Page 84 of Unbreakable

Arizona

Themeninthe room stand talking for an eternity, okay really it was more like fifteen minutes or so, but my foot is throbbing and I need to sit down to relieve the pressure. I attempt to move away from Alexander, but it only provokes him to move his hand from the small of my back to grip my hip with his massive hand. The pads of his finger’s dig into my skin and I know there are going to be five distinct bruises left where his they are.

Remembering the phrase, ‘it’s easier to attract a bee with honey than vinegar’, I place the fakest endearing smile ever and look up into Alexander’s eyes, fighting the overwhelming need to puke. “Alexander, darling, my foot is killing me from where I so clumsily stumbled yesterday, may I please have a seat to take some pressure off?”

He stares at me for a moment, and I’m not sure if it’s because I was actually sweet or because I interrupted his conversation, it’s Maxwell who pops up and actually responds.

“How rude of us Father, she’s been moving around so well, we must have forgotten about her ankle. Would you like me to assist her to our table to sit down, while you continue your conversation with Alessandro and Guiseppe?”

“My darling, I’m so sorry. How forgetful of me, you must be in some pain right now. See gentlemen, such a devoted fiancé, she was willing to endure pain this whole time to be by my side. Yes please, help her to the table Son, then retrieve your brother from across the room, we’ll be sitting to eat in just a few moments anyway.” he says as he leans into me, placing a kiss on my cheek, moving to my ear to whisper, with a slight bit of annoyance, “You should have kept your mouth shut and endured the pain, now you’ve made me look bad for having you stand beside me. Be prepared for what will come later.”

He releases his hold on me, giving me a slight nudge towards Maxwell. The fake smile is still plastered on my face when he leans away, and I don’t give him a reaction. Maxwell places the palm of his hand across my upper back and it feels as if his hand spans from shoulder to shoulder as he urges me in the direction of the main table in the room.

“You should have sucked it up and stood by his side. He’s pissed now and you’ll pay dearly later. I expect that pussy of yours is going to be in some pain tonight, hell even your ass, daddy dearest loves to give a good ass fucking. Well, that’s if the explosion doesn’t go off as planned.” Maxwell says through a low rumbled laugh, and I'm fucking confused as hell.

“Explosion? What the hell do you mean by that?” I question him, curious to what he means. Will my prayers be answered and my nightmare be over?

“Tsk, Tsk, stripper girl. No more secrets for you. Now sit down in this chair, and shut the hell up.” he tells me then takes off, weaving through the people, stopping only briefly to chit chat with a few of them before stopping at his brother’s side, who’s leaning up against a bar that’s been set up across the room, a glass in hand, most likely filled with some type of alcohol.

I’m left to sit, my mind running rampant with so many thoughts and regrets. I cast my gaze around the room, noticing how the women are all firmly attached to the men’s sides, their eyes looking down to the ground and they never speak. Fucking Stepford Wives, there’s no way in hell I’m turning into one of those zombies. I’d rather be the snarling, decomposing flesh eating kind they make movies about.

I’m still lost in thought. I don't feel him sit down beside me, until he grips my thigh and trails his fingers up my legs, dipping them under the hem of my skirt, up to my panty covered mound and begins to rub vigorously. He leans into me, placing his mouth right against my ear, sticking out his tongue and licking it before whispering, “This pussy is mine tonight.” He removes his hand from under my skirt and picks up his napkin from the table, shaking it out and placing it over his lap.

I want to die! Seriously, it took every ounce of will power in me not to jerk away from him, and keep smiling. I decided at that moment, I wouldn’t be leaving this restaurant alive if I had anything to do with it.

The others in the room all slowly move around, taking a seat at the other tables scattered around. There are close to thirty-five guests in the room. My father pulls the seat out from the table beside me on the opposite side Alexander is on, and it hits me in the midst of all this I haven’t asked about Mom. I feel gutted because it dawns on me right then, I don’t feel love for her. I may have once but it’s gone, she’s just a person who was called my mother growing up, there was never any motherly affection. “How’s Mom, Dad? You haven’t mentioned her.” He looks at me crossly as one of the guests must have heard me ask and shifts in his seat.

“Yes, how is she? Me and Donna have been so concerned about her. We apologize we haven’t made it up to see her. I imagine you’re burning the flame at both ends from work, her, and now with Arianna’s return and upcoming wedding,” the guest asks and I know it’s said in a way to merely build himself up to my father the way he worded everything because I’ve never seen this man a day in my life,

“Yes, John, it’s been exhausting. If it wasn’t for this being Arianna’s big day, I would be right by her side.” My head immediately snaps to the left, I’m surprised I didn’t break it with the force, at the audacity of his words. “But I know she would never forgive me if I wasn’t here to celebrate with her. We’re hoping for a recovery, but the doctors are not giving me any optimistic news.”

The doublemint twins are seated on the other side of Alexander and if I wasn’t paying attention I wouldn’t have caught how Malcolm or is it Maxwell, hell I can’t tell them apart, keeps making small glances at his watch.

A waiter steps up behind me, “Excuse me, just needin’ to fill your water.” My head immediately snaps up, did I hear what I thought I did?

“Excuse me?” I ask

“I just need to reach over to fill your glass ma’am.” he says again.

I must be fucking hearing things, his phrasing of words sounds so much like the guys in the Hellions.

Alexander picks up his butter knife and taps it on the side of his champagne glass, before standing up. “I want to thank you all for coming to celebrate the announcement of mine and Arianna’s engagement. What you don’t know is that everyone here tonight are the guests to our private wedding that will be held on the Racanelli estate tomorrow.” The room erupts in applause and congratulations and I die a little more inside, but I keep the fake ass smile plastered on my face.

The waiter turns and fills my dad’s glass as well before continuing around the table.

Scanning my eyes around the room, I notice a few of the waiters look just a smidge out of place. When my eyes fall on one across the room, I scrutinze him a little more, he looks familiar but not from here. Then it’s like a bolt to my heart, I know who the fuck he is and my fake smile now turns to a real one.

They’re here!!

Jace

Letting that asshole go this morning was torture, for all we knew he was going to betray us and head straight back to his father. He has no loyalty to us, no reason to not stab us in the back. All we could do was hope he hated his father as much as he said he did for the death of his sister.

When Maxwell messaged us just a couple hours after he left with new information, we had to change our plans immediately. Apparently the wedding has been moved up to tomorrow, and then Alexander was leaving with her on their honeymoon to an undisclosed location. Tonight at the restaurant would be the best opportunity to get our girl back.

We headed to the restaurant, the plan was to have the new prospects dress as waiters. Knowing the bastard had checked out our club, since he visited her there, we decided automatically we were out of the running, the prospects though, I doubt he looked into it. It could blow up in our faces but it was our best option.

Maxwell had a ‘friend’ at the restaurant as he put it, throwing up a gesture with his hand when he said friend, who was going to set us up in the back, get the prospects in waiter’s uniforms, as well as a crash course in how to fit in tonight.

---