Her eyes welled with tears and widened in absolute horror, immediately knowing that I was going to agree to Vazclav's demands. She shook her head telling me not to agree to this deal. "Don't..." Her voice came out despondent, hoarse, yet firm. "Teo and Alessia need one of their parents to be alive Deacon. They'll need the strongest one to teach them how to live in this world and in this life. They're going to need you, but in order for them to have you raise them you have to be alive. I'm willing to make this sacrifice so you are able to do that."
"Mia they're going fucking kill you if I don't do this!!! They aren't like us baby; they're going to fucking tear you apart from the inside out slowly and then let you wherever you fall to live out whatever time you have left in agony!!!" I exclaimed, tears still flowing freely from my eyes, and I couldn't care less at this moment. "I'm not going to sit here and do nothing. If this is what it takes, then so be it."
She allowed the tears to flow down from her eyes as she stared into my eyes through the camera. The man holding her head up pulled it higher, forcing her entire body weight to rest on her solely on her knees.
Now I could see for sure she hadn't been eating the entire time they'd had her captive; she had lost so much weight. Even through the camera I could see her ribs starting to jut from beneath her skin. Her eyes had become sunken from it and swollen from who knows how many days and nights of sobbing locked away and alone.
I could see how physically weak her body had become as she struggled to keep herself on her knees without her legs giving out as they shook holding her up. Although she tried to put on a strong face for me, she knew that I could see through it, I always could. "I'm not worth a war Deacon, or the loss of lives of good men that you'd lose waging it. I'm more than willing to give up my life for everyone else's if it keeps all of you alive. If it's going to be either one of us let it be me, you and I both know it has to be me."
"Mia, baby please. I would rather have you with me and our family than lose you because of my pride. I'm begging you please let me do this, and if I have to work two jobs that pay shit than live one day knowing you're not ever going to be part of my world again I'll do it with a smile on my face. I'll stand back far enough for you see, I'll beg you on my knees, if you just let me bring you home again." I started to take a step backwards, when I felt my father's hand firmly grab my shoulder to stop me.
"Figlia, you made this family whole again. For the first time since my dear Annabella passed on, this house feels like a home. If bringing you home and being able to continue hearing not only both my son's laughter but my grandchildren's as well is a means the end of this kind of unforgiving life for all of us, we're all willing to give it up for you. Your life is worth more to this family than the reputation we've built over the years or any amount of money that is in our possession. For us your life is worth more than anything. Reputation and possessions both can be regained, but you my dear are not replaceable." My father said leaning into sight of the camera, resting a hand on my shoulder. "If there is one thing that I've learned in the years since I've been alone, I'd trade everything to have more time with my dear wife. I'd spend less time worrying about everything else and devote more time to her. It takes a true man to know when to lay down his weapons for love."
"Let us bring you home Mia." My brother urged her from my other side. "You've put this family before yourself for far too long, it's time that you let us repay that dedication. We all three adore you more than there are words in the any book. You said that Teo and Alessia need the strongest one to teach them how to live in this world, and you're not wrong. They will need someone to teach them how to live in this cold unforgiving world, and that person may indeed be Deacon. What you're forgetting is that they'll also need someone to teach them how to be compassionate and devoted to those who show them the same. Teo needs you both, Deacon to show him how to be a man, teaching him how to treat a woman properly and he needs you to so that when he steps out of line, making sure he is shown that any real woman will step up to him and won't let herself be walked over.
Alessia needs you here to show her how she should be expected to be treated by a man and to teach her when and where is the right time to show her ability to stand with a power and grace just like her mother does. Mia we all need you here." Alex stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath and releasing it shakily. "Not to mention that Cassie and I are going to need you here to guide us through becoming parents ourselves. You need to be here to meet your niece or nephew and hold them when they make their first appearance in this world with the rest of us. We all three are just learning how to openly smile and laugh let alone love again allowing our closest men to become closer than we ever thought possible.
Mia, I need you to listen to me and actually take my words to heart. If you think that we would be able to lose you and carry on as though you were just a blip on our radar, that we'd be able to move on and forget about you, you're so far from being right. Like Dad said our money, the business, the reputation we have gained over the years means absolutely jack fucking shit compared to your life. Your life is worth more than all of it put together. You may not have been born with the Lombardi name, but you have done it proud Mia. So please let us find a way to bring my sister home."
She looked at us through tear clouded eyes, offering us a soft and meek smile. Her hands lifted to her face for the first time this entire time to wipe the tears from her eyes. I saw the look in her eyes instantly, she indeed heard Alex's words to her and there was a small but visible twinkle in her eyes.
"They're begging for you bitch! They're willing to give up everything they know to keep you alive, and you have nothing to say to them?" He questioned harshly as his hand dropped her hair, wrapping his monstrous hand tightly around her throat and dug his fingertips into either side of her throat slowly cutting off both her air and blood supply. "I think maybe we should get you something to eat, maybe then you'd be more willing to respond with a proper response. Wouldn't you like to have something to eat? You must be starving by now."
Mia shook her head fervently denying his claim. She pursed her lips tightly together and tried to clamp her thighs as tightly as she could, while trying to balance at the same time. Her cheeks were starting to turn a reddish/pink color all over her face. I noticed her eyes starting to flutter open and shut rapidly as she fought to keep herself conscious, but never brought her hands up to claw at his hand to remove it. Her only response was to close her eyes and wait for what was going on to end. My heart pounded wildly, watching as he clenched his hand tighter as slowly the life drained from her. I watched in disbelief that as her body began to slump limply into his hand, he squeezed tighter yet.
With the little energy she had left, Mia opened her eyes and looked at me. While it was barely audible, with the little air she had left in her body she whispered, "Ti amo mio re."
With that her body fell completely lifeless against his hand. Tightening his grip yet again he waited, while still holding her there that way for several minutes after her eyes closed leaving her unconscious body at his merciless hands. He raised her up slowly around six to seven inches, her knees now off the ground. His attention which had up until been solely focused on her, now turned to me. A ghastly exhilarated smile beamed from his lips, chilling me soul. He didn't care if he killed Mia, she had just been the means to get my attention. Vazclav had no intention of actually holding up his end of the deal. 'I'll graciously allow you to come collect your wife and least what we leave for you.'
Without cause, he tossed her forward as he released her, causing her to viciously collide with the floor with a stomach-churning thud.
My left hand wrapped around my brother's bicep, clenching tightly. I couldn't stop myself from visibly shaking, while praying for a miracle. From out of the view of the camera there was an abrupt yet unmistakable sound as after was seemed like hours Mia gasped loudly as she came to again.
The camera panned down to where Mia lay on the cement, she stayed there on the floor barely able to breath properly, still shedding tears as we all see her shoulders shuddering continuously. Though the one thing we all noticed was that she didn't bother trying to lift herself from the filthy floor or try to force the hardened emotionless gaze that she'd use to stand in contempt of enemies who would have used her heart against herself. But today was different and we didn't even have to be in the room with Mia to feel the difference. All we had to do; all we could do is watch as Mia just lay there on that disgustingly dirty cement floor as her shoulders had now gone from shuddering to almost what I would call convulsing in silence.
I felt both Alex and my father each place a hand lightly on each shoulder, as we waited in the most disturbingly eerie silence.
"Is she having a seizure or is she crying?" I asked for only them to hear. "She's too weak for a seizure, it'll kill her."
We all three waited on bated breath wanting to hear someone say something, but what the first words I heard after what seemed like an eternity were enough to make my blood run cold and my heart to stop beating.
In the weakest, and defeated voice I heard, "Deacon, baby, I'm sorry." Mia spoke without evening attempting to look up from the floor. "I owe you that apology and a thank you. I know you'll be alright, and that you'll find happiness again. All I asked is that you remind Teo and Alessia often that their momma loved them dearly.
I also need you to know that I loved you more than you'll ever know. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that my life ever could have been filled with so much joy as what you gave to me. Just don't ever forget that there was never a fraction of a second, I ever doubted my love for you. I want you to carry that with you always.
I just wish I could kiss you one more time, but apparently not all wishes are granted."
"Mia, why does this sound like your saying goodbye? You're strong enough to get through this, you can't give up on me you understand me? You wouldn't let me give up. I'm not going to let you give up or give in to those monsters, and I don't care what it takes to keep you from doing it.
Mia, we're going to find you and we're going to bring you home. You're going to watch Teo and Alessia grow up and have families of their own. Your time isn't now, your time isn't even close to being up. So please I don't want to hear goodbye."
The man who had been holding her up now squatted beside her laughing under his breath as he watched her silently sobbing on the ground. "Doesn't it feel good to finally admit the truth to yourself and to stop denying what you've known all along. That the only place you're going to go after this is into the ground in our backyard. I'll even make sure you get a marker, so that we can piss on it when we come to admire the grave that ended the Lombardi family. Maybe we'll even be kind enough to let him visit before we bury him beside you."
"Don't listen to him baby." I tried to find the calmest tone I possibly could. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you home. I promise you that I will not let them do any of that. Mia don't give up on me, not now. As long as there's hope left in you there's always a way home."
"What I need you to do for me now is swear to me on your life, that you'll be there for Teo and Alessia, that you'll spend more time at home with them. Swear to me that when this is over you won't throw yourself so far into your work that our miracles are raised by a nanny or a stranger and not you. Deacon we both know how this situation ends for me. I came to terms with the fact that I wasn't coming home the moment they carted me off their plane. You need to do the same now."
"NO!!! I'm damn well going to find a fucking way to bring you home to our babies, so stop fucking talking like you're already motherfucking dead!" I shouted at her. "I won't stop trying to bring you back to us alive until I'm holding a damn corpse in my arms! So, stop, remember who the fuck you are and fight!"
Her head raised ever so slightly off the floor to look at me and then glanced at the man that was squatted about two feet from her. She tried to sit up a little more but stopped. "What was you told me not all that long ago? That behind every great King stands a Queen that tells him when it's a no-win situation, and that she always has the last word in the end. Queen always trumps King."