Mia's eyes softened her eyes as he looked back at me. "I would do it all over again just to make the same memories over again. Don't think that I'd ever regret anything we've done together." She took a long soft breath and then sighed softly. "But Deacon, I don't have the energy or the strength to keep fighting anymore. It's too much for me to keep going much longer without hope of it getting better."
"Do what you have to do to keep yourself alive Mia please. I want you back alive not in a bag or a box. I don't think I could handle having to bury you. As long as we're all still breathing hope isn't even close to dead."
"I won't do what they're asking me to do to live. I can't."
"At least eat what they give you I'm begging you."
"They aren't giving me food." She said lightly. "They want me to let them.... I can't even say it, it's so vile."
"Let them what Mia?" I questioned, watching as her eyes drifted to the floor in shame. "What could be more important than food?"
"If she wants to eat, she can spread her legs for us." The man standing beside her laughed. "I figured if I was going to be kind enough to feed her more than bread and water I should be compensated for the expenses."
Mia's eyes welled with tears again. "I won't be your whore for trade, I'd rather starve to death then screw any of you."
Gregory's response was swift, yet just as any of us would have expected from a man like him. The back of his left hand crashed across her cheek with thunderous force.
Without a second passing Mia glared up at the man with contempt written in her eyes, spitting at his feet. "A man who finds the need to strike a woman that has been weakened, kneeling and cuffed. Yet calls himself a king."
"You are certainly everything that I was told you were. Though I have to wonder if the bark of the bitch is worse than the bite of her?" He questioned laughing.
"Take these off and you'll find out first hand." Mia spat back at him.
"Mia stop." I begged. "You can't fight him like this."
Mia looked at me and then back to Gregory. "If you want me to beg you for my life, you must forget who I am. I will never fall so far as to beg you for anything. After all there is a reason, you chose to restrain me before you turned your attention elsewhere am I right? I made short work of one of your best, what would I do to you?"
My father sat a hand on my shoulder in order to help give me the strength to say what I needed to say. "She's going to get herself killed if you don't speak son."
"Mia, listen to me okay. Do what you have to do to live, I don't care what that may be." I closed my eyes tightly, knowing what I was going to allow myself to say. "If giving them your body will keep you alive then do it. Your body wasn't what I fell in love with. I fell in love with your heart and your spirit. As long as both of those come back to me, there's nothing else that matters."
"My heart is yours, it will always be yours, but so is my body yours as well. I would rather leave this world knowing that the first man I loved, the man I gave myself to the first time was the last man who ever loved this body."
"Is there anything that I can say to make you change your mind?
Per favore, fai qualcosa per darmi più tempo per arrivare a te piccola. stiamo provando ma non riusciamo a rintracciare il feed. ti amo mia dolce moglie.
Mia, ti supplico, ci serve solo un po 'più di tempo. Dobbiamo sapere che quando arriveremo lì verremo per una riunione, non per una ripresa. Quando ti prenderò di nuovo tra le mie braccia, non lascerai mai più il mio fianco. I miei sogni non bastano, non sono all'altezza della realtà. Se tra settantadue ore non ho trovato un modo per localizzarti, farò quello che vuole, in ogni caso ti porto a casa. Tre giorni poi in un modo o nell'altro ti porto a casa mia cara. Non arrenderti ancora, non finché respiro. La mia parola è tutto ciò che ho e non ti infrangerò mai un voto. Tre giorni."
(Please do something to give me more time to get to you baby. we're trying but we can't trace the feed. I love you my sweet wife.
Mia, I'm begging you; we just need a little more time. We need to know that when we get there, we'll be coming for a reunion not for a recovery. When I get you into my arms again, you will never leave my side again.
My dreams are not enough, they don't measure up to the real thing. If in seventy-two hours I haven't found a way to locate you, I'm going to do what he wants, either way I'm bringing you home. Three days then one way or another I'm bringing you home my dear. Don't give up yet, not as long as I'm breathing. My word is all I have and I will never break a vow to you. Three days.)
Mia's smile brightened only slightly. "ti amo per la mia vita. nelle mie cartelle c'è un programma che ho scritto che interromperà la crittografia su questo. per aprirlo ti servirà il codice. saprai la risposta quando ti verrà chiesto. per favore sbrigati. ricorda, amore mio, le parole migliori e più memorabili che ti abbia mai detto in qualsiasi lingua.
Te lo posso dare io. Tre giorni amore mio. I sogni non sono mai abbastanza, mai buoni come la cosa reale. Padre, fratello, se dopo tre giorni c'è ancora la fine in vista, questo sarà il mio ultimo comando per tutti. Chiudetelo nel seminterrato nell'ultima cella a sinistra. tienilo lì finché non ricevi la notizia che la lotta è finita. Questa puttana non si sederà mai a capotavola."
(I love you to my life. in my folders there is a program I wrote that will break the encryption on this. to open it you will need the code. you'll know the answer when it's asked. please hurry. remember my love the best and most memorable words I have ever said to you in any language was I do.
I can give you that. Three days my love.
Dreams are never enough, never as good as the real thing.
Father, brother, if after three days there is still no end of this in sight, this will be my final command for everyone.
Lock him in the basement in the last cell to the left. keep him there until you receive word that my fight is over. This bitch will never set at the head of our table.)
The smile that had spread across my face had disappeared quickly with her words to my father and brother. I knew exactly what she was telling me, and what she had ordered them to do.
Out of sight of the camera I tapped my brother's hand to tell him to go start opening the file up Mia had just informed us about.
He nodded, disappeared without a sound out of the room to do as he had been instructed.
Vazclav's POV
As I watched the exchange of the two it was almost enough to melt an ice-covered heart. This little whisp of a woman had managed tamed the lion-hearted son of Declan Lombardi. What had they all found so incredible about her? What had drawn them all in, causing them to love her this much?
I had to admit, she was an intriguing piece of art. There was something that even drew me in to her, but this wasn't the moment for that. Especially since I had already claimed one trophy from their family. Although taking their queen would be so much more satisfying than taking the daughter. Though standing this close to her, feeling the power that she exuded, made my mind wonder back years, wondering what she would look like now and if this could possibly be her.
I heard the door behind us open, I felt myself smile. I knew who it was without looking, after all I did tell him to join me after he was done with the bitch that shared his bed. Although I never saw or heard one in his room after our disagreement months back. "I'm pleased you could finally grace us with your presence. I'm taking you finished up with your issue upstairs?"
"Of course, and as usual I'm the one who's left without fulfillment."
Mia's POV
My body froze at the sound of the voice behind me. I'd heard it before and it was not a pleasant memory for me. Streams of tears flowed silently down my face, dropping onto myself and the floor. With blurred vision I looked to the camera, seeing Deacon's face. He looked the way I must have. "D...D... Deacon." I managed to stutter out. "Non credo che abbiamo tre giorni."
(I don't think we have three days.)
Deacon's POV
Mia knew as well as I did who that voice belonged to. The color drained from her face instantly upon the sound of his voice. "Gregory, don't you let him near her." I spat through gritted teeth. "This is between you and me."
"Oh, that's right you're still there. I almost forgot about you." Vazclav chuckled. "Dimitri, you of course remember Deacon, correct? We were in the middle of a negotiation here, maybe you'll be of some help to me with that."
"Of course, how could I possibly forget him. This coward sent his bitch to take me out instead of coming himself. I'll give him some credit though, she was good, almost took me out." He smiled slightly. "That bitch was definitely, someone I'd like to have a go with again."
I could see that the smile never reached his eyes though. There was something off about him. His body language said he didn't want to be there, but that he was going through the motions the best that he could, if only for appearances.
"What are you negotiating for? I do tend to be slightly better with that subject than you. Somehow I seem to be much more convincing."
I watched a smile cross Vazclav's face as he turned to his son. "Well, my dear boy we were negotiating the terms in order for this prize to be returned to him."
Dimitri turned his attention straight to Mia who now shook in fear, with her eyes closed. She was just waiting, for what she didn't know, but there was nothing else that she could do.
Dimitri took a few steps closer to her, he reached out grabbing Mia's face at her chin forcing her to look up at him. "Isn't this an interesting development we have here? The last time I saw you, I made you a promise, didn't I?" He laughed cheerfully. "Do you remember that promise? Should I make him watch and do it slowly or allow him the peace to know that it was as quick and painless as it could be for you?"
"So, this is the 'malen'kaya shlyukha s pistoletom' (little gun toting whore) who managed to put a bullet in your shoulder around your vest? That's quite impressive.
Well Dimitri, just in case you didn't hear the commotion earlier, we have had a death today. Our longtime family friend Rolan was unexpectedly released from his mortal coil today. Seems as though your description of the young Mrs. Lombardi was actually very precise. She proved herself to be extremely resourceful."
"Is that so?"
"Gregory enough!!!" My voice echoed through both rooms, as my hands slammed against my desk. "No more games."
Dimitri laughed, "I would tell you to keep your distance Deacon, but I have the distinct impression you have no choice in the matter." He smiled, still holding Mia's face in his hand, turning his attention solely back to her. His hand loosened on her face as he winked at me. "So, you managed to dispatch Rolan? Impressive to say the least. Have you decided on what you're going to do with her to repay that favor?"
"That's what we had started to discuss actually. I know that normally we would take from them what has been taken from us, but the tiny fawn here put up a very appealing plea, which got me thinking. Why should we send men to repay the loss, when we have someone worth a lot more already here? After all, as she admitted she's the one who killed him, and the little dear did beg for me not to take two people away from her poor darling babies."
"Babies?" Dimitri asked staring down at her. "What are the little demon spawn's names?"
Even Mia could hear the unwilling tone in his voice now. His heart wasn't matching what he was saying. She looked at him as her eyes softened thinking about the twins, as a small smile crossed her lips. "Teodoro and Alessia. They're...twins. Our miracle babies." Mia whispered back to him.
"Miracle babies? What the fuck does that even mean? And what would you do in order to have their lives spared for your egregious behavior earlier?"
"I would happily exchange my life for theirs any moment it would be needed. That's what any parent should do for their children, right?"
My heart broke at her words, she had always referred to the twins as our miracles and they were that. I had never heard her use the term rainbow babies before, but they were indeed that too. "We were told that she would never be able to carry a pregnancy to term." I said with resonating lamentation.
Dimitri looked at the screen and then back at her. He looked contemplative for moment, almost as if he understood the pain himself. He dropped his hand from her face, turned to his father and then looked at the camera, purposefully meaning to catch my attention with a slight move placing himself between his father and Mia. "How about you three go and take a break. The fucking wench is cuffed and broken down enough she's of no concern to me."
Gregory let a sinister chuckle out as he waved the two other men to follow him. "Take all the time you need son. I can only assume that you have some frustration you need to relieve."
I watched as after the door shut behind the men, Dimitri quietly walked over slowly locking it behind them. Then he reclaimed his spot, leaned down in a more casual manner looking between myself and Mia. "Have they hurt you in anyway besides the few bruises I see? Anything at all that would need attention?"
Mia looked at him in a confused way. "Does it really matter? It's not like I have any other choice other to endure it. It's not as though he plans on keeping his word to us anyhow, right?"
He reached one hand out down, gently picking up her cuffed hands and stuffed the other into his pocket. "I'm not the monster I was when we first encountered each other. I promise you that." As he removed his hand, there was a glint of metal in it.
I couldn't tell what was in his hand, until the cuffs fell from her wrists. "Dimitri, what are you doing? You can't expect her to fight you in this state."
"As I said, I'm not the monster I used to be. That lunatic died when he refused me the right to raise my first born. When I learned firsthand what kind of monster my father was and was turning me into." He confessed solemnly, as he looked at Mia. "The only difference is you were awarded the blessing of not holding the child first, I was not however that blessed. I got to hold my son before he was...well you can fill in the blanks."
"Were you at least able to give him a name? If so, would you mind sharing his name with us?" Mia asked kindly.