When I wake up, it takes me a moment to realize something is wrong.
My gut is churning by the time I come to, and at first, I think it must be because I heard Polly crying from next door—but when I lift my head and look around, I realize that she’s silent. I reach for the baby monitor, and sure enough, she is out for the count, still fast asleep after the last feed I gave her a couple of hours ago…
The feed that Luca was here for too. I glance to his side of the bed, only to find it empty, and my stomach sinks. Oh, I guess he had to leave early. Work or something? He was kind enough not to wake me, but if I’m being honest, I would have liked to steal a little morning friskiness with him…
But it’s not even that which has woken me. As I slip out of bed, I realize that sounds are coming from the street outside—and I race over to the window to see what it is.
As I pull the curtains open, my hand flies to my mouth. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
Luca is out there, surrounded by men—four, by the looks of it, though he seems to have dispatched a couple others. He’s holding a knife, shining with the remnants of blood…someone else’s, surely? I scan him for injury, but at this distance, it’s impossible to figure it out.
For a moment, I just stand there, unable to wrap my head around what I’m seeing right now. He’s taking on this group as though it’s nothing. There’s another man at his side, who seems to be fighting his corner, but I don’t recognize him. Is this the brother he told me about? It has to be, right?
I think about reaching for my phone to call the cops, but then I remember everything that Luca is caught up in. He likely doesn’t want police snooping around on his business, even if they are meant to be on his side.
And Luca and his brother seem to be dealing with it with some ease, moving with confidence as they take care of their various would-be attackers. Luca’s face is set tight, his mouth in a hard line and his eyes dark as he deals with each of the men, one at a time. I can’t take my eyes off of him. Seeing him like this, it’s as scary as it is exhilarating, and I know I shouldn’t think of it in those terms, but I can’t help it.
But what are they doing here? That’s the part that scares me the most. How did they find out about where he was? Did they follow him? And if they did, does that mean they know where I live…?
I rush out of the bedroom and toward Polly’s room without a second thought, leaning down to scoop her up into my arms and pin her there against my chest. She’s still half-asleep, and she starts wiggling as she begins to wake up, sniffling into my shirt, but I can hardly take it in. All I can think about is whether those men out there might have plans that involve me—or my daughter.
Is the door locked? If he had to leave, he might not have been able to lock it behind him. I hurry out and double-check that it’s sealed shut, and it is—thank God. So none of those men on the street can get up here, at least not without a—
And it’s then that I hear the explosion of breaking glass from my bedroom. I tighten my grip on Polly, who’s crying even harder now, and my heart pounds against my chest. Please, please, let that be Luca, coming here to get me out of this mess—
But before I can so much as call out his name, a man appears in the living room before me. I freeze, my feet rooted to the spot, as the two of us just stare at each other for a long moment. I don’t know what to say, what to do—I don’t know if I should scream or keep my mouth shut, if I should call for Luca or try to protect myself on my own terms…
I glance to the kitchen, where a knife is sitting out on the counter from the evening before. It might be the best chance I have to protect myself right now. I make a move to lunge toward it, but before I can, the man strides in front of me, blocking my path before I can get any closer.
“I don’t think so,” he warns me, his voice low. I swallow hard. Now that I’m close to him, I can see how terrifying he really is—his eyes nearly black with a hatred that looks like it comes from some place deep inside of him, his hand resting on a gun strapped to his side. I feel as though I’m going to throw up. I’m distantly aware of the fact that Polly is still crying, but I can barely hear it over the ringing in my ears.
“Please don’t hurt her,” I whisper to the man. I know it’s probably fruitless to beg like this, but I know I won’t be able to forgive myself if something happens to her. His eyes dart to the baby in my arms, and a small smirk shows on his face.
“Luca’s daughter,” he mutters, and he shifts a little closer to us. I draw back into myself on instinct, unable to think of anything other than keeping Polly safe. The thought of something happening to her, the thought of her being harmed in any way…it’s enough to make me feel sick to my stomach, and I know I can’t risk this man getting any nearer to her than he already has.
“I’m begging you,” I plead, my voice cracking. “She’s just a baby. She’s not a part of any of this. Take me if you have to, but—”
His eyes light up as soon as I say that part—and I know it’s precisely what he’s been waiting for.
“Oh, you’ll be coming with me, alright,” he replies, and he reaches out to grab my arm, his fingertips digging roughly into my skin. I can barely feel it, even though I know it must hurt. Every ounce of attention in my body is being poured into my daughter, and what I’m going to have to do in order to keep her safe.
I pull away from him and rush toward her bedroom once more—if I can get her out of my grasp, no matter how painful it might be, then she’s not going to have to come with me into this mess, whatever it turns out to be. I have no idea who these men are, where they might be taking me, what they might be intending to do with me when they get me there, but that’s shit I can handle when I have to. For now, I’m just bargaining to keep my daughter alive.
He follows me into the bedroom and stands in the doorway, watching me with something that looks like amusement. I can’t bring myself to meet his gaze, staring away from him, wishing him gone with every fiber of my being.
I can still hear, just about, the sound of Luca fighting with those guys downstairs. Does he have any idea what they were intending to do? That they planned to get to me? Or is this fight just a distraction so he can’t come to my rescue…?
“Good, leave her here,” the man snarls to me, grabbing my arm again and dragging me out of the room. “I can’t deal with some pathetic crying baby…”
“Hey, don’t talk about her like that!” I protest—but as soon as the words are out of my mouth, he lifts a hand and smacks me in the face. That blow, I can feel, the sharp shock of discomfort coursing through my head as my ears ring. My eyes wide with shock, my mind spins as I try to make sense of it. Nobody has ever laid their hands on me like this before; nobody would ever dare. But the fact that this man has tells me everything I need to know about him.
And none of it is good news.
“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch,” he tells me, his voice low with fury. I can feel the heat from his blow radiating along my body, my voice knocked silent. I know that if I dare to open my mouth again, I’m going to pay for it, and God knows I can’t risk that happening.
He drags me back toward my bedroom window, which has been caved in at the back, and shoves me out onto the fire escape outside. I teeter dangerously on the metal staircase, gripping the railing for dear life as I stare down onto the alleyway that runs along the back of the apartment building below. My stomach churns, and I look back toward the apartment. I can’t leave Polly…
But I can’t take her with me either. And I know I’m being presented with a choice—a choice that leaves just me in trouble, or one that pulls her into it too. And whatever it is that this man has planned for me, I refuse to subject her to it as well.
He glares at me from the window, and nods his head to the stairs.
“Out,” he orders me. “There’s a van waiting on the ground. Get in the back, no noise, no screaming. You try anything, and we come back up here and take the baby, alright?”
I nod unsteadily, my hands gripping the railing so tightly I feel as though my knuckles might bust out from under my skin. I begin to pick my way down slowly, trying to waste as much time as I can without making it obvious—I know that if I look like I’m doing it on purpose, this man will make me pay for it. I need to make it look as natural as possible, or else—
“Move, bitch!” he snaps at me, and I feel his hand between my shoulder blades as he shoves me down one of the flights of stairs. I stumble, crashing into the railing on the far side, just gripping it in time before I go flying over it and onto the ground below. Okay, so I’m not going to get away with trying to go slow…
I reach the bottom of the steps. I can’t hear Luca anymore, but I guess I must be far enough away that even if he yelled, I probably wouldn’t be able to hear it. Shit, that’s what I have to tell myself anyway, because the other option is that something has happened to him, and I can’t stand the thought of that even for a moment…
A van is waiting there for me, a nondescript white vehicle that looks like it could have been parked there all night without attracting any attention. The thought sends a sudden shiver down my spine. Could they have been watching all night? Did they follow Luca here, and then hang outside this place, waiting for the right moment to pounce? While we were in there playing happy family, was someone waiting just outside ready to tear it all apart…?
I’m shoved into the back of the van, and the doors slam shut behind me, casting me into a sudden well of blackness. Panic grips me as it really hits me what is going on here, just how much trouble I’m in. I lift my fists, diving toward the door of the van and groping around in the dark to pound my fists against the door.
“Hey!” I scream. “Hey! Please! Help!”
But I know it’s pointless. The roar of the engine drowns out everything I’m trying to say, and even if someone could hear me, it’s not like they would follow the van and bring these guys down. If they were sensible, they would run for their lives—because if what I have been told about these guys is true, then I am in serious trouble.
It has to be the same men who drove Luca from his home city. It has to be. I can’t figure out exactly what they intend to do with me, but I can’t imagine it’s anything other than a ploy to force Luca’s hand. Into doing what, I’m not sure, but I guess I’ll have to find out…
I sink back into the van and feel the tears finally starting to fall—I’ve been in too much shock to contend with them until now, but as it hits me at last, I can’t hold them back. I put my face in my hands and cry, the terror of what is going on here starting to get the better of me.
What are they going to do with me? Are they going to hold me hostage?
Are they going to…?
I can’t let myself get lost to panic, not yet. I don’t know what’s happening, and until I do, I have to keep my head on straight and do everything in my power not to let my fear get the better of me.
I will get back to my daughter. I will get back to Luca. I will get back to my life, and all of this will just feel like some distant memory, something that must have happened to someone else.
Though, as I feel the pain of that slap radiating across my face, I get the feeling that it’s not going to be that easy.
And that, whatever I’ve been dragged into, it’s only just beginning.
