Page 39 of Spice and Revenge

“You are going to regret this,” I yell, even as the fear clawing at me threatens to choke me.

“Shut up,” one of the masked men grunts.

When I open my mouth to tell him off, he grips my jaw harshly and grabs duct tape from a nearby chair. The ripping sound echoes throughout the room as he tears a section and seals my lips with it.

“Blindfold her while you’re at it,” another masked man says.

I close my eyes, feeling the vibrations of the tires beneath me as a cloth is tied over my eyes. I remain there, tired and unmoving, as the van moves. Panic and fear grip my chest, but I refuse to think about what will happen when my eyes are opened.

After moving for what seems like hours, the vehicle finally comes to a stop. I hear the sound of the van being opened, and I feel those rough hands grab me again.

I wince in pain as I’m thrown over someone’s shoulder. The person walks for some time, leading me into what I would assume is a building.

A painful groan escapes my lips when my body is roughly dropped on a hard surface. The blindfold is ripped off my face, and I blink repeatedly before taking in my surroundings.Darkness surrounds the room we are in, and the only source of light is a small lamp placed on a table in the middle of the room.

Thick footsteps approach me. I raise my head, and a familiar face greets me.

Gulping, I say roughly, “Hello, Uncle.”

Chapter Sixteen

Lorena

Uncle Pedro grins widely, showcasing a gold tooth that twinkles under the dim light. “It’s so good to see you again, Laura,” he says, walking towards me to caress my cheek.

That name. I haven't answered to that name in five years. I stopped being that person— shed that identity the day I escaped from my uncle's grasp.

I grind my molars together as he caresses my cheeks again, looking at me with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. “I missed you terribly,” he says in a low voice.

I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something he wouldn’t like, like how I don’t miss him at all.

“Where exactly are we?” I finally settle on saying.

Looking around us, I take in my surroundings. The room looks like an old and abandoned warehouse. Several boxes line the wall opposite to me. A single lightbulb that doesn’t seem like it works is hanging from the ceiling above. A long table with a few chairs is by my left, covered with a thick coating of dust. The smell is thick in the air, making my throat itch and my eyes burn.

A small window sits high up the right wall which lets a line of moonlight into the room. On my left is a large door, also covered in dust. At first, I assume that it must lead into another room,but then I imagine that it must be filled with some of the boxes I see around. This must be one of Uncle Pedro's hideouts.

“An old warehouse of mine,” he says with a smile. Then, he snaps his fingers at one of his men. “Untie her.”

Anger fills me as someone undoes the rope around my wrists. “And why did you have to kidnap me like I’m some criminal?”

“If I had asked you to come, would you have left your new life in Sicily to come see your old Uncle in New York?” he asks.

When I remain silent, he smirks. “I had to take matters into my own hands.”

The truth sinks in slowly. “Your men have been tailing me for weeks.”

“You were quite hard to find, I'll give you that. Running away, changing your identity, starting anew in Sicily—it's impressive. I taught you well,” he remarks, having the nerve to sound proud.

All Uncle Pedro taught me was how to kill. I ran away before he could turn me into his personal killing machine—his pawn.

My throat clogs up as I swallow the words that threaten to spill out of them. Uncle Pedro smiles, stretching his hand out for me.

“Come on now. You must be famished after your journey here,” he says, his tone softened from its earlier harshness. “Apologies for the behavior of my men. They're not exactly well-known for their gentlemanly manners. I've prepared a wonderful dinner for us to celebrate this reunion.”

I inwardly scoff before placing my now free hand into his rough palms.

“My little girl. I missed you so much,” he says, pulling me into a side hug as I stand up.

---