echo through the cavernous space—the creak of metal, the slap of water against solid surfaces, the faint hum of engines—confirming my suspicions that we are perilously close to the ocean, perhaps on a harbor.
I slide my bare feet over the rough texture of concrete, the abrasive surface scraping against my skin like a thousand tiny knives.
My body trembles uncontrollably as I wait and wonder if this time my life will end.
Mafia men don’t live long—and I am a mafia man.
Time drags on endlessly, with each agonizing second feeling like an eternity, as I endure the torturous wait for him to return.
The drip of water somewhere nearby only adds to my torture. It’s like a swinging pendulum, a countdown to my demise, each drop echoing, waiting for the bomb to go off.
My body tenses up at the sound of footsteps, initially faint but growing louder, sending shivers down my spine as I brace myself for the next round of questions ... for the relentless beatings.
As a presence looms closer, the air shifts as icy fingers clutch my lungs and my muscles tense.
"Rafe de Luca." The menacing voice pierces the eerie silence.
A rough hand, its calloused fingers pierce into my flesh, gripping my arm in a vice-like hold, and I can’t help but recoil involuntarily at the unexpected contact.
“Are you ready to talk?” Each word drips with malice, and the hair on the back of my neck stands on end.
My heart races, its frantic beats echoing in my chest like a trapped animal desperately seeking an escape from its cage. Or me from this living nightmare.
“Fuck you!” I spit out defiantly, bracing myself for the inevitable retaliation.
“Umph!” My breath is violent, expelling from my lungs as a crushing blow slams into my midsection.
Fuck!
Thud!
With each punch, the walls seem to inch closer, suffocating me as panic grips my chest in its icy clutches.
The previous beatings have already battered my body to the brink, and with each new strike, I struggle to suck enough air into my lungs, the desperate need for oxygen overwhelming me.
It stops and my head drops.
“Are you ready to talk?” He hisses in my ear as his hot breath sends a shiver of fear down my spine.
Still defiant as ever, I grunt, “Fuck you.”
My head snaps to the right as another blow connects. Stars explode behind my close eyelids.
My vision blurs as my swollen eyes strain to make out the faint glimmer of light, but blackness encroaches around the edges, and my eyes close involuntarily.
“Then let me tell you what I know. You might want to reassess your answers.” The voice takes on a mocking tone, each word dripping with disdain.
My heart pounds in my chest as I hear him step closer again. The sound of his footsteps is like a ticking time bomb.
“I know he did it. What I want to know is why he did it?”
He’s lying. Nobody but me, Cade, and Dante know what happened to Nicolai Bianchi.
“Tell me why your brother did it?” he demands, the same question he’s been asking since I arrived at this place I’ve never been. The mafia have plenty of warehouses at their disposal, up and down the coast, but I know we went through a tunnel to get here. So I’m north of Brisbane or in New South Wales.
With the ocean so close, and the distance we traveled, I think we’re in New South Wales. So far away from home. The thought sends shivers of terror down my spine. An icy tendril of fear tightens around my heart.
I hear his fist fly whoosh into the air before I feel it, the telltale whistle preceding the blow.
“Argh! Fuck!” My lungs deplete of air and I slump forward.
But it’s the sickening sensation of my brain feeling like mush in my skull that’s most worrying. All I want to do is cradle my throbbing head, but the restraints that bind me to this chair render me helpless, a prisoner in my own battered body.
I need to fight.
Not him, that’s impossible. I need to fight the urge my body has to shut down, because I’m dying here. The realization sends a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins, a last desperate bid for survival.
I try to slow down my frantic, shallow breaths. Each intake of air is agony to my bruised rib cage.
“Let me tell you something.” His voice takes on a sinister edge, laced with a twisted sense of glee. “My father was murdered, but someone made a massive mistake in doing that. Because as his next of kin, I got access to his safe and guess what I found.”
He laughs, the sound chilling my very soul as it echoes off the concrete walls. “We found the original recording of the night my brother died.”
Oh shit!
“And it shows that it was Dante who killed Nicolai. At least the person who dragged him to the river and threw his body into it like he was shark food.” His footsteps quicken as he gets closer again. He lowers his face until I can feel his hot breath on my skin, and hisses, spittle splattering the side of my face. “Then again, you are twins. I may be mistaken. Maybe it was you.”
We got rid of the evidence, recorded over the evening. One hour before and one after the time of his death. Somehow, we made a mistake along the way.
“You know what I hate? My father always knew who killed his own son,” he says, his voice taking on a mocking tone. “And he kept the knowledge of his killer in his safe. Why was that? Why did he protect a de Luca?”
How the fuck would I know? Is what I should say. Instead, my bruised lips twist into a defiant snarl as I growl, “Because he knew your brother was a piece of shit who deserved to die.”
This time, his heavy fist lands on my chest with the force of a wrecking ball, leaving me struggling for air, and my lungs screaming in agony.
Everyone knew Nic Bianchi was a disturbed man. A man who trafficked not only drugs for his father and the Syndicate but also people. And despite the Syndicate’s failings, human trafficking was something they didn't get involved in.
Apparently, drug trafficking is a much more lucrative affair.
But Nic countered that argument by using the humans as drug mules. Every mule who got past the border control had their debt paid.
“I’m going to lure your brother to his death,” he snarls, his voice dripping with venom. “But before I do, I want him to see the pain he caused me. I want him to see his twin die in front of his eyes and not be able to do a fucking thing about it.” He lets out a chilling laugh that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. “And then I’ll torture him before I slowly take his life. And then I’ll kill Xander. Your father won’t have an heir. I’ll erase your family from the Syndicate.”
As I replay his words, rage ignites in the pit of my stomach and rises, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth, but I remain defiant and quiet.
Since his father’s death, Ricardo’s ego is uncontrollable, and he exhibits traits of having a god complex. It is highly likely that he’ll make a mistake. And when he does, I’m going to make sure the de Luca’s are the most powerful family of all.
What he doesn’t know is that Cade isn’t only my older, gorgeous boyfriend. That he isn’t only an expert hacker, and can find people other people can't. But also Cade will burn the world down for me.
What he also doesn’t know is Dante will look for me. That my brother has a sixth sense about me, and me him. There's a chance he’s already on his way.
What he doesn’t know is that Lia is an expert shooter. My heart flips when I think about her. That I might not get the chance to tell her how much I want her. But I don't want her to come here, despite her perfect aim. I want to keep her and the babies safe.
I hear other footsteps around me, but I expected him to have allies.
Then there’s my father. Dominic de Luca. A man who can hurt his sons—but nobody else can. And when my father gets here, because he will, Ricardo Bianchi is going to regret the day he was born.
“I'll leave you to suffer a little longer first. I'll be back in a couple of hours to decide when to put you out of your misery.”