Mafia captive

Episode2

Mandy

Six years later.

“Are u nervous Mandy?” Riley asked in a high pitched squeak that made me wince.

I grinned at her. “A little, but it’s more about today going off without a hitch than anything else.”

Mum squeezed my shoulder in support. “Deep breaths baby. Today is going to be perfect. You already look so perfect.”

I did as mum instructed, taking a deep breath and letting it out. When I caught her eyes in the mirror, she was smiling at me, moisture filling her eyes. Athena Wilde and I looked almost nothing alike. I had gotten most of my looks from my father; the brown hair and grey eyes. I had also gotten my level headedness from dad whereas mum was more the emotional type.

“Oh I'm so jealous Mandy . You always have all the luck . And you make such a beautiful bride.” Riley sighed.

I rolled my eyes. Ry was engaged to the love of her life and happily pregnant . The small bump was proudly displayed in the body con bridesmaid dress she had on. I highly doubted that she was jealous. Her and her fiancée were so nauseatingly cute and happy together. She really deserved it after years of dating assholes.

Ry and I had been best friends since we were six and we were as different as night and day. Where I was more the cool ,collected , level headed one, Ry was a force of life, energetic and wild. We often joked that she should have my last name.

“Do you have your something old, new, borrowed and blue?” Ry asked as if we hadn’t been over this like a million times. I appreciated the effort regardless. I wanted nothing more than for today to be perfect.

Mum gestured at her old hair pin, the brand new diamond necklace, Ry’s ribbon and finally the sapphire bracelet. The sapphire reminded me of…

No. I chastised myself. Don’t go there, Mandy.

“Check.” Mum confirmed. “and now we are gonna go, your father will be here soon. He should be here already though. That man can’t be early for the life of him.” Mum huffed. This was one thing my dad and I definitely didn’t share. Mum and I were sticklers for time.

“My darling girl.” Mum sighed wistfully. “I can’t believe you’re about to start a whole new life. You make such a pretty bride.” She pressed a kiss to my temple. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. It had taken days for me to settle on this particular dress. I had nearly driven Ry crazy with my indecision. Which, I had to admit was unusual for me. But my final selection was well worth it.

It was a pearly white dress with sheer long sleeves. The dress was a silk material that tapered to my body and ended in a little trail. I hadn’t wanted to go overboard with the dress because my soon to be husband’s side of the family was well known and connected, a part of the elite of New York, so everything had to be on the right level of classy. Beautiful but tasteful.

“She should have gone for that sparkly ball gown though.” Ry said.

“Right? I thought so too. It’s more of-“

I cleared my throat, cutting mum off. I was tired of hearing them go on and on about how this wasn’t my dream wedding. It was true that maybe this wasn’t what I would have envisioned for myself, but the occasion didn’t matter. What mattered is that I was going to end today married to the love of my life.

Mum and Ry shot me sheepish, apologetic looks.

“It’s time.” Aunt Donna poked her head into the room. “you look amazing, Mandy.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“We’re gonna go get seated and send your father in.” mum said. “I won’t be surprised if he’s just arriving now. That man.”

Ry shot me a thumbs up and then they left. I was alone in the dressing room for barely a full minute when it opened again. I was expecting my father, but what I got instead was the shock of my life.

I studied the man from his expensive, shiny shoes to the tailored pants encasing long legs, the inner jacket, the outer one, the strong neck, the bearded jaw, and finally the piercing eyes.

The man that walked into the room was one I could never forget, not even in another lifetime. I had seen that face countless times in my dreams. I had replayed the single night we had spent together over and over in my head. The man I had lost my virginity to all those years ago.

Dante.

He had aged like fine wine, his jaw harder, the sharp angles of his face more pronounced.

“W-what are you doing here? How are you here?” his presence transported me back to that scene at the club where we had met. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and nope, I was very much awake and this was very much happening.

Had Ry planned this? I hoped not. Adding my past fling to my present, a complete recipe for disaster. He shouldn’t be here. This was the sort of thing that happened in soap operas not in real life. At least, not in my own life.

“I’m here for you, Amanda.” He said ominously.

I was disgusted to feel the familiar stirrings in the pit of my stomach as my name rolled off his tongue. I was supposed to be walking down the aisle towards one man and here I was, drooling over another. What was wrong with me? I steeled my spine, ready to ask him to leave when a sense of wrongness suddenly hit me.

Something was amiss.

“Where’s my dad?” he should have been here by now. Why was this chapter from the past here instead.

The man’s face remained blank, a different kind of shiver worked it’s way down my spine. Terror. It was like the rose glasses had finally fallen from my eyes and I could see Dante for the monster he actually was. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it immediately. It was oozing off him now. Danger, flashing in big, bright neon signs.

“I’m not gonna harm you.” He said slowly, a cruel rendition of the words he had once said to me. Only this time, it didn’t feel much like a jest and neither did I feel much like sassing back at him.

I took a step back, preparing to scream bloody murder, but his hand clamped over my mouth, the other one gripping my shoulder to stay my escape. Too late did I realize that the hand covering my mouth was holding a sort of handkerchief doused in something that made my head swirl.

My last thought was that I hoped Dad was safe, before everything went black.