Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

ARIA

My body was lying on something cold and hard. I shivered and tried to wrap my hand around my body. My eyebrows creased as I realized I couldn't move my hands. I pulled, but the sound of heavy metal filled my ears. My eyes opened slowly, and I took in the strange room I was in. I couldn't figure out what the room was. It was a dark room that was empty except for the chair that sat in the center of the room. With so much effort, I got into a sitting position. My head pounded as my stomach churned. I glanced at my hands and feet and saw that they were chained to the floor.

My heart beat accelerated as confusion clouded my head. I shivered again as my teeth chattered. That was when my memory started to come back to me. The harsh grip, the handkerchief over my nose, the shoes...

I heard a deep moan from beside me. I looked to find another man who was chained to the ground like me. My eyes shot to his hands. They were the same hands that covered my nose. Confusion swirled in my head.

"She's finally awake," a voice growled. A very familiar voice

My stomach twisted painfully as my heart stopped. I watched in shock as my stepfather walked into the room. How was he in Italy? How did he find me? I stared at him as he took the seat before me.

"I told you I would find you," he drawled with a smirk on his lips.

"How did you find me?" I spat as I looked into his emotionless eyes.

He brought out the gun from his back pocket and placed it on his lap.

"You underestimate me, Aria," he said in a smug voice.

My breath came out in a shaky exhale. He was going to kill me. I looked around me and saw that two of his men were already positioned behind me. The heavy weight on my limbs reminded me that I had no chance of escaping. My eyes slowly crept back to his face. His face glowered in the dark room, but I saw a hint of mocking humor in his eyes.

"You can't escape," he said matter-of-factly.

My breath hitched in my throat as I stared at the man I once called my father. I stared at the man that I once adored.

I gulped as the realization hit me. The money he had, the connections, his violent nature, the way my mother seemed to fear him...

Did he have any relations with the Mafia? Why would my mother marry a made man after running away from the same people? It didn't make any sense. My stepfather was a businessman in America. He owned a legitimate company.

"You used to be such a nice guy," I whispered as I looked into his eyes. "You used to be the best father..."

"I am not your father!" He bellowed as he shook in anger.

"I know. My mother would never have a child for a man like you," I blurted out, then gasped in realization.

I knew my words were true when a look of pure rage crossed his features. He walked up to me and hit me so hard that my head hit the ground and dots appeared in my vision.

Evita's words came rushing back to my head, and I started putting pieces together.

"My mother ran to you for safety," I forced her out, and he smiled sardonically.

"I see you've already done some research on your arrival."

"What did you do to make her stay with you?" I gritted as fury boiled inside me. I knew my mother wouldn't willingly go back to the men who killed my father.

"I saw her in America, where I worked for the Mafia, and recognized her. I knew she was running away, so..."

"You forced her to marry you," I seethed, and he shrugged.

"It was either that or getting handed over to the Don. She chose the best option," he said as fresh tears ran down my cheeks.

"But I loved her. I married her, even though she had a child with another man. I loved her!" He yelled.

"But nothing I ever did was enough. I took you in like my own; I took care of the family, and yet she was stealing my money and planning to run away with you," he revealed, and I exhaled a sharp breath.

"You told me my mother fell sick," I said in a wobbly voice, and he smirked. "She didn't fall sick, did she?"

"No. I killed her."

Tears welled up in my eyes as my heart broke into pieces.

"You're a monster!" I screamed with anger and fury.

He clenched his jaw and walked towards me. His hands moved to my neck and gripped harshly. I tried to place my hands on his', but the chain held them back. His hands tightened, and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. My eyes watered, and I couldn't breathe. He left me with a push, and I coughed and sputtered.

"Three bullets in the head," he called out as I tried to catch my breath. "That was how I killed her. And that's how I'll kill you."

I gasped harshly as he pointed his gun at me. It was aimed directly at my forehead. This was it. The end. I closed my eyes as tears trickled down my chin. The reverberating bang echoed in the room, and my heart stopped.

***

MAXIMO

A trail of smoke left my gun as I pulled the trigger. The two men that flanked him ran away, and two of my men immediately went after them. The dead body plopped on the floor as her fearful eyes came up to meet mine. Anger bubbled up inside me as I saw the way she was chained to the ground like a dirty criminal. She didn't belong in a place like this.

In anger and disbelief, I pointed the gun at Marco, whom I spotted chained beside Aria.

"You better f*cking explain what's going on," I spat with venom.

"S-she's the rat," he stammered.

"You should know better than lying to my face." I growled.

"He's not entirely lying," Lorenzo said beside me.

"What?" I spat, turning to him.

"She has an uncanny resemblance to him," Lorenzo said in Italian, something he usually did when he was angry. Aria cowered in fear as he marched towards her to access her face.

"She's the daughter of Emilio Alfonsi," Lorenzo announced in Italian as he turned to me. "The man who murdered our brother."

Rage clouded my vision as I turned to glare at Aria. Her eyes looked at me in pure fear as venom ran through my veins. She was the daughter of a heartless traitor to the mafia?

"I told you I would find the rat," Marco chimed in.

In anger, I turned to him and pointed my gun.

"And you couldn't f*cking do it without me having to come to your rescue?" I spat.

My finger moved on the trigger, and a pathetic plea died in Marco's mouth as the bullet pierced his head.

Aria's shocked gasp filled the room, drawing my attention to her. I no longer saw my red. All I could see were different ways I was going to torture her before finally killing her, just like I killed her father.