Chapter 15
Isabella
The profound scent of flesh hits my nostrils as I wake up to my arm being shaken. Upon opening my eyes I see a curvy woman with long, auburn hair. While it’s dark in here I can make out her features. She somehow looks familiar but I can’t put my finger on it.
“Who are you?” The woman asks, narrowing her eyes on me.
“Teresa,” I respond, sticking with my cover story. For all I know this woman could be part of the Falcones. You can never be too sure these days. My training with the FBI and CIA taught me to constantly expect the unexpected.
She scoffs in front of me, “You’re one hell of a liar, whoever you are. I saw the way your eyes darted across me, debating on whether or not to be truthful. In this life everyone has a tell, yours are your eyes, in case you didn’t know.”
I’m not sure what to make of the situation. Part of me wants to believe she isn’t some sort of mole for the Falcones, planted in this room with me to hand them my deepest darkest secrets.
The woman is sitting on her ass, back against the walls with her hands zip tied together on her lap. She huffs, “If you’re not going to say shit to me, I’ll just tell you who I am. Obviously we’re both in a fucked up situation and we’ll need to help one another as much as we can. I’m Madigan Steele.”
Just like that her name rings a huge bell in my mind. A couple years ago her name was thrown around through the tabloids as the secret Steele love child. Her mother was an actress and her father was married to another when she was born. The media had an absolute frenzy with this one.
“How’d you end up in a place like this?” I ask, hoping she’ll give me more information. She could still be working for the Falcones, but I don’t know. Wait. If my memory serves me correctly, Madigan was dating Vinny before he went missing. It was right before all the information came out regarding her paternity.
Madigan sighs, allowing the room to fill with silence before she responds. “Paying for past mistakes it seems. Now it’s your turn. Care to share,Teresa?” She spits out the fake name I’m going by as my cover and I need to think fast. Being part of the Clans means I’m privy to certain information. While most people believe the Steeles to have their fortune based on smart investments in start-up companies, I know that to be a lie. The Steeles are the guys you go to when you need guns transported across North America. Hell, the Clans might’ve even used them a time or two. I’m not sure, although I’m certain we’re not enemies.
I look around the room to make sure no one could be eavesdropping. Thankfully, the only thing I see in here are pieces of meat hung from hooks in the ceiling. It’s not too frigid, so I’d say we’re in a refrigerator.
“I’m Isa,” I start off, debating on what else to say. I’m weighing every positive and negative that comes to my mind.
“Is that short for Isabella?”
I nod, allowing her to continue speaking.
“Ah, alright. My brother told me a guy named Marcel was calling him up about Vinny. Christian, being my overbearing older brother did some digging into this Marcel fellow. We had a mutual friend grab photos of you two here in New York. My bet is he’s your lover. But that wasn’t the cherry on the cake, he’s the lead clan member for the Funars in the Romanian mafia.”
“You seem to have too much time on your hands,” I hastily reply, a bit annoyed she violated my privacy. However, it was a smart move. While I respect it, doesn’t mean I like it.
Madigan lets a chuckle loose, “Yes, I do. The last couple of years have gotten away from me. I’m newly married and a stay-at-home mom. To be honest with you when they abducted me I thought I’d never see my little boy again, but Iknowmy brothers. They won’t let the Falcones take me away from my husband, or my son. We’re going to get out of here, Isabella.” Instead of feeling angry at how naïve Madigan truly is, hope swarms through my body. Now I’m unsure if I’m the ignorant one.
The large metal door comes open with a click and in walks Antonio, Franco’s middle son. He glances over to Madigan for a moment before he rapidly charges up to me and wraps his sweaty hand around my throat, squeezing tightly. “I’m going to make you pay for being a fucking snitch. I knew something was up with you from the first moment we met. You were different than all the other pussy Dad brings around. Paying too much attention to shit that shouldn’t concern you. What do you have to say for yourself,Teresa?” Antonio’s lips are so close to mine that his spit flies on my face as he screams.
“Go fuck yourself. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I seethe back, not afraid of whatever he’s bringing my way.
“I know enough,cagna. I’ve even come up with the perfect way to give you a taste of your own medicine.” He rips his hand from my throat, laughing diabolically in the process.
Antonio reaches behind him and picks up a bottle filled with a dark liquid. There’s only one shitty light in this refrigerator so I can’t tell exactly what color is in the container. “You’re obviously not from around here or you wouldn’t have dared to go against us. Do you know what we do to snitches,Teresa?”
I don’t bother answering and continue to glare at this bastard.
“I figured you wouldn’t. Well, we make them understand what it means to be a snitch. You see, our family used to call people like you rats but that was too kind of a term. Instead we call you pigs. That’s what you are in all honesty. Ugly, disgusting individuals who would be better fileted into tiny little pieces than taking up our oxygen.” Antonio picks up a plastic thing on the metal table in the middle of the refrigerator and brings it closer. It’s one of those plastic funnels that people can use to put oil in their car. He shoves it into my mouth before I realize what’s happening and I feel the long end hit the back of my throat. I thrash my head around but his hand is planted firmly on it. Every time I move he shoves the funnel in deeper and it presses even more harshly against my throat, scraping me in such a sensitive area. While I’m realizing every time I move is harming me, he’s opened the bottle and is pouring a tarte, thick tasting substance down into my mouth.
As it hits the back of my throat, it spills out over my tongue and down my mouth because I don’t know what it is. What I won’t do is swallow this shit. It could be poison.
Antonio scowls down at me, “Swallow this shit or I’ll do shit the way my father does,cagna. Believe me, you don’t want me to resort to that. It won’t be pleasant in any way.”
This guy is bluffing. If he was going to do something horrific he would’ve started with that. Not with this symbolic shit.
Antonio slams his hand down in the center of my throat when I don’t comply and I suck in a sharp breath, choking on the thick liquid in the process. “I hope you enjoy the taste of your own kind. Pig’s blood is on the menu for your indefinitely.” He rips the funnel out of my mouth, places it back on the metal table with the bottle which is about half full at this point and turns to Madigan. “I hope you’re not jealous, sweetheart. My Dad will be in to pay close attention to you a bit later.”