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“Who this time?”
“Florence. I’ll take it to the meeting room for the guys, they could do with something, they’ve been burning the candle at both ends and there’s only so much they can do before they burn out.” He was right, I’d been hard on them, but it was the way I had to be, especially right this second.
“Thanks, Red.”
Florence appeared behind Red with the exact same smile Ana had and it broke my fucking heart, she must have realised this as it fell as instantly as it appeared. Red left us three alone as he carried the large plate to the guys.
“Any luck?”
I could tell she was on the brink of falling apart, and I knew my answer would push her over the edge and I hated to be the one to do this to her.
“I’m sorry, nothing.” I sighed.
As if in slow motion, she collapsed to the floor as her sobs echoed the kitchen. They were as gut-wrenching as Anastacia’s screams the night of the accident. Victor fell to his knees before his wife and pulled her into his embrace and maybe it was wrong of me, but I was jealous. What I would give to hold Ana now even if it meant her crying in my arms.
“She isn’t coming home, is she?” Florence mumbled into Victor’s jacket.
“We will bring her home; I swear to you!” Victor soothed as he wiped away her tears.
“What are they doing to her? What if they hurt my baby?!” I watched as he rocked her in his arms trying to calm her down and although I was dying inside, I realised nothing must hurt more than parents going through what they were going through right now.
“Please don’t think that way. I’ve never let Ana down since the moment she graced this earth, and I won’t start now. Do you understand me?”
“I understand.” She trembled.
“Lorenzo?” Nicolo appeared at the doorway as Victor helped Florence off the floor. “Shit, sorry.” He held his hand up in apology.
“What’s up?”
“This was dropped off to me for you as I was showing Chad out.” He handed me a small box. “It’s what they found from the crash. Your luggage is in the hall.”
I placed the box on the side and ripped it open and right there on top of Ana’s phone was her necklace, the one I gifted her days before the wedding, the one I gave her on the night we exchanged I love yous. As I held it in my fingers, I noticed how it was splattered with her blood and scratched from the glass. it dawned on me that I didn’t know how injured she was, and I was in no position to check.
“Lorenzo, what is it?” Florence questioned.
“Nothing.” I fisted the metal and shoved it in my pants pocket as I heard a commotion at the front door.
“Papa! Where are you?!” Miles bounded through the kitchen to where we stood, leaving a mass of destruction in his wake.
“Have you found something?!” I interrupted.
“I wish. I’ve been trying to call you, Papa.”
“We’ve been a little preoccupied. What is it?” Victor couldn’t help but snap, but it was needed since we were all beyond breaking point.
“It’s Grandma!”
I awoketo the sound of faint voices from the ones that patrolled the door, not that it needed patrolling since one of my arms was chained to this rickety bed with the flimsiest mattress I’d ever laid my head on. I’d be better off sleeping on the floor than this pile of shit.
I was in fresh clothes, freshly showered, all the remnants of blood gone. That was one thing they allowed as per their boss’s requests. Apparently, me covered in my own blood, glass decorating my skin and greasy hair wasn’t a turn on for him or so I’d heard.
I had lost count of how many days I’d been here. The days rolled into one and the only thought that kept me going was seeing my husband bursting through that door to take me home, but with each passing day, I was losing hope. I didn’t know if I was in the same country anymore, I didn’t know where I was or what my family must be going through, I had to remain strong like my father taught me.
“Wakey, wakey, pretty princess.” The key in the lock turned as brute number one entered, wearing his balaclava which didn’t hide the stench from his breath.
“Go fuck yourself.” I smiled sarcastically as my free hand slapped the bowl of porridge out of his.
“Why can’t you just play nice, you fucking brat?!” he snapped as he gripped my face in his tattooed hands.
