Page 67 of Unloaded
Lawrence pales and nods. I guess those balls aren’t made of steel after all.I should have listened to the Robertsons and kept my ass at Luke’s until they’d worked out a plan of rescue. It’s too late now for would’ves, could’ves, should’ves.How in the hell am I going to get out of this?
“I’ll be in touch once I’ve delivered the woman.” Vinnie glances briefly at Lawrence before the window slides up to close. “Let’s go!” Vinnie exclaims as another man slides into the driver’s seat. Within seconds, the car is flying down the interstate.
“I want to see my brothers,” I demand after a few minutes of silence. Vinnie turns his head to scowl at me.
“I told you. They are no longer any of your concern, Amelia.” I shiver with pure, unadulterated fear when he says my real name.Do I know this man?
I take a good look at him. He is much taller than me, likely 6’ 4” or more. His has short, dark brown hair has a bit of a wave to it on top. He has a strong jaw, high cheek bones, a slightly crooked nose, and piercing, light blue eyes. If he wasn’t an evil, mafia thug, he’d be an attractive man, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Rosco.
My heart aches when I think of him. I miss him so much more than I’d expected.Will I ever see him again?
“What do you mean?” I ask as the man’s words sink in. “They’re my brothers. They will always be my concern.” The man turns his head and smirks at me. His eyes are as cold as the artic circle.
“You’re only concern from now on will be keeping my boss happy,” Vinnie growls, sounding angry. “Your stepfather got his sons back. He wanted you gone from their lives. He’d planned to kill you, but he’d promised you to my boss many years ago. No one backs out of a promise to Nicolai.” My mouth drops open as my eyes widen dramatically.
“What? You thought you could take his sons away and not be punished? Or did you not know about the arrangement Vena made for you to marry Nicolai?” I’m still staring at him like he’d just grown an extra head. I could never marry anyone other than Rosco.
“You’re damn lucky you have a pussy and are nice to look at. Otherwise you’d be tortured and killed for taking those boys on the run. As it stands, you are getting off easy. Being fucked by the boss won’t be so bad. You’ll be dressed in the finest clothing and have anything your heart desires as long as you do as you’re told.”
I’m shocked at his harsh words. We continue down the road in silence as my mind scrambles to comprehend what I’ve gotten myself into. At last, I find my voice, although I’m probably better off being tongue-tied.
“I saved my brothers from a life of crime and likely death. I don’t regret what I did for one second. You can tell your boss to go to hell. I’d rather die than be his whore.”
Bright lights flash in my eyes as Vinnie’s fist connects to my jaw. My head flies to the side. Surprisingly I don’t feel any pain, not at first. A wave of nausea and dizziness hits me. It’s probably not a good idea to be hit after having hit my head in the crash.
“You will regret saying that, bitch!” Vinnie growls in my ear. His rancid breath making me gag. He shakes me forcefully. I just know he’s about to hit me again, but then, he just pats my face none too gently. “Don’t worry, Nicolai will teach you some respect.”
I wisely keep my mouth shut after that. No need to make this situation any worse than it already is. Although how it can get worse, I don’t know. I turn my head away from Vinnie to stare out the other window, but the fast-moving scenery increases my nausea.
I close my eyes and lean my head back against the seat, refusing to cry, even when my jaw throbs in time with my head. My whole body is beginning to hurt as the adrenaline rush from the accident wears off.
A couple of hours later, we exit the interstate and pull over at a truck stop. We are approaching Richmond and traffic has picked up. There are more than a few witnesses around. I briefly wonder if I should attempt to escape, but I know how brutal these men can be. I would be putting all these innocent people at risk by trying to get away.
“I’m going to take you inside so you can use the facilities,” Vinnie informs me as the driver exits to pump gas. “Don’t try anything stupid, because believe me when I tell you, youwillregret it.” His hand bands around my upper arm as he drags me out of the car.
I look around for any sign of my brothers, even though they’re likely far away by now. Relief floods me when I see them getting out of the SUV I’d been following. Vena is between them with two other large goons on either side. He hasn’t noticed me yet as he’s talking to the goons.
Ricky looks up and catches my gaze. I step toward him, but Vinnie jerks me to his side and pulls me toward the truck stop. I keep looking back over my shoulder. Ricky keeps his eyes on me and shakes his head, letting me know he doesn’t want me to try anything that will get me hurt.
Nicky has his head down, looking defeated. It hurts my heart, knowing he must be so frightened. Vinnie leads me toward the bathrooms. The driver comes up behind us, and Vinnie glances at him.
“Keep an eye on her while I clear the bathroom.” The man nods and places his hand on my upper arm in place of Vinnie’s. The driver is much gentler. He has a firm hold, but it’s not painful.
Frightened looking women come flooding out of the bathroom, throwing nervous glances over their shoulders as they go. Then Vinnie is back and motions to the driver who urges me into the bathroom. I’m allowed into a stall by myself, but both men are standing just outside. It takes me a while to pee. I’ve never had a shy bladder, but this is a situation unlike any I’ve ever been in before.
“Hurry it up!” Vinnie barks after a couple of minutes of me sitting there with no results.
Finally I manage to pee. When I’m finished, I flush the toilet only after I’ve pulled up my pants. There is no way I want this jerk to see me with my pants down. He drags me from the stall and over to the sinks. I’m surprised he is letting me wash my hands. Once I’m finished, we leave the bathroom and run into my brothers exiting the men’s room.
“Ricky! Nicky!” I cry, pulling away from Vinnie to hug the boys. “Are you okay?” I ask, throwing an arm around each of them. They hug me back, but it’s short lived. Vinnie jerks me away while Vena does the same to my brothers.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Vena asks, his face covered in shock. He makes eye contact with Vinnie, and his eyes narrow.
“We’re all right, Rachel,” Ricky says, glaring over at his father. “Are you?” I nod. There is so much I need to say, but I don’t want these assholes to overhear our conversation.
“Time to go, the family reunion is over,” Vinnie says with a sneer and tries to drag me away, but I’m not ready to lose them, yet. I throw an elbow back as hard as I can. It lands in his mid-stomach. Vinnie doubles forward with a grunt, loosening his hold on me.
I break free to reach my brothers again and hold them close. I whisper so only they can hear me, “Rosco and his brothers will come for us. We just have to hold on until they can find us.” I’vebarely managed to say these few words when large meaty hands grip my shoulders, jerking me backward. “I love you!”
