Page 14 of Brutal Don

Her mind raced. Who was this young man? Was he hired by Dante’s enemies? The Gambinos? He could possibly be just a random attacker, but Cara doubted that.

“I hear police sirens. Cara, grab my hand. We need to leave right now,” Jack said.

Cara stared at his offered hand blankly for a few moments.

“Damn it, girl. I know you’re in shock but we really can’t linger here any longer.”

Cara grasped his hand and he hauled her to her feet. The white van was gone. Cara allowed Jack to pull her back into the car. Cara sat in the front with Jack this time.Seat belt, she thought, fumbling for it. Jack started the engine and drove like a speed demon.

Were there more of them? Cara knew they weren’t completely out of danger yet. Her heart continued to race. She refused to think about the drying blood on her dress. God, she looked like an extra from a zombie movie but the coppery smell told her this was all real. Cara couldn’t stop her hands from trembling. How could an innocent outing go so wrong suddenly?

When Dante told her during the early days of her confinement that she couldn’t leave his apartment, she loathed him from the bottom of her heart. Cara despaired being his captive. Now, she understood that in some ways, Dante was also trying to protect her from enemies. Of course, she knew his interests would always come first. Dante didn’t save her out of the kindness of his heart.

“That Gambino scum is dead, Cara. He won’t hurt you again,” Jack said. The anger in his voice surprised her.

“How do you know he worked for the Gambinos?” Cara was glad she could talk again. Talking distracted her mind from the violent images in her head that kept playing on repeat.

“He was a drug addict. The Gambinos are known for using young men and women like that and making them do their dirty work,” Jack said in disgust. “Plus, he came prepared. I found a small bottle of chloroform on him.”

Cara’s stomach turned queasy as she remembered her prior kidnapping. “That van he was in, the driver got away.”

“He did. I remembered some numbers on his license plate but it’s probably a rental,” Jack scoffed.

Cara leaned back against her seat and tried to relax, but she couldn’t. What happened to her sounded so fantastical, it couldn’t, shouldn’t be real. Shuddering, Cara closed her eyes and imagined her old life and how uncomplicated it had been.

****

“Where is she?” Dante asked Jack the moment he got off the elevator. Dante loosened his tie. He left a meeting with his board of directors after he received Jack’s message. The bodyguard looked out of sorts. Jack was usually impeccable in his appearance, but he looked exhausted.

“In the bathroom. Martha informed me she’s been in there for an hour now. Martha and I took turns trying to convince her to come out, but neither of us has gotten to her,” Jack reported.

“I’ll deal with Cara,” Dante said.

“Boss,” Jack began, then hesitated. “I know this is a selfish request, but please go easy on her. I suspect this is the first time Cara’s experienced something like this.”

They were on a first-name basis now? Didn’t Dante just assign Jack to Cara today? Dante was stumped. Jack had served him loyally for five years. During that time, Dante had never seen Jack act emotionally, until now.

“I’ll take that into consideration, and Jack?”

“Boss?”

“I don’t need to remind you who you serve,” Dante said.

“Of course not, Boss,” Jack replied.

Dante entered the apartment. After taking off his shoes and setting his bag down, he found Martha in the kitchen.

“I will take my leave. She is safe and in the bathroom. I don’t think she has harmed herself,” Martha said.

Dante made his way to the bedroom. He knocked on the door.

“Go away. Please. I’ll be fine. I just need more time to myself,” Cara said with a muffled sob.

“Cara, it’s me. Open the door or I’ll kick it open,” Dante said.

He kept his voice mild. The last thing he needed was for Cara to be afraid of him. Dante patiently waited for a few minutes. Finally, he heard a click.

Dante opened the door and thought he would be mentally prepared for what he’d find. Cara stood there, barefoot and wearing a bloodstained dress. There were also flecks of blood on her face and hair. Jack told him everything that had happened. The blood wasn’t Cara, but a dead man’s.

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