Page 93 of Alessia
“Fuck yes, jackpot!” I giggle like a little schoolgirl. I grab a gun and a long 8-inch black oxidized knife. It has a big black rubber handle and a dropped point with serrated edges. I put the gun in the waistband of my legging and hold the knife in my hand as I walk towards the elevator and push the button for the garage.
Once I’m downstairs I look around the garage, searching for them, I don’t see any sign of them. I scan every part of the garage until I find a door I haven’t noticed before. I try the handle and it opens for me. Behind the door is a steep set of stairs, a fluorescent bar illuminates the steps and the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.
I walk cautiously down the stairs, my heart pounding in my throat. At the bottom of the stairs, I look around the corner into the hallway, Vinnie and Alex are standing across two doors, nothing else can be seen or heard. I breathe in and out deeply and straighten my back before walking down the hallway. Alex and Vinnie see me immediately.
“MissDavis, you’re not supposed to be here,” Alex reprimands.
“I don’t care, Alex.” I retort. “I know Alessia is in there and I need you to let me in.”
Alex looks me over and sees the gun in my leggings and the knife in my hand. A scream of pain filters from one of the rooms.
“Let me in,” I repeat myself.
Alex sighs, “If I let you enter this room, this is something you can’t come back from.”
“It’s not like I’ve got anything to go back to, Alex…” I retort. “They took that away from me in Italy.”
He sighs, “I know, Harper, I know.”
“They took my past, Alex. But they don’t get to take my future. That’s mine. And I’ll be damned if I don’t make it into something worth fighting for.” I tell him.
We look at each other, trying to convince each other with our eyes to back down but I won’t. Not now, not ever again.
Alex hangs his head and gestures to me to go inside.
“Good luck, Miss.” Vinnie chimes in.
I exhale and lay my hand on the handle. Behind this door my worst nightmare is waiting for me. I calm my nerves and push the handle down.
I step into the room, the ceiling, walls and floor are all concrete and illuminated by two fluorescent bars. In the center of the room Gianni and the nameless man are both strapped to a chair. To my left there’s a surgical table filled with all kinds of medical and non-medical supplies that could all really do some damage. My gun and knife feel pretty useless now. At the far end of the room Elio slumps against the wall, his foot propped up against it. In front of the men stands Alessia, the sleeves of her blouse are rolled up, her hair in a high ponytail and her expression is stone-cold as she turns around to see who just walked in.
Her expression stays the same when she notices it’s me, but her eyes get a little sparkle of pride in them. She ignores the men behind her and walks over to me. The world around us seems to dissolve, fading into a blur of shadows and silence. She cups my face gently, her fingers brushing over my cheek as if committing the softness of my skin to memory. I lean into her touch, my breath catching as my gaze locks with hers.
And then, her lips find mine.
The kiss begins softly, a tentative brush that sends a shiver racing through me. It is as if time has slowed down, the air around us charged with an unspoken intensity. The softness melts away, replaced by a fierce longing that neither of us can hold back. Her lips move against mine with a hunger that makes my knees weak, drawing me closer until there is no space left between us.
My hands find their way to the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as I return the kiss with equal fervor. The world no longer exists; there is only the warmth of her mouth, the taste of her, the way her touch makes my pulse race. It is both fire and solace, a perfect storm of emotions that leaves me breathless.
When wefinally break apart, our foreheads rest against each other, our breaths mingling in the narrow space between us. My eyes flutter open, meeting hers, and for a moment, neither of us speak. We don’t need to, the kiss has said everything.
Alessia takes my hand and turns around to face Gianni and the nameless man.
“So, now that my gorgeous fiancée has joined our little party we can truly get started.” she proclaims.
My head whips to her and shock covers my face, my heart is racing. Fiancée? I know I was out of it for a while the past few days but I could never miss something like a fucking proposal. Alessia winks at me and focusses back on the men before her, leaving me stunned.
Alessia
“You’ve made a grave mistake in kidnapping Harper, thinking you could play games with me at her cost. Do you hear that silence? That’s the sound of every chance you had to walk away fading away into nothing. But no, Gianni, you had to kidnap my girlfriend and do unspeakable things to her.” I walk over to the surgical table and run my fingers over all the tools that Elio layed out for me. I pick up a pair of needle nose plyers and walk in front of the nameless man.
“Seeing as that I like to know who I’m speaking to, would you be so kind to tell me your name?” My voice is all sugary when I talk to him.
“Fuck you, bitch!” he spits out.
“Damn, that’s what I thought. Honey, could you come over here and help me?” I look over my shoulder to Harper. She stands frozen, I stick out my hand and she takes it.
“Good girl.” I urge her on. A blush creeps up her neck before a small smile plays on her lips.
