Page 50 of Final Installment
“You will not.”His tone conveyed this wasn’t up for discussion.“Your family will stay in the flat that’s been arranged.”
“As hostages?”I snarled.“I thought we were done with that.”
“Not until the wedding is over.”He reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone.He spoke a language I didn’t recognize.It might have been Turkish, but that was only a guess.
I turned my attention to the heavily tinted window, watching the city pass by.None of it seemed familiar anymore.So much had changed since I left, and what I did remember seemed like a dream now.I had been so young, the memories were malleable and soft, flitting in and out and blurry at best.
I tensed as the car entered a parking garage attached to a high-rise apartment.Zec claimed he was taking me to an apartment, but for all I knew, that was a lie to keep me calm so I wouldn’t make things difficult inside the vehicle.
Zec kept his word.He had, in fact, brought me to an apartment.A very nice one.His goons carried my suitcase and carry-on as we exited the elevator into a penthouse foyer.
Even before the elevator doors opened, I heard my mother shouting.I shrank back with embarrassment and fear.I could practically feel my mother’s hand on my face again, squeezing me, hurting me, shoving me against the wall of the library.
As if he could read my mind, Zec gently pushed me aside and strode into the apartment.My mother continued to berate and scream at Dafina in the background.My face burned hotly, and I wanted to disappear.
“What do you mean there’s not enough in the seams to let out the dress?You’re a fucking seamstress!Make it work!”
“Don’t speak to her like that!”A woman’s voice I didn’t recognize snapped at my mother in Albanian.
“I’ll speak to her however the fuck I want!She has one job!One!”
“Mom!Leave her alone!She’s doing the best she can!”
“We wouldn’t even be in this mess if you hadn’t gained all this weight!If I see anything other than water in your hand today, I’ll—.”
“You’ll do what?”Zec asked, his voice threateningly cold.“What will you do, Ana?”
“What areyoudoing here?”my mother spat.
“Delivering your other daughter,” he said matter-of-factly.
My mother’s ire shifted to me.“So, you finally decided to show up?
“I was working,” I reminded her.
Before she could start railing at me, Zec stepped closer to her and lowered his voice.He pointed at Dafina who stood on a tufted ottoman in her wedding gown, and in a low growl, he warned, “That girl belongs to Luka now.You put one finger on her, and I’ll be the one who comes to exact payment.”
My mother pursed her lips.She wasn’t used to being the one on the receiving end of threats.“I only want everything to be perfect.”
“It will be.”Zec gestured toward a blonde woman standing next to the harried seamstress.“Drita always delivers perfection for us.”
Drita didn’t react to his praise.Her cold demeanor left me feeling uneasy.She looked at our family like we were lower than dirt.It was clear she hated every last one of us.
“We need to go if we’re to make our appointment.”He glanced at my mother.“Unless you’d prefer to wait here while I retrieve your son.”
“No,” she said hastily.“Let me grab my things.”
“No.Leave your purse and phone.”
Zec’s command rattled her.I didn’t like it either.No phone?No money?No ID?It seemed like a setup.
“Fine,” my mother said, her voice clipped.
I opened my mouth to argue, but she silenced me with a look.I stood still as she left with Zec and his goons.Would this be a moment of regret?Would I look back on this wondering what would have happened if I’d spoken up and urged her to stay?
“She’ll be fine.”Drita must have seen the worry on my face.“There’s no point in killing her now.”
If that was supposed to make me feel better, it didn’t.I caught Dafina’s irritated expression, and she rolled her eyes before gesturing to the sofa in front of the ottoman.I perched nervously on a cushion and watched as the seamstress finished her final fitting.
