“Are you doing okay, Mrs. Milazzo?” Victor asks, looking into the rearview mirror for a moment to check on me.
“I’m fine. Just eating my breakfast.” Which is amazing. This muffin is so sweet and fluffy. She packed me orange juice too. The kind in the box with the tiny straw. I don’t know what it is about those kiddy boxes of juice, but I love them. I don’t care what anyone says, the juice always tastes better.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes, Mrs. Milazzo. Just sit back and relax before your exam.” He stops at the red light, and I look out the window, getting lost in the thoughts of Carmine. Life has been different from what I imagined it would be with him.
It’s hard, and we fight a lot, but it’s always about him being overprotective and controlling. It’s always about me and his fear of losing me, and it’s hard to stay mad at him when he cares about me.
And I like to be called Mrs. Milazzo. There’s a flutter in my chest, the kind I get every time Carmine kisses me or is possessive. He’s insane when it comes to me, and I love it. I’ve never had anyone care about the way he does. With every touch, with every word, he is intense.
That intensity is why I love him and was so nervous to tell him I was pregnant. I knew it would happen soon with how often we have sex and how he refuses to never pull out.
I found out last night, and I have the test and packaging in my purse, so he didn’t see it. I want him to find out, but I want to surprise him. He’ll be so happy, and it makes me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. There’s doubt in the back of my mind, though, and I can’t help but wonder if this is all about the business transaction between us.
Once he gets what he wants, will things change between us? I’m in love with him, and he says he loves me. Well, he did once but hasn’t said it again, and I don’t want to pressure him. I place my hand on my stomach, knowing how much this will change my life—our lives.
I play with the ring on my finger. H was right. I’ve grown to love it just like I’ve grown to love him. I expected this life to be ugly, for him to be ugly towards me, and for me to hate everything about Carmine, but I don’t. He’s a diamond in the rough, just like this ring, and I couldn’t be happier.
The light finally turns green, and Victor presses on the gas. Straight ahead is the entrance to the school, and we get to the middle of the intersection.
“I wonder how he’ll react to you,” I whisper to my belly as I rub it, hoping our child is happy and healthy. “You’re all he has ever wanted.” And there’s that familiar pang in my chest again, the one telling me he never really wanted me to begin with but only wanted a baby. I was only a piece of the puzzle he needed to make his dream happen.
Would I be his dream?
My body is slammed against the door, and my head smacks on the window as metal crunches against metal. Everything slows as the car is pushed to the side. Tires squeal, and glass shatters, flying through the cab of the G-Wagon.
The car flips, and the vehicle that hit us reverses. Victor hangs in his seat; the only thing keeping him in place is the seatbelt.
“Victor?” I groan as blood rushes to my head. “Victor? Are you okay?”
Silence.
I hiss when I try to move my legs, and pain ignites across my thigh. I look down, and a piece of glass is sticking out of it. It doesn’t look close to the artery, so I should be okay, but I’ll still lose blood. Footsteps sound outside, and I tug on the seatbelt to get free, to try and get out, but it’s too late.
The door opens, allowing the sunlight in, and I cringe, holding my bloodied hand in the air to block out the sun.
“Hello, Delilah.” A dark, unrecognizable voice greets.
He crouches down, elbows on his knees, and his face comes into view. I know him. I mean, I’ve seen him around. He is in a few of my classes; he transferred into them around the time I signed the contract with Carmine.
“I’ve been watching you for some time.” His hand reaches out, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I get paid well, too,” he says. “So pretty, Delilah. I hate this has to happen, but Milazzo can’t have you.”
“Please,” I beg him. “Don’t do this.” I tug on the seatbelt, trying to get free, but I know it’s useless. I’m trapped.
He pulls out a knife and cuts the seatbelt free, catching me with an arm by wrapping it around me before I hit the car’s roof. “I got you,” he croons. “It will be all right.”
He drags me from the car, glass catching onto my clothes. The shard in my leg moves, and I cry out in agony. “Aw,” he pouts as if he feels sorry for me. “That looks like it hurts.” He wraps his hand around the piece of glass and yanks it free. I scream and sob at the same time.
He should have left it in. I’ll lose more blood now.
“Mmm.” He licks his fingers clean of my blood, and my stomach turns. I roll over and vomit, the orange juice and muffin wasted. “You taste delicious. I’m hired for a specific reason.” He slides a needle into my arm, and I whimper. What if it hurts the baby?
“No,” I beg, tears wetting my face as I try to get away. “Please, don’t do this.”
He injects me, the medicine clouding my judgment quickly, and his voice sounds far away. “You won’t feel a thing.” He lifts me into his arms and places a kiss on my cheek. “I’ve been instructed to give Carmine little pieces of you. I’ll send fingers, toes, arms, legs, and everything else. He has to know he can’t fuck with the Romanos.”
“Help,” I croak, weakly, sounding more like a groan. My vision blurs, and I notice we are the only cars on the road.
He opens the back door to the ruined SUV he’s driving and lies me down across the seat. My limbs feel heavy. I can’t move.
“No one can help you. I made sure of that,” he says, slamming the door shut.
Shutting my eyes is easier as we move. I can’t handle watching the motion of the car. I try to open the door, lift my arm and reach for the handle, but my limbs are too heavy to move.
Sweat breaks out over my skin, the wound on my leg throbs, and my head hurts. Blood wets the seat below me. I don’t want Carmine to find me like this, but I hope like hell he does. I don’t have my phone with me, so there’s no way for him to track me.
Tears drip down my cheeks, and I think of the memories I’ve created with Carmine—the sweet ones, the bad ones, the arguing, the love, the baby.
Our baby.
The baby we will never experience together.
The car stops, and the driver’s door slams, causing an ache to spread through my head. He opens the back door and drags me out, lifting me into his arms. I don’t know where we are going, but I hear the creak of metal.
Opening my eyes, I notice we are behind a large building and have just stepped into a cellar. He closes the door behind us and descends the steps before flipping the light on. I wince from the brightness, and I’m set in a chair. I groan, unable to fight him as he pulls my arms back and ties my wrists together. He does the same to my feet.
Lifting my head, I sway, trying to open my eyes. I notice old lab equipment and a metal table off to the side. There’s a stained plastic curtain blocking the stairs. When the blurriness creeps into my vision again, I squeeze my eyes shut and take a breath.
“He’ll find me,” I slur, trying to scare my captor. “He always finds me.”
“How? You don’t have your phone, Delilah. You have no tracking device on you at all.” He lifts a large knife into the air, and the light reflects off it. “I think we will start small. A pinky finger to give him a warning.”
“Why not…” I try to focus on my words. “Why not just take me to Romano?”
He laughs and slides the knife under my chin. “Silly little girl. You truly know nothing of this world. Romano won’t be associated with you. It’s a way to keep his hands clean. He can say he never touched you. I’m paid very well to make sure I handle all the dirty little details. I’m a professional.”
“I see,” I mumble, my fingers tingling from the tightness of the ropes. “Why…” I swallow. “Why now? Why stalk me and go to my classes?”
“I had to learn your schedule, to make sure you were really with Milazzo. I don’t kill unless I’m certain I have my target.”
“Carmine will pay you more not to kill me. I’m worth more than anything Romano could pay you.” I don’t want to tell him about the baby because I’m not sure how he’ll react. What if he finds joy in cutting me to pieces so he can hold the little bundle of cells forming? I can’t risk it. “I swear, anything you want, any amount of money is yours.”
“I’ve been very loyal to the Romano family for years. Nothing could make me betray them.”
He slices through a piece of my hair and brings it to his nose. His eyes close as he inhales, his body trembling from the scent. “God, you smell so fucking good. A shame to destroy such a beautiful thing.” He tucks my hair into his pocket. “For later.” He winks at me.
I gag again, but I hold it down. I don’t want to show him he is affecting me. I can’t afford to show him so much weakness. He’ll get off on it.
“You’re sick.” I roll my head across my shoulders, the dizziness making it hard to keep my head up.
“I’ve been called worse.”
He drags the knife down my chest, cutting through the material of my sweater and exposing my skin. I roll my lips together, holding in a scream as the tip of the blade kisses my flesh.
“Your skin is like butter. It’s perfect.”
“Please…” A tear breaks free from my lashes. “Please, don’t do this. I’m begging you. I’ll do anything.” A sob shakes my shoulders. “I don’t want to die.”
“Oh, I know. I know you don’t,” he croons at me, straddling my lap as he hugs me. He rubs his fingers through my hair, and my tears drop onto his shirt. He smells of cigarettes and sweat. The smell causes me to turn my head so I can breathe. “I know you don’t want to die. No one truly wants to die. How about this,” he cups my face, and his brown, lifeless eyes dart between mine, “I’ll make sure you’re already dead before I start cutting parts. I’ll kill you quickly. It will be fast. You won’t feel a thing. You’ll be here one second, and in the next…” he curls his fingers, explodes them free from his palm and blows. “Poof. You’ll be gone. It isn’t a kindness I give to everyone because the best part of my job is hearing the screams, the pleas.” He leans in, tilting his head as his lips come close to mine. “Fuck, I love the pleas, but I find you very beautiful. I’ll give you that peace.”
There’s no getting out of this, I realize. I’m going to die. As I accept my fate, I stop crying, stop begging, and let the tears dry on my cheeks.
If I had known the last time kissing Carmine was truly the last time, I would have savored it more. I would have savored him more. I’ll never be a mother, and I’ll never give Carmine what he truly wants.
“How will you do it?” The question is completely monotone as I stare over his shoulder, and as he swings his leg off me to get up, my thigh throbs from the wound. Blood pulses out, dark and oozing.
He grabs a needle from the counter and holds it up. “I’ll inject you with a medication that will paralyze you, then another that will stop your heart. You’ll fall asleep, and you’ll never wake up. It won’t feel like you’re dying.”
I nod, still weak from whatever he injected me with earlier. I tilt my chin and stare at my flat stomach, tears falling to my thighs.
I’m so sorry, little one. Maybe in another life we will have what we deserve.
I’m devastated. I want this. I didn’t think I did when I met Carmine, and he gave me the ridiculous contract, but I want this life with Carmine and our child.
“Unless…” he suggests, rushing over to me.
I keep an eye on the needle he has in his hands, and his other one skims down my face. “I’ve watched you for so long and find you so beautiful. What if you became my partner? Just me and you? I studied this scenario so many times. Do you know how hard it was to find a place to bring you? I wanted it to be a place that meant something to you, to me too. I watched you in your classes and knew whatever I needed to do had to be done here. And when I searched the campus and found this cellar, it was like a beacon shined down on it. Like this was meant to be. We were meant to be.”.
I’m left with a decision to either die or to kill him.
Only one option gives me the chance to kill the man who kidnapped me.
He leans down, face directly in front of mine. “What do you think? Do you want to join me?”
My fingers tingle as life is breathed back into them. I focus on that, studying how my body is coming back to life. I hold my head up and look into his lifeless eyes, nothing but corruption and insanity staring back at me.
“I would rather die than have anything to do with you. I couldn’t stomach the thought of being by your side.” I reared my back and throw myself forward, slamming my forehead against his nose.
I won’t go down without a fight, though.
He screams, holding a hand over his face as blood trickles down. “You fucking bitch!” He backhands me across the face and then grips my chin, red pouring from his nose into his mouth. “You just signed your death warrant.”
I gather all the saliva I can and spit in his face. “Fuck you,” I sneer. “The moment you kill me, you’ll be dead too.” I smile, knowing Carmine will come for me. I don’t know when or if he will make it in time, but this man is dead when he does.
The idiot comes closer again, and his eyes drop to my lips. He inches in, and with a throbbing head, I still gather enough strength to hit my forehead against his nose for the second time. Bones crunch, and this time, he howls in agony.
“You broke my nose!”
And I don’t care what I have to do to keep him busy. If it means I have to break every bone in his face, I will.
Even if it kills me.
