32. Thirty-One
Thirty-One
Sienna
“ A re you okay?” she asks, her smile sending a cold shiver down my spine. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her voice oozes malice. The words hang in the air, heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. I can’t help but stare at her, utterly dumbfounded. Her presence feels like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly, yet the picture it forms is a chaotic mess of fear and confusion. My eyes remain glued to her as Vance pushes me further into the dimly lit room. Every step feels foreign, as if I’m on autopilot, my body moving without my control. When Vance finally shoves me into a nearby chair, I feel a strange sense of relief, unsure if my legs could have supported me any longer. My heartbeat quickens, each thud echoing in my ears, as the woman takes slow, deliberate steps toward me, savoring my visible shock and confusion. She crouches down in front of me, and I get a clear view of her face. It’s a face I’ve seen before, haunting in its familiarity. Her light grey eyes are stunning yet ice-cold, her features flawless yet harsh. The overhead lamp’s light illuminates her, highlighting the brown roots blending into her golden hair, making her instantly recognizable.
“Oh, how rude of me. I don’t expect my brother-in-law talks much about me, so…” she trails off, her voice dripping with venom, her eyes flashing with pure hatred as she speaks of Fabrizio. From my brief conversation with him about his wife and her family, I gathered that there had been little to no contact between him and his wife’s twin sister. They had never met her because she had cut ties with his wife when they got married. Fabrizio assumed it was because of his family and their… occupation.
“Nicole,” she introduces herself, extending a hand. My eyes move from her outstretched hand to the malevolent grin on her face, and I make no move to shake it. I swallow a large lump in my throat.
“What do you want from me? Why am I here?” I ask, my voice trembling.
As she stands and begins to pace in front of me, I finally take notice of my surroundings while waiting for her response. The hall we are in is spacious, with various large machines and tanks scattered about, looking as though they haven’t been used in ages. Judging by the equipment and the lingering stench of alcohol, I surmise that we are in an abandoned distillery. The room has two doors, one where we entered and another at the far end, with guards stand in front of both, each armed with heavy-looking weapons slung over their shoulders.
In my mind, I desperately contemplate my chances of bolting from the room, but even if I succeeded, I had no idea where to go from there. The thought of the children I’ve come to love as my own being in danger sends a wave of panic through me.
“Because I couldn’t get hold of the little bastards,” she says, her voice dripping with disdain. “But it’s fine; you’re good enough for starters.” She continues, more to herself than to me, “I’ll get my hands on them… and finish what I started.” A burning anger, one I didn’t even know I could feel, courses through every cell in my body. I couldn’t care less what this woman has planned for me, but the thought that she might harm Maddy and Flynn makes my blood boil. I try to push myself out of my seat, ready to lunge at her, but I’m quickly forced back down, a strong hand remaining on my shoulder to keep me in place.
“How can you do that?” I spit out, my voice shaking with rage. “Those children are your family. Your niece and nephew.”
Her laugh is mechanical, and the look on her face is that of a maniac. “Those little bastard spawns shouldn’t have been born in the first place,” she seethes. Bile rises in my throat at her cruel words. Her face contorts with raw anger as she speaks of Maddy and Flynn. Her next words make me realize the depth of the malevolence I’m facing. “They should have died with their mother. But that stupid bitch had to thwart all of my plans, just like she always did…” Nicole fists her hands at her sides, but the trembling of her body is still visible. Acidic anger rises from my stomach, mixing with a myriad of other seething emotions.
“You killed your own sister?” I breathe out the words, struggling to comprehend them. Tears burn in my eyes at the revelation. I cannot fathom how anyone could do such a thing, putting two innocent children, her own family, through so much pain and suffering.
“Bright spark,” Nicole sneers. The strangled laugh bubbling from her throat sounds artificial, but the tears shooting into her reddened eyes are as real as they come. “She was supposed to help me get my revenge, not fall in love and play happy family. He should be dead, not her.” She talks herself from rage to desperation in the span of a few sentences, her voice rising in a screeching crescendo. “But she had to fall in love with the man who killed my fiancé, my family… everything I ever had.” Nicole’s voice thickens with emotion, but I refuse to let her words affect me. Nothing she could say could possibly justify what she planned to do to Maddy and Flynn. She claps her hands together, snapping me out of my stupor as I listen to her deranged ramblings.
“At least I got to watch his sweet, sweet suffering for a while.” My head spins, and I struggle to follow her words. Shivering, I swallow down a whimper, refusing to show any reaction to the hatred in her voice. “At least my dear sister didn’t die in vain.”
“Say that again,” a deadly calm voice booms through the air. As her eyes widen, I can see the glint of madness behind them, a dangerous glimmer that promises chaos. Nicole giggles, the sound unnervingly light, as she turns to face Fabrizio. Her movement reveals my savior, and at the sight of him, a single tear of relief trickles down my cheek. The scene before me is surreal, like something out of a nightmare I can’t wake up from. Surrounded by several men in black attire, each holding heavy assault rifles, Fabrizio stands resolutely in the doorway. His posture is rigid, exuding authority and determination, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his crisp suit.
“You’re early to the party,” Nicole’s statement hangs in the air, met with an oppressive silence. Her head swivels from left to right, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, a clear sign of her agitation.
“If you’re waiting for your cavalry … they’re not coming,” Fabrizio states coldly. “You’re on your own.” Though Fabrizio’s voice remains even and controlled, I can see the immense effort it takes for him to maintain his composure. His eyes blaze with a mixture of hatred and anger, emotions barely contained. As he takes a deliberate step forward, everything seems to happen both in a rapid blur and in excruciating slow motion.
“Ah!” A sharp, stinging pain spreads across my scalp as Nicole yanks me up by my hair. She positions me in front of her like a human shield and presses the cold, unyielding steel of a gun against my temple.
“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, think again if you don’t want me to hurt your little toy.” Tears spring to my eyes from the pain, and my scalp burns with each harsh tug. Nicole and Fabrizio engage in a tense staring duel, each trying to predict the other’s next move. Amid their silent battle, I hear a commotion behind us, but with Nicole’s grip still firm on me, I can’t see what’s happening. She seems oblivious to the noise. Suddenly, a heavy thud and the scraping of a chair on the concrete floor break her concentration. Her grip on my hair loosens momentarily, giving me the chance I need to wrench free from her grasp, stumbling forward and collapsing into Fabrizio’s waiting arms.
“You came,” I whisper, my voice trembling. As soon as he wraps his arms around my shaking body, tears flow freely from my eyes. I clutch his jacket, my fingers digging into the material as I struggle to stay on my feet. His hold on me tightens, pressing me securely against him.
“I thought I lost you,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. Fabrizio leans back slightly, his eyes scanning my face with deep concern. He cups my cheeks with his large, warm hands, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. “Are you okay, cuore mio ?”
“I am now,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. As I look up at him, I get lost in the depth of his affection and worry, and for a moment, everything else fades to insignificance. Grumbled words and insults behind me become background noises; the movement beside us as several men surrounding us suddenly start to move is barely registered. There are people, movements, and noises all around us, but they don’t matter. Nothing matters. Well, almost nothing.
“Are the twins alright?” I ask, the question burning on my lips.
“They are,” he assures me, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Thank God,” I breathe, the weight lifting from my heart at the news.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” he says, taking my hand gently.
“Wait,” I say urgently. Fabrizio raises a brow in question but doesn’t get a chance to respond as I pull him down and press my lips against his. The kiss is brief but filled with all the emotions I can’t put into words. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips, my heart pounding in my chest.