Page 70 of The Deadly Candies

Debbie clutched the robe against her chest, watching José’s retreating form with desperation. The basement door closed quietly behind him, leaving her trapped, alone beneath that oppressive contraption. Tears cascaded freely as she stared upward at the bar that would soon hold her captive.

It felt like a judgment hanging over her head, sealing her fate in that cold, dark basement, as she struggled against the sobs threatening to tear her apart.

* * *

Magdalia stormed up the stairs,furious, reaching beneath her apron for the revolver she kept tucked at her waist. She’d had enough. It was time to rid herself of this meddling boy. She swung the basement door open with a sharp curse, ready to unleash her wrath on the boy when he joined her.

She stopped dead in her tracks.

Matteo Ricci stood in front of her, flanked by Caesar to his left and Angelo to his right. Every instinct screamed for her to keep the gun out of sight. Matteo’s presence sucked all the air from the brownstone, filling it with tension thicker than smoke. His gaze targeted Magdalia, sliding slowly, menacingly downward until he spotted the sapphire bracelet glittering in her hand.

His voice was calm—too calm—as he took a step forward. "Is that my fucking bracelet,puttana?”

Magdalia’s eyes widened, fear and confusion twisting together. She stared down at the precious jewels with dawning horror. It couldn't be. That young colored girl in the other room…Shecouldn’t possibly belong to Matteo Ricci. Yet suddenly, it all fit into place. The extravagance, the secrecy, the quiet desperation of the girl who had begged her to take the bracelet—it had Don Cosimo Ricci and his men written all over it. Of course, his son would be no different.

Matteo flipped open his switchblade with a practiced, menacing flick, the glint of steel cold and threatening. "I've never hurt a woman," he said, his voice dark, brittle. "Never. But if you touched her—ti ammazzo, I’ll kill you for it.”

“She didn’t!” José quickly interjected, stepping forward from the shadows. “I did what you asked, Matteo. Like I told you, nothing happened yet. Debbie is downstairs in the basement. She hasn’t been touched.”

Matteo’s chest rose and fell heavily, the blade glinting ominously in his hand. His gaze stayed locked on Magdalia, every muscle coiled with murderous intent.

Magdalia trembled, extending the bracelet with a shaky hand. “Mi dispiace tanto, Signor Ricci,” she whimpered, tears of desperation spilling down her face. “I swear, I didn’t know. She never said the child belonged to you.Ti prego, forgive me.”

Caesar stepped forward swiftly, snatching the bracelet from Magdalia’s trembling fingers and reaching into the apron to take her gun. Shocked that they even knew she carried it, she did nothing but gasp. Matteo remained rooted in place; his dark eyes fixated on the closed door behind which Debbie waited, alone and frightened.

“Everyone get out,” he growled.

Caesar roughly grabbed Magdalia by her hair, clamping a calloused hand over her mouth as she shrieked in terror. She kicked and struggled, but he dragged her toward the door to leave her home. Her muffled screams echoed faintly as she was forced away.

José hesitated. He needed Matteo to understand. “We just got here. Debbie didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t blame her, Matteo—she told me before I left her that she couldn’t go through with it. So don’t blame her!”

Matteo turned his head slightly, eyes glinting with something José had heard whispered but never seen himself in the young hoodlum: the ruthless, deadly fury of a Ricci. José felt his heart quicken in primal fear. Matteo would truly kill anyone who stood between him and the woman and unborn baby he loved.

“I said get out,” Matteo repeated softly, each syllable dripping with quiet menace.

José nodded slowly, backing away. He turned and went to the door, then paused as Matteo spoke again, his voice softer this time, yet oddly sincere.

“José.”

José waited. Matteo hadn’t moved; his gaze was fixed on the door, beyond which Debbie was in the basement waiting. But his voice betrayed the turmoil churning inside him.

“Thank you.Grazie.For coming to me. For protecting my Debbie. For saving my child. My life for your life, from this day forward. You will always have my protection. My respect. My life for your life.”

“Ah, okay? I care for Debbie and?—”

Matteo put up a hand and stopped him from speaking. “I know what people say about me. Debbie is the only one who has faith in me. That was until you took a risk and trusted me. Trust me now. With this vow, I will always honor our agreement. I will always protect her and my baby. I swear it on my soul.”

José couldn’t respond. He knew Matteo meant the vow.

“You are a good friend—un buon amico.I owe you everything for what you have done for us today.”

José drew in a slow, trembling breath. “I do love her,” he said honestly, quietly. “Maybe not in the same way you do, Matteo—but I love her. Debbie’s special. I see you know that.”

Matteo gave a tight nod, acknowledging José’s words without looking back. “Now get out. I’ll take care of her.”

José did as he was told. He heard Magdalia’s shrill screams growing fainter, but Matteo’s heavy, labored breaths echoed through his memory, haunting him. The basement door slammed shut behind him, sealing Matteo Ricci alone inside with Debbie—and the deadly, unresolved tension lingering in the air.

Matteo opened the door slowly to the basement. The sound hit him first—Debbie’s choked sobs, raw and desperate, slicing through the damp basement air. Matteo went down the stairs, then stepped inside, and the room seemed to shrink around the horror before him.

---