Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“I can’t,” I say but Matvey isn’t listening. He grabs my arm and drags me, and when I try to struggle, he whips his right hand across my face, his knuckles biting deep into my cheek and eye, making me gasp. I blink back stars, staring at him in shock.
Luca never hit me. Not once, not even when I struggled. Matvey has known me for a minute and he’s already slapping me across the face, and if I marry this man, I know it’ll get worse.
He’ll beat me until my life is over.
“You can,” he says simply. “Stop fighting. Don’t make me hit you again.”
“Good boy,” Damir says approvingly.
Matvey drags me on. Out the door, down the hall, to another door tucked in the back corner of a large, expensive kitchen. He unlocks three bolts, pulls it open, and flips on a light.
Steps lead into a finished basement.
He pulls me down. I don’t try to fight him this time. I let him pull me along, step by step, dread building in my chest. The basement smells musty with a strange, animalistic undertone, like sweat mixed with fear and urine. The carpet is cheap and white and the walls are finished with simple white drywall. There are doors along the narrow pathway, and he takes me to the last one in the far-right corner. He knocks once, unlocks three bolts, and opens it.
Inside is a cot against the left wall. A bucket against the right. It smells terrible, like feces and vomit.
A body’s lying in the middle of the room, curled up on itself.
“Adrienne?” I whisper.
Matvey shoves me inside. “Get reacquainted,” he says. “Remember, Kacia, this is your future. Either marry me and do the right thing for your poor friend here, or fight me and end up just like her. Your choice.”
He slams the door and the locks slam shut.
Slowly, the body uncurls and looks up at me.
It’s Adrienne. I stand there, hands at my mouth. She looks terrible: both her eyes are black and swollen, her nose is crooked, blood is caked on her upper lip and chin. She’s dirty like she hasn’t showered since they took her, and she seems exhausted and thin, like they haven’t fed her.
“Kacia?” she croaks.
I run to her, throw my arms around my friend, and hug her tight. She’s in hell, and I’m in hell, and the only way out is to marry that devil, that monster.
“I’m here,” I whisper, holding her. “I’m here. I’ll get you out of this, I promise.”
“Kacia,” she says and sobs against my chest.
Chapter 24
Luca
The plane lands at a small private airport outside of the city used mainly by rich Hollywood types. The air traffic controller accepts a very hefty donation to keep our arrival off the official register for another couple days, which means Damir won’t know we’ve arrived until it’s too late. Tony, Niccolo and I disembark and find Denny waiting outside in front of a large black Range Rover with a huge, stupid grin on his face.
Fucker’s happy to see me because he knows I’m a payday.
“Luca Valverde. I never thought I’d see you in the flesh.” Denny is a big guy, overweight, dark hair and wearing a cheap suit with no jacket and the sleeves rolled up. He looks like a cliché wise guy from the twenties, which doesn’t shock me since the West Coast doesn’t have a lot of Italians and it’s hard to find decent guys out here. If he dressed and acted like that in New York, one of the other capos would knock some sense into him.
“Denny. Thanks for meeting us. Did you bring what I asked?”
“I brought it.” He hesitates and glances at Tony and Niccolo. “I figured you’d have more guys.”
“I don’t need more guys. Only the guns.”
Denny walks to the Rover and opens the back. He flips over a blanket and reveals several handguns, shotguns, rifles, flashbang grenades, body armor, night-vision goggles, helmets, facemasks, and plenty of ammunition. “Enough firepower to bring down an entire cartel, as requested. Although I don’t know what three guys are gonna do with all this gear.”
“Don’t worry about that. You’re a good man, Denny. I need the car too.”
“I figured. I’ve got another guy coming to pick me up in a bit.” Denny looks uncomfortable and stares around as if he’s trying to make sure nobody’s listening. “Look, I gotta tell you, I heard some bad shit.”
“What? Did something happen?” My hands flex, and Tony exchanges a look with Niccolo.
“I hear your father, the Don, doesn’t know you’re out here. I hear things with the Greeks are tense and some deal fell through. I hear you’re on thin ice.”
Relief floods my veins. I was worried something bad happened to Kacia, and if Denny’s worried about me, he doesn’t need to be. I don’t need sympathy for a pathetic C-tier made man like him.