Chapter Fifteen- Sofia
I held Rocki’s hand as we made our way to my car.
I was exhausted; it was a long fucking day.
I just wanted to get home, hop in the shower, and get some rest. As I placed Rocki in her car seat, I smiled and touched her cheek.
My father acted a bit strange when I got her.
I did ask him if everything was alright.
He replied with a nod, but his facial expression was odd somehow; I couldn’t explain it.
It did cross my mind that my secret about Rocki was discovered, but I strongly believed that if my father had found out, he would have said something to me.
Pushing my skepticism to the back of my mind, I closed the door and drove off to my home.
As I parked and got Rocki out, approaching my front door, my steps slowed down.
I frowned slightly as I looked closely at the security guard standing watch in front of my door. This wasn’t Ernesto. Who the fuck was this? I hugged Rocki tightly to me as I walked up to the man. He smiled at me, looking briefly at Rocki.
“Ms. Sofia, I’m the replacement guard on duty this morning,” he said, clearing up what I was thinking.
“Where’s Ernesto?” I asked, scanning this strange man closely from head to toe. I zoomed in on the tattoo on his upper arm written in red. The sleeve of the white shirt he wore wasn’t long enough to hide it.
“Ernesto had a family emergency, and I was called in. I hope that’s alright?” He said, smiling at me again. “Do you need me to help you and your little one inside?” he asked, stepping forward, which quickly made me take a step back.
“I wasn’t told that I’d get a replacement security.” I still wasn’t sold on all of this just yet.
“Well, as I explained, Ernesto had a family emergency, and they asked me to take his spot last minute. If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can leave and have them send someone else.”
I sighed softly and shook my head. “No, that’s fine, and your name is Ralph,” I asked, pointing at the tattoo on his arm.
“That’s correct, Ms. Ricci,” Ralph answered with a nod.
“Well, alright then. I’ll be inside.” I gave him a tight smile as I carried on my way.
Opening the front door, I made sure to lock up properly because Ralph gave me the hibbie gibbies for some reason.
I also needed to verify his story with Buddha, because I believed if my brother was going to switch guards, he would tell me.
Once I put Rocki down and got settled, I’d give Buddha a call.
I went into the kitchen to check on Jax because that was his favorite spot. I made a face when I realized he wasn’t there.
“Jax!” I called out to my dog. Rocki stirred in my arms, and I decided I would need to search for Jax instead of shouting his name. Climbing the stairs, I walked into my bedroom. I couldn’t wait to put Rocki down because I swear she felt heavier than she did this morning.
I touched her curls tenderly after placing her on my bed.
Even though my back was turned, I suddenly got a feeling as if I was no longer alone.
Slowly, I turned around and almost passed the fuck out.
Standing at the entrance of my bedroom was Luca, and next to him was Jax, wagging his tail like nobody’s business.
I immediately started to feel like I was having a panic attack. I backed away from this sadistic man, hoping that I was having some sort of realistic nightmare.
“H-ho-how did you get into my home?” I asked, looking around the room to see what I could use as a weapon to defend myself.
“Your dog is way too friendly to be a guard dog. Did you meet your new security detail at your front door?” Luca said with a sickening grin on his stupid face.
“Come here, Jax,” I called to my dog, and he came over to me. I bent and rubbed behind his ear before he jumped on top of the bed to lay down next to Rocki.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here, but can you please just leave?” I pleaded with him, pointing at the door where he was standing.
“Nah, this is now personal, you brothers killed my father, so I just need for them to hurt just like they hurt me. Besides, don’t you think it’s time I bonded with my son?
” Luca said, coming into the room. I’d be damned if this sick man got closer to my child.
If he found out the truth about Rocki, I’m not certain what he would do and how he would react.
“Please, I promise you nobody knows about you, nobody knows what you did, and that you’re Rocki’s father. I have money, and I can give it to you so you can leave and start a new life. I’m sorry about Francesco, but that has nothing to do with Rocki and me.”
“Shut the fuck up. You do not get to say my father’s name,” Luca said, lifting his shirt and taking a gun out of his waist so he could point it at me. His expression grew so angry that I regretted saying what I did.
“Ok, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I apologized because it was important to remain on his good side. I felt my panic rising when he walked closer to the bed and stared at Rocki, a smile slowly lifting the corners of his mouth.
“Is he just like me? Is his personality just like mine? I can’t wait to take him with me so we can bond and get to know each other.
He’s all I have now that my father’s gone.
” I listened to Luca, and I began feeling sick.
He had to be out of his mind if he thought I was going to allow him to take my child.
“No, he’s not like you. He’s nothing like you, and he will never be anything remotely close to you,” I informed him, a single teardrop rolled out of my eyes. Luca didn’t like what I said, and his eyes changed; they grew cold and angrier.
“You still think you’re so high and mighty and better than anyone else.
Come on, let’s go downstairs,” he said, waving the gun at me.
I happily did as he asked and walked toward him; anything was better than having him close to Rocki.
Luca walked behind me, holding his gun against my back as I made my way out the door.
Just as my feet hit the first step, my phone began ringing in my pants pocket.
“What do I do?” I asked him as I paused.
“Let it ring, keep walking,” he said, pushing the nozzle of his gun against my back. I did as I was told. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, my phone had started ringing for a third time. Snatching the phone out of my pocket, Luca came to stand in front of me as he watched the screen.
“Answer your stupid fucking brother’s call,” he said, swiping the screen and holding the phone to my ear.
“Hello,” I said, knowing that I was going to break down. I listened as Buddha asked about my whereabouts.
“Phillipe,” I answered, and then I began to cry.
Luca pulled the phone away and began speaking to my brother.
I stood there and listened as Luca threatened to end the lives of me and my child because his father was now dead.
He hung up the phone and threw it on the ground before stepping on it over and over.
Luca suddenly grabbed his stomach and made a face.
I frowned slightly as he took a couple of deep breaths and grimaced in pain.
After a couple of seconds had passed, he walked toward me and grabbed my upper arm and led me over to the front door.
Opening it, he called out to his accomplice, who quickly came inside like some sort of trained puppy.
“What’s up?” Ralph asked, closing the door behind him. I noticed he didn’t lock it because he was too preoccupied, looking at Luca, who seemed to be having trouble with his stomach.
“It’s these stomach cramps again. Watch her so I can go get a glass of water to take these pills.” Luca reached inside of his pocket and retrieved a small packet of what appeared to be medication.
“You’ve been getting those cramps in your stomach and pains in your chest regularly. I told you that you should have gone to see a doctor,” Ralph said, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at Luca, who looked like he was about to pass out.
“What the fuck are you, my mother now? Just watch her; I’ll be back,” Luca said as he shoved his gun in Ralph’s hand.
I studied Luca carefully as he walked off slowly in the direction of my kitchen, and then I remembered my mother.
She said she had been poisoning Luca with arsenic.
I do believe that the pains he’s experiencing are probably due to the poison. I smiled at that little fact.
“What the fuck are you smiling at. Go sit the fuck down!” Ralph shouted at me, signaling for me to take a seat on the sofa. I didn’t like this hostile mothafucka one bit, I thought as I walked and sat down. He stood in front of me with his gun pointed at me, his back to the front door.
“What did you do with Ernesto, and how did you even manage to get on our property?” I asked, hoping that Ernesto was somehow still alive. There had been enough lives lost since this whole war started; I was tired of it.
Ralph gave a humorless laugh as he watched me with disgust. “He was the one at the gate; it wasn’t difficult.
His uniform fit me pretty well, right?” Ralph said, looking down at himself, using his free hand to run over Ernesto’s white shirt.
I felt sick to my stomach. Suddenly, movement at the front door caught my eye.
The door slowly opened, and Snow cautiously stepped inside.
He saw me immediately and signaled with his index finger at his lips for me not to let on that he was in the house. I watched Ralph and knew the safest thing to do would be to talk so he would be preoccupied.
“What are you to Luca anyway? Are you his boyfriend? You know Luca did always give off gay vibes.” I said. Ralph was not amused by the questions and turned his nose up at me.
“Shut your stupid ass up.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, smirking at him as Snow lifted his gun.
“Do you want me to shoot you, you stupid bitch?”