Ugly Ronney: mafia romance [English]

Chapter 22-2

The guy at the front desk watched me with a sideways glance. He looked like an Australian surfer with his bleached blond hair, tanned skin, and transparent blue eyes. I couldn't stand still and paced around the place, checking my watch every two seconds. Suddenly Peter appeared, a towel wrapped around his waist and flip-flops on his feet.

"Damn it, Ronney, what are you doing at Zeus' gym? You're interrupting me in the middle of a Jack Off Party. I was finally next to Orlando."

"I won't be long. Tell me where Yeraz is."

Shocked, Peter looked around and pulled me into a corner.

"I don't know where he is," Camilia's assistant whispered nervously.

I shook my head, disappointed by his answer.

"Peter, you know everything. No information gets past you. Shit, it's your brand, after all!"

Peter ran a hand over his head before looking into my eyes.

"Are you sure you really want to know, Ronney? Are you finally going to fight for him?"

I raised my hands in the air and shouted, "Do I look like I'm joking, Peter? I just left my entire family for this man."

He grinned in satisfaction.

"What took you so long?" He whispered, "I don't know where he is. Mr. Khan made no mistake about that. But..." Like a secret agent, he glanced around again before adding, "He was careless, just once. I have a phone number. Maybe, with a little luck, it still works."

I closed my eyes, relieved and grateful.

The sound of the rain resonated against the car's body. Parked in the parking lot of the gym, I stared at the number on the piece of paper Peter had given me. I had just hung up with Bergamote and Alistair. I didn't know where this would get me, but I needed to tell them how I felt. As usual, they understood me. I carried them in my heart and would always carry them there. Nothing would ever change that.

I gathered my courage and dialed the number. My pulse immediately began to race. The lump in my throat grew with each passing second. Each ring was more frightening than the last.

The voice on the answering system destroyed all my hopes. I looked at the sky through the windshield and decided to leave a message anyway, my voice filled with emotion.

"It's me. Listen to me until the end. There was no goodbye between us, and I feel very bad about it, every day. I feel terrible about your absence. Everyone tells me that I will heal with time, that I was lucky to have loved someone so much in my life. But I'm just tired of hearing that. I'm unhappy, inconsolable."

The words were coming out of my mouth and I couldn't stop them.

"There is nothing that can make me feel better but you. I hurt so much, Yeraz. Even when I sleep, I hurt. It's deep inside me. I feel this pain in my guts. Don't leave me, I beg you, or I could die. I feel like I have to beg my heart every day to keep beating. If I didn't die that night at the club, it was for you, but I have to confess that I would have preferred it, because no one could handle the pain I'm in right now. I'm at Zeus' gym, in the parking lot. I'm waiting for you. I will wait for you all my life, if I have to."

I hung up and sat there, listening to the dull sound of the rain for hours, until night came, until my eyes, red from crying, closed with fatigue.

The sound of a car engine woke me. Half-asleep, I looked at the time on the dashboard. It was after two in the morning. Outside, it was still raining. I put my hands in front of my eyes, momentarily blinded by the headlights of the car in front of me.

A tiny bit of hope returned to me. I got out of the car, my legs trembling. Water streamed down my face. I approached the black sedan, my breath getting shorter and shorter.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to find Isaac, alone, behind the steering wheel. With a nod, he invited me to sit in the back.

"Where are we going?" I dared to ask as he drove off.

"To Texas, Miss Jimenez. I know someone who has a ranch there and he asked me to pick you up. Is that a problem for you?"

I smiled and leaned back in the seat, throwing my head back.

"No, Isaac. Noproblem at all."