The devil you begged for

025

ISLA

~•~

“Are you going to hand her over or should I come take her myself?” Lorenzo’s voice slid through the warehouse when no one made a move. He hadn’t yelled but the weight of his voice pressed down on the three men surrounding me.

They froze. For a moment, nobody moved. The only sound was a faint drip of water somewhere around the warehouse. The men exchanged glances. Their eyes darted between each other, then to me, most likely wondering if I was worth the trouble. They looked at Lorenzo again, but he was still standing at the entrance, one hand loose by his side, while the other rested in his pocket as though three guns pointed at him were nothing short of an inconvenience.

He didn’t have a weapon, at least, none that I could see. No reinforcements. He was one person. There were three yet he didn’t feel threatened. Somehow, they were the ones trembling even if they outnumbered him.

I hated his arrogance, but at that moment, it was all I clung to. At least I knew I was leaving here alive without any of these men touching me. I never thought I would find Lorenzo better than other men. At least, no matter how much he threatened and controlled me, he never tried to have s*x with me.

One of them cleared his throat. “If we let the girl go, you let us go. Deal?” The desperation in his voice was obvious but he tried to mask it.

Lorenzo tilted his head slightly, finding those words amusing. “Do you think you’re in a position to negotiate with me?” His tone was calm and that was even scarier. I’d hate to be in the position of the men who kidnapped me. Lorenzo seemed like the kind of man to hold grudges.

The man closest to me flinched at Lorenzo’s words but quickly mustered up a fake bravado. “If we’re going to die today,” he said, walking up to stand behind me. I stiffened instantly. “We might as well take her with us.”

He pressed his gun to my forehead. My breath hitched. I closed my eyes tightly, but it did nothing to erase my reality. My wrists twisted painfully against the ropes, my lungs tight as though the pressure of the barrel alone was enough to suffocate me.

I wanted to believe Lorenzo would negotiate with them. Since he came, surely he wouldn’t want to return with my corpse. But I couldn’t be so sure. He had a talent for gambling with lives. Mine was no exception.

“Three of you have parents and children, don’t you?”

Lorenzo’s simple question was enough to spark fear in them.

“What?” One of them shouted, his voice laced with panic.

“Don’t you dare touch my daughter!” The second yelled, stepping forward.

“I have them in my care. Don’t worry–“ he interjected when one was about to scream again. “I haven’t touched any of them yet. Give my fiancée back to me and I’ll release your families.”

My eyes flew open, darting towards Lorenzo in disbelief. I knew he wasn’t bluffing. I just never thought he’d kidnap their families after he heard of mine. Then again, Lorenzo never reasoned like a regular person. His brain was twisted and his actions, even more so.

“You’re bluffing.” One spat, though his voice cracked. “I saw my daughter this morning.”

Lorenzo wasn’t bothered. “Why don’t you take the risk and find out?”

My eyes widened. The silence that followed was deafening.

He was basically challenging them to shoot me. What a man! He was gambling again. But this time, it wasn’t only with my life. Theirs too as well as their families’ whom they weren’t sure if they were home or not. If I weren’t gagged, I would have cussed at him. However, I couldn’t move. I could only wait as his words dawned on them.

The three men shared another glance, their expression flickering between fear and doubt. As though they unanimously decided that they weren’t willing to find out, the one who had pointed a gun at me lowered it and started untying me.

I blinked, stunned. Just like that?

He reached forward, fumbling at the knots binding my wrists. My skin burned where the ropes had been, and as the last loop fell free, relief surged through, I nearly sobbed.

So threats worked after all. This was why Lorenzo used them all the time.

Without hesitation, I stumbled forward, legs unsteady, and ran toward the only safety I had left. Lorenzo.

The instant I reached him, a deafening crack split the air. Then another. Then another. I froze, only turning around when I heard a loud thud.

I was met with the sight of all three men on the ground, lifeless, blood pooling beneath them. I gasped in shock, unable to take my eyes off the gruesome sight. My knees threatened to give out beneath me. I’d seen death before but never this gruesome. I didn’t even get to fully witness my brother’s death before I ran away that evening.

“Are you coming or not?” Lorenzo’s voice had me facing him. His gun lowered and he stared at me as though he didn’t just kill three men in front of me.

“Why did you do that? They already let me go!”

He didn’t hesitate. His dark eyes locked on mine as he spoke. “I told you, dolcezza. The moment another man lays his hand on you, they’re a dead man walking.”

I should have been relieved. After all, he saved me, but what he just did was a cruel reminder of the man I was going back to. My life had been spared yet three others were snatched immediately.

Born in the mafia, I was supposed to be used to this, but it seemed like my parents had sheltered me too much. Lorenzo hadn’t been bluffing when he said he was exposing me to what was hidden from me.

I didn’t say anything else, knowing there was no point in debating him. I merely followed him as he turned around to leave.