CHAPTER538
If you still care? Please, please. Help me.
He takes my phone, swiping at my screen, eyes flicking to the first screen and grins.
“Oooh, you had a little lovers tiff, seems like he’s been trying to get hold of you for a little while. How many calls does a guy need to make before he gets the hint?” He turns the phone to the man beside me, to show him the list of missed calls and texts, Arrick’s face in the background. Both laugh and then he sneers as he turns it back to hit call, putting it to his ear a moment to listen to it ring before he pulls it away. He holds it out to me, the hand around my throat loosens, but doesn’t move away and I keep my eyes trained on the shades, motionless as they point at my face.
“Any talk of police and your sweet little neck will be slit, Honey. Make sure you remember that.” He turns on speakerphone and holds it in front of my mouth. I nod calmly, as it rings and pray he’s there, pray to God that he will be on the other end. That he’s not asleep or left his phone in the lounge and gone to bed, like he normally does. Every part of me willing him to know that I am not okay right now. My heart is in my mouth and nausea sweeps through me as cold fear drifts up my legs.
“Sophs?” He answers in only two rings, relief sweeping through me at the sound of the only voice that matters to me. He sounds completely wide awake too, considering its still before six am; husky and stressed, and I wonder if it’s because of me. Tears hit me as soon as I hear him and I just want him here so badly, to be with me, to protect me, to save me.
“Arry.” I sniff, so glad to talk to him in this moment, overcome with emotion suddenly and aching for him to come get me. I don’t want this to be the last time I ever hear that voice again.
“Where are you? I’ve been looking for you, for hours…I’m at your apartment Sophs. Baby, come home, I’m here. I came back for you not long after I left. I’m sorry, for what I said, how I was. You just need to…….” He sounds broken, torn and ravaged, much like the version who dragged me to his mother’s garden at Leila’s party and my heart crumbles. Picturing him emotional and upset and I want to hold him. I love him still, even when he makes me hate him.
“Arry, I need your help.” I cut him off, trying hard to sound normal, but my voice is shaking so badly I can’t control it. Ignoring what he’s saying, even though it makes me ache, in a bid to get him to listen to me as eyes bore into me. Aware of the faces trained on me and what I need to do.
“What do you mean? Where are you? What’s wrong?” His tone is alert suddenly, that hint of concern shining through now that he realizes there’s something more important than making up. He can obviously hear my fear, knows that something isn’t right.
I love you so much.
“Arry please, listen. You need to listen to me.” Taking short breaths as panic sets in, the sudden thought that maybe I’m asking too much, and he can’t do this. I know it isn’t easy to get hands on that amount of money at short notice. It’s not even daytime, I have no idea how he’s going to do this.
“I’m listening baby. Talk to me, tell me what you need.” He sounds calm suddenly, the fighter in him taking control and seemingly completely cool. I know him better now, this is Arry trying to disconnect emotionally, so he can handle whatever it is. He does that. When he can’t deal with stuff, he cuts off and handles it with the part of his head that doesn’t feel as much.
“I’m in trouble and I need money.” I blurt out, but the sleazy boss slides off his shades to reveal deep brown eyes and eyerolls, turning the phone to himself, he kills speakerphone and puts it to his ear instead, winking at me nastily. Obviously too impatient.
“Listen buddy, as sweet as all that was getting, I haven’t got time to beat around the bush. You sound like a smart guy, and I’m guessing this little bundle of blonde pussy is your woman. She needs fifty grand, here within the next four hours or I start posting pieces of that sweet ass to your address. I suggest you don’t dawdle love and call us back when you have the cash in hand. Don’t think about getting fly and involving the boys in blue, cos I will literally put a bullet in her fucking head.” He smiles at me as I can hear the low mumble of a deep voice at the other end, my heart aching for Arrick to be here. Hating that he’ll be melting down at what dickhead has just said to him. Knowing how this must be affecting and picturing him going into freak out mode as soon as he hangs up.
“Don’t worry love, if your boyfriend comes through with the cash you won’t be joining her back there, she’s learning a good lesson. Never fuck over your supplier.” The overly muscular slime ball, gripping me, chuckles in my ear as the brown leather jacket still talks to Arrick. I glare at him, still aware that there’s a lot of noise coming from far behind that sounds like she is getting a going over and even I feel for her in this moment. I try to ignore it, not to picture what it feels like, and hope she’s as tough as she seems.
“Fine by me, Mr. Arry, we shall rendezvous as soon as it’s in your hands.” Slime ball sounds cheerful, smug even. I zone back into what smarmy prick is saying to my boy and frown at his over familiar use of a name he isn’t allowed to utter.
“Carrero.” I correct impulsively, no idea why I even feel the need; it’s ridiculous, given the circumstances and see the immediate change in his face. Like a little tiny flicker of the penny dropping.
“Carrero?” He pauses; that smirking sleazy tone dropping with the phone still attached to his ear, and the flicker of eyes to the man sitting close to me as though questioning him for confirmation. I can make out Arrick’s tone on the other end, he must be confirming his name, as the blood visibly drains from boss man’s face. He motions for the man holding me to let go suddenly, waving his hand anxiously and not so smug anymore. I don’t understand; as soon as he releases me, my own hand automatically goes to my throat to rub away the traces of his fingers at where they have been, and I pull my arms around myself protectively.
Boss sleaze turns and gets out of the car, clicking his fingers and the asshole that had been holding me, follows. Leaving me here alone with only the driver and I watch as they stalk off to the side and huddle with another man in a suit. Still holding my phone to his ear. Looking from man to man and then motions towards the back of the car.
Moments later, Camilla is tossed in beside me, her face more of a bloody mess and completely disheveled. She has taken a beating and I immediately try and help her clean the blood off her face, but she pushes me away. Obviously like me, she abhors touch when she’s in that defensive mode inside her head, and I leave her be, understanding her in that moment. Feeling sympathy for what they have done to her, but yet, knowing weakness is not going to do either of us any good.
I turn and watch the men outside instead and realize somethings changed. None of them seem so smug anymore and my phone has been handed off to someone else while brown jacket is on his own cell pacing like a maniac. I watch the man talking to Arry and see him finally hang up, looking sheepish and he nods at the other man. He hands my cell to brown jacket and then looks at the other men gathering around with a worried expression. Huddling together and looking so desperate.
“Somethings wrong.” I say impulsively, and Camilla looks up, following my gaze and staring at them outside. The driver shifts in his seat and I immediately home in on him
“Why does the name Carrero suddenly change everything? I blink at him innocently and catch the narrowed gaze back at me in the mirror. The frown and then glare and yet he remains silent.
“Carrero? As in Alexi Carrero?” Camilla turns my way with a gulp, pulling my arm and attention to her. Her face ashen as though I’ve said something awful. I’m completely confused.
“Arrick’s cousin? What has Lex got to do with any of this? How do you even know who he is?” I feel surreal, not sure what is happening, like I’m in the twilight zone. Losing all sense of anything else while confusion reigns dominant. Alexi is someone I have known as long as Arry, nothing sinister or terrifying. I don’t get the connection at all.
“Wait, you’re related to the Carreros?” Camilla seems equally shocked and I shake my head. Watching her completely awed expression and trying to get my head around why this even matters.
“Arrick Carrero is my boyfriend, I grew up across the road from Jake and Arrick. I’m part of their family and Jake Carrero is my godfather. What has any of this, or Alexi, got to do with anything?” I frown at her, turning my body to her. Eyes now on her for answers as she seems to know more than I do.
“Alexi Carrero is like the king pin of New York… These goons are small fish compared to him and his family. They are known by everyone. If you’re a Carrero or mean something to them, then Tyler majorly fucked up. You’re talking about small time crooks pissing off the mafia.” Camilla wipes her face, straightens herself a little and leans forward to the driver with an air of menace, narrowing her swollen eyes at him in his mirror. “Isn’t that right? You are all fucked when Alexi finds out you manhandled Arrick Carrero’s girlfriend and threatened her.” She has her sassy tone back, obviously finding something to be smug about, despite our predicament, and I can’t even get my head around this."
