When the plan’s settled, Pop claps his hands and announces he’s going back to sleep. Vince and Mateo go upstairs to get a few hours in their childhood beds. I know I should too, but there’s no way I can relax. Mia and I sit together on the sofa in the living room, numb to the man shouting about a blender on television.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I say. “I can’t stand the thought of you being alone with Anton.”
“It’s what I have to do,” Mia says, twirling the end of her hair. “Like Pop says, I’m part of the family now. I better start acting like a Romano.”
“You definitely have balls like a Romano.” I take her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Mia Romano. I like the sound of that. Once we get out of this shit, I’m going to make that happen.”
Mia wraps her arms around my waist, and rests her head on my chest. “Whatever happens, please know that I wouldn’t change anything. Please know that I truly love you.”
I tilt her chin up, and kiss her. “I know,” I whisper against her lips. “This will all be over soon.”
Chapter Eighteen
———————-
Mia
I sit between Pop and Vince as Mateo drives us to the underpass where we’ll meet Anton. Pop decided it was too dangerous for Leo to come along, so I have to do this without him. My stomach is twisted in knots, and my teeth are chattering. When I went to therapy after Dad got committed, the therapist gave me a technique for when I’m scared. I’ve used it many times throughout my life, but I’ve never needed it as much as I do right now.
I close my eyes, and let the world go still around me. I imagine my blood pumping through every vein, around my heart, down my limbs, and even in my fingertips. I visualize it turning from red, warm liquid into cold, silver steel. Nothing can penetrate me. Nothing can hurt me. All I have to do is pretend.
“He’s already here,” Pop says bitterly.
There’s a brigade of cars in the underpass. Half a dozen men are standing outside, their hands on the guns strapped to their hips. They turn towards us with menacing stares as our car comes to a stop.
“Listen to Vince,” Pop says to me. “Do as he says.”
I nod quickly. Pop gets out of the car. A few moments later, Anton emerges, and walks towards Pop with open arms. Seeing Anton sends a rush of fear through me, intense and unexpected. Vince puts his hand comfortingly on my shoulder.
I am steel.
After talking with Anton for a few moments, Pop gestures to our car.
“Let’s go,” Vince says, nudging me.
We get out of the car. Vince takes my arm, and leads me to Anton.
“There she is,” Anton says, opening his arms. “I’ve missed you, darling.” He grabs my arms and kisses both of my cheeks.
I am steel.
“Anton,” I gush with relief. “It’s so good to see you.”
Anton glances past me to Vince. “Isn’t there something else?”
With a wordless smile, Vince hands Anton a small black briefcase. Anton gives it to one of his guys, who opens it up and counts the money inside. When he’s done, he nods to Anton.
“Very good, boys,” Anton says. He takes my hand. “Let’s get you back where you belong.”
“That’s it, right, Anton?” Pop says. “We’ve given you what you want. Now tell your men to stand down. No more retaliation.”
Anton lays his hand over his heart. “You know me, Dom. I always keep up my end of the deal.” Anton’s arm slithers around my waist. He holds me firmly to his side as we walk to his car. “Come, come,” he whispers warmly in my ear.
I don’t look back at Pop and Vince. I just pray that I’ll see them again.
I slip into the backseat of Anton’s car. I’d thought he’d be all over me the first chance he got, but he’s sitting by the window, staring out.
“I just want to say thank you,” I say. “For saving me from those awful men.”
Anton turns to me, and eyes me silently.
“I’m so grateful,” I babble. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
Anton’s expression turns sour. “Cut the shit.”
“What do you mean? They kept me against my will. I was so scared.”
Anton throws his head back laughs, a loud, chilling laugh. He abruptly stops. “I am not as stupid as you think.”
I swallow hard. I am steel.
He slides across the seat, closer to me. “I know all about Leo, the two of you. You tried to run away into the sunset together.” He reaches behind my head and grabs a handful of hair. “You tried to run away from me?”
Terror grips me. I start to shake. Anton gives my hair a yank before releasing it. He studies his nails, casually.
“Let me guess,” he says. “Your goombah friends are coming to my party tonight? It’s a little rude, since they weren’t invited, but the more the merrier. I can’t wait for them to see the entertainment I have planned. Go on, ask me what it is.”
I am steel.
“What is it?” I croak.
His mouth spreads into an ugly smile. He drags his finger down my cheek. “You, darling. You’ll be tied to a table. My men will have their way with you. I have to warn you, they can get a bit rowdy, and they don’t like taking turns. But this will be good for morale. Everyone needs a pick-me-up, you know?”
“Anton,” I say through ragged breath. “It’s not what you think. I had to act like I wanted Leo. He was going to kill me.”
Anton smacks me hard against the cheek with the back of his hand. There’s a ringing in my ears, and my jaw feels like it’s been knocked out of place.
“Quiet. I’m not done telling you about the party.”
I hold my aching jaw as I listen to him speak.
“My lovely wife Masha will have her own private show. I promised she could have Leo all to herself. She’s been dreaming of slitting his balls and watching his testicles fall out.”
The steel I’ve imagined inside of me turns icy cold. I contemplate opening the car door, rolling out onto the highway to escape any more horror. Anton turns his gaze onto my outfit, which is a simple top and jeans.
“That’s what you’re wearing?” he says, critically. “We will find you something better.”
I am…
I am…
I’m in some deep shit.
———————-
The car stops in front of the warehouse. Anton gets out without looking at me, and walks inside. Four goons immediately arrive outside of my door. I recognize Yury, who was especially brutal to Leo when he was caught. Yury throws open the car door, grabs me, and yanks me out. He holds me forcefully by the arm, and another man grabs me by the hair. They lean in close to me, leering at my chest. It’s clear I’m a piece of meat to them.
“I cannot wait for the party tonight,” Yury growls. “You’re going to be quite tasty.” He digs his fingers deeper into my arm. When I scream in pain, he laughs.
They drag me into the warehouse, handling me roughly the entire way. It’s empty inside, besides a single figure standing in the middle of the room. Yury flips on the light, and I see that it’s Masha. I feel a glimmer of hope. She helped me once, maybe she’ll help me again.
Masha cocks her head, giving me a pouty smile. She walks towards me, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor. When she stands in front of me, I get a whiff of her expensive perfume.
“Masha,” I say, desperately.
The man pulls my hair, craning my head back. Masha leans forward, grabbing my chin. Her red lips part slowly, and she takes in a soft breath.
“Mia, Mia, Mia. I’m very sorry about what will happen to you tonight. But, I did warn you. Now you’re going to find out what happens when you cross my husband.” She stands up straight, narrowing her eyes. “And Leo will soon find out what happens when you cross me. I’ve waited long enough for my revenge.”
I’m shaking with terror for Leo. “Your son, Leo didn’t want to kill him. Kreston was talking about awful things.�
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Masha looks to Yury. “Do you mind?”
Yury shrugs. “No. Just not in the face.”
Masha glares at me, then rears her fist back. She punches me sharply in the stomach. The air rushes out of my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath.
“Have some respect for the dead,” Masha scolds, then turns on her heels, and walks off.
I’m left alone in this empty warehouse, with two of the scariest men I’ve ever seen. The man holding my hair sticks his nose into my neck, and takes a deep whiff.
“Let’s give her a try before the others get to her,” he says.
“No, Vlad,” Yury says. “We aren’t authorized.”
Vlad clamps his dirty hand on my thigh, and scratches his way up to my hips. “No one will know.”
Yury sighs impatiently. “Follow your orders. Throw her in with the other one.”
Vlad grabs a handful of my flesh before releasing. “I’ll just have to be first in line. I want you while you’re fresh, which you won’t be for long. Those guys know how to make a mess of things.”
I want to drop to my knees and scream. I’ve never felt fear like this before. It grips every cell in my body. But even if I’m not really steel, I can pretend I am. I won’t give these goons the satisfaction of know how much they frighten me. I harden my gaze, and give no reaction to the disgusting things Vlad says.
Vlad pulls me down the hallway by the hair. He watches me warily as he unlocks a door, then swings it open. I hear a whimper, and my gaze is directed to the center of the room.
“Dani,” I say.
She looks up at me with blinking eyes. Her mouth is gagged with a thick cloth. She’s strapped to a chair, her wrists bound behind her back, and her ankles tied together. She’s wearing a skimpy dress, revealing dark, ugly bruises up and down her legs. It’s cold in here, and she’s shivering violently. I desperately want to run to her and set her free, but I can’t.
“You two know each other?” Vlad laughs at his own joke.
He slams closed the heavy door behind him, and turns the lock with a thunk. He lets go of my hair, shoving me away from him, then searches for a folding chair like Dani’s. While his back is turned to me, I contemplate rushing up behind him, and elbowing him in the back of the head. But if I don’t knock him out immediately, he’ll turn on me, nastier than ever.
Vlad sets the chair behind Dani, so they’re back to back.
“Please,” he tells me, gesturing to it.
I harden my expression as I sit down. Vlad ties my hands and ankles together. He shoves a cloth in my mouth, then wraps tape around my head to hold it in place. I can feel Dani behind me, but I can’t talk to her, or touch her. Despair descends over me. They know Leo’s coming. They’re waiting for him. And we’re all going to die.
Vlad sits in the corner of the room, openly gawking at our bodies. Is this what turns him on? I wonder. Helpless women, bound and battered? Pop was right. This family is rotten.
My position becomes uncomfortable very fast. My shoulders are too extended, and start to throb. I can’t imagine what Dani’s feeling, or how long she’s been here. I have no concept of time passing. When the lock on the door starts to turn, we could’ve been there two hours, or ten minutes.
Yury enters with an intense look that sends a chill up my spine. He’s holding a small amount of shiny black fabric, and tosses it to Vlad.
“Get her dressed,” Yury says, bluntly, then leaves.
Vlad holds the fabric up, and I see it’s a dress. It’s so short, I know it will barely cover my ass.
“This looks nice,” Vlad says. “Do you like it?”
I glare at him. Vlad stands, and walks over to me slowly. He holds the dress in his fist, and shoves it in front of my face.
“Mr. Nabatov was kind enough to buy you a dress. Do you like it?” Vlad asks.
When I hesitate, Vlad grabs Dani’s hair, and bangs the back of her head against mine. A painful ringing invades my ears.
“Yes, yes,” I mumble through the cloth.
“That’s better,” Vlad says. “Maybe if you’d shown a little respect, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Vlad pulls a switchblade out of his pocket, and works on cutting the ropes that bind me. To my shock, he cuts Dani free too. She stands carefully from her chair, grimacing in pain. Her hands go to her gag.
“Leave it,” Vlad orders. He throws the dress at her. “Get her ready.”
He stands just feet away from us, holding the knife threateningly, as Dani helps me undress and get into the dress. I could be embarrassed about him seeing me naked, but I choose defiance. I take off all of my clothes, not attempting to cover myself. Vlad looks a bit disappointed. Obviously, he likes his women to feel victimized.
I squeeze into the dress, forcing the fabric over my thighs. It reveals an obscene amount of cleavage, and like I suspected, barely covers my ass. When I’m ready, Vlad ties Dani back to the chair. He grabs my arm and pulls me over to her.
“Say your goodbyes,” Vlad says. “This will be last time you two see each other.”
I give him a look of disgust. Something comes over me, and I yank the gag out of my mouth. I lean down quickly and whisper into Dani’s ear.
“We’re getting out of this.”
Vlad curses in Russian, pulling me back so hard my back bends painfully. He shoves the gag back into my mouth.
“It’s time, Mia,” he says, raking his rough hand up my bare thigh.
I hold Dani’s gaze for as long as I can. I don't exactly believe what I said, but I wanted to leave Dani with some hope. Besides, the fight’s not over yet.
Chapter Nineteen
———————-
Leo
I’ve been here since before dawn, perched on the rooftop, waiting. I’ve had difficult missions in my life, but this has been the worst. I saw them drag Mia in, and the way those two animals were pawing all over her. It took all of the willpower I had not to blast them right then. I have to keep my cool. I can’t fuck this up like last time.
It’s starting to get dark. It’s almost time. With all of the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I struggle to keep my hands steady. When I hear footsteps coming up behind me, I whirl around, drawing my knife.
Vince holds his hands up. “Easy there. Just wanted to let you know that we’re in position.”
I take a breath, and calmly flip over to my belly. “Good. I’ll wait for the signal.”
“It shouldn’t be long now,” Vince says. “The Russians look like they’re getting ready for a party. I’ll see you after, bro.”
I take my eye away from the scope, and squint at him. “You aren’t scared I’ll mess things up again, are you?”
Vince smirks, looking up at the sky. “This time you won’t, I’m sure.” He lays his hand on my shoulder. “Not with the family helping you.”
Vince goes back down the roof, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I look back through the scope. I haven’t seen Mia since they first brought her there. I’ve seen Anton going in and out, which means he’s not with her. My trigger finger would shake every time I saw his ugly mug, but I couldn’t kill him. Not yet. I have to make sure Mia’s safe before I kill him, so his guys don’t turn on her.
The warehouse is starting to fill up. The reds don’t have their families with them, and it’s mostly men. The vodka starts flowing immediately. The reds are drinking, howling, and flexing their muscles. They seem amped up for something. I get the feeling that this is far from an innocent family affair.
Anton isn’t anywhere to be seen. I’m scanning frantically through the crowd when I hear footsteps walking across the roof. I think it’s Vince coming to tell me a last minute detail, so I keep my eye on the scope.
Something hard probes painfully into the back of my head. I hear the familiar sound of a slide being pulled back, and a bullet clicking into the chamber. Another pair of footsteps walks up by my head. I immediately recognize Anton’s boots. He crouches down.
; “Here for the show?” Anton says.
I look around carefully. He has two men with him, and who knows how many I can’t see. The one with the gun to my head is that asshole, Yury. I want to punch myself for being such a fucking idiot and letting him sneak up on me, but I can’t think like that. I have to stay alert and focused if I want to get out of this.
“Leo, I’m ashamed of you,” Anton says with mock disappointment. “What kind of coward shoots people from the top of a roof? I thought your father raised you better than that.”
I start to sit back on my knees. Yury pushes the gun harder against my head.
“Stay where you are,” Anton says. “You don’t want to miss this.” He takes out a pair of binoculars from his jacket pocket, and looks through them. “And there are your friends. What a good formation. It would work if we hadn’t been expecting you.”
I breathe through my teeth, promising myself that the first chance I got, I’d push Anton off of this fucking roof.
“Okay, here we go. It’s the lady of the hour,” Anton says. He pushes my head towards the scope. “Go on. Look.”
———————-
Mia
I’m led into the main part of the warehouse by Vlad, who pushes me violently in front of him. My hands are tied behind my back. There’s at least twenty men. They are howling, beating their chests, and grabbing their crotches. They splash vodka all over me as I pass by. It runs into my eyes, making them burn.
Vlad takes me to a wooden table, and forces me to lie on my back. The length of the table is too short for me. My legs hang off, until Vlad spreads them, and ties my ankles in that position. The men circle around me. Their monstrous faces blend together, their mouths wide open and leering. Some are already starting to take their pants off.
Vlad doesn’t leave my side. He pulls out his switchblade, then starts to cut up the middle of my skirt. The cheers coming from the crowd are loud and terrifying. Vlad is careless with the knife, and nicks at my inner thighs. He’s getting closer and closer to my pussy. I squirm away, scared he’s going to cut me there.
Witness: A Dark Mafia Romance (Romano Brothers Book 2) Page 28
