Page 26 of Revenge Vows

The door opens, and three men step out of his car. I gasp as I recognize them. They are the men who wrecked my house.

“I won’t ask nicely if I have to ask again. Get in,” the man at the wheel says.

***

I have been kidnapped for the second time. Maybe I am cursed. Maybe this is my life now; to be prey to strange men.

Screw that. I am going to get myself out of this mess. And when I do, I’m going to escape to a deserted island with Mama and Laura.

My hands are tied, and so is the rest of my upper body. I am sitting on a stool in an empty room, at a loss as to how I am in this position again. At least this room has windows and there are no rats. The door opens, and the man with the scar enters, followed by another man.

The new man is tall and slender. His hair is grown out like Antonio’s, but his hair is a harsh blonde. He has a pleasant smile on his face.

Immediately he sees me, and he turns to the scar-faced man. “And why is my guest tied up? Untie her at once!”

Scarface looks confused, but he walks up to me, proceeding to untie me.

Blondie smiles at me as he watches the man untie the ropes. I rub my sore hands as soon as I am free.

“That must have been uncomfortable. That’s much better,” he says to me.

He turns to the scarred man. “Jun, if you ever tie up a beautiful woman that tightly again, I’ll make another scar across your eye. Do you understand?”

The confused man nods.

“Now apologize to her,” the blonde guy orders. The man mutters an apology before he leaves the room. The blonde guy turns to me with a smile.

Something is familiar about him, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

“Sorry about the shitty reception. My men have no idea how to treat a breathtaking lady. May I make up for their folly?” he asks.

I stare at him blankly.

He chuckles. “Where are my damn manners? I haven’t introduced myself, have I? Silly me!”

He steps closer to me. “I am Giovanni.”

Shivers run down my spine at his name.

It’s the name that has preceded all my troubles. My life was going just fine until I heard that name, and all hell seemed to have broken loose since. My life has turned to shambles.

I went from returning home from my shift to have lunch with my mother and sister to being tied up in the basement with a crazy man who decided to marry me against my will.

“It’s you,” I say.

He smiles. “I know that we haven’t had the best introduction to one another. But I want to change that if you will let me,” he says.

I get up. “What do you want from me?” I ask.

“At first, I just wanted my money. Your father owed me a lot before he passed, you know?” he says.

In all the madness lately, I forgot about the debt already. I swallow.

“I will work every day of my life if I have to. I will Pay you every dime my family owes you.”

He waves his hands. “There is no need for that. At first, you were going to be enough to pay the debt,” he says.

He begins to pace around me, staring at me.

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