by Ashley Jade
I snatch her hand and squeeze it hard while leaning in close to her ear. "Oh, Scarlet...that's where you're wrong." I give her a sinister smile. "She's special enough to make me have to pretend that you're her in order to get me to fuck you again." I laugh and back away. "But you, Sweetie? You're just a desperate, pathetic, mess—one who was never anything more than a convenience for me."
I brush my thumb along her cheek. "And if you ever insult her again? You'll be swallowing your goddamn teeth."
I give her a wink and zip up my fly. "After all...I am a DeLuca. Rumor has it you really don't want to piss us off."
Fear flashes across her face and she gulps. "I-I'll never bother you or her again. I-I promise."
I open the door and make my way back through the club. That's when I notice a crowd of people gathered by the bathrooms and hear the familiar sounds of Jackson pummeling the shit out of someone.
Fucking hell...I thought they went home.
"You ruined her life and now I'm gonna ruin yours," Jackson growls right before he unleashes another punch.
I part through the crowd just as some girl shrieks, "Someone call the police! I think that's the mayor's son."
I look down and sure enough? It does appear to be a very bloody and battered Dean Gaffney Jr getting the shit beat out of him.
I can't say the fucker doesn't deserve it because he definitely does...but still...this is going to be one hell of a mess to clean up. Especially now that I notice a few people are filming the entire thing.
I'll take care of them in a second. My first order of business is to stop Alyssa from getting between them.
I wrap an arm around her waist and haul her the fuck out of the way.
I calculate the split second before Jackson's next punch and that's when I slide the shithead's body out of the way and hand him over to Freddie and Jimmy—two of DeLuca's men I had come with me tonight since Emilio is watching over Lou-Lou.
"Put him in the SUV and wait for my instructions," I tell them. They nod and a moment later they're gone.
Jackson's starting to come out of his haze but that chick is still going on and on about calling the cops.
I walk over to her, take her little flip phone in my hand and proceed to snap it in half. "No one is calling the police," I boom. My expression warning everyone not to fucking cross me.
I hear a few audible gasps, but no one says another word. Not even when I walk over to the three dip-shits who had their phones out recording what happened and stomp on all three phones until they're broken.
'Alyssa," Jackson says.
I give him a look and he gives me a small nod, letting me know he's back to himself now and he's fine.
However, Alyssa looks like she's about to shit a brick...but seeing as she's Jackson's girl, that's his problem to handle.
My problem's currently waiting in the SUV for me.
I walk out and motion for Frankie and Jimmy to step out of the car.
Since prick-face is still passed out unconscious in the backseat, there's no threat of him running away.
I point to the both of them. "This is how it's gonna go. Neither one of you are going to say a word to DeLuca about this."
They look taken back. "But—" Jimmy starts.
"But nothing. Let me put this into terms that you two boneheads can understand. You two owe me a favor. And that favor consists of you not remembering anything about tonight and keeping your traps shut."
I take out my gun. "Because if you say a word—Hell, if I even suspect you said anything—" I move my gun between their faces. "The last thing you'll remember is this beautiful sight right here. My Beretta 92'...right before I make you suck it off and I pull the trigger. Capisci?"
They nod and start to walk away, but I'm still not done.
"And gentlemen?" I say, halting them. "Just in case you forgot something...I'm the one and only person who's able to take over for the current DeLuca. Therefore, if you're good to me...you'll find I can be very accommodating to you both in the future."
I aim and shoot my gun between their feet and they both jump back. "Or I can be your worst nightmare. The choice is yours."
Frankie takes a step forward. "What do you need us to do, Boss?"
I pat him on the shoulder. "You know what, Frankie? You just became my favorite. And boy, do I have a job for you."
He understandably looks confused. Until I point to the brand new Mercedes that belongs to Dean. "You're gonna wrap that car around a tree."
He nods and I point to Jimmy. "And you? You're gonna strap the motherfucker down and fetch me a bucket and some bleach."
"Don't worry, I took care of everything," I assure Jackson later on that night at his apartment.
He looks unconvinced. "How?"
"I had a few of DeLuca's men waiting on deck, just in case something happened. Plus, I was in the wings myself. I wish I got to you sooner, but I didn't see you go into the bathroom. I thought you left because I saw you both head out for the exit."
I grimace when I think about Scarlet. I decide it's better to lie so I don't have to get into it with him. "I stayed back chatting it up with some hot redhead. Then I heard the commotion."
I run a hand through my hair. "You fucked him up bad, Jackson. He's got some serious damage. On the bright side, he was so zonked out of his mind he doesn't remember shit before or after. He had no idea he was talking to Alyssa in the bathroom or that he got into a fight."
I smirk as I remember the events from a few hours earlier. "I had Freddie wreck his car and stage it like he got into an accident because he was too stoned. I also issued him a warning. Not only did I tell him that you were in DeLuca's circle and ran with him. I mentioned that if his memory about tonight were to ever come back, he and his car would be found at the bottom of the Atlantic."
"Thanks. I owe you," he says before pausing. "But what about DeLuca's men? What if they say something to him?"
I jerk a shoulder up. "They won't. They owe me a few favors. But, if DeLuca finds out, I'll handle it. I don't really see him flipping out over some stupid bar fight, anyway. He's got much bigger shit to worry about. It's not like you ended up in jail or on the news."
It's true. This won't even be a blip on his radar. Besides, I know Frankie and Jimmy aren't going to say anything. Not if they know what's good for them.
"Shit. What about the cell phones? It was the mayor's son. You know someone will be more than willing to sell the footage to tmz or post it online."
"Took care of that too," I say.
"What if you missed one? Then what?"
I consider this for a moment. If that's the case I'll just have to issue a warning. "Then we take care of it."
I look around, hoping to change the subject. "So where is Alyssa?"
He spends the next few minutes telling me how he ended up watching the video and that Alyssa put two and two together and figured it out before he could confess. He doesn't even need to tell me he regrets it...it's written all over his face and I honestly feel bad for him.
My rage begins to build when I think about why he's currently in the predicament he's in.
"Fucking Lou-Lou," I growl. "She doesn't know when enough is enough. Always causing problems."
It doesn't even come close to the real reason I'm so angry with her...but since I can't tell him about that...it's a blanket statement that I know Jackson will buy.
"Yeah, but it was still me who watched it," he says. "I have no idea how the hell to fix this."
Usually, I'm pretty good with dishing out advice to both him and Tyrone, but seeing as I'm in a very different but yet similar situation...the only piece of advice I can offer up is, "Maybe it's best to just leave it alone and let it perish. Some things are better that way."
And it's true...the fact of the matter is, these girls have done nothing but complicate both our lives. And the longer we stay with them, the worse it will get.
My heart kick starts as my mind flashes back to all the good things about Lou-L
ou.
Even though she hurt me...I just can't bring myself to say that being with her wasn't worth it.
Everything about her was and will always be worth it.
She challenged me daily, sure. But she also loved me fiercely, with each and every one of her broken pieces.
Hell, her broken pieces filled in my own broken fragments, putting me together for the very first time in my life.
He shakes his head. "No. She's special. I can't let it end like this."
Dammit, Jackson—stop saying shit that makes sense .
Stunning myself, I decide to give Jackson the best advice I have...because I've been in his position before.
I know how he can fix this. Because I fought for Lou-Lou once and it worked. And I'll be damned if I'm not going to fight for her one more time.
I stand up. "Then do what you do best." When he gives me a weird look I say, "Fight for her, dummy."
He scans the living room until his eyes fall on what I can only assume is Alyssa's purse.
I can't help but smile, because he's got the perfect excuse to go see her now.
I'm still smiling...until he utters his next statement.
"I need another favor."
"What's up?"
"Can I borrow your car?"
I pace back and forth in front of her door and check my watch.
2am...and she's still not home.
I call her phone again but all I get is her voicemail. Maybe it's dead?
I call Emilio's phone again, but his goes to voicemail too.
With not many options left, I pull out my key and enter her apartment. I drag a chair over to her front door and sit.
I'll give her a few more hours to get the fuck back home.
After that, I'm taking matters into my own hands.
Chapter 16 (Lou-Lou)
I place a hand on my belly and draw in another deep breath.
Then I do the calculations again.
In a few days, I'll be 9 weeks along.
Which means, if I don't do this now...I'll miss the very small window of opportunity that still exists.
The only opportunity.
I have one chance to make it across the tightrope and this is it.
I climb into the backseat of the car and Emilio looks at me in the rearview mirror. He doesn't say a word, which is smart because I'm beyond pissed at him for putting drugs in my purse.
At least, I think it was him.
Tyrone would never do that to me, and although Jackson's not my biggest fan, I'm almost positive he wouldn't do that to me, either. Emilio's the only one who could have done it.
However, he's also the only one I can trust and rely on currently. In part, because he knows my biggest secret.
I rub my temples and groan. I'm so tired of being at everyone else's mercy.
I'm about to open my mouth and tell him that I know it was him and demand a reason why...but exhaustion sweeps over me and I stifle a yawn instead. "How long until we get to the airport?"
"Not much longer," he responds. "If you want, you can take a nap and I'll wake you when we get there."
I glance out the window, seeing as we'll be arriving rather shortly, I decide to stay awake. Besides, I can always sleep on the plane.
My eyes become glassy when I think about the current state of my life. I'm pregnant, the man I love hates me, and worst of all?
I'm left with no other choice but to hope that my terrorist can save me because no one else in the world can.
God, it's such a familiar theme.
The bars to my cage are closing around me once more, the air around me becoming suffocating.
Considering how my life has turned out, you'd think I'd be used to this constant state of claustrophobia...but I'm not.
Instead, I find myself making the same wish over and over again, just like when I was a little girl. 'I want to be free.'
A tear falls and I want to curse myself for falling apart right now. I've gone over this a thousand times.
And yet, my stomach churns when I think about what I'm going to have to do in the next 8 hours.
I ball my fists at my sides. This is the only way, I remind myself yet again.
I have to make DeLuca think he's the father.
I've thought about all the other options and none of them will work.
I can't run away because DeLuca will find me. I can't hide the pregnancy because everyone will notice in another month or two, thanks in part to the ring girl uniform I'm forced to adorn.
And I can't, under any circumstances tell Ricardo.
My nausea gets worse and I reach into my bag for a ginger snap. When I lift my head, I notice we're passing the field that Ricardo took me to for my birthday.
I press my forehead against the glass of the window. God, I'd give anything for a dandelion right about now.
Two actually.
Fuck my own freedom...I'd only wish for theirs now.
I rub soothing circles over my belly— I'm not sure if it's more for the baby or me at this point.
I won't let you become DeLuca, I'll raise you to be like the amazing person your actual father is. I silently vow.
I look down. And I'll love you more than my own life...because I already do, Thumper.
I lean back and smile when I think about DeLuca being so much older than I am.
I smile even wider when I think about the fact that there's a good chance he'll kick the bucket before he can influence my baby in any way, shape, or form.
My heart practically leaps from my chest at my next thought.
Maybe then Ricardo and I—Correction—the three of us can find our way back to each other and become a family.
I close my eyes, not only clinging to that hope, but dreaming of it as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 17 (Lou-Lou)
The first thing I realize is that I'm a lot groggier than I should be from waking up from a nap.
The second thing I realize is that I'm not at the airport, and I'm certainly not on an airplane.
I take in my surroundings. Everything is both familiar and not familiar.
The white walls, the cold and hard gray floor. Hell, even the frigid temperature.
How can I not know where I am but yet recognize this place?
The light above my head flickers and my eyes fall on the steep spiral staircase.
And that's when I realize exactly where I am.
DeLuca's mansion. Or rather, the basement of his mansion.
I've only seen the basement once...the night I heard the most horrifying screams coming from down here and I couldn't help but investigate.
I only made it four steps down the spiral staircase when DeLuca screamed at me to go back upstairs to my room. He warned me the next time I came down here without his permission would be my last.
I shudder at those words. I shudder again when I note that there's no way to escape from down here.
I know the entire layout of DeLuca's mansion, the basement is the only room that doesn't have a secret escape hallway.
At least not one that I know of.
But that still doesn't explain why Emilio brought me here in the first place.
Unless...he was ordered to.
Oh, God. DeLuca knows.
I take a step forward and try and steady myself. Clearly, I was drugged. But how?
I curse when I realize it must have been the ginger snaps. I say a silent prayer that whatever he used won't be harmful to the baby, and if it is it won't be that bad considering I only ate one.
I feel around the pockets to my jeans for my cell-phone but, just as I suspected, it's not here.
I come to the conclusion that I have one of two options.
I can try and walk up that spiral staircase, knowing the door will be locked when I reach the top, and that me trying to open the door will most likely trigger Emilio or someone worse to come down here.
Or...I can scope the basement out and try to uncover some way of escaping.
&nbs
p; I lift the small area rug and feel around for a floorboard of some sort but there's nothing.
I feel around the walls next, hoping to come across a groove that will somehow lead to a hidden room or hallway.
When that doesn't work, I walk over to the door of the only room that's down here, but of course, it's locked.
I weigh my options again. I could attempt to kick the door down, knowing there's only a 25% chance that my 105lb frame could actually manage to do it.
But then, I'd also yet again be taking a major chance of the sound prompting someone to come down here. Not to mention, there's no guarantee that whatever's on the other side will be helpful in the first place.
Rock meet fucking hard spot.
Either way, I refuse to just stand here and do nothing.
I'm about to go on another scavenger hunt, but then I hear the latch to the basement door open.
Despite wanting to, I can't bring myself to turn around.
I hear the click-clack of heavy footsteps walking down the spiral staircase and I stand up straight.
Every muscle in my body tightens and I know I have to do whatever it takes to overpower him.
I once read about a mother lifting a car in order to save her child, due to how much adrenaline was flowing through her.
There's no way Emilio's stronger than a car, so I've still got a chance.
The footsteps come closer and an eerie feeling washes over me.
My senses tingle and overwhelming awareness barrels into me like a freight train.
It's not Emilio.
"DeLuca," I exhale at the same time he says, "Bambina."
Every part of me wants to slink down to the floor and cry my heart out. This is my worst nightmare and yet hope keeps taunting me, telling me I can make it across this tightrope of doom if I just steady myself and focus.
Fear is useless right now.
Fear will get us both killed.
Fear is the mind's cruel way of playing tricks on you.
Fear accomplishes nothing...it's only a deterrent to a goal.
I turn around and face him. "DeLuca," he repeats bitterly, his eyes piercing into me, no doubt pissed about me addressing him by his last name for the very first time.
