33. Francesca
Athick silence settled over us, there were no words that could be said in a moment like this. Marie sat beside me, her hands tucked into her legs, while mine shook freely.
I had been scared before, but this was something else entirely. It wasn’t about me, this fear—it belonged to the man who owned my heart. Cassio had said he’d come back, that he’d be alright, and I believed him. The only problem was that I didn’t trust Donato.
“We are ready to go.” Vince came into the room together with Marie’s guard Matteo.
I jumped to my feet. We had been waiting for an hour, and I was starting to lose my mind, my body vibrating with anxiety. My palms were sore from having dug my nails in too hard.
“What about Vitelli and Cassio?” Marie asked coming to her feet slowly.
Vince shook his head. “The boss has given orders.”
I swallowed hard. We hadn’t heard from Cassio or Vitelli in that hour, but that didn’t mean he was in danger. Cassio had told me he had a plan to take down Donato and the Bratva’s Pakhan, Grigori.
“Alright,” I agreed because I didn’t want to make Cassio worry more than he already was. If going to the lake house was what he wanted, then I would go there.
Marie looked at me for guidance, as if I had ever been in a situation like this, but right now, I tried to be strong for the both of us.
“We’ll go separately,” Vince said. “Marie, you’ll ride with Matteo, and we’ll leave a few minutes later,” he said to me.
Marie grabbed my hand and when I looked at her, she was seconds from crying. “It’s going to be alright,” I lied because it was all I could give her now.
Picking Reggie up from the floor I handed him to her. “For moral support.”
She hugged him tight against her. “Are you sure?”
No, I wasn’t. Nothing about today was going as planned. If it had been up to me, I would have spent my day in bed, mourning my mother, but even that Donato had stolen from me. “You need him.”
Marie smiled weakly. “I do.” She agreed.
We hugged each other, and I watched as my best friend walked out of the door and that’s when the pressure behind my eyes began to grow. Cassio had it under control. I knew he did.
Thirty minutes slipped through my fingers and when the clock struck four, Vince came into Marie’s living room. “It’s time.”
I nodded and followed him, a shiver raced down my back, and I looked around, trying to identify what was holding me back. It was an odd feeling, something strange, it had settled in my bones and wouldn’t let go. I had a bad sensation about this.
“Where is Cassio?” I asked Vince as he led me toward the car.
Vince didn’t answer.
“Please, I need to know he’s alright.” I stopped by the backseat door and refused to enter.
Vince shook his head. “I don’t know,” he confessed. “But don’t worry, the Boss knows what he’s doing.”
I got into the car and as we drove toward Cassio’s Lake house cabin, all I could think about was that I loved him and that I wanted to get to say that again, and again, for the rest of my life.
It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to react. Vince swerved our car trying to avoid the other one that ended up crashing into us. I hit my head against the seat and cried out in pain.
“Get down!” Vince ordered as shots were fired against the glass.
I scooted low and placed my hands over my ears trying to cover myself. The windows were bulletproof, but the shots wouldn’t stop.
“Fuck,” Vince shouted just as the front window shattered, and I heard the sickening sound of a bullet hitting flesh.
That’s when I screamed. It did me no good as my door was yanked open and I was dragged outside. Instinct kicked in and I fought my assailants with everything I had in me. I couldn’t see their faces; they all wore black balaclavas.
I screamed, hoping someone would stop and help, but no one came. “Shut her up.” It was all I heard before someone hit me with the butt of a gun and I blacked out.
“There she is. Welcome back, cara mia.” That voice…
I blinked a few times trying to see, and when my eyes adjusted, I caught sight of Donato.
“W-what…” I looked around and saw armed men, there were at least five of them. I tried to move, but I was tied to a chair, my hands bound with tape. “Where am I?” I fought against my bounds.
Donato remained silent as two other men walked into the room. Both large and stocky, with hairy arms and thick bushy brows. They looked feral, like grizzly bears. The tallest between them looked older, his hair peppered with white. While the youngest wore a matching Adidas hoodie and pants and stared at me like I was his next victim.
Through my fear-induced haze, it hit me; I’d seen them before in the pictures my brother had shown me. The hairs at the back of my neck stood up, and my chest grew heavy as pressure increased within. They were Russian. Not just any Russians, but one of them—I judged the eldest—was Grigori. Cassio’s enemy.
“Is this her?” the youngest asked, his accent thick.
“You have my daughter, Grigori, my end of the bargain has been met.”
Grigori came to stand before me and the younger version of him came, too. He made to touch me, but I looked away.
He laughed. “Fierce.” His grimy, meaty hand landed on my cheek and as he caressed me, bile rose to my throat, and I forced it down. “I’ll take her.”
What?
“Of course, you will, we had a deal,” Donato said.
“She could be ugly,” the youngest said. “Bad teeth and small tits.”
“Does it really matter?” Donato asked.
The man shrugged and looked at Grigori. He exchanged a few words with him, and he nodded.
“My son will marry her,” Grigori said, and it hit me now.
I began to tremble. Hard. “P-papa.” I hated that word but maybe, just maybe I could make him change his mind. “Per favore,” I begged.
“Shut up, Francesca,” he snapped.
“Please,” I begged again. I knew he was going to marry me off; I just never expected it would be to a Russian. But he’d said it, hadn’t he. I would marry a Boss’ son. Grigori’s son.
“I won’t marry you.” I glared at Grigori’s son. “I won’t go willingly.”
It was the wrong thing to do, to grab his attention. He walked back toward me and grabbed my face with his meaty hands. “Oh, you will.” His yellowish teeth flashed. “You will be mine, little bird. I will break your wings if I must.”
His grip hurt and I whimpered, but he didn’t let go, not until tears trailed down my cheeks. “You will have to kill me,” I said because there was no way I would marry the enemy. No way I would do this to Cassio?—
Cassio, of course. That was it. I looked into the man’s dirty brown eyes and smiled through the fear and the pain. “Cassio will kill you.”
The man threw his head back and laughed. “I don’t see him here, little bird.”
“He will come,” I said with all the faith in the world. He must know about what happened by now. Someone must have warned him.
Giorgi’s son leaned in close, enough that I could smell his putrid breath. “Oh, I am counting on it.” He grinned and pulled on my bottom lip. “It will be so fun breaking you,” he mused in excitement.
He stood, took his phone out of his pants, and snapped a photo of me. “W-what are y-you doing?”
“Making sure your beloved comes to rescue you.”
Oh God. No.
And that’s when I realized this was all a trap. Not only for me, but for Cassio as well. So, I prayed with every fiber in my body that he wouldn’t come. That he refused to rescue me.
“Why?” I looked at my father. “You owe me at least that much,” I pleaded.
He made his way toward me, took a cigar from his breast pocket and watched it with interest, not giving me his full attention, he spoke. “It’s not personal, Francesca.”
Well, it felt like it was.
Still, I kept my mouth shut because I needed to know, it wouldn’t change a thing. It was not like I could escape, I wasn’t stupid, but I needed the truth.
“Grigori needed to solidify our alliance, he has a son and I have a daughter, you refused to come willingly, so I took you.”
My nostrils flared. “Why?” my voice came out weak. He understood what I asked.
“Because Cassio Moretti has no idea what’s he’s doing. He’s a boy playing at being Boss. The Outfit needs a man, someone who knows how to rule.”
“And that’s you,” I said with distaste. He smiled, put his cigar in his mouth and left me there. “You already have me,” I shouted. “Leave Cassio alone.”
Donato paused, turned around, took his cigar from his mouth, and shook his head. “And where’s all the fun in that?” His face morphed into anger. “Send the picture, we don’t have all day. It’s about time Cassio Moretti paid for his sins.”