Thump, thump, thump, the hammer in my head was relentless. When my vision finally cleared, I looked around in confusion. I took in the room. It was tiny. A small bookcase sat by the door, and next to that was a rocking chair with a wicker basket full of yarn. Paintings sprinkled the walls, and an old square rug lay in front of the television. A delicious smell of some kind filled the room and heightened my senses. My eyes went to the door that looked like it led to a kitchen.
“Rest, dear, rest.” An older lady hobbled in holding a tray with a teapot and cup. “You have been asleep for a long time.”
“Where am I?” A bubble of panic rippled through me. “Who are you?”
“A friend.”
“I don’t have any friends here.” I tried to move again and winced at the deep burn.
“I didn’t say I was a friend of yours.” She poured the tea and set it on the table next to me.
“Drink.”
Suddenly, the day came rushing back to me, and I swallowed back the fear that someone had tried to kill me.
“If I wanted to hurt you,” she sensed my fear, “I would have by now.”
How comforting.
I did another quick assessment of the room and saw two possible ways of escape. My heart beat loudly in my chest, and I wished the pain in my head would leave so I could think.
“Where is my purse?”
“Here.” She pulled it off the table and handed it to me.
I dug through it. “What happened to my phone?”
“I have no idea.”
Tears quickly formed, and I knew this was it. All my years on the streets, and this was how I was going to be taken out? By some wizened old lady.
“I’m a friend of the Capris.” She eased into the rocking chair, reached in the basket, and started to knit. “I was told to keep you hidden until they came to get you.”
“How long was I out?” I didn’t believe her. Elio would have been here within an hour of hearing the news.
“Five hours.”
Sweat broke out across my neck, and I tried to keep calm, but my shaky hands gave me away, and she glanced at them.
“Have some tea, Sienna. They’ll be here soon.”
What the hell was happening here?
My mouth was like cotton, so I took a few sips, desperately needing to wet my throat. I knew I needed to keep sharp. The warm liquid felt nice as honey coated my taste buds, giving me a natural boost of sugar. When I was finished, I leaned back and wondered how I was going to get out of here. I knew I could take her out. She was old, and even in pain I could outrun her, I thought as my eyelids got heavy. The sound of the chair as it rocked at a steady rhythm made me drift off.
“How much?” I heard her say as I started to come to. The hands on the clock were hard to focus on, but after a few blinks I caught it for a split second.
Four hours. I’d been asleep for four hours!
“You better make this right. If I’m going to go against the Capri family, it better be worth it,” the old lady’s voice snarled from another room. “She’s out like a light, so I suggest you come now.”
That was all I needed to hear as I ignored the pain and sat up. I slipped on a pair of shoes, briefly wondering where my own were, grabbed my purse, and raced out the door. I stopped at the top of some stairs as a wave of dizziness came over me. I shook it off and used my hands to guide myself down then out the main door to the street. The smell of baking was almost overpowering.
I knew she must have drugged the tea. I could still feel it in my system. Not knowing where I was, I decided on a direction and hobbled away as quickly as I could. My battered body protested at every step. I quickly realized it was the wrong decision. The smell of smoke and beer hit my nose, and I opted to cross the road to keep in the shadows of the side streets. The thought of the old biddy following me or in case she had someone else follow me had my nerves on edge.
The sun was setting. It would be dark soon, and the last thing I wanted was to be out here alone at night with a bunch of drunk people as they headed home from their barstools.
“Hello there, darlin. Where are you off to tonight?” a man called out and whistled for his buddies. I stumbled over my heavy feet and used one hand on the wall of the building for support as I hurried away. Everything hurt, but I sure as heck wasn’t going to make it easy for them to catch up.