Chapter 22 #2
The first thing I noticed as I woke was the rank odor of stale cigarettes and the biting cold of metal against my back.
When I tried to rub at my aching head, I discovered my hands were bound with leather cuffs to the hard surface below me.
The restraints triggered a cascade of memories, ramping up my heartrate and flooding my system with adrenaline.
I tried to open my eyes, but the glaring light sent a stabbing pain deep into my skull. All I could do was squint, my lids blinking rapidly as I tried to survey my surroundings. I still wore my clothes, which was a relief, but that was the only shred of good news.
I was strapped to a metal examining table as best I could tell, and two brilliant pendant lights hung down over me like the lights in an operating room. The implications weren’t lost on me. Choppy, shallow breaths puffed from my chest as I continued to look around the small concrete cell.
An evil laugh, low and malicious sounded from behind my head.
“Stop, Rico, you’re scaring her.”
It’s amazing how the brain can cling to hope. The instant I heard Uncle Sal’s voice, hope surged inside me. It didn’t matter that he had been the one to abduct me. He was family, and therefore, my mind insisted he might help save me.
“But it’s so fun to watch her squirm and panic,” said the man with the evil laugh. His words bore the heavy drawl of a thick Italian accent.
“Uncle Sal?” I whimpered. “Please, help me.” My voice was scratchy and horse, sending me into a coughing fit.
“I’m sorry, little Lessi, but I can’t do that.
Rico here wants revenge for some very bad things your father has done.
Those are our rules—blood for blood.” He was silent for a moment, then slowly approached the table until I could finally see him above me.
“You’re not surprised by any of this, are you?
I see you must have known more than I gave you credit for.
” His head tilted to the side, more intrigued than bothered.
“Why would you do this?”
Sal’s lips thinned as he thought. “Rico, leave us,” he ordered the other man.
I had yet to see the other man, but I could hear the clicking of a door open and close. It sounded like a heavy metal door, and I wondered where on Earth they’d taken me and how they’d removed me unseen from my apartment.
My uncle lifted his hand and swept at a tear that had leaked out of the corner of my eye.
“If you have to die for this, it seems only fair you know why. Your father has grown weak in recent years, soft and complacent. It’s no longer in the best interest of the family to be led by him.
Unfortunately, in our world, there are no letters of resignation or peaceful takeovers.
There is only one way a don can be removed from power.
I tried to set up your father, have the Commission take him out on my behalf, but it hasn’t played out according to my plans.
Now, it looks as though war may be the only way I can take over his position.
Your death would ignite already explosive tensions between the families.
It works out for everyone—Rico here gets his revenge, and I get my war. ”
“Everyone except me. Please, don’t do this, Uncle Sal. Please, I’m begging you.” I hated how my jaw quivered as I plead with him but not enough to overrule my desperation.
He peered down at me with a look akin to remorse, but I knew better.
This monster I had called family was incapable of something so human as remorse or empathy.
Before I could curse him and spew insults, he walked to a table on the side of the room I hadn’t noticed before.
He picked up a roll of duct tape and tore off a section with his teeth.
“What are you doing?” I blurted.
“I’m afraid I can’t have you telling all my secrets.” With both hands, he stretched the tape over my mouth and pressed down to seal my mouth shut.
I wailed and raged against the tape and my constraints, but it did no good.
“I’m sorry again, sweet Alessia. I hope you understand, it’s nothing personal.” If there’d been any question the man was evil, it was dashed away when he winked before leaving the room.
My chest puffed up and down with unfettered rage until Rico came back into view, and my breathless pants turned into sobs of terror.
The middle-aged man was so thin, his sallow cheeks indented below the bone.
His mousy brown hair flopped to the side, just long enough for the greasy strands to cover his eyes.
Those pale blue eyes were the worst part of all—soulless and empty.
I could feel their filthy touch as they roved over my body, hungry for blood.
“It’s important when someone wrongs you to not only get your pound of flesh but to ensure a lesson is taught.
Those filthy Luccianos must learn to never, ever fuck with the Gallos.
Luca did an excellent job leading me straight to you.
I watched you for days, but I wasn’t allowed to touch, not until Sal here made his offer. Now, we make things right.”
His eyes glowed with depravity, and when he lifted a knife where I could see it, warmth spread beneath me where I lost control of my bladder.
He sniffed the air, then laughed at my fear, but embarrassment was the farthest thing from my mind.
Humility was nonexistent when one was lost in abject terror.
My nostrils flared angrily as I tried to pull in the oxygen my lungs desperately needed to keep pace with my racing heart.
My eyes stayed fixed on the small switchblade he gripped in his hand.
Taking the hem of my shirt, he sliced through the fabric from my navel to my throat, cutting the blouse in half.
“Your skin is beautiful, such a perfect canvas,” he mused to himself as he trailed the knife down my chest and belly without so much as a single scratch. When he got to my slacks, he popped the button off and lowered the zipper.
I began to thrust my hips and squirm, fear taking control of my body.
“You know, this knife is very sharp. I wouldn’t want to do that if I were you. One slip of my hand, and this could all be over very quickly.” His words were spoken with an eerie calm that chilled me to my core.
Every muscle in my body clenched, locked down motionless—too scared to move, too terrified to relax. A twisted, vile grin spread across his face as he returned to his work.
I wished to God this was the moment where help came for me—that Luca or my father came bursting through the door and put a bullet between Rico’s eyes. I would have even celebrated if Uncle Sal had experienced a change of heart and had come back to save me, but that wasn’t the case.
This was the moment in the movie when the camera pans back, and everything fades to black. No one wants to see the details of what happens—the innuendo is enough. For me, there was no escape. I was forced to experience first-hand each sadistic detail, memories that would haunt me forever.