Debt to the Mafia

Chapter 2

I was wedged between Mario and the man in white. Ricco was in the front with another man who was driving the car. I had decided to stay silent so far so that I could gather my thoughts on what was happening. The street lights flashed as we drove under them, I was beginning to lose track of where we were. The driver started to take the country route which all looked the same. I was lost, I was scared and I was furious. After another 10 minutes, I could no longer stay quiet. 

“Where are we going?” I asked. All I got back was silence. 

“Where are you taking me?!” I said raising my tone. The man beside me grunted and gripped my hair. 

“You don’t get to ask me questions, got it?” He snarled, breathing into my ear as he held me close to him. 

I squeezed my eyes shut, scared he was going to hit me from the intimidating tone he used. Instead, he let go and sat back in his chair. I turned to look at him. The tattoo on the side of his neck disappeared into his shirt, it seemed to cover some sort of scar across the side of his neck. His eyes were light brown and his chiselled jaw was lined with his freshly shaped stubble. I could see the outline of his pectoral muscles and even a hint of a six pack was showing. I sighed deeply and rubbed at my scalp. I couldn’t stop the words that came out of my mouth next. 

“I can see your mother never taught you how to treat a woman” I said in a hushed tone.

All of a sudden, a large hand gripped my throat and squeezed tightly. The man snarled at me and stared deeply into my panicked eyes. 

“You f*****g listen to me, you do not speak me to me like that piccola ragazza (little girl). If I were you I would keep your mouth shut before it gets you into a lot of f*****g trouble” he growled. 

My throat was burning from the force of his hand, I couldn’t breathe and I slapped at his arm trying to indicate that he was going to kill me. 

“It would take much for m to shut you up for good” he whispered to me as my face started to turn blue. 

“Mick... Michele!” Ricco shouted from the front seat warning him to let go.

“Micky you’re gonna kill her” he continued. 

Finally, his hand released from my throat and I gasped for air. Michele turned to face the window and clenched his fists. I rubbed my neck and coughed to try and clear the lump I felt in my throat. It was at that point that I realised how much Michele’s anger can get out of control and can be unpredictable. 

Half an hour later, we turned onto a dirt road which soon revealed a runway with a large white jet. It was stationary with its door open. My eyes widened and I began to panic. He’s going to take me to a different country! 

Soon the panic inside of me controlled my actions and I started to tug at Mario’s arm, pleading for him to let me out. It was like tugging at a brick wall because he just sat there and continued facing the front window. The runway got closer and closer and I felt so helpless. Once we stopped beside the jet, Michele and Mario got out the car. I didn’t move a muscle, hoping that I could protest my rights by refusing to get out. Michele bent over and peered into the car. He looked irritated and unimpressed. 

“Get out of the car Amelia!” He demanded. I looked over at him and then folded my arms. 

“If you don’t get out of this car, it won’t be Mario or Ricco asking you nicely, it will be me dragging you out personally!” He warned. 

I narrowed my eyes and then faced the front of the car. I wasn’t going to listen to his threats. I saw the men that could hear what was going on in the corner of my eye starting to tense. You could tell they were all scared of Michele; I was too but I wasn’t going to give in, no matter how ‘important’ he was. I ran my fingers down one side of my scruffy, brown hair and tucked it behind my ear before folding my hand back into my arm. Michele let out a frustrated growl and grabbed my left thigh, pulling it towards him and knocking me down onto my back. I struggled against him and tried to kick free.

“Urgh, get off me!” I yelled but he just pulled harder, forcing me to slide towards him. 

He took hold of my other thigh and tugged me out of the car. I scratched at the cream leather trying to resist against him, but he placed his shoulder onto my waist and lifted me out in a fireman’s carry. 

Clenching my fists and thumping against his back, I screamed for help; there was no point because of how remote this runway was; there was nothing for miles. The men watched in amusement as Michele carried me up the steps to the jet. 

“Put me down you f*****g psycho!” I screamed. 

He threw me to the ground of the isle and walked away without even looking at me. I watched him walk down to the end of the jet and sit down in the cream seat at the back. I tried to dart for the door but there were too many men blocking my way. I was trapped and there was nothing I could do. One man tried to man handle me to sit down in the middle isle seat but I resisted. I clawed at his arms and face to get him off and he was beginning to get angry. 

“That’s enough Jace, let her go” a foreign voice demanded. 

He let go and snarled at me before taking his seat. A man with similar features to Michele walked over to me. He had the same colour eyes, hair and skin; his face was clean of any hair and he had tattoos going down his arms that continued under his black t-shirt. His face was kind and welcoming which calmed me down instantly. 

“Please Miss Johnson, take a seat. We are taking off soon” he said raising his hand to the empty chair I was being forced into prior to his intervention. For some reason, I let my guard down and did as he asked. 

“Please, I want to go home” I begged him as he took a seat opposite me. 

The chairs were in fours, like you would see on a train and faced each other. He lent forward and buckled my belt across my waist. 

“I’m sorry Miss Johnson, I can’t do that” he said softly. He had a matching eagle tattoo on the back of his hand, the same as Michele. I hadn’t noticed it on anyone else and it intrigued me. 

“Who are you?” I asked. I expected him to yell at me like Michele did when I asked a question, but instead he smiled.

“I’m Nico” he replied maintaining his warm smile.

“And you Miss Johnson, seem to be a bit of handful” he sniggered. 

A woman came over with blonde hair which was tied up tightly into a bun. She wore a white tight blouse with a short pencil skirt; her legs went on for days. She flashed Nico a flirty smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

“What can I get for you Mr Rossi?” She grinned. He placed his hand softly on hers and replied “Campari” in his Italian accent. 

“Of course...” she smiled and then turned to me. Her face changed from cheery and inviting to completely professional. 

“... and for you ma’am?”

“Water” I grunted, still angry at the way I had been treated. She didn’t respond, instead she turned back to Nico and bit her lip seductively. 

“Anything else Mr Rossi?” 

“Maybe later” he said waving his hand in dismissal. It was obvious she was implying something other than a beverage. 

She walked back towards the front of the jet and past the matching curtains that separated us from the crew. Facing the back of the jet, I could see Michele clearly talking with a woman wearing identical clothing, even the high heels were the same but she had a long brunette ponytail that she flicked as she spoke to him. She smirked and then headed to the rear of the jet where there was a set of double doors; Michele followed. 

“What’s back there?” I asked Nico, not taking my eyes off of the disappearing couple. Nico turned to see what I was taking about and then rolled his eyes.

“That’s Michele’s private room, he goes there to either sleep or... de-stress” he hesitated. I scrunched my nose up in disgust and turned towards the window. 

“Gross” I muttered. Nico sniggered and then fell silent. I hadn’t realised my messed up hair was pulled to the side, revealing my bare skin. 

“Did he do that?” He asked breaking the silence. 

I turned back to him confused and then touched my neck. I felt a sudden sting and the sensation of a bruise from where he got angry in the car and strangled me. I lowered my gaze to the ground and nodded. Nico sighed and then let out a faint grunt. 

“I’m sorry Amelia, my brother can be very... expressive when he’s not happy”

“Brother?” I snapped in shock and looked back at Nico. At least the similarities made sense now. 

“Yep, he’s my younger brother by 2 years” he confessed. 

“So why aren’t you in charge if your older? You’re a lot nicer than he is” I questioned and Nico smiled.

“Because I didn’t want to be ‘in charge’”

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t, it’s not the type of person I am. You wouldn’t understand ragazza dolce (sweet girl)” he replied. It went quiet for a few minutes before the same woman came back with the drinks. She smiled at Nico and stroked his arm before saying “If you need anything else Mr Rossi, please don’t hesitate to ask”. 

She walked back down the isle and walked through the curtain once again. I shook my head in disapproval of the way these women threw themselves at the men; it was foul. The jets doors closed and the rumble of the engine vibrated the floor. I hated taking off in planes however, I didn’t want anyone to see any fear from me. The last thing I want is them seeing me weak and vulnerable. Once we were in the air I glanced out at the beautiful streetlights turning into tiny dots as we ascended into the air. It was pitch black and the air was clear, exposing the pure beauty of the civilisation down below. My eyes began to get heavy as I realised it was about midnight and I had an exhausting day.

“Get some sleep ragazza dolce, we have a long journey” he stated. 

I didn’t want to sleep in case I woke up to something sinister like being locked in a room or being tested on. I had no idea what Michele’s plans were for me and to be honest I didn’t want to know but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. 

“Sofia!” Nico yelled and the blonde woman came out within seconds and hurried over to him. 

“Yes Mr Rossi?” 

“Get some pillows and a blanket for our guest” he ordered and she rushed off to get what was asked of her. Soon she came back and handed them to him politely before being dismissed once again.

“Here” Nico said standing up and undoing my belt. He placed the pillow down and gently laid the blanket on top of me.

“Get some rest” he said softly and stood up to head towards the men in the next row of seats. Within minutes I had drifted off into a deep sleep.