SHARONI drag my eyes open and let out a groan that sounds very real. It’s dragged up from the pit of my rocking stomach, brought up from a throat so dry that it burns, and dragged over my tongue, which feels two sizes too big for my mouth and also so dry that it makes me want to groan and gag and beg for water. I open lips that are so parched that I can feel the fine cracks appear when I part them to try and mutter that very word. “Water.” The sound is just a sound. Mmmpphhhhhttttt. Is that really my voice? I sound like an off-key toad.Now that I’m fully awake, and I mean awake within the dream, my head still hurts. It still feels thick and heavy. I quickly flick my eyes down , I look around , then I remembered that I was kidnapped then I flick down to my feet again. No rope, I opened my mouth to speak and that was my voice, I check my body around, I wasn’t naked.Not naked. Nope, I’m not even tied up. My fantasy is sorely lacking here because doesn’t every good fantasy involve rope
He holds up both hands. “Whoa. I should have given you more time to wake up. I didn’t think there would be lasting effects, but you’re confused. You’re awake. Very. Awake. This is real life. Yes, I kidnapped you, but I’m hoping that you’ll see the light and come around when I explain everything. Sorry I couldn’t just show up on your doorstep and have this conversation. It’s not something I could risk. Being exposed would do a lot of damage to our organization.”“Yeah. To the mafia.”“Not the mafia.”“So the mafia.”“Definitely not the mafia.”“Yup, I’m sure that’s what they all say.”His jaw ticks visibly, and his left eye twitches. It also shouldn’t be so adorable on a beast his size. “We are the anti-mafia. The not mafia. A group of people who tries to destabilize organized crime. We try to right the wrong by doing bad things to bad guys.”“So, the not-mafia mafia.”“Not. The. Mafia. We don’t use that word around here. That word is archaic and only goes so far to describe some organi
“Now,” He says with obvious delight. He clutches his hands in his lap too, but not like he’s doing it to hang onto the last shreds of his sanity. It’s more of a polite gesture. “We’re getting to the best part here. I know this is quite intense, and I apologize, but I had to get this out, and I needed you to listen and make your decision. Since we were promised to each other, the fortune can only be inherited by me if it’s inherited by both of us. Together. Through holy and sacred matrimony. Yup, that’s right. My dear old dad wanted me to find you and make good on his bloody alliance. I’d think it was ridiculous, and I would have had a good laugh over the plotting of two asshole dudes who wanted to ruin their children’s lives to cement theirs because that’s incredibly insecure, but the fact is, I’m not laughing. Since we can definitely use that fortune for good, I’m afraid I’m leaving you with only one option. If you catch my drift.”After that long, long winded story, he sits there. T
You’re keeping your potential wife locked up in your unfinished basement?” Granny has this habit of clicking her dentures when she gets super pissed. She’s doing it now. They look like they’re going to hurtle out of her mouth and gobsmack someone right in the face.Weaponized dentures. Ha. Only my granny could manage that.Granny’s real name is Ana. I’m not kidding. She married into the name, and she kept it after her husband met an untimely end, thanks to a maniacal crime boss. He might have fallen in with the wrong people, and they did him down. Granny wasn’t going to stand for that. She vowed revenge, and at sixty one, with no family of her own, no children or grandchildren, and newly widowed, she enrolled herself with her husband’s meager life insurance money back into college. She took computer science. My god, did she take the shit out of computer science. Granted that the internet was just in its infancy, but computers had been around for a long time, and learning the basics me
I was going to say you could start by charming her with pizza, but not like that,” Granny says. She sniffs the air. “You got anything normal in that stack?”“There’s a pepperoni with mushroom and spinach, a cheese with extra pineapple, a meat lovers with extra bacon, extra cheese, and extra meat, a buffalo chicken with broccoli, mushrooms, and alfredo sauce, and one taco with extra sour cream and lettuce,” Binksky rattles off. He’s basically a human hard drive. I’d say encyclopedia, but I’m not sure people know what those are anymore.“Don’t you boys eat anything normal? Whatever happened to just cheese or pepperoni or something normal like ham and pineapple?”Deano grunts. “No can do. Which one should I get for the little lady?”“I think you’d have more success with chocolate or wine. You got any of that?”I shrug. “Uh, that would be a hard no. I can pour her a scotch or a brandy or make her a protein shake.”“A protein shake?” Granny screeches. “Good lord, boy, you think the way to a
Her easy smile and also the easy way she drops F-bombs actually put me at ease. I find myself liking this badass granny, even if she’s firmly on the side of the baddies. She’s not on my side, at least, so that makes her a baddy. I guess.I bite down on the pizza, chewing slowly. The cheesy, meaty goodness explodes in my mouth, and I nearly let out a groan. I have no idea how long I was out, but I’m absolutely starving.“Mike is a good kid. Really.”“Mike?” I garble around the pizza.She nods. “That’s his name. Goodness mercy, what an ass. He didn’t even introduce himself to you. Yes, Mike. Anyway, you’ll have to forgive him. As I said, he had a rough start in life, and sometimes it shows. He was raised by a father who was more ruthless than you can imagine. He was grooming his son to be his successor, which meant showing no mercy and allowing no weakness. The fact that Mike had any goodness left in him at all is astounding, really. He watched his father and mother be gunned down by a r
And my old, boring life back.She cranes her head up to me. She’s at least seven inches shorter than I am since we’re both wearing heels. She winks at me again and cackles. “Welcome to our world, Sharon. Even if you’re not staying in it for long, it’s a real ride.”MIKEI’m not sure how Granny did it, but she convinced my not so captivated captive of a fiancé to have a bath. Granny didn’t even wait until the water started running upstairs. She got on the phone right away and ordered an ‘unspoiled, unadulterated, hold the anchovies, not disgusting, non-abomination of a not so disastrous pizza.’After Granny gets off the phone, she gives me a look that is both scathing, hopeful, and exhausted. “Unless you can get your fanny to the mall and buy a fresh set of clothes, I’d suggest hoofing it upstairs to your room to find something she can slip into after that bath. Something that isn’t going to fall off when she takes a step.”The guys are sitting at the table, engaged in some rousing boa
It could have happened with the bike. The bike would have been hard.”“Right. Yes, that’s it, then. I’ll be sure to tell it that way next time. If only to see people’s expressions when I do.”We both stand there silently after, with nothing to say. Granny’s right. I really could use some charm. Or at least the ability to talk to a woman without getting all strange and awkward and silent on them.“My brothers,” I blurt, scaring Sharon such that she jumps a little. “They’re coming tomorrow morning. Flying in tonight. You wanted proof, so my granny is going to give it to you. Don’t worry. They’re mostly harmless—annoying but harmless. They’re a tad crazy and more than a bit rough around the edges, but as a whole, they’re good shit.”Oh. Uh…” Sharon reaches up and clasps a wet strand of hair.Right now, it’s not the burnished gold it was before. It’s dark and frizzy up top. Without makeup, she looks younger. Or maybe it’s because of my clothes that she’s swimming in. Whatever it is, she l
Apparently, the guy was nomadic and had been on the run for a while. I couldn't help but wonder why he kept hiding and what had made him choose this luxurious hotel as his hideout.Several hours passed, and it appeared that the man didn't want to show himself. The air was thick with the scent of cigar smoke. I sat at the table with James, feeling anxious and uneasy. I couldn't help but feel like something was off about the situation.Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a strong-looking muscular guy entered the room. His serious expression and imposing figure sent shivers down my spine. He scanned the room before his eyes landed on us."My boss will see you now," he said in a gruff voice.I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we were getting somewhere. I signaled to James that I would wait for him in the parking lot and stood up from the table, eager to get out and breathe some fresh air. However, as I exited the meeting room, my heart sank, and beads of sweat started to form around m
I'm good, Dad," I said, not wanting to talk about myself. “Well, thanks for your time.”I stood up to leave. Visits with my father had always been all business anyways. The man believed in nothing more than himself. I hurried down to the garage to find Richard.I watched Richard from afar. He looked more manly in the garage environment. He was fascinated by something in the car engine area, so I moved closer.As soon as Richard spotted me, he sighed.Laura," he said quietly, "go home."The words almost sounded like a warning, but I ignored him. I went even closer and looked around. It was quite dark in there for the middle of the morning. I got even closer.Richard closed the gap between us, his face dangerously set."Turn around," he ordered as he grabbed my hips and rested me face-first against the side of a car. His voice was suddenly deeper, and I rubbed my thighs together.He slipped a hand under my jacket."Laura, you really should go home now," Richard said as his hand kept get
The mansion had an eerie feel to it—as if there were secrets lurking around every corner. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were dead bodies hidden in the walls. It was unsettling, but I pushed those thoughts aside and continued on my way.As I reached the foyer, I saw James standing there, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had a stern expression on his face. I had no desire at that moment to deal with the consequences of the previous night, but I continued towards him as he acknowledged me with a nod."Come to the back," his tone was firm, not that there had ever been a day that he was lenient. He took his difficult position very seriously.I followed him to the other end of the house where he opened a heavy metal door that led to a dark room. I could barely see what was inside, but I knew it had to be something important.He pulled out a large, heavy carton and placed it on a nearby table."You're delivering this," he said, pointing to the package. "It needs to be there at e
Yeah," I nodded as Richard pulled the car back onto the road."Are you married?" I blurted out, the words escaping my lips before I could even think twice. The car was quiet, aside from the sound of the engine humming. Anthony looked at me in shock, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the road ahead. For a moment, I thought that maybe I had caught him red-handed in some sort of scandalous affair, but then he spoke."No…" he said, his voice low and guarded, “but I was almost married."The way he said it made my heart ache for him. There was so much pain in his voice, so much hurt that he was clearly trying to hide. I could feel the tension in the car building like a rubber band stretched too tightly."She left," he added, his jaw clenching. I could see how much the memory hurt him, how much he must have been struggling to deal with the aftermath. I wondered what type of woman could have left someone like him. He seemed like the kind of person who would be an amazing partner,
I approached the bouncer, and he greeted me with a smile."Hi, Laura," he said, recognizing me from previous encounters. "It's been a long time," he smiled."I know, right?" I said and he parted the way for me to enter. I couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging. This was my favorite spot to unwind after a long day, and I always felt at home there.I took a deep breath and stepped inside, feeling the energy of the crowd wash over me. The club was bustling with people of all ages dressed in various styles. Some were dressed to impress, while others were dressed in more casual attire. The lighting was low, casting a sultry atmosphere over the scene.I made my way to the bar, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. As I ordered my drink, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see my best friend, Shirley, smiling broadly. She hugged me, almost squeezing the life out of me."You made it!" she said while spinning me around, grinning from ear to ear. We stopped for a moment to look
I dialed Mrs. Hamsburg number to ask if she could take in my daughter a little earlier today. It took her a few minutes to get back to me but the sweet soul agreed.Oh, Mrs. Hamsburg What would I do without you?"Go get your bags together while I talk to your teacher," I told Sonia, watching her hurriedly return to class.I approached her teacher and let her know the plan. She agreed and said I could take her out early.I watched my daughter wave at her friends and come to me.On the way, my daughter made us visit the cake shop, and we also had to pick up food. As we drove, my daughter chatted away. Then, I handed her to Mrs. Hamsburg , and she waved me off.A short hour later I was pulling up to the entrance of Laura’s gated community. I signaled to the security guard, and he nodded and let me enter. I pulled over in front of Laura's house and attempted to open the gate, but this time it was locked. Of course, it would be.I decided to buzz the intercom, hoping that Laura would hear i
I should have guessed from her demeanor that she was my boss’s daughter. She exuded a mean energy like her father. In fact, she carried so much of her father's aura, I was convinced I had just delivered a tool for her shady business, although I knew little about her career.I dialed James's number."Hi, James, it's Richard," I said when he answered. "I just delivered the package. Turns out it was for the boss's daughter."James didn't reply."You there?" I asked."Shit! Shut up. Hold on…" he replied through labored breathing. Why was he always so angry? He took his job way too seriously."Yes, I’ll hold," I sighed. I patiently held the phone to my ear while waiting for James to finish what he was doing.Clearly, I could sense some shady things were going on.All I wanted to do was notify them that I wasn't going to return to that place, and I was headed home.I pulled over to the side of the road and continued to wait for James to get back on the phone. It was almost 11 p.m., and I ha
The GPS beeped. I had arrived.The house was the largest and most imposing in the development, with black iron gates that seemed to tower above me. The driveway beyond was long and winding, flanked by lush gardens that seemed to have been sculpted by a master artist. I parked my car at the front gate and stepped out, the unease within me growing stronger as I made my way over to the intercom. I pressed the button and waited for someone to answer. While the intercom continued to ring, I noticed that the gate was slightly ajar, as if someone had left it open deliberately. I hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open and stepped inside.The grounds were even more magnificent up close, with fountains, statues, and intricate mosaics dotting the landscape. But something strange about the air made the entire estate seem to hold its breath, waiting for something to happen.I finally reached the front door, its heavy oak panels creaking as I pushed them open. Inside, the house was even more o
RICHIEI leaned against the hood of my car, surveying the scene in front of me. It was a busy night on the streets of the city, and I had been driving for hours. I was tired, but I couldn't go home yet. I had one more pickup to make.As I watched the people passing by, my eyes wandered to a woman walking down the street. She was beautiful, with long, dark hair and a confident stride. She caught my eye, and I couldn't look away.I watched as she passed a group of men hanging out on the corner. They leered at her, making suggestive comments and gestures. She tried to ignore them and continue on her way, but I could see the anger and frustration in her eyes.I felt a twinge of sympathy for her. I knew what it was like to be vulnerable and powerless in the face of danger. I had been there before and didn't want anyone else to experience that fear.I got out of my car and approached the men. They looked at me suspiciously, but I held up my hands in a gesture of peace."Hey, guys," I said, t