Cruel Betrayals (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #3)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

ALEXANDRA

The back of my head throbs. I try to reach up and touch the spot, but my hands are chained to my feet in front of me.

Memories flood into my mind of loading my moving boxes from my apartment to my car and being confronted by the men.

I open my eyes and am temporarily blinded by the bright light. The throbbing in the back of my skull intensifies tenfold. Snapping my eyes closed, I wait a few moments before cracking my left eye open.

I regained consciousness in a work van. I’m chained to the wall railing and shoved into the corner.

Blankets, tarps, and old carpet litter the floor of the van. As well as old paint brushes and several used paint trays.

Glancing around, I search for any way to escape.

There aren’t any.

The chains are wrapped around the railing and padlocked. I assume the back doors are locked as well. The only advantage I have is that the wall separating me from the two men is solid and they can’t see me.

I never took Arturo up on taking a lock-picking class.

Or shooting lessons.

I’m a sitting duck here and can only hope I’ll get a chance at running away when we get to our destination.

I do the only thing I can. I listen to their conversation for any clues that will help me find out why they wanted me.

The two men, oblivious to my awareness, speak as if they are alone.

“I can’t believe that asshole ditched us like that.”

His voice is deep and gruff, and I remember it all too vividly. He’s the man that wrapped me in a bear hug. The one that I kicked. The one that knocked me out.

The man in the passenger seat chortles. “The boss is going to be pissed when he finds out one of his men ran.”

“Well, let’s not let him find out.”

“How are we going to hide it? He’s going to expect a report from Justin Miller tomorrow, and he’s not going to show up.”

The passenger’s voice is light and carefree, as if they aren’t discussing their boss being pissed.

“Then we need to find him first.”

Their conversation pauses as the van stops.

Are we at a red light? Perhaps a stop sign?

Are there other cars around?

Could I kick the back doors open so someone sees me tied up?

The van jolts forward as the driver steps on the gas.

I recap their conversation, burning it into my mind for future use.

A man, Justin Miller, is missing, and the boss is expecting a report from him tomorrow.

The driver clears his throat. “You know, he probably skipped town. He probably figured he was as good as dead, so this was the best way to live and have a future.”

“There is one way to guarantee his return.”

There is a long pause before the driver barks out, “Well, are you going to fucking tell me or not?”

“Put a bullet in his wife and kids’ skulls to send him a message. He will come flying back faster than he left.” His voice is too upbeat and chipper for this gruesome conversation.

The driver chuckles. “That’s pretty damn cold of you to say, but Justin would deserve it for deserting the family.”

The family? Like Giuseppe Rossi?

“To be honest, if I was in the hot seat with the boss, I’d skip town too. I’d grab everything I could fit in a backpack and go.”

“You’d leave your family? Your friends? Your job?”

“Hell yeah I would. I’d leave in a heartbeat and start over. I’d change my name, get an inconspicuous job, and buy a small shack on some decent acreage. I have to save my own ass, you know, and if you repeat what I just said, I’ll kill you.”

“How can I trust to work with you going forward if you’re already telling me you’d skip town like Justin did?”

“As long as we aren’t in the hot seat, I’ll be here.”

Neither man speaks.

If these two men work for Giuseppe Rossi, there is no such thing as leaving the family. Once you are a part of the family, you stay for life.

It’s literally a life sentence, and if Justin ran away, Rossi will hunt him down and make an example out of him.

I’ve seen it before.

A long, long, long time ago.

A lifetime ago.

A loud explosion echoes through the van, like a bomb going off. My heart races and I yelp out loud.

Are we under attack?

Did someone shoot at us?

“Fucking dick.” The driver says with no emotion in his voice.

The van doesn’t speed up or slow down.

Did I imagine all of this?

I inhale deeply, filling my lungs to the max before letting the breath out through my mouth.

“Nice to see you awake. Did I scare you back there?” The driver cackles, like the villain he is.

I clamp my mouth shut. There’s no way in hell I’m answering him.

He continues. “Ah, you’ll be alright. We will be at the house in just a minute. Don’t fight me or else I’ll have to shoot you, too.”

I gulp.

Did he shoot his partner because he said he would run away? He’s unhinged and psychotic.

The vehicle slows down and stops before the driver turns off the van. “I’m coming around back to get you. Remember, one false move and you’re dead. Do you understand?”

My voice cracks as I speak. “I understand.”

He opens the back door and freezes as he stares at me.

Is he trying to gauge my flight or fight response? I already told him I understood his instructions.

“I’m not going to fight or try to run away.” I whisper.

He grunts in response.

“I promise to go peacefully. You have my word.”

Sure, he might not know me, but when I give someone my word, I mean it.

He hesitates for a few moments before pulling out his gun and climbing into the back with me. With the gun pressed into my chest, he reaches into his back pocket and digs out the key to the padlock.

“Don’t move.”

His hand shakes as he inserts the key and unlocks the lock.

My chest heaves, pushing the gun harder against my skin. I stay still and allow him to unwrap the chains from the side railing and pull me out of the van.

He removes the gun from my chest, only to shove it into my back and push me towards the doubled wooden front door.

He leads me down a long hallway to a bare dark room with an old twin mattress shoved in the corner. Even from here, I can smell the pungent odor.

“Get in there, sit on the mattress, and wait for the boss to arrive.”

I glance around the windowless room.

There’s no escaping.

I reluctantly plod over to the mattress with blood and piss stains, choking down the bile that threatens to make an appearance.

There’s no way in hell I’m sitting on that. I’ll probably catch something just by being near it.

I turn around and take several steps toward the opposite wall and sit on the bare concrete floor.

The man scoffs before leaning against the door frame. “Suit yourself, but the concrete will hurt after a few minutes.”

I don’t bother speaking. I’d rather be sore and hurting than sit anywhere near that mattress.

“Move,” a deep voice says from the hallway.

The driver immediately holsters his gun and steps out of the way as a tall man takes his place.

Giuseppe Rossi.

“It’s been a long time, Alexandra.” He says with a hint of a sinister chuckle.

Shit. I was hoping he wouldn’t remember me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I was practically a little girl.

“It has.” I say nonchalantly.

I want to ask him why I’m here and what he plans to do to me, but I don’t.

I can’t.

The words won’t come out.

My mouth flops open and slams closed like I’m a fish out of water.

“I bet you’re wondering why you are here.”

He stares at me, waiting for my response.

I keep my voice flat, showing no emotion or curiosity. “That thought has crossed my mind a time or two in the past half hour or so, but I figured I would find out sooner or later.”

The corner of his lips curl up into a smirk. “You’re still the same sassy woman you were back then. Of course you’re grown now.”

Is that supposed to be a compliment? And what the hell does he mean I’m still the same sassy woman I was back then?

Years ago, when I first met him, I was a frightened little girl. I never spoke and hardly spent time outside of my bedroom.

Even then, I knew Giuseppe Rossi was a serious man who didn’t take any shit. He’s the one that clued me and my mother in about my father’s trouble.

He’s also the one that I had nightmares about for months.

“So am I your prisoner? Hostage? Bargaining chip?”

There has to be an underlying reason for them kidnapping me, and it’s not to rehash old business.

I haven’t seen or talked to my family in years, and I’ve changed my last name, making it where they couldn’t find me.

Giuseppe Rossi snaps his finger, and the driver disappears down the hallway for a few seconds before returning. He drags a man into the room, shoving him toward me.

I lean closer to see who the man is, but there’s not enough light to see for sure.

The man looks to be older and malnourished. He’s dirty, frail, tied up, and gagged. He stumbles and falls to the ground with a loud thud.

It’s not until he sits up and faces me that I recognize the hollow face.

Dad.

“Your father’s gambling is causing a problem once again. He’s not paying his debt, and I’ve grown tired of the old cat-and-mouse game we’ve been playing.”

I ignore the pleading look from Dad and turn my attention to Giuseppe Rossi. “How did you find me? I’ve changed my name and moved away.”

“It was all him. I received word that he was on his way here and I had him followed. We watched him for a few days and he kept following you. We eventually connected the dots. How ironic that you moved away and changed your name but still ended up in my town.”

Yeah, that wasn’t part of the plan. I was already working for Arturo when I found out Giuseppe Rossi bought a vacation house down here. By then, it was too late to quit without drawing attention to my past.

I glance at dad, holding back the anger that is burning in my veins.

He’s bloodied and bruised, and it’s clear Giuseppe has been starving him. I should feel sadness and remorse, but all I feel is anger.

I’m pissed he found my new identity. I’m pissed he led Giuseppe to finding out where I lived.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again. You are dead to me.”

“Don’t say that, Alex.”

“It’s Alexandra, and you can’t honestly be surprised at my feelings. You sold all my stuff to pay for your addiction. We barely had food in the refrigerator and pantry. I was starving and malnourished. We ended up being evicted and had to sleep in the car!”

“It’s not like I ever planned for things to turn out that way.” His voice is raspy and dry.

“Well, they did, and instead of life getting better, it only got worse year after year.”

“I tried, Alex. I really did. I didn’t want to drag you and your mother down with me.”

“Bullshit. If you wanted to get better, you could have checked yourself into a facility, or hell, you could have just packed your shit and left. Mom and I were better off alone.”

His eyes glisten with unshed tears, but he doesn’t defend his actions.

Good. I’m tired of hearing his excuses. They didn’t help back then, and they won’t help now.

Giuseppe clears his throat, effectively stopping my conversation with Dad. “I’m going to give you a choice. It’s a pretty simple decision, but I need your answer before I decide what’s going to happen to you.”

This doesn’t sound good. It sounds almost like a life and death decision.

Is he going to make me choose between my life and Dad’s?

Would I be heartless if I choose to save my own ass over his?

Mr. Rossi stares at me, waiting for me to acknowledge his conditions.

“I understand.”

“Good. Here are your options: you can work for me and pay off your father’s debt, or you can pay with your life.”

Is he fucking serious? Work for him or die? What kind of sick son of a bitch would ask that?

“That’s not fair.” I glare at him, hoping to convey my shock and anger.

He smirks. “Life isn’t fair, cupcake.”

I glance at Dad before returning my gaze back to Giuseppe Rossi. “Why not just kill him?”

“Because that would be too easy.”

The driver stalks over to me, wraps his hand around my arm, and yanks me up until I’m standing in front of Mr. Rossi.

“Which option are you choosing?”

The grip on my arm tightens, and I know there will be bruises left that are exact replicas of his fingers.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Something easy and safe for you to execute.”

Is that all of a hint I’m going to get?

“Can I know what it is, or do I need to commit to working for you first?”

He already knows I’m going to work for him. I’m not sacrificing my life for my father.

“Spy on Arturo Marino. Get me any information on whatever business endeavors he’s getting into.”

“You want me to spy on Arturo Marino?”

“It should be easy since you are his assistant. When you get information, write it down in a private folder and we can discuss it at our weekly meeting going forward.”

“Weekly meeting?”

“Yes, I need to make sure you aren’t planning on running away.”

“I’m not going to run away.” I pause and sigh before saying, “I accept your terms.”

He snaps his fingers, and the driver releases my arm. “You’re free to go, but keep your phone on because I will be reaching out to you.”

The driver turns toward me. “Follow me and I’ll get your phone and call you a taxi.”

As I follow him out of the room, my heart drops into my stomach. I don’t look back at Dad, but I can feel his gaze on me.

How am I supposed to spy on Arturo when he’s been nothing but kind to me? How can I spy on Joseph when I just asked to be in a relationship with him?