Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

MAXIMO

My Red.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since last night. She seemed so innocent until our lips joined together. With her American accent and her optimism, she didn't know what she'd just gotten herself into by coming here.

A nagging feeling I couldn't get out of my head was the fact that she looked strangely familiar. I knew I hadn't seen her before, because I never forget faces. And it's impossible to forget a face as perfect as her's. So why did I feel like I'd seen her before? Why did her face strike up an unpleasant pang at the back of my head? It was almost like my mind was trying to tell me something I needed to know, but my eyes and body weren't paying attention.

Guttural screams filled the room as I was brought back to the dark reality. I watched Luca snip off the tip of Marco's fingers. His pathetic pleading filled my ears, and I watched how a former powerful gang lord begged for his life in my custody. That was what happened whenever people messed with me

"Are you ready to talk now?" I asked between the screams.

He sobbed as he yelled, "Go f*ck yourself, Scar!"

I smiled, despite the anger I was feeling. Marco was strong and resilient. Too bad he was giving me such a good show by watching the way he was reduced to nothing in my presence.

"Guess I'll have to leave you to Luca's mercy then," I said as I stood up and yawned. "Your screams used to excite me, but now I just get irritated."

"Then just kill me!" He yelled, and at that exact moment, another finger tip was snipped. His groans of pain filled the entire room and bounced between the walls of his dingy prison cell.

I hummed. "Now, where's the fun in that?" I asked with a sardonic smile.

"I'm exhausted," he groaned in pain. "Please, just kill me."

I turned and walked towards him. "You won't die until you give me the answers I want, Marco. You will continue to be tortured, until your body refuses to take it anymore. Then, you'll die a slow, painful death," I growled.

"It won't end there. Your remains will be cut and packaged in perfect little boxes, and then, it will be sent to your little family back in Monza. I wonder if your daughter will be the one to open the box. You know how kids love opening packages."

He sobbed louder than I'd ever heard him sob. "Please, not my wife. Not my kid..."

"I won't kill them, if that's what you're scared of," I grit out. "But by the time I'm done with your family, they're going to wish they were dead."

"They have nothing to do with this," he sobbed and I looked at him with disgust.

"You're right. They don't. This is absolutely your fault. You had the fucking nerve to not only trespass into my territory, but to plan and execute an attack on my shipment," I said with a dark chuckle.

"You should do the right thing by giving me the information I need. Or else, your innocent family will pay for it "

He breathed heavily.

"There's a rat amongst your men," he grit out as his eyes came up to meet mine.

I growled low in my throat as I took out the revolver tucked in my waistband and pointed it at his forehead.

"Who is it?" I spat and he whimpered.

"I-I don't know," he cried. "B-But, if you give me time, I'll find out..."

I cocked my gun with a dark chuckle.

"You think I'm stupid?" I snarled. "You think I can ever trust you?"

His pathetic tears drove me further into anger, and my hand itched to pull the trigger.

"I swear, Scar. I promise, I'll find whoever the rat is. Please!" He begged. "Let me redeem myself..."

"You're irredeemable," I spat and he sobbed.

"I'll do anything to keep my family safe," he wailed. "Please, let me do this."

I relaxed back into my seat. "Fine," I said with a smirk. "I give you twenty four hours,"

"Twenty four hours to find and bring this person to me. If you fail to do this, get ready to bury your whole family, just before I make you join them."

***

ARIA

I paced around the hotel room as I called the number I found on a Milan housing website. I sent a silent prayer and hoped the person on the other side spoke English. The moment I saw the money Maximo left me and my stepfather's text, I knew I had to find a place to stay. I can't stay in a hotel forever.

I grimaced as I looked at the money Maximo had left me. My cheeks heated as I remembered the way I basically begged him for money, only to sleep with him that same night. The thought mortified me, but the soreness between my legs reminded me of how good he felt inside me.

I shook my head to get rid of my wandering thoughts. I had a bigger problem to face, which was finding a permanent place to stay. Not just a permanent place, but somewhere a bit hidden and low-key. I was now a fugitive in my own home, just like my mother's family.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I remembered the way they'd rejected me yesterday. The realization that I was completely alone hit me, and I tried not to think too deeply about it.

"Hello," a hoarse voice said over the phone. It sounded like it belonged to an old woman.

"Hi. I got your number from a website," I said and nervously rubbed my palms on my jeans.

"You want house?" The woman asked.

I released a relieved breath at the fact that she could at least communicate in English.

"Yes..."

"I send you address. You come see for yourself, then you pay," she snapped.

"Okay. Thank..."

The beep sound halted my words and I scoffed at her rudeness.

As she promised, my phone immediately pinged with an address she sent. I immediately booked an Uber, then quickly put on a hoodie over my simple t-shirt and jeans. As I tied my shoelaces, a notification popped up on my screen, letting me know that my driver was close.

I took the wads of cash and neatly arranged them in my purse. I left the room and walked out to the entrance of the massive building. I spotted a black Honda Civic that matched the description of my driver's car. As I pulled my hoodie over my head as I headed towards the car, I noticed I was being followed.

I panicked and walked faster. Before I could open the back door of the car, a strong hand harshly gripped my arm. I twisted and turned in his arm and he exhaled a breath of frustration.

"Vai a dormire," the man growled and covered my nose with a white handkerchief. I tried to struggle but my limbs suddenly became weak.

My legs gave in and I fell into his arms. My head became foggy as both me and the man who held me fell to the ground. The last thing I saw were black shoes walking around our bodies before everything turned black.