164
She’s so beautiful. She really does look like a princess. Even though she looks scared, there’s a sense of fearlessness in her eyes. Her shoes came off during the struggle with Chris outside, and now she’s barefoot. I hate that I have to do this. I don’t want to. Not to her. "It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you."
I hope she believes me.
She glares back at me with a look full of hate. "That gun you’re holding says otherwise."
Christina turns around. "It’s just to make sure you cooperate."
"And if I don’t, you’ll shoot me?" She raises an eyebrow. "How’s that not going to hurt me?"
I raise my hand to calm her. "We’re not going to shoot you."
"Then why even hold the gun?"
"If I put it away, will you stay calm?"
"Only one way to find out. You’ll have to trust me."
My Beretta isn’t even cocked, and the safety is still on—it's all just for show. I tuck it back into the holster under my Jaxet, and Gianna gives me a forced smile.
She leans back, and I see her feet coming up. She’s too quick. Her kick hits me in the face, leaving me dazed. I hear the sound of the door handle being yanked repeatedly, and then the car stops.
I snap out of it, thinking I’ll have to chase her, but Chris is already at her door, grabbing her by the neck. He slaps her hard across the face—THACK! The impact sends her back into the car, half-conscious.
He pushes her feet back inside. "There are a lot worse things I could do than shoot you. Behave, and I won’t have to." Then he looks at me, "Can you handle one little girl, or do we need to switch?"
I swallow my embarrassment, being called out by my older brother. "I’ve got it."
"Good," he says, getting back into the passenger seat while Antonio starts driving again.
Gianna is sprawled out on her back, looking dazed. Her face is red from the slap.
I try to help her sit up, but she recoils like a scared kitten, pressing herself against the door and hugging her legs, tearful. "You said you wouldn’t hurt me."
Her words make me feel awful. "I’m sorry. I should’ve said we don’t want to hurt you. You have to trust us—this is for your own good."
She hides her face and cries quietly. It breaks my heart.
We drive in silence for the next few minutes.
I don’t take my eyes off her. I wouldn’t dare after what she did. She’s feisty. She’s definitely not some scared, helpless girl. At her age, you’d think she might be... but she’s strong—a fighter. She just doesn’t know it yet.
I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Her wedding day ends in betrayal, her life is falling apart, and now she’s being kidnapped by three thugs. She should be more afraid.
I ask, "Did you see the pictures?"
She looks up at me but doesn’t respond.
"Is that why you left?" I try to get her to talk.
All she says is, "Where are you taking me?"
Well, I tried. "You’ll see when we get there. It’s okay. I’m going to keep you safe, I promise."
Gianna
I can’t believe this is happening. What did I ever do to deserve this? I’m nobody. First, I find out my fiancé has been cheating on me, then I run out on my wedding, and now these three jerks have kidnapped me!
If this is how the day started, where is it going to end? I wipe my eyes on my dress. That slap really shook me. I’m scared, but I don’t want to show it.
I’m done being afraid. Fear is what let Jax control me. I made a decision not to be afraid anymore when I walked out on him, and I’m not going to start being afraid again with these three.
I need to figure out what’s going on.
I try to size up the guy sitting in the back with me. He’s been staring at me non-stop, but not in a creepy way. He’s the youngest of the three. He’s been the nicest so far.
I take a chance and ask, "Who are you?"
He gives me a small smile. "I’m Daniel. Those are my brothers, Christian and Antonio."
Christian is the one who hit me. Kidnappers don’t tell you their names. They don’t let you see their faces. That means they’re going to—
"I know what you’re thinking," Antonio interrupts my thoughts. "You know our names and you’ve seen our faces. You’re thinking we’re going to kill you so you can’t talk. That’s not what’s going to happen."
"What’s going to happen? Why are you doing this to me?"
"Just be patient and you’ll see. We’re doing this for you, not to you."
While it's not the most comforting news I've ever heard, the way he says it is reassuring enough for me to relax a bit and look out the window.
We've been driving for a long time. No one’s really relaxed, but they’re not overly tense either. There's nothing I can do right now, so I watch the factories go by as we enter New Jersey.
Then it hits me, "You sent the pictures?" Daniel hinted at it earlier, but I was too scared to catch on.
"We did," Antonio confirms.
"Why?"
"You deserved to know the truth," he says, focused on the road ahead, "and we also wanted to see what you'd do."
Thanks for being vague. "I'm not important enough for all this trouble, which means Jax is up to something I don't know about, and you're doing this to ruin him. Did you set him up? Are the pictures even real?"
The brute gives me a sharp look over his shoulder. "They're real, and you'll get your answers, but not from me. This isn’t about Jax. Just relax and enjoy the drive. Talking time is over."
I guess that’s my cue to shut up. I don’t want to get hit again, so I’ll play along… for now.
A few minutes later, we turn onto a dirt road with a thick canopy of trees overhead. It looks deserted enough to be a place where someone could get killed and have their body hidden.
We reach a clearing and I see a high stone wall. We drive alongside it until we come to a massive, intricately designed wrought iron gate.
There’s a guard in a hut. Antonio gives him a thumbs up, and the gate slowly opens inward.
I sit closer to the middle of the seat and crane my neck to see ahead of us. There’s a large, green hill, and on top of it sits a stone house. It’s so big it looks more like a mansion or a castle—something straight out of a movie.
I sit back and notice Daniel smiling at me. “We’re here.”
I guess I’m not getting killed… at least not yet.
Christian
We arrive at what I assume is my father’s estate and park in front of a pretentious water fountain with cherubs that I despise. It’s too flashy.
When we get out of the Escalade, I finally get a good look at Gianna and can’t help but admire how attractive she is.
I’d rather not have to rough her up again. My dad is probably going to be furious if he finds out I hit her, so I give her a smile and gesture up the stairs, “This way.”
She shoots me a sideways glare that says—screw you—and follows Antonio. Daniel and I take up the rear.
Our house is designed for defense. It's hard to break into and there aren’t many places for anyone to hide. We made it this way. We can spot trouble from a distance, and we have the firepower to deal with it.
At the top of the stairs, the large wooden double doors open, and our butler, Charles—who’s always armed—greets us as we enter, “Sir, Miss, Sir, Sir.”
“Chuck,” I reply casually. I’m informal with the staff.
The foyer is big but mostly empty. It’s not a place for valuable items because it’s the main entry point, and let’s be honest, we run a criminal organization full of thieves and killers.
We’re the Mafia. These days you can’t even trust your own people… with the feds and their new tech, anyone could be an informant.
We keep the room minimalist so there’s nothing for anyone to plant a bug on. We also sweep the house for radio frequencies every week.
I take another look at Gianna and wonder if she’ll be able to handle me. Dany nudges me and whispers, “Stop grinning like an idiot,” before following her up the wide, marble staircase to the balcony above.
We reach the top, and Antonio turns left toward my father’s office. We pass about fifteen stained glass windows overlooking the perfectly manicured grounds, then arrive at our destination.
Antonio knocks twice, then opens the door, and we all walk in. Gianna steps in cautiously, like she’s investigating a crime scene.
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