by J. S. Cooper
“Anabel, there’s a lot more to this story than you know.”
“What is it? Tell me what it is.”
“I can’t tell you right now.” I shook my head as I looked at her. “I wish I could tell you everything right now and I wish you would just let it go, but there’s a lot more to this story than you know. And I just, I just can’t tell you right now.”
“But, Luca, please? What about my friends?”
“He’s not going to harm Emily. He’s not going to harm Charlotte. Trust me on that.”
“But how do you know?”
“You forget Emily is Matteo’s. Mateo is my cousin. He’s a lot darker and deeper than you know. He will protect them.”
“But he doesn’t—”
“I called him on my way here.” I looked around the room to see if I could see any listening devices and I lowered my voice and leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “I called Matteo when I was on the way just in case. I know the way Enzo thinks. I’m two steps ahead of him, Anabel. He’s going to pick up Emily and Charlotte and take them to a location on the Upper East Side. They’re going to be okay. No one will touch them, okay? I promise you that. They’re safe.”
“Are you sure?” She looked at me, her eyes hopeful.
“I’m positive.”
“So then what do we do? If you think he’s not going to let us out of here until he knows where Fabiano is buried, what do we do?”
“I have to think. I might have to do and say some things that you’re not going to like, but you have to trust me, okay?”
“What do you mean?” She frowned and I could see that she was nervous. “What are you going to do, Luca?”
“It’s not going to be great and you might cry, and you might hate me even more, but I have to do these things.”
“What are you going to do, Luca? Tell me.”
I stared at her for a few seconds, my heart breaking for her. I knew I was about to put her through the most emotionally traumatic experience of her life, but I couldn’t help it. I knew that if I was going to save both of us, I had to do something that would shock and hurt her to her very core.
Chapter 16
Anabel
Looking at Luca, all I could think was how handsome he looked. He had on a crisp white shirt and blue jeans. It struck me that he looked more like a man and mafia boss than I’d ever seen before. Granted, I dated him when I was only seventeen turning eighteen and he was just twenty. But now that he was in his late twenties, he exuded an air of confidence, an aura of charisma, a magnetism that he hadn’t had when he was younger. Of course, I’d always been attracted to him. He was a gorgeous man, but yet this felt different. There was a chemistry between us that I couldn’t quite explain, even though I knew we hated each other, even though I knew I never wanted to see him again in my life, it lingered between us. I’d nearly ruined him and he’d nearly ruined me, yet there was still a heat and a passion that lingered on my lips for him. All I could think about was why? And how could I still want this man so badly that my panties were wet at the very sight of him. Was I absolutely crazy to still be attracted to this man that I knew was a killer?
“Anabel, Enzo’s going to come in here in a minute or so. What I’m going to do will shock you and it might make you hate me even more and that’s okay, but I’m doing it for both of us.”
“What are you talking about, Luca? What are you going to do?” I could hear the panic in my voice and I couldn’t stop it. I was nervous and I was worried. “Tell me, please!”
“Just listen to me, Anabel. I’m doing this for both of us. I’m doing this so we can get out of here alive. You have to listen to me very carefully. Okay?”
“Luca, you’re scaring me. What are you talking about?”
“I just want to...” The door opened then Enzo walked in, Giuliani standing behind him.
“Okay, Luca, time’s up? So what’s it going to be?”
“I don’t know if the bitch is worth it.” Luca turned to Enzo, disdain in his voice. “Like you said, she’s a slut. I don’t need a slut in my life. There’re plenty of sluts all over the place. I don’t need another one.”
Enzo looked surprised. I felt hurt, but I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t know what to think. I just stood there trying not to cry.
Giuliani laughed and walked over to me. “I told you, you’re a slut, girl. No one wants a piece of you.”
“Asshole,” I whispered under my breath and he stopped and looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“What did you just say to me?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. I didn’t need to antagonize him. I just needed to be quiet. Luca said he had a plan. Luca was going to get us out of here. I had to trust him as much as I could. I didn’t want to trust him, but I knew he had my best interest at heart, at least more so than Enzo and Giuliani. They didn’t care if I died or lived. I knew that. I just had hoped that Luca cared enough still. We’d been in love once. I knew that he’d loved me. I was counting on that past love to get me out of here tonight. And I was counting on that love to protect me and to protect my friends.
“I don’t know if this is worth it to me, Enzo.” Luca looked back at me and his eyes ran over my body in disdain. “She’s not the pretty young thing I knew years ago. Years ago she was a virgin. Years ago, she was untouched. Now, who knows?”
Enzo looked between me and Luca, and I was pretty sure he could read the expression on my face. There was hurt, deep anguish and pain.
“So what you want to do then, Luca?”
“I want to fuck her,” Luca said. “I want to fuck her hard. I want to see if her pussy is still tight. If her pussy is tight, it means she hasn’t had too many men. If her pussy’s loose, she’s been around too much and I don’t want her and you’re not going to get any information from me.”
“What?” I screamed. “You’re not going to touch me.”
Enzo laughed. “Ha, and you thought he was your savior. All he wants is a piece of that ass.”
I could see Luca grimacing slightly, but then it left his face. My heart felt like it was going to be ripped from my body. Suddenly the world started spinning and the room seemed to be closing in on me. Everything that I thought I knew, everything in my life was about to change. Luca was even worse than I’d thought him to be.
“So what do you want to do, Luca?” Enzo asked him again.
“I think you know what I want to do, Enzo.” Luca walked over to me and his hand touched my breasts lightly. He squeezed them and then stood back. There was a slight smile on his face. “You let me fuck her, and if I like the goods, then you’ll get the information. If I don’t like the goods, well then, see you later. I’m out of here. You can do whatever you want to her then because I don’t care. You know as well as I do that she’s already turned me into the feds once. Who’s to say she won’t do it again if I take her?” Luca looked and sounded bored. “I’m taking a risk even being around her again. So if I’m going to take this chance, I have to make sure I know and I like what I’m getting.”
Enzo considered him and let out a deep sigh. “You better not be fucking with me, Cattaneo.”
“Would I do that?” Luca smirked. “I’m not stupid.”
Enzo nodded. “Okay. You got fifteen minutes with her.”
“No,” I screamed. “No, you cannot do that. That’s not fair. You cannot do that. Please, please don’t do this. It’s not right.”
Luca, Enzo, and Giuliani all looked at me. None of them seemed to be concerned by what I was saying.
“Boss, I’m going to watch. Yeah? Make sure no funny business goes on.” Giuliani looked at Enzo eagerly and I shivered.
Enzo’s eyes narrowed as he nodded. “Yeah. You can do that, Giuliani.”
Luca frowned. “Nah. I’m not having anyone stare at my junk. Both of you can get out of here.”
Enzo shook his head. “No, no, Luca. You want to fuck her, fine. Fuck her. Do whatever you want to her. I don’t care. Fuck her in the ass. Fuck her
in the mouth. Fuck her in the nose if you can fit it in, but you’re not going to do it while I’m out of the room. You’re not going to do it in private. You want a piece of her? Sure. But someone will be in here.”
“I don’t perform well with other people in the room.” Luca was clenching his fists now. “That’s not going to work for me.”
“Boss, you know we can’t trust him,” Giuliani spoke up again. And I felt like I was going to cry.
Luca looked over at me and he stared into my eyes. For a few seconds, I could see the compassion and warmth there. Something I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was at that moment that I realized Luca was doing this for me. Luca was doing this for us. He obviously had some sort of plan, even though I didn’t know what it was. But he said to trust him. And I had to believe that he was doing this to help us. He was acting. He didn’t believe the words that he was actually saying. As much as it hurt me, he had to have a plan. I knew he wouldn’t harm me just to harm me. At least I hoped he wouldn’t.
“Enzo, I think I’m going to leave now. I’m not putting up with this bullshit.” Luca shook his head. “This is not really what I asked for and I don’t really care about this bitch. So yeah, I’m out.” Luca walked toward the door and turned back to look at me. “It was nice seeing you again, Anabel. You’re still a pretty good-looking chick, but you know what? I got a better-looking chick at home. I think you’ve heard of her, Valentina Marchese. She’s a beautiful young thing, long thick dark hair, big beautiful eyes, a body to die for. Bada-bing bada-boom.” He kissed his lips and then he motioned his hips. “And when I fuck her, she screams my name like I’m the only man in this world.” He looked over at Enzo. “Enzo, have a good night. I’m done playing your games. I got a pussy at home so tight it makes me come as soon as I stick it inside of her. I don’t need this whore.”
I gasped at his words. Even though I knew he was saying this to help me, it still hurt. It still hurt because I didn’t want to think about him with Valentina Marchese, whoever she was. I didn’t want to think about him with someone else, and the pain that coursed through me at the thought of him in bed kissing someone else, touching someone else, fucking someone else, it hurt.
“Wait,” I called out. “Please Luca, don’t go. Please.” My voice cracked. For even though I didn’t really think he was going to leave me here, the mere possibility of that being true was enough to frighten me and cause me to beg him. “Please, Luca. Please, I’m begging you. I don’t want to stay here by myself. Please help me. Do whatever you have to do.”
“Anabel.” He spoke softly. There were a mixture of emotions that crossed his face and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Enzo had a smile on his face, a smirk that made me feel that I’d played right into his hands. Giuliani looked confused. He looked at me, he looked at Luca, and then he looked at Enzo. I could tell that he was wondering if this was part of some elaborate scheme, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t part of any plan. I hadn’t wanted to beg anyone, least of all Luca, but he was the only one that I could trust. The only one that could get me out of here.
“Enzo, I need five more minutes with her.”
“Wow, a five-minute bang. Okay.” Enzo laughed.
“It’s not about a fucking bang, asshole. Get out of the room.”
“Or what are you going to do about it? What the fuck are you going to do about it, Luca?” He grabbed Luca by the neck and before I knew what was happening, Luca’s gun was out and at the side of Enzo’s head.
“You touch me again, I will blow your brains out and then I’ll blow Giuliani’s brains out before he can even blink, let alone grab his gun. Okay?”
Enzo swallowed hard. Even I was frightened and shocked. The gun had come from nowhere so quickly and there was nothing Enzo or Giuliani could do. Luca looked furious. His face was a mask of iron and steel. His eyes were hard. His muscles were clenched and he was ready. I’d seen him kill before and I knew he could do it again. I didn’t want to see it though. I didn’t care that Enzo had kidnapped me. I didn’t care that Giuliani had wanted to rape me; that his greasy fingers had touched my thigh and inched up close to my panties. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to see anyone else die; not because of me. I didn’t care that they were bad men and deserved it. I couldn’t see any more blood.
“Luca, please,” I shouted. “No,” I cried out and walked toward him. “Please? I can’t witness another murder. It almost killed me the last time. And there’s not been one night where it hasn’t been on my mind. I just don’t want to see this again. I cannot do this again, please.” And then I burst out crying. I was hysterical. Tears were rolling down my face and I saw Luca hesitate for one second, and that’s all it took. That one second of hesitation allowed Giuliani to come up behind him and put him in a headlock. His arm went around Luca’s neck and he squeezed it until Luca was choking. The gun fell to the ground. And the next thing I know Enzo was hitting him, punching his face, punching his gut, kicking him so hard that he doubled over. And even then Giuliani wasn’t letting go of his neck. Luca’s face started to turn purple and I screamed and screamed and screamed. “Let him go. Please, now, let him go!”
“Sounds like this bitch still loves you,” Enzo said with a laugh as he punched Luca in the face one more time. “Sounds like this bitch really still cares about you.” Boom. He hit him again, and a pool of dark red blood made its way from his split lip to the floor.
I knew I didn’t have much time to act. They weren’t going to stop beating up Luca. And now he had no gun there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t fend off two guys and I was too weak to stop them. I knew I couldn’t help protect Luca from them. But maybe there was one thing that I could offer them. One piece of information that might help us and get them to stop beating up Luca until he died. “Stop,” I shouted. “I have something you want.”
Enzo looked at me for a few seconds. “What, bitch?”
“I have the information that you want and need. Get your hands off of him. If you want to know more about Fabiano, just stop.”
“You know?” Enzo stopped. “You know where he is?” He walked toward me. “All this fucking time you’ve known and you didn’t tell me?”
I looked at his face and I swallowed hard. Then I looked at Luca. His eyes were bleeding and swollen shut. Giuliani was still behind him, squeezing his neck. “Tell him to let go of Luca. Tell him to stop strangling him now.”
Enzo turned to Giuliani. “Let go of him. He can’t do anything to us now.”
He let go. Giuliani let go of Luca and Luca stumbled back. He bent down to pick up his gun. They didn’t stop him. Which surprised me, but maybe they hadn’t noticed. Enzo continued walking toward me. “Okay. You’ve got one minute to tell me the information that I need or you and your boyfriend are both dead.”
Chapter 17
Luca
Everything was going wrong. Absolutely everything. The last two weeks of my life had been a nightmare and now I felt like I was in the worst sort of hell. My head was pounding, I was cut, bruised and bleeding from where Enzo had hit me, with his ring. I looked over at Anabel, standing there telling Enzo that she had information to give him that I knew she didn’t have. She had no idea who Fabiano had really been. And she certainly had no idea where his body was buried. I knew that for a fact. I’d made sure that I was the only one that knew where he was. I hadn’t even told Giorgio. I couldn’t afford to tell anyone where all the secrets were buried.
Killing Fabiano had been my retribution for many, many women. Killing Fabiano had been about a lot more than him trying to fuck Anabel. I knew she didn’t realize that. I knew she didn’t know that the man she’d been flirting with had been evil incarnate. I hadn’t wanted to tell her. Of course, I didn’t like her flirting with him. No one wants their girl flirting with another man. Especially a man like Fabiano. What Anabel didn’t understand was Fabiano would have taken what he wanted, whether she said yes or no. What she didn’t understand was her innocent flirtation would ha
ve led to them fucking that night. And not because she wanted to be with him in that way, but because Fabiano was a rapist and I knew that. But I hadn’t told. I didn’t want her to know about the photos I’d found in his apartment. Of her lying on my bed, touching herself, sucking me, riding me. Photos of her in the shower. Private photos that she would never want to be seen.
A part of me wondered if I should tell her. A part of me wondered if she should know every little detail about Fabiano. Maybe she wouldn’t have gone to the feds. Maybe we would still be together. Maybe in some weird cosmic universe she still would have loved me. Maybe she would have understood. But I tell her because I feel like I had to tell her. I felt like if she loved me, she would have trusted that every single thing that I did was for a reason. She would have known that I wasn’t just a cold-blooded murderer. Yes, I was in the mafia. Yes, I killed people. But I had a rule: no women, no kids, and no innocents. I did not kill just to kill. I knew she thought I had a temper problem. I knew she thought I was crazy. And I knew she blamed herself.
I knew she thought I killed Fabiano because she was flirting with him. But she had absolutely no fucking idea why he really had to die. She had no idea of all the other horrendous things that Fabiano had done. And I didn’t want to have to tell her. I didn’t want to have to break her fucking heart because the truth of the matter was Fabiano had also targeted members of her own family. Fabiano had robbed her mother at gunpoint. She didn’t know that though. Her parents thought that it had been a random robbery. I knew better. I knew it was Fabiano.
He had targeted her and he had a plan to go back and rob them again. He was going to rape her mother and he was going to make her father watch. And then he was going to kill them both. And then he was going to come for Anabel and rape her too. Because he hated me. And he hated me because I was the youngest mafia boss in Brooklyn. And he wanted to be me. And Enzo had promised him, if he took me out, he could take over my turf. I’d known Fabiano had worked for Enzo the moment I met him. I’d seen him at clubs with Enzo’s daughter, fucking like rabbits in dark corners. I wasn’t the only one that had disliked Fabiano. After he’d made Enzo’s daughter get her second abortion, Enzo had also had enough. And that’s why Enzo’s daughter didn’t talk to him anymore. She thought Enzo had killed Fabiano. And she thought he’d killed him in such a cold-blooded way, that there was nothing left of his body. Because Fabiano’s body had never been found. Only his severed head.
