Desolation (New Rochelle Mafia #1)

24. CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 24

ELODIE

G wen hugs me as soon as we get to my room. Like basically jumping me to do it.

“Oof!” I say laughing. “What the heck was that for?”

“You big dummy, I missed you. I know we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together before, but I just feel a connection with you that I haven’t before. I feel like we are going to be best friends till the end of time. I know I can be a little overbearing, but you are not so it should work for us. Opposites and all that,” she says with a cackle.

I can’t lie, I feel that connection with her too and hopefully now that I’m back we can explore this friendship. “I’ve never had a friend before. So I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“I haven’t had one for a long time, so we can just figure it out together,” she says. “Now, take off your clothes.”

Yay, this again. Stripping out of my clothes, she gasps as she sees how much weight I have lost and the bruises and scars that weren’t there the last time we did this.

“Oh my God, Elodie. What has he been doing to you?” she asks quietly, with tears in her eyes.

“The better question would be what hasn’t he done, though the rape wasn’t happening as often. I’m pretty sure he has a mistress now so I’ve had a break from that part. I don’t want to talk about it really though. I know I should, but I just can’t right now,” I say, wringing my hands together. It’s embarrassing and I’m not ready yet.

“Do you want me to get you some numbers of some places so that you have them when you are ready?” she asks. “If you don’t want to do that yet I’ll understand, just know I’m always here too if you need to talk or scream or eat a bucket of ice cream smothered in chocolate sauce.”

“Sure, that would be okay, though I don’t know when I will call them,” I say. “Right now, I just want to feel safe again.” What would it be like to actually go to therapy? Is that even something I can really do given where I live? Maybe there’s like a mafia therapist, who gets paid to keep things quiet .

Gwen nods and finishes taking the pictures. Moving to my closet, I see that everything is as it was when I left. Pulling out a pair of leggings and a soft sweater, I sigh in contentment. It feels so good to be able to wear something other than clothes I hate for a change. Dominic always ordered my clothes before, which was why I was so surprised that he let me out to do it myself. It must have been a big blow to his ego when Aiden’s wife said she didn’t like my style.

Everything in here is something I love. The room, the bathroom, the clothes and other things Drake got me. So different from living with Dominic. And it looks like he’s added a lot of stuff too. Sitting down on the bed with Gwen, I grab a pillow and hold it in my lap, resting my head on it. Funny, it smells like Drake.

Gwen must notice the look on my face because she says, “Drake has been sleeping in here. El, he’s been a shell of himself since you’ve been gone. He works, goes to class, stalks Dominic’s building and comes home just to come in here and do it all over again the next day. He missed you. We didn’t know if we were ever going to see you again. I understand why you did what you did, but it was stupid, El. Anything could’ve happened to you. And I have a feeling what actually happened to you is probably worse than death.”

She’s not wrong. There have been many times over the last year that I wished I was dead. Being raped and beaten on a regular basis makes you wish you didn’t exist anymore. Anything to make the pain stop. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to sleep at night without waking up in a panic from a bad dream or because I hear a noise at night and think it’s Dominic.

The last year is going to stay with me forever .

“I have a hard time believing that Drake really loves me, when he doesn’t even know me that well. Stalking me for eight years does not give him total knowledge. I mean, who does that? Who falls in love with someone they don’t even know that well? I mean sure, we’ve talked in passing at school, and stuff. But he didn’t really know me. No one does,” I say, lips trembling.

“You’re right. It does sound crazy, but look around you. Look at the room and the clothes, the dark room, and tell me that man doesn’t know you,” she says pointedly. “Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t believe him?”

She’s right. Of course she’s right. And I’m tired of doubting him, and myself.

Sighing, I stand, grabbing Gwen’s hand. “Let’s go,” I say.

I have one more thing I need to do before I will feel better because right now the anger is eating at me.

I’m about to ruin all Dominic’s plans.

Stepping into Gio’s office I close the door softly behind me. Gio is sitting behind his desk looking every bit the Mafia Don that he is. Anthony is sitting in one of the chairs across from him and pulls out the chair next to him for me.

Looking at them both, I see a wealth of unanswered questions in their eyes. I don’t even know if the information I’m about to give them is actually what I think it is, but we will see. “Do either of you know someone named Aiden?” I ask, looking Gio directly in the eyes. I see no reaction. Gio is great at hiding his emotions. He’s probably perfected it during all his years as the boss. Anthony sucks in a sharp breath beside me. He isn’t that great at it yet.

After taking my seat, I proceed to tell them about the dinner from several nights ago. The more I say, the angrier Gio gets. At one point Anthony stands and starts making phone calls and talking so quietly I can’t hear what he’s saying.

Gio asks a few questions for clarification when I’m finished, and from what I can gather, Aiden is one of his closest friends. Or so he thought. So this is much much worse than I even thought it was. I mean, I knew it was bad whatever it was, but one of his closest friends? That’s a betrayal of the worst kind. In this life it gets you killed.

Anthony comes back to the desk and sits down. “I have people on him. He won’t be able to take a piss without us knowing how much and what color it is,” he says. Wincing when he sees the look on my face.

Gross. But I get what he’s saying. And it’s a necessity.

“Elodie, you don’t understand the value of the news you just gave us. And If it’s what I’m thinking it is, you are about to save a lot of lives,” Gio says solemnly. “It sounds like they are trying to go into business together trafficking people. Which is something we have always been against. No matter how much money it makes I will never be responsible for selling people.”

Shuddering, I lean back in the chair in shock. I mean, they told me Dominic was into buying people but I didn’t realize it was on this large of a scale.

“Thank you Elodie,” Anthony says. “I know that Drake already talked to you about not leaving without any of us, but I’m going to tell you again. Especially after the information you just shared with us. Dominic may not know if you told us or not, and he may not suspect that you would. In fact, I’m sure he thinks you’re too stupid to have ever told us anything because that’s just the kind of person he is and how much he disrespects all women. But you just became enemy number one to him. He will try his hardest to get you back or kill you. We can keep you safe if you stay in this building. So please, while you have the freedom to go, please don’t. Don’t put us all through losing you again.”

Gio clears his throat and says, “Drake was a mess, Elodie. We can’t lose you again or he may really do something stupid next time. We try to keep him out of all this, and I realize at times there will be overlap, but he will throw himself into the middle of it next time. We can’t have that. And I know you don’t want anything to happen to him. I don’t care if they take one of us, stay here.”

The seriousness on both their faces makes me feel worse than I already did for leaving before, but I had to save Reba and I was the only one who could do it. I don’t have to worry about that this time. So I nod.

They both let out a breath. Anthony stands and helps me to my feet, “Now we have to ask you to go away so we can do illegal things without other ears.”

Am I ever going to get used to this? Probably not, but I’ve never felt safer than I do in the home of these criminals, so I’ll do my best.

Thinking about what Gwen said, I make my way back to my suite. I’m going to jump in with both feet. I’m tired of being scared to do anything. Giving Drake a real chance is the first step in that. Resolved, I make it to my suite and open the door to the next part of my life called “What Elodie Wants”.