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"Who is it?"
The male voice that answered back confused me more. "We're from state social security, ma'am. Here to confirm some details about your workplace."
What has my workplace got to do with social security?
Anyways, since they were government agents AKA people I didn't want to mess with, I walked briskly to the door to not keep them waiting. Swinging open the door, I put in my most diplomatic smile and answered the men I saw at the door.
"Good evening. How may I help you?" I asked as politely as I could.
"We're here like I said, in respect of your new job. We believe it wasn't registered," he stretched out his hand to shake me. They register for a change of jobs?
As I took his hands, I felt a sharp prick that made me withdraw sharply. I looked back at him to see a Cheshire grin plastered on his face. The alarms in my head went off instantly. These weren’t social workers. I didn’t, at this point, know what was scarier. The realization that these guys were potentially dangerous or the fact that I had left Artemis alone back inside. Maybe it was a domino effect where the realization of their façade led to the alarm in my brain, reminding me that my helpless child was in there by herself.
Without further hesitation, I sped into the house to search for my daughter who was perplexed when she saw me hounding her way. The men didn't even bother to follow me with the same speed I ran with. They just slid in casually like they owned the place, and I understood why when I clutched Artemis and held her tight. My grip started to loosen on their own accord within a short time and my vision started blurring out.
It was at this point that I remembered to scream, and I did so...or tried to. I heard the scream, but from the way the men casually huddled around me, it was like it wasn't loud enough...or they didn't care. One of them stopped to get a closer look at me and I could see the outlines of his dark stubble before my vision faded into complete darkness.
I definitely couldn't tell how much time had passed since I had been out cold, but what stirred me awake seemed to be the wails of Artemis.
"Thank goodness! You're awake. Hold your little warrior, would ya? She wouldn't stop screaming." I heard the voice of a man. One I recognized to be the same spokesperson in the house. Speaking of which, we were moving...in a car, most likely. I couldn't tell, because even after opening my eyes, I still couldn't see. At first, I could feel the panic take over, like a horrible wet sting of creeping vines, but once I understood that I was only bagged and my eyes were not affected, that seemed to calm me down a bit.
"Hello?" I called in hopes of reasoning with the men as they dropped a screaming Artemis into my arms. No answer.
"Listen, hey, whatever it is you want, you know you can just state your price. I don't really have anyone you can communicate ransom with." I heard them chuckle concomitantly, but aside from that; they made no effort to establish communications with me. I tried my best to calm Artemis without my sight, but everyone should have known at this point that mothering and petting took more than rocking the baby from side to side. Eye contact was very critical. After minutes of futile attempts, I settled for squeezing her to my chest and rocking her gently, hoping she'd fall asleep soon.
When you're blindfolded, you tend to lose sense of time. That is exactly what happened to me. After what I'd tag an eternity of being on the road, I felt the car ease into a stop. After some thirty seconds or so, the car began to move again, this time, notas quickly as we did for the past century. I guessed we were inside an estate of some sort because even the texture of the road on the tire seemed to change...like it was on a different non-commercially used type of material. We continued for about five minutes before the car came to a complete stop. Just then, I felt Artemis who had miraculously fallen asleep while we were on the road, stir awake. I heard the door open, and the men got out, their feet scratching against the floor, and closed the door behind me.
"Mommy...doh man..." Artemis whined.
"There are a lot of men, Artemis. Mommy will get you out, don't worry." I rocked her with my tied hands. Just then the door opened, and I could feel the honing presence of someone peer into the car.
"Why did you tie her up?"
Wait. That voice.
"Alessandro?" I questioned out loud. The person didn't respond, but when he leaned in to begin undoing the knots on my hands, the familiarity of his cologne that I didn't realize I would recognize till now hit me.
"Alessandro!" I wailed. To be honest, I was quite relieved hearing his voice. I couldn't even begin to fathom a scenario where it would be someone else. Someone I was completely unfamiliar with.
Immediately the bag came off my face. I saw for a brief moment, a face of concern peering into mine, before withdrawing itself. He looked over at Artemis and tried carrying her, but she struggled way too desperately to give him room to lift her up properly, making him abandon the cause. He then stood up straight and out of the car. Without asking for a cue, I clambered out of the car and put Artemis on the ground when I brought her out as well.
Now that I was sure I was safe from unfamiliar harm, the anger began to flow through my veins in waves. Each pulse of blood brought an even fresher wave of fury as I continued to stare at his irritatingly calm face. Before I could think or even stop myself, my hands moved on their own independent accord directed by the unquenching anger in my swelled nerves threatening to pop. My fingers and palm connected with his face in the smoothest, most satisfactory contact I had the pleasure of experiencing despite the sting on my palm. With the immediate turmoil around me, I couldn't miss it if I wanted to. That’s when I saw a man - the main spokesperson involved in my captivity - brandish a handgun, but kept it lowered on Alessandro's signal.
"Put that thing away, Gus. There's a child here," Alessandro commanded the man that was obviously years older than him, and he obeyed promptly.
What's going on?
"What's going on?" My thoughts gave itself a voice. Alessandro took that time to rub on his face. The indentation of my fingers were going to be on his face for the rest of the day...at least. That, I was pleased about. "Do you not hear me?" I screamed at himwhen he seemed to completely ignore my question. "I demand to know what's going..."
He cut me off. Not only verbally...but physically. In what I can only describe as a flash, his hand was wrapped flush around my throat and in almost the same instant, he squeezed...hard. Effectively, he had made me think, for the next few beats of my heart, that my time on earth was done. Just when I was on the brink, he let go, sending me into a coughing fit.
In this, while I was hunched over, raking my lungs out, he bent to bring his face to mine, as though he was calculating whether to attempt murder again.
"You are in my territory now,tigre.From this moment onwards, you will respect me. Not just because I am human and deserve that basic respect, but because I am Alessandro Giuseppe Fernandino Ricci, leader of the Ricci Syndicate, the biggest, most dangerous cartel to control New York and all the east coasts."
In his words, even my coughing ceased. I inclined my head to look up at him and saw a demonic smirk on his face. One of satisfaction. He was completely sure I won't be any trouble now.
"You're what?" I quivered.
