by M. D. Melai
“You should have seen Violet,” he laughed. “When we came through the front door and she realized it was us, she knocked me over as she ran toward Dante.”
I couldn’t help but laugh loudly.
“She is freakishly strong, and I may have broken the table in the foyer when I lost my balance,” he said as he smiled.
“She missed him a lot.”
“Really? I couldn’t tell.”
It took me awhile to rein in my laughter.
“It’s good to hear you laugh again,” Emilio said as he placed his hand on my face and ran his thumb up and down my cheek.
I didn’t hesitate as I leaned in and kissed him. I had wanted to do it the moment I opened the door and saw him standing there. I had three months of missing him built up. I usually held back with him as I tried to protect my heart. Tonight though, I didn’t.
Chapter 3
I woke up late the next morning, not wanting to face the day. I wished I could just stay in the confines of my room. I didn’t want to go back to reality, so I opted to lay there for a few more minutes as I imagined the beach and the warmth of the water as it lapped against my feet. I knew today was going to be the first day of my changed life.
Emilio had mentioned to me the night before that I had a surprise today, but to not get my hopes up. It wasn’t going to be as good as it sounded. Just that thought alone kept me up most of the night wondering what was I going to face today.
I eventually got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I intentionally took an extra-long shower. When the hot water started to run lukewarm, I figured I had wasted enough water and time. I dried my hair on low, which took more time, and then I curled it.
Once I was done curling my hair, I looked in the mirror and realized that they were just not working for me today, so then I decided to straighten it instead.
I was doing everything in my power to avoid going downstairs. I knew I could only do it for so long before Violet or someone else came looking for me.
Today was supposed to be our first day back to work. I had missed work. I loved my job and it was going to help provide the escape I needed for a while. The time and effort it took to put together new projects would keep my mind busy.
Luckily, Violet and I hadn’t lost any clients during our extended vacation. Violet had called each one of them and vaguely explained what happened. They all offered their condolences and wished me a speedy recovery. They assured her that she and I would still have clients to come back to when the time was right and to let them know when we returned.
I checked myself in the mirror one last time, took a deep breath, and headed out the door to face reality.
As I made my way downstairs, I heard several voices coming from the living room. Violet, Dante, Emilio, and my father were all there as I came off the last step. As soon as they all saw me, they instantly became quiet.
Dante, Emilio, and my father all had straight, professional faces, whereas Violet looked worrisome and confused. My heart immediately picked up.
Why did Violet look so upset? And when did my father get here? Where was my mother?
This was not going to be good.
I could only assume I would be getting my surprise now. Although I half expected to eat breakfast and at least have a pleasant conversation before then, I should have known the moment I saw my father standing there that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary surprise. Emilio’s words echoed in my mind as they reminded me not to get my hopes up.
“Good morning, Liliana. You look well,” my father said as I approached him.
I hadn’t seen him since Christmas, and after finding out the most recent information about my family, I wasn’t sure how to act around him.
My mother’s words rang in my ear, “we are the same people we have always been,” and “treat everyone like you always have.” My father and I got along like oil and water on a good day, and the bad days were much worse. I couldn’t help but look at him differently. Right now, in this moment, I wondered what kind of man he really was. If everything I knew about the mafia was true, then how was I supposed to see him the same way?
“Thank you,” I said as I gave him an awkward hug. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked and then suddenly felt completely stupid. That wasn’t something I would have normally asked.
My father gave me a funny look before he continued. “Well, there are a few things I would like to speak to you about, and given the recent events, I thought some changes were in order.” My father motioned towards the couches.
I could feel the tension rise in the room as all five of us took a seat on the sectional.
What needed to change around here?
I thought maybe they might increase security or that I would have two bodyguards instead of one. I figured I would need more self-defense classes and attack drills, but those seemed to be all minor changes. The way my father made it sound, there were bigger changes to come.
My palms started to sweat and my heartbeat sped up as a million things raced through my mind. I nervously reached up to grab my necklace and strung my locket back and forth, waiting for my father to continue.
Stay calm, Lily. Just stay calm. Don’t freak.
“First, I would like to know how you’re coping. I haven’t had the chance to speak to you since your... kidnapping. I know it must have been very traumatic for you, and I’m truly sorry that we did not anticipate the move they made on you. You know we would have never allowed them to purposely touch you. Our informant was taken off guard by the Heinrichs sudden change of plans and we didn’t have time to react.”
“I’m doing okay,” I lied. “I think it will take a little more time to fully recover, but for right now, I think, mentally, I’m better than I was.”
“I’m happy to hear that you’re doing well. If you want to talk with a specialist, I can set up a meeting instantly, just let Emilio know.”
My fake smile suddenly fell. Why did everyone constantly ask if I needed to talk to someone? I was fine.
“There’s no need for that. I’m fine,” I assured him.
“Good,” my father said as he cleared his throat and continued. “Now since the Heinrichs decided to take it upon themselves to tell you about our family, I was curious if they happened to mention anything else they might have wanted or inquired about.”
Why was he so eager to know what else they had said to me? And if I told him what else they said… was he going to lie to me…again? I took a deep breath before I finally spoke.
“They talked about using me as bait to get some sort of document that you had. They really needed it, but they didn’t say what it was or why they wanted it.” I paused for a second and tried to think of anything else, but nothing came to me. When I looked up at my father, he was visibly upset with something I had said.
“Anything else?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I can’t remember anything else.” I had forced myself not to think about that night, and because of that, most of my memories were lost.
“It’s alright, Lily,” Emilio said as he placed his hand on my knee to stop the bouncing. I hadn’t even realized my leg was doing that.
“So, what exactly is this big surprise you have for Lily and me?” Violet asked as she changed the subject.
I was surprised to hear her say, “Lily and me.” I thought from her expression when I came down the stairs that she already knew. This new revelation just made me even more nervous. What was so big that even Dante couldn’t tell Violet? What was about to happen?
“Is that all you wanted to know Pop?” Dante directed his question at my father. “Or is it time to tell them?”
“I guess it’s time,” my father answered.
Violet and I both took a deep breath as we waited for him to continue. We exchanged looks of terror as we both awaited our surprise. The way Dante’s and Emilio’s bodies visibly tensed up, I knew this wasn’t going to be good.
“There are some things that ar
e going to change around here. We can’t be vulnerable anymore, and we can’t be careless with the safety of anyone here. It’s clear that they are after Lily and will go to any lengths to get her.”
There was that term again, ‘any lengths.’ Would the Heinrichs really go to any lengths to get me? And why me? Why was I the important one?
“Emilio, Dante, and I have come up with a solution to make sure that they do not get to Lily.” The way he said my name, the tone, it was different. “Elle, would you please join us?” my father slightly yelled.
Who was Elle?
I could hear the clicks of her heels as she entered from the kitchen. I heard Violet gasp before she even came into my view. As soon as I saw her, my jaw immediately dropped.
She was me.
From her head to her toes, she was my twin, my doppelgänger. Her hair was light brown. Her eyes were emerald green. She had light olive colored skin and her heart shaped lips were painted in my favorite color, jungle red.
My hand clasped over my mouth as I stood up. Emilio shot up beside me and squeezed my hand before letting it go and walking to Elle’s side.
“Lily, Violet, I would like you to meet Elle. Lily’s body double.”
“WHAT!” I heard Violet yell. Dante immediately reached to quiet her.
I stood there for a moment as I tried to wrap my mind around what I was seeing and what I had just heard.
“I’m with Violet,” I said finally finding my voice as I turned my attention toward my father. “What? Why do we need her?”
“She will be Lily outside of the house,” my father began explaining. “From now on you, Lily, are not permitted to leave the house without permission or unless it is for dire reasons. You are still to work, but only from home. Violet and Elle will be the ones to make the rounds to different clients and physically do the work. You’re just allowed to help brainstorm each location and the rest will be left up to them.”
“Are you freaking kidding me!” I said as my voice rose. “You want me to stay in this house? That’s NOT happening. You’re all out of your minds. I thought you all were crazy, but now I know you’re full blown insane,” I half laughed without meaning to. I saw that my father’s expression didn’t change. He just raised a disapproving eyebrow.
“Do you take pleasure in making my life hell?” I continued. “Is that what you do at night? Stay up late thinking, ‘how can I ruin Lily’s life today?’ No, no, no, no, hell no! There is no way I’m going to let you do this!” I snapped.
“It’s already done. Everything is in order to go into effect today. Lorenzo and Paolo are in charge of making sure you stay here. You have no other choice but to comply with this,” my father said firmly.
“Lily, normally I would be on your side for this, but can you just trust that this is necessary for your safety?” Dante spoke up for the first time.
“My safety?” I shouted back at him. “Do you know what I'm being protected from, because I sure as hell don’t, and you want to know why that is? Because, no one in this entire family will tell me!”
I glared at all of them before I grabbed Violet by the arm and led her into the kitchen. I opened the cabinet that held the plates and put one in her hand and grabbed one for myself.
This was how we had done things in Jamaica. It was my and Violet’s therapeutic way of releasing stress. On my count, we both smashed the plates on the floor.
I pictured each one of my family’s faces on each plate as I threw it to the ground. I was livid and Violet wasted no time following my lead as we grabbed one after the other until we ran out of both dinner and dessert dishes.
When we finally walked back into the living room, Dante had his hand over his mouth as he tried not to laugh, and Emilio looked mortified. My father just stood there with a disappointed look.
“Don’t worry father,” I said as I calmly passed him and headed toward the steps. “I’ll clean that up later, since I’ll have nothing else to do!”
“I don’t have to act like that, do I? I’m not sure I have that much crazy built up in me,” I heard Elle say from the living room, and then I heard her scream. Footsteps followed me all the way to my room.
“Did you hear her?” Violet seethed.
“Yeah, and then I heard her scream. What happened?” I said more irate than I normally would have.
“I hit her! No one insults my best friend like that. Bitch is going down!” Violet was furious. It was awesome. I would have laughed, but the fact that my life was now completely on lock down killed my humor at the moment.
“How does he expect me to deal with this?” I asked Violet as I paced back and forth in my room. “If I knew this was going to happen, I would have never come back from Jamaica! I swear it’s my father’s personal mission to ruin my life!”
“I’m not putting up with this. I already can’t stand her, how am I supposed to pretend she is you?”
“I think I can help,” Dante said from the doorway.
“Go away, Dante,” Violet and I said in unison.
“We’re both pissed at you too,” Violet added.
How could he or Emilio back my father up on this? I was infuriated at both of them.
“Please don’t be,” Dante pleaded as he stepped into the room. “I wasn’t thrilled about this idea at first, but this is the best thing.”
All he was missing at this moment was a white flag waving above his head.
He continued. “I will think of some way to get you out of here, I promise. And Violet, I’m the new bodyguard for Elle, so I will be with you and her the whole time. It won’t be as bad as you think.”
“That only makes me feel a little bit better,” she sighed. “But what about Lily? How am I…how are we supposed to leave her here every day?”
“Emilio will try to be here as much as possible, and she will have Lorenzo and Paolo here too.”
“This isn’t fair,” I complained.
“Can you at least try this out for a few weeks?” Dante asked. “If it doesn’t work out, then we can try something different.”
I already knew this wasn’t going to work. This wasn’t a good situation. I felt like a caged animal that was being backed into a corner. Anyone in their right mind should have taken notice that this wasn’t going to end well, for either side.
“Fine,” I agreed. I would try this out for a while, but only because Dante asked me to.
It took some convincing, but Dante and I finally persuaded Violet to go to work. I had to keep reassuring her that I was going to be fine. We both knew that if she didn’t go in, then we would lose our business. Neither one of us wanted that, so she reluctantly went and promised that she was going to ‘cut’ Elle if she stepped out of line. I did laugh at that.
After Dante and Violet had left, I immediately changed out of my clothes, wiped off all my makeup, and put my hair up into a bun. I laid on my bed and watched television for the rest of the morning.
It was around lunch time when I heard the front door slam and the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. I expected there to be a knock at my door, but nothing came. The rumbling in the room next to me told me that Emilio was home.
I contemplated whether I wanted to face him or not. He was as much a part of this decision as Dante and my father were. Maybe he could give me more answers as to why I was subjected to purgatory.
I opened my door and peered over into his room. His door was slightly open as I made my way over and knocked on it.
“Come in,” he called out.
I opened the door completely, walked in, and found him standing in front of his dresser changing his shirt.
“Lily. I didn’t expect to see you,” he said, confused.
I looked at him skeptically. “Why? I do live here and I have been ordered to stay in the house.”
“It’s just—” He stood there embarrassed.
“You just thought you would get in and get out without seeing me, huh?”
“Yeah pretty much,” he said with a sligh
t smile. “I didn’t think you wanted to see me.”
“I have some questions,” I said firmly, cutting to the chase.
“I don’t have much time. I need to get back to the office, so ask away.”
“Why?” was all I said.
He had finished buttoning his shirt and was now looking at me. He sighed for a moment before he moved closer to me and took my hand.
“Lily, this is so much more than you can understand.”
“I don’t know, I’m a pretty smart person, why don’t you try me?” I asked.
“This was my idea,” he started.
I pulled my hand away from him as I started to chime in. He hushed me before I could get the first word out.
He continued to tell me that the reason he thought of this was because he needed to know I was constantly protected. Even though he had the tracer on me, being on the outside still meant that I was too vulnerable. With me being inside the house that meant no one could get to me. He explained how he had upped security to level five and that meant that no one could approach the property without going through several checkpoints.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Emilio said. “But you have no idea how scared I was whenever you went missing. I thought I lost you forever. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself knowing that I could have prevented it.”
“So what happens if Elle gets kidnapped in my place? Are you and my father not concerned about her safety?”
“We are, but Elle knew the risk she was taking when she decided to help us out. She also wears a tracking device similar to yours. We have tabs on her at all times too.”
“I just wish you would have warned me. This is too much for me Emilio. What am I supposed to do around here?”
“You’re a smart girl.” He winked as he threw my own words back at me. “I’m sure you can think of something.”
Emilio’s phone beeped after that and he wasted no time as he told me goodbye, kissed me on the cheek, and headed out his door.
“This isn’t over,” I yelled as I heard him pound down the stairs.
“I know it isn’t,” he laughed out. “It never is with you. Oh and don’t forget to clean up the kitchen.”
