Tainted Hearts

38 | Taken

✧

 
CLAUDIA

Claudia floated in the darkness without any thoughts until she felt a sharp tingle. The tingling began at the ends of her toes and moved up her legs and through her middle before reaching her arms, where it developed into a dull sensation.

Piece by piece, her memory of reality returned to her. Her entire body, including her cheek, rested against something cold and moist.

Plywood? It made sense, as the surface was firm and smooth.

Her new surroundings caused a dull ache to spread across her body as she opened her eyes. Light from the ceiling drew lengthy shadows on the bland walls. The room she was in could have been an office. She wasn't sure.

But she was still breathing.

She did not doubt that she would soon wish she were dead rather than in the hands of the Mafia.

Claudia felt a wave of panic wash over her, like choking pollution rising from the depths of her stomach. When she took another gasping breath, her chest wheezed. A cold sweat broke out across her forehead.

Fights, torture, and dying of a panic attack were among the many bizarre scenarios that ran through her mind. There was no end to the possibilities, and each one set her heart racing, but she couldn't afford to give in to the rush. There was nothing more terrifying than waiting until it was too late, so she needed to get up and flee. They'd taken her against her will.

Claudia took a few deep breaths, then pushed with arms that shook so terribly that she feared irreversible nerve damage as she slid her hands along the floor.

"You are up. Great. We need to have a chat."

The sound of the sophisticated voice caused her heart to pound heavily. She'd never heard it before, but it sounded just like Edoardo when he spoke.

Lorenzo Guarini.

A deep chuckle came out as if he could hear her racing thoughts. Claudia sat up, gasping at the pain that was suddenly shooting through her temples. "Why do I...?"

"Why do you have a headache?"

His voice sounded closer.

"After smacking the back of your head, Roberto gave you some sedatives. You didn't go to sleep right away, but eventually you did."
 
She looked up, and after a brief period of dizziness, her vision became normal.

A short distance away, Lorenzo Guarini stood with his legs spread wide and his arms at his sides. He wore a well-cut obsidian suit, and her attention was first drawn to the ticking silver watch on his wrist before she allowed her gaze to travel upward.

The Mafia Don was gorgeous, considering who he was. Dominic's father was older, yet she understood why this man was so interesting.

His thick brown hair, graying at the temples, and dark brown eyes made him look like he'd stepped out of Men's Digest.

Right now, he was smiling like he probably had many times before. Dominic had told her many stories about him, but this was their first meeting. His smile came out as forced as he was talking to her.