Cruel Betrayals (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #3)

Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

ALEXANDRA

I’ve stared at those two duffle bags for far too long. They sit by the door mocking me, as if they know I’m not going to do anything with them.

I’ve thought about throwing the bags in Joseph’s face and telling him I don’t want his bribe before setting them on fire. The look on his face might be worth losing out on half a million dollars.

The thought of leaking my pregnancy to the press and letting them know that Joseph Marino is a deadbeat, good-for-nothing dad also crossed my mind, but I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I’m already showing more than I ever thought I would be this early in my pregnancy.

I’ve also thought about taking the money and moving far away where Giuseppe and his men won’t find me. Maybe an island in the Caribbean or a Greek Isle where the views go on for days.

That has to be better than what I’m planning on doing with it. I’m going to give the money to Giuseppe Rossi to pay for my father’s debt.

Half of a million dollars should be more than enough to cover his debt and let me move on with my life.

Will I move, or will I try to stick around here and find another job? Could I work in the same town as Joseph and pretend nothing ever happened?

I throw on a pair of leggings and an oversized shirt and grab my phone, wallet, and keys. With the two duffle bags in hand, I make my way downstairs to my car. I toss the bags into the backseat and drive straight to the Rossi estate.

Traffic is minimal since it’s the middle of the day during a work week.

When I pull up to the gate, I click the button and announce myself. The gate buzzes for a couple of seconds before opening.

No matter how many times I’ve met up with Giuseppe Rossi, I’m always nervous.

Will he accept the money in exchange for my father’s freedom?

What will he think when I tell him I’ve been fired and banned from being around Arturo and Joseph?

Will he let dad and me walk away or will we always be on his radar?

I park in front of his house and carry the bags to the front door. The double doors open as soon as I step in front of them.

Two security officers immediately yank the bags out of my grasp and dump the contents on the floor in front of me.

“What the hell, guys? It’s not a weapon. It’s just cash for Mr. Rossi.”

The security guys inspect the bundles of money before throwing them back inside the duffle bags. Each man picks up a full bag of money.

“Come with us.” The taller man, Vincent, instructs.

He’s Giuseppe Rossi’s right hand man. Why is he standing guard at the front door? Did he see who was at the gate and came to meet me?

I follow the men down the hallway toward the room I was in last time. This time, I am led to a room with a giant metal table and chairs all around it.

Is this an interrogation room or a meeting room?

“Empty your pockets, and put all of your stuff on the table.” He barks out.

I do as I say, afraid of the consequences if I rebel.

He gathers up all of my stuff and shoves it in a small black bag before tossing the bag onto the duffle bags full of money.

What the hell is that about? Are they worried I will call Arturo or Joseph? I probably should have let someone know where I was going, even if it was just a note on my coffee table.

“Sit here.” Vincent pulls out a chair and gestures for me to sit down.

“Is Giuseppe Rossi going to come talk to me? I don’t understand what’s going on? I thought I was just handing over the cash and he’d let my father go.”

The two men glance at each other before staring at me.

“We will let Mr. Rossi explain what is going on.” The other man says before turning around and leaving.

Vincent closes the door behind him, and I hear the distinct sound of a lock clicking into place.

“What the hell is going on?” I yell, but don’t receive an answer. Am I a prisoner? A hostage, or a bargaining chip? What did I do wrong?

I sit in the quiet room with nothing but my thoughts running wild. Is the excessive waiting part of the game? Are they trying to wear me down so I reveal my secrets?

I scoff. I don’t have any secrets. There’s nothing I can share with them that they probably don’t already know. Joseph cut me off a week ago. Arturo and Joseph could have already altered every plan I knew about.

After what feels like fifteen minutes, the lock clicks and the door opens. Giuseppe Rossi stands in the doorway, taking up the entire space. He looks pissed. He presses his lips into a thin line and narrows his eyes at me.

Vincent tosses the duffle bags into the corner of the room and sits in the seat at the head of the table. Giuseppe takes the seat across from me.

He slams a folder on the table between us. I jump from the sudden loud noise. Before I can question what is in the folder, Giuseppe speaks.

“The shipment was a bunch of junk. It was nothing but couches, tables, and mattresses.”

“What shipment?” I ask, trying to act innocent.

“The one you led me to believe was full of drugs. The one you said was a special order for Arturo himself.”

He yanks open the folder and spreads pictures of the merchandise across the table. There are white tufted couches with matching ottomans, wooden end tables that look to have been hand carved, and pallets full of mattresses.

“It was supposed to be full of drugs. I overheard Arturo on the phone and he specifically said there was over a million dollars’ worth of cocaine.”

That’s the lie that Arturo and I came up with before I even told Rossi about the shipment.

“Then where is it? Because that shipment was nothing but what these pictures show. What’s worse is that the cops showed up and arrested my men. All for some pieces of shit. You set us up, and for that, you must pay.”

“I’m telling you what Arturo said. You wanted me to relay any and all information, and that is exactly what I did.”

“You are a horrible liar.”

I stare at the pictures as I try to come up with more lies that will help me get out of this mess.

“What if Arturo had the drugs hidden in the furniture? Where is the furniture from the cargo delivery? I can help you tear them apart and find what you are looking for.”

Giuseppe’s eyes widen as he thinks about the possibility. “Son of a bitch.”

He swipes the pictures off the table in a fit of rage. “Arturo Fucking Marino bested me once again, but I won’t let him have the upper hand. Not this time.”

Giuseppe turns his anger on me. “What is he planning? What has been going on this week since our last check in?”

I don’t want to tell him that Joseph knows everything, but I have to. It’s my only hope of being released.

“I was fired and blocked from every account and email that belongs to the Marinos because they found out I was talking to you. They have the text messages and phone logs. They had me followed, and they saw me meet up with you.”

“That’s inconvenient, but not the worst thing to happen to us. I have other plans because, like them, I also had you followed.”

My mouth falls open as I let out a gasp.

How much does he know?

When did he start having me followed? The night he made me start working for him? Or after I was fired by Joseph?

My mouth dries up quicker than the Sahara Desert. He must know about the baby, and that’s why he is calm right now.

Would Giuseppe Rossi be that cruel? Would he really do something that will harm me and my baby just to get back at Arturo Marino?

Does he even know Joseph is the father?

Giuseppe Rossi stands up with a sinister grin on his face. “Now, I just need to put my plan into motion.”

He walks out the door and heads toward the foyer. Vincent wraps his hand around my arm and yanks me up.

“Ow. You don’t have to be so rough. It’s not like I’m fighting you or anything.”

“If you think this is rough, wait until I get my hands on you later.” His haughty tone sends shivers down my spine. He pulls me out of the room and down the hallway to the room I was thrown in last time.

This time, though, the room smells clean and there’s a brand new mattress in the corner.

Vincent shoves me inside the room. I lose my balance and fall forward. My knees slam into the concrete a second before my hands reach out and break my fall. I stretch and lock my arms to keep my stomach from hitting the ground, but the impact is too hard.

Pain radiates through my wrist, and I cry out in pain.

Vincent chuckles from behind me. “Get used to the pain. There’s more coming.”

The door slams shut. The sound echoing off the walls of the near empty room. I’m scared to look back. Did Vincent leave, or is he still here with me? Is this the part where he delivers more pain?

I crawl toward the mattress, keeping all weight and pressure off my left wrist, and I don’t turn around until I am as close to the corner as I can get. Spinning around, I shove my back against the wall and scan the room. I’m alone.

I take a deep breath and glance at my wrist. I stretch it from side to side and up and down before rotating it to inspect the skin for any bruising. It looks normal. There’s no swelling or visual bruises, and it’s not broken.

Glancing down at my stomach, I run my hand along the side. The fall could have been so much worse than a hurt wrist. I don’t even want to think about the worst case scenario. I need to keep my focus on getting out of here alive.

The door opens and a very familiar woman walks in like she owns the place.

“Emily? What are you doing here?”

I haven’t seen her in months, not since The King’s Empire burnt down. When Arturo and I asked her to work in the new club, she said no and that she was pursuing other employment. I thought it was because The Reapers and the fire scared her, but now I know otherwise.

She’s been working for Giuseppe Rossi, but for how long? Was it after the club burnt down? Was it before?

“Well, you’d probably find out sooner than later anyway, so I might as well just tell you. I’ve been working for Mr. Rossi for about a year now.”

Before the club burnt down.

She continues. “I was the one that revealed the drug trafficking to Mr. Rossi. Who do you think bought all of my supply? It was my idea to burn the club down and start working for him full time.”

I cut her off, letting out the anger that’s building. “Arturo was nothing but kind to you. He paid you more than any other employee, and he trusted you! How could you turn your back on him and betray him like this? How could you work for a cold hearted murderer like Giuseppe Rossi?”

She shrugs. “It’s all about the money. Mr. Rossi was willing to pay me double what Arturo was.”

“Why is it always about the money? Doesn’t anyone stay loyal anymore?” Arturo handpicked each and every one of his employees. He vetted them, gave them a job, and treated them like family.

She leans her head back and laughs. “In this economy, money is everything. Sure, Arturo paid me well, but getting triple my salary was hard to turn down. Especially after Francesca started poking her nose where it didn’t belong.”

“What do you have against Francesca?” I ask with a bite to my tone.

“She acts like she’s part of this world, but she’s not.”

“That’s because her father and brother excluded her to protect her from the violence. Why am I even arguing with you? There’s no point.”

She’s not going to be the one that helps me escape, so I don’t need to keep her here.

Emily glances down at my stomach and asks, “How far along are you?”

I lean my head against the wall. “What? How do you know?”

“You keep rubbing your stomach and under your tear soaked face, you’re glowing.”

After several quiet moments, I just give in and tell her. “I just recently found out, but I should be around twelve and a half weeks. Give or take. I haven’t been back to the obstetrician.”

“Congratulations.”

I narrow my eyes at her for a second. She seems genuine, like she doesn’t wish any ill harm to me or the baby.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Footsteps echo down the hallway, getting louder the closer they come. Giuseppe Rossi steps into the room holding a camera. “Look at the camera.”

The flash temporarily blinds me.

He takes several more before saying, “I need an excellent picture of you to send to Arturo and Joseph Marino. You are going to be my bargaining chip.”

I roll my eyes and blurt out, “They don’t care about me or the baby.”

My eyes widen as I register my slip up.

Oops. That wasn’t supposed to come out. If he knows they don’t care about me or the baby, he may kill us just for the hell of it.

A sinister grin stretches across his wrinkled face. “They will when they find out it’s the future heir to the Marino mafia. You are their only hope for an heir because, according to Jax, Francesca is infertile and unable to produce an heir.”

I feel the blood rush from my face. Francesca wants to be a mom so badly she’s already trying to conceive.

How will she feel when, month after month, her tests come back negative? How devastating will it be when I have to tell her she’s infertile?

Will I crush her dream of becoming a mom when I show off my bump? How could I flaunt my pregnancy in her face like that?

How will she ever forgive me?