Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Ana
“Uncle Joey,” I called out. “Please tell me you’re coming,” I begged through tears that seemed to be endless over the past half hour.
“Amore, someone will get you in ten minutes. Wait in your apartment until you receive my call,” the deep, accented voice didn’t sound like my uncle’s mixed Texas and Italian drawl.
Amore? Although Italian, he didn’t sound like my father and Uncle.
I knew nothing about that side of the family because discussion of it was forbidden.
There were rumors that my uncle had ties to the Mafia.
“Who is this?” I choked out nervously.
“Your fiancé.” I heard noise at the other end, but my brain wasn’t processing anything other than what he uttered. I repeated it in my head, but it didn’t make any sense.
“No, you can’t be,” I argued, shaking my head as if that would help my case.
My body sat on the hot, tacky linoleum floor, made worse by the summer heat, with my back pressed against the wall between the stove and the sink.
I held a knife in my hand, praying my dad’s collectors didn’t come back again.
“I am and you will do as I say. Wait and don’t answer until your escort arrives.
It will be soon.” The tone told me I had no choice, but it didn’t sound like the other voices that had threatened me before.
This was different. It didn’t sound like Calhoun or Perez.
No, this voice I hadn’t heard before, and it made my body shiver in a whole new way.
My body shook as I held the phone to my chest. Had I heard him correctly?
I was going to be his wife. Who the hell was this man?
My uncle didn’t answer or argue. All I knew was that someone was going to rescue me from one danger; now I was meeting another.
My heart palpated out of control. Ten minutes didn’t make any sense since my uncle should still have been in Chicago.
Unless he left earlier than he told me. Did he bring someone with him?
And why didn’t my uncle answer the phone himself?
My mind spun helplessly out of control while I sat there with my knees to my chest, using my bare feet to rock myself into a lost trance.
My vision blurred through the tears, so I shut my eyes and tried to calm myself, but nothing did the trick.
The questions in my head were too many to count, and I didn’t have anywhere to run.
While I sat there in my own thoughts, the doorbell rang. My eyes darted to the old, paint-cracked door, body shivering as if the air had suddenly kicked on. I didn’t bother to get up. I clutched the knife tighter and brought my thighs closer to my chest.
“Ma’am, we’re here to take you somewhere safe.
Please open the door.” I shook my head as if the man behind it could see me.
The pounding only got louder. “Miss, we don’t want to break down the door.
” Oh yes, that made me feel totally safe.
Even through the door, his annoyance couldn’t be mistaken.
“Please open up.” I knew of the threats from my father’s enemies.
They had connections with the police, so I couldn’t call them for help.
There was no way I would open it or try to run.
My phone shook in the cradle of my lap as it vibrated. I nearly dropped it on the floor, and then I read my uncle’s name on the caller ID. I answered it quickly in a whisper, hello?
“Baby, open the door. They’re there to pick you up and take you somewhere safe. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“No,” I stammered out with fear and a hint of strength left to fight.
A deep growling huff came from him. “Damn it, answer the door because I don’t want them to have to break the door down, but I will.”
“I’m scared.” The confession made me feel both weak and powerful at the same time.
“Amore, I promise you that if you want your uncle to live, you’ll open the door and go with those men.”
“How do I know you haven’t already hurt him? You have his phone, and I haven’t heard from him since this morning.”
Grumbling in Italian, he then said, “Tell her you’re fine, Joey.”
“I’m fine, Ana,” Uncle Joey answered with a sigh. “He’s serious about the protection.”
“Uncle Joey, what’s going on?” I asked.
“See, Amore. Now, do as I say and open the door.” Damn him.
I had no choice but to relent. Whether Uncle Joey was truly fine or not wasn’t up for debate because he’d actually spoken to me, even though I didn’t get to speak to him and it appeared I didn’t get a damn choice. “Okay.”
“Good girl.”
Good girl? My body shivered, and not in a bad way, when he uttered that simple praise. Why had those words suddenly shifted something inside me? Maybe it was my adrenaline.
As I stood up, I accidentally pressed the red button, ending the call. I tucked the phone into my shorts pocket and then walked to the door. When I opened it, there were two men in suits. “Houston PD?” I asked with my left brow cocked. They weren’t the cops.
“Yes,” the bigger guy said with an uptick of his lips, giving away the lie.
“Don DeSalvo said to escort you to a hotel and wait. Grab a bag and let’s go.
You have five minutes before we have to leave.
Go now.” I ran into the bedroom and snagged the go-suitcase I had packed when I first called my uncle.
Don DeSalvo? As in a mobster? Or was his name Don?
Somehow I doubt it was the latter. Cops my ass.
“I’m ready.”
“That was fast.”
“I’d been waiting for my uncle to pick me up.”
“Good, let’s go. I don’t want to have to kill anyone yet.” I nodded as if I were comfortable with his comment. He took my suitcase and the other guy closed the door. They walked one by my side and the other in front of me as they led me to their waiting vehicle where a third man was sitting.
The guy in front opened the backseat door for me. I climbed inside and then he slid in beside me. A moment later my luggage was in the back and the other man popped into the front passenger seat.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Marco, and he’s Peter,” he pointed to the man who was driving.
The other guy turned and Marco said, “His name is Gio.” He was gruffer and much shorter than the other two.
All three wore suits, but Gio’s suit seemed to irritate him around the collar.
I had a lot of questions for them, but the way he watched me through the side mirror, I changed my mind.
Of the three, he gave me the creeps. It wasn’t his size, but rather the dark, ominous stare.
Gio made a call and said, “We have her.”
“Good. Keep her safe, or you won’t live to see tomorrow.” I did my best not to smile because the voice on the other end, although new to me, was becoming quite familiar and welcoming even if he was absolutely crazy. Maybe I could talk him out of marrying me.
I had no idea who the Don was or even what he looked like, and that scared me.
What if he was a fifty-year-old Al Capone-looking dude with a controlling, bad attitude who took his temper out on me?
God, my stomach turned at the image in my head.
There was no way he was like the hot guys I read about in books I bought while I was in college who worshiped the ground I walked on.
My heart was in my chest. How was I going to get out of this?
“Stop looking so fearful, little girl. Most women would fall to their knees to marry him. You’ll be rich as fuck and people will be catering to your every whim,” Peter said.
He was almost as tall and nearly as good-looking as the first guy.
“Yes, because marrying some old dude is just what I want.”
“I get that you’re young, little girl, but he isn’t that old. He’s two years younger than me, and trust me I wasn’t just talking about the money. The man is considered a hot bachelor that all women demand to meet and hope he’ll pick them.”
“Are you serious? I don’t even know anything about him. He could be an abusive monster.”
Marco scoffed as if that was absurd. “All you need to know is that he let your uncle fucking slide, so if I were you I’d be grateful.”
“Let him slide?” My uncle was a very good man.
“Yes, stealing from the boss should end up with a life sentence in the dirt not a fucking second chance and a seat at the family table,” Peter grumbled.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was a bit jealous. Either way, I had a sinking feeling that I was the reason my uncle had been caught stealing. He’d come to bail my dad out for me again. A dad that abandoned me again.
“My uncle is a good man.”
“He should have come to us,” Marco said.
“I have nothing to say to that,” I replied, playing twirling my phone in my hand nervously, trying to distract myself from this mess.
“When we arrive, you will behave. Understood?”
“Of course. I understood your boss the first time.” I rolled my eyes at them because it was clear that their boss wanted me there safely. It gave me the security I’d been looking for.
Twenty minutes later in a sleek SUV that didn’t resemble a police vehicle, we pulled up to the Westin.
I’d never stayed at such a nice place before.
The best I’ve ever had was a budget motel that I couldn’t even remember the name of where the entrance was on the outside and there was no elevator to carry your things.
I behaved as we entered the lobby. My clothes clearly didn’t match theirs, so I received several judging stares.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Marco said to a woman with a disproving look on her face.
She gasped and turned her head quickly. I ducked my head, redness and heat coating my cheeks.
“We’re all good,” Peter said, handing Marco the key card. and checked into their most expensive room.
“Why are we waiting at a hotel? This is kind of weird. When can I talk to my uncle again?” My questions came out annoying even to my own ears, but I was being held hostage by three supposed cops in a nice hotel suite.
One went to get food, one was standing outside the room while the other waited with me.
“Soon. I don’t know all the details. All I know is we’re supposed to give you the princess treatment until it’s time to leave.
Is there anything wrong with this place?
” Marco asked. Of the three he was the friendliest, but I doubted everyone felt that way when he was around.
He had an intimidating factor about him.
I honestly had nothing to complain about. Well, the whole marriage thing was an issue, but I doubted they had a say in that matter, and I doubted they’d even listen. “No, it’s actually…a very lovely…it’s just.”
“Just what?” He raised his brow, waiting for me to say something. He wasn’t annoyed, but I could tell that he had no interest in speaking to me.
“I don’t know why me?”
“Look, I can’t answer any questions. I’m not even supposed to be talking to you. I’m just supposed to make you comfortable until the boss gets here to escort you back to Chicago.”
“Okay,” I answered as fear swelled in my throat.
“Fuck. Don’t cry, please don’t cry. He’ll fucking kill me,” he groaned, slapping his hands against his thighs.
I rubbed my palms across my eyes, wiping away the tears. “That’s silly. Why would he kill you?”
“Because you’re his future bride.” He handed me a tissue box.
I took it from him with a soft smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You know that’s crazy, and he’s not going to lose it over me crying.”
“No, I’m correct.”
I rolled my eyes softly with a shake of my head. I thought he was nuts, but he knew his boss, so I’d follow orders. “Anyways. I’ll behave.”
“Please take it easy and try to relax,” he said, and I actually felt sorry for him. He walked over to one of the chairs, pressing on the cushions, nodding to himself. He carried it over to the door, set it down, and took a seat.
A double knock on the door sent my one guard to it. “Lunch is here.”
He opened the door and then took the meal inside. “Here it is. Now eat.” He sat the bag of food on the small table and then surveyed the room. I made a face behind his back and then snatched the bag off the table.
It smelled incredible even if it was only a burger and fries. It had been two days since I had any real food, so before I knew it, I was eating all of it. My head grew heavy after the large amount of carbs, so I slowly started to doze in the chair.
“Yo, princess. Don’t go falling asleep on the chair. The bedroom is over there. The boss ain’t gonna want you all uncomfortable.” I stared around the room, my eyes uncertain. “Come on now. We already told you that Don DeSalvo wouldn’t be happy if anything happened to you, so go rest properly.”
“Okay,” I answered, sleepily, the stress of the day had worn me out. I walked to the master suite and face planted on the most comfortable bed I’d ever seen, falling quickly asleep.