Page 82 of Distance

“No more running from me, Sienna.” He’s there again, pressing up behind me, his stink making me gag. “We need you to get the message across to your boyfriend and his brother.”

We? Who the fuck?

Holding the back of my head, I try my hardest to wriggle free, clawing at his arms with my nails. He slams my forehead into the doorframe. Pain sears through my skull and stars twinkle in my vision. Tingling starts as darkness creeps in around me.

“Sleep now,mySienna. We’ll catch up later.” I can barely hear him as the world starts to spin, and the floor rushes up to meet me.

* * *

My vision is hazy, as if someone is blowing smoke in my eyes. A sharp throbbing pain pulsates across my forehead, spreading around my temples. The sudden hit of ice cold liquid smothering my face snaps me into consciousness and instinctively I gasp for air.

A dark figure comes into view and I blink quickly, to gain some focus but it’s no use. It’s then I register the sharp pains radiating up my arms from my wrists. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

Oh my God! I’m tied up!

Panicking, I jerk to pull my wrists apart, almost shaking myself off the chair. I’m freezing and exposed.Oh fuck, I’m near naked too!Goosebumps spread over my skin and I squeeze my eyes shut, trying and failing to cope with the panic rising in me like bile.

Memories of Jamie smashing my head against the door frame in Keller’s apartment flood my brain and my body starts trembling.

No, no, please no.

I refuse to let him see me cry, but fear grips me tighter. I cringe and try jerking away as I feel his rough, icy fingers tuck my hair behind my ear.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s finally decided to join the party,” Jamie says, his voice dripping with malice.

My vision begins to clear as his face crowds mine. The stench of stale cigarettes almost chokes me with his mouth just inches from my nose. Looking past him, I recognize my surroundings immediately. It’s the same white kitchen counter where I caught him cheating. I’m bound to the same wooden dining chair I’d sat on for most evenings with him. Scanning the room, I spot at least seven other men all dressed in black suits with the similar slicked-back hair. They could all be related. They look so similar. All watching me and Jamie. Their faces expressionless. Similar to the men Luca brought around to Kellers not long ago.

More mafia men.

Snapping my eyes to his, I search for something, anything, to plead with the old Jamie that might be in there somewhere. But the man crouching before me is just the shell of the one I was once with. His eyes are wild and his pupils are dilated. He seems oblivious to the constant muscle tick by his temple. He just squats, and stares at me, with a sadistic grin etched on his face.

“Jamie, please.” I try to sound sincere. Deep down I want to tell him to fuck off, but I don’t want to rile him. He’s too unpredictable. We’ve underestimated him once before. Who knows how far he will take this.

He doesn’t respond, he just continues glaring at me with his crazed eyes. It’s like a scene from Insidious.

“Why are you doing this, Jamie?”

A shiny object catches my attention and my gaze flicks to his hand. The sickening realization hits me. A fucking knife. The lunatic in front of me has a knife. As if noticing my fear, he runs the cool metal along the inside of my calf. I can feel the burning sensation of bile rising in my chest again.

“I can hear your heart pounding, Sienna. Not so brave now your big bad boyfriend isn’t here to protect you. You fucking whore.” A laugh skitters out of him and scrubs the back hand across his nose.“You don’t realize what you’ve cost him, do you?”

This can’t be happening. Tears sting the back of my eyes and I shake my head in disbelief.

“Why are you doing this to him? What’s he ever done to you?” I croak out.

“It’s not just me. Your boyfriend and his God Almighty himself brother have managed to piss off the Falcones.” He tucks in his chin with an evil laugh.

“The Falcones?” My lips quiver. I’m so cold, it’s hard to speak.

“Oh. Don’t act dumb Sienna. It doesn’t suit you. They’re your boyfriend’s rivals. You know. Your hitman boyfriend? You really picked a keeper this time.” His voice drips with anger.

“I don’t understand. How does any of this involve you? You’re a corporate lawyer, for God’s sake, not part of the mob?”

He shifts uncomfortably at my questioning, and his head does a quick jerk to the left. I’ve clearly hit a nerve.

“Well,” he says, tapping the cold knife against my inner thigh, which makes me inhale sharply.

“I may have got into a little of debt with Marco Falcone. I stumbled across some illegal substances and may or may not have taken them home with me. Turns out, the mafia don’t like when you steal from them. I overheard them talking about Keller at the meet and came up with a brilliant idea, knowing that you were fucking him. ”

---