Chapter Eleven
Sleep was an impossibility as the following day approached. I watched the sky lighten through the grimy hotel window, and listened as the city came to life once again. Opening the curtains, I looked down onto the streets, over the staggering skyline of rooftops and skyscrapers. There were so many lives around me, so many people carrying on their average existences. Until Anderson had found me, I’d been one of those people—content with the ordinary drudgery of daily life. But now, as I prepared for what could very well be my final day of life, I realized how separate I truly was.
Struggling to keep a calm head, I started to ready myself for the evening to come. Anderson had brought me everything that I might need to complete my disguise. With hours and hours to spare, I started to transform myself as best I could. My tanned skin and chopped, dyed hair definitely gave me a head start, but I had to go further. I spent painstaking hours making up my face—adding new highlights and contours to mask my real features. I practiced my best Italian accent, frowning at my shoddy abilities. Perhaps it would be better if I didn’t speak to anyone. Better to keep up the mystique, anyway.
I couldn’t help but wonder, as I blindly prepared myself for that evening, what it was that Anderson had in mind. He’d formulated some kind of plan, but couldn’t tell me the details. And though I trusted him implicitly, this was a pretty big leap of faith he was asking me to take. If it had been anyone else, I would never have considered going along for the ride. But this was Anderson, the man I loved, who I knew I could trust with my life. I’d just have to put my faith in him once again.
As the afternoon shifted to evening, I decided to do something rather ill advised. I hoped that it wouldn’t throw a wrench in Anderson’s plan, but I couldn’t keep myself from taking the risk. With trembling fingers, I picked up the hotel phone and punched in a very familiar seven digits. The line rang once, twice, and then clicked.
“Hello?”
I nearly burst into tears as my mother’s voice wavered across the line.
“Hi Mom,” I said, trying to sound chipper.
“Kaela!” she exclaimed, surprised to hear me. “What’s the occasion?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, it’s not a holiday, or anyone’s birthday...You’re not big on calling, is all.”
“I’m sorry,” I told her, my heart threatening to crack wide open, “I hope you don’t hate me for it.”
“Hate you?” she laughed, “Don’t be silly, Honey. I wouldn’t call home either if I lived in an exciting place like New York City. Is everything OK?”
“Sure,” I said, glancing around the gritty hotel room, “Everything’s fine.”
“How’s your job?” my mom asked. I’d very nearly forgotten Joe’s cafe, my mundane workplace that had held me captive for three years.
“Oh, you know...” I said vaguely, “Same as ever.”
“I hear you,” she said, “But that’s life! Can’t expect too much excitement all the time.”
“Right,” I said.
“Anything interesting happening lately?” my mom asked, “Any new boyfriends?”
“Well...” I started. I wanted to tell my mother everything. I wanted her to know what an amazing man I’d found in Anderson Cole, how happy he made me despite everything happening around us. I wanted her to know that he’d keep me safe, and happy, and fulfilled. But I didn’t want to risk too many details. For all I knew, the line was being monitored by Robert.
“I’ve gone on a couple of dates with this one guy,” I said finally.
“Tell me everything!” my mom gushed.
“Well,” I said slowly, preparing my fib, “His name is...Andrew. Andrew Crane.”
“Good name,” my mom said.
“Right,” I said, “He’s, um, a firefighter.”
“Wow!” my mom exclaimed, “Those men are so brave. So respected. I’m sure he’s probably a looker, too.”
“That he is,” I said, letting my mind rest briefly on Anderson’s gorgeously toned physique. “The only problem is...Well...It’s a pretty dangerous job.”
“That must be hard,” my mom said, sympathetically.
“It is,” I agreed, “It’s...It’s so hard...”
“Kaela,” my mom said softly, as I began to cry into the phone, “Honey, it’s OK.”
“You know how much I love you, right?” I said through my tears.
“Of course, baby,” my mom said. “Are you sure everything is OK?”
“Yeah, of course,” I said, “I’ve just been thinking a lot about you and dad lately. Is he around?”
“He’s in the living room. I’ll get him for you.”
“I love you so much, Mom,” I sniffed.
“I love you too,” she said. I heard her hand cover the mouthpiece, and a moment passed before I heard my dad clear his throat across the line.
“Hello there, baby girl,” he said, “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“Hi Dad,” I said, trying like hell to keep my voice even, “How’s tricks?”
“Oh, you know,” he said, “Same old around here. Your mother says there’s a new man in your life?”
“She doesn’t waste any time, does she?” I smiled.
“Never has,” my dad said, “So, who is this guy? He better be treating you right, Kaela.”
“He is,” I said, “I promise. He’s got my back.”
“That’s good,” my dad said, “Though you’ve always been a girl who knew how to take care of yourself. Don’t start underestimating yourself now, just because you’ve got a man hanging around. There’s no one who knows what’s best for you better than you do, Kaela.”
“I don’t know Dad,” I said, “Lately that doesn’t feel very true.”
“Trust me,” he said, “I watched you learn how to look after yourself. You think I would have let you go off into the world if I didn’t believe you were ready? I’m so proud of you, Kaela. I never worry about you, you know. You’ll figure everything out in your time.”
“Thanks dad,” I said, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Hun,” he said.
We chatted for a few more minutes, my mom picking up the spare line. They filled me in on the goings-on of the small town I’d come from. They pressed me for more details about my fictional firefighter, asked a dozen times if I wanted to come home for Christmas. I tried not to think about the fact that I’d probably never be able to speak to them again, at least not for a very long time.
I didn’t know what Anderson’s plan was, exactly, but I was fairly certain that it involved pissing off some very powerful men. He was going to strike back against Robert, I could guess that much. I didn’t know what that retaliation would look like, but it would surely be embarrassing for the crime lord. We would have to flee, wait out the fallout. It might never be safe for us to come back to America again, let alone New York. The thought of leaving behind my country, my home, scared me senseless. But if it was either get out of town or submit to Robert’s tyranny, the answer was pretty clear.
My parents and I finally said our goodbyes, and the line went dead. I stared at the receiver in my hand for a long, sad moment. I knew they would be out of their minds with worry once I’d disappeared. Probably, they wouldn’t discover that I was missing for a long time. It was rare that I called, that much was true, and even rarer that they expected a visit. By the time they started to get suspicious, I’d be long gone. I tried not to imagine them frantically calling the police, begging for someone to find their lost daughter.
I couldn’t think about any of that now. I needed a clear head for the night to come. I resumed my preparations, feeling an odd sense of closure. I was truly stepping away from the life I’d always known. I was casting my lot in with Anderson’s, though I doubted there had ever been a less traditional union. Our troubles, our victories, our fears and joys were as one, now. It wasn’t a very conventional relationship I’d stumbled into, but I still wouldn’t have traded it for the
world.
What would have become of me, if Anderson hadn’t come along? I probably would have kept slogging through my twenties as a victim of gang rape, slinging coffee and barely making rent. Probably, some guy would have come along that fell into the category of “good enough”. I probably would have settled down with him in some New Jersey suburb, had a kid or two, and slinked out a meek existence surviving on his middle class salary. It would have been a very safe, a very normal life. And I would have been miserable for every moment of it.
I would rather life a full throttle life with Anderson, even if it was only for a short while, than be stuck in a lackluster existence forever.
When I felt that I was properly and thoroughly disguised, I stepped back and took a look at myself in the mirror. The transformation was remarkable. The changes that Anderson made were striking enough on their own. I couldn’t get over the rich shade my skin had taken on. With my hair chopped off, my long neck was on full display. I never realized how graceful it really was. I’d padded my breasts and ass as best I could, emphasizing and heightening my curves. With carefully applied makeup, I’d made my lips plumper, my cheekbones higher, and my brows thicker. I could scarcely recognize myself.
I practiced carrying myself differently, changing my gait to accommodate my transformed figure. The foxy woman strutting across the hotel room was a far cry from my ratty, Midwestern self that had once been a lowly barista. If I could just keep my speaking to a minimum at the fight, I didn’t think that anyone would be the wiser. But then, Robert was not a stupid man. If he were to spot me, the mysterious newcomer, he might ask too many questions. I was no actress—I wouldn’t be able to hold up under close scrutiny. I just had to hope that he wouldn’t notice me.
Finally, after what felt like an eon, it was time to make my way downtown. I straightened up the room, feeling a little thrill pass through me as I eyed the spot where Anderson had made love to me up against the wall. What few possessions were left in the room, I packed up and tossed down the garbage incinerator. Better to not leave any traces, I imagined. I made my way down into the lobby and earned myself a strange look from clerk as I made my way out into the city.
I stepped out into the bustling foot traffic, feeling like some kind of spy in an action movie. I felt curious, lusty eyes lingering on my new form as I stood and breathed in the evening air. These people passing me on the sidewalk had no idea what my story was. I wondered if any of them would believe me if I told them. Who would believe that I was headed to the championship match of an underground fighting league to cheer on the love of my life, who also happened to be an undefeated champion fighter? And who would believe that we were up against a powerful mob boss who was single-handedly responsible for the deaths of my love’s closest and dearest relations? Who would believe that Anderson had not only saved my life the night we met, but picked me above everyone else on the planet to be his?
Smiling, I shook my head. If a less likely couple had ever existed, I would be interested to know about it. Despite the extreme danger we were in, I was still grateful that Anderson had found me. We were in this thing together, no matter what happened next.
I decided to walk down to the club, savoring every last moment that I had to spend with New York City. The town had once seemed so one dimensional to me. In all the years I lived there, I had only known one aspect of what it had to offer. I was broke, after all, ordinary and unremarkable. I had no idea of the intrigue and mystery that lay just beneath the surface. I wondered what other incredible secrets the city had to offer—what other heroes and heroines that would never be talked about in the news. It was staggering to think of.
The eyes of men and women lingered on me as I passed. I was flattered and baffled at the same time. I wasn’t myself, and yet who was I other than a new and improved version of what I had once been? It was strange to try and claim my new identity, hard to reconcile what I had been with what I’d become. The only thing that had remained the same in these two weeks was my love for Anderson.
I said silent goodbyes to different parts of the city as I made my way from Midtown to the Lower East Side. I passed parks where I often sat and reflected upon my average life, restaurants and bars that I frequented with friends and past lovers. Sites of triumphs and traumas, all of which seemed to belong to someone else. I was leaving it all behind for whatever was to come next—whether that was death or a brand new life.
The red door was soon within sight. My feet halted beneath me as I took in the portal that would lead me back through the dreaded darkness. I felt my knees begin to tremble at the prospect of being back there, and told myself that there was still time to get out. But I knew that I’d never abandon Anderson. I had only one option, and that was to walk through the red door with the silver number eight and see what brilliant plan he had cooked up. I took a deep breath and forced one foot in front of the other.
I drew up before the red door and stopped. I looked around the street at oblivious passers-by and raised a shaking fist. I rapped on the door three times, and tamped down my panic as the portal cracked open before me.
“S-serendipity,” I stuttered into the slice of darkness.
Wordlessly, the person beyond the door swung open the portal for me. With one last look at the world as I knew it, I closed my eyes and took a big step over the threshold. Darkness swallowed me up as the door slammed shut behind me.
My heart pounded in my chest like a jackhammer as I took my first step along the pitch black hallway. With every move I made, I imagined that I heard someone shuffling beside me in the shadows. I couldn’t forget the terror that had shot through me when Robert’s crony snatched me out of the darkness a few days back. I had felt, in that moment, that I was surely going to die. The icy cold caress of the blade against my throat had been emblazoned in my memory for all time. It was hard to simply stand up straight, to keep walking forward when every sensible cell in my body was begging to me to go back. But Anderson was ahead, somewhere beyond the fighting pit, preparing for the fight of his life. I would be there for him, no matter what. There was no turning back, now.
I forced my feet to carry me through the eerie darkness, my hands clenched into tight fists. The floor gently away beneath me, and finally I felt the looming of another doorway in the darkness. I drew to a halt and heard someone unlatch the door to the arena and pull it open.
The chaos of the underground coliseum never ceased to be overwhelming. I blinked into the bright lights and braced myself against the tide of noise that threatened to sweep me away. I had to play it cool, and pretend that I’d seen it all before. I straightened the hem of my micro mini skirt and sauntered across the threshold, playing at being a sexy, confident woman without a care in the world. I swung my padded hips from side to side as I walked, doing my best to make it look as though I was walking on air.
No one spared a glance for me, and it seemed like the underground royalty accepted me as one of their own. I refused to breathe a sigh of relief. I would only believe that we had made it out of this madness alive when we were safely on a plane headed to nowhere. Until then, I expected the worst and hoped for the best.
I made my way over to the closest bar and settled onto one of the stools. I waved a bartender over my way and leaned seductively over the counter.
“A martini, please,” I said, in a light Italian accent. I’d gotten quite good at it after several hours of practice.
“Coming right up,” the bartender said.
“Put it on my tab,” said a voice from behind me.
I spun around and saw a handsome gentleman with a flawless smile at my elbow. I smiled at his graciously and patted the bar stool next to mine. “You’re too kind,” I told him.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, holding a glass of fine scotch in his hand. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?”
“Just discreet,” I told him, watching as the bartender splashed a drop of vermouth into my cocktail.
“I’m sure I would
have noticed a beautiful face like yours, had I seen it before,” he pressed. “Your haircut is wonderful.”
“Thank you,” I said, running my fingers through my short little crop, “It’s new.”
“Not just anyone could pull that off,” he told me, “You must be a very special woman.”
“I know some men who might say so,” I told him, coquettishly. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“Edward,” he told me, offering his hand, “Edward Mason.”
“Emilia Bellantoni,” I said, taking his hand in mind.
“Emilia,” he said, kissing my hand, “A beautiful name. I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Are you a regular spectator here?” I asked Edward.
“I’m here every week,” Edward said, “I never miss a fight.”
“What do you think of tonight’s matchup?” I asked him.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” he said, “Marco and Anderson are pretty evenly matched.”
“I’m sure it will be interesting, whatever the outcome,” I said.
“Certainly,” Edward said. “Would you like to watch with me?”
“Sure,” I told him, hopping down off the stool. If it came to it, it would be good to have a body to throw in between myself and Robert’s henchmen. Edward offered me his arm and led me toward the ring. We pressed through the crowd of people, and I pretended to know everyone that I passed. Everyone was polite enough to assume that we had met before. Despite the dire nature of my situation, I was actually having a bit of fun with this charade. I made my way to the gold railing and rested my fingers upon its cool length. Edward stood beside me and rested his hand against the small of my back, scanning the crowd. He leaned toward me and pointed across the ring.
“Imagine being over there in the box seats,” he said over the din, “Must be some life, huh?”
I let my eyes flick toward the box and swallowed hard as I spotted Robert taking his seat. His henchmen were scanning the crowd, looking for me, no doubt. A bilious bubble of rage and fear burst inside me as I took in the sight of Robert, presiding over the arena like a king. Nobody knew that he was playing the whole crowd, collecting everyone’s bets and investments and building himself an empire at their expense. They were fools, the lot of them, playing right into Robert’s hands.
Shattered (A Bad Boy Romance Novel) Page 13
