Deadly Vows - Chapter 37 (Patreon)

Luca

“How could none of you find her? She’s one fucking person!” I shout, throwing the papers across the room. My office is messy. The desk is overturned, computer smashed, papers askew everywhere.

People are standing around me in fear. Fucking good. It’s as if she disappeared off the face of the Earth. We can’t fucking find her! I pull out my gun, walking to the nearest person and pressing it to their temple.

“Know what I think? I think we could use some goddamn motivation!” I shout.

“Luca!” I pause as Matteo steps into the room. He has just saved this man’s life. Matteo holds the phone out to me. “It’s for you,” he says.

I growl out loud in irritation, “Tell them I don’t want to fucking talk!”

Matteo steps farther into the room. “I think you may want to take this one.” I notice the tone of his voice and look up at him. His face looks as if he has seen a ghost.

I yank the phone from his grasp.

“Everyone get out!” I bark at everyone in the room. They immediately take off out of the room. Even Matteo tries to leave, but I grab him by the collar, forcing him to stay.

“What?” I say into the phone.

“Uh, Luca …?” There is a woman’s timid voice on the other end. I swear, if Matteo interrupted me for a washed-up whore’s attentions, I am going to be very upset.

“Yeah, and who the fuck is this?” I say, irritated.

“This is Lucinda, your father’s last, uh, mistress before his passing,” she says, as if I’m supposed to know her. I don’t know half the whores my father has screwed.

“Okay, what the fuck do you want?”

“It’s about your wife, Elise. I was with her in the auction.”

My irritation evaporates as pure anxiety and fear rush through me. She doesn’t wait for a response before she continues.

“I’m so sorry for waiting this long to contact you, but the last man that had me didn’t allow phone calls, so this is the first time I’ve been able to get one.”

She is whispering, so I am guessing she is doing this against someone’s orders.

“I saw who took Elise. She was sold last in the auction, but I caught a glimpse of the man that bought her before he went to his car.” She is cut off as a man’s voice comes in the background. “Yes, sir, I’ll be just a moment!” she shouts, probably to her new owner.

“I gotta go. It was Alexander Croff who took her. I really hope you find her, Luca. She was really scared before she was bought. And she told me to call you when I got the chance. Good luck! I hope you’re not too late,” she hastily whispers before she hangs up the phone.

I stand in the middle of the room in shock, not knowing how to feel. Alexander has her. He had her this whole time, and he smugly lied to my damn face. He had her, and I was there. She was in the same house as me, and I hadn’t even known it.

I can feel my rage boiling up to the surface. I turn to Matteo.

“Ready my room in the catacombs!” I growl to Matteo.

I hastily step out of the room. Romelo is right on my heels, as well as Nicolai. The catacombs are where I do all my killings. Where I torture and drain the life from my enemies and victims. And Alexander is going to be my next victim. The smug bastard has had my wife the whole time.

There is no telling how much abuse Elise has endured at his hands. A horrible feeling makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. Elise. I hope I’m not too late.

“Luca, what’s going on?” Romelo asks behind me.

I don’t even turn around to respond.

“Alexander has her. He had her the whole time.”

Romelo is silent. He doesn’t have to say anything more. He knows what I am thinking. I have to get to Elise. And I am going to murder that bastard. In the worst way I know how. And I am going to fucking love every single second of it.

*****

Elise

“Rocco, get down!” I look up as Eli shouts at his dog for what seems like the thousandth time now. Rocco is a golden Lab with the most energy I have ever seen in a dog.

The storm has been going on for three days. I met Eli’s dog the next morning of my being here, and he absolutely loves being near me. I think it’s because he can sense the hormone levels in my body and that there’s currently a baby brewing inside of me. He even comes to my room and sleeps on the end of my bed.

“It’s okay, he just wants some love.” I smile at Eli.

Eli has been nothing short of a gentleman since I’ve been here, and I actually believe him when he says he wants nothing but to help me. I sometimes catch him watching me, but not in a lustful way. There is pity in his eyes. He’s the one that tends to my scars and bruises, and each time he does that, I can see the pity lurking beneath his eyes. I don’t want his pity.

I want this storm to stop so I can get off this mountain. I need to see a doctor as soon as possible to check for any problems I may have due to my time with Alexander.

Rocco finally settles comfortably at my feet and lays his head down. Eli sits next to me, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry, he’s never really been a people person until you.”

I smile back at him. “I guess I just have a way with dogs.”

He rolls his eyes as he sits next to me on the couch. The room falls silent as I continue to pet Rocco, but then Eli breaks the silence after a moment.

“You know, how you said you were sold … to the highest bidder …?”

I stop my petting and look at him. “Yes.” “I … I was just wondering, were you being serious?”

I look up at him and see the curiosity lurking within his eyes.

“Yes.”

He sits back on the couch in disbelief. “How did you even get in that situation?” he asks.

I give a bitter laugh.

“My husband is a very powerful man, and many people would love to have even the slightest opportunity to see him fall.”

“Oh. So you’re married?”

I look at Eli, realizing I let something like that slip. He regards me with careful eyes.

“Yes.”

“Then why not just call your husband and tell him you’re okay?” I sit in silence as I try to think of a way to answer his question. I can feel the anger brewing up within me. He’s speaking as if I’m choosing to sit in this cabin and not let anyone know that I am okay.

“You know, my father’s name was Eli.”

Eli looks confused with the sudden change in conversation. “Oh, really? Well, where is he now?”

I let out another bitter laugh. “Dead. My husband killed him.” I look at Eli and see the shock evident on his face. I give him a sarcastic smile.

“That’s why I won’t call him. Because if he came here and saw you, you would be dead before I had the chance to explain your role in my being here.”

The room is silent once again. I then realize what I just said to the man that’s been going above and beyond to help me out these past few days. I look over at him, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh my gosh, Eli, I’m so sorry. That came out so wrong.”

He shakes his head in disbelief.

“No, it’s okay. That’s my fault for prying.”

He gets up, walking toward the door without looking back toward me. Rocco perks his head up and stands to run to his owner. The door slams shut behind them, leaving me alone in the cabin.

I step out of the hot shower, wrapping a towel around me. Eli still isn’t back. Either he got lost in the storm or he left the cabin in fear of his life. Either way, I blame myself for causing him to go. I shouldn’t have said what I said to him. All the bitter anger I have towards Luca and his line of work has boiled to the surface, causing me to lash out at Eli for no good reason. Maybe it’s because he suggested I call my husband and it angered me that he wants me to when my husband is borderline psychotic.

I step into the bedroom I have been staying in, pushing the door to crack open. I put on a pair of shorts, and as I am pulling my top on, I hear a loud gasp in the doorway.

“Oh god.”

I yank my shirt down as fast as I can and look in shock as I see Eli standing in the doorway with his hand around Rocco’s collar. But his eyes are trained on me. They are wide with shock.

“I … I’m so sorry. Rocco saw the cracked door and pushed his way in. I’m so sorry.” He is looking everywhere but at me.

I walk angrily to the door, slamming it shut. Hard.

When I finally decide to emerge from the room, Eli is in the kitchen, making what I assume is dinner. Rocco’s ears perk up as he hears me enter. A whine leaves his lips, and Eli turns around, his gaze falling on me, and he immediately turns away.

“I just made some soup tonight.” His voice has lost all buoyancy that it used to have. I don’t respond as I take a seat in the chair. Minutes later, he sets a bowl in front of me and sits down across from me.

We sit in silence, only the clank of our silverware making noise.

I decide to break my silence.

“What did you see?” I ask.

He looks up from his soup. “Well, let’s just say I know you’re eating for two and someone named Luca decided to use your flesh as a drawing board,” he says.

I give a small laugh at his sarcasm.

“Who could possibly do that to you? I mean, to an innocent woman?”

I poke at the vegetables floating in my soup. “My husband,” I say.

“Your husband did that to you?? Why would he do something so … brutal?” he asks in disbelief.

“My husband is the most powerful man in the United States. Maybe even the world. He’s the capo. The don. He’s the head of the northern half of the Mob in the Unites States.” I keep my eyes trained down, afraid at what I may see when I look at Eli. “That was why I said what I did earlier. That’s why I have to leave as soon as I can.”

I look up at Eli, placing my hand over his.

“You are a breath of fresh air in the world I come from. I would hate to see you snatched from this world because of my husband. He will do it without hesitation.”

Eli watches me with wide eyes.

“In the world we are born in, killing is just as common as walking. They do it every day. They train their sons to be killers so they can gain power and protect the family. My husband just doesn’t understand the borderline of violence. He doesn’t know where it ends.”

“Why would you marry someone like that? You must’ve known what type of person he was.”

I nod in agreement. “You’re right. I did. But I had no choice. Our marriage was arranged. To form a stronger bond between families. He’s grown some kind of unhealthy attachment to me. He loves me in his own sick way.”

“Wait, if you were sold to the highest bidder …” His eyes trail down to my stomach.

“No. This is his child. I was pregnant before that man up the mountain touched me. I’ve been trapped there for so long …” I trail off. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You’ve known me for, what, three days? And here I am, pouring my heart out to you.” I laugh nervously. But when I look at Eli, he isn’t smiling. He looks troubled.

“What are you going to do once you leave here?” I shrug my shoulders. “Find the nearest hospital.” He rolls his eyes.

“This is serious, Elise. I mean, if the man you married did that to your body, what’s stopping him from hurting you and your unborn child? We have to get the police involved at least so you can

have some kind of protection from him.” I shake my head vigorously.

“No. Luca owns half the police force. There’s no way I would put my child’s life in danger as to do something that would make Luca mad.”

Eli opens his mouth to say something more, but I cut him off.

“Look, I appreciate what you’ve done for me, I really do, but Luca is someone you just can’t win against. He has the whole world in the palm of his hands. Including this screwed-up justice system. I mean, how do you think I even got in this situation? There’s no hiding from him. Besides, the whole world is out to get me. They want something that will make him weak. And that something is me. Especially now. So I’ll be safer in his control, able to protect my child more than I would be on my own.”

Eli’s face shows that he clearly disagrees with me, but he says nothing more. And quite honestly, I don’t care if he disagrees with me.

In the past, I may have agreed with him, but I have more than myself to look out for now. I have to think about the safety of my unborn child. If I just go anywhere, someone will recognize my face and try to use me and my child as leverage. The safest place for us is to be with Luca. I have no idea how he will act about me being pregnant, and quite honestly, I haven’t thought about it since I’ve been here. But I know that I am going out on a limb here, and I am hoping he won’t be batshit crazy once he finds out.