Page 84 of The Bonventi Secret
Hearing Enzo's name sends a confusing mix of emotions through me, and I'm unable to process them.
"Now, Livia, right?" Vinnie asks, his voice deceptively gentle. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here."
I swallow hard, finding my voice. "I have a pretty good guess. You want Enzo," I rasp out.
An evil smile spreads across his face. "Smart girl. I can see why he's so taken with you."
"Well, what exactly do you want?" I ask, shaking my head to fight off the dizziness.
The shorter man laughs. "Straight to the point. I like her."
Vinnie stands. "What we want, Livia, is very simple. We want Enzo Bonventi to suffer. And you are going to help us make that happen."
Fear claws at my insides, but I refuse to let it show. Instead, I channel it into anger, into defiance. "I won't help you do anything," I say and spit some blood onto the floor.
"Oh, but you will. You see, your cooperation isn't actually required. Your presence alone is enough to drive Enzo mad. And when we start sending him little mementos of our time together? Well, I imagine he'll be quite motivated to meet our demands."
I struggle against the zip ties, ignoring the way they cut into my wrists. "You're insane if you think you'll get away with this," I hiss. "Enzo will?—"
"Enzo will what, you stupid bitch?" the stocky one interrupts. "Come charging in to rescue you? Burn the city down looking for you?" He chuckles. "We're counting on it. But by the time he finds you—if he finds you—it'll be far too late."
As he finishes talking, he takes a step forward, pulling something from his pocket. It shines in the dim light.
Shit, it's a knife.
I freeze as he approaches.
"Now," he says, twirling the blade between his fingers. "Let's see about getting a little souvenir for your boyfriend, shall we?"
I try to back away, but after I move a few feet, there's nowhere to go. My back hits the wall as the man crouches down, bringing the knife closer to my face.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," he says, his breath hot against my cheek. "I'll start small. Maybe just a lock of that pretty hair to begin with. But if Enzo doesn't play ball?" The knife traces a line along my jaw, not quite breaking the skin. "Well, we might have to get a bit more creative."
"Enzo needs to learn that actions have consequences. Killing Carmine? That wasn't very nice," Vinnie says as he pulls out hisphone and aims it at me. "Smile for the camera. I want to show Enzo exactly what he's responsible for."
The flash temporarily blinds me. When my vision clears, I see Vinnie typing something on his phone.
"There. That should get things going." He turns to his companion. "Watch her. I'll be back after I talk to the boss."
As Vinnie leaves, the shorter man pulls up a metal chair and sits, watching me with hungry eyes.
"You know," he says, lighting a cigarette, "maybe this ends soon, and I can show you what a real man is like."
I close my eyes, trying to block him out, trying to focus on anything else. But all I can think about is Alex lying on the sidewalk, blood pooling around him. The image makes me want to scream.
The door opens again, and Vinnie returns with an older man—clearly the boss they mentioned. His silver hair is slicked back, and a nasty scar runs down the left side of his face.
"Ma'am," he says, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I'm Joseph Rossi. Welcome to my humble establishment."
I look at the man, trying everything I can to remain calm, but then a thought enters my mind. In movies, when the killers announce themselves or show their faces, it's because they don't plan on letting their victim go alive...
Enzo, please.
Find me.
Save me.
ENZO - 32
