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“Fuck, Carlo,” Alberto yells. “Slow down. You’re driving like a maniac. We want to reach the cabin in one piece.” Their arguing and the jerky motions of the vehicle cause Russo to lean forward.
“Yes, Carlo, slow down,” Jr. demands. “I don’t plan to die in this godforsaken place, nor do I want to walk the half-mile to the cabin.” The vehicle slows.
“Yes, boss,” Carlo complies. “I just wanted us to get there in plenty of time, before your father arrives.”
“We have time,” Jr. says confidently. “Father won’t be here for another couple of hours, which gives us plenty of time to grill Tony for information. I’m sure having his sister present will be plenty of motivation.” Ruby’s eyes widen as she turns to stare at Russo.He has Tony?She wonders. He must notice her turn her head, because he looks over at her and grins a most evil grin. “I just bet your brother will sing like a canary, but if not, dear old dad surely will.” Ruby’s heart is pounding. Russo has her father and her brother, and he’s going to use her to get information out of them. “Your family as proven much more stubborn than I would have imagined. I haven’t been able to get either one of them to turn on the other, but I have a feeling when they see you, that will all change. One of them will give to prevent you from being harmed.” The look in Russo’s eyes lets her know he won’t hesitate to hurt her to get what he wants.Please Tucker, hurry.Ruby pleads in her head.
They make it to the cabin without sliding off the road. Russo exits the vehicle, leaving her in the back seat. Carlo follows his boss inside while Alberto comes to help her from the back seat. He leans in close. “I’ll do my best to keep them from hurting you.” Ruby nods.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “I know you have to maintain cover. I’ll understand if you can’t protect me.”
Ruby holds her head high as she’s led into a large cabin, tucked back in the woods. The air is much colder here, and she’s thankful to be out of the wind. The cabin is warm, and a fire is burning in the fireplace in the living area to the left of the door. A large, overstuffed leather couch sets in front of the fireplace. Carlo has made himself comfortable, but Russo is nowhere to be seen. A kitchen/dining area is near the back of the room. The cabin has an open floor plan, and if she weren’t here under duress, she’d find the place quaint. It’s obviously a hunting cabin meant for men as the color scheme is all browns, and the walls and floors are a rustic, deep walnut color.
A large beam spans the vaulted ceiling. There’s a staircase to the right of the front door, which leads up to a loft. As she’s lead further into the room, she spies a hallway to the right behind the stairs. Alberto leads her to the dining table and pulls out a chair.
“Sit,” he says gruffly. Ruby complies, her head on swivel as she takes in her surroundings. Russo reappears a few minutes later from the hallway. A malicious grin on his face. He strides toward her. It takes all her willpower not to cower as he approaches. She can see his malevolent thoughts swirling in his mind.
“Come, Mary Catherine,” Russo says. “It’s time for a family reunion.” He grips her right upper arm tightly enough she’s sure to be bruised later, pulling her to her feet. He drags her down the hallway to a closed door. He swings the door open before shoving her inside. She stumbles from the rough treatment but manages to catch herself before face planting into the floor. There’s a sickening metallic scent in the room, which is shrouded in darkness. Russo walks to the center of the room. She hears a click, and a bare light bulb floods the room with light. A gasp escapes her as she sees her father and her brother tied to chairs, both of them bloodied, bruised, and swollen.
“My God!” Ruby exclaims. Her father raises his head. His left eye is completely swollen shut. His lips are busted. He attempts to say something, but no sound comes out. He only manages to cause his lower lip to bleed. “Dad!” Ruby starts toward him, but Russo holds her firmly in his grasp. Tony’s head is drooped, and he makes no effort to move.Is he already dead?She wonders as she looks for signs he’s breathing.
“No, Mary Catherine,” Russo says. “No touching the prisoners. I don’t want you getting all bloody…at least not yet. If your father and brother cooperate, you won’t be bloody at all, but if they choose to remain stubbornly silent, I can’t be held responsible for what happens.” Ruby glares at the man who is acting like him beating her to a bloody pulp would be her father and brother’s faults. Her distain for the man is rapidly growing to hatred. She’d been taught in school and by her mother to never hate anyone, but to love all souls, only hating evil deeds. However, she’s finding it harder and harder to find any love in her heart for Russo’s ugly soul.
Russo walks over to kick her brother’s chair, nearly knocking him over. She winces as he stirs. A noise behind her causes her to look over her shoulder. Alberto and Carlo have entered the room. Alberto hangs near the door, but Carlo heads over to help his boss out. Ruby will come to learn Carlo loves his job and is eager to please his boss.
“Antonio,” Russo leans down in front of her father’s face. “Tell me what I want to know, or I’ll let Carlo have another go at you.” Her father licks his lips, but even from her position across the room, Ruby can see his mouth is dry. She wonders how long he and Tony have been kept here. How long they’ve been alone as she hasn’t seen anyone else around since they arrived. Her father says something, but it’s only a whisper, and Ruby can’t hear him. “Speak up,” Russo demands. “I can’t hear you.”
“Fuck you,” Antonio manages to say before spitting blood at Russo and Carlo. Russo jumps back with a curse. Carlo punches her father so hard, his chair falls backward and lands with a thud. Ruby takes a step toward the gruesome scene, but a hand stops her. She looks to see Alberto holding her back. He glances at the other two men. When he sees they’re occupied with picking up Antonio, he shakes his head, telling her to remain still. She bites her lip as tears fill her eyes. For so long, she’s been angry with her father for even considering marrying her off to Russo, for being involved in mob activity to begin with, and for not protecting her mother when things began to go badly. Even after all that, she doesn’t want to see him hurt.
“Beating his ass isn’t working,” Carlo says to his boss. He glances at Ruby. “Neither was beating his son within an inch of his life. I think he needs better motivation.” Carlo strolls toward her. Alberto takes a step toward her. Carlo raises an eyebrow at Alberto as if to question his move. Ruby’s heart is pounding in her chest. She can see the evil working in Carlo’s mind. She glances at Russo to see his reaction, but he’s too busy checking his clothes and shoes for blood to notice Carlo’s actions.
Carlo grabs her upper arm, dragging her forward. A gasp escapes her, and Russo looks up to frown. Carlo shoves her in front of her father. “Look old man,” Carlo sneers. “You tell us what we want to know, and I won’t give your daughter the beat down, you’ve gotten, but if you don’t start cooperating, I’m going to beat the hell out of her.” Ruby swallows hard, trying to keep the whimper that’s crawling up her throat from escaping.
“Carlo,” Alberto steps forward. He glances at Russo. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” Carlo turns to glare at him.
“You’re a fucking pussy,” Carlo spits out. “Get out if you can’t handle the dirty work. I’m beginning to think you aren’t cut out for this job. You’re too damn soft.” Alberto clenches his jaw. Ruby can see a muscle working in it. He’s warring with his need to maintain cover and to keep an innocent woman from being beaten. Ruby makes eye contact with him and hopes she conveys to him she understands his position. He can’t protect her and not reveal who he is, and she wants him to know she understands.
Carlo turns back to her father. “Tell us who you’ve been giving information to and what you’ve told him!” Carlo yells, causing Ruby to jump at his sharp demands. Her father lifts his head. He meets her gaze with the one eye that isn’t swollen shut.
“I…I call a number I was given years ago,” her father’s voice sounds weak, defeated. “I leave voice mails. I rarely speak to anyone in person.” Carlo punches her father in the stomach, apparently not getting the answer he wanted.
“What information have you left on these voice mails?” Carlo asks. Antonio’s doubled over as much as he can be with the way he’s tied to the chair. He groans in pain. The sound breaking Ruby’s heart. For once, she’s glad her mother isn’t here to witness what’s happening. Her mother’d loved her father dearly. She would be devastated to have to witness this.
“Names of associates,” her father answers. He tries to swallow, but his mouth is so dry the action seems painful. “Locations of deals going down, weapons storages, the inner workings of the family business.” Carlo lands another hard blow to her father’s abdomen. Ruby can’t take anymore. She rushes forward to stop the next blow from landing on her father. She grabs Carlo’s right arm that he has drawn back to hit her father again. She hasn’t thought about where her actions will lead. She just wants to protect her father. Carlo back hands her, knocking her to the floor. Pain flares through her face. A grunt escapes her as she’s hit and another as she hits the floor, hard. She blinks, trying to clear the dizziness from her head from the blow.
Alberto is at her side immediately. A curse falling from his lips before he pinches his mouth into a tight line. Ruby knows he’s walking a tight rope. She doesn’t want to make his walk any more difficult. He pulls her to her feet, keeping a hold on her when she sways from the dizziness the blow has caused.
“Enough!” Russo yells. “Carlo refrain from hitting my fiancée.” Russo practically spits the word out. He comes over to Ruby, grabbing her upper arm and jerking her from Alberto’s grasp. “If anyone is going to dole out punishment to her, it’ll be me.” Ruby’s eyes widen at the look on his face. Pure evil.
57
TANK
Touching down in a clearing not too far from the cabin where Russo has taken Ruby, Tank is anxious to disembark from the futuristic aircraft they’ve been blessed to have transport them. Tank checks his gear one more time. His rifle is secure in its sling. His knives, grenades, and pistols are in place with guns locked and loaded. He stands and glances over at his teammates. They’ve shared many missions together, but for Tank, this is the most crucial one he has ever been on.
“Straw? Wallace?” Both men meet his gaze. “You have all the med shit you need?” Tank swallows, wishing he did not have to voice his next words. “You’re prepared for whatever we find?” Tank feels the sting in his eyes at the thought of losing his beautiful woman, but he pushes them back. He’ll save them for later if his worst nightmare becomes his reality. For now, he’s determined to remain focused until he knows for certain. He’s holding on to hope she’s alive. That’s all that matters. They can sort through and overcome anything else no matter how long it takes. She just has to be alive when they get there.
“We’re ready, Tank,” Wallace replies gripping Tank’s right shoulder. “Wewillfind your woman and bring her home. I believe it, and you have to believe it, too.” Tank nods, unable to speak around the growing knot in his throat. Once they’ve exited the craft, he takes another survey of his brothers, his family. Even Hawk, who no longer goes into the field with them is loaded up with gear and weapons.
