Chapter 15
Elli
“Tia, we have to get you out of this stupid marriage.
I mean, you are not even involved with the family, so why should you get dragged into a marriage with someone you don’t know?”
Yeah, I’m ranting and I can’t seem to stop myself.
“Elli, I don’t mind if I’m being honest with you.
I mean if I marry this Bruno guy, I can stay near you and we can watch each other’s back throughout whatever is thrown at us in the future.”
“What? You are okay with this?”
I’m more than exasperated, I can feel my temper rising higher and higher.
“Well, he is hot.
A big man,”
she says, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“I just hope he’s big in the right department, and knows how to use it.”
“Tia!”
I exclaim, but the look on her face has me fall into a giggling mess right as the door opens and the woman called Yasmine walks inside the bedroom with yet another tray.
“I thought you ladies would like a drink.
I’ve brought coffee and lemonade, which is homemade, so very refreshing,”
Yasmine calmly states, as though two women being held against their will in a bedroom is natural around here.
“How long have you worked for Mr.
Vincholetti?” I ask.
“A long time, and before you think of going further you need to know my loyalty is to him, and will always be that way.”
Yasmine turns towards the door but pauses when I speak.
“Yeah, for sure, your loyalty is with someone who kidnaps women, makes them marry and holds them against their will for the rest of their lives.
Sure, you go ahead and give your loyalty to someone like that.
Oh, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out,”
I snidely remark, and she takes a breath before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“Well, she’s not going to be a help.
If you still want to run then let’s start checking all exits.
Where the guards are standing.
How many guards.
Oh, and if we can get a weapon and a phone.”
Tia picks up a cup of coffee, and one of the cookies from the plate on the tray and sits in the easy chair in front of the window which overlooks the garden.
We sit quietly, both pondering on our situation.
“Let’s continue playing nice but as you just said, Tia, let’s find out as much as we can before we plan the escape.”
“Yeah, I agree.
But I would have liked a taste of that man.
Honestly, he’s so hot I could feel my panties melt.”
Tia leans her head back, resting it but it’s the look on her face that has me shaking my head.
She’s obviously thinking filthy thoughts, and I don’t want to know what they are.
Later, we are both becoming bored after having a shower, doing our hair and choosing what to wear from the selection of clothing in the walk-in closet.
A tap on the door before it opens and a smallish man, well, compared to the rest at least states it’s time for lunch.
“Who are you then?” Tia asks.
“My name’s Tiny as far as you are concerned.”
Oh dear, he’s a bit of a tetchy one.
I remember him from the room when we were told about the engagement and Tia’s upcoming marriage.
As we reach the entrance hall I hear my brother’s voice, and spinning around I see he is standing next to Nico with a damn smile on his face.
I don’t stop to think, I storm over to him and poke his chest with a finger as I snap at him.
“Oh, so you are all friended up with this one, hey brOTHER.
Sold your sister, just like my father did.
I’m more than pissed with you Alex, and where is my TRUCK?”
Yeah, I lost it, and the look on my brother’s face is shocking.
He is brewing with anger after I called him out like my father.
“Don’t you ever say that to me again, Elli, or you and I are going to have a huge problem.
Your truck is here, parked in the garage for when you are in a position to use it.
As for friended up, well yes, he is my boss, he runs the firm, you know this.
But Elli, he is a good man, as good as he can be with the life he has to lead.
He will be a good husband to you, and you will be a good Don’s wife.
You need to pull up your big girl panties and step up to the plate.”
Oh, he is an asshole, I never quite realized before.
I don’t stop and think I swing my fist and land a punch on his jaw.
“Asshole,”
I snarl as I walk away, knowing he’ll not retaliate because he would never strike a woman unless it was a last resort, and being the Don’s intended means he can’t risk lashing out.
Tia is standing next to Tiny with her mouth dropped open in shock.
But as I reach her she shakes herself into movement, tucks her arm into mine and we head into the dining room.
We can hear murmuring behind us but we are taking no notice of what’s being said.
Taking a seat at the dining table we both sit quietly and wait for what is going to happen next.
Not expecting the man called Bruno, Tia’s intended, to walk in and take Tia to the other side of the table and sit her beside him.
Tia has one eyebrow raised at him, and I’m inwardly smiling because I have a feeling she is going to react any moment.
Standing, Tia walks back around to my side of the table and takes the seat next to mine again.
Bruno, however sighs before coming around and picking her up to carry her back to her seat.
Nico, Alex, and the one named Aeron walk in and are about to take seats.
None saying a word, but I can see they are not worried about the altercation I had with my brother.
I turn to look at Tia who slides down and under the table.
I look at Bruno who is more than a little shocked at this point.
But when Tia pops up from where she has scrambled under the table to take the seat next to me once more, I giggle, and it turns quickly into laughter.
The room erupts when Bruno again stands ready to come around to grab Tia, but this time she grabs a knife from the table and takes a stance ready to do whatever she thinks is necessary.
I, of course, as her sister take a knife too and stand next to her.
“Bruno, sit, we don’t need shit going south at this time.
But you know you have to get this under control at some stage,”
Nico drawls before picking up his glass which is filled with iced water.
Both Tia and I head slowly to the door of the dining room ready to escape but Tiny is standing in the doorway blocking our exit. “Move,”
I state, but he remains solidly in the way.
“Don’t do it, Elli,”
my traitorous brother says, but I can hear the amusement in his voice.
I throw a punch which Tiny dodges easily, but I drop sweeping a leg out to crash against his shin.
He, however grabs the leg and holds firm.
I spin onto my back and throw my other leg up towards his face.
And again, he grabs the leg.
But what he didn’t expect was Tia jumping onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and shoving a finger into each of his nostrils.
She yanks back, he lets go of my legs, and I grab Tia before we make a run for the bedroom.
Once we are safely inside and have slammed the door and locked it behind us, Tia grins, takes a gun out of her pocket and giggles.
Yeah, this is a move we have practiced and it worked well, apart from Tia lifting the gun.
That is a new move.
“We are sticking to this bedroom, aren’t we?”
Tia asks me as she is studying the gun in her hand.
“Yes, we are not being separated if we can help it.
We need to stay together as we are stronger together.
Your man seems determined now to get you on his side,”
I grin, “I liked your move, you know, going under the table instead of around it.”
“Yeah, he didn’t expect that, did he?”
The next hour I have Tia taking that weapon apart and putting it back together.
Now it is a Glock 17, which has seventeen rounds that we can practice with.
We’ll have to find more ammunition when we can.
But for now, we’ll have to make do.
Opening the window, I point at a tree across the side of the lawned area of the yard.
“Try and hit that, Tia.”
Tia fires and it misses by quite a way.
I stand behind her and hold her hands in the right position.
She fires again and we see dust fly from the side of the tree.
Men start appearing in the garden below us, all with weapons out and ready for whatever is happening.
We quickly close the window and giggle as we watch the men search the garden for any trespassers.
“This could be fun,”
Tia murmurs, and I nod in agreement because I think this could be good.
Give them all the runaround so they are concentrating on something other than us, giving us time to skedaddle.