Page 85 of Fortress of the King

“You’re in no position to make demands…”

“Fuck you!” I spit. “You keep changing the rules to suit your own selfish needs. I did everything you said. I continue to do it and put myself in danger every single day. And now I have to kill him?” I know I sound hysterical, but this just went way past complicated.

“I can change the rules as I see fit,” the voice tells me. “The game has taken a new turn. He’s no longer useful to me and my cause, and once you take out the captain, the crew will shortly follow.”

I swallow hard.

This is all they want; power, domination. It’s all based on money and greed, and it makes me sick.

They want me to kill the head of the Boston Mafia. Could this bullshit get any more surreal?

“I need Mia,” I repeat, trying not to lose it. “I need my sister…”

“Your needs are not my concern.”

“If I don’t get proof that Mia is still alive, then the deal’s off,” I say, except I’ve no idea where that outburst comes from. “You can say and do what you want, but I’m the only person who can do this for you, and we both know it.”

I’m insane, but calling their bluff may be the only thing keeping me in the game, and I’m running out of options.

I think the caller has gone, but then I hear, “I will send you a photo of your sweet, dear little sister unharmed with a short video. You’ll receive instructions on what you’re to do next with no questions asked. Once your task has been completed, we will leave Mia in an undisclosed location.”

“Alive,” I reiterate, like I have any say in the matter. “She gets delivered unharmed.”

“As you wish.”

The phone goes dead.

Just like that, I’m left hanging. I grip the wall and I think I’m going to faint or just shrivel up and die.

I want to vomit thinking about what they’re doing to her and how scared she must be. I will find this asshole if it’s the last thing I do. I will hunt them to the ends of the earth and kill them with my bare hands. I will avenge her. The more the days go on, the more this inferno inside me builds.

I scream. The only thing that stops me from throwing my phone and smashing it into a million pieces is that it’s the only connection I have to my sister.

I’m in too deep, way over my head, and I’ve nowhere left to turn.

Kill Angelo Medici?

Holy shit. I’m many things, but I know that I’m not a killer. I can’t do it. And even if I could, how the hell would they expect me to carry out such a task? He’d see it coming a mile away.

I need to talk to Enzo. He’s my only hope.

I move to the bathroom, splash some cold water on my face, and stare at my reflection. I don’t even recognize the person who looks back at me. She used to be full of life, her eyes used to sparkle, and she was pretty and ambitious. Now she just seems lost. How fucking pathetic.

My phone pings again, and I glance down as I pat my face dry with a towel.

It’s a photo of Mia blindfolded and tied to a chair; she’s holding a piece of paper with today’s date. I zoom in on the picture and nearly gag.

She’s alive. Thank fuck.

I can’t take any more. My stomach heaves, and I just make it to the toilet, where I hurl into the bowl until I’ve nothing left to vomit. It’s all just too much.

When I'm done, I sit down on the cold tiles and rest my head back on the wall. I click out of the message and flick my phone to Enzo’s number, dialing him with a shaky hand.

I need to get a grip.

He answers pretty quickly. “Enzo Russo.”

“It’s me….. umm…. Jessica,” I whisper, unsure why I’m whispering in my own house, but it somehow seems safer that way.

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