“Celia.”
Snapping my attention toward the door, I focus on Willa as she comes stumbling into the room. Instead of her usual brightly colored hair and crazy hairstyles, it hangs flat around her shoulders. Grime cakes her clothing, signaling they’ve kept her in less than favorable conditions. Her bloodshot eyes focus on me as she takes a seat.
“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I already know the answer,” I say, making a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.
She gives me a watery smile, and both of us giggle softly. “What’s up, buttercup?”
“Nothing much, Kitty Kat.” We stare at each other for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say, before the voice chimes in.
“Say goodbye, ladies.”
I don’t even have a chance to say another word before the screen blinks off, breaking the connection with Willa. I had so many things I wanted to say, answers that I needed from her. But most of all, I wanted one more chance to tell her how much she means to me.
“Now that you’ve seen your sister, it’s time to get down to business.”
Tears stream down my cheeks as I lean back into the couch, crossing my arms over my stomach. I want to rage, to destroy this entire apartment and demand these men take me to my sister, but I know I can’t do that. Not this time. Now that I know they have Willa, I can’t take anymore chances.
“Are you paying attention, Celia?”
My head bobs upward slightly, letting the voice know I’m listening as the screen comes back to life.
“This is Salvatore Genovese, the head of the Genovese Crime family.”
Mafia family?Holy shit, this is more serious than I could’ve ever imagined. Yes, these people went through a lot of trouble to get me here, but I thought it was some sort of corporate espionage or something. Not the mob. Nothing ever good comes from getting involved with the mob.
My heart pounds in my chest, blood rushing through my ears. My vision blurs as if I’m viewing the world through another lens. I’m panicking. I know it, and I’m powerless to stop myself this time. There’ll be no coming back from this. I’m going to die before the end of this, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it from happening. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was going to be the outcome before I walked out of my dorm room.
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I put all my focus on breathing. In and out. In and out. I need to get through this, for Willa’s sake, because she’s what matters. Her safety. Her ability to grow old and have a family. All the things we spent our childhood wishing for. That’s my gift to her. There’s no turning back now. Bile rises in my throat as I turn my attention toward the screen.
Chiseled jawline. His hair has that just-got-out-of-bed look. His body is the picture of perfection, and his suit jacket is opened to reveal a crisp white button-down shirt molded to his muscular chest. But what catches my attention is his eyes, which are focused directly on the camera, as if he knows he’s being watched off in the distance. My entire body leans forward as if some unknown force is pulling me toward him. He oozes power and confidence through the screen, but there’s something else lurking behind his eyes. A raging storm waiting to be released, and if I’m not careful, it could devour me whole.
“This is his second in command and twin brother, Antonio, along with their head of security, Matteo Morelli.”
My captor’s voice startles me as another picture flicks across the screen. It only takes a matter of seconds for me to pick Antonio out of the two men. He’s slightly shorter than Salvatore and looks like nothing but trouble. Antonio has the same chiseled jaw and tossed locks as his brother, but I notice intricate tattoos peeking out above his bright-white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbow. He’s slightly less intense looking than Salvatore, with a small smirk gracing his lips, but equally dangerous.His energy seems to be more restless than his brother, untamed in a way that I can’t explain.
Matteo is dressed in a perfectly tailored suit similar to Salvatore’s, but he doesn’t have the same laid-back attitude as Antonio. He seems focused and on alert, ready to pounce at the first sign of danger. He may be the head of security, but has the same powerful palpable energy as the other two men.
Warmth pools between my legs as images of being at the mercy of these three men flash through my mind. The feel of their lips caressing my skin as they have their wicked way with me, playing with my body in a way no other person has before.
Wait, what?I shake my head free of all the dirty thoughts running through my mind like a movie reel. I need to focus. I’m here to get information, not to get my cherry popped. No matter how much I want to fall to my knees in front of these three men and beg them to save me from this nightmare, that won’t happen. The only way to get Willa and me out of this situation is to focus on the task at hand. Get the information these people need and pray the three men don’t catch on to what I’m doing, because I doubt that will end well.
“You need to get as much information about the inner workings of the Genovese family as you can.”
“How do you expect me to do that?”
Though I’m insanely attracted to these three men, I doubt it’s going to be easy to get close to any of them. If it was, these people wouldn’t need me.Besides, I’ve never been the best at interacting with the opposite sex, mainly because I try to avoid people at all costs. I have a hard enough time speaking to the girl who sits next to me in my psychology class. There’s no way I’m going to get close to these men without a plan.
“Open the door.”
I push off the couch and head toward the front door, quickly unlocking it. Sitting on the ground directly in front of the door is a small brown box. Without hesitation, I bring it inside and place it on the table in front of the couch before taking a seat.
“There’s not a bomb in here, is there?” I question sarcastically, but when the voice doesn’t respond, I take that as a sign to continue.
Leaning forward, I flip open the top of the box and peer inside. Everything I need to become a new person is nestled inside. A new driver’s license, social security card, and birth certificate, each with the name Celia Johnson.
I should’ve known these people would cover their tracks, but giving me a fake identity is a godsend. Now I can move about… wait a second.
“Where am I?”