Untangle Me

Chapter 28

Giada

The next memory interrupts the prior one without any warning, taking me further back in my forgotten timeline.

I'm in a dark alley, the air around me is cool but my body's trembling from more than the cold. No, I'm reacting to the feel pulsing through me.

"Stop crying, bitch," a deep voice snaps from behind me and the man presses his dirty hand harder over my mouth. I try not to breathe in the horrible smell coming off it but bile is already crawling its way up my throat.

"Ugh, just get her into the car so we can get the hell away from here," another man snaps in a lowered voice. I sob harder, unable to keep my panic under control.

"Ew, stop that already! Fuck, if we didn't have a score to level with your father I would've long since let you go. You're definitely not worth the trouble."

"Stop talking, man. I'm getting a weird feeling here, let's just go," the man near the dark van is urging. He's a lanky guy with short-cropped, blonde hair and has a nervous habit of glancing around.

The second man pushes me forwards, his body pressing against mine from behind as he tries to get me to walk but I'm digging my heels in now. I can't let this happen. I've seen movies before, okay? As soon as I get into that vehicle, it's over.

"What are we doing, boys?" a new voice interrupts the scene serenely calm. It comes from someone behind me so I can't see them but whoever it is should not sound so collected. After all, he just walked in on two men trying to kidnap a woman.

"Capo, I- we- what are you doing here?" the man holding me hostage asks shakily. That's when my heart starts racing even more. I mean, when your captors are scared of someone, you definitely should be.

On the other hand, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?

"Well, old friends. I heard your brother got captured. I'm so sorry to hear that," the stranger replies, letting his words sink in before he goes on. "What I'm even more sorry to hear about is the deal he tried to make with the police. Have you heard? Apparently, the drugs he was found with all came from Capo Crimini."

The man hums, the sound slowly coming closer and I can feel the man behind me stiffen. His hand loosens over my mouth and I use that opportunity to finally bite down on it. He yelps in surprise, pushing me away as he shakes out his fingers.

I crash onto the ground but don't stay down. Instead, I get to my feet and back up against a wall so I can get a better overview of the whole scene.

All three men are looking at me. The two that tried to kidnap me both look ragged, their faces pale as they look at the third man in the alley.

When I follow their lead and look at the stranger, I can't help but marvel at the sight. Tall, broad frame clad in a perfectly tailored suit, dark, messy hair falling gracefully on the top of his head, and brown, piercing eyes so intense I can't seem to look away.

"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," the beautiful man speaks softly and while his gaze stays on me, I know his words are meant for the men. "Tonight, I'm letting you go. If I ever see you two or your brother or if you try to kidnap a woman again, you won't be as lucky. Now leave."

I can hear their hurried steps and soon enough, the engine of a car roars to life. Finally, that's the sound that pulls me out of my trance and I turn to look at the dark, disappearing van.

I would've been in there. Oh God, my stomach turns at the idea and a mix of different emotions washes over me.

My knees feel weak, my mind dizzy so I close my eyes and lean heavily against the wall behind me.

"Shh, you're okay," the soothing voice from the third man interrupts my frenzy. My head shoots up only to see him stand right next to me.

I can feel my eyes widen as I take a stumbling step away but I trip, the only thing preventing my collision with the ground being two strong hands on each of my arms.

"I won't hurt you, okay? You're safe," the man tells me. Surprisingly enough, I believe him.

I wake up after that, my heart racing as if I had just run a mile.

That's how we met. Andrea Vincenzo saved me from being kidnapped before he even knew me. That's how this whole mess started?

Oh, the irony.

I don't know what to feel. There's still the lingering panic from the dream humming beneath my skin but more than that, I feel immense gratitude and relief. Towards Enzo- Andrea, ugh, whatever- for something that must've happened about a year ago, judging by the weather in the memory.

My mind races back to the other memories, the second one, most of all. And just like that, another piece of the puzzle klicks together.

Enzo was my first. That's why he was so eager to know whether I'd slept with anyone else since the accident. He wanted to know if he was the only one.

And I fed his ego by telling confirming he was.

Irrational anger boils up within me, the change so sudden it leaves me light-headed. But honestly, all these memories? All this history and look where we ended up.

In a rush, everything that has happened while I was his prisoner crosses my mind and it feels like I'm split in two.

One part of me is so angry, disgusted even, at Vincenzo's behavior. The way he's been treating me is wrong on so many levels I can barely comprehend it. Of course, I let him treat me that way which I understand now, was probably because some part of me remembered him.

Which brings us to the second part of me and my emotions. The one whose heart is slowly being broken. This part feels the loss of Andrea and what we had because I know it'll never be the same. He used to be my happy place, the person I felt safest with, and he betrayed me.

When I needed him most, he wasn't there. Sure, he might not have known I was alive for a while but the way he acted once he'd kidnapped me? Instead of talking to me and explaining things, he came to bizarre conclusions and fucked everything up.

I get to my feet, my whole body aching from the night I spent on the bathroom floor, and head to the faucet. Splashing some water in my face, I take a closer look at my face in the mirror.

I nearly cringe away from the sight.

God, I'm a mess.

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Here u guys go w part 2

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Btw, u ready for Enzo's part next?;)

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