Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
ARRIANA
N ico: I’m going to be with you every step of the way .
Nico texts me the next day. I’m in the back of a cab, heading to the club where this all started. Earlier, Nico began the rushed divorce proceedings with my aunt. During that meeting, he was able to slip her a message, giving her the location of the apartment.
Nico: Text me every ten minutes to let me know you’re okay. If I don’t get that text, I’m coming in, and nothing and nobody will stop me from finding you, Arria. I’m still not happy about this.
Me: I know. But it’s not like you can lure Enzo anywhere. It will be too obvious. The longer we leave Aunt Lucy with Dominic, the worse it’s going to get for her.
I lay my forehead against the glass, watching the city go by. Nico is following a few cars behind, I know, in the same sedan he picked me up in when he warned me about the mob. That was so recent. But it also feels like it was a long time ago.
No dates. No sex. Some steaminess… but texting him has made me feel closer than I ever thought I’d be to any man, let alone my uncle. I guess the pen really is mightier than the sword. Well, the cellphone, anyway.
I pay the cab driver, then stand in line for the club, wrapping my coat around myself. Across the street, Nico’s sedan parks. I can’t see him. I know that. But, honestly, I almost trick myself into believing his forest green eyes are sparkling through the dark tint of his windows.
Nico: You look beautiful. You need to get inside soon. If I see any men hitting on you, I’m going to lose it. Remember, when you leave with him, tell me which entrance. Don’t go to any private rooms with him, either. He wouldn’t dare to hurt you in the main section of the club.
Me: I know. We’ve been over all this.
Nico: You can’t blame me for being careful.
Me: You sacrificed a decade of your life, Nico. I can sacrifice one night.
Soon, I’m in the club. I order a regular Coke because I can pretend to be drinking a mixer. Then, I stand at the most conspicuous spot, which overlooks the main dance floor. At the ten-minute mark, I text Nico.
Me: I’m safe. Nothing yet.
Nico: I’m thirty seconds away if you need me. Don’t forget that.
I sip my Coke, looking around the club. This plan only works if we get both of them to the apartment. If we make one ‘disappear,’ the other will go into hiding. This is surreal. It started with a casual night out, and it’s ending—hopefully—with me being part of a murder plot. But when discussing the plan, Nico hinted at some things Dominic and Enzo have done.
None of it is good. It’s all evil. I can’t even repeat it in my mind. It’s the ugly, sadistic things men do in the worst crime documentaries.
They are so different from my savior.
“Do my eyes deceive me?” somebody yells in my ear.
I jump and turn to find Enzo grinning at me. His eyes have a hazy, drunk look about them. He leans against the bar as if to show off his gold watch.
“Hi, Enzo,” I yell back.
“You’re a courageous young lady. What, you thought because my dad was all head over heels for your aunt, you had the right to come back?”
“I thought I’d be able to? Have I gotten it wrong?”
“You really are one na?ve little girl, aren’t you?” he cackles.
“I just really like this club.” I shrug. “I thought it was all over now. I don’t know much about it, honestly. Except that Aunt Lucy and your dad are getting married. If they’re happy, I’m happy.”
“If they’re happy…” He chuckles, shaking his head at me in disbelief, flashing a belittling smile. “Can I get you another drink?”
“Let me get them,” I reply. “My treat?”
His grin widens. “Sure, sure, then join me in the VIP section.”
I’m relieved when he gestures to a cordoned-off area in the corner. It’s well within view of everyone else in the club. After he strolls away, I quickly text Nico.
Me: He’s approached me, asked me to join him in the VIP section. I’m ordering us some drinks. I’m drinking soda.
Nico: Make sure he puts nothing in your drink. Fuck. I hate this. If you need to text me fast, just bash a bunch of keys. I’ll take it to mean ‘help.’
Me: I’ll be okay.
I hope I’m right.
I carry the drinks over, hoping Enzo is happy with a beer. That’s what I got him, so he’ll have to be. I know he’s a bad person, but as he ushers me through into the VIP section, a strange feeling hits me. In a few hours, this man might not be alive anymore. Because of me. But what’s the alternative? Let his dad keep Aunt Lucy? When I asked Nico how Aunt Lucy looked at the meeting, he simply stared at me with a hopeless look. That was all the answer I needed.
“Why do you keep looking around?” Enzo yells, leaning over to be heard over the music.
“Lilly was supposed to be here.”
The sickening glimmer in his eyes is exactly the response I want. “Your little friend, hmm? Well, where is she?”
“Do you want me to check?”
He nods, grinning. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind seeing her and picking up where we left off. Last time, she overreacted, you know. I wouldn't do anything bad . I was just going to have some fun .”
Earlier, Nico told me about some of the fun Enzo and his dad have. It involves cases that never get to trial because the witnesses are too scared to stand up to the big bad Carusos. But not my man. Not my savior.
I take out my phone and call Nico. “Hey, where are you?”
“Are you with him now?” Nico asks.
“Yeah…”
“Okay, good. Am I supposed to be Lilly?” Thankfully, he’s caught on to my plan.
“Okay…”
“Get him outside as soon as you can. I hate thinking of you in there with him.”
“Really? Oh, okay. I guess I could swing by if you’re sure? How long is he out of town? See you soon.”
Enzo is staring at me as I hang up, his eyes wide and wild, his teeth gritted. “What’s the issue?” he snaps.
It’s just us in the VIP section. I notice other women walking by the red rope, looking over as if they’re jealous. If they knew the truth, they wouldn’t want to switch places with me. “Her uncle’s gone out of town, so she’s thrown a party at his place instead. Urgh. She could’ve told me. I’m going to meet her.”
I stand up, turning away, not wanting to seem too obvious. He wraps a cold hand around my wrist. I almost scream in disgust. He stands up, pulling on me so I’m forced to face him.
“You’re going to walk away, huh? Just like that?”
“The whole point of tonight was to see Lilly,” I tell him. “No offense, Enzo. I don’t mean any disrespect.”
“Didn’t you hear me say I wanted to see her, too?”
“I don’t know…”
His hand gets tighter on my wrist. He leans down, glaring at me. “What don’t you know? I’ve just told you. I’m coming too. I’ll even give you a ride. See? How’s that for polite?”
I snatch my hand away. It’s a risk. A petty look flashes across his face, his eyes glinting. He isn’t used to people telling him no, the jerk. For the first time since we arranged this plan, I allow myself to feel proud about what we’re doing. We’re not just saving Aunt Lucy. We’re saving every woman stuck in the VIP section with this freak leering at her, touching her against her will.
“Okay, Enzo, you can come. But I’m not getting in a car with you when you’ve clearly been drinking. I was going to get a cab before I invited you… and I’m going to get a cab now.”
He grins like a man would at a pet, vaguely amused. “Oh, right? You’re giving the orders, are you, tubby?”
My cheeks flame against my will. Shame touches me. “Maybe I’m happy you’re interested in Lilly, not me,” I spit.
He chuckles. “Relax, I’m just messing with you. I’d think you’d have thick skin.”
“I don’t know what Lilly sees in you.”
He beams. “She’s been talking about me?”
I play my role and roll my eyes. The gross factor grows exponentially. “Yeah, honestly, I think it’s the most disgusting thing ever.”
He gives me a nudge. “Well, come on, then. Let’s go catch a cab if you’re going to be a paranoid piggy. If you’re lucky, you might even get to watch me and your friend go at it together.”
As we walk through the club together, a sharp, ugly sensation surges through me. Again, other women give me jealous looks. I want to scream at them, tell them who he really is and the dark things he’s done. They think he’s a Hollywood mafia boss or maybe a character from a book. But he’s nothing like that. He’s like a little kid with a magnifying glass, burning ants—only the ants are people.
Outside on the street, Enzo pulled me toward some parked cabs, grabbing my hand. I look over at the parked sedan, shaking my head. I know Nico will hate seeing him with his hand on me. Nico has become so possessive, so needy, so jealous, and the crazy part, the part that probably means I’m just as fucked up as he is? I’m exactly the same.
Enzo shoves me into the back of the cab. “Give him the fucking address, then.”
I give the driver the address—the apartment we’ve rented. Enzo casually reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out a small blade, tossing it from hand to hand. He sees me looking, grins, and then winks. “Don’t get nervous. I just get bored easily, that’s all. Let’s hope Lilly’s up for some fun. A moan of pleasure and a scream, you know, they don’t sound all that different.”
“Am I supposed to be scared?”
The driver must know who Enzo is. He stares straight ahead as if stubbornly refusing to get involved or acknowledge what’s happening.
“There’s a lot of you to cut, too,” Enzo says, chuckling. “A hell of a lot.”
I turn away so he can’t see how afraid he’s making me. I try to fight it, to lie to myself, but I can’t. He means it. If I were foolish enough to take him to Lilly, he’d end up torturing us tonight. That’s why I can’t feel bad about what we’re doing.