My Beautiful

by J. M. La Rocca

  Walking over to the bed, I took a seat and looked up at him.

  He closed the door, and again, locked it from the inside. He then turned toward me, taking a deep breath. “Before I begin,” he said holding up a finger, “don’t say anything until I’m finished. I’m sure all the questions you have for me will be answered.”

  I nodded my head at him and he started pacing around the room.

  “First, I want you to know again, that I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I don’t want to go into detail on how I came to be involved working with Vic, but let’s just say that the money was very appealing. I’m not one that looks to be a millionaire, but after everything my mom had been through with your dad, I wanted to make things better for her.”

  I looked at him confused. “What?” I interjected.

  He stopped pacing and turned to look at me. “Charles was a gambler, Scarlett. And no, my mom wouldn’t have said anything to you and nobody knew about it except for us. She tried to get him to seek help, but he wouldn’t hear anything of it. She was always broke and had to ask me numerous times to help them out. So you see, the money was very appealing to me; I help Vic; I get the money. I help out my mom, and we’re all happy,” he said, pacing again.

  I was in shock. Obviously, I would have never known, but I couldn’t understand any of it.

  “The kicker of the story is, I got paid, but in doing so I would have to fulfill a request for Vic once he called for it. And when he found out I’d be working on the case to take Frank DiCosola down, he jumped on it.” He stopped pacing and looked at me with a smile. “I was so fucking excited about this case, Scarlett. Do you have any idea how much credit I would get for taking a man like Frank DiCosola down?” I shook my head no. “We’re talking promotions, Scarlett. I would get a higher ranking with more pay. It was everything I had been working toward. I was so excited, but then reality hit me with that one phone call. I should have waited to take that money from Vic, but I didn’t, and now I’m in too deep. I have to finish this job. Vic wants the DiCosola’s eliminated and I was supposed to provide him the information to do it. However, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

  That’s when it all started to click in my head. The day Kade found out Bryce was Kevin. They had been talking about Kade getting information to take Frank down. “What does that have to do with me, Bryce?”

  He looked at me and frowned. “Things were taking too long. I’ve been on this case now for over two years, Scarlett. My supervisors at headquarters were even starting to ask questions, but they knew I couldn’t blow my cover. Vic, on the other hand, doesn’t give a shit if I blow my cover. He just wants what he paid for, and that’s where you come in. Kade is the key to getting what I need. There is no way Frank would ever trust me to get close enough to him for me to get the information that Vic wants. So you are here as insurance that he will do that job. Once he gets what I need, I’ll hand you right back over to him. Then I can give Vic what he needs and we’ll all be happy.”

  I sat there for a moment trying to absorb everything he had said. I diverted my eyes from his face and looked at the floor to contain my breathing. He had basically just told me that he was using me to blackmail Kade.

  Then a question popped into my head. “What happens if Kade can’t get what you need?”

  He looked at me with a blank expression. “Then Vic will take his payment in another way.”

  “Which is?”

  “He’ll kill me, Scarlett.”

  My heart was beating out of my chest. “Are you being serious right now?”

  He let out a sigh and walked toward me to take a seat on the bed next to me. “Yes,” he mumbled. “None of this is a game, Scarlett. My life is on the line and that’s why I did what I did. I don’t ever expect you to forgive me, and I know I’ve been acting crazy, but I’ve got too much going on in my head, and this stress is tearing me up.”

  “But what happens if Frank finds out what he’s doing? Won’t he kill Kade?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I doubt his uncle would kill him. He’s the only family he’s got left. When he told Kade that he wanted him to eventually take over the business, I really think he was being serious.”

  Resting my elbows on my knees, I held my head in my hands. This was just too much for me to take in. Kade was in danger, but Bryce didn’t give a shit because his own ass was on the line. And I was sitting in the middle of it to make sure things played out the way they are supposed to. I felt sick to my stomach and there was nothing I could do about it.

  “How do you even know Kade will care that I am here? I saw him with another woman the other night. They looked pretty cozy.” I didn’t want to believe the words that came out of my mouth.

  He looked at me and laughed, shaking his head. “He wasn’t with some other woman. That was Frank’s sick way of getting under Kade’s skin. Frank knows that he’s with you. They’ve all known. And I know for a fact he didn’t go home with her, because he called me that night trying to come see you.”

  “What?” So, he wasn’t with her? Ugh, my brain felt like it was being overloaded.

  “Speaking of Kade, if everything goes according to plan, then you should be back with him tonight.”

  I looked at him confused. “Wait, what?”

  “It turns out that Frank trusts Kade enough to give him a key to his house and the number code to his safe. Frank had some business to take care of last night so Kade went to his house and got the information I needed.” He stood up from the bed and walked toward the door. “You’ll come with me and we’ll meet him on the other side of town tonight to make the exchange.”

  I hated how he referred to me as some kind of object. “So that’s it? Now you are going to let me go?”

  “Yes,” he said, turning to look at me.

  “What about Vic? What does he have to say about all of this?”

  “As long as Vic gets what he wants and I take care of business, he doesn’t care what I do with you. He knows that I plan on giving you back to Kade as a trade. So don’t worry,” he said as he pulled his keys out to unlock the door.

  I frowned as I watched him and my eyes filled up with tears. The way he talked to me, hurt me. It was like I meant nothing to him at all. But then again, maybe I didn’t. Maybe all I was, was a means to an end. And even though that hurt my feelings and made me feel like shit, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. I didn’t know all the details, only what he told me, but I could understand how the money would be appealing. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to walk away from it either if it was presented to me a long time ago. I would have taken the money to have a better life away from my mother, and he was doing it to help his.

  Looking down at my hands in my lap, I bit my bottom lip to stop the happy sob that wanted to bust out. In just a few more hours, I would be out of there and I couldn’t wait to get out of that damn room. I knew Jules would be out of her mind with worry and I couldn’t wait to see Kade, despite all the questions I had.

  Hearing the door open, I looked up at Bryce. He was standing with the door ajar, with a look of concern on his face.

  That’s when I heard it.

  At first, it was a few popping sounds. Bryce just stood with his head turned to the side so his ear was facing out the door, and I could only sit there and watch as his facial expression changed. Then we heard it again, but more popping this time, along with faint yelling.

  Bryce looked over at me with wide eyes. “Fuck! They’re here!” He slammed the door and locked it again.

  I jumped out of the bed. I could feel my heart rate pick up as I went into freak-out mode. I had no idea who he was talking about.

  “Who’s here, Bryce? What’s going on?” I panicked. Bryce reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. I immediately took a step back, holding my hands up. I could feel my body start to shake. “What are you doing, Bryce?”

  He checked the gun and was doing stuff to it; I had no idea what, and then he l
ooked at me with a frown. “I’m not going to fucking hurt you, Scarlett,” he yelled as he ran a hand through his hair and then pulled it with a grunt. “Those motherfuckers are here! He fucking told them!” he roared. “I can’t fucking believe it.” He paced around the room.

  I had no idea what he was yelling about, and at that moment, I didn’t want to ask. I had never seen him so furious before. He seemed unstable and the sight of the gun was enough for me to keep my mouth closed. So, I backed up until I was against the wall as I watched him pace around the room. I took deep breaths to calm my heart down as we continued to hear the popping and shouting above.

  “Okay,” he said a few minutes later. He stopped pacing and looked up at me. “I have to get out of here, Scarlett, or I’m a fucking dead man.”

  I started shaking my head no. Was he out of his fucking mind? “You can’t leave me here. It’s your fault I’m here. I don’t want to die, Bryce.” I was crying again. I was freaking the fuck out.

  “You’re not going to die.”

  “There are fucking gunshots going off up there, Bryce. How do you know I won’t die?”

  Taking a deep breath, he walked to the door, unlocked it again and opened it. “Because it’s Frank and his men up there,” he said looking up at me. “Kade is here to get you and now I’m fucked.”

  Then he walked out the door.

  Excitement ran through my body. Kade was here to get to me. I’d finally be able to go home. And then, my excitement drained and turned to fear. Bryce said a lot of Vic’s men were here and that couldn’t be good. All of the men were dangerous, and Kade was walking right into it.

  Slowly walking over to the door, I lifted my hand to the doorknob. I waited a few moments and closed my eyes as I turned it. I sighed in relief, and butterflies consumed my stomach. He’d forgotten to lock it as he rushed out. I knew it was probably stupid on my part to leave the safety of the room, but if I didn’t, Kade would never know where I was.

  I needed to find him. So I opened the door and headed toward the stairs, fearful of what I’d find when I got there.

  The day had arrived and I was anxious as hell. I’d stayed at Frank’s again, so when we got up, we could go over what they did the night before. It turned out his insider came through for them and they were able to get on to the property; the problem was, Vic had more men staying at the house than the guy had originally told him. Frank found out that morning, after talking to the guy, that more men had showed up the day before.

  This didn’t put a damper on the plan; it just made it harder to execute. But Frank said once we got there, he would determine if we needed to call the other guys in.

  The plan was to arrive late in the afternoon. It would give us just enough time to get into the house before darkness fell. Then a group of guys would stay behind and guard the perimeter of the house, just in case more of Vic’s men arrived. We didn’t want to be ambushed from behind.

  That part I was okay with; that was the easy part. It was the ‘getting into the house’ part that made me nervous. So many things could happen. The number one thing I was worried about was someone getting their hands on Scarlett and using her against us. Frank said he would protect her, but I knew that if it was his life or her life he would always choose his own. I, on the other hand, would jump in front of a bullet for her. I loved her and it was my fault she was there in the first place.

  “You ready for this?” I heard a voice ask from behind me.

  I turned from the window in Frank’s living room, breaking from my dream-like state, to see Paul standing there.

  Uncrossing my arms from my chest, I stuffed my hands in my pants pockets. “Yeah,” I answered and started to walk away. I was ready for this to be over and have Scarlett in my arms again.

  “Nick, wait a minute,” he requested, grabbing my arm.

  I turned and knocked his hand off my arm. “What the fuck, man?”

  “Look,” he said, holding his hands up defensively. “I know you don’t like me. I get it, but tonight when we get there, we are family. That’s the way it works. You don’t need to worry so much. We’ve got your back. I know I can come off as being a dick and that’s the way I like it. Don’t expect me to change.” With that said, he walked off. Nothing unexpected there. He was a dick and I didn’t like him, but if I had to choose which side he would be on, it would definitely be mine.

  I watched him as he walked out of the living room and shook my head. It almost seemed like an apology.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked around the room at all of Frank’s men who were instructed to wear black, sitting around waiting for the word to head out. I knew Frank had many reasons for them to be involved, but the main purpose was for them to make it safe for me to get in and get Scarlett.

  I looked at each and every face. Some of them probably wouldn’t live. Fuck, there was a chance I may not even live. Never in my life did I think something like this would happen. I’d only ever seen shit like this in the movies, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified.

  Frank walked into the room with Paul by his side, drawing everyone’s attention.

  “This isn’t how we normally do things, but Vic TraPani has forced my hand, and tonight he will be eliminated,” he stated, looking around the room. “Years of accusations and even turning some of my own men against me, have led to this day. He thought he could be sneaky, but we’ve been steps ahead of him for some time now,” he said, glancing at me briefly. “And now, it is time we put into action what we have been planning. Keep your eyes and ears open. I don’t want to lose any of you tonight. If, for some reason something should happen to me, you are to report to Paul. All right … you know what to do, so let’s go.”

  He turned and walked out, with Paul following close behind him. The rest of the men got their things together. Some had backpacks filled with what I would assume to be ammo; I honestly had no clue. Others took their guns out, checked them, and then slipped them in holsters. I didn’t have to check mine; it was tucked safely in the back of my pants under my shirt, where I could get to it easily.

  Leaving the men behind, I walked out of the living room toward the front door and headed outside to the car where Frank and Paul would be. We were riding in Paul’s SUV to just about a half mile from Vic’s place. Frank said he didn’t want to park too far away just in case something was to go wrong and we needed to turn back, but he wasn’t expecting that to happen.

  They were both standing by the passenger’s side door talking; they looked up as I approached.

  “You ready for this, Nick?” Frank asked as he slapped me on the shoulder.

  “Not particularly, but I’ll do what I have to do to get Scarlett back.”

  He shook my shoulder and slapped me again before dropping his arm. “Just follow our lead and everything should be fine.”

  He opened the passenger’s door and hopped in as Paul walked around to the driver’s side. I heard a bunch of talking and looked to my right to see Frank’s men piling out of the house. They would be following behind us, but instead of making their way on to the property, they would be surrounding the perimeter. Only two of them would be coming with us to make sure I had a clearing to get to Scarlett.

  Which reminded me, he was supposed to give me details on where exactly she was being kept.

  Opening the back door, I hopped in and closed the door. “You forgot to tell me exactly how I’m supposed to be getting to Scarlett. I want to know exactly what I’m doing before we just rush right in there. I don’t want my ass getting shot because I don’t know where the fuck I’m going.”

  Paul started the SUV and turned to look at me. “She’s being kept in the basement in one of Vic’s blocked off rooms. We were told that Bryce has the key to the room and only lets certain people down there. Apparently, she’s been the hot topic of all the men in the house.”

  I clenched my jaw, knowing what he was referring to. If one hair was hurt on her head, I swore Kevin wouldn’t see the sun rise. I’d t
orture his ass and make him wish he was dead along with any man that touched her.

  “You know that look on your face, Nick?” Paul chuckled. “Keep it. You’ll definitely scare the shit out of those men. But seriously, don’t worry, nothing has happened to her. She’s safe. We’ll direct you where to go when we get in there, but once you’re down there, you’ll be on your own.”

  I gave him the death stare. “You know, I liked you better as a sadistic dick. Let’s try not to lose that mentality.”

  He laughed and turned back around in his seat.

  “She’s fine, Nick. Stop thinking about it so much,” Frank said without turning around. “You’ll lose focus when we get in there, and do something stupid if you let unnecessary anger build up.”

  He was right. If something happened to me in there before I got to her, Bryce could always take her and move her to another location. Or worse yet, one of Vic’s men could get to her. I had to stay focused.

  Frank rolled down his window as a guy approached.

  “We’re ready when you are, boss.”

  “All right, let’s roll.”

  The drive was a quiet one as we made our way down a long deserted road. When they had said Vic lived in the middle of nowhere, I wasn’t expecting anything like this. Paul slowed down and veered off to a dirt road going into the woods.

  “What’s the road lead to?” I asked.

  Frank turned and looked at me. “It’s a hunter’s trail. It’s not hunting season so we won’t be bothered. We found it yesterday when we came out here. I’d rather not have the cars visible on the side of the road.”

  That was a good point. We all exited the car as the other two SUVs came to a stop and the men started pouring out.

  “All right, you know what to do. If you see someone you don’t know, shoot him. We are heading toward the house. No contact is to be made. If we aren’t back in two hours, take the cars and go.”

  My heart raced and I felt like I was going to be sick. I just kept telling myself that Frank knew what he was doing, and I was hoping like hell I wasn’t lying to myself.