Chapter 38
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ANASTASIA
Breathe you idiot. One, two, three.
How fucking hard is it to just breathe? One, two, three.
Am I counting out loud, or in my head?
Not that matters anyways since the asshole pushing me forward is too distracted by his hand on my ass to even tell.
Tipping my head back, I try to get a glimpse of anything that’ll give me a hint as to where they’re taking me. The stupid blindfold around my head is fastened too tight, obscuring everything but I know we can’t have gone far.
It was barely a ten-minute drive before they stopped the car and dragged me out, yet it feels like we’ve been walking forever. Before I could feel the heat of the sun searing into my skin, but now it’s cold and wet ground seeps through my pumps.
We walked down a long set of stairs. I counted 60 but the hollow walls echoed the footsteps like a mocking taunt. There’s no telling how many people are surrounding us right now.
I can only hope that one of them is Enzo.
There’s a sudden bang to my right, making makes me jump. The man gripping my ass chuckles and slips his greasy hand up my back. “Don’t worry little girl. It was just the door.”
Playing to the stereotype of being helpless and scared is the best way to convince him I’m just another trophy wife rather than a mafia don planning a thousand ways I could make him beg for his life. “Silly me.”
He laughs, letting his foul breath hit me. I almost gag at the taste of onions, trying to pull away as I feel him inch closer. “Be a good girl and I’ll convince the boss to go easy on you.” He squeezes my shoulders, forcing me to hold back a gag. “Maybe even let you sleep in my bed tonight?”
So, Aldo was planning on keeping me alive — at least for now.
I wasn’t his main target. Enzo and his mother were, but I had a suspicion that this was more than just a power play. It was personal and though that could prove more dangerous, I could twist it to our advantage .
There’s a familiar pained groan maybe a few steps ahead of me. Relief floods my chest, recognizing the guttural sound as Enzo.
He’s alive. That’s all that matters right now.
When I saw those bastards knock him out cold, I had no choice but to stay. I couldn’t run, not when the man I love was being beaten. Even though he’ll probably be angry at me for not listening to him, he would have done the exact same thing for me and besides, Aldo likes games.
Exhibit A – our wedding.
He was playing with us then. A pathetic attempt to show off like a child wanting attention. He needs an audience to feel like he’s won, and Enzo or Angelica won’t give him that. He’ll just get bored and kill them quickly but with me there he’ll want to play games, mess with our heads, fuck with the pretty little wife and I would give him that…for now.
“Wait here.” I swallow down bile as his breath hits my cheek again. “See you soon sweetheart.” He taps my ass and I make a mental note to cut off his hand later.
“Anastasia?” Enzo murmurs, somewhere close but still out of reach.
I can’t help but give in. “I’m here. I’m okay, you? ”
“Fine—” There’s a thwack and then he groans, coughing hard.
I move instinctively towards the sound, but someone yanks me back, wrapping their meaty arm around my throat. A door suddenly opens, inviting in a cold draft that pricks all over my skin. I can hear thick soled shoes clacking along the floor — I imagine Italian loathers and a gaudy tan suit to match.
“Finally, you took your time.”
“Sorry boss. They put up a fight.” I almost snort.
It was eight against two, hardly a fair fight.
“Well, I suppose we should let them see now. It’s only polite after all.”
God, I hate the bastard already.
The blindfold drops, causing me to squint hard at the sudden blinding of harsh light. I have to blink a few times before my vision finally settles.
There’s no windows. The whole place is just a cylinder block with a few hanging bulbs casting a clinical light around the room. A cold draft breezes in through the vents up high, signaling what I already knew — we’re underground.
“My, you are more beautiful in person.” Aldo or Seamus, as I formally knew him as, strides towards me. I struggle to hold back my disgust as he reaches forward and grabs my hand, pulling it up to his lips.
Across the room Enzo struggles against his cuffs, spewing curses at the large Irishman holding him back. There’s a nasty cut sliced down his cheek and fresh bruises littering his visible skin. I shake my head to him indiscernibly, trying to signal for him to shut his fucking mouth. Aldo won’t take the challenge well — typical alpha male syndrome, and I plan on making it out of this with my husband alive.
I force a smile onto my face, despite how painful it is. “So, this is the man I’ve heard so much about.”
Ignoring the graying hair and thick mustache, he’s not what I expected at all. To be honest, I don’t know what I expected. Maybe a scar or two, bad skin and a comb over but instead…he looks so much like Enzo.
“And what have you heard?” His accent is a mix of Italian and Irish blending into a smooth mix.
I shrug. “Oh, just that Seamus O’Connell was everything a man should be. Strong, smart, diligent, capable.”
He barks out a laugh, probably catching onto the fact that I’m spewing bullshit. “I doubt your husband has honored me with such compliments, or even my stepson for that matter.” I try not to let my facade fall as he circles me slowly like a shark taunting its prey. “I know the two of you are close. ”
“We used to be. Then you both shot up my wedding. That tends to break up a friendship.”
A raspy laugh leaves his chest, a sign of one too many cigars, and I struggle not to flinch as he brushes my hair aside to rest his chin on my shoulder. My muscles stiffen as he drifts his fingers up and down my waist, staring at Enzo with the kind of hate that has been festering like a disease for decades.
Expelling a shaky breath, I fight to ignore the rancid heat of his body suffocating me. “Please my stepson never had the balls to do something so explosive. It was just business and besides, you got married anyway. A true love story.” He spits out the words like its poison on his tongue.
The bastard destroyed my wedding, killed my guests, shot my mother and it was all just for business?
The least he can do is admit that it was personal. That he wanted to hurt us, hurt Angelica.
I meet his gaze with a scathing glare of my own, prying those disgusting fingers off me. “Then you should know how the story ends, Aldo. We get our happily ever after and your pathetic existence ends with your corpse rotting away down here whilst the rest of us move on, free of another rat.”
The words slip out before I can stop myself and I brave myself for whatever vile thing comes next .
Him hitting me? A gun to my head? Enzo being beaten again in-front of me?
But instead, he just laughs.
Then his men slowly join, amplifying the panic and fear beginning to churn in my stomach. “And there it is gentlemen.” Something sinister sparks in his eyes and he grips my chin tight. “This might look like the delicate face of a girl you would want choking on your cock, but in reality boys, she would bite it off without a second thought.”
I swing for him, forgetting the obvious fact that my hands are still tied behind my back. He jumps back as I kick the air, laughing until I turn towards one of his slower men and knee him in the balls. The little rat crumbles, gripping his groin before reaching for his gun.
“Ah Liam, I wouldn’t pull the trigger.” Aldo places his hand on the gun but Liam continues to stare me down, pointing the barrel straight at me. “We still need her.”
“Bitch.” He mumbles, stuffing the gun back into his pocket and drifting away from me. I fight a smile as he grips his cock, wincing. All the humor Aldo expressed before is long gone now, replaced by a type of anger that is unpredictable.
Gripping my hair, he unlocks the cuffs and shoves me forward. I stumble, ready to run straight to Enzo until his men form a tight circle around me. I look around at their smug faces, itching to rip them all apart until Aldo breaks into the middle. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a silver revolver.
“Don’t fucking touch her Aldo!” Enzo screams, still fighting to break free. “Your fight is with me. Leave her out of this.”
“And where would the fun in that be?” Aldo spits back, showing me the fully loaded chamber.
“We’re going to play a little game, Anastasia. It’s a game of chance and since you believe your little story is bound to end with a happily ever after, I think we should put it to the test.” I frown as a sick thrill rush through his gaze. “Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette? I have my own little twist on it. I will empty a chamber for each piece of clothing you strip off. If you forfeit or once you’re out of clothes, I’ll aim for your husband’s head and pull the trigger. We’ll leave it up to fate whether or not he survives the night.” I feel my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach as I realize he’s won.
There is no way out for me.
“Don’t do it, baby.” My gaze naturally finds him. Frustration bleeds tears in his eyes and I bite my lip to hold back my own.
I have to.
Aldo nudges me forward with the gun. “We haven’t got all day, Anastasia. My men were promised a show. ”
I swallow back my pride as I kick off my shoes, fighting to ignore the cheap whistles that begin to call out to me. “That’s two.”
Aldo laughs, shaking his head. “Nice try sweetheart but that counts as one.” He empties one of the chambers and I wince at the sharp scratch of the bullet hitting the floor. “Next.”
“Anastasia stop, don’t—” Enzo is silenced by the hulk-like man holding him back. I force my eyes to remain on Aldo, knowing that if I look at Enzo again, I’ll break
But this is for him. For our future.
I reach back towards my zipper, batting away the sweaty hands that try to help me. “Back off, I can do it myself.” The idiot floats back into position and I yank the zipper down, letting the dress pool at my feet.
Aldo drops another bullet to the floor.
I bite my cheek and clench my eyes shut as I unclasp my bra. Yet still, I can feel the burn of their gazes, making me feel like a piece of meat they’re planning to devour.
Another bullet hits the floor.
Covering my breasts with one arm, I slowly peel my eyelids open to find Aldo staring at my face rather than anything else. He doesn’t think I’ll do it .
He thinks I’ll choose my pride of Enzo and maybe once upon a time, I would have in a heartbeat but right now, I’m set on spending the rest of my life with that man.
My fingers curl beneath the band of my thong and I quickly yank them down. I cover my bare pussy with my palm and stand tall whilst the sound of their mocking laughter echoes off the walls.
It’s just skin. Nothing but skin.
Aldo settles his cold hand on my shoulder, emptying another chamber. He turns me slowly to face Enzo, letting his hand drift up and down my back. I meet Enzo’s gaze, watching those caramelized amber eyes harden and shatter all at once.
My body jerks as Aldo slaps my ass hard, the sound bouncing off the walls like a taunt. I pocket all the rage and embarrassment for later, using it to conjure up a million ways to make him pay for this.
Aldo nods to the hulk restraining my husband. “Let him speak.”
A feral growl leaves Enzo’s throat and he angles his head to spit at the bastard behind him. Then he turns to us.
My heart shatters, creating a distortion of panic, fear, hope and despair all at once. Every part of me wants to reach out to him, let him wrap me up in his arms so we can leave this horrible nightmare in the past where it belongs .
His gaze softens and casts a warmth over my bare body. It’s only been a few hours since I felt his touch, but my soul yearns for his, knowing that we’re both utterly fucked.
Enzo swallows hard, before a sudden darkness infiltrates his eyes. “I can’t wait to destroy everything you care about Aldo. This superficial life you’ve built, all your precious soldiers, your legacy. I’m going to burn it all down, but I won’t finish you off. I’ll let my mother and wife do that instead and I’ll sit back as they flay your skin off so slowly, you’ll be begging me to put a bullet in your skull.”
Aldo laughs, tightening his grip on my shoulder. “My Enzo, you truly are your father’s son. I have your wife naked. We could do anything we want to her. I could let my men pass her body around, filling her with cum until she’s gagging on it. I could fuck her in the ass. I bet she’s never let you do that since it’s clear who has the balls in your marriage. I could show her what a real man feels like but right now, I feel like finishing our little game. So be a good boy and keep your mouth shut. Maybe say a few prayers because with two bullets left, the odds don’t look too good for you.”
“Wait!” I call out, hastily sliding my ring off and handing it to him. “That counts as another bullet.” My heart cleaves in half as I watch him pocket the ring, smirking as he lets another bullet drop onto the floor .
I bite my tongue, swallowing down tears. It’s strange how naked I feel now.
Before I had no clothes, but the ring provided a warped sense of armor to protect me with, yet now I truly have nothing left.
Aldo presses the gun into my hand, his face void of anything resembling human as he steps back. “Take your shot.” My arm trembles as he raises the gun for me, the barrel aiming straight for Enzo. “Press the trigger and this nightmare is over.”
All I can hear is the sound of my breathing, so heavy and hard that I can barely keep track of it.
Why is he giving me the gun? Is this a trick? Some self-deluded belief that I won’t shoot him?
Well, fuck him.
I let instinct take over as I turn and pull the trigger.
Aldo barely spares me a glance before bursting out into laughter. His men follow and I glance around the room at them all, my head spinning from the echoing noise.
“I could have killed you!” I scream out, finally snapping. “I wanted to kill you.”
Aldo clicks his tongue and smiles. “I know and you could have, but unfortunately the odds just aren’t in your favor Anastasia. Bring her in! ”
A door from behind us suddenly beeps open and Angelica is shoved into the room. She gasps as she notices us both — Enzo bloody and beaten, barely able to stand on his own, and then me, naked with my breasts and pussy bared to the world, holding a gun aimed at her ex-husband’s head.
“Aim for me again, Anastasia.” He whispers harshly, keeping his gaze on Angelica. “I promise, even if the gun does go off this time, the outcome will be a lot worse for you than me.”
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small remote. I watch Angelica meet his steely gaze, outstretching her neck which has a heavy collar fastened around it, as if daring him.
He smirks and presses down on the button. I watch as her entire body begins to seize up, forcing her onto the floor. She gasps for air, her muscles spasming far too fast to control.
“You fucking bastard!” Enzo screams, attempting to lunge at him.
My mind becomes an empty void, knowing there’s no hope for us now.
He put a fucking shock collar on her.
“Shoot your husband and I’ll let go of this button, but I suggest you hurry up. The body can only take so much electricity. ”
“Anastasia do it.” Tears roll down my cheeks as I turn to face him. I expect to see fear or defeat or panic but instead, there’s a strange calmness to him that almost makes everything seem okay.
I raise the gun high, my hand trembling as my finger reaches the trigger.
I don’t know how, but he smiles. It’s bright and perfect and everything that resembles the boy I feel in love with at sixteen. “I love you, mi amore.”
My throat itches to say it back but instead a scream rips from my chest as I pull the trigger and a shot fires into the air.