5. Bonnie
5
Bonnie
D oing a mental tally of how many books I’ve read this year is the only way to stop myself from slipping into hysteria—again. I refuse to be the stereotypical damsel in distress. My leg bounces as I wait for someone to take me to Kelley. The demand was my only response when the crazy man in the big office told me I was his daughter.
His daughter!
I have no clue who Lorenzo Ferrante is. I never heard of him in all my years. According to my dads, they never received the name of my birth parents. Now I’m questioning the truth of it all. But even if they knew, I can’t blame them for keeping that kind of information from me, because from what I’ve witnessed so far, the man is definitely on the wrong side of the law. He is the textbook depiction of a mafia boss. If I think of every mob boss I’ve come across in books, Lorenzo Ferrante fits the bill to a T.
And then there’s Allegra. A typical henchwoman; all moody and scary. She could probably kill me with one of her icy glares. I bet grown men wet themselves when she’s in a bad mood. I’ll save the fact the thought kind of turns me on, for the therapy sessions I will absolutely need after this. How quickly does Stockholm Syndrome develop?
I’m rambling in my own head. There aren’t enough anti-anxiety meds in the world to combat this meltdown. Maybe singing “The Bottle Song” will help.
Ninety-nine green bottles sitting on the wall.
Ninety-nine green bottles sitting on the wall.
And if one green bottle should accidentally fall.
There’ll be ninety-eight green bottles sitting on the wall.
Nope, still having a meltdown, just with an annoying earworm for company. Fantastic.
A grandfather clock chimes right next to me and I almost hit the roof. I’ve been so lost in my panic-ridden thoughts and unhinged bottle-singing, I blanked out my surroundings. So much for observing and cataloguing information for the police.
God, I’d make such a crap main character in a mafia book. My thoughts stray to Mob’s Seduction . I still hate the title. I think about how strong the lead character is; the one that’s forced to marry the mob queen and how very unlike her I am. Damn, I wish I’d thought to put it in my bag now. Maybe I could have picked up a few tips and tricks. I need all the help I can get. Let’s be honest—I’m so screwed.
Mia steps up next to me and tips her head, which I’m guessing means I have to follow her. Lorenzo said he would have me taken to Kelley straight away, but it’s been at least twenty minutes. Clearly, I don’t get my impeccable punctuality from him. Blimey, that’s something else to analyse later. I can’t process family traits right now.
I know, being on a first-name basis with a mafia boss is a bit odd, but that’s what he told me to call him. And honestly? Don Ferrante feels even weirder.
I follow like a good captive. No need to rock the boat. I’m sure all these people are bonkers, and the last thing I need is to piss off Mia and end up fish food. I wonder if they really do that? You know, tie blocks to peoples’ feet and throw them in the water?
As if this is the time to be wondering that! Focus, Bonnie!
The stately home we’re now wandering is…well, stately. Everything looks antique and expensive. I couldn’t tell a Picasso from a hole in the wall, so I’ll just presume the many, many paintings are expensive, too. Mia takes me up a grand set of stairs. I’d be impressed if I weren’t so frightened.
After passing several doors, she finally leads me into a room at the end of the upstairs hallway. Kelley is sitting up in bed eating a sandwich, laughing at some woman who is tending to her shoulder.
Rushing past Mia, I practically throw myself at my best friend. She hisses in pain but holds me tightly. “I’m okay,” she says.
“I’m not,” I sob. I am far from okay. Pulling back, I give her a thorough scan. Her colour is back, and she has mayonnaise round her mouth. All-in-all, she looks great, which is baffling because doesn’t she realise what’s happening?
“I’ll leave you to it,” the still-unknown woman says. “I’ll be back later to change the dressing, Kel. Rest up.”
Kel?
Kelley smiles. “Thanks, Beth.”
If I’m not mistaken, there’s a twinkle in my best friend’s eye. Mia follows this Beth lady outside and shuts the door. I hear the distinctive sound of the lock engaging. No way we can make a run for it, then.
“We’re in so much trouble, Kelley.”
“Yeah, so what’s going on?” she casually asks, taking another bite of her sandwich.
“Kelley, how are you not freaking the hell out? And where did you get that?” I ask, pointing at the aforementioned sandwich. It smells divine.
“Want some? It’s excellent. Beth made it for me. Isn’t she dreamy?”
Taking Kelley by the face, I level her with the best “I’m-not-messing-about” stare. “Kelley, we’ve been kidnapped by mobsters. Beth is a mobster.”
“A dreamy mobster,” she sighs.
“Have they drugged you?”
She was a blubbering mess when Allegra came into the shop earlier. Why is she not a wreck now?
“No, and I get that we’re in a shitty situation. I wish Blondie hadn’t shot me. But then again, I wouldn’t have met Beth, who I think might be my soulmate.”
I narrow my eyes because I can’t believe my ears. Kelley, my best friend, who thinks buying a different brand of tea bag is too much drama to handle, is sitting here, casually chatting about a mobster being her true love. Maybe she’s in shock. I’ve heard that does strange things to a person.
“I’m going to bypass everything you’ve just said because it’s crazy—just as crazy as meeting the man behind our abduction, who, according to him, is my father.”
Kelley chokes on her latest chunk of sandwich, which is a much more appropriate response than the one I got a few seconds ago.
“Your father ?”
Now I know Kelley is okay, I can’t keep the last hour at bay any longer. “Yes. His name is Lorenzo Ferrante. And apparently, he gave me up to protect me and my mother.”
“Whoa, back up there, lady. Take it from the top. What happened after we got separated?”
Unbuttoning my cardigan because I am unbelievably warm, I shake the thought of Allegra from my mind. Why she keeps popping up like a damn mole, I have no idea. Kelley wants me to recall the meeting with Lorenzo, and all I can do is picture Allegra’s unique eyes boring into me.
“Earth to Bonnie?” Kelley waves a hand in front of my face.
“Right, yeah. Okay, so Allegra—crazy blonde lady—took me to see Lorenzo.”
“What does he look like?”
“Well, me, I guess.” I don’t want to think about how his hair is the same shade as mine, or how even his chocolate-brown eyes are the same hue and same almond shape, or how he smiles a smile I see in the mirror every day. “He’s tall.”
“The details are astounding,” Kelley deadpans. “Describe him to me like you would a character from a book.”
“But he isn’t a character, Kel. He’s supposedly my dad.”
Ugh, I don’t like how that word sounds. I have two fabulous dads who are loving and kind and most definitely not criminals. Lorenzo is nothing more than a sperm donor.
“Okay, we’ll skip the description. What did he say?”
I think back to sitting in the room with a man that both scared and intrigued me; a stranger looking at me with wonder in his familiar eyes—but a stranger, nonetheless. I couldn’t relate to him in any way, so I sat there silently as he spoke. I sat there as he told me how he’d met my mother and fallen in love, but she was his mistress. And how, if my existence had been revealed, I would have been hurt in the name of retribution. His wife was the unforgiving type, apparently.
He had me and my mother sent away, but his plan didn’t foresee my mother dying during labour. He arranged a closed adoption for me, and as a result, my ties to Lorenzo Ferrante were severed, all in the name of keeping me safe.
“Holy shit balls! That’s intense, Bonnie.”
“Ya think!” Finally, she’s on the same page as me.
“And then what happened?” I’d find Kelley’s enthusiasm funny if this weren’t about my life.
“He said a rift between him and another family is the reason he needed to see me. They found out he had a daughter and threatened to kill me and my dads.”
“Jesus. This is like Mob’s Seduction , Bonnie. We’re, like, living a fictional mob story right now!”
“I wish you wouldn’t seem so happy about it, Kel.”
“I wasn’t in the beginning. I was terrified.”
“And now you’re not ?” I screech. “Kelley, look around. This is really happening. We’re being forced to stay here by people who are most likely murderers. This is insane!”
“But it’s an adventure, right? I mean, Pete would think this is just what we need to live a little. He’s been on you for months to get out of the apartment.”
“I highly doubt this is what he was thinking. Christ, Kelley, are you that blinded by Beth’s pretty face?”
“It is pretty, isn’t it?”
Yes, Beth is pretty. Not the point, though, right? What the blazes am I going to do? I thought I’d be in here plotting ways to escape with Kelley, not listing ways to convince her to leave after she’s fallen in love with one of our captors.
“Oh my God,” Kelley suddenly blurts, “you’re a princess!”
Okay, now I know she’s not right in the head. A concussion! That’s the only explanation for this shit show.
“I’m not a princess. I’m a bookstore manager being kept against her will by criminals, as are you, and we need to get out of here.”
“You’re not going anywhere until Don Ferrante says so.” That voice. It sends chills down my spine and fire through other parts of me. I didn’t even hear the door open. Kelley isn’t looking so pumped about our situation now.
Looking over my shoulder, I grit my teeth. “You have no right to keep me here,” I shoot back with as much venom as possible. I won’t let her see how scared I am. Fuck her, and fuck Don Ferrante.
“And you have no choice. You might be his heir, but I won’t hesitate to kill you if you so much as breathe wrong. Is that clear?”
Wow, I didn’t think she could get any colder towards me, but I was mistaken. There is fury rippling off her in waves, and it’s all directed at me. I’ve never met someone who hates me. Strong dislike, yeah, but nothing compared to the hatred Allegra is shooting my way.
Swallowing, I stand from the bed. Kelley’s hand reaches for mine in a silent show of support. “I’m sure Dear Old Dad wouldn’t appreciate that,” I scoff, “so don’t go throwing around useless threats, Allegra.”
Oh, boy, that was the wrong thing to say.
Out comes the gun again. “You’re right,” she sneers, “but then again, I don’t have to kill you to get my point across. Isn’t that right, Kelley?”
Shielding Kelley with my body, I stare Allegra down. “I don’t know what your damage is, and frankly, I don’t care. I want nothing to do with you or Lorenzo, or this damn family. Is that clear? I just want to go home.”
“And I’ve told you, that isn’t happening.”
“We’ll see about that.” I will get out of here.
“Bonnie,” Kelley says quietly, “maybe here is the best place.” I whip round to stare daggers at my friend’s utterly ridiculous statement. “I—if there is someone out there who wants to hurt you, maybe staying here is the best option,” she rushes to add.
“If it were up to me,” Allegra interjects, “I would leave you to fend for yourself. But it’s not, and the Don wants you here, safe. Accept it and adapt, Ms Moorside.”
Accept and adapt. Right, sure, no problem.
Ha!