Oscar and Slonne.
My heart burst and all I want to do is hold them.
My babies.
They’re lying next to each other with shut eyes and a blanket supporting their heads.
This man must have given them something.
“Go to them!”
I rush to my twins before the command, only making it in time to witness their rising and falling chests before being slammed against the wall. The duffel is ripped from my grip and a gasp escapes me at my aching back after catching the heavy blow and slamming against the brick wall.
“Bad move,” the man snarls coldly. “Did you really think I would allow that?”
“Who are you? What do you want?” I push away the tears that threaten to fall. I will not cry. Not here. I need to continue being strong. I need to do this for my family. “I have the money, isn’t that what you want? What did my family ever do to you?”
Foreign hands blindly grip my wrists and slam them above my head to urge my stillness. I wish I could see who this repulsive person is as the bridge of his nose brushes my cheekbone.
“Did you come alone?”
This man’s voice is different. It does not belong to the man pressed against me.
Somebody else is in here…
I can’t see him either, yet I recognize his voice as the one from the ransom call. It remains distorted with something most likely covering his vocal cords.
“That’s what the doctor ordered.”
“Now is not the time to act smart,” the guy pressed against me growls.
“I have the money here with me! Please, just give me my children back!”
Footsteps fade away but the man restraining me remains. I can’t tell if anybody else is in the room with us now. Or if a weapon is pointed my way. All I know is that I need to get out of here with Oscar and Slonne as soon as I can before the twenty minutes SPD gave to raid it.
It feels as though years pass being pinned against the wall with this disgrace of a man. He prevents me from moving. During the wait, I hear Oscar’s murmurs before calling out for his Mommy and Daddy and that’s when I break. Tears run down my cheek, accompanied by the acid rising up my throat when the man covers my mouth and slams my head against the wall as I attempt to bite against the leather.
Shifted movements come from behind me and Oscar’s voice fades until complete silence. The fact that they are so close and I am helpless makes this so much worse.
Footsteps return and the distorted man’s voice returns. “We have a problem.”
The man beside me drops his hand from my mouth. “Go on.”
“We’re twenty-thousand short.”
“That is impossible!” I hiss. “We counted it ourselves!”
Silence…
And then… “We?”
Oh. My. Dear. God.
My heart drops to my stomach at my deadly mistake. No. No. No. I did not just say that! I did not just give it away! No!
“So you told somebody? Hmmm?”
“No. No, I—”
“You DEFIED us!” the man who has me pinned yells, forcing my back to him. “We had a fair deal, but you couldn’t keep it. Do you know what happens when people defy us?” He grips my throat and again the gun digs deeply into the nape of my neck. My breath staggers; it becomes hard to breathe against the constant pressure. “ANSWER ME. I SAID DO YOU FUCKING KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE DEFY US?”
He’s going to kill me.
Panicked, I attempt to free myself from his hold but it only tightens. “No. It was only me. I promise. I counted it and it’s the amount you asked for. I didn’t mean—”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I promise. Please! Count it again. I assure you I counted it right!”
The man grips my short hair and turns my head so that my left cheek presses against the wall, scraping it in the process.
“Sorry, beautiful. That’s not how we do business.”
The metallic weapon is replaced with something wet covering my nose and mouth. It’s drenched in a sweet yet toxic odor on some type of cloth. I thrash around. HELP! Another pair of arms restrain me as the man presses the fabric deeper. Powerless, I feel myself slipping and am forced to breathe in the chemical.
My family…
The men force me to the ground as my eyes begin to feel heavy and my body weakens…I’m numb. I’m nearly paralyzed and in my last bid of strength, I reach towards one of the hands that press me down but can’t get them off.
I’ve failed.
My eyes slam shut.
No…
This is no time to die and yet, it’s darkness that greets me on the other side.
Darkness blankets my vision. There’s a coldness running through my entire body prompting sharp chills. What’s happening? All I know is that my body is being moved, lifted. I’m wrapped and bound in something that blocks me from the outside world. I can hear a motor running, roaring in the depths of my soul.
“Quick, we have to do this fast. They’ll catch up.”
“Come on. Let’s move. On the count of three.”
I’m lowered and my head drags along something hard. It aches at the additional pressure. Where am I? I was in the basement. They drugged me. I blacked out. These people, whoever they are, are going to kill me.
Right now.
The pressure subsides as I feel myself being lifted. Trying to thrash doesn’t do anything. I’m flung—I feel momentarily weightless—and I attempt to scream but my mouth is tight. There’s a splash at impact and I’m drifting lower.
A freezing liquid seeps into what is wrapped around me. It overtakes me as I sink. Deeper and deeper.
Water.
I’m in water.
It blankets my body but I’m able to kick away whatever binds me. The twins. Giulio. I’m not
