“But Summertime had kn—”
She started but I cut her off with a hard glare before she told my brother I knew where she was the entire time she’d been gone. I hadn’t physically been to see her, because I knew my father had people watching me, waiting for me to do just that. After he had died, Gabriel and his mother had taken over the task of searching for her. So I couldn’t get to her myself, but I had sent message for her to leave.
Her eyebrow went up toward her hair line. In response to me interrupting her.
To cover up I spoke to Garbriel. “Let her process what you just said, Gabriel.” Then I shook my head, hoping she understood not to tell him that part.
She nodded her understanding. Clearing her throat, she changed direction. “As you can see,” she stood and flourished her hand up then down her body, “I’m not pregnant. This is all fat and I damn sure don’t have a husband.”
“That’s why you marry me, or Cisero,” he said. He threw me in as an afterthought. “And you can be pregnant by the weeks end. We need that money.”
Again, she laughed, more like cackled. “Okay. So, what you’re saying is… Y’all really are shit out of luck.”
I wanted to correct Gabriel, but they started bickering between themselves.
We didn’t need the money, he did. I didn’t give a fuck about our father’s money or his company or the people Gabriel employed.
I had my own. What had brought us to that moment in time was Gabriel being a fucking bleeding heart. He and mother were broke and desperate.
Just before his death, Charles had divorced Mother and married his young nurse. He’d written Mother out of the will all together. Instead of being frugal with her divorce money she continued to spend like she was married to a millionaire. Then Charles died and the money in his account was frozen.
Gabriel had used the family name to borrow a lot of money from some very bad people in South Florida to keep everything afloat and to take care of his mother, whom he’d sent away until everything was worked out. He had three months to pay them back before he forfeited his life. Which was how I was pulled back into their bullshit. His debt would fall to me when they killed him, and I couldn’t pay even half of what he owed without going completely broke.
Nobody had been prepared for Father to leave everything to Justice, whom he had a weird obsession with. After she’d left, he always talked about how she reminded him so much of her mother. We couldn’t tell her any of that. Justice would disappear and leave us to whatever fate awaited us, just to keep from having to do anything that kept her from living her fantasy life.
“This is what you have to do.” Gabriel raised his voice drowning hers out.
She sobered, drawing her plump lips into a thin line. She spoke softly, but I could hear the anger in her words.
“No, Gabriel, I don’t have to do any-fucking-thing. I don’t give a fuck about your father’s money and I wouldn’t marry or fuck you for all the money in the world.”
If he noticed she left me out of her rejection he didn’t show it. I could have used her feelings for me to our advantage and got what I wanted from her, but instead of letting me capitalize on her soft spot for me and make life easier for us all, Gabriel took her words personal, became angry and pushed forward, like a fucking bull in a China shop.
“Do you give a fuck about your sister? Because there are things that could happen to her…”
The negative energy in the room crackled. I shook my head. Fucking Gabriel…
She gasped, her brown eyes turned onyx. We both knew her well enough to know what came next. She reared back; her fist flew through the air. She hit Gabriel so hard in the mouth, his head flew back.
“Motherfucker.” Gabriel cursed then reached up and touched his bleeding lip then brought his hand up to look at it. He had this look on his face like he couldn’t believe she’d hit him.
He recovered quickly from the shock. He dropped his hand and took a menacing step towards her.” Fuck this, I don’t t time to deal with your craziness, Justice.”
“I’m not fucking crazy,” she screamed!
Gabriel took another step in her direction. I grabbed his shirt. Stilling him. He looked like he was about ready to choke her. He fisted his hands at his side, while she glared daggers at him.
“Call me crazy again,” she dared him with her fist balled at her side.
“Easy, big brother. You shouldn’t have threatened Lovie.”
We knew her sister was a subject to avoid.
He swung around, caught me off guard with a right hook to the jaw. I didn’t react in time and he grabbed ahold of me. He brought my head down to meet his knee. The pain was unbearable. My vision blurred, I stumbled then collapsed to my knees. Justice screamed. She was hysterical. She rushed to my side then kneeled to help me. Before I could warn her, he stuck the syringe in her neck.
“We do this my way now.” He lifted his foot and booted me in the face.
“What’s happening?” Justice cried out just before everything went Black.
Justice
I reached up and pinched my bottom lip with my free hand and tugged at it. Gabriel had tied my legs and right arm, my prominent arm, to an office chair in the large family library that doubled as an office. He’d so graciously left one hand free, because he knew I could throw a punch with my left one.
I shook my head. “No, Cisero, a very fucking adamant no.
Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find out two days had passed since I’d been drugged and taken to a whole other state. Then to add to that surprise, I had one of the people who’d kidnapped me irking the fuck out of me with demands.
For two days, they kept drugging me to keep me quiet while they planned and plotted.
I was incensed. My anger always made me violent. So, when Gabriel had come to get me the first time, I tried to get a few more punches in, which explained the chair.
Hours had passed since Gabriel had untied me from the bed in my old room. He then led me to the bathroom and watched me urinate. He then carried me down to his father’s office when I refused to walk there. That was where I sat alone for another hour, fuming. Cisero showed up and spent an hour trying to convince me that marrying one of them would be my easiest way out. It might have been, but he wanted it too much, which made me not want to do it at all. I had a feeling that there was something they weren’t divulging to me.
I came right out and asked him. “What is it that you get out of it, Summertime? Or better yet, what does Gabriel have on you to make you participate in this sham? I’ve seen your net worth, read the magazine articles. You don’t need your father’s money.”
He’d dropped his head and sighed. “Just do what he wants, Justice. We’ll figure out the rest later,” was his last argument, before silence stretched between us.
I watched him pacing, trying to figure out what his angle was. This Cisero wasn’t the one I grew up with, something was off. I didn’t like the new him. I waited for dislike to turn to hate, but it didn’t. I still wanted to fuck him. I was tied to a chair, about to be forced to marry one of them, impregnated and he was still able to give me the warm and fuzzies, well sort of… They weren’t as warm and fuzzy as they had been before. Still, there definitely something wrong with me.
I grunted then exhaled. Cisero’s text notification went off. He paused to check his phone, his blue eyes flicked from the screen to me. They were full of apology and something else? Something I was not in the mindset to try and figure out. I dropped my gaze and went back to trying to figure out how to get out of the mess they’d kidnapped me into. After coming up with nothing, I realized there wasn’t much I could do.
No one knew where I was. I had no one to look for me outside of my sister, and who knew when I’d be able to speak to her again. What more could I do? I decided to see where all of this took me. If Gabriel had gone through the trouble of attacking his own brother and kidnapping me to get his father’s money, he’d probably go further. I had to be strateg
ic and not lose my head.
Then the wheels in my brain started turning again. Divide and conquer. Cisero and Gabriel hated each other and both wanted to fuck me. I could use that against them or at the very least, make their lives a living hell. The next step to my plan came to me easily.
“Okay, Cisero.” He visibly cringed at my use of his real name. “I give up. I’ll marry you— your brother.
His head flew back like I hit him. “The fuck you will. What game are you playing, Justice?”
He came to stand right in front of me. I tilted my head back to look at him. “This is what you wanted, right? I gave a big, fake smiled.
“Don’t do this, Justice.”
“Fuck you, Cisero.”
Suddenly, the door behind him flew opened, banging against the wall. Gabriel breezed in bringing the smell of expensive cologne and bullshit with him, like he’d been waiting right outside the door awaiting my answer
There’s the hate I was waiting on, I thought. It settled in my heart.
“She made her choice, Cisero,” he said arrogantly.
It was hard for me not to spit at Gabriel when he came to a stop next to me, bracing his hand on the chair. My blood burned through my veins like molten lava. He’d threatened my sister. The only person who I had in the world. For that, he would pay for it. Because I couldn’t spit on him, I threw my head back and cackled like a crazy person, using his vanity as a weapon. He was a mess, his eye was blacked, lip bloody and swollen. His cheek flaming red. Looked like Cisero had gotten revenge for what happened in my dressing room.
“Look at your face, Gabby. How are you two going to pull this off when you don’t even like each other enough not to fight?” I laughed, sowing seeds of discord.
He sneered down at me. His eyebrows nearly touched in the middle. He glared at me for a while like he did whenever I said something he didn’t like before he turned and walked away without a word. He slid his hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone and dialed someone. I tuned out his conversation. Concentrating solely on his brother, I tilted my head, studied him.
Cisero avoided my eyes. Hiding from me. I frowned. Dropped my gaze to the floor and concentrated on my bare feet. The next five minutes consisted of Cisero texting, and me staring at the floor pretending I didn’t feel Gabriel’s heated gaze on my back. He watched me the entire time he was in the phone talking to whomever he was speaking to in a hushed tone.
I didn’t know how much time passed after that because I got lost in my head. I jumped when there was a heavy knock at the door. Gabriel made his way over and opened it to reveal Michael, his trusty henchman. He was huge, broad shouldered with shaggy brown hair and a face like a bulldog. I had been groggy as fuck the first time we met, but I could recall that he was one who had carried me out of the van I had been brought back to Florida in and into the house. He smelled like vodka and stale cigarettes then. The same smell followed him into the room.
His gaze immediately landed on me. His beady eyes skipped my face to linger on my breasts. I shivered. A cold chill ran down my spine. He was going to cause me the most trouble, I could feel it. I shifted in my seat and broke his focus. He brought his eyes up from my cleavage and winked. When he took his place next to Gabriel, his eyes remained on me until Gabriel got his attention and gave him a twisted expression that made him drop them. They never returned to me. I focused my attention on Gabriel after that, and he, like Cisero, avoided my eyes.
I didn’t change focus until the brothers’ long-time neighbor, Judge Scarpitto walked in a few seconds later. I wasn’t surprised to see him there. When the Charles family needed something illegal done the legal way, they called him. I only knew that because I had overheard his wife tell him she wished he would stop dealing with the Charles family before they got him in trouble.
There was four of us in the room and he only smiled at Gabriel. “Gabriel, glad you called.” He walked over and slapped him on the back.
He ignored Cisero like always. He hadn’t spoken to Cisero since he caught his daughter sucking his dick in the back of one of his daddy’s expensive sports cars during a dinner party. Ironically, it was Gabriel who had taught her how to suck dick long before Cisero had her. Cisero seemed to always want what Gabriel had. Theirs was an odd relationship that often times left me baffled. I would think they’d lean on each growing up in their environment.
The judge’s gaze finally fell to me, but he quickly looked away. I shook my head. This is how absolute power corrupts. There I was, tied to a fucking chair and a judge, a man who was supposed to uphold the law, saw it and yet pretended everything was normal.
I zoned out. Thought about Lovie and being back on the stage singing.
I tuned back in just in time to hear the judge say, “Her signature is required. Hers not a fake one. This needs to be as legal as possible.”
I interrupted their conversation. “So under duress is legal, Frank?” I used his first name. That was what he told me to call him when I used to spend hours of my day sitting with his wife while she battled breast cancer. “And by the way, how is Anne? Still in remission, I hope.”
He had the nerve to look ashamed. He gave me his back without answering. I smirked. Cisero chuckled.
Gabriel barked an order to Michael.
“Get her up.”
And like the good little henchman, Michael got to it immediately. He tucked his hand in his pocket, pulled out a switch blade and made his way over to me twirling it between his fingers. The gleam of it caused my heart involuntarily speed up. When he leaned in to cut me lose, out of my peripheral I saw Cisero. His face was placid, but when I looked back at Gabriel, he was poised like a snake, body coiled, like he was ready to attack his own employee if he dared hurt me. The reactions were opposite of what I expected from each brother. It was as if Cisero didn’t care what happened either way and Gabriel cared too much.
I was so fucking perplexed at Cisero’s behavior. He had been the protective one.
Why was he acting as if he hadn’t sent someone to bring me to him just months before? I didn’t want to leave, because I wasn’t ready to go. I liked that city and had been living there peacefully for three years. I liked singing in that club, where people packed it just to see me. I felt normal. I had acquaintances and a cute little two bedroom I had bought for when Lovie was able to visit.
She suffered from PTSD because of what had happened to us. She refused to speak and had developed agoraphobia, but after nearly ten years, she seemed to be getting better. She recently texted me picture of her at a park in a pretty pink dress with her therapist. I hated that she suffered so much. She was the beautiful one. She could have made it in the music world. Her voice was bigger and better than mine. I sang for her because she couldn’t.
Michael’s cold callused hand against my skin brought me out of my thoughts. He yanked me up by my arm then pushed me forward. He kept pushing until I stood in front of the desk in the center of the room. I didn’t bother struggling. The judge stepped aside. Gabriel handed me a pen, I let drop.
I glanced over my shoulder at Cisero. “Is this what you want?”
His lips were drawn to a thin, fine line. He dropped his head and said nothing. I wondered again what part he played in my captivity. I had followed him over the years. He owned multiple tattoo shops. He designed tats for famous people all over the world. He couldn’t need the money.
“He knows he has no say. Now sign the papers and stop stalling,” Gabriel snarled at me.
Though I had verbally agreed to marry Gabriel. I remained unmoving. Picking up that pen meant that I’d be signing months of my life away. I knew resistance was futile, but I was holding out hope that Cisero would save me. Like he used to.
“Sign the paper, Justice,” Gabriel urged.
I shook my head. Gabriel inclined his head toward Michael. Michael followed his unspoken instructions. He took the pen from Gabriel’s hand and he pushed it into my mine, then closed his fist over it and squeezed.
The pain was bearable enough, so I didn’t let him lead my hand. I challenged him with a stare, letting him know he wouldn’t find an easy victim in me. My daddy had taught me a few valuable lessons. One: was act like prey and you’ll be prey. His eyes darkened. I saw the threats swimming in them, but he didn’t scare me. I was more dangerous than any of the men in that room. I barely cared about my own life, so that meant I really didn’t give a fuck about theirs.
“Sign the paper and I’ll give you your phone back. Your sister has left tons of messages.” I snapped my head around to meet Gabriel’s gaze. “I know she’s worried. You don’t want to worry her. Do you, Justice?”
Snake piece of shit. He knew my weakness. I gritted my teeth and snatched away from Michael with then pen in my hand. I bent over the desk as Gabriel slid the papers in front of me. Cisero stormed out of the room before I signed the half a dozen documents without reading them. Blood rushed my ears. I felt like I was signing away my life when I had only started living it. When I was done, Gabriel leaned across the desk, checked my signature then whispered, “Until death do us part.”
His words set my nerves on edge.
I flung the pen at him.
He ducked to the right then laughed. “Still fucking feisty.”
I would show him feisty. I went to pick up the name plate off the desk. Michael grabbed my arms restraining me as I struggled against.
“Calm down, kitten.” Michael said.
“Fuck you.” I spat.
Gabriel picked the papers up from the desk and handed them to Frank. The judge looked them over before excusing himself. “I’ll have these filed with the state before the week is over. Nice doing business with you.”
Just before the judge stepped over the threshold, I spoke up. “You shouldn’t only be angry with Cicero, where your daughter is concerned. Gabriel was the one that taught her how to suck dick. She used to sneak him in at night when you and your wife would fall asleep, then she’d swallow his kids and let him finger bang her. Cisero just benefited from his brother’s lessons. She used to brag about it every chance she got. Doing nasty dirty, things with the Charles brother was her greatest accomplishment in high school.” The Judge paused mid step, turned only his head and cut his eyes at Gabriel, but Gabriel didn’t notice because he was glaring daggers at me. I laughed, bending at the waist.
Cisero Page 3
