Strapped: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (24 page)

I
run
from the building and out onto the street, my mind whirring while I try and figure out where Sophia could be. Which way did she run? Where did she agree to meet her mom? Why the hell don’t I know anything? It’s unbelievably frustrating. Couldn’t she have left me a note or something? Couldn’t she have just damn well told me what she was doing? If she wanted to meet her mom, I would have understood! I would have taken her there myself, for crying out loud!

Because I have nothing to go on, I jump into my car and I start to race towards the café where she met Arial. Of course, deep down I know that it’s unlikely she headed there again after what happened last time, but I don’t know what else I can do… and I certainly can’t do nothing!

Ring, ring.

When my phone blasts out in my pocket, I grab it quickly, totally ignoring the law as I continue to speed through the city. It could be her, and that’s all I care about. She might be ringing me, putting an end to this madness, letting me know exactly where she is. By now she must have realized her mistake and she’s come back to me.

Please come back to me Sophia, please know that you can trust me!

But it isn’t Sophia, it’s Diego. I sigh deeply, but answer anyway because he could have some information for me – I would take anything at this point.

“Man, she’s been taken. Liam saw her. She got piled into a van by a couple of Irish dudes.” He doesn’t even understand how serious this is to me and he sounds worried. He can barely get his words out because he’s freaking out so badly, which almost makes me feel sick. This is bad,
really
bad. If the Irish have Sophia, it means that they’ve gotten to us before we can hit them. The ball is now in their court, which I hate. I like to be in control, and it’s killing me that I don’t have it here.

“Fuck,” I yell in frustration, punching the steering wheel in anger. “Where did they take her?”

“I don’t know. He’s on the trail now. Come and get me, I’m at Teasers. I’ll get Liam on the line and we can join him too. We need to get on top of this before shit gets real.”

Oh how right he is!

“Be there in two,” I yell, doing an illegal U-turn in the road. I don’t even care right now, even law enforcement can’t stop me. Sophia needs me, and I’m willing to go to prison to stop anything bad from happening to her. I’ve managed to keep out of jail so far, but maybe my luck is about to change.

This is fucking terrible news, but it’s also a lead to Sophia, which is something. It means that I have a specific target and that I don’t have to hunt for a needle in a haystack. I just desperately hope and pray that we get there quick enough and that she doesn’t end up getting hurt.

I’m coming, Sophia,
I think to myself.
Don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith in me.

Of course, all of this means that the worst has happened, and that she’s been betrayed by her mother too, but I’m trying not to focus too hard on that part. I just want Sophia back in my arms, where I can pull the pieces of her back together. If I thought that she was broken before, then what I’ll face when she gets back will be on another level. She will be absolutely destroyed!

But I’ll cope. We both will. We’ll be alright in the end, we have to be.

“Get in,” I yell, as I scream the car up to the strip club. Diego wastes no time in jumping into the passenger seat, allowing me to see that he still has Liam on the end of the line. “Put in on loud speaker,” I command. “I want to know everything that’s going on.”

“We’re on Main Street,” I heard Liam yelling. “It looks like these guys are heading out of the city. Shall we keep on following?”

“Yes,” I demanded sharply. “Don’t let them out of your sight. We’ll be there soon enough.”

Liam keeps talking, telling us everything that’s going on, and I keep my foot down hard, moving the car as quickly as it will take me. My head stops spinning wildly, and I start to get that laser sharp focus that will help me to get the job done. With my head in the game, I can allow my emotions to slip to one side, and I can concentrate on the clinical side of things. I can be logical and sensible, which is great because it means that I won’t make any more stupid mistakes.

“Okay,” he eventually says in a more hushed tone. “He’s pulled up now. They’ve gone to an abandoned warehouse… should we follow them?”

“No,” I insist. “Just keep an eye on the place, don’t let them leave until we get there.”

My sharp focus allows me to channel my energy into something productive. For the first time in a very long time, my brain isn’t thinking a thousand things at once. It’s only focused on one.

I’m going to get Aiden, and I’m going to kill him. I don’t care how, but I will get it done.

As we eventually reach the location that Liam has directed us to, it makes me feel even more determined. This is an abandoned warehouse in the shittiest part of the world that I’ve ever laid eyes on – it’s like a scene from a horror movie, the sort where people end up with their body parts scattered everywhere – but that isn’t what’s going to happen here.

I’m going to get it sorted in the calmest way possible. I need to get Sophia back to me. I’m going to kill Aiden, that’s a given, but now that the control has been taken from me, it’s going to be clean and smooth.

The sooner that this is over, the better. The quicker I can find out where my real life stands. I need to know where my future lies before it drives me crazy.

“Has anything been happening?” I ask Liam in the place that he’s hiding.

“No, we can hear noise but no one has gone in or out after they took Sophia in. We’ve had our eyes over the entire building, so I can be sure of that.”

“Okay,” I nod seriously, trying to decide what the best move for us will be. “So we don’t know exactly how many are in there or anything?”

“Erm, no. Two men went in with Sophia, but there are probably more in there. I don’t know what the plan is here, but I can imagine that it involves more than a couple of people.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” I agree with him. “So what do you think we should do?” I figure that I might as well get myself some advice from the man who has been there for much longer than me. “Do you have any ideas?”

He sighs deeply before answering, proving to me that I’m probably not going to like what he has to say. “I think we might have to call your dad. This might take more men than we have at the moment, and I don’t think it’ll be wise to act by ourselves. Getting us all killed won’t help anyone… least of all Sophia.”

There’s something in his eyes as he says these words, something that suggests to me that he might actually understand more than he’s letting on. Maybe he can see right through my façade, and he actually sees that my feelings for Sophia run much deeper than I’ve been letting on.

To be honest, it’s a relief. I want to be open now, I no longer care about holding anything back. I want the world to know what she means to me – especially when I consider the fact that I could die here today. Not only that, but some of my men could be killed too. I feel like they should know just what they’re fighting for.

“I don’t know what it is about her,” I confess, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders. “But I can’t let them take her from me.”

“Oh, I know,” he tells me quickly. “We can all see what an impact she’s had on you. The wedding might have started out as some crazy plot for peace, but everything that’s happened afterwards is you guys. Why do you think we’re all here, man?”

I look at him square in the face, and I can see the smile there. He’s really serious about this – he’s here to help me out. He knows that Sophia is the love of my life, they probably all worked that part out before I did, and they’re here to help me save her. That thought is quite overwhelming – however these guys were brought into my life, they really are like brothers now. We’re there for each other, through thick and thin, and that’s absolutely wonderful.

“Thanks, bro,” I tell him, smiling as brightly as I can. “I really do appreciate it.”

“Buddy, you have spent your entire life chasing skirt and screwing around. This girl has managed to tame you – if that isn’t worth fighting for, then I really don’t know what is! I would suggest that there will be wedding bells soon… but we’ve already been there!” He teases, lightening the atmosphere somewhat. “Now let’s get this nightmare over and done with, so you can get back to your one true love.”

“Okay,” I sigh, pulling my phone from my pocket. “I’ll call my dad now and get this done.”

The phone rings for far too long, which means that my dad is ignoring me. He
always
has his phone by his side, and he never lets it ring… unless he’s pissed off with you. He’s clearly still bent out of shape about this whole Sophia thing, and he isn’t willing to let it go quickly.

“What?” He says sharply, as he eventually answers, making me instantly regret my decision. We might need his men, but my dad really isn’t ready to forgive me.

Never mind, I have to try now.

“Dad? The Irish have Sophia. They’ve kidnapped her and now they are probably torturing her…”

“So the decision has been made for us.” He sounds bored by it all, which makes me sick to my stomach. If everyone else can see that I love Sophia, why can’t he? How can he be so callous about her life?

“Dad, they are making you look weak. They think that you’re a mug and that you’re bowing down to Aiden’s rule.” If empathy isn’t going to work, then I need to try something else. “Do you want to be defeated looking bad?” If there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that my dad hates having his pride hurt.

“Okay, you have my attention,” he finally replies. “You want me to sort out Aiden and put an end to this, fine. Just tell me what you have in mind and we’ll go from there.” Before I get the chance to answer to answer that back, he continues in his commanding tone. “Just know that this has nothing to do with the girl. This is because of our family, and what we represent.”

“Of course,” I reply, rolling my eyes secretly to myself. This is the lecture that I’ve spent my entire life growing up with –
the family, loyalty, respect
– only now I can see that it’s always been crap. It’s never
really
meant anything. No one has ever truly followed it. What we should have been told is
power, greed, violence.
That would be much more accurate.

“Okay, well here’s what I think we should do…”

For once, I have him listening to me, so I might as well take full advantage of that.

A
s I start to stir
, I shuffle under the sheets, trying to work out why the hell it’s so uncomfortable. Enzo’s bed has always made me feel very warm and safe before, so what’s so different now? Why does everything feel so cold and hard? And why does my body hurt so much…

Wait!

I sit up with a shot as memories flood back to my brain – the phone call with my mom, the runaway operation, the kidnapping…

The Irish have me once more.

“Well, hello there, sweetheart…”

As soon as I hear Aiden’s voice, a cold chill runs right through me. This is serious now, he has finally gotten his hands on me after all his failed attempts, and I’m sure that he has something terrible planned for me. He hasn’t worked this hard to get me here for nothing.

I want to be able to keep my cool and to act like I don’t care, just for my pride’s sake, but my heart starts to pound noisily, my mouth runs completely dry, and I can already feel myself shaking. I’m certainly not facing an almost certain death with bravery, that’s for sure. In fact, I’m more terrified than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

“It’s very nice to see you again.”

He comes into the light, and shows me his face. I instantly shrink away from him, unable to see him as anything other than the terrifying monster that he’s become in my mind. He might have been in my life for a very long time, but now the man who was practically my uncle is gone. His stubble seems messy and terrifying, his wide eyes look much less friendly and madder than I remember, and his oversized figure isn’t comforting, it’s putting the fear of God into me.

“What… what do you want?” I stammer, really betraying how I’m feeling.

He laughs loudly and nastily, causing a bolt of panic to shoot sharply through me. This is like a worst nightmare come true, and I can’t see any way out. I flick my eyes around the room, seeing nothing but walls. Thick, metallic looking walls that aren’t going to let me out however hard I try. I don’t even know where I am, so I wouldn’t even be able to escape if I got out of here. I could be in a different state for all I know!

“I just have some questions for you,” he says, holding his hands up in a mock
defeated
gesture. “That’s all.”

Hmmm… I’m sure.
He could have just called me if that was the case, but I decide to play along anyway.

“Okay, well, if that’s the case then just get it over and done with.” I try to steel myself, preparing for some torture. He’s going to want to find out about Enzo, and I won’t give him anything. I refuse to betray my husband no matter what, and even if it kills me, it’ll feel worth it because I’m doing it for him. “Just ask already so I can get out of here.” I know that I won’t, but it doesn’t hurt to at least act confident.

“The first thing I want to know is where are Arial and Freddie?”

Huh?

Arial and Freddie?

It takes me a minute to wrap my head around that one. I was expecting him to mention someone in the Italian mafia, so this really does blindside me. Why would he care so much about two seemingly insignificant people? It makes no sense… unless the whole point of this is just to confuse me.

“Erm… I honestly don’t know.” I tell him. “The last time I saw them, they were threatening my life. Then I haven’t seen them since.”

“So they weren’t killed?” He demands, baring his teeth to me as he steps closer. “Only they were my closest confidants, so to have them gone is upsetting, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

Mom lied.

Either Aiden has her totally fooled, or she lied to me.

“I don’t know,” I reply sharply. “I thought that Arial was
my
closest confidant, so it seems like I know nothing about them at all.” I fold my arms across my chest, trying my best to protect myself from him. I know that I can’t do too much, but survival instinct has kicked in and I have to do
something
.

Although I can’t help but be curious as to where they are. Did they run away after the incident? Or did someone get them? Did Enzo kill them after all? Did I just blank that out?

“Okay, okay,” he laughs to himself. “You know nothing – goodness me, I didn’t think you were going to be so screwed up about that. Now, next question. Where did your father keep the money?”

What?!

As he throws another question at me that I wasn’t expecting, I find myself shaking my head in despair. What the fuck is going on here? Why does this make no sense at all?

“What money?” I snap back, needing some sort of explanation here.

“What do you mean what money?” He asks, his tone turning angrier now. “You fucking know what I mean, I know you do.”

I rack my brain, desperately trying to work out what he means before he starts to get physical – I will do anything to avoid that if I can – but I’m coming up with nothing. I can’t remember my dad
ever
mentioning any money to me. We never did really discuss business after all.

“I’m sorry,” I admit fearfully. “But I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no idea where any money is.”

“Don’t fuck with me,” he yells, grabbing onto my cheeks far too roughly. He’s trying his best to intimidate me, and I have to admit that it’s really working. “I
know
that you know where it is. Your mother told me.”

“My mom?” I can’t help but cry out in response. Why the hell does she seem to be so central to all of this? It’s absolutely bizarre.

“Yes, she told me that you were much closer to your father than she was.” A statement that’s actually probably true. They might have been married, but I honestly can’t remember hearing a conversation between them that wasn’t about credit card bills.

Then again, I might have been closer to him, but it didn’t do me any favors. It didn’t protect me from this world.

“Mom’s wrong,” I reply. “I don’t know anything about any money.”

“Do you want it for yourself?” He snarls. “Are you planning on using it to help run the Italian mafia, now that you belong to one of them?” When I don’t reply, he steps even closer to me, then a sharp, shocking pain blasts across my face. He hit me! “You little slut!”

I rub my cheek in agony, as tears fill my eyes. Things are only just starting in here. Now that Aiden has overstepped that boundary, things are only going to get worse. I might not know much about this world, but I know that.

“I don’t care about any money,” I choke out. “If I knew where it was, I would tell you.”

“No…” he shakes his head in an overly dramatic fashion. “No, of course you don’t want me to have the money. You don’t want me to be able to successfully run the Irish mafia.”

All of a sudden, everything makes sense. The reason that Aiden has been laying low ever since he killed my dad and took over, is because he hasn’t got any finances to back his missions. He hasn’t got any money to plan any attacks, and the fact that he’s resorted to me means that he’s getting desperate.

A spark of hope reignites inside of me as I realize that we all actually have a hope in hell of surviving this if Aiden doesn’t have anything. He’s nothing without that cash, which is perfect.

“I don’t know,” I tell him again. “If I did I would just tell you already, so you might as well let me go.” My tone is bored, which I know will wind him up. I need to keep him talking until I can work out a plan. I’m sure that I can figure something out now, I just need some time.

Unfortunately, he might not have money, but he does still have his fists. As he connects with my cheek once more, I think I can taste blood. The pain is agonizing and all consuming, but I do my best to keep my scream inside. Now that I know I have something of the upper hand, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’s gotten to me.

“Just tell me,” he yells. “Just fucking tell me already.”

When I don’t respond, I feel his foot slam into my chest, which totally knocks the wind out of my body. I gasp for breath, starting to feel a cold panic work its way up through me, but Aiden isn’t done with me yet. He kicks again, and a final time, until I’m hot and dizzy, about to be sick at any given moment.

Then he leans down and he whispers into my ear. “You
will
tell me where that money is, or I’ll have you begging for death.”

* * *

A
fter putting
the fear of God into me, Aiden leaves me alone to stew on my thoughts for a while. I know that he isn’t too far away because I can hear muffled voices in the next room, but he isn’t with me and that’s enough for now.

Come on, Enzo,
I pray in my mind.
Come and get me already, I didn’t mean to leave you, I never should have made that horrible mistake again. I was a fool. I know better now.

But of course I know that he isn’t coming. If he doesn’t totally hate me for running out on him, then he has no idea where I am and that kills me. Why was I so stupid? Why didn’t I just tell him about meeting my mom? Why did I allow my mom to get under my skin with her craziness?

Idiot!

The door swings open, and that horrible sick feeling fills me up again. He’s back and I know for a fact that he’s here to torture me some more. I’m still sore and bruised from the last beating I took, so if there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that this one is going to hurt a hell of a lot more!

“Have you thought about it?” Aiden asks in that fake sugary tone that chills me. “Do you have an answer for me yet?”

I sigh deeply, wishing that I could get it through to him. “Do you think I like being beaten up by a man three times my size? Do you think that I’m that desperate to protect the enemy that I would allow myself to get this hurt?” I need to find a way to get through to Aiden, I need to say whatever will get through to him.

“I don’t care,” he tells me, walking towards me with a smug smile on his face. I don’t like that one bit – it means that he has something up his sleeve. “I think that you should get it over with and tell me already… or did my threat mean nothing to you?”

“Aiden?” A shrill, familiar voice rings out behind him, causing my heart rate to kick up another notch. “Do you have an answer yet?”

“Not yet, sweetie,” he smirks at me.

Sweetie? What the fuck?

Then I see her, my mother, wrapping her arms around the man who’s been trying to kill me, and placing a kiss on his lips.

“Don’t worry,” she smiles at him with love in her eyes, and I quickly spot the diamond ring sitting where her wedding ring once was. “She’ll give it up eventually… won’t you, Sophia?”

“Mom?” I gasp in shock. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” she snarls with a nasty rage in her eyes. “You and your dad were always so
close
. He always loved you so damn much.” My heart pounds as she looks at me with sheer hatred in her eyes – how can a mother give her daughter that look? “He always talked about you, wanting you to have an amazing future… I bet he even left it to you.”

Her face is right by me now, and she’s all but spitting at me. I open and close my mouth a few times, wanting to say something to negate her stupidity, but I can’t seem to find the words. It’s almost like I’m too much in shock.

“Give it up,” she pulls back, and for a second I think that she’s going to hit me. “Aiden and I need to have a future together, and we need that money for it.”

What the fuck?

How the hell am I going to get out of this one?