POV: KATHERINA
Luca kept me caged in his mansion and tightened security after the night of Alberto’s party. He downright refused to even let me wander outside for a long time.
Apparently, whoever ruined the party that night was not associated with Chris, and Luca had yet to find out who was behind all these attacks in the past months.
He was convinced it must be rival gangs, too cowardly to show their faces, but I don’t know for a fact since they don’t talk business in front of me.
With Becky around often, I tried several times to get my hands on her phone to contact Chris, but she wouldn’t take it out of her damn pocket.
Time was running out, and I needed to warn Chris and ask him to just leave before things took an ugly turn.
I didn’t know when what was going to happen, and every second Chris spent in this city put him in danger.
Luca had turned softer on me, and it was getting on my every damn nerve.
I couldn’t find a way to submit myself to him in return for the safety of my family and friends. The words somehow got stuck in my throat every time I was close to telling him.
It was really frustrating and made me feel guilty.
It became routine every day to watch the news, try to analyze how things would turn out. At the end of the day, when Luca came back, I’d try to muster up my courage but ended up choking on my words.
I’d go to bed with regret, hoping to do it the next day, but the cycle didn’t change.
I kept looking at the number Chris gave me to the point that I had it memorized, but I didn’t put the tissue in the trash, fearing I might forget the number later.
It was midnight when Luca arrived, and I was reading a book on the balcony of the bedroom.
“You haven’t gone to bed yet?” he asked, removing his black shirt and coming toward me.
“I wanted to talk to you.” The words slipped out of my lips easily, and I put the book down on the table and looked at him.
His eyebrows scrunched together as he sat down facing me and waited for me to go on.
Even though things have been better between us and Luca doesn’t get angry or hurt me like before, I couldn’t help but be petrified of him.
His switch could flip anytime, and his hand would be gripping my throat, cutting off my oxygen supply.
I gulped and took a deep breath while Luca waited anxiously for me to speak.
“Luca…what happened at the night of Alberto’s party?” I asked softly and bit my bottom lip, which Luca noticed right away.
He stared at me blankly, and I thought he was going to snap.
“Nothing so important as to keep you awake. Come on, go to bed.”
“Luca, I don’t want to interfere in your business, but that night, the look on your face told me it wasn’t just about you and your work,” I said. “And you mentioned no one can take your—”
“Queen away from me,” he finished for me and sighed deeply. “That night, my shipment was leaving the states, but it was all captured, and my men were killed.
“The bastards then interrupted the party, and one of them stayed behind to deliver a message to me. Do you want to know what that message was, Katherina? Will you be able to take it?”
I nodded quietly.
“He told me your name and threatened to take you away from me if I didn’t give them the file that holds all the details about my diamond smuggling.”
I should have been scared then, I should have been worried at least, but I felt nothing and just blinked my eyes at him.
Luca had given me hell, and I was sure nothing could be worse than this devil who sat in front of me, expecting me to burst out in tears and hug him for comfort.
“Who are they?” I asked instead. “Who are they all? First your hotel, then your home and now Alberto’s party. It’s like they’re following you and know where you’ll be.”
Luca narrowed his eyes at me, not happy with my reaction, and stood up.
“I have a lot of enemies, Katherina. I can’t tell whether they were all from the same group or not, and even if they were, what made you think I would tell you?”
“It’s not just about you anymore,” I rose to my full height and stepped closer to him, folding my arms.
“It’s about me too… and my family. I’m sure they are still breathing, knowing that their daughter is alive. Even if my life is unimportant to me, it’s important to them.
“Broken, hurt, or even in pieces, my parents would gladly wait their entire lives just to get their daughter back, but if I died, they would not be able to take that.”
“I don’t fucking care about your family, and there is no way I am letting you slip out of my hands. I will bring down the entire world into the dust if anyone manages to even come close to you.”
It was rare times like these that my heart skipped a beat and left my mind conflicted, though what he said was purely out of his sick obsession for me.
“I care, Luca. You know it’s because of them I am still alive and adjusting to being with you.”
“Adjusting,” he hummed in satisfaction and gripped my chin.
“I like that. Finally, no escape plans in that pretty head of yours. I like that very much. Does that mean you’re finally submitting yourself to me, Katherina?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” I regretted even before saying it. It would’ve been much easier to nod and agree than to confess it like I mean it.
“That’ll change soon, I’m sure. Come with me,” he said and pulled me inside.
He wore back his shirt and took his car keys and a jacket before taking me out of the mansion.
“Where are you taking me at this hour?” I asked when we stepped out into the chilly night.
“It’s been days since I gave you a taste of freedom, and I’ve turned you down all the times you wanted to go out,” he said. “Hop in.”
I got into the passenger seat and buckled up as he turned on the engine.
“I’m pretty sure there won’t be anything for me to explore at this hour.” I frowned. It was true that he never let me out after the dreadful scene at the party, and he turned me down every time I asked.
“Something is better than nothing” Was all Luca said before leaving his estate.
He drove at a decent speed, and I rolled down the window feeling the cool breeze on my skin as I breathed into it.
I already knew it was going to be a long ride, and I pushed aside the stressful thoughts and enjoyed the moment before it could end. I was glad Luca made no conversation and just drove his car.
He drove through the lonely streets of the city, passing shopping complexes, monuments, and residences before turning onto a road leading into the woods.
I thought we were going back, but then the road widened, and we reached an intersection. I saw an abandoned gas station and a mechanic shop with its metal sign rusted and tilted down.
Luca turned right before I could look around. The streetlights turned dim, and all the houses were burnt.
Luca drove deeper into the streets as they became emptier and barren, like no one had come across this place for years.
The grass at every house was overgrown with weeds, and even the vehicles were burnt. It looked like a town destroyed by fire, and it was creeping me out as Luca drove deeper.
The trees were huge and scary under the night sky, and the rustling of leaves sounded like whispers to my ears.
I realized that Luca had slowed down, and I quickly rolled up the window as the car came to a stop near a wrecked house with an old rusted truck on the lawn.
The house looked cozy with a chimney at the back, though the windows were shattered, and dry leaves covered the roof and lawn.
The main door was closed and intact, and the house looked strong enough, even though it was old. It was the only house that wasn’t burnt.
Luca killed the engine, and the eerie silence made the hair on my arms stand up. He got out, and so did I.
The house was the last one on the street at the edge of the dark woods. There was no sign of human presence except us, and every horror and serial killer movie I’d ever watched came to mind.
Luca removed his jacket and told me to put it on. Once I zipped it up, he took my hand and started walking toward the forest.
My grip tightened on his hand as I stared at his back, aware of the danger I might be in.
If not for the moonlight, the entire place would have been dark. Luca didn’t even switch on the flashlight on his phone.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” came his curt reply.
“I think…I think we better leave now,” I said, and the fear in my voice didn’t go unnoticed by him.
He stopped walking and turned to me. I couldn’t see him clearly other than a shadowy form and his eyes staring down at me, his lips in a thin line.
I quickly jerked my hand from his and took several steps back. He stood there just staring at me before giving me a sadistic smile that sent shivers down my spine.
When I said death would be better than living with this man, I wasn’t thinking about being dragged into a forest, scared to death, to be hunted down and killed.
The way Luca was looking at me, it was easy to imagine just that.
“Are you scared, Katherina?” He asked, amused.
“No…,” I said, and he chuckled.
“So, if I take one step forward, you won’t turn around and run for your life?” he asked in a low voice, and I shook my head in the dark.
“I’m not a psycho and definitely not a fucking sadist.”
He then turned around and resumed walking. With no other choice, I followed him.
“My woman’s a scared lioness. How does that sound to you?” he asked, amusement in his tone.
“Shut up,” I blurted out before I could think, and I stared at him, horrified.
He didn’t look at me but chuckled, making me release a sigh.
The trees cleared, letting the moonlight shine straight down to the ground. I held his arm when I looked back at how far we’d come and how frightening it looked.
“Are we there yet?”
“A little further.”
We walked deeper into the forest, and a large tower, probably forty feet, came into view. It was old and grey, and the top right corner was broken.
“I used to hang out here,” Luca spoke softly, looking up at the tower.
“Quite a nice place to hang out,” I said.
Luca ignored my sarcastic comment and walked toward the broken gate. The inside was dark, and I clearly didn’t want to go in, but Luca switched on the flashlight, clutched my hand, and dragged me in.
I almost fainted when I saw the huge, never-ending spiral stairs leading to the top. We walked in silence, letting our shoes make the noise, and often looked up to see how far we’d come.
The stairs seem to be never-ending. At one point, my energy drained. I flopped down on the stairs panting.
“I can’t.”
“A little farther, baby,” he said.
I looked up to see we were not even halfway there.
“I can’t,” I said again.
He stood tall without an ounce of tiredness on his features.
He then did the unthinkable. He turned around and kneeled down.
“Climb on me.”
I raised my eyebrows, staring at his back before wrapping my arms and legs around him.
He got up swiftly and started walking up the stairs. He neither slowed down nor showed any sign of tiredness, and we reached the top in no time.
I got down from his back and walked right to the edge of the tower, which was enclosed by broken railings that reached to my waist.
The view was amazing. Beyond the trees, the city was crystal clear, bathed in light.
Luca led me a little further beside where the railing was completely gone and sat down, his legs dangling in the air. I held on to his shoulder, scared to look down, knowing how high we were.
I sat too close to him, my side touching his and my hand in his as we looked at the beautiful sight before us.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
He wrapped his hand around mine, filling the gaps between my fingers.
The silence was comforting. The woods didn’t look scary from here, and I didn’t feel the urge to pull my hand from his and push him off the cliff.
I was just glad I got to feel the fresh air on my skin.
“We used to come here when we were little,” Luca spoke softly.
Right. Here comes the sad story.
“We?” I asked softly, not wanting to actually listen to his sob story.
“Rickard, Leonardo, and me,” he said. “The house near where I parked the car was their home.”
That caught my attention, but I remained staring at the city lights and the dark trees that danced to the cold wind.
“My mother and Rickard’s father studied together and fell in love. They wanted to marry and settle down, but my mother’s parents didn’t agree to that since he was an orphan and had no money.
“Mother was adamant, so her father married her off to a rich man. Little did my mother know that she was married to a monster, not a human.”
His voice was soft but audible, and this side of Luca is something I’d never seen before.
“Rickard’s father moved on and married another woman. They had Leonardo after a year. He forgot about my mother because he thought she was happy.
“When he saw her again after a year, she was on the street with a five-month pregnant belly. He took her home.
“His wife welcomed my mother with open arms, even knowing she was her husband’s ex-lover. She was also pregnant again with Rickard at that time.
“Leonardo was three years old when my mother gave birth to me, and three months later, Rickard was born.”
I didn’t want to listen to him any further. Since the home now stood abandoned, old, and shattered, I got the rest of the story.
They died, and those three knuckleheads ended up involved in every illegal activity with their names on the most wanted list.
Did it matter? Would that help me find my family and get my life back? Would it magically make Chris walk again? No, so it was the least of my concerns.
“We three grew up together. Rickard’s dad was a truck driver. He worked day and night transporting goods.
“The street back then wasn’t like this. They were people living in those houses: families with children. This whole area had less vegetation,” he pointed out the vast woods.
“Everything was going well. Rickard’s dad later started his own business and bought several trucks. We three studied in the local school in town and played with the neighborhood kids.
“The forest was off-limits, but we three were always daring and loved challenges.” He smiled, remembering the days of his childhood.
“Leonardo found this tower and brought us here the next day. I don’t remember when it became our favorite spot. We would jump out our window and come here once everyone was asleep.
“We had fun and made a lot of memories in these woods. Rickard’s mother and my mother used to knit sweaters and socks and sell them.
“With the money they earned, they would take us to the city to eat rich food. People around didn’t say shit about my mother staying in her friend’s home for so long.
“Mother didn’t tell them what happened to her until I turned nine. She had escaped her husband because he was going to kill her unborn child.
“My father used to abuse her, rape her, beat her, and even let his men fuck her. Rickard’s parents vowed never to let her go back to that bastard, and they accepted my mother and me as their family.”
“I had a life, Katherina. I had a life before my father shattered it,” he hissed in anger.
I wanted to tell him, scream at him that he’d done the same to me and he was no better than his father was but looking at his state, I couldn’t find the words.
So I pushed the hard thoughts aside and concentrated on him.
“What happened?” I asked.
Before he could answer me, his phone rang, and I quickly pulled my hand from his and looked away from him.
“Sì”
“Che cosa? Sto arrivando,” he said and ended the call.
“We need to leave,” he said, getting up and helping me.
“Why?”
“Something came up,” he replied.
“Okay,” I sighed and followed him down the stairs.
Once we came out of the tower with our feet on the ground, I held onto his arm as we walked through the forest.
Once we were out of the forest, my eyes landed on the old house where Luca lived with Rickard’s family.
I could self imagine three little kids and two women and a man laughing and enjoying themselves on the lawn.
We got into his car and took off. Luca drove at full speed as the roads were totally empty. Luca’s face was stiff as he drove in deep concentration.
I wondered if he was thinking about what he’d told me back there. Did he regret opening up to me?
Did he expect me to comfort him or cry or tell him mama bear was not coming to eat him tonight, so go back to sleep?
I was glad that I knew something about his personality and why he was so fucked in the head.
When the car stopped, we got out and walked into the hotel where I had lunch a few days ago. Since the market was closed at this hour, Luca drove straight in and parked in front of his hotel.
The lights in the kitchen were on, and I remember Victor telling me there was a business behind the hotel. However, there was no one in the huge kitchen.
Luca swiftly walked toward a door that stood at the corner and opened it. We stepped out into the night sky. My hand instantly came up to my nose when a disgusting smell hit my nostrils.
I looked around to see men cutting meat. The noises of chopping and cutting were loud in the silence of the night.
The floor was covered in blood and water, and I had a hard time walking among them, but Luca seemed unaffected as he scanned the area.
“Cruz,” Luca called out. My hand automatically tightened its hold on his arm.
Out of nowhere, I saw Cruz coming toward us. He had a cigarette in his fingers, and a wicked smile came to his lips when he saw me.
“Hello, Katherina.” His greeting was more disgusting than the filth around, and I regretted not breaking his teeth.
“Where are the items?” Luca asked.
Cruz motioned with his head and turned around, walking. Luca followed him.
The stink was too much to handle, and I wanted to throw up. I saw the butchers clearing everything inside the meat with their bare hands and throwing it outside.
The livers, lungs, and intestines of the animals were piled up in several places, and I felt dizzy. Cruz took us aside where a mini truck was parked, and the stink was finally gone.
I sucked in the fresh air.
Two men were seated inside, but they got up when they saw us.
“I told you to unload it!” Cruz snapped at them.
“Edward asked us not to until the boss checks it out,” one of the men answered, motioning toward Luca.
Cruz said nothing but the annoyed expression on his feature didn’t go unnoticed. He walked back toward the bed of the truck and removed the large black sheet in a swift movement.
I peeked inside, one of my hands resting on Luca’s shoulder for support as I stood on my toes.
My eyes widened when I looked at the contents. They were guns—long, dangerous rifles. They were all arranged according to their types, and I knew nothing about them.
Luca glanced at them and nodded his head at Cruz.
“Are you not checking them?” asked Cruz.
“I trust you,” said Luca before turning toward the two men.
“Unload them,” he said.
The men unloaded the rifles into wheelbarrows and moved them to the butchers.
The butchers put the rifles inside the meat, so they fit in perfectly.
The rifles that were in the wheelbarrow came back with a coating around them, and the men loaded them back in the truck.
I saw Edward appear from the kitchen, and he looked at the work going on before heading to us. The bandage on his chest had been removed, and he looked healed.
“Hey, Katherina,” he gave me a warm smile before nodding his head to Luca. “I see you’ve checked them.”
“Yeah, they’re good to go. Did the diamonds reach Benjamin?” Luca asked him.
“Yeah, it did,” he said. “Emm took care of it after Parker came back from Angola, and don’t worry; she’ll leave the UK tomorrow morning.”
He added the last line when Cruz gave a disapproving look and walked back to the butchers while Edward went to check on the truck beds as the men loaded them.
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“We’re smuggling arms,” he said casually.
“Is that an AK-47?” I asked, pointing at a rifle.
“No, that’s a Kalashnikov. You see those,” he pointed toward a wheelbarrow placed beside the last butcher. “They are AK-47s.”
“So, how many types of rifles are here?” I asked.
“Kalashnikov, AK-47, deer, and sniper.”
“And they are being exported to?”
“Pakistan and China,” he said.
“Where do you get these?”
“I think it’s time for us to leave,” he said, ignoring my question.
He bade goodbye to Edward and Cruz before walking back to where we came from. I saw Cruz helping the men load them into the truck before closing the door.
“What time is it?” I asked once we buckled up in the car.
“Half-past four. Sleep. You need it,” he said.
Rolling up my window, I rested my head on the window seal and closed my heavy lids before falling into a deep slumber.