I was sitting on a park bench with a newspaper in my hand, but I was not interested in the news it contained. My focus was on the other side of the street. I was waiting for the ordered victim to leave. I looked disguisedly to the side and was pleased to see that my allies were watching the door of the building and waiting inside the car.
Finally the girl came out of the building. She was beautiful, young and rich. Everything I wished to be. I envied her. But I didn't envy what was about to happen to her.
I got up and left the newspaper on the bench where I found it. I straightened my skirt and went to meet her. Before she could cross the street, I bumped into her and she fell. Pretending to be concerned, I offered to help her up and apologized. She accepted my help, staring at me as if she recognized me. But I knew that she had never seen me. I had always been discreet in the mansion where she lived. I was just a kitchen maid who spied on her family and didn't appear to any of them, because they might see in me a resemblance to my family. I was thirty now and when I worked in that house I was only twenty-three and the girl must have been about thirteen years old at the time.
"Thank you." She said still staring at me as if searching her memories for where she had seen me before.
"May I offer you a cup of coffee? You look a little pale to me..." I said distressed, for I needed to take her somewhere less crowded.
"No need. I'm fine." The jovial voice told me.
"Oh! But I insist. I think I know you from somewhere..." I said taking advantage of the fact that I realized she believed she had already seen me too. "Wouldn't you have a few minutes to sit down and talk? There's a coffee shop right up ahead."
"I also got the impression that we've seen each other before..." She said thoughtfully. "Let's go then. But I'll tell you in advance that I shouldn't stay long. My fiancé is having lunch at home today and Dad doesn't tolerate delays."
I looked away so she wouldn't see my expression when she spoke of her fiancé, for I knew the anger in my eyes would betray me. And suddenly, I understood that she might be recognizing traits of my traitorous brother in me. Even though we were children of different mothers we still carried some of the same traits inherited from our father. I managed to control myself and turned to her smiling.
"Then we'd better hurry." I said leading her to one side where I knew we would soon find an alley.
As we walked she told me a little about her life and I looked back to see if the men were not too far away, but they followed us by car, very slowly, with much discretion. At no time did the young woman realize the danger that surrounded her. As soon as we reached the alley, I told her that we would just have to cross it and arrive at the cafeteria. In daylight it wasn't scary, and so, I think, she was not reluctant.
We were not even half way there when my allies caught up with us and stopped us. The young woman grabbed my hand and tried to run, but it was too late. One of the men grabbed her from behind and put a handkerchief in her nose that made her unconscious in a few seconds. He was bathed in opium. She was carried to the car and taken to her captivity. I stayed behind because I still had some appointments. I went back down the alley and got a rental car. In a few minutes I was pulling up in front of my family's house.
"Well, my child? Did everything occur all right?" Dad asked as soon as he saw me enter his office where he was meeting with two other men. One of them caught my eye because he was tall and strong, in addition to the undeniable beauty of his features. They both stood up when I entered.
"Yes, Papa. The first part is settled. What do you intend to do now?"
"Now you will extract from her all the secrets and the names of her father's allies. This information is very valuable. Knowing who the allies are we can exterminate them one by one without suffering reprisals, because her father will never suspect us." He said with a satisfied smile. "However, she was not kidnapped just to serve us as information. Her father will go crazy over her disappearance and will slack off on business while he concentrates all his strength on finding her. And we need that distraction."
"I just don't think that's a job for me. Send one of your men." I said annoyed.
"You are the best with torture I have ever seen. None of my men have your determination. If you don't get it no one else will."
"Marcos will not be pleased." I referred to my brother who was her fiancé.
"Marcos is a weakling. He is more loyal to the mob boss than to his own family. Anyway later he'll get another girl to console him."
"It's not that simple. He loves that girl."
The father shrugged and looked away where the men listened to them in silence.
"I would like you to meet the son of the girl's rival family. He is also the son of a Mafia boss, but he operates only in Italy. I am trying to convince him to expand his business and join me in taking over this region here."
The tall boy stood up again and approached me shaking my hand and then bringing it to his lips as he stared into my eyes.
It was a quick gesture, but I felt a surge of excitement and enthusiasm within me. I wanted him not to come back to Italy. That he would stay there and we could get to know each other better.
"I believe Papa will be hosting you here, no?"
"Yes. I will spend a few days here to understand how the command of your mafia boss works. What's your name?"
"I'm Eloisa."
"I'm Gabriel." He introduced himself and his big green eyes sparkled. I could see that his interest in me was as genuine as mine was in him.
And the days went by. Gabriel and I visited all the sights of the city and had a great time. We also became close. The night before he left, we had our first kiss in an upscale restaurant while drinking great wine. His kiss was ardent and full of urgency which made me think that I was the luckiest woman in the world, because I felt truly loved by him. I was resigned to his departure, for he said he would be back soon and we would get married. Besides, the girl was waiting for my visit to her captivity. It was time for her to hand over everything she knew. In my experience people tended to be more open to an agreement after spending a few weeks without comfort, sleeping tied to a chair and with poor food. So I believed she was ready for me. Marcos was desperate just like the mob boss, searching everywhere for his whereabouts. They didn't suspect for a second that we had anything to do with that disappearance. I still didn't know if she would be delivered alive. In any case, she would no longer have the perfect life she had before she was kidnapped. The men in charge of the captivity had already informed me that she was crying a lot and begging to be released. She was apparently desperate for life and would do anything to be free. And I saw this as a great advantage. As soon as Gabriel got on the plane the next day I was going to pay him a visit. In fact, it was a job that gave me pleasure, but only when it came to murderous bullies. The young woman did not inspire him with more aggressive torture, but he was aware that this might be necessary.
The next day I went to the airport with Gabriel and said goodbye to him. It was hard to see him go, but I tried to console myself knowing that the next time I saw him I would be stuffed into a wedding dress. Dad was very pleased with our decision to get married. And he had already called Gabriel's father who was also very pleased and they began to plan the wedding.
Leaving the airport I went straight to the captivity where the young woman who intended to be my sister-in-law was being held. I waited outside for Dad's men to cover her head so that she would not recognize me. In addition her meal that day had to contain more than water and stale hard bread. She was served coffee, milk, orange juice and eggs with bacon. Meanwhile, I remembered my request to Dad to give that task to someone else, because I was not in the mood to hurt the girl who had won the heart of my traitorous brother. However, he was adamant. It needed to be me. He had created me for this task. A task that I would be rid of after the wedding. I lost count of how many people passed through my hands. Many of them were killed. Most of them, I believe. But I never killed any of them. No. What I did was much worse. I made them want to die rather than have to deal with me.
When everything was ready, I entered the dark room where she was tied to a chair. It was not necessary to gag her, because we were on my father's property that was far from the city. He kept it like a farm where he came to ride horses sometimes. It was perfect. No one could hear the cries of pain and wailing.
There was one more chair facing the young girl and a table full of torture tools. I took a pair of nail-pulling pliers and sat down in front of her.
"You can get out of here unharmed if you cooperate with me."
"Who are you?" she asked with distress in her voice.
"I am someone who would like to be anywhere else but here." I said and took a deep breath. "However this is my duty and I think you have been lucky, for I wish you no harm. Cooperate with me so that nothing bad happens to you. Although I don't wish to hurt you, I will. Don't doubt it."
"Did you have me arrested?"
"Perhaps... I need some information." I said and she fell silent. "I want you to tell me the name of every one of your father's allies including their contacts in the police."
"Daddy won't let me participate in his business. I don't know his allies. I don't know his business. You've got the wrong person."
With great pity I got up and went behind her chair where her hands were tied and pulled out a fingernail. She screamed and then cried out in pain. I sat down in front of her again.
"Don't play dumb with me. We have been investigating your family for years. We know you know very well who your father is and what he does. You still have nine more fingernails on your hands and then I'll leave for the ones on your feet that I've been told hurt twice as much. And I am very creative. There are many ways to hurt you after the nails are done. I'm not very patient, so every time you try to fool me and not answer me with the truth I will be forced to hurt you. Remember that besides your fingernails, there must be thirty-two teeth in that mouth of yours for you to pull them out. So... Give me names.
I took a pad and pen left on the table with the utensils. And waited. From the pain in the scream she gave when I pulled her fingernail out I knew she wouldn't want to go through that again. And I was right. She gave me names of all her father's allies including my father and also the police. She went further and told me how the negotiation with the police was done. I found the time I spent with her productive. Once I had everything in hand I stood up.
"Good girl." I complimented as I stood up. "You'll be back home soon. For now we won't be able to let you go and let your father know that we know all his business. But soon you will have your freedom." I said and retreated from the dark room.
In possession of all that information I asked the men to put her in a place where she would have a little more comfort and also to continue feeding her well. I knew there wasn't much that could be done about comfort, as any place that put her outside the basement could be fatal. She could recognize the property. Marcos had taken her there before. And he couldn't leave her all day with a mask on to keep her from seeing, because that would be too cruel and she wouldn't be able to relax.
I took the information to Dad who didn't expect her to hand everything over so quickly and was suspicious. He also thought that she had given strange details about how to meet each of her allies, such as time and place. However, he called some men and ordered them to watch the first of the locations and kill anyone who entered the restaurant specified by the young woman as soon as they were cornered inside the restaurant. And that day he kept talking to me about my marriage.
Night came and I went to sleep calm and happy knowing that my wedding would happen soon. I loved Gabriel with all my strength. And he was a surprise to me, because I had already given up on finding a life partner for myself. And suddenly I felt that it was worth every year of waiting. He was truly the love of my life and I knew that would never change. And I fell asleep thinking these things.
I woke up with my father urgently swinging me by the arm. His face was one of true terror. I knew right away that something had gone wrong and that it had to do with what the young woman had told me. I sat up in bed confused.
"What happened?" I asked rubbing my eyes.
"Oh my child! The house has fallen down. All the allies of the mob boss are after us. We will flee to the farm immediately and from there we will leave the country." He said looking defeated.
"But... Did the young lady lie?"
"That bitch didn't lie. But all she told you was a plan she hatched with her father in case she was kidnapped one day. They were expecting an attack, so they didn't change their habits in the face of her disappearance. And they recognized our men. They must be gathering to come here. Pack your bags light. We'll buy what's missing on the way."
"But you were one of his allies. Weren't you supposed to be aware that they had plans in case one day the kidnapping happened?"
"That bastard didn't trust me by the looks of it. Maybe he had been watching me for a while without us realizing it. He took precautions against an attack from us..." Dad's voice of defeat was soul-wrenching.
"But... What about Marcos? He will also be targeted by the big boss..."
"No. He is leading the men against us. That girl has bewitched your brother. I think he must have been the one who warned the boss against us... He has always distrusted my loyalty."
I didn't wait any longer. I got up and changed. I threw some clothes in my suitcase, along with my jewelry, and we left the house at dawn.
We soon arrived at the farm that was also the young woman's captive and gathered in the living room. My father was unhappy with his luck.
"It's been many years building a name and investing in this town.... What consoles me are the deals I've made under the table without the big boss knowing and that will continue to earn us a small monthly fortune. Now I will have to work with your future father-in-law. He is waiting for us in Italy. He says that he has the power to reverse this situation. But he also believes that until they plan a plan of attack we should leave here."
"What if they reach us here?"
"They won't. I don't think they know of the existence of this farm. I never mentioned it."
"Marcos knows."
Papa placed his hand on his forehead with his mouth forming an o. It was clear that he hadn't thought about it.
"We will leave then and hide in the house of one of my trusted men, but first I will pay that bitch a visit."
Papa ordered the men to cover her face and once she was ready he went to the captivity and I accompanied him.
He approached the bed where she was placed sitting with her hands tied back and slapped her. Several times. While calling her names that I didn't even know. She begged for mercy and cried a lot. When Dad had exhausted all his energy on her face he took off her mask and a gun from his waistband and pointed it at her head. I reached over and grabbed the arm that held the gun.
"Don't do that. Marcos may be a traitor, but he still has our blood. He is our family too. And he loves this girl. Let her live and one day we will get Marcos back, kill her now and we will lose him forever." I whispered in his ear who lowered the gun with a still angry look on his face.
"Bring a very sharp knife."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, afraid he was going to amputate some part of the girl's body.
"You will. Since you saved her life you will leave a mark so that she will always remember the harm she caused us. Your antics can't go unpunished. Take some part of her body. I think the clitoris would be a good revenge. She would never feel pleasure..."
"I won't hurt her in any way."
With no alternative I did as he ordered and brought a knife, however.
"Make a deep cut in her face. Take away her beauty. The cut should start at her lips and go all the way to her ear. Make it deep so that she will carry this scar forever. It's either that or I'll rip her arm off myself or something worse."
I figured it was better than death or what her father might do so I obeyed him ignoring the girl's suffering pleas. She had interrupted a cycle of my life and could not get away with it. So I showed no mercy as I slashed her deeply across the face. Yet I wondered for months if on that occasion I gave her the choice of a quick death, a shot to the head, or the mark on her face which would she choose?
As soon as I was finished and the blood was running down her face, Dad injected something into her arm and pushed me out of the room. Already in the car fleeing the farm I asked what he had done to the girl.
"It was cocaine. The men have applied it to her since the kidnapping. She must be addicted by now." He said with a victorious smile. "The big boss is in for a nice surprise."
The truth was that as soon as we landed in Italy and I was greeted by Gabriel and his entire family, I never thought back to what had occurred in my former home, only the part of the wound on the young girl's face kept coming back to haunt me. Marcos also stopped being mentioned by us, although I always remembered him from our childhood and was afraid that something bad had happened to him. My wedding to Gabriel was a dream wedding. The Italian party was filled with lots of dancing, lots of joy and lots of warmth. Dad looked younger since we moved to Italy and was always pleased. It was as if no harm could come to us there.
Time passed and I became pregnant. The news struck my husband's family as the most miraculous thing that had ever happened to them. And they threw a party to celebrate. From that day on I began to feel depressed. They were pressuring me to have a boy and I didn't know how to force the child to be what they wanted. I did gain weight, but my little beauty was gone with the pregnancy. Gabriel was the only one who kept telling me how beautiful I was and how much he loved me. I couldn't sleep properly anymore and my eyes became deep. Finally the day came for me to give birth. I felt a lot of pain. And a lot of hate. That child destroyed me and still made me feel indescribable pain to come into the world. When it finally came out of me I refused to look at the child. I knew from the joyful singing of the people around me that it was the child that I had been so oppressed to give birth to.
Gabriel entered the room and gave me a kiss on my sweaty forehead. Then he asked everyone to leave so he could talk to me.
"I heard that you refused to look at our son..."
"I don't want him. I hate him. He ended my life." I said and tears rolled down my face.
Gabriel looked at me with pity, but didn't press the issue. He just stood there holding hands with me talking about trips he intended to take and taking me along. But I knew that these were just empty words. Gabriel was crazy to have a son and now that he had, he would not stay away from him.
And that's exactly how it happened. Gabriel stopped insisting that we have more children, because he liked a big family and concentrated all his love on his only son. This began to bother me. He never left me aside and I felt that I was put in second place. Even my father paid more attention to the child. I didn't even want to know his name. I had never seen him in his early years. I forbade anyone to talk about him or bring him into my presence.