Page 75 of Memphis

“Antonia, you need to go.”

“Antonia?”

“Yes,” Dad replied. “My daughter.”

“Your daughter?”

“Yes.” I forced myself to meet his gaze, trying my best to hide the fear coursing through me. “And who might you be?”

“The name’s Vittorio.” He extended his hand, and I reluctantly shook it. “But my friends call me Victor.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

That was a lie. It wasn’t at all nice to meet him. Instead, it was completely horrifying. He was obviously a dangerous man with an agenda, but I feared that agenda had something to do with my father’s financial troubles. He stepped closer as he said, “Oh, the pleasure is all mine.”

“You really need to go, Antonia,” my father pushed.

“Oh, what’s the rush?” Vittorio’s eyes skirted over me. “I’m not done enjoying the view.”

“She has work,” Dad snapped. “I wouldn’t want her to be late.”

“Oh, well. She’s going to be late.” Vittorio glanced over at my father. “In fact, she’s going to be very late.”

“What are you talking about?”

I could tell by his tone that things were about to take a dramatic turn, so I took a step back and tried to put a little distance between us. That’s when Vittorio announced, “She’s coming with me.”

Panic surged through me. I had no idea who this guy was or what he planned to do with me, but I knew I had to do something. I quickly darted into the kitchen and grabbed my phone from my pocket. I muted it, then dialed Wes’s number. I could hear Vittorio coming after me, so I quickly tucked the phone into the side of my bra, hiding it from view.

He grabbed my arm and jerked me over to him as he asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let me go!”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Vittorio, stop!” Dad sneered. “She has nothing to do with this!”

“She does now.” Vittorio’s voice was low and menacing as he snarled, “I’ve given you plenty of time to come up with the money you owe me, and you failed to come through. Maybe she will give you the incentive you need to get the job done.”

“You can’t do this!” Dad roared. “I’ll get you the money! I just need some time!”

“You have forty-eight hours.”

“Dad,” I pleaded. “Don’t let him take me.”

Vittorio dragged me over to the front door, and as soon as he opened it, two men stepped inside. He tossed me in their direction as he ordered, “Pat her down and put her in the car.”

Without hesitation, the men grabbed me, and it felt like the world had stopped spinning as they started to pat me down. Fearing they might discover my phone, I snapped, “I don’t have anything! I didn’t even have a chance to get my purse.”

“Good,” Vittorio scoffed. “You saved us the trouble from taking it from you.”

One of them took hold of my hand and forced it behind me, using the pain it caused to force me towards the black SUV. My heart was pounding so loud that I could barely hear anything else. As we got closer, I twisted and kicked, but it was like fighting against a brick wall.

Vittorio reached out and grabbed my face, and his fingers dug into my cheeks as he forced me to look into his dark, menacing eyes. “Your father will pay. One way or another.”

With that, the guard opened the back door and shoved me inside. Just before he closed the door, I caught a glimpse of my father. His face was twisted with horror and helplessness. That’s when the realization hit me: I was being kidnapped.

The door slammed shut with a heavy finality, and I was plunged into a cold, suffocating silence. I lunged for the door handle, desperate to escape, but it was locked. Panic surged through me as I started banging on the windows and screamed for help. Vittorio and his men got in the car, and it felt as if all the oxygen was stripped from my lungs.

---