IN LOVE FOR A GANGSTER

CHAPTER 2

ANNE

Inside the unfamiliar car, I kept thinking about how my life would change from now on, and I started praying that nothing bad would happen to me and my father.

He's the only person I have left in the world. I feel my eyes heavy again with new tears, and my fingers touch the necklace around my neck.

Apart from the photo I keep under my pillow, my mother's necklace is the only inheritance I have left from her. I remember well that she always wore this pendant around her neck, and before she died, she gave it to me.

I squeeze the infinity pendant between my fingers and close my eyes. A thin tear escapes, and I dry my eyes quickly. I was strong enough to do all this, and I know I can't be weak right now.

I open my eyes to see one of the men in black next to me in the back seat while the other drives somewhere unknown. Furthermore, I try to remember every street we pass, but it doesn't seem to work for me because I've never been to these places before.

Likewise, I don't know how much time has passed, but I feel my body shiver when the car stops in front of a huge estate, my curious eyes scanning the entire mansion, noticing that there is more security around the house.

One of the men driving the car said something, but I didn't understand. I was enchanted by the beautiful estate around me; in the neighborhood where I lived, there were no buildings of this kind, and I'd never seen one so close.

"Let's go!" I'm pulled out of the car in a sudden gesture and then towards a double door that may be the entrance to the place.

With quick steps, I'm forced into the house. The inside of the property is more luxurious than the outside, but the decor is peculiar; dark colors morbidly surround the walls, but the house is still beautiful.

I've never seen such luxury in person, and it was making me uneasy. The man continued to hold my arm and lead me down a long corridor.

When we arrive in front of a dark door, the man nods to the other man, who quickly releases us.

I'm pushed into a kind of office; I hold on to a wall, trying not to fall with the momentum, and when I raise my head, I find a short man with gray hair.

I sigh when I hear the loud sound of the door closing behind me. Furthermore, I feel my whole body shake with fear. The man is still staring at me, while I continue to stare at him too.

He's different; he wears dress clothes, his once dark hair is now gray, and his dark brown eyes stare at me steadily.

"Sit down!", Still feeling the fear coursing through my veins, I obey and walk over to one of the available chairs in front of the table.

"What's your name?" he says, and I can hear the distinct accent in his voice.

"Anne, my name is Anne Johnson."

"I wasn't expecting you, but I've heard of that surname...", The man looks at me confusedly as if he's trying to remember something.

"I'm Edward Johnson's daughter, sir..."

"Oh yes, I sent for Dad, and they brought me his daughter!" He closes his eyes, trying to contain his irritation.

"They tried to take my father, but I offered to go in his place," I said in a low tone

"Brave but very inconsequential girl, do you know what you've done?" he asks, and I nod quickly.

"You're lucky my son is out of town, girl; Henry would never allow something like that, and I still don't know what to do with you in his absence." He gets up and walks over to a small table where there are several different glasses and drinks.

"Please don't hurt my father; I'm begging you; I swear we'll pay for everything."

"Your father made a mistake by defying our family girl; there's no point in begging me, Anne; it's Henry who takes care of all this. We'll have to wait until you get back to sort out what he's going to do with you."

"What are you going to do with me?" I feel my eyes watering again.

"Nothing. Until Henry comes back, we won't do anything to you, Anne. If it were up to me, you'd come home with a deadline to pay everything you owe us. It may not seem like it, but I'm much kinder than my son," he says, pouring himself a glass of an amber-colored drink.

"But until he gets back, we'll have to keep you here. I admire your courage, Anne; it's not often they find people like that." He drank all the liquid in one go and walked to the door behind me.

"Take her to one of the rooms; we'll keep her here until Henry gets back!" and again I'm pulled out of the room.

They've locked me in a room on the third floor of the mansion; at least they haven't put me in a cell or dungeon. The room is cozy and luxurious, like everything else in the house.

And ever since I was put in that room, I've been crying, clinging to one of the pillows on the big bed. One of the men came into the room and left a tray of food and a jug of water.

Not hungry and feeling dehydrated from crying so much, I allowed myself a few sips of water.

Not knowing what to do, I went to the bathroom inside the room and washed my face, swollen from hours of crying.

I went back into the bedroom and approached the only window here. I don't know how many hours had passed, but it was rapidly getting dark.

Furthermore, I kept thinking about the man's words: according to him, his son Henry is much less merciful than his father.

If his father seemed scary enough, I don't want to imagine what his son would be like. Thinking about what he might do to me makes me want to cry again, but I take a deep breath and control my tears.

I sit in front of the window, watching the night appear. The starry sky is already fully visible. I touch the glass of the window with my hands as if I could touch the sky.

I scream when I hurt my fingers on the window lock, and it makes me look down.

Likewise, I mentally wonder if it could be opened, and with my heartbeat increasing, I try to open the window, but it's too rusty and could make too much noise.

I touch the lock and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that it's not as locked as I had imagined.

It's too high; if I tried to jump, I'd certainly hurt myself badly, and I'd never be able to escape from this place, so I ran to the bathroom and rummaged through the cupboards, finding lots of bath towels.

"This has to work, please," I whisper, grabbing all the towels and heading back to the bedroom.

Wanting to put my escape plan into action, I also removed the sheets and covers from the bed, tying all the ends together to make a kind of cloth rope.

I've never done that; I've only seen it in movies, but I need to think positive thoughts. Henry Vitalle could do anything to me, and I can't be here when he arrives.

I tie one of the ends to a heavy object to use as an anchor and throw the rest out of the window. The clothes don't reach the ground, but maybe I could jump from that height.

I passed the window, and even though I was scared, I climbed down, holding on to the fabrics and wishing it would work.

"I'm close, just a little bit more...", I say, but my eyes widen when I see that the rope of fabrics I've made isn't holding my body.

I look up to see that one of the towels is coming loose, and that means I'm going to fall from this height and die.

I try to stay calm and not make any sudden movements, and at that moment I hear a car approaching the mansion. It's very dark, but when I look down, I see a person getting out of the car

"Please, no!" I shout as the towel comes loose, and I hold on to the edge of the roof underneath, so I don't fall.

I won't be able to hold on for long, and I'll fall. Furthermore, I can feel my heart beating harder inside my chest, and I'm very scared right now.

"Jump!" I look down when a male voice shouts at me

"No, it's too high; I'll fall!"

"Just jump!" he asks again, and I deny it in fright.

"I'll hold you; just jump!"

There's no other course of action for me; I close my eyes and scream as I feel my body falling through the air, and I'm ready to hit the ground when I feel arms holding me down.

I open my eyes to find a pair of green eyes. Even in the dim light, I can see the black hair and beard on the man's face.

Without expressing any movement, the unknown man still holds me in his arms, and at that moment I realize that I'm holding onto his shoulders tightly. I raise my head and see that he's staring at me.

"Where did you think you were going, amore mio?" he says in a low tone while still holding me in his arms.