Page 35 of Unfulfilled Promises
The shrug he gave me was devastating, like traumatizing me wasn’t a big deal. “How do you know all this? How do you even know Devlin?”
I needed him to keep speaking while Giovanni was away doing whatever it was he was doing. The longer he stayed away from me, the better, so I kept gathering information, even if it was killing me to hear what my family, the people who professed to love me, had planned.
“I started working for Devlin four or five years ago. We needed someone inside his organization to make sure he wasn’t getting too close, but when it was uncovered you were Sergey’s little black book, well, let’s just say I got the ball rolling by sending an email about Sergey’s whereabouts to the one person who wasn’t afraid to kill him face-to-face.”
My eyes grew wide at the realization that he was the one who sent the email to Stella, tipping her off to where Sergey wasand sending me straight into a nightmare that I couldn’t escape from. “Why? You could’ve questioned Sergey.”
“Sergey was the puppet master of all our lives for too many years, then he got himself into trouble and the fucking asshole took everyone down with him. But the sneaky fucker double-crossed everyone, the families, the Syndicate, and the FBI. Hell, he sold two of his kids for a better position in the Syndicate, and the third,” he shook his head with a chuckle, “the one he thought was so golden . . . he played chess with him, used him to handle grievances that weren’t real while chasing ghosts and overall being a stupid pussy.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” I asked, feeling like everything was coming apart at the seams.
I wasn’t expecting John to tell me, so when he came and sat down at the table across from me, I pushed my chair back and crossed my arms defensively. He looked over his shoulder as shouting came from behind one of the closed doors, and I jumped at the sound of Giovanni’s rage. John rolled his eyes and turned back to face me.
“That man,” he started then shook his head. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter if I tell you the whole plan or if I keep it a secret, the outcome will be the same. We’ll get the information from you one way or another, then we’re going to mail you back to your family in pieces, just to remind them what the Syndicate is capable of.”
“Are you one of the children of the families?” I inquired, and he shook his head.
“Giovanni and I went to boarding school together, but my father was too much of a pussy to join the Syndicate when Sergey offered it to him. When Giovanni approached me a few years ago, telling me we could rule it all if I was willing to help, well,” he shrugged again, “it was a no-brainer. I give him a few years ofservice, and when it’s time for the initiation, I’ll take my rightful place as his second in command.”
“How did you know where Sergey was hiding? I mean, I suspected Ricardo was involved, but . . .”
The smug bastard smiled as he kept feeding me everything I needed. Not that it would do me any good if I couldn’t get out of here, but at that point, I needed to focus on one thing at a time. Escape was not happening at the moment, so information gathering was going to have to do.
“Ricardo was a stupid asshole who did whatever we wanted. Especially if Kelly was fucking him on the regular. We promised him a place at the table if he worked with us, and he was all too happy to get rid of Sergey, but the FBI handlers around him were diligent. They turned a blind eye to you because they believed you were a lovechild of Sergey’s and they wanted to keep him happy.”
A slam sounded behind us, and John glanced over as I fought to keep my hands from shaking. Giovanni was calling someone a motherfucker, and John scoffed as he continued speaking over the angry outburst happening behind the closed door.
“But Sergey was getting greedy and trying to push the remaining families out and rebuild the Syndicate to his liking. That would make the deal between him and Giovanni’s father void, and all our hard work would’ve been for nothing. So, we took care of him, took you thinking you’d sing like a caged bird, but damn, girl, you shocked everyone with your silent treatment.”
“Why now?” I asked as Giovanni’s yelling began to lower in volume.
“Honestly, look at this place. It’s a shithole compared to what we were promised, and when I saw the chance to finally get my hands on you, I couldn’t pass it up.” He leaned forward andadded, “I want my money, so do the right thing and this can all be over.”
Giovanni entered the room with a snatch of the door, and John sat back, acting like he hadn’t given me tons of information that would be worthless if I couldn’t get out of here. Giovanni plopped into the chair at the end of the table and ran his hands through his hair.
“I have to go back to Atlanta tonight for a meeting in the morning. They won’t take no for an answer,” Giovanni explained, and John sighed as I watched them interact.
“Can’t you stall them? Tell them we need a few days to get everything together,” John reasoned, and Giovanni shook his head.
“They want proof or they’re calling in their debt, so I have to show myself to them by seven in the morning or the deal is off.”
“Fuck,” John proclaimed, and I wasn’t sure what was happening.
Giovanni looked over at me and, quicker than expected, he grabbed my hair and pulled me closer to him. I tried to keep the strands from ripping out of my scalp as I held onto his hand. “You’ve caused me so much trouble, I should drag you back down there to explain it to them.”
My forehead drew down at the statement. Who was he having to report to, and why would they care what I did or didn’t know?
He turned and looked at John. “Lock her in the basement, and if she gives you any trouble, invite a couple neighborhood boys over to show her a good time. She’s used to being a party favor.”
They both laughed as I fought not to cry at their threat. John stood from his chair and walked around the table to my other side. Giovanni shoved me away from him and straight into John,who wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me off my feet.
“Stop,” I yelled as Giovanni watched from the table.
“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, little one. Be prepared to tell me everything I want to know, or it will be the last day you’re above ground.”
John chuckled as I fought against his hold and, without much difficulty, he opened a door in the hallway and threw me inside. I caught myself just as I slipped off the landing and started to tumble down the stairs into the pitch blackness below. John raised an eyebrow and whispered, “Be good, or I’ll come back and show you what a real man is all about.”
With his vile threat, he slammed the door closed, leaving me in the damp-smelling darkness. Feeling near the door for a switch and finding nothing, I used my hands to feel for the walls and carefully slid my foot down, hoping to find another step. One by one, I made careful and calculated movements until I felt floor in front of me and knew I was off the steps.
