Desolation (New Rochelle Mafia #1)

16. CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16

ELODIE

W hen I wake, it’s black. I can’t see a thing and it’s completely silent. It takes me a few minutes to register that there’s a blindfold over my face and plugs in my ears. I’m gagged and taped to a chair. Fortunately it’s taped over the top of my sweater sleeves so I guess that’s a plus right?

I test the ties and find that there isn’t any wiggle room at all. Breathing heavily around the gag on my mouth I try to speak. If there is someone here I need some answers about Reba. Not that I’ll get them, but I have to try.

“Looks like she’s awake,” I hear someone say in a rough voice. It’s muffled but I hear several people moving around, I tuck in on myself. Why are there so many people here just for me? As the footsteps slowly make their way towards me, I start shaking.

Someone slowly unties the blindfold from my face and removes the earplugs. When I open my eyes, Dominic is standing in front of me, smiling that creepy smile of his. Fuck. Well, this is where I was trying to end up, but I didn’t think they would snatch me that fast.

“Oh, my little Elodie. You messed up this time. We were just waiting for you to leave that building. Waiting for you to give us a chance to catch you, and you delivered yourself right to us,” he laughs darkly.

I mumble around the gag, trying to get him to remove it. He does.

“Where is Reba?” I ask with a snarl.

“Oh don’t worry about her. She’s just fine. A little banged up, but still alive,” he smirks and starts pacing. “We’ll let her go once you cooperate fully. Until then, she’s our insurance to keep you in line.”

“What do you want from me?” I ask.

“Elodie, I have been telling you all this time that you are mine. You think you can just run away with someone else? And that there won’t be repercussions?” he asks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m no one’s anything,” I bite out through clenched teeth .

“See that’s where you’re wrong. Your parents sold you to me a long time ago. Haven’t you ever wondered why they only ever dealt with me? Or even who I might actually be?” he asks.

“I didn’t even really know who you were until a couple days ago, so no. I always just thought you were a low level dealer,” I say.

He looks angry at my words and the next thing I know he slaps me hard across the right side of my face. Pain sears through my already broken face. I can’t even breathe. It hurts so bad. Feeling something wet, I realize he’s busted my wound on my face open again. At this rate my face will never heal.

Hanging my head, I use my hair to hide my face and ask, “And just what is it that I’m supposed to be doing?”

“Nothing much, just marrying me,” he says with a smirk.

Whipping my head up, I wince in pain again, shocked at his words. What the hell? “I’m not marrying you. You’re out of your mind.” My stomach churns with nausea. He can’t be serious.

“Oh you will, or else we are going to kill your precious Reba, just like my grandfather’s men killed Eddie and Tony. And it won’t be an easy death, Elodie, so you better rethink your words,” he says as the other men around us chuckle in glee.

What am I going to do? There has to be a way to get Reba out of here without having to marry him. Then I can get myself away too.

“I’ll leave you here to think for a while. When I come back your answer better be yes,” he says. They all file out and slam the door behind them, bolting several locks.

Great, there’s no way I’m getting out of this room. Looking around me I see that I’m in some kind of basement maybe? There aren’t any windows and everything is concrete. It’s only me and this chair. I have no idea how long I was unconscious either. A day? A few hours?

And what about my parents? He didn’t say anything about them, but Evan said there wasn’t anyone there when they tried to serve the papers, so where could they be?

Drake is probably furious right now, and worried. Gio too. It hurts my heart that I had to do this but there wasn’t any other choice. I gave them my time limit. Tilting my head back, I stare at the ceiling. Tears chase each other down my face, the salt in them stinging my busted eye. I’m so screwed.

What if I just do it, and then somehow I can try to kill him in his sleep and then get away? Though I’m sure they have security as tight as Gio does. Groaning, I keep running scenarios though my head, trying to find a way to make it work.

Can I get him to wait till my face heals? Would he go for that? I can act vain, like I don’t want to get married while I’m all bruised up and swollen. Yeah, that’s probably not going to work, or he wouldn’t have slapped me just now.

Despair hits me. I know Drake will try to rescue me, but if I marry Dominic to save Reba, what can he really do? I’ll be legally bonded to Dominic. The only option at that point is a war and I will not allow anyone to die because of me.

I must have dozed off at some point during my thinking because the next thing I know Dominic is back. This time though, he is alone. That can’t be good.

He kneels in front of me, sliding his hands up my legs. Shuddering, I feel bile rise up in my throat. He laughs darkly.

“Better get used to it Elodie, because as my wife you will be expected to perform your wifely duties,” he says .

Gagging, I whimper and try to get my legs away from his hands. He grips my legs hard. I’m sure I will have bruises. “Don’t fuck with me little Elodie, you really don’t want to make me mad. Now, what is your answer?”

“I want to wait till my bruises heal. Can we do that?” I ask, already knowing what the answer will be, but I have to try anyway.

“Not happening. It’s now or Reba dies. I told you the answer was going to be yes, Elodie. You never really had a choice here. Sorry if it seemed like you had any options or requests, because you don’t,” he says. “Now I’m going to take this tape off and you’re going to follow me upstairs like a good obedient wife.”

He pulls out a wicked looking knife and slides it up the tape holding my arms down, then does the same with the tape on my legs. He stands and roughly grabs my arms.

“Where is Reba?” I demand.

“Don’t worry, she will be at our wedding, to make sure you play your part and say your lines. Just know, there will be a gun on her at all times, so don’t try anything stupid. I have a little surprise for you. You have a dress and a crew to do your makeup and hair. Can’t have you looking like a hobo for the wedding. And don’t worry, they will get those bruises covered up, though we can’t do anything about the swelling. You’ll just have to turn your face to the side for the photos,” he says as he pulls me from the room.

My legs aren’t really cooperating. Being taped and sitting for so long made them weak and I can barely hold myself up. He seems to have no problem dragging me along with him though. We step out in front of an elevator. So, we were in the basement after all.

Pulling me into the elevator, he pulls out a key and inserts it into the panel, jabbing buttons to take us to the upper levels. I make a mental note that I can probably never escape this place without it. It’s looking more and more like I’m going to have to kill him myself to ever get out of here.

We ride up several floors and with each passing level my stomach drops out from underneath me. I’m getting closer and closer to my doom.

The elevator dings and the doors open on the top floor. We step into an apartment, done in metals and dark colors. It looks nothing like the understated elegance of Gio’s building. It’s all hard lines and functionality, nothing more. There is no love here, or sunshine, no peace, no future, and as the elevator door shuts behind me, all I hear is the closing of a cell door as I step into my prison.