"Don't call me love!" As I wanted to grab another knife and shove it in Atlas' throat, all of Dario's men pulled out their guns and pointed them at the bastard, who did not even flinch. I glanced at Dario; he seemed the calmest of them all, and I did not like that. His silence was excruciatingly intimidating.
After a long moment of silence that felt like hours, Dario stood next to me, never leaving his sight of Atlas. "How did you get inside?" he asked quietly and placed his hand on my lower back.
He was unusually stressed, and I was scared of that.
"A simple video made your men move aside like obedient terrified puppies and let me in."
I suddenly felt worse and wanted to puke because of the scenarios that could have gone wrong. "What did you do?"
"First, let your men stand down," Atlas replied as he looked at Dario.
"Why would I let them do that?"
"You don't mind if I kill your sister and her little angel, then?" As he uttered these words, Mattia launched at him, almost landing a punch, but Atlas pulled out his phone and showed us a disturbing live feed before Mattia could do anything.
Enola and Andrea were held at gunpoint in an empty park. It was past ten, but I could think of how Atlas managed to lure her out of their house. He could have threatened to kill Dario or Mattia if she did not comply.
Dario's hand grabbed my suit jacket to hold in his rage. I could not blame him; I was angry myself. "Everyone, stand down." On cue, they put their guns on the table and waited.
If looks could kill, Atlas would be in hell right now.
"Second, I want Jolene by my side. Now. We will build a happy life together, love. You don't have a boyfriend, and I don't have a girlfriend. We are perfect for each other. We complete one another." Atlas' confidence puzzled me, but he was indeed dangerous and capable of nasty things.
I will eventually go with him, but I must set boundaries first.
I immediately thought of a plan that I hoped it would sell. I grabbed Dario's hand, pulled the ring from his pinky without anyone noticing, and slipped it on my ring finger. Dario looked at me in confusion but stayed silent. "Bold of you to assume I am single. I am happily married, you douche." I held my hand up and showed him Dario's ring, which was slightly bigger on my finger.
I did not know if my act was believable, but it was the only thing I could think of. That son of a bitch was capable of anything, and I wanted to shoot my shot.
Atlas' face paled as I said that, and Dario caught on rather quickly. "Bullshit!" Atlas yelled and clearly wanted to break something but refrained from it.
Dario's men did not comment, knowing any word could escalate the situation and make it worse than it already was. I needed to save Enola and Andrea because I was the reason for their hostage situation.
"She's my wife, and I won't let you have her. You will release my sister and nephew because I am one trigger away from murdering you." Dario's intimidating voice made Atlas shift in his place, yet he recovered quickly as if he did not just shit in his pants.
"Well, you see... if you shoot me, my men will shoot your precious ones. The only way they get released is by me taking Jolene. I don't care if she's married; there are things called lawyers and bribes. Nothing money can't solve," Atlas explained, and I felt there was no ending to this predicament.
"You need consent from both parties. I will not grant it," Dario shouted, but I sighed. Atlas said it: nothing money cannot solve... if we were truly married.
We were not, which makes Atlas' job a bit easier. I would not give him the satisfaction just yet, but I had to do something.
Before anyone could say anything, I let go of Dario's hand and strolled toward Atlas. "How can I be sure you will release Enola and Andrea once you get me?" I asked, and the men's eyes widened. They did not think I would be brave enough to solve this problem by going with him.
I will if it means their safety.
"Jolene, come back here. Now." Dario's demand infuriated me because he knew there was no other solution.
"Don't boss me around, Dario. Now, Atlas, tell me, how can I trust you?" I redirected my attention to the fucking problem maker and held my gaze.
"I swear on my pride that I will release them as soon as you are next to me... in the car... away from here." This was getting tricky.
I chuckled, but I was not at all happy. "You must be delusional to think I would trust the word of a criminal. I need concrete evidence that they are safe. How can you guarantee that?" I asked again, but this time, in a more challenging tone.
I stopped walking, feeling weak in my legs, and stood next to Lazlo for a second.
Without skipping a beat, Lazlo slipped a covered knife into my pants from behind, knowing I would need it. I glanced at Lazlo to silently thank him, but he was facing Atlas as if he did not do anything. I made a mental note to treat him to dinner later, that was if I got out of here alive.
"Fair enough. Mattia, right? You will go to their place and wait until Jolene and I are on the road; then you get your family back. It's a win-win situation." Atlas knew everyone by name, which did not surprise me.
He is a damn stalker, and he is good at his twisted job.
"Yeah, and I am Michelangelo. That's bullshit. I don't see the winning on Jolene's part!" Abramo commented, yet did not move. They knew the consequences of disobeying their Don.
"She will thank me later when I pleasure her."
"You think I would let you touch me with your filthy hands?" I was disgusted beyond words.
I looked back at Dario and saw him glaring at Atlas, ready to pull the trigger, but he knew better than to risk his sister's life. He was thinking too hard about this. The answer was simple, and he knew it. I was okay with it too.
"Mattia will go get his family, but not alone. Orlando, Fabio, and Lazlo will go with him." Finally, Dario came to the conclusion that if this did not happen, Enola and Andrea would suffer and possibly die.
"Seems that your husband, soon-to-be ex-husband, is logical. It's great doing business with you, Dario Romano, too bad our Mafias are on bad terms." His comment infuriated me, and I knew Dario was fighting his demons not to kill him on the spot. We needed to be rational.
Atlas described to Mattia the exact location, and the men went without wasting another second. According to Atlas, they should arrive in less than ten minutes. I looked at Atlas' screen and saw a terrified Enola holding Andrea close to her. He was sleeping, so it was less of a hurdle. A crying baby could complicate things.
We were all wary of Atlas, but he made himself comfortable and drank wine from Basilio's glass. However, Basilio surprised us all by punching Atlas in the guts. "You never said anything about punching you."
"Clever, I will let this one slide, but if anyone comes closer to me again and attempts such stunts, I will tell my guys to shoot them. So behave yourselves." I (mentally) high-fived Basilio because now Atlas felt more threatened to be in the lion's den.
The death glares he received from the Mafia men were suffocating, and I did not feel bad for the motherfucking prick.
As I was observing Atlas' every move, Dario stood behind me. He did not say anything; he just stood with his hands on my shoulders. His touch calmed me down, and he knew it.
After a few minutes, Giovanni's phone rang, breaking the silence, and we all looked at him. "It's Mattia," he said and put it on speaker.
"I see them. Let my wife and my kid walk toward me now!" Mattia yelled through the phone, and Atlas grinned.
"Very well. Jolene, it's your turn. Come here, baby." I gagged at his words, yet did as he said. It was the only way for this to end without them getting hurt, but before I could take another step forward, Dario seized my face in his large hands and kissed me without any heads up.
~~~
1.06.2023
THEY HAD THEIR FIRST KISS! I AM ACTUALLY SCREAMING LOL.
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