“Yeah, we’ll extort some money out of him and buy our freedom. It’s not the way I wanted this to go, but at least we have options.”
“Options?” Emma asked in disbelief. The options were dying and dying slowly.
Can’t this idiot see that?
“The mob doesn’t forgive or forget,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you manage to make a deal. They’ll still hunt you down. No Don would let an insult like this go. You can run all you want. They’ll find you.”
Benny scoffed and shook his gun at her again.
“I’ve got a stash put away, princess. I’m just going to push our old pal, the Don, for a little more. Then I can hire an entire army to protect me. I’m going to be a man of status. I might even become a godfather myself.”
Emma stared at him in disbelief. She had never heard anything so stupid in her entire life. She didn’t know if he was just dumb, insane, or both.
“Do you hear yourself?” she asked in disbelief. “How long have you worked for the mob? Do you know how long it takes to become a Don, the kinds of things you have to do?”
Benny laughed, leaning forward to shove her in the chest with his gun.
“Maybe if I do a lot of really bad things very quickly, it will elevate my position.”
One of his goons next to Emma laughed softly. Emma glanced at him in alarm. He agreed with Benny, not mocking him.
“The mob relies on family connections,” Emma said thoughtfully. “You realize that, don’t you? Cousins, aunties, uncles. The network bleeds through the city like a weave. You can’t compete with that.”
Benny’s face went white, and his pupils dilated. He leaned forward and hit her across the face with his gun.
“Shut up, bitch!” he yelled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“But I do,” she gasped, finding her confidence. “I really do. I’m a Fontana. What the fuck are you?”
Benny grabbed the front of her shirt, hoisting her up so he could glare into her eyes. Their noses were almost pushed together.
“You’re dead. That’s what you are,” Benny hissed. “It doesn’t matter how this goes down. You aren’t going to live through it. Not only do I not like you, but my friend is dead. A life for a life, bitch. Your life for Fritz’s.”
Emma laughed. She couldn’t help it.
“Okay, okay,” she gasped. “So, I’m dead. Fritz is dead. The thing you don’t know is that you’re fucking dead too.”
Benny dropped her, and she hit the floor with a crash that hurt her knees.
“If you use me to bargain with, then kill me, you’ll never get away,” Emma gasped. “You can run as far as you want. The family will find you. You’re dead right now, and you don’t even know it.”
Benny whirled toward her and kicked her in the ribs. Emma doubled over, grabbing her stomach and choking. The van swerved sharply, and they were thrown against the walls. She didn’t bother trying to get up.
Benny sat on the seat again, pointing the gun at her. Emma shook her head, feeling something blooming in her chest. An inner fire inside her swallowed her fear.
I’ve spent my whole life being afraid. I’m so fucking sick of being told what to do!
The moment she admitted that to herself, a surge of confidence filled her. She had always been trying to protect her miserable life and believed that being submissive would keep her safe.
But here she was, kidnapped, held at gunpoint … again … and still cowering like a field mouse in front of the farm cat.
Where did it get me? Where did any of it get me? Into my worst fucking nightmare, that’s where.
She was about to die. If not right here and now, then very soon. Not long after the guys tried to make a deal with the Don, they would kill her.
So they might as well just shoot me now.
“You absolute fucking moron,” Emma said, her voice low but gaining strength. “You dumb fuck.”