CHAPTER FOUR

TESSA

A low and dangerous laugh like he was so unbothered.

“Is that a threat, Tesoro?” he said, a smirk on his lips.

“This isn't funny. You're a murderer. This is crazy. And you…you're sick!”

“Watch your words!”His voice echoed. He stepped closer, his scent of mint and expensive cologne filling my senses and making it hard to think straight.

“You need help.”

“You're brave. I admire that.” His hands grabbed my chin fiercely, so hard that it hurt. I tried to pull away but his grip was firm. “But don't you dare speak to me in that way.”

“This is not normal,” tears threatened to spill from my eyes but I fought them back so desperately.

“This is your reality now,” his voice low and dangerous, yet calm enough to terrify me. “You belong to me now, Tessa.” A sense of finality in his voice.

“I don't belong to you,” I managed, even though my voice came out small.

“You will.” He let go of my chin. I felt like I was falling, the ground slipping beneath me. I shook my head ‘no’.

I quickly reached for the door knob, opening it. I needed to get away from him and all this insanity. Before I could step out, two men stepped forward from outside the door, blocking my way. They were dressed in all black and reeked of smoke.

I tried to push past them but they stood firm in their place, causing me to stumble backwards and nearly missing my balance.

“Let her go.” His instruction was straight and clear and just like they were remote controlled, they stepped to the side.

I didn't look back. I didn't waste another second or thought. I hurried out as fast as I could not minding the fact that my shift just began.

The sun was nearly gone by the time I stepped out of the building. My breath came in short and panicked gasps as I flagged down a cab. I slid inside, clutching my shaking hands to my chest.

“Please, take me to the nearest police station,” I told the cab driver with a shaking voice.

He looked at me through the rear view mirror, taking in my disheveled appearance but he nodded and pulled into the street.

The ride felt endless and after what seemed like hours, the cab slowed down in front of a building with “POLIZIA” in bold letters across the top. I paid quickly and left without my change.

I stepped into the building feeling out of place. The weight of what I had just come to do weighing down on me but I gathered some courage. A young officer in blue uniform sat behind a counter and I made my way towards him.

“I need to make a report,” I blurted out before I began to second guess myself.

He looked up, blinking at me. “Uh, sit down, miss.”

I sat on a hard plastic chair, resting my sweaty palms on my knees. He pulled out a pen and a form. “Alright, what happened?”

“I witnessed a murder,” saying it out loud to someone made it feel so real.

The officer's pen froze mid-air, his eyes slowly lifting to meet mine. A shocked look appeared on his face.

“Your name?” he asked.

“Tessa Hartley,” I replied, swallowing hard.

“Nationality?”

I'm from London. I moved here two months ago.”

He nodded slowly while writing it down. “Do you have evidence of this murder?”

I shook my head, the feeling of helplessness resurfacing. “No I don't.”

“Do you know the victim?”

I shook my head once more. I could see the frustrated look on his face as he leaned into his seat.

“No evidence and no victim. We have nothing to work with here.”

“I…I have a name.”

“A name?”

“Of the murderer,” I said, my voice firm. “Mr. Vitale,”my voice was barely above a whisper at the mention of his name.

Fear and recognition immediately flashed in his eyes before he looked down again. He cleared his throat. “Hold on a minute.” He excused himself.

I sat there alone while trying to school my emotions. My family back home was not safe and neither was I.

A few minutes later, another man came out. He was much older with a different uniform, like a higher ranking officer. “This way, miss,” he gestured for me to follow him.

I followed him down a hallway into an office with a single desk and two chairs. He offered me a seat while he closed the door behind us and took a seat across from me.

“Miss Hartley, I understand you wish to report a murder?” He asked calmly, folding his hands on the desk.

“Yes,” I nodded. “I saw a man being killed last night.”

“And you say you have a name?”

“Mr. Vitale,” I repeated.

He tried to mask his emotion but I caught a flicker of fear in his eyes. He let out a small sigh. “And you're certain about what you saw?”

“I know what I saw,” I snapped. “He shot the man in cold blood.”

“And you waited until now to report it?” He retorted.

“I…I was scared,” I confessed, feeling vulnerable.

He cleared his throat. “Sometimes, when people move to a new country, the language, the stress and so many other things can…create some confusion or make up scenarios in their minds.”

My jaw dropped. “Are you saying I imagined it?” I asked in disbelief.

“I'm saying it's possible you misunderstood what you saw,” he said. “You were probably just going through so much stress. I'd recommend you just get some rest.”

“Get some rest? I told you I know what I saw and you're telling me to get some rest? Get some rest when I'm being threatened?” my voice was rising but I didn't care.

“You have no evidence whatsoever and you're clearly defaming Mr. Vitale. We're looking at up to five years jail time here for you if Mr. Vitale finds out about this and decides to press charges.” he said, no remorse in his voice.

“You can't just ignore this. A man was killed and you're siding with the murderer!”

“Careful what you say young lady. Mr. Vitale is a very powerful man.” He leaned closer, “Miss Hartley, for your own safety, I suggest you forget what you think you saw and move on with your life.”

His words came as a slap to my face. This was unbelievable. I stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the tiles and making a screeching sound but I didn't care. “Forget it!” I hissed and stormed out of the office.

This was a nightmare. My whole life was spiraling out of control that even the police couldn't help me. But what made everything worse was the fact that my family was in danger. Even at this moment their fate was uncertain to me.

I finally let the tears fall freely, not holding back anything anymore. The sobs came and I let them out. The night breeze did nothing to soothe me instead they served as a cold reminder to my reality.

I don't know how long I walked but I found myself outside my apartment building. I took the stairs up to my flat and made sure to lock the doors properly.

It felt like a hassle to take a shower but I did it nonetheless, putting on a pink tank top and some black shorts. I got to the living room and sloped down on the couch, the exhaustion of the day kicking in.

The last thing I remembered was trying to reach for my phone before sleep enveloped me.