Chapter 44
Shay-Lee
“Y ou listen to me, you piece of shit, if you don’t release me right this second, I’ll have my men come for you!”
“Your men, really ?” Oro snorted from the driver’s seat.
I woke up a while ago to find myself tossed in the back of a shady van. With my body half-asleep from the drugs he’d injected me with and my hands cuffed with zip ties behind my back, things could have been better.
To say the least.
“Yes. My men . The same men who will snap your bones like toothpicks if you won’t let me go right this second.” My mouth was dry as fuck, and for some reason, I drooled like a dog. Annoyed, I tried cleaning it with my shoulder when the asshole spoke.
“You think I don’t know that you don’t have any security team? Which is weird, by the way, given your fortune.” He chuckled. “Anyway, I know everything about you, mister. So don’t bother lying.”
He met my confused stare through the rearview mirror.
“I know where you work, what you do, how you drink your stupid matcha, which tastes like grass, by the way. I even know how you sound when he fucks you.” His lips twisted with repulsion. “To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for Camilo that he has to suffer those noises you call moans.”
My eyes widened with rage. Not because of his baseless accusations, which weren’t true as I had one sexy voice, but because I’d just learned I had a stalker. Or at least, another one if you included Jordan on the list. “For God’s sake, why can’t I have a normal life for once?” I tossed my head back with a deep sigh. “And to be kidnapped by some ugly twink on top of it all… How much lower could it get?”
“An ugly twink? Are you nuts?”
“No. But clearly, you are,” I hissed when he turned to glare at me. “Eyes on the road, you fucker!” I shouted, and thankfully, the idiot listened. “If you’re going to kidnap me, the least you could do is not get me into another car crash,” I snarled as he mumbled something under his breath while clutching the steering wheel harder.
“Aww, someone can’t take criticism?”
“Just shut up! It’s hard to focus with all your talking,” he snapped, his shoulders slumping.
What a weakling.
I snorted. “Then you should have thought about gagging me, moron .”
The car made a sharp turn to the right, and since I was tossed on the floor with my hands tied, I just rolled with the other stuff that was thrown in the back. We hit a bump that made everything jump, including myself, and something hit my head.
“Watch it, will you?” I barked as I continued to roll in the back of this stupid-ass van. Finally, the road stopped being so damn bumpy, and I managed to move into a sitting position.
“What did you even inject me with?” I opened and closed my hands in an attempt to stretch my fingers. “It’s like my muscles turned into Jell-O.”
“Something that clearly didn’t do the job, as you’re awake.”
“When will it completely wear off? ”
“You think I care?”
“I do!” My head throbbed with anger. “My legs feel weird.”
“Good,” he bit back.
“What do you even want from me?”
“I want you dead. Duh .”
Once again, I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. “Yeah, I’d already gotten that. But why? And if you say it’s because you want Camilo for yourself, just know it’s pathetic—”
“Shut it!” he shouted, his voice cracking in the end.
Would you look at that, it seemed like I hit a nerve. “You know it won’t work, right? Killing me won’t miraculously make him tolerate you, asshole.” I snorted. “I mean, if it didn’t happen in the past few years, it won’t happen now. If anything, killing me would probably have the opposite effect. Instead of falling for you, my man would kill you—”
“Your man, huh?” He locked eyes with me through the rearview mirror. “You still dare to call him that after last night?”
My breath caught at the same time my throat tightened at his words, and horrified, I watched a smile forming on his face.
“Like I said, I know everything about you, mister , including how you treated him last night. You don’t deserve him; you never did, and the only way he’ll learn that will be the hard one. But don’t worry, cupcake. I’ll be there to hold his hand and warm his bed through his grief until he realizes I’m the one .”
Bitterness clawed at my insides, and I found it hard to breathe. While I wanted to blame it on the drug that ran through my blood, I couldn’t. What twisted my gut was shame and regret and nothing more, because despite being a lunatic, Oro had a point—I didn’t deserve Camilo. Especially after last night. Pressing my lips together, I looked down at my shoes when I realized something.
“Wait… Are you the one who left me that flash drive?” If he knew about the cemetery, then he probably was the one who planted the envelope on my desk. It was probably his plan to separate us. Oro’s lack of answer was enough of a confirmation, and furious, I to ok a deep breath. “You did, didn’t you? Was that the best plan your little brain managed to come up with, hoping it would break us apart? Well, let me tell you something, darling. It didn’t fucking work,” I hissed when he suddenly hit the brakes, and I was sent forward.
I fell face-first, so now I was facing the floor of this damn van, which I doubted was ever cleaned before.
“It sure didn’t look that way,” he snorted after the car started moving again.
“Then you clearly don’t know us.” I rolled to my back. “We might do crazy shit to each other, but we always come back to one another. Always .” Closing my eyes, I imagined the moment Camilo and I would finally meet after this chaos was over. All I knew was that I’d bury myself in his embrace and kiss the hell out of him.
Opening my eyes, I looked ahead and focused on Oro’s back. “You got that, you little shit? Camilo would never give up on me, and I will never give up on him .”
The car came to a sudden stop that shook me a bit before Oro unbuckled himself and got out.
“Where you going—” I was cut off by the slam of the door.
Worried, I stretched my neck and looked outside the windows. It didn’t help, as they were completely tinted. Shit . Sitting here in the dark, utterly useless, made my nerves go wild. And when Oro slid open the van’s door and climbed inside? Fuck . My heart galloped in my chest.
I thought this was the moment where he’d pull the gun and finish the job when, instead, he grabbed something from the back of the car and stepped outside. He then climbed in again and repeated the same action while I just watched him unloading shit from the damn car. Running out of patience and lives to spare—because despite Camilo calling me a cat, I didn’t have nine fucking lives—I spoke. “Let’s just talk it out, okay? I’m sure we can solve it. How about I give you some money? ”
“I don’t need your money,” he said, then grabbed a duffle bag from the back of the van.
“Are you sure? I’ve got lots of it.”
Ignoring me, he got out for a couple of seconds before climbing back in. This time, he reached for me. I attempted to fight back with the little strength I could gather, only it wasn’t enough, and his thin ass managed to flip me to my stomach.
Damn that drug.
While he checked the zip ties on my wrists, I seized the moment to try and reach his logic. Although I doubt he has any.
“Come on, Oro. Deep down, you know killing me would only make it worse for you.”
“I’m not going to kill you.”
“But you said—”
“You’re going to kill yourself.” He smirked before pulling me out of the car and forcing me to stand up.
My ankles hurt from the sudden move, and I wanted to snap at him, but then I noticed where he’d taken us, and my throat turned to dust. There, right in front of me, was my old house—the prison I’d barely escaped and never thought I’d see again.
Everything had stayed exactly as I remembered, as if time hadn’t passed. The green lawns, the tall trees, the gray stone the house was carved from. It all looked the same because I made sure it would despite the fact that no one had been living here for years. Ever since my father’s death, this place had stood empty. I didn’t sell it and instead kept it. Not because I wanted to but because I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. Growing up, there wasn’t a night I didn’t dream about burning this place to the ground, and when I was finally able to fulfill those wishes, I couldn’t. This house, this place, it was all him. My dad. Or at least, it was all that was left of him.
My thoughts were interrupted by the violent sound of a gun being loaded, and I glanced aside with horror to see Oro holding one.
“What are you… ”
“Familiar, isn’t it?” He smiled while checking out the gun. “I took it from his house this morning.”
Realization struck me, and I glared at the gun, Camilo’s gun , then at Oro.
“You little shit—”
“Nah-ah.” He pursed his lips before nudging my back with the gun. “Now, shut your mouth and move.”
With the gun poking at my back, I wasn’t about to argue and instead pressed my lips into a tight line and started walking toward the house. Still feeling weird because of the drug, I had to force my body to cooperate, the same way I did back in physiotherapy all those years ago. It wasn’t easy, and my muscles burned, but I preferred limping my way to the door over getting shot by this madman.
“It would make quite the story, don’t you think?” he suddenly spoke.
“What?” I snarled.
“I’m talking about you finally caving in to your demons and blowing your brains out using your lover’s gun.”
My heart paused, and I stared at him with my mouth open, still trying to process the sanity of his words.
“Oh, when I think about it, it’s how his mom dropped dead, right? She used a shotgun and turned her brain into a milkshake.”
A tremor ran through my body, and I had to close my eyes to compose myself. To be honest, I couldn’t even bring myself to respond to him since the shit he spat out of his mouth didn’t even deserve a response.
He nudged my back. “Why did you stop? We’re going to be late to your suicide.”
I forced myself to start walking again.
“Nobody would believe I killed myself.”
“Of course they will.” With the gun still pressing into my lower back, Oro placed one hand on my shoulder and leaned close until his head rested against mine. “After all, who wouldn’t want to kill themselves after the shit you went through? You’re a walking tragedy, babe, so much that you make my pitiful life sound sweet.” Moving to look at me, he brushed a lock of hair away from my face. “But tell me something… was getting fucked by your dad really that bad? I mean, he was totally hot. I bet my money you secretly loved it.”
A wave of nausea hit me, and I ducked forward just before I puked my soul over the stone stairs leading to the house. It all just came out, and unable to stop, I gagged and gasped while he laughed.
It reminded me of that day when Orson laughed at me while I puked all over myself out of pure fear. Only now, it was different. Despite the situation, I didn’t feel as helpless. Yes, I was scared, but not hopeless .
“Are you done? Or can we step inside?” Oro asked, his voice dripping with satisfaction over the situation.
What a psycho.
“Yeah.” I rubbed my cheek over my shoulder to wipe away whatever I could, then began walking until we reached the front door, and he opened it.
We walked inside in complete silence, our footsteps echoing around us. As expected, the place was empty and cold. All the furniture was covered with white sheets so they wouldn’t gather dust, like that wooden cabinet we just passed by. The one Camilo made me sit on that time he came to rescue me.
Can you wait just a second?
Those were his words from back then, and they still managed to warm my heart to this day. Sadly, my other memories from this place weren’t as sweet, and the farther we walked inside, the colder it got. Looking around, I could almost see them: my dad, Orson, even Rosa, walking as if they weren’t all dead. And when I closed my eyes, that’s when it all really came back: the beating, the raping, the mocking. But mostly, the paralyzing fear that struck me whenever I stepped into this house, feeling caged, like a bird without wings and a boy without a future.
“I think this will do,” Oro said, jolting me back to the moment.
Glancing around the living room, I frowned. “And why’s that? ”
Oro walked farther into the room and stopped by one of the couches. “It looks like a nice, large room to shoot yourself in. Don’t you think?”
Is this dude for real?
“If I came all the way here to kill myself, wouldn’t it make sense if I did it in a place that would be more sentimental? Like, I don’t know… my bedroom?”
Oro snapped his fingers before he pointed at me with the damn gun. “That’s right, it does make more sense.”
Maybe this wasn’t the smartest way to stall time, but it was something . Now, I’d have a couple more minutes to find a way out of this. Maybe—
“Dylan?” someone said, and we both turned around in time to look at Jordan.
Wait, what?
“Shit,” Oro hissed from beside me while I still attempted to follow through.
Hold on just a second. Did he just call him… Dylan ? I frowned at Jordan, then at Oro, when everything clicked together, and my jaw dropped.
“Ain’t no fucking way,” I called out loud in frustration.
“Wait, you know each other?” Jordan cluelessly gaped, and fuck, now I truly wanted to shoot myself.
“This is your friend Dylan?” My voice cracked, and I stepped closer when something else occurred to me. “Wait, are you a part of this?”
“A part of what?”
I nudged my head at Oro, who was still swearing under his breath. “Of this , you little shit. Of this plan to kill me.”
Jordan’s face paled, and he shook his head. “Hell no! I just followed you from the hospital. What the fuck is going on?” He turned to look at Oro when his eyes widened. “Is that a gun?”
“No, it’s a stapler… of course it’s a freaking gun!” I yelled when Oro sighed beside me .
“God, Jordy, now I understand what you talked about all the time,” he said before he began walking toward him. “He really is a pain in the ass, isn’t he?”
“D-Dylan, what’s going on?” Jordan asked, his eyes still jumping between us until Oro placed his hand on Jordan’s cheek.
“Don’t ask him questions! Just take his gun, god damnit, the guy’s a lunatic,” I shouted to no avail because in the split second Jordan took to process the situation, Oro had already managed to hit his head with the gun and knock him out cold.
Fuck . Me . Sideways .
Now not only did I need to rescue my ass but also Jordan’s.
“W-what happened?” Jordan grunted, his eyes half closed as he finally woke up.
“You’ve been an idiot. That’s what happened,” I hissed under my breath.
“What the hell?” He frowned down at his body, which, the same as mine, was tied to a chair. “How did this happen?” He moved and wiggled like a fish out of water without success since Oro made sure to tie us to these chairs as if he was trying out to be a Boy Scout.
“Like I said, you’ve been an idiot.” I turned to face him, a deep scowl on my face. “What part of ‘take his gun’ wasn’t clear?”
Jordan’s brows pinched together into one idiotic expression. “Oh shit!” He gasped. “D-Dylan, he… he hit me— ugh .” He winced, and I assumed it was due to the hit he took to the head.
“His name’s Oro, and he’s not at all who you thought he was.”
“What does that mean?”
Ignoring his question, I sighed. “Please tell me you called someone on your way here.”
He stayed silent, so I went on. “You know, like the police? Those people in blue that are often the ones you call when someone’s in danger?”
“I-I didn’t think it was needed. ”
I tossed my head back with a grunt. “Let me get it straight… you saw someone kidnapping me, and you didn’t think calling the fucking cops was needed ?”
“Sorry for not thinking it through.” He grunted. “I was confused, okay?”
“It’s not okay, you fucking idiot!” I tried nudging my chair closer to him, but the rope wrapped around my torso tightened with the slightest move, and I quickly gave up.
“I’m sorry, okay?”
“Your sorry ain’t worth shit when we’re about to be shot by a damn hooker!”
“A h-hooker?”
God help me. From all that I’d just said, this was what he was hung up on?
“Yes, Jordan, your sweet friend Dylan is a prostitute working in the Venetian.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows before he spoke. “The Venetian? Isn’t that the—”
“The club run by that gangster you owed money to back in high school and which Camilo used to work for? Yeah, that’s the place.”
Confusion crossed his face. To be fair, it was a lot to take in.
“Camilo? You mean Diesel is connected to this?”
For a moment, I focused on the trail of dry blood that ran down his face. Poor guy . I guess he truly was clueless. “Oro, or Dylan, whatever you want to call that filth… he’s obsessed with Camilo. Hence why I’m here, tied to this fucking chair!” I raised my voice at that last word, hoping it would catch Oro’s attention, who, for the past few minutes, had disappeared. I didn’t miss the guy, but I’d rather keep an eye on the fucker than have him wander around, plotting who knew what.
“This doesn’t make sense. Dylan is just this nice guy I met at my boxing gym. He isn’t a hooker. He works at… “
Jordan’s words died, so I glared at him. “He worked at?” I asked, waiting for him to go on when his whole face fell .
“I don’t know. When I think about it, he never spoke about himself and mostly asked about me and…” Closing his eyes, he sighed. “You.”
“That piece of human shit.” I ground my teeth while thinking back on all those times Jordan met up with his friend “Dylan.” For God’s sake, he even brought that creature to our fucking home.
“I’m sorry, Shay-Lee. I had no clue.”
“That’s your life problem, Jordan. Being a clueless moron.”
“Hey—” he began protesting when we heard footsteps. We immediately shut up and waited with bated breath until Oro showed up in the living room with a duffle bag hung on his shoulder.
Dropping it to the floor, he bent down and rummaged inside it until he pulled out a notebook and a pencil. Jordan and I exchanged glares until Oro straightened up and cleared his throat.
“Okay, now’s the time to write your little goodbye note.” He smiled, his eyes focused on me.
Cold sweat ran down my nape and slid underneath my shirt. I struggled to breathe, both because of the rope tightened around my chest and because of the stress, when an idea came to my mind.
“You’re not actually going through with that plan, right?” I huffed, causing them both to frown at me.
“What the fuck are you on about?” Oro snarled, impatience nipping at his voice.
Full of fake confidence, I held his stare. “Let’s say I killed myself. What will you do about him?” I nudged my head at Jordan. “It won’t make sense for two people to take their own life, right?”
A vein popped on the side of his neck before Oro snapped. “Fuck!” he yelled and stomped his foot like some pampered brat who didn’t get his way in the shop. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He stopped from moving only to glare at Jordan. “Why did you have to come here, huh? Couldn’t you have just stayed out of the damn picture? It all went perfect—” He suddenly quieted down and took a step closer. “You’re going to kill him.”
“W-what?” Jordan gasped .
Pointing his gun at Jordan, Oro smiled. “Yes. That makes sense, yes! The whole world knows you’re obsessed with him.” He moved the gun to my face. “So it only makes sense you killed him out of rage after he cheated on you.”
“Oro—”
“Shut up, you fucking slut!” he screamed, cutting me off. “I’m talking now. So shut the fuck up.” He took a breath and shook his head. “Where was I? Oh, right. You’re going to kill your ex, and then… pop .” Pointing two fingers to his temple, Oro “pulled” the trigger. “Then you’ll kill yourself to reunite with him in the afterlife.”
Disturbed by his insane plan, I just shot the first idea that came to my mind. “I haven’t answered my phone since last night.”
“And?” Oro looked at me, bored.
“And Camilo is probably worried sick and already searching for me.” My lips quirked into a nervous smile. “That’s right, he’s probably going to be here soon. Right, Jordan?” I turned to face him.
It took him a second to nod. “Y-yeah. He even called me earlier.”
Wait, what? I almost asked Jordan when Camilo had called him when Oro’s next words turned my blood ice-cold, and horrified, I turned to face him.
“What did you just say?” I hissed.
A sickening smile took over his lips. “I said that Camilo’s currently occupied with more urgent matters. After all, it isn’t every day that the Mob finds out you’re a rat, right?”
My stomach turned, and it felt like I’d just been stabbed with a butcher’s knife. If I could have grabbed onto something for support, I would have, but given my current state, all I did was clench my hands into tight fists until my nails scraped my flesh.
“Where’s Camilo?” I roared, and my voice echoed around us.
“I just told you, he’s being questioned for his betrayal.”
My heart kicked into overdrive.
“What betrayal? He didn’t do shit, you sick fuck.”
Oro pursed his lips. “Well, true, but he needed to learn a lesson for treating me badly. ”
What was he even talking about? Learn a lesson?
“Is he in danger?” I gaped when Oro tapped his lips.
“Probably.”
Fear I could not put into words struck me with different scenarios I had in mind. But one glance at Oro’s face quickly turned my fear into rage. Pure wrath that turned my whole body into a wireless nerve.
“Get me out of these ropes!” I screamed, trying to move and release myself until the ropes burned into my wrists and chest. “Let me go, now !”
Oro didn’t seem to care, as he continued to stare at me with an amused expression until Jordan suddenly spoke.
“Shay-Lee, you have to calm down—”
“I can’t calm down, fuck.” Tears welled in my eyes with being so helpless. “Camilo, he’s…” I choked on my own tears. “This son of a bitch framed him, and now those mobsters will kill him.”
Unable to hold back from crying, I dropped my head down and attempted to wheeze some air in. It was nearly impossible, with snot flooding my nose and tears constricting my throat.
“Calm down, will you? I won’t let him die,” Oro suddenly said, and I slowly looked up at him. “Like I said, I just want him to learn a lesson. That’s all. In a few hours, I’ll just tell Dion I made a mistake, and they’ll let him go.”
My jaw dropped, and not caring about all the snot smeared on my face, I glared at him. “In a few hours?” My heart sank to my stomach. “Do it now! Please, just, just do it now!”
The room turned quiet as Oro just stood there, eyes locked with mine, until he tilted his head and smirked.
“Nah.”
The air in my throat vanished, and I gaped at him with wild eyes.
“He has to understand I’m the one for him, you know? If a few punches is what it would take… I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”
Since I wasn’t speaking to a sane person, I realized there was no use in begging. My lips trembled, and I took a deep breath. “You think Dion won’t find out you tricked him?” I asked, my eyes narrowed on his ugly face.
Oro’s smile grew bigger before he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a flash drive, identical to the one he left for me. “This holds information I stole from Dion, which I plan to sell for a lot of money. Not only would this little flash drive bring his dynasty down, but it’s also a guarantee that the French motherfucker will find himself with a bullet in his head.” He chuckled. “So you see, the second I get Camilo out, I sell this information to the highest bidder and get us both out of the country before shit hits the fan.”
“Who’s Dion?” Jordan asked from beside me.
“He’s the mobster running this whole show,” I explained before going back to Oro. “You’re delusional if you think you can kill him and get away with it.”
“Well, I already tried once and got away with it,” he said simply, and everything clicked together.
“So you were behind the first assassination attempt?”
Oro kicked his leg before he walked closer to us and sat down on the floor. With one hand still holding the gun, he leaned back on the other.
“You see, originally, the plan was to kill the fucker and run away with Camilo… Only for some unknown reason, he chose to save Dion, and that fucked everything up.” His eyes moved to the gun. “If only that stupid lawyer hadn’t been shot, he wouldn’t have met you all, and my plan would have worked.” His jaw twitched. “Mostly, you wouldn’t have been back in the fucking picture.” He gripped the gun tighter, his whole face twisting with rage. “It’s all because of you!”
In a split second, Oro jumped to his feet and aimed the gun at my face.
“Dylan, no!” Jordan screamed while I pulled against the chair’s armrest, my eyes focusing on the trigger, which was hardly an inch away .
“Dylan, please, just think about it again… You’re not capable of murder,” Jordan begged while I kept silent.
Oro smirked. “Oh, Jordy, you truly are too naive for your own good.”
Despite the gun aimed at my face, I didn’t bat an eye. If this really was how I’d end my life, there was no way I’d give this fucker the pleasure of seeing me beg. I took a deep breath, well aware that even if I died, Camilo would hunt this bitch alive. The mere thought brought me enough pleasure to smile, actually smile, and I held my head high. I was prepared for him to pull the trigger when suddenly, someone’s phone buzzed.
Still standing with the gun aimed at my face, Oro pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. “Fuck,” he hissed and rolled his eyes before taking the call. “If it isn’t my beloved boss,” he purred, a fake smile on his lips.
So it’s Dion.
“What do you mean where am I?” Oro asked as he lowered the gun and turned around so we were facing his back.
I’d hardly managed to take in a breath when Jordan’s eyes shot to mine.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, trying not to catch Oro’s attention, who was still whining to Dion over the phone.
Ignoring Jordan, I focused on Oro’s conversation.
“Fine, I’ll be there shortly. Just don’t start without me,” Oro laughed, and his words danced on my nerves because fuck, what did he mean by don’t start without me —
“Yes, I’ll wear that thong you like.”
Eww . I guess that answered my question.
“I’ll see you soon,” he added, then hung up and turned to face us again. “Looks like you got yourself a few more hours to live.” He tucked the gun in the back of his ugly pants.
“What did you talk about?” I frowned at him when he chuckled.
“As if I’m going to tell you.” His stare lowered to my neck. “That’s a nice necklace. ”
Next thing I knew, and before I could even protest, the fucker snatched my necklace off my neck. Seeing the bright gold standing out against his pale skin made my stomach curl, and my heart ached for breaking my one promise to Camilo.
“This time, don’t you dare take it off.”
“I won’t.”
Tears glistened in my eyes, but I wasn’t about to cry and instead snapped, “Give it back!”
“I don’t think so.” He played with my necklace, swirling it around his finger. “Try not to piss on yourself while I’m gone,” he added right before he turned on his heel and walked toward the door. But before leaving, he first made sure to turn off all the lights in the house, leaving us in utter darkness to wait for his return.