Romancing The Mob (ON HOLD)

Chap. 11

            Hanging up, Laura was saved from answering Carlos’ probing questions by the arrival of their waiter with their food, and successfully avoided the subject of Alexei for the rest of the night.

            By the time Carlos’ driver pulled up to the curb, Laura’s phone was already ringing. It was Alexei again, and Carlos scowled as Laura gave him a hurried goodbye and scrambled from the car with a smile, the phone already at her ear.

            “Ciao? Well you didn’t even give me time to call you back!” Laura was saying as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. Walking to her building, Laura laughed as she fished her keys out of her bag and unlocked the door to her building before stepping inside.

            “Come out with me.” Alexei demanded, and Laura sighed as she got in the elevator.

            “I don’t know, Alexei, this is just aggravating my father further-”

            “So now you aren’t allowed to have friends? He controls who you spend time with as well?”

            “Non, of course not, I’m an adult and I do what I please-“

            “And yet you want to come out with me, but you are still refusing to do so.” He stated, and Laura rolled her eyes as her elevator doors whooshed open and she walked down the hall to her apartment door.

            “Why are you so sure that I want to see you? You’re just as demanding and pushy as Marco.” Laura insisted, unlocking her door and pushing her way in. Switching her phone to the other shoulder, Laura switched on the light to her apartment, and froze, before letting out a blood curling scream.

            Pillows slashed, vases broken, the contents of her fridge strewn across the kitchen, the night air blowing in through the open patio doors. Laura dropped her phone and purse as she continued to scream, unhearing of Alexei’s frantic yelling of her name. She had been robbed.

            Ten minutes later, Alexei Giovanni was running up the stairs to Laura’s apartment, not bothering to take the elevator, two of his most trusted men running behind him. When they got to the door for the eleventh floor where Laura lived, Bruno halted him from opening it with an arm across his chest and a gruff “Sir”. Alexei made himself calm down, even though the only thing he could hear was the rushing of his own blood through his ears and the wild pounding of his heart as his adrenaline sky rocketed. His body was readying itself for a fight, and eh was more than happy to oblige. Bruno had the foresight to put on his gloves, and Alexei felt like a dumb rookie. Of course gloves, for fingerprints. Fucking idiot, he scolded himself. Bruno put a finger to his lips as he and Yanes, his right hand man and childhood best friend, pulled their guns, complete with silencers. Alexei’s gun had been in his hand since they entered the building, and he adjusted the familiar weight in his hand before nodding to Bruno that he was ready. Bruno opened the door, checked left and right, then proceeded them. Yanes next, with Alexei bringing up the rear. Moving silently, they did a sweep of the hallway before coming to Laura’s apartment, in which the door was wide open. Bruno and Yanes went in first, doing a swift and thorough sweep of the remaining rooms, while Alexei’s blood boiled to see Laura’s apartment ransacked like this, and the bile rose in his throat. Whoever did this was going to pay, and pay big. Anxious, Bruno finally gave Alexei the okay to check the bedroom.  

            “Laura!” Alexei yelled, stepping around the overturned furniture and racing to the bedroom, slipping his gun in the back of his pants, under his jacket as he found her huddled on the floor of the closet. “Laura.” He said again, softly this time. Hunched over a pillow, Laura had a death grip on a kitchen knife and was shaking too badly to use it properly. Her eyes were open, but unseeing, and he lowered himself down to a crouch cautiously, should she lash out. “Laura.” He tried again, trying to get her to hear him. Alexei reached out to her cautiously, touching her forearm lightly, and even then laura jumped a mile and screamed. Alexei swore, wrestling the knife from her. “Laura! It’s me, it’s Alexei! It’s me, you’re okay, you’re okay!” She finally relented the knife, and her eyes looked up to him. He had never seen a more heartbreaking sight, this strong, independent girl, vulnerable and raw. Laura didn’t burst into sobs as he expected, but simply allowed him to pull her into his arms and hold her close. She was limp at first, unresponsive, and Alexei carried her out of the closet and to the bed. Not wanting to take her out of his arms, Alexei sat on the bed and arranged her on his lap. Bruno and Yanes stood by the door, waiting patiently for orders, and Alexei spoke over Laura’s head in Arabic as he held her close.