"I am done discussing this Marco, drop it" I yell at him. I have not slept in a week running purely on fumes and cocaine. Still no closer to any leads on where these women are, or who has them. I am so frustrated with things right now, with work and even my life.
I am sitting at my desk, my bottle of whiskey open and half finished. My mood sour, as there are still no leads on there whereabouts, the tv playing quietly in the background. I cut myself another line and sucked it up like an electrolux.
When I lift my head from the glass plate, my eyes catch a picture of a beautiful blonde on the screen. That's when Mei comes bursting in through my office door, distraught as tears stream down her cheeks.
"She's dead" she screamed at me.
"I should have gone to the police. They could have prevented this.
What the fuck have I done. She's dead because of me" I gathered her up in my arms to console her. In a flash the only thought going through my mind is how long it would be before we hear Arinna is gone too.
"Marco, get Delaney on the line, I want all access to this case and evidence as soon as possible?" I asked over Mei'd head, as she stood crying against my chest. How could I have been so stupid.
"I also want all my captains at our spot within two hours. I want all ears on the ground, now?"
Russo's is a restaurant where we conduct our business. It's a French fusion restaurant, filled with comfortability. The essence of calm, love filled each table and oozed romance from all the decor.
I met Chef Rousseau when he was an up-and-coming chef, a very young talented unemployed boy, selling food from a curbside shack. I put him up in his own restaurant and even named it after him. The restaurant gets swept for bugs on the daily so we feel safe and at home to discuss anything business related here.
I walk into russo's to see all my captains already sitting around two tables. In my hands I am carrying a copy of the file on Ella Smith.
I clear my throat as I near the table.
"Gentlemen" I greet, getting all the attention now focused on me.
"I know that I have kept you in the dark about what's been going on, but it's been a week since two girls were taken outside my club and one was just found murdered this morning" I threw the photos of the body out on the table for them all to see.
Her skin was extra pale, her eyes are red-rimmed and her lips were swollen. She had a large ligature mark around her neck, probably from a cuff of some sorts and the same ligature marks around her wrists, which means she was bound quite tightly and for a length of time.
The look of shock, horror and disgust on all the faces of the men seated around my table. It informed me that, even though we are a family of crime, we uphold our women trying to ensure their safety at all times. Not one of us would agree to shit like this.
"No one, and I mean no one, leaves this table today without clues or answers, as to who or what? Is that understood? Looks of understanding are seen from all, around the table.
"There is still one woman out there, and we need to get to her before she follows the same fate as her friend did" I look at her picture in my hands before throwing it on the table letting everyone get a good look at her. My Arinna.
Well she is not mine yet. But if she survives this ordeal, I will make her mine. She is not only beautiful but her strength and fight will prove how strong she is and that she can handle anything thrown at her. She will prove to me and all my men that she is strong enough to stand by my side and survive. I must just convince her of this. I will no let her get away from me.
"Marco" I pull him over with my two fingers.
"Get Chef Rousseau to make food for everyone. The restaurant will remain closed, till we get some answers and....." I call him back
"Get the waiting staff to bring alcohol, this is going to be one hell of a long day"
"Yes boss" he says, going to do what I asked.
Phones and laptops were buzzing in all directions, as everyone was hard at work. I should have done this sooner, but I thought I could do this on my own, a lesson that I just learnt is. That we are a family and I cannot do things on my own. I didn't get to lead the crime syndicate on my own, I needed all the help from all my employees to reach the top. Just like I would need all of them now.
My phone pinged pulling me from my thoughts as I picked up my phone offer table my eyes enlarged at the message sprawled across my screen.
"Hope you liked my present Giovanni"
And the name attached to the message
"Fuck, it's Paulie. Find that sick son of a bitch" I shouted, dropping my phone on the table as I was now pulsating anger and vengeance through my veins. How did he even know about her? What does he know, that I don't?
Joey took my phone and started doing his thing on his laptop and within forty-five minutes,
"Got him boss" he looked over at me and seemed very pleased with himself.
"Right prepare for war. We will leave within the hour. Meet us at the mansion boys"
************************************
Erinna.
I have been locked in here, longer than I care to be. Please Lord, let me get saved soon. I still have no idea how Ella is doing and every attempt to ask him just riles him up and I get beaten to a bladdy pulp. Something deep down inside me thinks, she is no longer here.
I hear the jingle of the keys as he unlocks the door, today above all days, he looks meaner than before and I just know things will not end well for me today.
I crawl up into the corner of the bed, right up against the wall. Pulling my legs up to my chest I hug them closer to myself.
"Well now dearie, it's time for you to show me your gratitude" he says as he stalks closer towards the bed.
"Gratitude, gratitude for what. Kidnapping my ass, keeping me chained up like a dog?" I spit back at him.
"Come here dearie" he says loosening his belt buckle. My face pales when I realise what his true intentions are with me now. I slink as far back as I can possibly go, but when he pulls his belt off completely and swings it at me, time and time again. I yelp out in pain with every lash that connects.
He eventually pulled on the chain dragging me closer towards him, he grabbed ahold of my ankle, then in a flash, he was on me punching me uncontrollably in my face.
"You are going to love this dearie. Your friend sure did, she moaned in pleasure every time, so stop fighting the inevitable. No one is coming to rescue you" he was so heavy on me I couldn't fight to get him off. He was taking my breath away and not in a good way.
A few hard slaps through the face mellowed me down quite a bit. He dropped his hand between us and started to remove his pants, and I bucked and sent him off balance, but I was so weak and exhausted that I never moved quick enough and a fist came flying, hitting me square in the stomach, knocking the air right out from my lungs and knocking me that I see stars.
Heaven alone knows what state I will find myself in when I come to, maybe I will be dead. That was the last thought I had before everything went black.
Hey there guys. So what do you think of this chapter?
Wow this was a hard one to write. Sorry it is a bit shorter but I think it is jam packed full of action. The next few chapters will be mellower from now on until the next bomb explodes.
LYF
XXXX.