Chapter 2

Gianni

“I think there’s a mix-up somewhere. I am Arturo Baldino’s guest and I have no idea who the other name you just mentioned is.”

 I told him politely. He didn’t respond, just looked at me weirdly and shook his head.

“If you just take me back to the airport, I think you might have mixed me up with someone else who has the same name as me.”

 I told him even though the chances of that happening were slim. I told myself not to panic. That it was just a mix up and that everything will be fixed once I go back to the airport. Wait, I don’t need to go back to the airport, I can just call Arturo and he can come pick me up here.

“Where’s my phone?”

 I let out when I touched the pocket of my jacket where I had slipped it into once I finished texting my family. It wasn't in my pocket. I checked my hand bag and it wasn’t there either. I swallowed nervously as the panic from earlier came back and this time, I couldn’t push it aside.

“Are you looking for this?”

 I looked up with a smile thinking my phone must have fallen while I slept, my smile dropped when I realized that wasn’t the case. The one who asked me if I was looking for my phone wasn’t trying to give it to me. He just waved it at me and tucked it back in his pocket. He told me his name earlier but I forgot.

“Give me back my phone.”

 I urged him but he shook his head. I stared at him in confusion as the tiny fearful feeling that started earlier began to grow bigger.

“Why? Why did you take my phone and why won’t you give it back to me?”

MY voice shook as I asked the question. I have heard a lot about mafias in Italy and how they do all sorts of things and Arturo told me he was a Don but it didn’t matter to me at that time and it still didn’t matter unless this was one of his enemies and he had kidnapped me because he had a beef with Arturo. But he doesn’t seem like a boss and he even mentioned a name. Luca?

“Give me back my phone.”

 I let out again in a firmer voice as I pushed my fears aside. The last thing I want is for them to know that they were scaring me. The bigger man standing next to the one who had received me at the airport scared me the most.

He looked like he could kill someone without blinking and he looked big enough to crush me in just one move. I looked around and there was really no place to run. I tried to breathe in and out to calm myself but it didn’t work.

“I am sorry but we have been given strict instructions by the boss to keep you around until he gets back. He will be back in a few hours.”

 The big man who took me from the airport told me.

“I don’t know your boss. I have never heard of any Luca. I am in this country for Arturo Baldino and his people are probably still waiting for me at the airport. I am sure you got the wrong person so I beg you to take me back to the airport.”

 I told them and still, they remained unmoving.

“Please, follow us into the mansion calmly or we might use force.”

 “I am not going anywhere with you! I want to leave this place! Give me back my phone. I need to call my family. I need to call Arturo.”

 I said and moved towards the big man and he moved away. The bigger man stood between us and my heart skipped multiple bites.

“You will do as we say and wait for the boss like a pretty little lady. We don’t want to get in trouble so just listen.”

 He was big and intimidating but I refused to just let him boss me around.

 “I am not going anywhere unless it’s out of here and you can force me to! This is kidnapping and it’s a crime!”

 I yelled at him and his stoic face finally moved as his lips formed a wicked smirk.

“Look around lady, do you really think anyone will come here to help you? It isn't a crime if there is no record.”

 My mouth fell open in both shock and fear. Shock because he could say something like that to me and fear because I realized that what he said was true. They looked just like the mafia that I have read so much about and the way they speak about their boss; it was so obvious that they would get away with any crime.

I sighed deeply, trying to find a way out of the mess I had gotten myself into. How did I already get in trouble? Why did I so stupidly get into their car without verifying? There must have been a sign that I missed at the airport.

Arturo told me he would send his people because he had an important meeting so when I saw the big man holding my name sign, I just assumed he was sent by Arturo. Not to mention, the SUV was just like Arturo had told me. My eyes widened when I realized that the chances of everything being preplanned by them were high.

 “Did you deliberately pretend to be the people Arturo sent just to kidnap me?”

 I let out and the smirking bigger man stopped smirking and turned to his teammate.

“She is smart.”

 His words pretty much confirmed that they had planned to kidnap me but what I don’t know is why they would kidnap me. I haven’t been here before and not a lot of people know I will be in Italy. Heck, Arturo told me he only told people who worked closely with him so how did they know so many details to the point of mimicking everything Arturo told me just to deceive me into getting into their car?

Unless, someone who Arturo’s team ratted about me and someone who might be Arturo’s enemy decided to kidnap me to get back at him. My heart sank at the thought of that. If that's the case then I might be in very big trouble.

Fuck. I should have called Arturo to confirm the identity of the men before I got in the car with them. I didn’t because I didn’t want to disturb him during his important meeting. I am so dumb! I should have just called him.

“Please let me go! I am just a guest! I don’t even have any money so you won’t make any money from keeping me.”

 I pleaded. I saw no other way out except to plead my case. Arturo might find out later that I was adopted but I don’t know how long it would take for him to find me and what would happen to me before he does.

If all the stories I have read about the mafia are true, then many bad things can happen to me. I felt sick just thinking about what the dangerous men might do to me. I looked around again and without much thought, I ran. I knew it was pointless running but I had to try something.

I ran in the direction that the car came from. Ran faster than I have ever ran in my whole life yet the faster I ran, the slower I became. I saw a huge gate in front of me and that gave me more will to continue running. If only I could get out and just find someone. Anyone as long as they are not part of the ones who kidnapped me. 

The closer I got to the gate, the faster I ran, and just when I neared it, I heard someone running behind me. I tried not to look because I didn’t want to slow down but I knew. I knew even before I felt them behind him that they caught up with me and I screamed loudly when strong arms wrapped around me and jerked me off the ground onto their shoulders.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

 I screamed and blindly started hitting the one who carried me but it felt like I was hitting a rock. Despite my constant hitting him and even biting him, he carried me back the way I came from and didn’t stop until he got to where I had gotten away from. He didn’t stop there. He carried me into the house and I didn’t stop screaming my lungs out begging and cursing at him to let me go.

My screams, pleading, and cursing went unnoticed. The big man who carried me didn’t stop until he was in a room. He dumped me on a bed and I rushed up as soon as I hit the bed and made a run for it. I didn’t even get far before the man who had taken me from the airport caught me and carried me back into the room.

“Let me go!”

 I screamed and bit him hard. He shouted out in pain but still didn’t let me go.

“I didn’t want to do this but you leave me with no choice.”

 I heard him say right before he fished out something from his pocket. I have watched enough films to know what he had with him and I tried my best to stop him from placing the handkerchief over my nose. 

I struggled against him as much as I could but in the end, he was bigger than me and he even had someone else in the room with him so it was two strong men against a powerless me. I cried out when he finally succeeded in placing the handkerchief over my nose and mouth and my heart sank when I felt myself falling.

I tried to fight against him but it was pointless as the more I struggled, the harder it became to hold on and I felt my limbs slump and my will to fight left my body and then it was darkness.