I close my eyes as I try to pull myself together. Damn it. I leave the room and run down the hall and jump in the elevator. I take it to the underground parking lot and calm myself as we get to the bottom. I can’t bring attention to myself.
Where were the fucking cops? They were supposed to have her, the stupid fucks. I am so fucking angry right now.
The doors open and I walk casually out into the parking lot and make a beeline for the back row of cars. I take out my gun and smash the window of a sedan and climb in. I pull the cover off the front dash and hotwire the car. I check the gas, nearly a full tank. That’s going to have to do. I reverse out and then floor it through the parking lot and drive straight through the gate that is down. The car smashes through out into the early morning and I floor it up the highway.
I take out my phone and put on the Find My Phone app and I hold my breath as I wait.
Finally, the little red light flashes.
Got you, baby.
Hold on.
* * *
Rosh
Relief hits me. I did it. I got her out of here. I turn to face my father; my murdering, cold-blooded father.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I want you to marry Antonio.”
My eyes hold his. I need to distract him long enough for her to run. “Why?” I ask.
He starts to pace again as he puts his hand behind his back. “I told you, I’m dying.”
Can’t come soon enough.
My eyes turn to the men around me. Six in total. Four I was in the car with, and then the two guards with guns. His bodyguards.
I start to slowly look around for the exits. “Why do you need me?” I ask.
“I want to hand what I have worked so hard for down to my blood son.”
“He doesn’t want your filthy money.”
His dark eyes hold mine, and he steps forward toward me. The fear rises in my throat. No matter how much training I have done, nothing can cure the fear I have of this monster.
“Your son will take over the family business.”
“I don’t have a son.”
“Yet.” He smiles darkly. “But you will.”
I shake my head. “I would rather die than hand a child to you.”
He smiles. “And you will as soon as I get my child.”
Fear starts to close my throat. “You’re pathetic, can you hear yourself? Can you hear how fucked up you are?” I shake my head. “I don’t know an Antonio and I’m as sure as shit not going to marry one,” I snap.
“Antonio,” he calls.
A man steps back from the shadows and I step back. Tall dark and European, his black eyes scan me up and down.
“Meet your new wife, my son.” My father smiles.
He smiles darkly and walks up to me. I feel his breath on my face. He smells like cigars and whiskey. “Very nice.” His eyes drop to my breasts as if I’m his next piece of meat, and he picks up my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Roshina.”
I frown as the air leaves my lungs.
He bends and kisses the back of my hand and I’m no longer able to hold it as I slap his face hard. The sound echoes through the space and his head turns with the sting of the slap.
He steps forward and puts his hand around my neck in a chokehold. “You will learn your place,” he whispers as his hand squeezes hard.
“The hell I will,” I whisper back.
I snap his hand away and turn to my father. “You are insane. You have killed so many innocent people. You killed your own wife!” I scream. I shake my head as tears threaten to fall. “What kind of fucking animal are you?” I whisper.
My father lifts his head. “One that gets his own way.”
I turn back to Antonio. He’s huge. He doesn’t need a gun and I know he must be pure evil to hold such esteem in my father’s eyes.
“Here is how it’s going to go.” Antonio smiles. “We have a minister that is going to marry us today.”
I frown.
“And I will be taking my marital rights immediately.” He smiles as he licks his bottom lip. “Repeatedly.” His eyes meet my father’s and they exchange some kind of sick smile of acknowledgement.
I shake my head quickly. “No. I won’t.”
He grabs my face and squeezes it hard. “Oh yes…you will.” He smiles. “And you will enjoy it.” He leans forward and licks my face. “I will make sure of it,” he whispers as he nips my cheek hard between his teeth
My heartbeat starts to sound in my ears. I’ve got to get out of here.
I push him away from me. “Go to Hell.”
I turn to the men guarding the door. “Is this the kind of men you want to work for?” I scream.
The men stay silent, I need one of them to cross sides to try and help me.
“A man that arranges the rape of his own daughter?” I cry.
The man closest to the door drops his head slightly, and I know he is my target.
The roof creaks again and our eyes all fly up above. Who is up there?
“Put her in the car,” Antonio demands.
Two of the men step forward and I back away from them. One comes forward and I punch him as hard as I can in the face. He falls back. I turn and round kick the other man, and he staggers back allowing me to try and grab the gun.
“We have your boyfriend,” my father announces.
I stop dead in my tracks.
Dear, God, no.
“No, you don’t. He has been arrested. That’s a blatant lie.” I lie.
Distracted, they grab me and push me into a sitting position on a chair.
My father smiles. “You are a terrible liar, but we already know that, don’t we, Roshina
? Tie her.” he demands.
I struggle and fight as the three men hold me down and tie me to a chair.
“He’s with Stucco right now.” My father smiles.
I shake my head as the perspiration runs down my forehead. “You are so fucking stupid.”
“Quiet!” he yells.
“Do you know you’ve got a traitor in the camp?” I ask.
The two men glare at me.
“I caught Stucco stealing your diamonds. Did you know he helps himself to your cargo?”
For a moment my father’s mask slips and he frowns. “That’s not true.”
I smile broadly. “Oh, but it is. They planned to kill Mac and blame it on him.”
“Liar.” He sneers.
“I heard it with my own ears. How else would I know that diamonds are on the ship?”
Antonio and my father’s eyes meet.
“I heard them talking. The plan was to take the diamonds and kill Mac before you arrived.”
“Nonsense.” He yells.
“You heard about the syringe he got caught with, didn’t you?”
Antonio and my father’s eyes meet and I know that they had.
“Think about it. What possible benefit could they have had at that time to kill Mac if it wasn’t to frame him for a crime they were about to commit?”
My father thinks for a moment.
“I heard him talking to another man,” I continue.
“Who?” Antonio growls.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see him but there were two men talking on the deck one night when they didn’t know I was there. It was about the diamonds they were going to steal in some container or statues or something. I-I don’t even know if it’s real,” I stammer.
Antonio looks out into the darkness of the factory and I can see his evil mind ticking.
They know I’m telling the truth… in a roundabout way.
“That’s why I went crazy on the day you were supposed to arrive. I knew that they were going to blame him for their crime.” I shake my head as I try to talk my way out of this. “I knew he had literally hours to live.”
“He still does.” My father sneers.
“He didn’t do anything wrong. If anything, you owe him. He saved me from your animals. He’s going to jail for a very long time. Leave him out of this,” I plead.
Antonio glares into space. “Bring Stucco to me.” He growls.
“He’s minutes away,” one of the other men replies. “He just texted through.”
Antonio and my father’s eyes meet again. I fiddle with the rope tying my hands behind my back as I try to subtly break free.
“Walk the perimeter.” Antonio growls. Two men immediately walk outside to check our surroundings. He dials a number on his cell phone and he waits for an answer.
“Hello.”
He listens for a moment.
“Check the container.” He growls, then he listens for a moment and his eyes flash to my father. “We have a thief in our camp.”