Page 25 of Loving the Enemy
Vince swears he gave Michael the order to take Papà down. Maybe they are right, and it had to be done. I remember my childhood, my teen years, and early adulthood—everything. The horrible and ruthless things he did make my stomach turn. He had to be stopped. The sickening worsens when I realize that if they hadn’t, I’d be married to Victor right now and not hanging here waiting for my fate. I can’t help but laugh. I’d rather be here. This I can and will survive. Victor would have killed me, of that I know for sure.
I should have talked to Michael. I should have told him how I feel. I should have told him I finally understand why he did the things he did and that I forgive him. I should have… but I didn’t. Now I can only hope he finds me and I will get the chance to make it all right. He will know how I feel about him, and I will never take him for granted. If I learned anything from this experience, it’s to never wait to tell someone you love them.
My body is stiff. I feel so nasty. My muscles burn from not being able to move from this position for… hell, I have no idea how many hours I’ve been strung up like this. There is light still shining in the room, so at least I can conclude it is still daytime. There is a clock in the corner of the room. I can’t see its face, but the ticks of the seconds are loud and ring in my head. I hear no other sounds, except for the footsteps that sound as if they are approaching.Footsteps? Oh God, please…
I fear what’s about to come as the door flies open. “Well, well, Zaira, don’t we look pretty tonight?” a man says as he walks into the room. I can’t see him, and I don’t recognize his slightly broken English. He’s not of Italian descent. I would say more Hispanic, perhaps.
He walks around so I can see his face. “Do you know why you’re here, love?” He tugs at the duct tape securing the cloth in my mouth. When he has pulled off all the tape, he asks again more sternly, “Do you know why you are here?”
I am unable to speak at first from the dryness in my mouth, so I shake my head. He grabs my hair and pulls on it hard. “When I ask you a direct question, you will give me a direct answer. Understand?” he yells.
“Yes.” I cry out in a raspy voice that makes my throat sting with pain.
“Yes, what?” he demands.
“Yes, sir!”
More calmly, he says, “Now, that’s better.” He pauses to brush non-existent wrinkles from his shirt. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Zaira, do you know why you are here?” He is in my face now, and his angry snarl does nothing to ease my fear.
“No, sir,” I reply weakly.
“I thought so. Well, let me tell you. My name is Romeo Gallardi, and just a few days ago, I proposed a very lucrative deal with your husband. It was a deal I expected him to accept immediately. When he didn’t, well… let’s just say I was very offended. I’ve sent him two messages this evening. First, I’m sure the Vitali mansion will need some pretty extensive repairs. We spared lives ’cause, well, after all, this was just a warning. The second message is you. Basically, if your husband doesn’t accept our deal, well, then we kill you. It’s that simple. His words are music to my ears as I realizeMichael knows I’m here! Thank God!
Relief washes over me, and suddenly, I’m not as scared as I was before. No matter what has happened between us, I know Michael would move heaven and earth to save me. He will come for me.
“And is it necessary for me to be tied up like this?” God, my throat hurts. That was probably not the best thing to ask, but surely he can see how incredibly uncomfortable this is. Right now, I know my life is spared because this man needs me. One thing I learned from my father is it’s all a game. Never put yourself in a position where your life has no value to the enemy.
He shakes his head. “No. Not necessarily so, no. But I have to say you look rather hot like this, and we need to send your husband some home movies and perhaps some pictures too.”
He pulls out his phone and walks around me, ensuring to get a close-up of my face. I hear the beeps on his phone, indicating he’s taking photos and video of me. “And after the pictures?” I ask.
“We’ll have to see how well you behave.” He lowers his hand with the phone and says, “Look on the bright side, love. You could be naked, and my boys here could be taking turns raping you.”
I shudder at his words as he walks out of the room, his men following close behind.
I also know Romeo knows better. If he allowed that to happen, Michael would kill all of them and ask questions later. Hell, Michael’s going to kill him anyway. And Darius? Fuck, I can’t imagine his fate. When Michael puts it all together, Darius will wish he were dead. The betrayal stings.Damn, I want to kill him myself.
For the first time in my life, I finally thoroughly understand how revenge can consume a person to the point of murder. My father was vengeful. Michael is vengeful too, but they are so different. My father was a bastard. Michael and I were raised the same way. We can’t help what flows through our veins and ties us to our families. We can’t change the life we are destined to live. It’s taken me a long time to understand this. A life for a life. I’ve heard it a thousand times. I finally get it. Because right now, more than anything, even getting free from here, I wand Darius’s head on a stake!
