Eyes So Blue I Drown

28| Poker Face

ARABELLA

Goosebumps form on my skin as an itch settles in my throat. I need water.

My eyes flickered open just to find myself in a small room. Why I'm here?

I glance down at my wrists and notice a rope circling them along. I'm tied to a chair I'm sitting on.

Those morons. They showed me Luca's picture and made me inhale that damp cloth which was dipped in God knows what shit.

I close my eyes, the darkness feels more welcoming than this creepily lighted basement. My mind seems to have shut down.

I hear a cluster of a laugh from behind.

I see a silhouetted figure looming closer through the darkness. One by one, three men stand against me. My eyes get locked in intense eye contact with the guy who showed the picture and tricked me.

Others two just couldn't be recognized by me. Must be some of Luca's close people that couldn't reach him, so here they are.

"Why I'm here?" I sputtered at the guy in middle, fighting back the temptation to spit in his hideous face.

"Soon, you'll figure out everything. Soon" he remarks.

Fuck it. Let me just have my hands untied. I could free them myself, but that would be a vain attempt under their gazes.

His eyes dart at my fingers twitching slowly and balling into a fist. He frowns, "I know very well how good of a fighter you are. That's why we had to use the chloroform on you matched with other drugs. Those five minutes chloroform alone could have taken to make you knock out wouldn't have been so pleasing for us"

I shake my head, "You think I stand a chance against you three?"

His eyebrows raised in delight, "An outrageous act of unfair play. But, Arabella, your vile temper won't work here"

They smile and I tap my heel on the floor, waiting.

I doubt I know anything about Luca's matters. Such a petty move by them to kidnap me.

"Now, let's come to the main business," he insists and takes small steps just to stand beside me, his eyes traveling all over my body.

How they could think I'd know anything about Luca? But... I'm not even sure if that's what they want from me.

"You live with Luca-" he says and I let out a deep breath, "the owner of very prestigious places in this city, amazing isn't it?"

I'm assuming he's thinking I'm not aware of the real work Luca is included in.

"Besides those squeaky clean works, I shall tell you he's included in some underground affairs too, which isn't a big deal for us," he tells and I bite back a laugh at his knowledge, "This field has been facing many dynamics. By the late 20th century the Mafia's role in Italy's organized crime seemed to be diminishing"

My mind rushes with several thoughts. How am I related to any of this?

"Still, the Italian Mafia has continued to be involved in a broad spectrum of illegal activities. And one of them is, a biometric vault kept hidden in an abandoned island, far from here"