Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
The men followed her and I was left standing there alone, a bloodied, broken mess. My heart was beating fast in my chest. I turned to look at the front door. It was unlocked. It could be the only opportunity I got to escape.
“I wouldn’t bother,” a man’s voice said sarcastically.
I whirled around and saw two men walking towards me. I instantly recognized one of them as my father’s killer, Ugo. God, how I hated him. He looked older than the photos the media were using and more sinister. His eyes were black and dead and his cold gaze settled on me as he approached. The other man stayed back and watched me expressionlessly.
“Please follow me,” Ugo instructed and began walking further into the house.
I took one look at the nasty face and the folded arms of the other man and followed Ugo. The door shut behind us as the other man exited and left me alone with my enemy. He smiled suddenly, and to my astonishment began to behave in the way a well-to-do uncle welcoming his niece whom he’d not seen for some time would, rather than a mobster handling someone he had kidnapped.
“What a pleasure. It has been too long, Zola, my dear,” he murmured affectionately.
I felt as if I was dreaming. Was this the feared man who killed my father? I nudged my tied arms toward him. “Can someone take these off, please? I’m in pain.”
He studied my appearance and something like compassion showed in his face. “Yes, I imagine you must be, but I’m afraid, for now, I think it's best that we keep them on. So there are no surprises, you do understand, don’t you?” He paused and smiled again, but it never reached his dead eyes.
“I promise, I won’t cause any trouble,” I said.
“Are you and Dante lovers?”
His question shocked me, but I tried not to show it. “Are you really expecting me to answer questions when I’m in this state?”
“Hmm,” he said. “You're right. How inhospitable of me.” He pressed a button on his intercom. “Francesca, could you please take care of Zola here, she’s had a very hard day. Ensure she has a bath and some food. And get Doctor Falconi to give her a quick check.”
Almost immediately the woman who had scolded the men earlier came in.
“Come with me,” she said coldly and left the room. As soon as we were out of the room, she grabbed my arm and pulled me roughly through a corridor and down a set of stairs.
If I had harbored any thoughts that I was going to be treated well from now on, her surprisingly strong and rough hands showed me how mistaken I was. I was sure Ugo heard my struggling and fighting against being mistreated, but it was probably exactly what he wanted her to do.
I was unceremoniously thrown into a tiny bedroom and the door locked behind me. It was a plain room with a narrow wooden bed with a thin mattress on it, a metal toilet and a small sink. And that was it. I was too exhausted to make it to the bed so I just lay where I had fallen.
A little while later the door was pushed open and a burly man with a massive chest and large biceps in his late forties or fifties appeared. When he stepped aside, I saw another man with a stethoscope hanging around his neck behind him. Obviously, the doctor Ugo had spoken of.
The burly man led the doctor forward, then pulled a gun out.
"He's gonna check you," he said, gesturing toward the doctor. “Any sudden movements and I'll blow your head off."
I watched as the doctor knelt down beside me and set his kit down before him. I couldn't understand why they would tend to my injuries, but they were ready to blow my head off if I made a 'wrong move.' It all seemed so ludicrous.
"You’re all scared, aren't you?" I asked.
Neither man responded to my taunt.
"You don't really dare to hurt me because of Dante. Kidnapping me is just to force his hand ... to make him do whatever you want …"
The doctor checked the injuries on the back of my head, which hurt like crazy, and then he got to his feet.
"She'll need her wound cleaned and several stitches.”
“Well, get to work then,” the man said.
The doctor looked me in the eye for the first time. I could see that he was frightened and would have preferred not to be there. "Can you make it to the bed?”
My entire body was killing me, especially my head, and I wasn’t stupid enough to not want relief. I had to find a way to survive this. I stood and stumbled towards the bed.
The doctor inspected my head and cleaned the wound, which caused me to wince. He got up and turned to the burly man. "I need a razor. I need to shave a part of her hair off."