Two Kings

Chapter 13

I break the water's surface feet first, startled by the freezing temperature as my body falls deeper and deeper into the murky darkness. My arms and legs move frantically, trying to stop my downward descent. After a few seconds, momentum builds and I glide through the water in an upward motion, my lungs desperate for a breath as I chase the light to the surface.

The moment I emerge from the water, I gasp, hard and loud, sucking oxygen deep into my lungs. I cough and tread water, trying to catch my breath as lift my head and see the three men standing at the cliff edge watching me. I can't make out their actual facial features from this distance, but no doubt they are as bewildered by my jump. Even I'm shocked I followed through. It's only now I realize how dangerous that jump was without knowing the water depth. And yet, as dangerous as it was, I'm alive and free of them.

As my body shakes in the freezing water, I lift my arm high above my head and give them the middle finger. "KISS THAT YOU KIDDNAPPING ARSEWIPES!" I scream.

Dom shakes his bold head and yells, "YOU'RE CRAZY, ALEXIS! FUCKING CRAZY!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"GET OUT OR I'll COME AFTER YOU!"

At the prospect of being captured, I swim for my life. I'm not sure where the energy comes from, other than my will to get away from them. And I'm hoping that if I can get my blood pumping, my body will warm up enough to get me through the freezing swim ahead.

After minutes of swimming, I stop, tired and freezing as I search for another swimmer, but I'm the only one crazy enough to be in the water. My eyes dart along the cliff edge, looking for the three men. They're nowhere in sight. God only knows where they are? What if they have a boat? Oh fuck. I flip on my back and kick, trying to ignore the pain and the hundred horrible thoughts that race around in my head, all ending in me freezing to death.

The sound of a squawking bird flying overhead distracts me from my morbid thoughts, at least enough to contemplate what I'll do when I reach land. I need to call home first. But what do I tell my mother? Maybe I should I call Nonna instead? Or should I call Rico? After all, he is my husband. Either way, I need to find a neighboring house or a passing car? Not that I'll have the energy to walk right away. I'll need to rest. That's if hyperthermia doesn't set in. Dammit! How the fuck do I warm up once I make it to land?

By the time I remember the house, it's no longer in view. But the shoreline is less than twenty meters away. Thank God! The sooner I reach land, the sooner I can go in search of help.

I swim the last few meters. By the time I reach the muddy lake bank, my arms and legs are so tired they are shaking and numb. I try to pull myself up but collapse on the lake bank through exhaustion. While my cheek rests in the smelly mud, my body shivers, frozen to the bone as I slip into a black void of nothing.

When I come around, I'm wrapped in a blanket and in the back of the warm SUV with Dom and the other two men. I don't say a word, scared of their response. Dom cranks his head around the front passenger's seat to stare at me. "You're gonna end up getting us all killed, you know that?"

My gaze shifts to the window and the tall pines as they rush by. "I don't see how."

"Simple. You die. We die. And at this very point,  you're a bigger danger to yourself than anyone else."

And like that, I am back where I started.

A few minutes later and I'm exiting the car and being escorted inside the house. Dom bypasses the kitchen and heads along the hall toward a flight of stairs. "Follow me, Alexis."

I do as Dom tells me and follow him. With a nervous step, I grab the metal banister and climb the bare timber steps. My legs shake and I can barely put one foot in front of the other. But I climb the stairs, listening to the creaking floorboards beneath me as I approach the top.

Dom opens a door, and a single bed and bedside table appear. The room is large but has minimal furnishings, no ornaments, no window coverings; it reminds me of a holiday home. He walks to another door inside the room and opens it. "Bathroom, as you can see. You have a change of clothes sitting on the sink. I suggest you take a long shower and warm yourself up asap."

Even though Dom's tone is curt and he's annoyed by my antics, I clear my throat and dare to ask, "How long will I be here?"

He scratches his head, shrugs and pulls a face. "No idea. Could be gone within the hour or by morning. Just waiting for the call." He leaves the room, pulling the door shut behind him. When I hear a click, I rush to the door and try the handle—it's locked. So, I slap my open palm against the door. "WHAT THE HELL, DOM!"

"The door stays locked, Alexis. You're a danger to yourself. God knows what you're liable to do."

What the fuck! ARGHH!

I kick the door and instantly regret it. My toe throbs and I hope around on one foot until the pain subsides. Regardless of my toe or the locked door, I'm frozen through and need a hot shower. As I unwrap the blanket from my body, it sticks to the weeping cut on my upper arm, but I drop it on the ground and head for the ensuite. First thing I see as I enter the tiny white space is a grey towel sitting on the vanity with a cake of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste. Hanging from a wire hanger is my black puffer jacket and faded blue jeans, which I last saw when I hung them in my wardrobe back at the Mancini estates?

Fucking Dom! So while I was adjusting to my new life there, Dom was going through my personal items and gathering things up for this moment. How long have they been organizing this? With a furious groan, I slam the bathroom door and lock it, ready to warm myself up in the shower.

Sometime later, I'm showered, dressed and laying under the blankets in the bed, when I hear heavy steps coming along the hall. The lock clicks and it's followed by a gentle tap on the door. "Alexis, may I come in and clean your cuts?"

I pull myself up in bed. "Sure."

The door opens and the older man enters holding a white box, a roll of toilet paper, and a bottle of cleaner tucked under his arm. He walks to the dresser, sets them on top and then unravels a bundle of toilet paper from the roll. "What's with the toilet paper and disinfectant?" I ask. "You plan on cleaning the toilet."

He chuckles. "No, no. The disinfectant is for your cut. Gotta improvise. The first aid kit has a few things missing. May I—clean your cuts, I mean?"

"I guess." I pull my arm from my jacket and then from the sleeve of my jumper, showing off my basic handy work after wrapping my clean tee-shirt around my cut. It's bloody but not soaked. "It's the best I could I do. Besides, it was only to stop the blood from getting on my clothes."

"It's fine." The older man smiles and nods as he unwraps the tee shirt and stares at it a moment. "That looks nasty and deeper than I thought."

I shrug. "Right now, I don't care."

His brown eyes meet mine. "Still, you don't want that getting infected."

I watch him as he wipes the disinfectant across my cut with soggy toilet paper. The muscles in my face twitch, causing my nose to wrinkle and a tear to form as it stings its way through the cut. But he's gentle; no doubt he's done this many times.

He informs me the cut needs stitches; but he doesn't have a needle or cotton. Not that I would let him stitch my cut. He gently spreads butterfly stitches across the cut instead. Once he's done, he dabs around the cut with more disinfectant and then covers it with a large band aid.

"That'll keep it clean until tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll be with our boss by then and he'll have a doctor look at it. Make sure you ask for a script for antibiotics. God knows what microorganisms are breeding up in that stagnant lake."

"A doctor." It's the only thing I focus on. "But I thought..."

He grins as he packs things back into the first aid kit. "I know what you thought. But as we've been telling you, we're not here to hurt you. And things would run smoother if you'd only believe us."

My guard stays up, regardless of what he tells me. "Who put you up to this? What's his name?"

He chuckles. "Nope, not going there, I'm afraid. I value my life. Which means I do as I'm told." He tucks the first aid box under his arm and grabs the other items. "You want breakfast now?"

Food. Suddenly, I'm ravenous. I nod. "Yes please. I'm starving."