Angry whispers made their way to my ears, slightly drawing me out of my dazed state while my mind tried to make out the words coming from the darkness ahead of me.
"You fucking idiot! When Marco sees her, you're fucking dead. How could you be so stupid? She was obviously a decoy -and not even a good one at that, since our gril had fucking red hair- and you fell for it, you fucking motherfucker." The voice certainly belonged to a woman, her heavy breathing mingling with her words. "I'm done saving your fucking ass, Robert. You had one simple fucking thing to do and all the means to do it, so how the fuck did you screw it up so badly?" Calm footsteps resonated through the room, but I was too scared to open my eyes and see who they belonged to.
"Will you calm down and listen to me, Clarisa? I have no idea what you're talking about. That over there is none other than Julia Groves, the woman Marco asked me to follow and bring here." The woman gasped and then moaned deep and low in her throat. I didn't have to open my eyes to know that they were probably kissing. "My job here is done and even though you won't have to save my ass this time I'd love to turn yours pink." Her light giggle was all the answer he needed judging by their hasty retreat from the room.
Finding myself incapable of opening my eyes and staring into a most likely empty, dark room, I let my mind drift to more peaceful times.
$$$
Merely blinking, I winced at the sharp pain errupting inside my head, the room immediately starting to spin. It must have been hours since whitnessing those two's whispered conversation and my entire body felt stiff. Something resembling rope cut into my wrists the moment I tried to move, a hiss escaping my lips. Just then I realised that I was tied to an ancient, wooden chair, the cold biting into my exposed skin. Where the hell was I?
"Look who's finally awake..." Ginger drawled and I immediately turned to try and look at her. I could've sworn she hadn't been there before, yet there she was now, standing just a few feet at my right. Her voice was hoarse and shallow, her tiny figure tied to a chair matching mine. I couldn't see her face from where I stood though and it was useless to keep trying to catch a better glimpse of her. The people bringing me here and restraining me had done a good job. I was incapable of moving any more than I had moved already. "Are you ok?" Something told me that I was the one supposed to ask her that, judging by her broken voice, but, instead of that, I just ended up nodding.
"I'm fine." My voice didn't sound any better than hers, but making a quick assesment, I realised that except for that I was perfectly fine indeed. I had no broken bones and nothing really hurt except for my wrists and ankles. I had a stiff body, that's right, but that was nothing compared to what could've happened to me by now.
"Good. Now you need to listen to me and actually hear me, Julia, as I'm quite sure they'll soon come for me again." It took me a moment to understand what she was saying but then, that realisation made my skin crawl. Ginger knew how these sort of things worked and if she said that they were going to come for her, then she was bloody right. I just dreaded the moment that was going to happen -the moment I was going to be left alone in the dark, cold room I was currently held captive in. I slowly nodded, the muscles in my neck screaming from the searing pain that movement had brought upon them. " These are the bad guys, Julia. Whatever they do, whatever they say... They're just gonna try to get to you. Don't trust them. Don't trust a word they say." Ginger moaned as if in pain and that reminded me of our car crash. I'd gotten off easily, but what if she'd been injured? Furthermore, what if they had injured her afterwards, while I was being blissfully unconscious?
"Are you ok?" I asked, finding myself fearing her answer.
"I'm fine. Now listen!" I knew very well that she wasn't fine, but I wasn't going to push it. Not now anyway. Ginger sighed shortly and went on. "They'll want you to cooperate and they're gonna do whatever it takes for you to do just that. Here's what's going to happen: they're gonna bring you food, so eat it. As for the water, only drink enough as not to die of thirst." Ok... I knew what she was talking about -I'd seen plenty of movies where the main charactes were being captured and drugged-, but still that was not what I'd expected things to be like -not that it mattered really.
"I thought it should've been the other way around. That they would put the drugs into the food, for us not to feel the bitter taste." A small, unamused laugh went past my bodyguard's lips and I realiesed just how stupid my statement happened to be. Like I said, what did it matter how they were going to drug us? The thing was that they were going to do it no matter what.
"This is not a stupid spy movie, Julia. In real life, they couldn't give a crap if you felt the bitter taste of the drugs or not. In fact, they might just spike both the food and the water, just to make sure the drugs get in your system." My hair stood on end at the thought that Gabriel and maybe even Ginger had done this to other people before. She certainly sounded like someone who knew her job. "You just do what I said and try not to piss them off. Give short, brief answers to their questions and don't let fear take over you. The moment they realise you fear them, you're dead." Her voice broke and I could picture her frowning.
"Why are they doing this, Ginger?" My voice was barely audible and in the silence that followed my question I could hear each and every single breath Gabe's protege took.
"Because they can." Came her answer and my eyes closed in frustration. So this was just a power play and we were the pawns. My mind just couldn't deal with that.
"Somebody's gonna come for us, right? We don't need to worry about it, right?" I could feel the sharp edge of insanity in my voice, my erratic breathing coming out of me in short gasps. Ginger didn't make a sound and the lack of an answer from her was just as good of an answer as any other. She didn't think anybody would come for us. Neither did I, really.
"After they take me away... When you'll be left alone in here..." Her words scared the shit out of me. What then? "You need to do anything it takes to survive. Look, you're not gonna like what I'm about to say, but this might be your only chance to live through this, ok?" I nodded and Ginger swallowed hard, her voice a little shaky when she spoke again. "You're a beautiful, sexy woman, Julia. When Marco comes here -you'll know him when you see him- you need to try to seduce him. Make him want to keep you alive for as long as possible. Make him think you're more useful to him alive than you'd be dead. At least until I think of a better way of getting us out of here." She had been right. I didn't like what she'd said. I also happened to know that she was right about the other thing as well, unfortunatelly. I had to do whatever it took to stay alive.
Heavy footsteps came from the other side of the door, their direction unmistakable and that sound silenced both me and my bodyguard. Ginger took a quick, sharp breath of air before saying anything else.
"Close your eyes, judge! And keep them closed unless you wanna get burnt." I didn't need to ask what getting burnt meant. I knew too damn well that whenever someone stood in the Mafia's way, those people were getting burnt -and by that I don't mean literally burnt. I mean killed and cleaned off the face of the Earth. My jaw tensed, but I did as I'd been told and closed my eyes.
"I'm scared." I whispered into the dark and Ginger sighed in return.
"You should be..."
A moment later the door got banged against the wall and my heart stopped beating.
$$$
Do I need to say that Ginger had been right again, anymore? That they had come and took her away -and she didn't even put up a fight? That she'd just silently followed them out and then the door got locked up behind them?
And now I was left alone in this place I hated and feared at the same time and my heart just couldn't take it anymore. I started crying, my emotions wreaking havoc in my chest.
$$$
I woke up to the sound of somebody tapping their foot on the floor, the shadowy figure of a man immediately appearing before my eyes. You'll know him when you see him. Ginger's words came back to mind and I knew without a doubt that the man in front of me was none other than Marco -the man I'd danced with at Gabriel's party and also the man waiting for me in the courthouse's parking lot that day. My shaky hands gripped the chair tighter, my stomach twisting in knots.
The cold, distant smile he was sporting didn't fool me one bit. I was in danger.
Now, you might wonder how I knew that, because let's be honest, how do you know you're in danger -how can you know that? Well, call me crazy, but the moment a man has a gun pointed at you, that just couldn't mean you're safe, right? Considering the fact that the man pointing his Beretta at me also had a smile bordering insanity pulling at his lips, I was quite sure that the end of me was near. I could already feel the taste of blood onto my tongue.
"Well, hello sleeping beauty!" His voice perfectly matched his demeanor -it was cold, distant and dangerous in a way I couldn't explain. "It's good to see you again, Ms Groves." A small, almost hysterical laugh escaped me.
"Maybe I could say the same thing about you if you took that thing out of my face." I mumbled, pointing at the gun with my chin. He grinned this time and slowly lowered his hand. "Why are you doing this?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it and my heart leaped and then crawled into my stomach. Keeping his calm facade, the man in front of me took a step forward, his head slightly tilting to the side.
"Because I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." His deep voice and warm breath fanning over my neck made me pull back into the chair.
"What moment?" I asked, doing my best not to choke on my own words. His smile grew bigger, but it still didn't touch his eyes.
"The moment when he finally had something to lose. When he finally cared about something enough as to be hurt by losing that thing. Or person, in this case." That's when it dawned on me. This wasn't a power play. This was a vendetta. Marco was trying to do himself justice for something that Gabriel had done to him and he was going to burn me in the proccess of doing so. I was nothing more than collateral damage. "It's nothing personal, Ms Groves. In fact, I kinda like you." And he was saying it as if that should've made me feel better about the whole situation I was finding myself in.
"But you're still going to kill me." He slowly nodded, his upper lip curling in mock regret.
"You're a smart woman, Ms Groves. That might keep you alive for now." For now being the key words. He wouldn't have brought me here if he didn't plan to kill me at some point. Now, I just wondered when that was going to happen.
"Why would you keep me alive for longer than necessary? Why don't you just kill me already and be done with it?" Yes, I was playing with fire, but what did I really have to lose anymore? I was not afraid of death and I was surely not afraid of him. The bastard smirked while narrowing his eyes on me.
"Because, as I think you've figured out by now, I'm only ever playing to win, Ms Groves. And a victory is not a victory unless people know about it." He was standing dangerously close to me by now, his musky scent invading my nose. I felt like throwing up. "Conveniently to you, I'm announcing my victory soon enough. I'm throwing a party in a couple of days from now Julia and you'll be my special guest." My jaw tensed to breaking point, my nostrills flaring. Placing a finger under my chin, Marco succeded in holding me still, his eyes boring into mine. "Don't worry, judge. You won't have to ask me to kill you twice. The moment I'm done with you, you're dead." I didn't doubt that for a second.
$$$
My eyes fluttered open the moment a drop of warm liquid started travelling down my chin, stopping close to my jawline. The nice looking young woman holding a spoon to my mouth slightly smiled, the look on her face one of sadness and I wondered idly what she was doing in such a place. She certainly didn't look like the kind of women one has in mind when thinking of the mob.
"It's noodles soup. You need to eat something." Her whispered voice was barely audible, her lips slowly moving while uttering the words. "Does it hurt?" She asked, louder this time, motioning towards my stomach. I frowned at first, not completely understanding her question, but then my eyes also caught sight of the huge blood stain on my dress. I thanked God that I was already seated, because I just knew that my feet would've probably caved in by now, if I wasn't. How the fuck had I not seen that earlier? "You got it during the car crash." The woman said, probably noticing my confusion. "The window on your side got smashed and a shard cut into your stomach. The guys removed it and Marco called for a doctor, but he hasn't arrived quite yet." Glancing back at the huge stain onto my dress I wondered how came that I felt nothing. Judging by the size of that thing, it should've hurt like a bitch. "You've been sedated earlier and I'm supposed to do that again in case you're in pain." Oh, no, I couldn't have let that happen. I was prepared to endure the pain if that was what it took to keep my head clear.
"I'm fine." I whispered, my voice hoarse and low. Coming to think of it, I could feel a little tug in my stomach whenever I talked. I guess I should've been happy for feeling nothing more than a tug. The woman nodded in approval and smiled.
"Good. I'm Rebecca by the way." Her eyes quickly scanned my face, her hand taking the spoon to my mouth again and gently pushing it against my lips. "Trust me, judge, you need to eat this." She seemed like she was a good person, but that didn't mean anything to me. Ginger had already warned me not to trust anyone and the woman in front of me was no exception to that rule. "I think you'd also like to know that your friend is fine for now too. As long as she cooperetes, I'm quite sure she'll get out of here alive." Briefly closing her eyes, Rebecca sighed and slowly shook her head. "I can't stay for much longer. Please, eat."
Parting my lips, she gently pushed the spoon into my mouth dropping the worm, salty liquid onto my tongue. Maybe it was a good thing that she'd insisted I ate since the soup appeared to heat my insides, warmth spreading throughout my body. Unfortunatelly for me, the moment I realised why the soup had that exact effect on me, it was already too late to change anything. The drugs were already in my system.
Giving Rebecca a sad look, I tried to say something, but my tongue wouldn't budge. Actually, my eye lids were becoming quite heavy too, my entire body already starting to shut down.
"It's not what you think." The woman whispered, slowly standing up and taking her lips to my ear. "I only sedated instead of drugging you. When you wake up, you'll feel a lot better and furthermore, they won't be able to talk to you until then. It was all I could do to stall them." I struggled to open my eyes and look at her.
"Why?" It was all I could say before my mouth refused to form another word.
"I owed Gabriel one. Saving you might just pay my debt." If I wasn't so tired, I might've been shocked by her statement, but not now. Right now, all I could do was close my eyes and drift into oblivion.
$$$
Santa Maria Clinic - San Diego, California
8:45 pm.
The door to her room opened and Lila immediately turned on her heels, without putting her son down though. Mr Groves was standing in the doorway not taking his eyes away from her and little Joshy. The woman took a step forward, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
"Mr. Groves, I'm so happy to see you. It's been too long..." Yet she stopped talking the moment her best friend's father closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"I'm not here to make small talk, Lila. And I'm also not here to check up on you." The man went quiet for a moment, apparently swallowing the lump stuck in his throat. "Do not get me wrong. I do hope that you and your baby are well, but I..." He stopped again and Lila took a seat at the edge of her hospital bed. She knew what Mr Groves was here for, but she was still going to let him finish what he had to say to her. "It's been moths since I haven't talked to her, Lila... Months..." The woman hugged her son a little tighter while casting her eyes down. "Today I couldn't stand it anymore. I went to her place, but... Where is she, Lila? Where's my daughter?"
It was Lila's turn to swallow the lump in her throat. How do you tell a parent that you have no idea where his daughter is? That she simply disappeared from the face of the Earth? How do you tell a parent that his daughter may even be in grave danger?
"She's with him, isn't she?" Mr Groves whispered after a while and Lila looked up at him. So he thought that Julia had went to Italy. He thought that, this time, he'd really lost her to Gabriel.
For a brief moment, the woman considered letting him believe just that. After all, it was less painful than the truth -the truth that they might never see her again. But no. She couldn't think like that. Julia was going to be just fine. They were going to get to her in time and save her. She was going to get her friend back and Mr Groves was going to make things right with his daughter. So no, she couldn't have let him think like that either. Lila had to tell the man whose heart was about to be broken the entire truth. He deserved that much.
"Mr Groves, please take a seat. I need to tell you something." And so she did. After telling her friend's father about Gabriel's real business -business he already knew about from his certain sources- Lila moved on to telling him about the danger his daughter had gotten into. The more she told him, the more Mr Groves paled, the bags under his eyes becoming more obvious, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. She really felt sorry for the poor man, but he'd been kept in the dark for long enough. It was the time for him to find out the truth. Also, she was blaming herself enough for the crap she'd let Julia get into, she wasn't going to add to that guilt by also lying to her friend's father.
By the time she was done with her story, Mr Groves seemed to have grown even older than he actually was.
"So you're telling me that my daughter has gone missing and that we have no way of finding or contacting her?" Lila nodded, finally standing up and gently rocking the baby in her arms.
"I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm saying." She whispered while biting into her bottom lip.
"Then how are we gonna bring her home?" And there was the question she'd feared the most. The question she had absolutely no answer to. Lila slightly shrugged while shaking her head. She'd been trying to figure out a way to get to her friend back this whole time and yet she hadn't found one way to do that.
"You won't." Lila could see Mr Groves' eyes darken at the sound of the voice coming from the doorway and her heart picked up speed. Things were either about to get better or go down fast. "I'll be the one to bring her home." Finally turning around, Lila looked at the man refusing to break eye contact with the broken man that Mr Groves now was.
Gabriel was back and he looked murderous.