BEND ME: A Dark Romance

by Leah Wilde

  Finally, she cleared her throat and downed her second glass of wine. “Mm, this is good,” she murmured, pouring herself a third glass. Vince smirked to himself when his mother wasn’t looking. He knew he could count on his mom’s trusty old alcoholism to pull through.

  Yuri appeared a moment later, placing fancy plates of pasta and chicken on the table, along with a side salad for each of them. “Thank you, Yuri,” Vince said, nodding at his servant to go back into the kitchen and leave them in privacy.

  “How have you been doing finding replacements for the people we’ve lost over the past year?” Vince asked, bringing the conversation back around to the men his mother had indirectly killed.

  Mama Romano shrugged, taking another deep drink of wine before beginning to pick fussily at her side salad. “You know, that part wasn’t very difficult. I was prepared for it.”

  “Oh, yeah? Were Tommy and the rest in poor health before they went?”

  Mrs. Romano paused, her fork frozen in midair as she looked back over at her son, making tiny beads of sweat pop up at the back of Vince’s neck as he tried to look as unassuming as possible. “All right. Who told you?”

  Panic sparked inside of Vince’s chest, but he kept his cool as best as he could, shrugging as he said, “About Tommy going? I don’t know, I think Guido might have texted me the news a couple months ago…”

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” Mrs. Romano said, putting her fork down and reaching over to finish her third glass of wine in just a manner of minutes.

  “What do you mean?” Vince asked, forcing a confused look on his face.

  “The hits!” Mrs. Romano said, raising her voice as she got to her feet. Vince was a little nervous that she was about to flee from his apartment entirely, but she just walked around the table to grab the wine bottle, pouring out the rest of its contents into her glass, even though her speech was already starting to slur a little bit. “The hits I called on Tommy and Bobby and Sal and the rest,” she said.

  Vince felt his heart stutter in his chest, probably letting his genuine shock slip onto his face. “Uh, Ma…” He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

  “Was it that little whore? Fiona?” Mrs. Romano said, saying Fiona’s name in a lilting, mocking tone of voice before she cackled and finished off the wine, going over to the counter by the mantelpiece to grab another full bottle. “You want some of this?”

  “Sure,” Vince said, putting his nearly full glass out so his mother could mix in some of the new wine. She was continuing to talk to him. That was good. It would be best if he had as much information as possible to use against his mother.

  “It was that little bitch. Had to be. I bet Guido told her,” his mother spat out as she drank more wine, shaking her head in disappointment towards her younger son.

  “So Guido was involved…?” Vince said slowly, encouraging his mother to go on.

  “Of course, of course,” Mama Romano said, waving her hand dismissively. “Guido and I made sure we got rid of the problem people, if you know what I mean.”

  “Tommy and Sal and Bobby and Harry?” Vince prompted her.

  His mother nodded. “Yep. All those useless old codgers. You know, for thirty fucking years, I ran the show, and they all worshipped your idiot father instead. No disrespect to the dead, of course,” she said, waving her glass in the air as if she was addressing some ghosts in the room.

  “They never respected you? Is that why you had them killed?” Vince asked her, tasting the coppery flavor of his own blood in his mouth as fear and excitement built even higher inside of him.

  “Yes. Well, that was part of it,” Mama Romano said, leaning forward in her seat so she was closer to Vince. It seemed like she was excited or maybe even relieved at finally having the opportunity to talk to him. Again, he felt a little guilty about that, but it was hard to feel sorrowful for long when he remembered the extent of his mother’s actions. “They always treated me like I was this stupid bimbo, you know, who got lucky by getting knocked up with you. That wasn’t it. They never understood that Paulie was nothing without me. Where would he be if I hadn’t driven him, if I hadn’t led him to where he needed to go? Huh? Nowhere! Fucking nowhere! The Romano name would mean nothing if it weren’t for me. But none of them realize that.”

  Despite everything, despite his loyalty to his father, to Fiona, to the legacy of his family, he felt heavy in his heart, which ached for his mother, his poor, drunk, foolish mother who thought she’d finally won. It was tragic, in a way, recording her like this when she finally trusted him enough to tell him the truth.

  “But they were in the way, right? It wasn’t just a pissing match with those old fuckers, was it?” Vince asked, prompting his mother to continue.

  “Right,” Mama Romano replied, pouring herself yet another drink, even though she was swaying back and forth in her seat like a toddler. “I knew that once…once Paulie was gone, they wouldn’t back Guido. Or you, really. They’d want to take over for themselves. And then what, huh? They’d have run the Romano business into the ground with their stupid ideas and their weak little limitations.”

  “You knew Dad was going to die?” Vince asked. He almost didn’t want the answer. It would be simpler, easier if Fiona was wrong. If it was all just some terrible coincidence, an awful turn of events that nobody could have foreseen or predicted. But the truth was rarely as merciful as fantasy. And Vince had to know the truth.

  Mama Romano paused, though, looking up at him with something like fear in her eyes, if a woman like her was even capable of fear. “I had a suspicion,” she whispered.

  “Why?” Vince asked.

  His mother hesitated, opening her mouth and then closing it a few times in quick succession before she finally sighed and pressed her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she whispered.

  Vince felt his heart fall through his stomach, his eyes falling shut by themselves as he let the truth sink into him. His mother had his father killed. The two people he was supposed to trust most in the world had hated each other and driven each other to insanity. It was a lot to take in, even though Fiona had warned him about it.

  “I should have been able to stop it,” Mama Romano whispered the next moment, tearing Vince back out of his thoughts.

  “What? You mean, you didn’t…?” Vince trailed off, incapable of saying the words out loud, though he knew it was probably crucial to do so for the sake of his mother’s official confession.

  “Of course not!” his mother yelled. “I loved your father. I never could’ve…” She sighed and shook her head, steeling herself before she pushed the words out. “I never would’ve hurt him, let alone kill him. But I knew that Guido was upset. He got a peek at the will that your dad had drawn up, and he just went ballistic. Sometimes I think that your dad put you as the heir just as insurance so that Guido wouldn’t have incentive to kill him and inherit the business.” Mama Romano paused, shaking her head sadly again. “I should’ve stopped it.”

  “So it was Guido?” Vince asked. “Guido killed Paulie? You’re sure?”

  “I think so,” his mother whispered softly, rubbing her forehead back and forth a few times. “He was just so mad, and I saw him go into your dad’s office when he thought I wasn’t looking, holding coffee and a gun. At the time, I thought, he’s just going to see his dad before doing a mission with his boys. But I realized later…he made your father drink the poison that killed him. I’m sure of it.”

  Vince felt a surge of anger explode inside of him, forcing him out of his seat until he was standing over his mother, glaring down at her with all the fire that burned inside of him. “Then why the hell would you put Guido in charge of the company?”

  “What other choice did I have?” Mama Romano whispered, blinking rapidly as she battled to fight back the tears that had pooled into her eyes. “He threatened to have you killed if I didn’t support him, and anyways, I know that Guido will never be happy unless he’s in control. He isn’t like you. He’s like me.”


  “Stop with the bullshit!” Vince yelled, no longer having any patience with his mother’s crying fit. “You’re manipulating me, and I’m not going to fucking fall for it. You had men killed so that the top people in the organization would support Guido. You want him in charge, not me. Don’t act like you’re some innocent flower who just got caught up in this mess.”

  His mother nodded and sniffled, straightening up until she was at her full height, nearly as tall as Vince, looking him directly in the eyes. “You’re right. It’s my fault. I created him. I set him loose on the world. I just thought, if I gave him what he wanted, if I kept watch on him, I could keep him under control. I could make him into something better, something stronger. Like I did with your father.”

  “You’re evil,” Vince spat at his mom, feeling the burning righteous fire of fury continue to consume any emotions he still held for his mother. “You murdered innocent men, men who were the best friends of my father, and then you let my father get killed, all to preserve your own power. You’re sick.”

  “Maybe,” Mrs. Romano said, smiling sadly up at her son. “But I’m strong. I’ve survived. Who else can say that?”

  “You’ve survived because you’ve killed other people. Say it. Admit it,” Vince said harshly, staring into his mother’s eyes until she sighed, apparently relenting.

  “With Guido’s help, I killed Tommy and Sal and Bobby and Harry. And your father. There. I admit it. Happy?” she said, finally letting tears leak from her eyes.

  He got it. It was on tape. Confirmed. After another few seconds of overwhelming anger, Vince felt a little thrill go down his spine, the glow of victory descending over his head. He had to fight to keep a grin off his face so he wouldn’t betray his real intentions to his mother, but before he could come up with anything else to say, his phone rang, ripping him out of his thoughts.

  Vince pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to just check who it was and then go back to talking to his mom, but he saw that it was Fiona’s number. That’s odd, he thought, feeling a little wave of anxiety crash over him. She knows what I’m doing right now. What could be so important to interrupt it? Maybe something happened with her dad?

  “I got to take this,” he said to his mom, no longer particularly concerned with good manners after his mother’s confession. “Hey, what’s up?” he said after answering the call.

  “Vince! Vince, okay, you have to help me, you have to—” Fiona stuttered into his ear, her voice filled with panic and terror.

  “Fiona, what is it? Calm down, honey. Tell me what’s happened,” Vince said slowly, walking away from the table and grabbing his coat off the back of his couch. He heard his mother start to follow him into the living room, but at this point, he didn’t really care. He got what he needed from her.

  “Guido! It’s Guido. He—he came to my apartment, about an hour after you left and he made me come with him and he just stopped to get gas and he doesn’t know I’m calling you, but I’m on Oak road, okay? And I think we’re heading for the compound. Please, come here, please come get me, Vince, I need you, I need—oh, God, he’s coming back, okay, I have to go, please, never forget me, please, goodbye.”

  “Fiona! Wait, Fiona!” Vince called out, but she already dropped the call, leaving him with static.

  “What’s going on?” his mother asked, tapping him on the shoulder until he turned around to look at her.

  “Your precious, perfect son,” Vince spat at her, all of his fury from before returning tenfold. “He’s going to kill Fiona, just like you taught him.”

  “Wait, wait, Vincent, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay? Let me help,” Mama Romano said, stumbling on her way to grab her coat.

  “No,” Vince said, opening his front door and heading out, yelling behind him so his mother could hear her. “You’ve done enough damage today. Oh, and by the way, thanks for the confession. You might want to get out of the country while you still can.”

  “What? Vincent!” his mother cried behind him, but by now he was dashing down the stairs, going as fast as he could to get to his car.

  “Donnie,” he called out to his driver, who was waiting for him in front of the apartment complex. “Head for the compound. Go as fast as you can.”

  I’m coming, Fiona, Vince promised silently as he clambered into the car, which rushed off in the direction of the compound. I’m coming.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Fiona leaned her head back on the headrest of her seat, looking blankly ahead at the stretch of woods ahead of the car. She felt numb now, completely drained of all energy and will to fight. She was going to die. God had let her live this long so she could talk to Vince, but now He had abandoned her, leaving her to die in this awful place, perhaps a payment for all the crimes she’d helped this family commit.

  Her body felt fuzzy, wrapped up in static, her head empty except for stray thoughts like, I never fell in love. I never went to Europe. I never got married or had kids or did anything meaningful with my life at all. She didn’t feel any fear anymore, though. It was like her brain had already died, abandoning her body at the last moment to avoid the reality of what was happening to her. She was going to be raped, and then she was going to be murdered. Her dad would never find her body. But now that Vince knew what happened, maybe they’d both get closure. Maybe this will be what gets Guido killed, she thought, letting herself feel a little comforted by that idea.

  They rolled to a stop in the middle of woods, surrounded by trees on all sides. “Get out,” Guido directed her, snapping his fingers when she hesitated to comply.

  “All right, I’m going, I’m going,” Fiona replied, undoing her seatbelt and then hopping out of the car as slowly as she could. She inhaled deeply, sucking in as much sweet natural air as she could, preparing herself for what lay ahead of her. Guido exited the vehicle, too, coming up behind her and grabbing her by her breasts.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” Guido grunted into her ear, biting the side of her neck. Fiona gritted her teeth and balled her hands up into fists again, just to prevent herself from screaming out in pain. She shut her eyes and made herself think of Vince—Vince’s beautiful mouth, his firm hands, his sweet body. She could do this. She could make her last moments on this Earth count by spending them thinking of the one miracle she’d been granted in her whole life: Vince.

  Guido shoved his hands under her shirt, clawing his way up her torso, but he didn’t have time to grab her bare breasts, as a loud crashing sound tore through the trees, giving Fiona a chance to tear her body away from Guido’s.

  She took off running, rushing through the woods until she found a particularly large trunk to hide beside, ducking her head low enough so that nobody walking in the area above the log could see her. Even still, she could make out a little bit of what was happening. Another car had followed Guido’s path into the forest around the compound, crashing into his car and pushing it into a tree. Fiona had no idea what was going on. Maybe someone was carrying out a hit on Guido? Could she be that lucky?

  Then she heard something that made her breath go cold inside of her chest. “Guido! Fucker! Put the gun down!” It was Vince!

  “You get the fuck out of here, Vince! I mean it! You ever show your face in this town again and I’ll be sure it’s the last thing you ever see! Fucking move it!” Guido shouted back. Fiona leaned up to stare over the curve of the log, watching as Guido slowly approached Vince, who had two servants standing by his side, hunched behind their car for cover from Guido’s gun.

  “Guido. You can’t take all of us, okay? Just put the gun down, and we can talk. I have something you’ll want to barter for.”

  “Oh, yeah, and what’s that?” Guido asked mockingly, even though he froze on the spot, clenching his fist tighter around the gun in his hand.

  “I’ve got proof of what you and Mom did. Bobby and Sal and Harry and Tommy. And Dad. That’s enough shit to make the whole organization turn against you, even the guys you’ve got in your pocket right n
ow. I’ve already sent it out to a friend and told them I was coming to see you. If I die, they release the info to everybody in the Romano family. But you can prevent that, by putting the gun down now.”

  “No fucking way!” Guido screamed, pointing his gun in the air and shooting off three shots in quick succession, making birds scream and scatter farther away into the sky.

  “Guido, be smart about this!” Vince yelled, fear evident in his voice even as he stuck his head out around the corner of the car to look at his brother.

  Guido didn’t answer, instead pointing his gun right at his brother and pulling the trigger.

  Fiona gasped, her pulse coming to a standstill. Vince! Vince, no!

  Her eyes squeezed shut reflexively, probably an instinctive response so as not to watch Vince die, but she pried them open, breathing hard in the silence that had fallen around her.

  There was no body lying on the ground. Only leaves.