Anguish

by Elizabeth Knox

  Chapter Sixteen

  Aria

  As of late my life has been so surreal. In fact, there are days where I believe I’m living in a dream. Sometimes I think the darkest part of me wants me to believe I’m still stuck in that warehouse with the Chinese, being used and abused in every way possible. But when I wake up in the morning, I roll over to see the most glorious man staring down at me. My husband.

  Always watching. Forever protecting.

  Today is the last time Salvatore and I will be in Los Angeles for quite a while. Selfishly, I hope it’s the last time we’re here for years. While I’ve had great memories here, the bad heavily outweigh the good, and I’m done with looking over my shoulder to my past. The present is only about one thing, looking forward to my future which will no doubt be bright and filled with happiness. In just a couple of hours we’ll be on a flight to Seattle to reign the city as Mr. and Mrs. Moretti.

  I overlook the city from the balcony of our condo. “You look like you’ll miss it here, but I know better. You’re just excited for the adventure that’s to come,” Marcellus says from behind me.

  I turn my body to face him, a smile spreading across my face. “While I’d normally argue with you I can’t help but agree. I’m ready to spread my wings, and I think that I’ll only be able to do that far away from Father.”

  His expression says everything I need to know. He agrees with me completely. “He’s only held you back. Now is your chance.”

  I nod. “I know what you did.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “From the very beginning you encouraged Salvatore to marry me. Year after year.”

  “Yes, I did. I had a feeling that the two of you would have been a good fit together, and it seems like my matchmaking ways are accurate.” He chuckles the last bit as I make my way over to him and wrap my arms around his torso, hugging the ever-loving hell out of him.

  In every family there is a sibling that just understands you on a completely different level. Almost cosmic, or maybe it’s as if they can see your soul. I’m not really sure. I am certain of one thing, though. I believe that God has a guardian angel watching over me, and I know that my guardian angel is my brother. While I love my other two siblings, Marcel and I share a special bond. One that will never be broken.

  “Oh stop with the emotional stuff!” I hear Isa pop up from the living room. “We’ve got so much more packing to do.”

  “I’ve told you both that there’s no point in packing anything. My house is fully furnished,” Salvatore adds in, a grumble laced through his tone.

  “She needs to be cozy!”

  “And comfy,” I add.

  “Plus, it’s cold in Seattle, and she’ll need fuzzy blankets,” Isa says,

  “Maybe even my old duvet,” I comment lowly, seeing the amusement flashing through his eyes.

  “What will you two do being so far from one another?”

  Isa shrugs while she dramatically falls onto the chaise, “I’ll just have to take up a hobby I suppose, but don’t get used to me being gone because I’ll be in Seattle in just a few weeks for a visit!”

  The doorbell rings, and I walk through the living room, into the foyer and approach the front door. Scanning the screen, I see that it’s someone who I least expect - my father.

  I place my hand on the knob and open it, revealing myself to him. “Hi,” I say, it coming out as awkward as it feels. I haven’t seen him since my wedding, nor have we spoken since that day.

  “Hello,” His eyes gaze over me, some sort of emotion hidden behind those candescent eyes of his. “I wanted to come and wish you well, seeing as I won’t see you for a while.”

  For a while? I’m sure he means ever again.

  Maybe it should hurt my feelings that I won’t see him, but it doesn’t. In fact, I think it’s better this way. My father has turned into someone I no longer want in my life, nor in my future. He stopped caring after I was taken, almost leaving me to the wolves. No...wait. He actually did leave me to the wolves. He did nothing, made no attempts to save me, and that is why I will never be able to forgive him. He may be my father, and while I might still love him, I will never choose to surround myself with his betrayal or deceit.

  “I’m shocked you came here,” I confess, no longer seeing the need to be polite.

  “I wanted to see you before you left. Like I said, we won’t be seeing one another for a long time, and I wanted to give my daughter a hug before she flies away.” He wants to give me a hug? What sort of twisted joke is this? “Won’t you invite me in?”

  That’s it.

  “No, I’m not going to invite you in. Why should I even do that? You didn’t hug me on my wedding day or even wish your congratulations. You have treated me like I’m some infected animal ever since I came back from pure hell, not even looking at me half the time, avoiding me at all costs. For some reason the only person in our beloved family who thinks I matter is Marcel, so why on Earth would I invite you into my home?”

  He begins to open his mouth but then closes it a mere second later, knowing all too well that I’m right.

  “Go away, and don’t ever come looking for your daughter. Aria Funar is dead. I’m a Moretti now. and I will no longer allow myself to be walked on.” I slam the door in my father’s face and lock it, walking down the opposite hallway I head to the bedroom I share with Salvatore and grab a pillow off the top of the bed, pressing it to my mouth I scream. I scream with all my might, with all of the agony, pain, and treachery I have felt over the last few months. I let every single ounce of it out because this will be the last time I ever let it get the best of me.

  I wasn’t kidding. I’m a Moretti now, and never again will I let my past haunt me. No more. This is the end of it.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Salvatore

  It’s raining, yet again. I’d say this shit never gets old, but that would be a lie. The concrete jungle of Seattle has turned into a muddy mess, raining for days on end. No doubt the mudslides will start happening soon. It’s the worst part about living in the North-West.

  I kneel in the room of an abandoned warehouse, eye peering through the scope of my .308 sniper rifle, watching my target move from room to room of his penthouse. From this level, I have the best view of his entire home. I shake my head, seeing a bountiful redhead walking up to him and watch as she kisses his cheek and he gives her a harsh smack on the ass. My mark is a well-known, Seattle businessmen, Rico Vargas. His wife, Antonette caught him cheating and made a call in to the Arcane for us to handle her business. There’s a heavy life insurance policy out on Rico, one that covers our fee and leaves Mrs. Vargas with enough money to start a brand-new life anywhere she desires to be.

  It’s rare that we accept a hit that originates from a spouse, but in this case, I couldn’t help but accept. Rico here was found guilty on sleeping with a minor as well as sexually assaulting another. He didn’t do any prison time, my guess is because of the contacts he has in the courts. He’s a man with many connections, one who needs to pay in my eyes. The saddest part of it all is that he has three young daughters with his wife, and while he seems to at least be cheating with her on someone over the age of eighteen, he must atone for his past sins.

  I move my gun along with him, carefully analyzing when I will make my shot, and finally I do, right when he turns his head to look in my direction. I could have done it earlier, at any moment really, but I wanted to watch as I took the life from his eyes.

  He drops to the floor, and his girlfriend screams bloody murder from the looks of it, but I don’t pay any mind. I pack my gun away and get out of there in less than five minutes. Doing this so long, I now have a flawless system.

  It’s just past five in the afternoon, and the only place I want to be is back home with my wife - wife. It feels so odd to say, sometimes I think that marrying Aria was nothing but a dream. We’ve been in Seattle for a couple of weeks now, and I can see every day that Aria is coming more and more out of her shell. She w
as reserved at first, a bit quiet, but now she walks outside whenever it’s not raining, around the garden. She’s even bonded with my Russian Blue, Sampson, who hates everyone. When I come home from work, I often find them sitting together in the living room while she’s reading a book, my fat cat snuggled on her lap, purring away.

  ***

  I walk through the front door and spot Aria nowhere in sight. Usually, she’s around here somewhere. I pop in and out of rooms, at this rate I’m looking for Sampson, knowing that when I find the cat, she’ll be close.

  I go through the entire main floor before huffing after I see no sign of her, next I make my way up the grand staircase, weaving in and out of the abundance of guest bedrooms before walking into ours. I thought she might be in the shower. Sometimes she prefers to take them in the evening, but nope. She’s not here either.

  I run the palm of my hand over my face before walking down the hallway, going down the stairs and decide to head into the basement. There’s only one other place I think that she’d be, and off to the movie room I go. Right before Aria came back into the picture I had this room renovated, wanting to have a comfortable place to come to watch movies. Sometimes I think that because of my job I prefer not to be out in the public eye. So, when it comes to going out to the movie theater, I’d rather watch one from the comfort of my own home.

  Opening the door, I see her sitting snugly in an oversized chair with Sampson behind her head, staring at the screen. The unmistakable scent of General Tso’s chicken hits my nostrils. Walking up to her, I look down at the cheap container it’s in, shaking my head. “Before you say anything, this is way better than the fancy stuff.”

  She’ll be able to sense the disapproval in my voice. “You don’t need to buy the cheap stuff. My money is your money, mio dolce. You only deserve the finest things in life and no part of that is fine dining,”

  “It may not be your type of fine china, but it’s mine,” she says with a wink, laughing at her ridiculous pun.

  “You’re a Moretti, darling. It’s time to start acting like one.”

  Aria looks up at me with the most callous look on her face if I’ve ever seen it. “I may be a Moretti, but I won’t change who I am. If I want cheap Chinese, then I’m going to get it, because you were the one who told me I can have anything I want.” She says the last bit with a smile on her face, and this moment proves that I’m in a shitload of trouble when it comes to her.

  My dear wife seems to know she already has me by the balls.

  I plop down in the chair next to her, wrap my arm around her shoulder and give her a smirk. “What shall we watch tonight, mio dolce?”

  I only hope that everyday when I come home it’s like this, if not better.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Aria

  "Look at you, girl, you would look super hot in this. Salvatore would LOVE it!" I throw my head back and laugh, feeling normal for the first time in ages as my bestie, Isabella Ricci, shows me a teddy at this high-end lingerie store she insisted we come in. We have known each other almost our whole lives, and even though she is not technically a clan member, the fact that her father runs the books for mine, she has been a part of this world all the same. She knows everything and totally accepts it, including the caveat that one day she will get married to a man of her father's choosing.

  Salvatore has let us have a girls’ day, shopping on his own dime. Not that I feel too bad about that considering I was always shopping on my father’s before, but it is kind of different, being a wife. I feel more pride at it, actually. "Oh, please, I would be falling out everywhere," I tell her with a crooked smile. My body is a plump and curvy one, and I love it. I have no qualms about it, but there are certain things that flatter me and some that don’t. And what Isa is holding up is barely a string down the front of the body and across the top. "Maybe you should get it and save it for your wedding night," I suggest, in way prying her to see if she might be closer to that day. It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been allowed to just have girl talk like this, and I feel so left behind.

  "You may think you're too well endowed for this, but I am not endowed enough," she says, putting it back on the rack. She is tall and model thin, long straight as a board hair pulling up into a tight ponytail at the back of her head. She looks chic without even trying. I know both of us draw an eye whenever we go out together, but I am pretty sure the ring on my finger will make anyone look the other way now, which after what I have been through, I guess I am okay with.

  I can’t say I am used to being Sal's wife yet, but it is not a bad position to be in. In truth, he saved me from a lot of things. He deserves my love and loyalty. Which I have been giving more of each day.

  I follow Isa to the clearance rack where she starts making faces at everything, making me laugh so hard my belly hurts. I take her by the arm and drag her out of there, plenty of other places to shop at. Though, we already each have a couple of bags. But shopping is not truly shopping without your hands full, right?

  But then as we walk along the sidewalk, heading towards a jewelry and purse boutique, I get a funny prickle on the back of my neck and glance around. I happen to notice a man in designer jeans and a hoodie pulled over his head across the drive from us. I try not to act different or seem paranoid, but I have a bad feeling. I know that my last name can still put me in danger, the only difference being I am much more secure in my husband’s ability to protect me than my father’s.

  I file his face in the back of my mind and move on for now, allowing myself to relax as we look through some of the jewelry and a necklace catches my eye. Isa grabs her own finds; a purse and a pair of earrings that look like they will make her ears ache after a couple of hours. But as we come outside again, I find myself looking for the guy again, and as soon as we walk into the next building, I swear I catch his reflection in the glass.

  As we continue to shop, I see him to more times in various poses, and I know it’s time to go. "Psst," I say, getting Isa's attention. "We need to go." I force her to look at me so she gets my means, and she nods before slipping her sunglasses on and talking to me about our finds today, heading for the car. It is a long walk, and my nerves are on edge. I know it’s best for us to look natural, but I pull out my phone and dial the phone number now listed under "husband". I need some reassurance of my safety.

  "Mio dolce," his voice comes in sweetly through the receiver, and I try to keep my voice quiet and calm.

  "There is someone following Isabella and I," I say. "I have seen him too many times for that not to be the case."

  "Get home, quickly. I will be here. You will be safe." I nod my head even though he can’t say it, and I can hear the anger and worry mixed in his voice.

  ***

  He is waiting there when I get inside, and Isabella is instantly taken to a room so we can talk. I know she will be safe, but as I look over at my husband, I begin to worry. I don’t like the way he treated her, sending her immediately away without a goodbye, and he looks furious.

  "Tell me what he looked like," he demands, and I tell him, though, I feel like I need to cower in a corner or something; something I don’t like feeling. I didn’t leave my father's clutches and Cheng's just to end up afraid of another man. So, I fight the fear and speak plainly.

  "At first, he just looked like anyone else, he had a hood on and jeans, but the more I saw him, the more I noticed he looked out of place. He had these hazel eyes and a very angular face. Kind of a long, pointy nose, and he wasn’t much taller than me but very muscular. He looked Italian or Romanian maybe, like us."

  And that is when the beast begins to come out. He reminds me of my father, and I can’t stand it as he begins to angrily give orders to figure out who this man was and how to make him pay.

  I stand up and place a hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes and silently beg him.

  Before anything can be said, his phone rings, and I know this is not good news. Whenever his phone rings at inopportune times, it is al
ways bad news.

  He begins mumbling into the phone and pacing so that I can’t understand him, but his animated gestures let me know I was right. What is going on? He hangs up and looks to me. “Your brother is missing.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Salvatore

  "Marcel is missing?" she asks me, and I can see the pain in her eyes, though my anger is still too close to the surface for me to give much comfort. Right now, I am in business mode. I need to figure out what has gone down and rather quickly or I could end up never getting to comfort Aria again. There is a threat out there, and I need to find out where the hell it’s coming from and rip it’s fucking head off.

  "No, not Marcel," I tell .her, my lips in a firm, thin line as she begins to understand. She nods, knowing that I mean Andrei. On the one hand, it’s best that the heir to the Funar clan has not gone missing, but on the other hand, it can’t mean anything good for Andrei as he is all but expendable. He is likely going to be used as bait in some way, and I don’t like it one damn bit.

  My mind races through all of our possible enemies and all of theirs to try and figure out where to start; who could have done any of this. I don’t think any of my personal enemies operate this way or that they would involve Andrei in this. And I don’t think either that the two incidents are unrelated. that would be too much for coincidence. So, that leaves other clans, the Italians, and the Chinese as the likely suspects here. I fume at the thought of Cheng’s men fucking with us again. is he that stupid? But then again, Aria said that the person following her and Isabella was clearly Romanian or Italian, which narrows it down even more.

  I begin barking orders to my men; phone calls that need to be made, people that need to be informed and secured in case this is a threat to the entirety of the Clans and not just Aria. It wouldn’t be the first time Mariana's life was in danger, and I am not leaving that to chance. Ion will know what is going on.