Keeping his bride

People are crying, screaming and trying frantically to escape, and anyone that moves is just being mowed down by the gunmen. I begin to hyperventilate; my senses on overload; my flight or fight kicking into high gear. “We need to get out of here!”

Selina nods in agreement. “Stay low,” she instructs.

We scramble out from under the table, and I barely remember to grab my phone at the last second, holding it in my hand like a lifeline. Perhaps because it is.

My legs threaten to buckle, but Selina drags me alongside her towards what I hope is an exit.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” someone calls out.

Selina suddenly stops dead in her tracks as if the voice has an unforeseen power over her. Her eyes are full of pain and regret as she yells at me, “Go! Get out of here!”

Tears fill my eyes as I realize she’s sacrificing herself for my safety. Frantically, I pull on her arm, hoping that she’ll change her mind. “I’m not leaving you!” I cry, my vision blurring.

“Get out before it’s too late!” she hisses at me, pushing me towards the exit and away from her. I can see the hidden communication in her eyes. She wants me to go get help; because if we’re both taken, there’s no hope for us.

Sobbing, I give her a small nod before I turn and run out the door at the end of the hallway. I shove my phone down the front of my gold, sequin mini dress, hoping that Renato is still on the line and is coming to rescue us. There are several people gathered outside, all of them turning to look at me, fearing that I’m one of the gunmen coming out to finish the job.

I move towards the crowd, hoping to blend in and hide until someone comes for us, but I only get two steps in before I’m suddenly hauled up in the air. I’m crushed in a gripping hold against a big, burly man who smells like sweat and grease. I scream at the top of my lungs, begging for someone to help me, but the people who looked like they were willing to help before are suddenly scattering in the wind, afraid for their own safety and self-preservation.

I fight and kick and scream, but the man manages to get me back inside the club. He forces me to stand beside Selina, who is facing the devil himself – Constantine Carbone. I’ve never seen him in person before, only in pictures, but I would recognize his evil face anywhere. He’s responsible for all of this. But how the hell did he find us?

“I’ll go with you,” Selina pleads with him. “Just let her go.”

I stare at Selina in awe. She’s so damn brave, so tough. And she’s willing to do anything for my safety. If we make it out of this alive, I have no idea how I’ll even repay her for her selflessness.

Constantine lets out a deep, hearty laugh. “Oh, you think you make the rules now, my little pet?”

Selina visibly flinches from the nickname, and I wonder how many times he called her that during their ten years together. I shudder at the thought.

Constantine walks over to us. Up close, he’s handsome with salt and pepper hair and dark eyes. I would never peg him for a monster but looks can clearly be deceiving.

He reaches out to touch Selina’s face, but she grimaces and takes a step back. He tsks at her, and a cruel smirk forms on his lips as he says, “It seems my little pet has lost her manners. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you your manners again. I’ll beat the fucking defiance out of you until you can no longer walk.” And then he draws his hand back and slams his fist into the side of her head.

My first reaction to his brutality is total and utter shock. I’ve never seen a man hit a woman before. And then, all too soon, anger begins to well up and seep through every pore in my body, and I scream at him, “Leave her alone!”

The moment his black eyes rest upon me, I realize my mistake. Constantine slowly walks over to me, like a mountain lion stalking its prey. Gently, so gently, his fingertips graze along my cheek and jaw before he wraps his hand around my neck and forces me to lift my chin. He stares at me, taking in every detail of my face. “And you must be Aria Vitale. My god, you look just like your mother,” he says in awe, and I can practically see the fucked-up thoughts swirling inside of his evil eyes. If eyes are the gateway to the soul, this man has none. They look void of emotion, void of any kind of light, void of everything. Just endless shadowy pits of pure darkness. “Oh, I’m going to have fun with you,” Constantine tells me. “All the fun I was denied with her thanks to your no-good father.”

I open my mouth to tell him off, but suddenly Selina lets out a primal scream beside me. In the blink of an eye, she’s pouncing on Constantine, her nails scoring his cheek before one of his guards suddenly hauls her backwards, away from him.

She fights the man holding her like a wild animal, and I can’t help but silently cheer her on. I step forward to help her, but I’m immediately pulled back. I struggle against my own captor, kicking him in the shin and making him yelp in pain.

We’re both putting up the fight of our lives right now. We’re not backing down. We’re not making it easy on them.

Eventually, Selina goes limp in the man’s arms, having worn herself out. Her breathing is ragged and raw as she stares daggers into Constantine. I’ve never seen this side of her before. But considering what she went through as a teen and into her adulthood, I’m sure she’s had to adapt and become someone else, something fierce and unbreakable.

Constantine casually pulls a white handkerchief out of his suit pocket and wipes at his face, staring down at the blood when he pulls it away. A hearty chuckle escapes his chest before his dark eyes lock onto Selina. “Save your strength, little pet. You’re going to need it for what I have planned for you,” he threatens. Then, he looks to his men. “Hurry up and frisk them, and then let’s get the hell out of here.”

A shiver runs up and down my spine. My cell phone. It’s hidden in the front of my dress. I need Constantine to give us more information, something, and I can only hope and pray that Renato is still on the line and listening to all of this.

“Where are you taking us?” I yell at him to make sure it’s picked up on the microphone.

“We’re going on a little boat ride,” he says cryptically before turning to leave, stepping over the dead bodies as he goes.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Police sirens can be heard in the distance while four men roughly search Selina and me, tearing at our clothes and putting their fingers and hands in places they shouldn’t be. I fight them off as hard as I can. “Don’t you dare touch me!” I screech. “Don’t! Stop!” Despite my best efforts, they manage to manhandle their way inside my dress before pulling out my lifeline to Renato.

“Cell phone,” one of the men calls out before he drops it to the floor and smashes it against the concrete with the heel of his heavy boot.

A sob escapes me then as I look up at Selina. We know exactly what the other is thinking – they’ll never be able to find us now. We’ll be taken, and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do to change that.