by Haley Stuart
Rocco finally settles comfortably at my feet and lays his head down. Eli sits next to me, smiling apologetically.
“Sorry, he’s never really been a people person until you.”
I smile back at him. “I guess I just have a way with dogs.”
He rolls his eyes as he sits next to me on the couch. The room falls silent as I continue to pet Rocco, but then Eli breaks the silence after a moment.
“You know, how you said you were sold … to the highest bidder …?”
I stop my petting and look at him. “Yes.”
“I … I was just wondering, were you being serious?”
I look up at him and see the curiosity lurking within his eyes.
“Yes.”
He sits back on the couch in disbelief. “How did you even get in that situation?” he asks.
I give a bitter laugh.
“My husband is a very powerful man, and many people would love to have even the slightest opportunity to see him fall.”
“Oh. So you’re married?”
I look at Eli, realizing I have let something like that slip. He regards me with careful eyes.
“Yes.”
“Then why not just call your husband and tell him you’re okay?”
I sit in silence as I try to think of a way to answer his question. I can feel the anger brewing up within me. He is speaking to me as if I’ve just chosen to sit in this cabin and not let anyone know that I am okay.
“You know, my father’s name was Eli.”
Eli looks confused with the sudden change in conversation. “Oh, really? Well, where is he now?”
I let out another bitter laugh. “Dead. My husband killed him.” I look at Eli and see the shock evident on his face. I give him a sarcastic smile.
“That’s why I won’t call him. Because if he came here and saw you, you would be dead before I had the chance to explain your role in my being here.”
The room is silent once again. I then realize what I have just said to the man that has been going above and beyond to help me out these past few days. I look over at him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh my gosh, Eli, I’m so sorry. That came out so wrong.”
He shakes his head in disbelief.
“No, it’s okay. That’s my fault for prying.”
He gets up, walking toward the door without looking back toward me. Rocco perks his head up and stands to run to his owner. The door slams shut behind them, leaving me alone in the cabin.
I step out of the hot shower, wrapping a towel around me. Eli still isn’t back. Either he has gotten lost in the storm or he has left the cabin in fear of his life. Either way, I blame myself for causing him to go. I shouldn’t have said what I have said to him. All the bitter anger I have toward Luca and his line of work has boiled to the surface, causing me to lash out at him for no good reason. Maybe it is because he has suggested I call my husband and it has angered me that he wants me to when my husband is borderline psychotic.
I step into the bedroom I am staying in, pushing the door to crack open. I put on a pair of shorts, and as I am pulling my top on, I hear a loud gasp in the doorway.
“Oh god.”
I yank my shirt down as fast as I can and look in shock as I see Eli standing in the doorway with his hand around Rocco’s collar. But his eyes are trained on me. They are wide with shock.
“I … I’m so sorry. Rocco saw the cracked door and pushed his way in. I’m so sorry.” He is looking everywhere but at me.
I walk angrily to the door, slamming it shut. Hard.
When I finally decide to emerge from the room, Eli is in the kitchen, making what I assume is dinner. Rocco’s ears perk up as he hears me enter. A whine leaves his lips, and Eli turns around, his gaze falling on me, and he immediately turns away.
“I just made some soup tonight.” His voice has lost all buoyancy that it used to have. I don’t respond as I take a seat in the chair. Minutes later, he sets a bowl in front of me and sits down across from me.
We sit in silence, only the clank of our silverware making noise. I decide to break my silence.
“What did you see?” I ask.
He looks up from his soup. “Well, let’s just say I know you’re eating for two and someone named Luca decided to use your flesh as a drawing board,” he says.
I give a small laugh at his sarcasm.
“Who could possibly do that to you? I mean, to an innocent woman?”
I poke at the vegetables floating in my soup. “My husband,” I say.
“Your husband did that to you?? Why would he do something so … brutal?” he asks in disbelief.
“My husband is the most powerful man in the United States. Maybe even the world. He’s the capo. The don. He’s the head of the northern half of the Mob in the Unites States.” I keep my eyes trained down, afraid at what I may see when I look at Eli. “That was why I said what I did earlier. That’s why I have to leave as soon as I can.”
I look up at Eli, placing my hand over his.
“You are a breath of fresh air in the world I come from. I would hate to see you snatched from this world because of my husband. He will do it without hesitation.”
Eli watches me with wide eyes.
“In the world we are born in, killing is just as common as walking. They do it every day. They train their sons to be killers so they can gain power and protect the family. My husband just doesn’t understand the borderline of violence. He doesn’t know where it ends.”
“Why would you marry someone like that? You must’ve known what type of person he was.”
I nod in agreement. “You’re right. I did. But I had no choice. Our marriage was arranged. To form a stronger bond between families. He’s grown some kind of unhealthy attachment to me. He loves me in his own sick way.”
“Wait, if you were sold to the highest bidder …” His eyes trail down to my stomach.
“No. This is his child. I was pregnant before that man up the mountain touched me. I’ve been trapped there for so long …” I trail off. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You’ve known me for, what, three days? And here I am, pouring my heart out to you.” I laugh nervously. But when I look at Eli, he isn’t smiling. He looks troubled.
“What are you going to do once you leave here?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Find the nearest hospital.”
He rolls his eyes.
“This is serious, Elise. I mean, if the man you married did that to your body, what’s stopping him from hurting you and your unborn child? We have to get the police involved at least so you can have some kind of protection from him.”
I shake my head vigorously.
“No. Luca owns half the police force. There’s no way I would put my child’s life in danger as to do something that would make Luca mad.”
Eli opens his mouth to say something more, but I cut him off.
“Look, I appreciate what you’ve done for me, I really do, but Luca is someone you just can’t win against. He has the whole world in the palm of his hands. Including this screwed-up justice system. I mean, how do you think I even got in this situation? There’s no hiding from him. Besides, the whole world is out to get me. They want something that will make him weak. And that something is me. Especially now. So I’ll be safer in his control, able to protect my child more than I would be on my own.”
Eli’s face shows that he clearly disagrees with me, but he says nothing more. And quite honestly, I don’t care if he disagrees with me.
In the past, I may have agreed with him, but I have more than myself to look out for now. I have to think about the safety of my unborn child. If I just go anywhere, someone will recognize my face and try to use me and my child as leverage. The safest place for us is to be with Luca. I have no idea how he will act about me being pregnant, and quite honestly, I haven’t thought about it since I’ve been here. But I know that I am going out on a limb here, and I am hoping he won’t be batshit crazy once he fi
nds out.
Chapter 43
Luca
If there ever is a time when I feel helpless, it is now. We have been at the bottom of this mountain for three days, waiting for this storm to pass. Even when the storm ends, we will have to wait for the snowplows to clear the road before we can get up there. Everyone is steering clear of me, and I don’t blame them. I hate the fact that Elise is up there at the mercy of Alexander.
“You know, no matter how long you stare at the window, the snow isn’t going to let up.” I tense as I hear Nicolai behind me. I turn to see him stepping into the room with an amused look on his face.
“Yeah, well, sitting and waiting doesn’t seem to work too well for me,” I say.
Nicolai chuckles softly and takes a seat.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous before. Not even a little bit.”
I turn back to the window before I slap that smug grin off his face.
“The sooner this damn blizzard lets up, the better I’ll feel.”
The room is quiet for a moment before I feel myself break down. My thoughts are beginning to get to me. I walk over toward the liquor fridge, grabbing a small bottle of vodka out. I take a seat next to Nicolai, pulling the cap off and taking a small swig.
I welcome the burn as the liquid runs down my throat and calms my frazzled nerves. I look at Nicolai to see him watching me in confusion.
“I have never been frightened before, but right now, I am terrified. I’m terrified at what I might find when we head up that mountain. If Elise is even alive. Or if Alexander has something horrible waiting for me.” I look at Nicolai, for once letting my emotions out from behind the door they are always locked behind.
“I, for once, am at the mercy of someone else.”
Nicolai is silent, so I continue.
“The longer we’re down here, the worse things might be for her. I know I’ve done some pretty bad things to her, but I never pretended to be someone I wasn’t. I never said I was a good man. I never tried to be someone that I’m not. I never lied to her about who I was.”
I look out the window again. As soon as I lay eyes on the snow, my irritation sets in again. Why has that dumb bitch waited so long to tell me about Elise? I bring the bottle to my lips, tipping back another shot.
“Whoah, slow down. You don’t want to be wasted when we finally go rescue your wife,” Nicolai says. I look at him, and he has a light smile on his face. “Look, I know you’re scared, but we’re close. We know where she is, and as soon as the storm lets up, we can go get her.” He tries to reassure me.
“You don’t understand …” I roughly yank my fingers through my hair, feeling a deep fear coiling up within me. “The last time I saw Elise, I told her about my hand in her mother’s death.” I hold my head in my hands, remembering the look of horror etched onto her face. The fear and need to get away from me. Far away from me. I don’t think I have ever regretted anything in my life more than I do taking her mother away from her.
I have never thought I will see her again. It has been just a job. A test to show my father I am capable. I’ve done my job and, in return, earned my father’s respect. But fifteen years later, when I step into my father’s office and he tells me whom I am about to marry, anger is just the least of my feelings.
“You should have heard the fear in her voice on the phone before that car crashed. It’s been giving me nightmares. If Alexander broke the little bit of life left in Elise, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I tense as I feel Nicolai’s hand on my shoulder.
“Luca, we were born to do one thing. Protect the family. And you have done a marvelous job at that. You have protected not only the family but your family as well. Elise and Matteo. You have spared them and saved their lives on several occasions. Elise may not understand it, because she lived a sheltered life from this world, but you must know deep down that even though you may not be a good man, you have done good things to protect her.”
I look at him, not understanding where he is going with this.
“What I’m trying to say is, no matter what state Elise is in, I know you will do whatever it takes to make her feel safe. I honestly hadn’t realized how serious you were about her until that crazy ex of yours showed up as my date to dinner.” He gives a soft chuckle, remembering the event. I have some words for him after the fiasco, but he claims he doesn’t know who the girl is.
“I remember you even referring to her as ‘just another job,’ but it’s different now. And I know you’re crazy about her. I know you have strong feelings for her. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even be here.”
“Sir.” I look up to see Matteo in the doorway. “The storm has let up. They are sending snowplows, and we’ll be able to go up by tomorrow.”
I nod. He leaves the room. The last thing on my mind is sleep. I need to get up the mountain as soon as possible.
“This is my last chance, Nicolai. I’ve been neglecting my duties as capo, trying to find Elise myself. If I don’t find her this time, it’s over. I have to go back to my duties.”
“We’ll find her, Luca,” he says. And I hope he is right.
* * * * *
We are driving up the mountain with the snow falling softly. Everyone is deathly quiet. They know that if Elise isn’t up this mountain, there will be hell to pay. Nicolai is in the car with me, and Romelo and Matteo are in the car behind us along with the others. The closer we get to the top, the more rattled my nerves become. The drive to get there is about forty-five minutes. So I have to sit in the car and twiddle my thumbs.
“Can’t you make this thing go faster?” I snap at Nicolai.
He gives a soft chuckle. “No. Unless you want me to drive us off the cliff.”
I growl at his response. I know I am being unreasonable, but I don’t care. That is why Nicolai has decided to drive instead of me. If it were I driving, I would have caused us to wreck due to my impatience.
I am looking through my email when I hear Nicolai.
“Shit,” he mumbles under his breath, and the car slows to a stop.
I raise my head to look out the windshield and see an expensive SUV crashed into the tree. There is snow piled up within it, and the only thing sticking out of the snow is the nose of the car. Whoever has wrecked this has done it before the blizzard. The windshield looks smashed from this angle.
I radio Romelo.
“You guys stay here and check the wreckage. We’re going to head on up.”
I don’t wait for Romelo to respond, but I see his vehicle pull over in the snow. I can also see Matteo’s irritation as he gets out of the car. As Nicolai tries to pull off, I stop him.
“Wait.” I roll down the window and call out to Matteo.
“Matteo! Come on!” His head perks up, and he sprints to the vehicle. I look at Benji in the back seat. “You stay. Matteo’s taking your spot.” He doesn’t hesitate as he steps out and lets Matteo hop in. As soon as he closes the door, we head up the rest of the way.
After what seems like forever, we finally reach the home of Alexander Croff. It makes me angry that the last time I have been here, so has been Elise. Damn. I should have been more thorough. I’ve just thought he won’t be the fool to take her since he knows who I am. But my arrogance has caused me to lose her.
Nicolai shuts off the engine, and we all jump out of the car, guns ready.
I step to the door and knock, waiting for someone to open it. There is no way I can kick this massive oak door down. We’ll have to get some heavy ammo to blow it down. After a moment, I knock again. I am beginning to get irritated. The snow is biting at my face, causing it to sting in pain from the dramatic drop in temperature. Who chooses to live in a fucking mountain where there’s snow everywhere?
The door slowly creaks open, and I see the old maid that has let me in the last time. No wonder she has looked so terrified the last time I’ve been here. She knows good and damn well why I have been here in the first place. And the fact that she has helped in keep
ing my wife hidden … well, let’s just say I don’t have any plans on her living past sundown. As soon as she peeps her head out far enough, I bring my gun to her head. She immediately gasps.
“Open the door. If you warn him, I will tear off your legs and make you drag your pathetic body down the mountain.”
She nods vigorously, opening the door. As soon as we step in, I bring my gun down, knocking her unconscious. She collapses in the entry area. I push the door open and motion for everyone to follow me inside.
“Fan out. If you find Alexander, do not kill him. Restrain him and get me. Your main objective is Elise.”
Everyone nods in understanding and fans out in different directions.
Nicolai and Matteo stay by my side. I would rather have had Matteo stay down the mountain with the others and that wrecked car, but he is just as eager as I am to find his sister. His lack of experience makes him a liability, though, in this situation. Hopefully, Nicolai will cover him good if something happens.
We walk to the office that I have been in when I have met with Alexander the last time. I push the door open with my gun at ready and am disappointed when he is not in here. I turn to Matteo and Nicolai.
“Look around.”
I walk toward the desk, pulling open drawers, finding no indication on Elise.
“Elise!” I shout.
Matteo and Nicolai jump and look at me in shock. Never announce your presence to the enemy. And I’ve just shouted out, letting him know where our location is if he is secretly watching us.
“Luca, I know you’re frantic right now, but you need to just calm down. We’ll find her, okay?” Nicolai is speaking to me as if I were a child. I am trying my best to not punch his face in.
Out of nowhere, I hear Matteo hunch over and vomit on the floor.
“What the fuck?” I say out loud but hurry over to where he is seated. At the desk with the computer screen on. I quickly round the corner to see what has him throwing up his lunch.
“Fuck.” My words are the only sound in the room.
Elise is being beat with a belt that has jeweled indentations on it. I can see chunks of skin being literally beaten off her body from the belt. She is tied up and crying. I quickly press the next arrow, hoping it will just be security footage, but it is not. Elise is tied up, and Alexander is choking her. I press the arrow, and there is more. She is bound in almost all of them. She is crying in all of them. She is being tortured in all of them. He is whipping her in some, and he is fucking, raping her in all of them.
