Page 7 of The Diávolos: Part One
I twist my head and a look of puzzlement crosses my face.Gianis?
“Well, this will be fun,” he says with a chuckle and lets go of my face with a jerk. I still feel the pressure of his fingers on my jaw. He walks around his desk and slams both hands on the tabletop, making me jump in my seat. I’m trying not to show my fear, but the unknown is making it hard for me to stay calm.
“Are you hungry? Do you need Advil?” he questions, amused. “I heard you had quite a drunken night out, and mixed with the chloroform, you must be hungover as shit.” He chuckles wickedly.
“Go to hell,” I seethe. “I’m not eating your food. Let me go,now. I’ll kill you with my bare hands if someone else doesn’t get to you first,” I yell, as I try to escape out of the hold I’m in. I’m being ballsy, but I’m sick of being here. I doubt my father will run to save me, so I’ll have to find a way to break free on my own. I’m not a violent person, but I won’t be afraid to fight my way out of here.
He gives a sniff of disapproval, and runs a hand through his short, dark hair. His pissed off expression turns amused as his top lip slowly lifts on one side, a menacing smile that does nothing but irritate me further. He swings his head back and lets out a roar of laughter. “You? A precious mafia princess. Hurtme?” He cracks up again, and it only makes me angrier, my fear snuffed out for the moment. “Did you hear that, boys? She’s going to kill me.” The two other men join him, and they laugh in unison.I can’t believe this.
“I’d love to see you try,princesita.It might make for a fun time,”he replies. “But I can’t have you croak on my watch, little girl.” He grabs his phone out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket and dials a number on speakerphone. After three rings, a woman picks up.
“Yes, Hendrick?” she answers.
“Please bring some food for our guest. And some pills for her hangover.” He hangs up the phone before she has the chance to respond.
I can’t believe the audacity of this man. “First of all, who are you calling ‘little girl’? Second, I said I don’t want your food,” I spit.
“You’re acting like a child,” he replies bluntly.
I glare at him with my mouth wide open. “Screw you,Hendrick,” I drag out his name. “Let. Me. Go.”
He looks at me, and his brows lift in surprise and anger. He walks around the desk and puts his hands on the arms of my chair. He gets close to my face and says, “You listen to me closely,little girl. You might be a sight for sore eyes, but I’ve had enough of you running that pretty mouth.”
He pulls out a pocketknife from his back pocket and flicks it open with one hand. I flinch, and the right side of his mouth slowly rises in amusement. He holds the blade up to my cheek and presses firmly, poking at my skin. My breath hitches, but I don’t take my eyes off him. I don’t want him to sense my fear.
“I can’t lie,” Hendrick says, now petting my face with the knife. I close my eyes and subtly try to move away. “The urge to carve my initials on your pretty face and see the blood run down your cheeks is making my dick twitch, Angelica. But I can’t send you back damaged. I would never hear the end of it.” He rolls his eyes and waves the weapon around.
He summons one of the guys with a gesture and gives him the knife. I don’t have the guts to turn and look, so I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself to feel the blade meet my flesh. Instead, Hendrick takes his weight off my chair and someone tugs at my arms to cut through the ropes holding my hands together. I rub my wrists as soon as they’re free. My fingers instinctively search for my elastic band. Even though the skin is sore, I pull on it to find relief. Something familiar to keep me grounded in my state of panic.
“You’re worth more to me alive than dead,” Hendrick says, as if he could read my mind. “So, you better keep your words to a minimum. You wouldn’t want me to fill your mouth with something other than food.” He winks at me, and I can’t stop myself as I spit in his face. I don’t give a shit if he hurts me, I can’t let them think I’m a weak, little girl waiting for herbabato save her. I can be strong, capable, and vicious when I need to be.
Luis and the other man take a step forward, but Hendrick puts his hand up to stop them. He reaches for the handkerchief resting in the jetted pocket of his suit and wipes his face. I keep my eyes on him, my breathing heavy.
“Tread carefully,carajita,”he says under his breath, “because I won’t let another instance like this happen without punishment.” He puts the square of thin fabric down on the desk and continues. “You’re going to eat the food and shut the fuck up until I get in touch with your father. Trust me, I don’t want to keep you here longer than I must.”
He walks out of the office and his men follow. I let out a sigh of relief before I realize I’m still stuck to the chair by my ankles.
Luis comes back a little while later with food, water, and a couple of Advils. I take the pills and eat my food grudgingly, only doing so to keep my strength up in case I need to defend myself. I ask Luis to untie my legs to go to the bathroom, but he hesitates. So, I threaten to pee my pants, and he changes his mind.
I’m sure Hendrick wouldn’t want his office to reek of urine.
“No funny business,” he says, pointing his gun toward the bathroom door. To any other person, the gun might be frightening, but I’ve had my share of experiences around weapons. I know how to manipulate one comfortably. If only I could find a way to grab the gun while he’s distracted. But if my plan goes south, I’m screwed and risk getting hurt.
After relieving myself, I promise Luis I’ll be good, and he doesn’t tie me back to the chair, making it clear that he’ll be right outside the door.
I sigh. There’s no other way out of this room, unless I feel like jumping to my own death.
The day passes, and once the sun goes down, I wait for someone to come back. My mind is reeling with questions I don’t have answers to, and the memory of what Hendrick said about my father disturbs me. I occupy myself by walking in circles around the desk and pulling out random books from the shelves, reading the first passages and then putting them back.
Being stuck in here, not able to contact anyone to tell them I’m okay, is torture. I wonder if my friends are worried. They’re the only ones who might give enough of a shit to notice I’m missing. I look around the room, but of course, there’s no phone or computer in sight. I search for my cell, but it’s nowhere to be found either. I’m assuming Luis took it last night. I sigh into my palms and let out a muffled scream. “Get me out of here!” I yell through tear-filled eyes. I’m tired, hungry, and I need a shower. Soon enough, I'll go crazy from staring at these walls.
A while later, Hendrick walks in the office with a smile plastered on his face. “Guess what,carajita? It’s your lucky day.” The door opens wider and Gianis walks in behind him, followed by Luis.
Gianis.
My lips start quivering and I let out a loud sob. I can’t move. I’m unable to make my legs go to him.
“Your father agreed to my terms and your knight in shining armor has arrived to take you home.” Hendrick points to Gianis. He came all the way from Cebrene to get me. He looks impassive, but the glimmer of concern in his eyes tells me otherwise. He must have been worried sick. Gianis has always kept a hard shell around himself to hide his true feelings. Only I was able to pierce through it over the years.
