I ran as fast as I could in my six inch heels, putting every single ounce of energy that I had left. This was bad. Really bad. I mentally slapped myself for not listening to my instincts. I definitely wouldn't repeat the same mistake next time - that is, if I ever made it alive out of here.
I panted as my breath came out in harsh spurts.
"Wait!" Sergio shouted behind me as he let out a string of colorful Italian curses.
My legs started aching as I pushed myself to make it around the corner. I had to make it out of this alive and in one piece. Although sadly, I figured that I was going to die either ways. My mum would complete the job herself and skin me alive if she ever found out about my reckless behavior.
Without waiting to take another gulp of air, I turned around the corner, nearly skidding as I heard more voices and shouting from behind me. The voices seemed closer as my heart went into a frenzy. It'd be a wonder if I didn't have a heart attack tonight.
My heart leapt to my throat as I felt a hand wrap around my forearm. With a shriek, I was pulled back as my back collided with a solid chest.
"Stay quiet otherwise I'm going to have to do something I don't really want to do to you." He muttered quietly in that raspy voice of his.
Before I could even wrap my head around what was going on, I was dragged into an alley as several other footsteps followed behind. Just as my mouth opened to scream for help, I felt a cool metal object being placed at my throat as my insides quivered with fear.
"One word out of your mouth and I'll have to slit that pretty little throat of yours. We wouldn't want that happening hmm, mia gioia?" Sergio whispered as he dragged the tip of the knife along the column of my throat.
My entire body froze as his threat registered in my brain. Yeah, no, I wasn't really a huge fan of imagining my dead, lifeless body lying in some random London alley near a dumpster. I gave an imperceptible shake of my head as he slowly withdrew the knife without letting go of the tight grip that he had on my waist.
"Brava ragazza." He purred as he leaned his forward and buried his face in my hair. He let out a sigh of approval before I heard someone clear their throat behind us.
"Capo, what should we do with her? Ha visto troppo." One of the men questioned, most likely the blonde dude who had stood by Sergio's side while he committed a cold blooded murder.
My mind automatically translated the Italian sentence as I squeezed my eyes shut. She's seen too much. Fuck yeah I've seen too much. For what it was worth, I really wish I hadn't.
"Hmmm what do we do with her? I think we should keep her no? She'd make a good pet for me. What do you think, soldati?"
I heard a hesitant murmur of assent in response to Sergio's rhetorical question. Cue the waterworks now, ladies and gentlemen. I guess this was the part in the movie where I get kidnapped and get taken away to his mansion in the middle of nowhere. Fuck my life.
As reality settled in, I felt a sob rise in my throat. I had so many things to say to my mum. Like how I was sorry that I hadn't done my laundry in time. How we shouldn't have argued about the dress that I wore tonight. Gosh, I really wish I were back home in my apartment, busy completing a case study from one of the thousand pounds books that we had to buy for law school. What wouldn't I give to be doing exactly that.
I turned my head to the side, wishing for all of this to be a bad dream as I heard a grunt of pain before Sergio's body completely covered mine. He buried his face in the crook of my neck as he panted harshly, clearly in pain. Craning my neck, I spotted a few more men, dressed in black from head to toe, making their way over to us as if they hadn't just shot somebody. Sergio and his men diverted their attention to the approaching clan as I tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't put me in the middle of a crossfire. If there was any chance to escape before all hell broke loose, then it was now.
Stray bullets flew past my head as my body involuntarily shaking. Complete chaos ensued as several more men entered the dingy as shouts and curses in Italian filled the space. With my heart thundering in my chest, I put all my strength into pushed Sergio's chest off me as he stumbled back. Momentarily confused by my action, I took advantage of the moment as I turned on my heel and ran in the opposite direction of where the masked men were entering from. I couldn't really make out who was who in the dark but I still continued running in the opposite direction as I heard a voice behind me.
"Gianna!" Sergio roared, his voice bouncing off the graffitied walls.
"Stop!" He shouted as he limped on the leg that hadn't been shot.
I turned my head away from him, feeling slightly guilty that I was leaving him in this condition. But I had no choice. He definitely wasn't one of the good guys that was going to save me and deliver me home safe. In fact, he was going to do quite the opposite - make me another one of his prisoners. And that thought alone was what pushed the temporary guilt away and propelled me to run faster until my calves hurt.
Without stopping for oxygen, I turned around several corners until I saw rays of street lights shine in from ahead of me. I had long left behind the chaos - more like a bloodbath that was about to ensue, if you could ask me. I knew that he'd probably come looking for me and find me if I didn't get far away from him now. Desperation oozed out of my pores as I followed the light and found myself in the middle of a busy street. Several cars honked their horns as I dashed in the middle of the London traffic, weaving my way in and out until a cabbie cursed at me for holding up a line of cars.
Opening the door of the first cab that I saw, I all but jumped inside.
"Young lady, what do you think you're -
"Please sir, I just need to get home. I'll pay you, I promise." I answered as I panted for air.
With a stern look and an order to close the door, the car sped forward as he expertly moved in and out of the heavy traffic even at this hour.
My eyes were glued to the window as I ducked down enough so that nobody looking in could see that any person was inside the cab. Bile rose to my throat as I saw a bloodied Sergio, waiting at the corner of a street ahead, all alone as he raked his hands through his hair. I sunk further into my seat as I urged the driver to drive faster. He gave me an annoyed look before he finally complied and drove faster.
My heart rate only slowed once ten minutes had passed and we had, no doubt, left the street where Sergio had been standing. Bloody hell. I felt like I had just starred in a live action remake of a James Bond movie, complete with the action and guns. I pushed a clammy hand through my drenched locks as I shut my eyes. It would take a while for me to process this shit, though.
Soon enough, we pulled into the quaint neighborhood where my apartment was located as I pulled out a couple of pounds from the side pocket of my dress. Thank fuck for pockets in this dress becaise I had been able to store some cash and my phone since I had forgotten my clutch in my haste, back at the club. With one last look from the driver, I got out of the cab as I stood on shaky legs and entered the lobby.
The lights in front of my face felt too bright as I walked in, completely numb to my surroundings. I could feel bile rise up my throat from the night's turn of events.
"Miss Ricci...are you okay?" Asked the friendly doorman, Mr Howell, as he looked on with a concerned face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit of a rough night." I rasped with a parched throat as the lines on his forehead flattened.
"Right. Well you have a good night, Missus. Sleep it off, if you ask me."
Sending a weak smile his way, I somehow managed to make it to the elevator and press the button to the 13th floor. I honestly don't even know how I managed to get into my apartment before I flopped down on my couch.
I was too drained and exhausted to actually comprehend what had happened over the past few hours. I had gone from being a normal girl to almost being kidnapped by some random Italian gangster in the middle of a London alleyway. My phone vibrated in my pocket as I pulled it out to check the caller ID. The word mum was displayed on the screen as a quiet sob left my mouth. Nope, I was not ready to talk to anyone, let alone mother dearest, at this moment. I just hoped that she'd leave me alone and not come up to my apartment to hound me for not picking up my phone. Sending a prayer out to the Gods to protect me and to thank them for getting me back home in one piece, I walked into my room before stripping and laying in my bed, waiting for sleep to overtake me. I'd deal with everything else tomorrow morning. Right now though, I was just glad to be alive and that I had just dodged a bullet. Little did I know that I was extremely wrong about that.
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