by Amy Cecil
I step away, and the paramedics tend to my father while Dr. Siegel is barking orders. “You’ll have to do what you can for him here for a while.” I say to Dr. Siegel. “It’s not safe right now for them to pull away.”
He nods. “Where can we take him?”
“There is a small room off to the left of the ballroom. That should be the safest and will give you and the paramedics some privacy.” Dr. Siegel turns back toward the paramedics and I grab his arm, “I’m sure this goes without saying, but no cops!”
He nods and then tells the paramedics what they need to do. They get him on the stretcher and take him to one of the ballroom annexes, which is another windowless room. “Mamma, go with him. I’ll be there shortly.” I turn toward Marco. “Go with them.” Then I turn toward my brother and sister. “You both go too.”
“But, Mikey?” Marco questions.
“Fucking go, Marco. We have enough men here, and I need you with Pop. We’re good. Now go with them and keep them both safe.”
Just as Marco rushes down the hall behind my parents, I hear the helicopters overhead, and gunfire erupts around us. It sounds like a fucking war zone. The entire house rumbles and shakes as streams of bullets hit the back side of the house, and the screams of our guests fill the air. Thank God everyone made it inside in time.
I rush into the ballroom where everyone has gathered. I need to put them at ease. “Ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?”
They are still screaming, and between that and the gunfire, I am sure they can’t hear me. From not too far away, I hear a loud and sharp whistle.
The room goes silent, and everyone looks at Ricco. “Michael has something to say,” he says, and they all turn toward me.
“Thank you, Ricco. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. You are safe inside this room. If you have not noticed, this room has no exterior windows. As soon as we have secured the grounds, you will be free to go. I assure you we will do everything to ensure your safe return to your homes.”
A few minutes later, the gunfire subsides and Ricco sends his men to check the grounds. About an hour later, they come back inside with the all clear. The valets return to their posts, and they match cars with drivers so the guests can clear out.
Ricco walks toward me. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah. Just thankful nobody got hurt.” I rake my fingers through my hair. “Pop?” I ask him.
“The ambulance has already left. I made sure it was clear for them to leave for the hospital first.”
“Did you see him?”
“Yes, he’s lucid and holding his own. We’ll get you to the hospital as soon as we can.” He takes his hand and lays it on my shoulder. “He’s gonna be okay, Mikey. Don’t worry.”
I nod. “Ask the family heads to stick around. Take them into my office. I need to talk to them.”
“Yes, sir,” Ricco replies.
I go find Ice. “Hey, can you spare a few men?” I ask him.
“Sure, whatever you need,” he replies.
“I just need a couple guys parked outside my office door for a few minutes.”
He looks at his men who are standing around the front of the house, ensuring my guests make it to their cars safely. “Hawk, Spike, will you boys go with Michael and give him a hand?”
“Yep,” Spike says, and Hawk follows closely behind. We head down the hallway toward my office.
I stop them just outside my door. “If you boys could just hang out here for a few minutes, I’ve got the family heads in there for a quick meeting. Shouldn’t take too long.”
They nod, and once I walk inside, Ricco stands to leave. I hold out my hand for him to sit. “Ricco, I need you to stay.”
“But the door, Michael?” he questions.
“I’ve got two MC guys out there standing guard. We’re good. I think everyone will feel better if you remain in here with us.” I chuckle to lighten the mood a bit, and the others follow suit.
“I know you all are worried about what happened here tonight, and I want to assure you this hit was on me and my family. It has nothing to do with your respective families. This is the Gallardi Cartel telling me personally they are not happy with my answer in a business proposition. I believe your families are safe and that they would not involve you all in this, but if I were you, I would still take precautionary measures to beef up your security.
“Michael, how can you be so sure we are safe?” Constantine asks.
“Because the deal they offered was with me and the Vitalis. I didn’t give them an answer when they wanted it. This was a warning for me. They knew we would hear them coming, and they knew we would get everyone to safety. Sure, they tore up the pool area and patio, but it can all be fixed. Now, when I give them my answer, they will even be more slighted, but I will be prepared for them.”
They nod.
“Thank you all for your understanding. We’ll talk soon,” I say, and they proceed to get up from the table and head out of the room.
My phone rings, distracting me from following them out. Who the fuck would be calling me at this hour? I look at the number, but it says: Unknown Caller. I never get these kinds of calls on my personal cell phone, so my curiosity is piqued. “Hello?”
The chilling voice on the other end of the call echoes in my ears. “Mr. Vitali, I am calling to inform you that we have your wife. I’m sure you know what will happen if you try to find her or contact the authorities about her disappearance. Make the deal with Gallardi, and your wife returns home in one piece.” The line disconnects.
“Michael, what is it?” Ricco asks.
“They’ve got Zaira,” I reply.
Vince stops in his tracks and turns toward me. “What the fuck, Michael?”
Chapter 10
Zaira
I wake up disoriented. The thick air smells like stale beer and rotten food. I’m blindfolded, and I’m being escorted. A voice says, “Here, this will be your room.” I know that voice. It’s Darius.
“D, what’s happening?” I ask.
“Shh, just be quiet, Zaira, and it’ll all be over soon.”
I’m scared and worried, but I do what he says. I’ve always trusted Darius, so if he says to be quiet, I do what he says. A door slams behind me, and the blindfold is ripped from my eyes. I first focus on the window and notice it is daylight. Before I can take in more of my surroundings, a hand slaps over my mouth and nose as another slaps against my head and pushes me to the ground. I don’t recognize the man holding me down, but I do notice Darius is standing by, watching.
Why isn’t he doing anything to help me? I struggle to get loose and try to scream, but I can’t. And then my gaze fixates on the two metal poles on either side of the room and the taut wire running between them. I look back at Darius, and my eyes plead with him to help me.
It doesn’t take me long to realize Darius is not going to help me. Darius has other allegiances.
Now, I am not just scared. I am terrified. The one person I thought I could trust above all has betrayed my family and the Vitalis—a fate worse than death from what I have been told. My mind wanders back to my father as I wonder what he would do if he were still alive. What would Michael do? Does Michael even know? Does Vince know? For all I know, they both think I am on a plane to Italy.
The other man takes some rope and wraps it around my ankles, then yanks my arms together behind my back and wraps the rope around my wrists. “I doubt you will be here long. Once Vitali gets word we’ve got you, he’ll fall in line and he can have you back.” Well, that answers that question.
He turns toward Darius and says, “Help me string her up.” He hikes up my dress all the way up to the top of my thighs and shoves me onto my stomach.
I’m so disgusted with Darius right now. I’m glad I am turned away from him. I can’t believe he would do this to me. I thought he was my friend.
The two men take a second rope and tie it to the one that is tied around my legs and my wrists
. Once it is secure, they attach it to a wire hanging between the two poles. Now, I’m being hoisted into the air, facing away from the doorway to the room. I am dangling facedown about a foot above the floor. My neck is cocked, and my back is arched slightly, with my hands and feet bound behind me. They stuff a cloth into my mouth and duct tape it in place.
Darius pauses next to me and unzips his zipper. What the fuck is he doing?
“It’s a shame, doll, that the boss said ‘hands off’ where you are concerned. I bet he’s saving you all for himself.” He shakes his head, pulling out his erection. “Damn shame, I could make you feel so good. Guess I’m just gonna have to take care of things while you watch.” He masturbates right in front of my face. He’s disgusting, and I try to turn my head but can’t, so I close my eyes. Breathless from his ministrations, he whispers, “Since I am sure the boss is gonna have a go at you, I think I will leave him a present.” He reaches his climax and ejaculates all over me. “That’s what you get, darling, for not watching me.”
I’m thoroughly disgusted, but I keep my eyes closed. I hear the door slam shut and realize I am now alone. I swear to God, if I get out of this, Darius will regret it. And that’s just from me. I can only imagine what Michael will do to him. I’m beginning to truly understand the true meaning of vengeance.
Michael… Why didn’t I make a better point to see him before I left? If I don’t get out of this, he will never know how I feel about him. Please find me, Michael.
I try to remember how I got here.
Darius and I had left the party early. He said we needed to get to the airport. He said Michael’s jet had to be back and that we had to leave earlier than planned. He instructed Freddy to take us directly to the private airport here on the island where the Vitali plane was kept. However, the longer we drove, I realized we had long passed the airport. When I asked where we were going, D advised precautionary measures had to be taken. I prodded him to elaborate, but he told me not to worry about it. And, like a stupid idiot, I did what he said and didn’t worry.
No, I didn’t worry when I was taken away from the party early.
No, I didn’t worry when he said the Vitali jet had to be back.
No, I didn’t even worry when we had driven too long to be going to the airport.
And no, I didn’t worry when we pulled up to a house that looked like it came from The Amityville Horror.
Why? Because I trusted the lying son of a bitch!
We got out of the car and were approached by two men I did not recognize. One of them asked Darius, “All precautions taken?”
Darius nodded.
The man who spoke approached me, brought a cloth to my nose, and within seconds everything went black.
Now, as I hang from the two metal poles in this room, tied and gagged, I now know Darius is a traitor and I have no idea if Michael even knows yet that I’ve been taken. I wish I knew what this was all about. Perhaps if it is money they want, I know Vince will…
Of course they will try to rescue me, no matter what the cost. As soon as Michael finds out they have me, I know without a doubt he will move heaven and earth to get me back safely.
So many thoughts race through my mind. First and foremost is Michael. My love for him has never truly faded, even after all the lies. I pray he finds me. I think about my father. Vince and Michael were right, and I was too emotional and hurt to see it. He was a sadistic fuck. The realization of everything causes my heart to ache. Papà killed my mother. He changed my life that day, more so than he would have ever known. But really, he never cared. He never cared about her or any of us for that matter. Even in the end, I remember watching him run from the gunfire. He was more concerned with saving himself than his own children.
Vince swears he gave Michael the order to take Papà down. Maybe they are right, and it had to be done. I remember my childhood, my teen years, and early adulthood—everything. The horrible and ruthless things he did make my stomach turn. He had to be stopped. The sickening worsens when I realize that if they hadn’t, I’d be married to Victor right now and not hanging here waiting for my fate. I can’t help but laugh. I’d rather be here. This I can and will survive. Victor would have killed me, of that I know for sure.
I should have talked to Michael. I should have told him how I feel. I should have told him I finally understand why he did the things he did and that I forgive him. I should have… but I didn’t. Now I can only hope he finds me and I will get the chance to make it all right. He will know how I feel about him, and I will never take him for granted. If I learned anything from this experience, it’s to never wait to tell someone you love them.
My body is stiff. I feel so nasty. My muscles burn from not being able to move from this position for… hell, I have no idea how many hours I’ve been strung up like this. There is light still shining in the room, so at least I can conclude it is still daytime. There is a clock in the corner of the room. I can’t see its face, but the ticks of the seconds are loud and ring in my head. I hear no other sounds, except for the footsteps that sound as if they are approaching. Footsteps? Oh God, please…
I fear what’s about to come as the door flies open. “Well, well, Zaira, don’t we look pretty tonight?” a man says as he walks into the room. I can’t see him, and I don’t recognize his slightly broken English. He’s not of Italian descent. I would say more Hispanic, perhaps.
He walks around so I can see his face. “Do you know why you’re here, love?” He tugs at the duct tape securing the cloth in my mouth. When he has pulled off all the tape, he asks again more sternly, “Do you know why you are here?”
I am unable to speak at first from the dryness in my mouth, so I shake my head. He grabs my hair and pulls on it hard. “When I ask you a direct question, you will give me a direct answer. Understand?” he yells.
“Yes.” I cry out in a raspy voice that makes my throat sting with pain.
“Yes, what?” he demands.
“Yes, sir!”
More calmly, he says, “Now, that’s better.” He pauses to brush non-existent wrinkles from his shirt. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Zaira, do you know why you are here?” He is in my face now, and his angry snarl does nothing to ease my fear.
“No, sir,” I reply weakly.
“I thought so. Well, let me tell you. My name is Romeo Gallardi, and just a few days ago, I proposed a very lucrative deal with your husband. It was a deal I expected him to accept immediately. When he didn’t, well… let’s just say I was very offended. I’ve sent him two messages this evening. First, I’m sure the Vitali mansion will need some pretty extensive repairs. We spared lives ’cause, well, after all, this was just a warning. The second message is you. Basically, if your husband doesn’t accept our deal, well, then we kill you. It’s that simple. His words are music to my ears as I realize Michael knows I’m here! Thank God!
Relief washes over me, and suddenly, I’m not as scared as I was before. No matter what has happened between us, I know Michael would move heaven and earth to save me. He will come for me.
“And is it necessary for me to be tied up like this?” God, my throat hurts. That was probably not the best thing to ask, but surely he can see how incredibly uncomfortable this is. Right now, I know my life is spared because this man needs me. One thing I learned from my father is it’s all a game. Never put yourself in a position where your life has no value to the enemy.
He shakes his head. “No. Not necessarily so, no. But I have to say you look rather hot like this, and we need to send your husband some home movies and perhaps some pictures too.”
He pulls out his phone and walks around me, ensuring to get a close-up of my face. I hear the beeps on his phone, indicating he’s taking photos and video of me. “And after the pictures?” I ask.
“We’ll have to see how well you behave.” He lowers his hand with the phone and says, “Look on the bright side, love. You could be naked, and my boys here could be taking turns raping you.”
I
shudder at his words as he walks out of the room, his men following close behind.
I also know Romeo knows better. If he allowed that to happen, Michael would kill all of them and ask questions later. Hell, Michael’s going to kill him anyway. And Darius? Fuck, I can’t imagine his fate. When Michael puts it all together, Darius will wish he were dead. The betrayal stings. Damn, I want to kill him myself.
For the first time in my life, I finally thoroughly understand how revenge can consume a person to the point of murder. My father was vengeful. Michael is vengeful too, but they are so different. My father was a bastard. Michael and I were raised the same way. We can’t help what flows through our veins and ties us to our families. We can’t change the life we are destined to live. It’s taken me a long time to understand this. A life for a life. I’ve heard it a thousand times. I finally get it. Because right now, more than anything, even getting free from here, I wand Darius’s head on a stake!
Chapter 11
Michael
“They’ve got Zaira?” Vince asks.
“They’ve got Zaira?” Ricco repeats with surprise. “I knew they would come after you, Mikey, but I swear, I never thought they would take Zaira. She was so off the radar with the divorce and everything, I didn’t think they would find her significant.”
“Unless someone from the inside told them the truth,” I reply.
“And who would do that?” Ricco asks.
“Where’s Darius, Ricco?” I ask. “Have you heard from him about Zaira’s abduction?”
“Well come to think about it, I haven’t. Maybe he’s dead. They had to get to him before they could get to her. If he’s not dead, he’s one of them.”
“Exactly.” I pause to let my words sink in. “Ricco, Darius belongs to Gallardi. I don’t know when he joined them, but he is definitely working for them now.”
Ricco shakes his head in disbelief. “Darius? Holy fuck!” he says, exasperated. “I’m sorry, Mikey, I had no idea. I assured you he was loyal. I would have never guessed he’d turn on us.”
