Page 4 of Menace

The only thing I could do was come clean. Tell them everything.

I looked up and opened my mouth to start but didn’t get to say a word.

Leaning forward Dom tapped a key on the keyboard and the monitors came to life. He pointed a finger at the screen, at the man who was once again smoking.

“Who is he?”

I didn’t hesitate to give him an answer.

“He’s my brother, Antonio Salvatore Jr., better known as Tonio Salvatore.”

I couldn’t look at them while explaining about my past. Dropping my eyes to the floor, I stared at the tiles as the life I had built for myself imploded.

“My name isn’t Joanna August, it’s Guiliana Salvatore. My father is Antonio Salvatore Snr, an Italian crime boss in Johannesburg. I ran away from home just before my seventeenth birthday.”

Dom put a finger under my chin, lifting my face and I looked into his eyes. They were no longer cold but filled with something I couldn’t read.

“Why did you run? Usually Italian families are protective of their daughters. Why run from them?”

He was wrong, not all of them protected their daughters.

I didn’t want to tell them, didn’t want to see their opinion of me change. I loved Pixie, my job, my colleagues, I loved Cape Town, and didn’t want to lose them.

But there was nothing else to do.

I had to tell.

Breathing shallowly I wrung my hands together steeling myself before exposing the filth and dirt clinging to me.

“I ran because…because my brother was abusing me.”

Telling them somehow made talking about that time in my life easier.

“I was ten when he raped me the first time. I told my mother and she tried to make him stop. My father beat her to death because she dared to go against the men in the house. The rapes continued, with my father’s blessing, and with my mother dead I was alone and living in hell.”

I breathed deep, all I wanted was to get through the next part of my fucked up history. Once it was done I knew they would turn their backs on me. I knew it would happen. I was dirty, and everyone turns their backs on those who were as filthy from the inside out as I was.

“I overheard him, my father, talking about selling me to a man with a monstrous reputation. A reputation worse than that of my brother. I knew if I stayed I was going to die, I didn’t want to die. I took my school backpack, shoved clothes, my identity documents and some keepsakes from my mother in it. I was never given any money but I had a small hoard because I had been taking money from their wallets for a few years. As I was packing our housekeeper, Mrs Vestucci, walked into my room catching me in the act. I thought she was going to tell my father. She didn’t. Instead she hid me in the boot of her car and sneaked me out of the compound. She only let me out once she was sure we were safe. I had no idea what to do next. I wasn’t allowed out except to go to school and even there my father had spies who reported back to him. I made no friends and kept to myself, as a result I was clueless about the outside world.” I licked my lips and swallowed. “Mrs Vestucci took me to an organisation who helped abused women to disappear. Because I was so young I was sent to live with a nice couple for two years. During that time I was given a new name and they taught me all the things I needed to know to survive on my own. I finished school online and wrote my matric under my new name. There was a tattoo studio in the town and I started working there part time to earn some money. The owner who was a great guy liked my drawings and I did my apprenticeship with him. When I turned nineteen my host family told me it was time to move on. I was warned to never stay in one place too long. I moved around a lot and finally landed in Cape Town. I applied for a position at Mainline Ink and stayed. I shouldn’t have stayed.”

Rubbing both hands over my wet cheeks I wiped away the tears. I hated crying, hated it with a passion. Taking my courage in both hands I looked up, and steeled my spine for what was to come.

“I should have moved on years ago. I didn’t because I love the studio, Pixie and all the others. They became like my family, a family I didn’t want to leave.” I gestured to the outside. “And now it’s too late because they have found me.”

Pixie’s small body suddenly hit me, hugging me hard.

“You’re one of us, Joney. Don’t care about the bastard out there, he’s not your family, we are. We’ll get you out of here and he’ll never find you, never, ever, ever, ever.” She growled through tight lips.

I shook my head sadly.

“I can’t…” She shoved a hand over my mouth.

“Dom will help us make you disappear.” She snapped while glaring at her brother.

“Actually, I’ll be the one who will help her to disappear.”

The guy who had been silently standing to the side spoke for the first time. He smiled reassuringly at me.

“Hi, my name is Asa Malone, and I’ll be honest, it’s going to be a bit of a mission to get you out of here but we’ll manage. I’m taking you to my compound where you will be safe until we’re able to arrange a safe place for you.” He gave me a shrug as if to say sorry. “Unfortunately I think you might have to leave the country for a while, at least until I’ve sorted out our Salvatore problem. Once they’ve been dealt with you’ll be able to come home again.”

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