4. Entitled. Arrogant. Arsehole.

Erica

 

It had been two weeks since he appeared out of nowhere and saved me that night. And now as I went from one place to another I couldn’t help but look for him. I didn’t want to but there was this itch inside me that I couldn’t ignore, a need that wanted to look into those yellow brown eyes and set them afire. And I just knew how to do it but the arrogant arsehole hadn’t shown his face, not once. 

 

And for some reason it felt like a bad omen. A long silence before something bad happens. The darkness from which a white ghost appears out of nowhere, making a mess of a normal life.

 

“Back to earth, Rica.” 

 

I looked up from my cup of coffee and met Ellison’s eyes. She had come to meet me for a quick coffee on her way to pick up her daughter from school. She and I became friends when her husband saved me from being auctioned off to some lunatic by buying me himself. Yeah, that’s the world that revolves around me. Being a sister in law to a well known Kingpin— Gabriel Wolfe, who runs New Orleans and born to a man whose greed took him down, put me in a position where it was normal getting abducted and such. Speaking of... I remembered what my sister had said about Antonio Rossi having some sort of fascination with the woman in front of me. I met Ellison’s eyes and asked, “What do you know about Antonio?”

 

The only indication of her surprise was the slight arch of her brows as she asked as casually as one could. “Why do you ask?”

 

I shrugged. “Curiosity.”

 

She said, “I don't know much about him. I just met him twice and both times it put Brandon in a bad mood.” She tilted her head looking at me thoughtfully as she added, “And, don't you think he's a little too old for you.”

 

“I am not interested in him in that way.” I shot back quickly and neglected the voice that mocked me inside my head. “I just wanted to know. So, how old exactly is he?”

 

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” I frowned at her. She gestured behind me and I turned around to see a man walking away from the counter and I’d know him anywhere with the men walking around him in black uniforms like he was the president himself. 

 

Without thinking I stood up from my chair and all but ran after him. I heard Elle calling my name but I just wanted to know why he was there that night and how he could just kill men in the middle of the street, save me and disappear as if nothing happened. But by the time I came out of the little cafe he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I walked down the sidewalk looking for him in a throng of people but he was nowhere. I circled around, my eyes searching... but it was useless.

 

“Hey!” I turned to see Elle coming after me. “Damn it, Rica! You can't just go running away like that.” She walked to me slightly gasping for breath. She held up her phone and said, “I have to go and pick Alice, but we will talk about this later. Okay.” I nodded and gave her a hug. She looked at me with conflicting eyes and hesitated a little before she said, “Look, don’t do anything and don’t get involved with him okay. I am getting late, but we will talk about this.”

“Of course.” I replied and added, “Just don’t tell Summer anything.”

 

.

 

Later that night something unexpected happened. I was taking a shower, literally sitting on the tiled floor and counting one to hundred, trying to control the tremors running through my body. My body was going into withdrawals, I haven't drank in two days and neither have I popped pills that gave me the resemblance of peace from my rioting thoughts and also prevented me from acting upon my frequent need of pain. Just when I was about to give in to the need and stand up to go to the washbasin cabinet where I’d find the object that would relieve my need of pain, I heard something out in my room. 

 

I knew I shouldn’t, considering my fate wasn’t in good terms with me, but I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around my body and went out to inspect. Not two steps into the room I paused because there on my bed was a long stemmed flower resting on a small piece of paper. Dripping all over the floor I walked to my small bed, picked up the flower in one hand and the paper with another. It was a daffodil. A white one. Interesting.

 

There were only four words written on it, and even though it was clear to me what it meant I was still in confusion. And not to mention I was questioning to myself how the hell did he get in here because I knew without a doubt that it was him. Antonio. I looked at my door and could see  that it was still locked from the inside. 

 

I focused back on the slip of paper between my fingers and read the small message on it.

 

“Sunday. 20:00.

Be ready.”

 

“You arrogant son of a bitch.” I muttered to the empty room. “What makes him think I’ll even agree for... whatever the fuck this is..”

 

.

 

I didn’t sleep the rest of the night. I was too twisted up inside as my mind kept rounding around a certain Italian mobster. And when the morning came I spent the whole day with a bad temper which got me thrown out of two classes and I bunked the other two because of the headache I was getting from trying to focus on the subjects when all I wanted was to sleep. 

 

When I was entering my dorm, Gina, the only girl I talked to, called after me. I stopped and waited for her to catch up. “It’s been four days, you haven’t asked for more of that stuff I last gave you.”

 

Yeah, that’s probably the only reason why I talk to her.

 

I thought about my last night freak out in the shower and even though I wanted to ignore the hungry need, I couldn’t. I said, “Give me what you got.”

 

She shot me a smile and pulled her bag to the front. Rummaging through it, she said, “Couple of Es are left. But I managed to get my hand on the real deal.” She handed me two transparent packets. “That’s two thousand.”

 

A bitter voice at the back of my mind reminded me like every other time that I was misusing the money Gabriel and Summer sent me, but the need to get rid of those slimy voices from my childhood was greater. I pulled out my wallet and gave her the money.

 

When I reached my floor and walked to my apartment, my steps slowed as I saw a bulky form of a man standing near my door. “Excuse me.”

 

The man turned and I instantly recognised him when I saw his face as he was the one who had handed Antonio the gun that night. But I couldn’t remember his name and before I could’ve asked, he nodded at me in greeting and said, “Miss, this is for you.” My eyes dropped to the boxes he held for me. White colored just like the daffodil with a golden ribbon tied around it. 

 

“What’s that?” I jerked my head at the boxes but didn’t step forward to take it from him.

 

“Capo said to relay this message to you..” I narrowed my eyes and he cleared his throat looking uncomfortable. “’If you aren’t ready, my men will pick you up as you will be at that time.’”

 

“He said that?” I bit out, taking a threatening step toward him. 

 

He cleared his throat again. “Yeah. And a piece of advice, Miss, he means it. Literally.”

 

“Get out.”

 

“Miss—”

 

“I said get the fuck out, or I’ll call the security guard.” He didn’t look at all bothered by my threat. I stood on my tiptoes, too furious and pumped up as I gritted out, “You know what, tell your fucking boss to have the balls to come here himself instead of sending his lackeys. And instead of breaking into my apartment, knock like a real fucking man and wait for an invitation. Also... Tell him I said, ‘Fuck you’ and if that’s not clear enough. I am not coming tomorrow.”

 

“Capo won’t like it.”

 

“Too bad. I don’t fucking care.”

 

“You will. He doesn’t like anyone disobeying a direct order.”

 

Entitled prick. Men. All freaking arseholes. I don’t know why I was attracted to him in the first place. I grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him down. He looked surprised like I was crazy, told you not normal. I said, “And, I don’t like following them. I hate men like your boss. Entitled. Arrogant. Arseholes. Let him know women might be too eager back at his homeland but this one is not. It will take more than a dress and a pair of shoes to make me go out with him.” I said the last part because in the books the boxes always had a dress and a pair of shoes. Then I pushed past him and opened my door, slamming it shut in his face as I disappeared inside.

 

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