The Mafia's Maid

Chapter 43

Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry for such late chapters, I just have a lot to do, and I have trouble finding the brainpower to write after a long day. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and let me know your thoughts.

Enjoy!

Leah POV

Thanks to the long drive, I had a lot of time to think, and I eventually came up with a plan.

First, I needed to get some money. Wherever I decided to go, I would need money. I had time to pull over and scrouge Lucas' lackey's car for any loose change, and came up with around 23 euros, which was enough for some petrol and food.

Second, I needed somewhere to stay for the time being. I figured I could stay at a hotel, but I wasn't sure if I trusted Lucas or anyone like that to not have some sort of control or whatever over the hotels, so I thought of using a fake name. Although, I didn't have any ID or clothes, or anything, and I'm pretty sure people might find that suspicious.

And finally, I had to get in contact with Mary. I don't know if anything had already happened to her or if she was safe, but she was my best friend, and I needed to make sure she was ok. I saw a couple of payphones along the road, so that was probably my best bet.

But before any of that happened, I should probably clean myself up. The thought of Lucas' dry blood on my skin made me want to throw up.

I drove through a couple of small towns, only stopping for a quick fuel-up and some water, being sure to hide my face. What normal person wouldn't be concerned if they saw someone covered in blood?

I finally decided to stop when my eyes were starting to droop and I nearly drove off the road.

Stopping at the next little town, I parked the car at a gas station and walked directly to a bathroom. I felt like I was having a déjà vu when I saw myself in the mirror.

Instead of my blood though, it was Lucas'.

I got out of the bathroom in record time, anxious that somebody would think I was suspicious or something for any reason. Drawing attention was the last thing I wanted to do right now.

Before looking for somewhere to stay, I decided to try contacting Mary first. Sure, it was finding money, then a place, then talking to Mary, but who cares?

I walked around the small yet bustling path to the nearest payphone, going into the tiny, see-through booth and digging into my pocket, grimacing at the lack of coins I had.

If I wanted food tonight, I could only use a few euros on the payphone.

After I put in some coins, I brought the phone to my ear, hearing my heart thumping mix with the ringing of the phone.

My heart beat faster when the call didn't go through, but I fished out a few more coins and put them into the machine.

There was a click as the call went through."Hello?"

"Mary?" There was a pause.

"Leah?" She said in disbelief.

I felt like I could have cried at the sound of her voice after what felt like too long. "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh my god, you're alive. Thank god. Are you ok?"

"Define ok."

"Living, breathing, not hurt in any way?" She spoke, an underlying hopefulness in her voice.

"Well, I'm living, I'm breathing, and I'd say I'm about a third on the last one."

"What happened? Where are you calling from?"

"A payphone in some small town, I'm not sure."

There was a muffled voice on Mary's side. "It's Leah," I heard her say. I was about to tell her not to tell them it was me, but it was already useless. I listened to more muffled voices, and I was starting to worry if I would even get a chance to talk to her.

"Mary?" I called out, grasping the phone tightly in my hands.

There was some shuffling on the other end. "Leah." I cringed slightly when I heard his deep voice. I didn't want to talk to him right now.

"Put Mary back on the phone."

"Not until you tell me where you are," he demanded, and I felt myself shiver at the commanding tone in his voice. It was a voice I used to think of whenever I wanted comfort, but now, all it reminded me of was him torturing that man.

"I want to speak to Mary," I stood my ground, feeling myself stand up straighter ever so slightly.

It was quiet on his end, and I had to check that my time hadn't run out. "Mary?"

"No, it's still me."

"Why won't you let me speak to her?"

"You've been missing for over a month, you call Mary out of the blue, and we don't know where you are or what's happened to you. Once you tell me where you are, I'll let you talk to Mary."

My hands clenched the payphone tightly. "I don't know where I am."

"Look around and tell me what you see." I did as I was told, but nothing stood out. Only street names and small shops.

"I don't see anything."

"Try again."

"Stop telling me what to do and let me speak to Mary."

"I need to know where you are so I can get you."

"I don't want you to get me."

I regretted what I said instantly when he didn't say anything right away.

"What makes you think you have a choice?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Mary told us about your ex, Leah." 

"What?"

There was a faint 'sorry' in the background. "You thought she going to keep that a secret? We know he's the one who took you, Leah, and I'm not letting him get anywhere near you again. So you need to find out where you are and tell me."

It was true. Lucas did take me, and he could find me again. I don't know what he was doing or where he was, but that only meant that I couldn't stay in one place for long. And it didn't help that I had no clue where I was either.

But who was safer to be with; Lucas or Vlado? I knew what Lucas was capable of, but now it felt like I knew nothing about Vlado. I remembered him as a nice, difficult-to-read person. But now, all I can think about is him torturing that man.

The phone started to beep, and panic started to seep in.

"The call's about to finish," I said.

"Put in more money."

"I don't have enough left." That was a lie. An obvious one. I had enough for some more time on the phone, but if I used it, I wouldn't have anything left for anything else. And I didn't want to talk to Vlado anymore.

"Leah, if you don't tell me where you are, I swear to fucking god-" There was a long beep, and I pulled the phone away from my ear. Thank god he got cut off. I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear the end of that sentence.

I tucked the rest of my loose change into my pocket with a sigh and trudged to my new car. Well, that went well. 

If anything actually came from that call, it was the fact that I was even more nervous for Mary than before. There was no way to know what Vlado would do to Mary after this. Maybe I shouldn't have called her.

I slammed the car door closed, locking the doors quickly. I guess since I was changing the plan, I could just sleep in the car to save some money.

It was turning dark quickly, so I decided to call it a day and finally get a full night of rest. Well, try to, at least. Hopefully, tomorrow would be a good day.