Finding Beauty in the Darkness

by Ash, Nikki

  “Boss, is she okay?” That’s a loaded fucking question, but I’m assuming he’s simply referring to her going from losing it on me to being deathly quiet. I can feel her chest rising and falling so I know she’s alive.

  “I think she had a nervous breakdown and she appeared to be coming off drugs. I’m going to need to get Dr. Fox to come out. I think she’s in pain. It looks like her ribs might be broken.”

  “Umm…Boss…”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t want to overstep…”

  “Just spit it out.” We’ve been friends for damn near our entire lives. The guy never cares when he oversteps.

  “Are you kidnapping this woman? Because if you are, you know I have your back. I just need to know what to expect. Will someone be looking for her other than the Senator?”

  “Her mom was killed in a car accident and from what my brother told me, everybody assumed she took off to grieve for her mom. I don’t know all the details, but it seems the Senator has been holding her captive, drugging her and forcing himself on her, as well as sharing her with other men.”

  Johnny swears under his breath. His eyes meet mine in the rear-view mirror and we both silently agree. As soon as it’s possible, the senator is fucking dead.

  A few minutes later Johnny speaks up again. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you kidnapping her?” He quirks his eyebrow up, his telltale sign that he needs the truth. I can’t bring myself to say the words, so I look out the window. I’ve never lied to him and I’m not about to start now. Am I kidnapping her? I would like to say no. I’m saving her from the senator. But is it saving someone when you’re forcing them into a situation just as dangerous? Johnny lets out an exasperated sigh and the rest of the drive is made in silence.

  When we arrive back at the mansion, Aria is still sleeping. Johnny opens the car door and carefully I carry her inside. “Let’s bring her around the side,” I suggest. It’s early evening, and with all the cars lined up, there will be several people in the common room and bar. No need to draw attention to myself and the semi-naked woman I’m carrying in who looks to be half-dead.

  “Where are you bringing her?” Johnny walks ahead to open the door to the side of the club. There are several available rooms in the workers’ wing and a couple empty ones where the girls stay, but my chest tightens at the thought of her being so far away from me in her fragile condition. “My room.”

  Johnny’s steps falter a moment. “Your room, Boss?”

  “Yes, my room,” I snap at him, irritated he’s questioning my choice. Aria stirs in my arms before her face goes back to nuzzling against my chest. “She’s hurt and I need to get her checked out.” I get her into my room and gently lay her down on my bed. I notice she has some dried blood on the insides of her thighs, but I don’t want to touch her there, so I grab a towel and lay it down under her, then pull the blankets over her to keep her warm. “Call Dr. Fox and tell her I need her immediately,” I demand before Johnny leaves.

  After changing out of my suit and into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, I use the bathroom, brush my teeth, and get ready for Dr. Fox to arrive. I grab one of my shirts and a pair of boxers for her to put on once she wakes up since she’s still in only my jacket. Then I grab the garbage can from the bathroom. Once Aria wakes up, we’ll have a long night ahead of us. Hell, depending on how badly she’s hurt and how bad her addiction is, we might have a long couple weeks ahead of us.

  Quickly grabbing my laptop from my office, I settle into my reading chair in the corner of the room to work while I wait for the doctor to arrive. Nico sent over the quarterly earnings for La Stella and as usual I’m in the black. The gentleman’s club makes more money than most of the business ventures my family owns. When I took it over, I made significant changes and obviously for the better. I made it more exclusive by requiring a membership and allowing only powerful and wealthy men access.

  When I told my father I was gutting the place and renovating it completely, he thought I was crazy. My mom thought it was a wonderful idea and it feels damn good that in the last ten years since I took over, I’ve always been in the black with my numbers steadily increasing.

  I attempt to read over the reports probably ten times before I accept I’m not in any place to deal with work. Instead, I send an email to my housekeeper requesting for her to order clothes, under garments, and toiletries for Aria. Not knowing her size, I have her order a couple different sizes.

  There’s a soft knock on my door and I check on Aria to make sure she hasn’t woken yet. After setting my laptop down, I open the door to find Cecilia and Dr. Fox standing together. “Giovanni, I didn’t know Dr. Fox was needed.” Cecilia gives me a perplexed look then tries to peer around me to see who is in my room. I block her view, closing the door behind me and stepping out into the hallway.

  “Thank you for coming, Dr. Fox. The woman I need you to take a look at is sleeping right now. I’m not sure when she’ll wake up. If you could wait inside, I just need to speak to Cecilia for a moment alone.” After letting Vivian into the room, I close the door. “I’m going to be occupied for a few days, so I am going to need you to be on your A-game with the club. Go to Johnny first, but if you need me, I’ll be here.”

  “What’s going on, Giovanni?” she questions. Sooner or later, I’m going to need to tell Cecilia about Aria since she’ll be here for the foreseeable future, but at the same time, my business isn’t her business, and she needs to understand that.

  “I’m helping a woman get well. She was drugged and beaten badly.”

  Cecilia looks at me baffled. “At the club? How was I not aware?”

  “No, not in the club. Elsewhere, but she’ll be staying here while she’s healing.”

  Cecilia looks past me at my closed door. “In your room? You don’t let anyone in your room.” Her hand goes to her hip, angrily. Looks like I’m going to have to nip this shit in the bud right now.

  “Who I let in my room isn’t any concern of yours. Your job is to take care of the escorts, that’s it. Nothing more.” Cecilia flinches before composing herself. She steps close to me, running her hand down my arm, flipping her switch from angry to sweet.

  “Don’t act like that, Giovanni. You know I just want to help.” Her voice is meant to be seductive, but it doesn’t work on me because I’m immune to her fake-ass charm.

  I remove her hand from my body. “You can help by making sure the front end is running smoothly and there are no issues with the women or members.” I turn my back on her and go into my room, closing the door on her face.

  When I step inside, Aria is awake and in tears. Dr. Fox is holding her on the bed while she sobs in her arms. “I- I need something. Please. I-I’m in so m-much pain,” Aria hiccups through her gut-wrenching sobs.

  “What do you need?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the women.

  Aria swipes away the falling tears, taking deep breaths until she composes herself. Then she narrows her glossy eyes at me, shooting me a glare like I’m the devil incarnated.

  “Are you in the mob?” she seethes. I try to hide my smirk. This woman has some sass to her and she’s not stupid. She guessed right on the first try.

  “What do you need?” I repeat, ignoring her question. I’m not going to give her drugs, but I need to know what she was on so we can help her kick that shit.

  “Xanax or Oxy, please…or…” She contemplates what she’s going to say next, her bright red nose scrunching up like she’s not sure whether to say what she wants. After a moment of hesitation, she murmurs, “Since you’re in the mob, maybe you can get me something stronger. I’m sure you have access to the good stuff.”

  Holy shit, this woman has no filter. Dr. Fox is quietly listening, her eyes volleying back and forth between Aria and me. “There are no drugs on this property,” I growl out. “Whatever the doctor says you can take is what you’ll get.”

  Aria rolls her eyes and scoffs, “Fine. Give me whatever you can and then I need to g
et out of here.” I don’t bother to let her know she isn’t going anywhere. The doctor might have signed an NDA, but I can’t imagine her holding to it if she knew that technically Aria is being held here against her will.

  “Sweetie, I’m here to check you out and then we’ll see what we can give you for the pain. Can you tell me what happened to you? How long you were in this condition?” Dr. Fox pushes Aria’s hair from her face and speaks soothingly to her.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t even know what today is.” I tell her the date and her eyes go wide in shock.

  “Oh my God! That asshole had me locked up for nine months! My mom was killed in an accident in May. He took me right before my finals, only a couple weeks after she died, and it’s already February! Nine goddamned months!”

  Her head drops into her hands as she shakes her head back and forth, mumbling incoherent words through her hands as she chokes on her sobs. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. My first thought is that I want to find that piece of shit and kill him. It’s the only way I know to try to right this wrong, consequences be damned. But realistically, I’m aware it’s not going to make Aria better. Only time will heal her, and even then, she’ll never truly be okay. Open wounds eventually heal, but wounds as deep as the ones she’s sporting will leave thick scars as a reminder of what she went through.

  “Giovanni, can you give us some privacy so I can examine Aria, please?”

  As much as I don’t want to leave her, I reluctantly get up and go to my sitting room, which is attached to the bedroom, to give them privacy without leaving.

  Chapter Eight

  ARIA

  I wake up in a soft bed, one I’ve never seen before, and for a second I get lost in the comfort of the plush pillows and down comforter I’m wrapped up in, wondering how I ended up in this comfy bed. Then everything comes back to me. The basement. Giovanni taking me. Attempting to throw myself out of the moving vehicle. I try to sit up but the pain in my abdomen forces me to stay still.

  “Careful, sweetie. I need you to tell me where it hurts.” I jump at the sound of a female’s voice and see a woman sitting on the edge of the bed next to me.

  “Who are you?” I look around to see where I am. I’m in a large room, most likely a master bedroom. The entire room is decorated in dark browns and creams. I’m lying in a king-sized four-poster bed. All the furniture, including the bed, is made of what looks like real mahogany wood. The drapes are closed, leaving the room without light, save for a single lamp next to me. On the wall across from the bed is a roaring fireplace which spans from floor to ceiling with a flat screen television hanging over the mantle.

  “My name is Vivian Fox. I am the on-call doctor here at the club. Giovanni asked for me to check you out. Can you tell me what hurts?” Something about the way this woman speaks and smiles softly at me, has me feeling suddenly at ease. She looks to be in her late forties, beautiful sandy blond hair pulled up into a low ponytail with comforting brown eyes that remind me of my mother. She patiently smiles at me and my heart craves the love of my mom.

  Ignoring the pain, I sit up to give her a hug, hoping her touch will feel like my mom’s. Her being here is the first sense of hope I’ve had that I will finally be free…or at least safe. After a few minutes of crying in her arms while she simply hugs me without saying a word, I hear the door open, causing me to jump back.

  Giovanni walks in, no longer in his suit but in a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that make him look just as alluring as the suit does but in a completely different way. This man screams power no matter what he’s wearing.

  They ask me some questions and I’m shocked to learn Weston has been holding me captive for close to nine months. In less than two months I’ll be turning twenty-one. It felt like I was in the basement for so much longer and to think Weston would have been holding me there for another year, until I turn twenty-two, send shivers straight down my spine.

  “Giovanni, can you give us some privacy, so I can check out Aria, please?” Dr. Fox asks. He doesn’t appear to be thrilled about leaving me alone, but he gets up and walks out and into what looks like an extension of his room. Maybe a sitting room? I’m not sure. She hands me a mug and I take a large sip. It’s cold water and it feels soothing going down my throat.

  “Can you tell me what hurts?” she queries.

  I put the now empty mug back on the nightstand. “My face. I think my ribs are broken, my stomach is aching, and I’m bleeding heavily from my vagina.”

  She gives me another soft smile and I appreciate the fact that she doesn’t look at me with pity.

  “Giovanni, come here, please,” she requests.

  He walks back into the room. “Everything okay?”

  “I’m going to need some equipment. Can you have one of your men bring me the equipment from my trunk, please?”

  After Giovanni leaves, Dr. Fox helps me remove Giovanni’s jacket and hands me the clothes that are next to the bed. “Go ahead and slip this shirt on for now. I want to check you out before you put on your shorts, though.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  She gently helps me slip the shirt on over my head.

  Giovanni knocks once before walking in, and following him inside the room are the three men who work for him, carrying several pieces of medical equipment. “Aria, in case you don’t remember. This is Rome…” He points to a good-looking, dark-haired man who is slightly less built than Giovanni and a few years younger but just as handsome. “…and Johnny.”

  The man I recognize as Giovanni’s driver tilts his head up. He’s carrying a piece of what looks like heavy equipment. His biceps are bulging out with veins running downward. His hair is a light brown and longer than the other men. It’s slicked back but not greasy. His eyes are a beautiful shade of icy blue and he’s sporting a neatly trimmed beard. I must be appraising Johnny too long because Giovanni makes a noise in the back of his throat, which causes the guy he hasn’t formally introduced me to yet, to laugh.

  “This is Caesar,” Giovanni finishes, his words coming out harsher than before.

  “If you need anything, please let me know,” Caesar says as he sets down the medical bag he’s holding and steps over to me, taking my hand in his and giving the top of my knuckles a soft kiss. I flinch from his touch, but I don’t pull back.

  While Giovanni, Johnny, and Rome all look like men straight out of the Godfather, Caesar gives off a more playful approach. His hair is jet black and curly, and his face is clean shaven making him appear younger than the others. They all have faint accents, which if I had to guess are Italian, but they all speak English perfectly.

  Caesar’s kiss lingers for a few seconds before Giovanni growls out, “Okay, set the equipment down and get back to work.”

  The three men all chuckle but do as he says. It’s obvious that while they work for Giovanni, they are all friends on some level.

  “While you are here, if you need anything. you come to me first. But if I’m not available, you can go to any of those three men. You can trust them, got it?” While I’m here? Does that mean he’s going to let me go?

  I give Giovanni a small smile and thank the guys. Even though I’m almost ninety-nine percent sure he’s going to force me to stay here, I appreciate him trying to make me feel comfortable and safe, especially after having gone so long without feeling either one. Wow! You know your life has reached new levels of craziness when you’re thankful your new kidnapper is nicer than your previous kidnapper.

  The three men leave, shutting the door behind them, and Giovanni goes back to the sitting room.

  “I’m going to do an ultrasound first to see if we can find out why you’re bleeding.” Dr. Fox lifts my shirt and squirts blue gel on the lower part of my stomach. I flinch from the pain I feel when she presses down. “I’m sorry, sweetie, because of the bleeding, I don’t want to go in vaginally unless I have to.”

  She switches on a monitor, and a black and white screen comes into view. “This is your uterus.” She
points to the screen. She moves the transducer across my stomach continuing to spread the gel, not saying anything more. The silence is killing me, but I’m trying to let her do her job without asking a million questions.

  “What’s wrong?” I finally ask.

  She turns her face to me, and for the first time since I met her a short time ago, she gives me a look of pity—or maybe sympathy. “You’re pregnant. Well, you were. There’s no heartbeat. The bleeding you are experiencing is your body naturally miscarrying. I’m so sorry.”

  The thought of my body carrying a baby from one of the men who have raped me hits me hard. I lurch forward and, grabbing the first thing I can find—the mug I drank my water from—I vomit.

  Giovanni rushes to me, holding the trashcan out for me just in time as I hurl again and again until there’s nothing left inside my stomach. My abdomen screams in pain, but it’s the least of my concerns right now.

  “What happened?” His voice stays calm, but I can hear the worry in his tone.

  I finally stop heaving and answer him, knowing Dr. Fox won’t. “I was pregnant and I’m losing the baby.” Baby. The thought of a helpless little baby in my uterus brings tears of devastation to my eyes. The baby might have been half one of them, but the other half was me. It was my job to protect it and I didn’t. I should have known there was a baby in me. I should have protected my stomach better.

  “Do we need to get her to a hospital?” Giovanni sounds worried.

  “No,” Dr. fox says, answering Giovanni’s question, then directs her words towards me. “Aria, your body is currently doing what it’s made to do. I’m going to prescribe you something for the pain and a prescription to prevent infection. I’m also going to prescribe you a small dose of Xanax. But I’m going to have Giovanni give them to you. I don’t want you taking too much. Those drugs are highly addictive and we need to slowly ween you off them. Don’t worry, I’ll help you. I’ll come back in a few days to check on you.” Dr. Fox put her hands softly on my cheek. “I’m sorry for your loss, sweetie.” And then as if she can hear the thoughts running through my head, she adds, “This was not your fault.”