36. Dario
36
DARIO
M y car engine rumbles beneath me, my hands tight against the steering wheel, knuckles white and tense. The directions were clear. Meet them at the old Manor’s junkyard alone, or Ginny dies. I don’t care if it’s an obvious trap. I don’t care what happens to me tonight. I just need to see her.
I need to get her back home safely.
The space is barely lit as I drive in, shadows creeping from piles of rusted metal and broken cars stacked like tombstones. A perfect place for them to kill and dump a body.
If anyone dies here tonight, it should be me and not Ginny.
On getting to the middle, I kill the engine and step out. My breath is sharp in the cold air, but my heart pounds harder than the bite of the wind. My nerves eat me up as I slip my hands inside the pockets of my coat. Waiting. Eerie silence wraps around me. I look around, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary.
Just me.
But then, the roar of engines slices through the quiet night. Flaring headlights blind me, and in a split second, I’m surrounded by four, maybe five cars.
Their doors fly open, and men leap out, dressed in black, masked, and carrying various weapons. I count at least ten, maybe even more, as they close in on me like wolves approaching their prey.
There’s no sign of Ginny. This is definitely a fucking trap.
My eyes zoom in on them as they get even closer. It’s almost impossible for me to fight them off. They easily outnumber me. I ball my hands into fists and raise them to my face. The weight of my gun in my inner coat pocket presses against my skin, but this isn’t the time to reveal all my cards.
The door to one of the cars opens, and a figure steps out. The sound of his shoes crunching against gravel reaches me before his face does. My stomach drops.
Rafe.
A bitter chuckle rips from my throat. This can’t be fucking happening.
“The one time I decide to spare a man’s life, he stabs me in the back,” I say through gritted teeth.
His grin is wide, mocking, as he steps closer, his eyes glinting with menace. “Dario, Dario. Long time, no see. Although the wound on my face says otherwise...”
“You should be dead,” I hiss, and he smirks.
“That’s right, but you were a fool for sparing me,” he drawls, shaking his head. “Just as you’re a fool now. You really thought you’d just stroll in here and take her back, huh?”
I step forward, not caring about the men around me. “You still owe me a couple of billion, Rafe,” I call back, my voice steady despite the thick tension in the air. “Once this is over, I’ll get every single penny back before I kill you.”
He laughs, but I can see the twitch in his jaw. The men make way for him as he steps into the circle. “Money, Dario? You think I care about that now?”
“Money’s all you care about. But you and I both know what happens when people try to screw me over.” I glance at the men surrounding us, sizing them up. “This? This is your last resort, isn’t it? Kidnap my girl? Rough me up a bit and then what?” My chuckle bites against the night air. “You’re still the same coward I remember.”
Before he can reply, movement from behind the line of cars catches my eye. My words die in my throat when I see her being huddled out roughly.
Ginny.
She’s barely standing, her arms bound in front of her, and her eyes are hollow. Her t-shirt hangs loose on her thin frame, dirty and worn, and the jeans she’s wearing are scraped at the knees, smudged with dirt and blood. Her dark hair, matted and tangled, falls into her face as she’s hauled out of the car.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” I move to step toward her, but Rafe’s gun is already out, the barrel pointed right at my head.
“Uh-uh!” Rafe tuts, a smirk playing on his lips. “Stay right where you are. We wouldn’t want things to get messy just before the real fun begins, would we?”
My chest tightens as one of the men drags Ginny toward Rafe. Pain grips my heart as her face comes into the light. I see the faint bruise on her sunken cheek, her chapped lips, and the tears glistening in her eyes as she looks at me.
“Let her go, Rafe,” I demand, turning to face him. “I’m the one you want, not her.”
“True,” he replies, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “But first, get on your knees.”
With a heavy heart, I drop to my knees, hands raised in surrender. “Now fucking let her go,” I growl, the urgency in my voice rising. “I swear to god, if you don’t?—”
“But where’s the fun in that?” He tilts his head, smirking, but the expression quickly shifts to a scowl as he barks, “And you don’t get to give orders here.”
With a snap of his fingers, his men close in on me.
Fists and boots rain down on my body, and I feel my ribs crack under the relentless assault. Pain explodes in my chest, my back, my head—everywhere. My face collides with the gravel, and I taste blood as it spills from my mouth. Through my blurred vision, I see Ginny struggling against her captors, screaming my name.
“Dario!”
I force out a laugh, broken and raw. “Is that...all you’ve got?” I spit blood onto the ground, pushing myself up to my knees. My body screams in protest, but I focus on Ginny. I won’t break. I have to be strong for her.
The men hit me again, each blow landing with excruciating force.
“Dario... Please stop,” Ginny sobs, turning to Rafe and gripping his arm with her bound hands. “Please tell them to stop. We’ll cooperate with your demands.”
“Don’t worry about me, Ginny.” I cough up blood and saliva, wobbling as I struggle to push myself back up. “I’m completely fine.”
Fat tears stream down her face as she looks at me, completely helpless. My chest constricts as I watch her, as well. Her eyes are heavy with the weight of her emotions and unspoken words. Our souls call out to one another, but the physical barriers keep us apart.
“Aw, a lovers’ reunion. How sweet,” Rafe’s mocking voice cuts into our haze. “Well, this has been fun.” He sighs. “But it has to end now.”
A whimper leaves Ginny’s lips as he grabs her arm.
Don’t you dare lay a filthy hand on her!” I scream, forcing myself to my feet.
I swing at the first man who tries to stop me, landing a punch, and then drive my elbow into the gut of the second. But then a metal bat slams into the back of my head, sending me crashing to the ground.
“Relax. I won’t kill her.” Rafe laughs. “He will.”
A figure emerges from the shadows, approaching me with slow, deliberate footsteps.
“Long time no see, Dario.”
That voice. I know it.
Rinaldo steps into view, his smug face illuminated by the headlights. His tailored coat stands in stark contrast to the dirty, ruined yard around us. He looks like he doesn’t belong here, yet somehow he owns the moment.
My stomach tightens. Of course. It’s him.
“Well, look at you, finally finding your family. You fit right in—designer suit and all, but your soul is as dirty and soulless as a trench dog,” I spit, my eyes narrowing as my hands curl into fists.
Rinaldo steps closer, his gaze shifting between me and Ginny. His dark eyes linger on her like a predator eyeing its prey, then return to me with a sinister smile.
“Surprised? Did you really think this would play out without me?”
I feel my blood boiling, but before I can respond, he turns his attention to Ginny, his voice dripping with mockery. “Ah, Ginny. You’ve really made quite the mess, haven’t you?” He steps closer to her, running a finger down her cheek, and she flinches. I see red.
“Get your filthy hands off her,” I shout, lunging forward, but Rafe’s men seize me before I can reach him. Pain radiates through my body as they punch and drag me back, but fury blinds me. “I swear to god, Rinaldo, I’ll end you!”
Rinaldo laughs, crossing his arms. “You’re not in a position to make threats, Dario. Not anymore.” He glances at Ginny, then back at me, his grin widening. “In fact, you’ll want to hear what I have to say. You see…” His eyes narrow as he studies me, voice dropping to a whisper. “Ginny’s carrying something very important.”
I freeze. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Oh,” Rinaldo says, reveling in my confusion. “You didn’t know?” He leans in, lips brushing Ginny’s ear as he whispers, “She’s pregnant. With your child.”
The world tilts. My head spins, and I can barely register the words. Pregnant? Ginny? My eyes lock on hers, wide and terrified, and suddenly it clicks. She seemed sick and upset the day she left. This must be why. She’d found out that she was pregnant.
“You bastard!” I growl, lunging again, but this time I’m met with fists and weapons. The men pound into me, sending me to my knees, but I barely feel it. My mind is consumed by swirling thoughts.
Ginny is pregnant. They kidnapped a vulnerable woman. Rinaldo knows she’s carrying my child.
A knife slashes into my arm, but without thinking, I grab the hand, twist it, and snatch the knife. A guttural groan escapes as I stab it into his neck. The others recoil, and I stagger up, brandishing the weapon like a madman.
My gun is still in my coat pocket, but I’ve lost the coat in the fray.
Staggering forward, I spit blood and glare at Rinaldo through swollen eyes. “Touch her again, and I’ll break every bone in your body,” I hiss, my voice low, dangerous.
Rinaldo’s smirk falters for just a second. “You’re in no position to make demands,” he says, a sharp edge to his voice. “But tell you what,” he continues, his fingers trailing down Ginny’s arm, “I’ll spare her life if she admits she made a mistake. If she begs for me to take her back.”
Ginny shudders but stays silent. Her jaw clenches, and she glares at Rinaldo with pure hatred.
“Tell me, Ginny,” Rinaldo mocks, grabbing her face in his hands. “You left me for this brute. Do you regret it? Do you regret humiliating me in front of the world?”
I snarl, surging forward even though my body is screaming in protest. Rafe steps right before me, into the large gap between me and Rinaldo. “Not so fast,” he mutters with a gun pointed directly at my head.
Gritting my teeth, I glance behind him. “She left you because you’re weak. You’ve always been weak, Rinaldo.”
His face twitches. “Is that so?”
“Yeah,” I spit. “Remember when I broke your nose? You couldn’t touch me then, and you can’t now.” I laugh, blood dripping down my chin. “You’re pathetic. Hiding behind daddy’s money, sending thugs to do your dirty work.”
Rinaldo’s eyes blaze with fury, but he keeps his voice calm. “Your problem is that you like to act so tough. Look at you now.” He chuckles. “You look unrecognizable, and I didn’t even have to lift a finger.”
He takes a step closer, tugging Ginny along with him. “That’s the problem with you commoners. Why get my hands dirty when I have men to do that for me?”
“That’s exactly why you’re weak and no one wants you,” I snarl. “Send your men away. Face me, one on one. Let’s see how tough you are then.”
Rinaldo hesitates, his jaw clenched so tight I can see the muscle twitching. But instead of responding, he waves his hand.
“Beat him.”
The men rush in again, fists, bats and boots crashing down on me. I swing the knife wildly, not caring who it hits. They land more blows, but the pain is drowned out by one thought--
Ginny.
Amidst the chaos, I hear her scream. Rinaldo’s soft, taunting voice cuts through the noise. “Let’s end this right now, Dario,” he says, fingers trailing over Ginny’s face. “I didn’t call you here to kill you. I want you to watch while this weak man kills the woman you love, alongside your unborn child, right before your eyes.”
I look up, barely able to see through the blood and pain. But I see enough.
The gun in Rinaldo’s hand is now pressed against Ginny’s head.