CHRISTIANO

Seventeen

Carina

Pregnant. The word resonates in my head a few times before the meaning sinks in. I am married and was pregnant. That's what they've all been religiously hiding from me. You'd think I killed a president or burnt down an entire country. Honestly, I don't know how to feel. Having no memories of my marriage or pregnancy means I have to rely on their reactions. Simona and Gianna look so scared and Paulo looks ready to beat Silvano for telling me the truth. Other than being shocked, I don't feel anything else. Maybe if I see my so called husband I might remember something. I wonder if he's sad without me. Aside from visiting me at the hospital that one time, I've never seen him again. It had to be painful for him to lose a child and a wife. Without thinking, I grab my purse.

"Carina, where are you going?" Paulo asks blocking my way.

"Move. I don't want to be mad at you"

"At least let us pack and come with you"

"I can't wait" good thing their luggages are in their rooms. By the time they retrieve them, I'll be long gone. I'm not mad at them for hiding something so important from me. Right now all I care about is De Luca. Unless we were forced to get married, there is no way he's not hurting. Even if Padre really did force us and it turns out he doesn't love me, he still lost a child. I can only imagine what he's going through. That is if he's different from Padre.

What if he's not though? They're father and son. That son of a b***h didn't care about us because he was a monster with no feelings at all. If De Luca is like that...... Then all the better. It means I wouldn't have to worry about him and can focus on myself. I'll see him first then talk to Aurelia. I want to know if the guilt of killing an innocent child has kicked in yet. She herself isn't older than seventeen. Where did she get the courage to shoot me? Did she know I was pregnant? I forgot to ask how far along I was. But is it even important? That baby is gone. If I think about it, I'll feel sad because it didn't have the chance to be born. Not because it was mine. God, I can't picture myself being a mother. Never have. Did I change that much after meeting De Luca?

Marriage wasn't really in my future. I had plans of either escaping from Padre or killing him so I would be free. There were no plans after that since I didn't believe I would ever be free. Let's say I envisioned myself traveling the world and doing things I wasn't able to do. Funny how your life changes so fast. I wonder how we were as a couple. I can't picture the lovey dovey s**t so we must have fought a lot. As I settle in the plane, my mind drifts back to a few hours ago when I slept with Marco. Is De Luca better? Given the chance, would I want to know? Maybe. I'll know when I meet him.

It takes ten hours to get back. To avoid overthinking, I decide to sleep but dreams of a baby's laughter make it hard. By the time we touch down, I'm so anxious that I enter the first cab that pulls up outside the airport.

"Where to ma'am"

"Oh, I..." Don't know where he lives "Do you know where De Luca's mansion is?"

"Yes"

"Good. Take me there" he starts the engine and I sit back, getting nervous by the second. What will he say when he sees me? Will he be happy or has he already moved on? I look down at the clothes I'm wearing. Talk about being an i***t. I picked a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. God, I didn't even shower or clean up after I left Marco's room. Is this how I want to meet him for the first time? "On second thought, take me home" I tell the driver who nods. It takes me a minute to remember I didn't give him any address. Does he know me? "Excuse me but where are you taking me?"

"Home. You told me to take you home miss"

"Yeah. But do you know where I live?" He clears his throat "Stop this car" something's terribly wrong. This is not a cab and why am I realizing that now? He's dressed in black from head to toe. The way our men and basically all the other men who work for mafia families dress. Did I walk into something? "I told you to stop this car"

"Too late to do that now"

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm just doing my job miss. Everything will be fine if you come with us quietly"

Us? I turn around and notice two black cars following us. I should have known this was a kidnapping but I was too occupied to notice "Who do you work for?"

"You'll know soon"

"I promise you this won't end well. Do you know who I am?"

"Yes"

"And you still risk your life to kidnap me?"

"Shut up or I'll put a sock in your mouth" he snaps. The thing with most of these people is that they're stupid. Knowing I'm Lombardi's daughter and De Luca's wife, why would they risk their meaningless lives to kidnap me? I know Padre is dead but there's still Giovanni. I wouldn't give him father of the year award but he will go all out to get revenge for me. That is the one thing I can count on him to do. De Luca on the hand, I'm not sure. First of all, I have to figure out whose enemy is taking me. Is it Giovanni's or De Luca's?

"Who sent you and what do they want? Answer me and I will spare your life"

"You're in no position to do anything"

"Maybe, but I can easily turn the tables. Watch" opening the window, I scream "Help, I'm Marianna Lombardi and someone is trying to kidnap me" as I'm saying that, the i***t swerves trying to stop the car so that by the time I finish yelling, he's already parked by the side of the road. My head is yanked back forcefully then a cold blade is placed at my neck

"Do that again and I won't hesitate to kill you"

"Too late" I repeat his earlier response "It's already done asshole. Sooner or later, your boss is going to die. I suggest you find a new one"

"What the f**k is going on?" Someone asks sitting on the front seat.

"This b***h is f*****g crazy"

"So you stopped in the middle of the road? Why are you so stupid Matteo?"

"She was...."

"I'll take care of her. Just drive" the new guy says moving to the back seat. He looks at me up and down "Try anything and I'll have some fun with you before delivering you to my boss"

I should know when to stop but I guess I wasn't built that way "Who says I won't have fun too?"

"You are a crazy b***h"

"Do you know what else I am? De Luca's wife, Giovanni's daughter and Marco Schiavone's friend. All of you are dead meat. Whether you deliver me dead or alive, I can assure you that one of the three won't spare your lives" my words sink in and the guy finally understands the consequences of what they're doing. I see the fear in his eyes before he looks away. Obviously they won't let me go but if they are smart enough, they'll run after delivering me to their boss. Anyone who stays is only asking for death. The rest of the ride is quiet. An hour later, we pull up outside a mansion that looks to be newly built. Or renovated, I can't tell. The door on my side is yanked open and another guy drags me out. Turning to the ones left inside, I say "Run" before I'm taken into the house. The decor is a little over the top, a sign that the owner is a show off. I hate those types of people. They're the worst.

"Boss says to throw her in the basement"

At that, real fear kicks in and I shake my head "No, not the basement. I won't try to run or cause any problems but please, don't put me in the basement"

"Okay, the basement it is" the guy holding my arm says. I plant my feet on the floor, refusing to move but it's useless. The slippery base makes it easier for them to drag me there. With every step, my fear intensifies to the point where my limbs start freezing. I hate that place.

"I...I'll be good. I promise, just don't put me in there" I beg them but they're not even listening to me. The last coherent thought I have is that I will skin them alive myself once I get out of here.

After that I can't tell what's real and what is an illusion. The smell of blood is everywhere. There are a few cells, all empty. I'm thrown into one. The lights down here are dim, they always are. Every basement is the same. Sooner or later, those things will start crawling around me. I can't, won't wait for them. Raising my knees up to my chest, I lay my forehead on them and close my eyes. If I stay really still, they will go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.....

I open my eyes slowly and find Marco looking at me. He's already dressed "Marco, did I fall asleep?"

"Are you okay? Did that bastard hurt you?"

"Huh?"

"You can tell me baby, I will tear his limbs apart with my own bare hands"

Sitting up, I scrunch my eyebrows "What are you talking about? And did you put my clothes back on?"

"Carina..."

"It's so sweet of you but I didn't forget about the promise you made. Start with your mouth this time. Wait, did I eat? Why am I so hungry?"

"Don't scare me like that baby"

"What's wrong? Why are you..." I trail off realizing something's off. The room is different. I remember the one we were in. It had floor to ceiling glass doors that led to the balcony. You could smell the salty air even when you were inside. The only smell here is clean air, mingled with a citrusy scent "Where are we?"

"At my house"

"Your house? You have a house in the Maldives?"

"No. We're back in Italy"

He's either lost his mind or I've lost mine "Italy? We're back home? Can you teleport or something?"

"Give me a second while I call Paulo" he says leaving the room. I'm too shocked to even move. One second we're in the Maldives and the next we're home? Is Marco really that powerful? As I'm looking around the bedroom, a loud ringing starts in my head. It feels as if someone is rubbing together two metal blades inside my head. I slap my hands over them hoping to drown out the sound but to no avail.

"Are you blind?"

Excuse me?" he asks and his voice is so deep and throaty. I will admit it's sexy. But that's all you get.

"Are you blind and deaf? Didn't you see me in front of you?" His calm demeanor is starting to piss me off a great deal.

"Lady didn't you see me?"

"f**k you. I didn't spill any drinks on you. Besides if you knew what's best for you, you wouldn't talk to me like that." Argh still not fazed.

"And who are you?"

"Asshole. I don't have time for this. Move out of my way before I decide I've had enough and break your ugly nose" I push him aside and surprisingly he moves but two more guys who look like his bodyguards move towards me. "Gentlemen you so much as lay a finger on me and I will feed you your balls for dinner. Who's first?" I ask them with a cold voice that makes their steps falter. They look to their boss behind me and he must have told them not to do anything because they step aside and let me pass. "That's more like it. Good doggies"

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And so it has begun. Are you sure you're ready for what's next?