Act like my wife

50: The exchange

Veronica's Point of View

I'd give anything to see my family again...

The pain of not knowing where they are drives me crazy.

Where is Tessy and her kids?

Where are Patrizio and our children...are they dead or alive?

Keeping me locked in here was the worst thing Mira could ever do to me. After giving birth, I was brought back here without seeing my baby again.

For what seemed like an eternity, I sat on this uncomfortable bed, waiting. Waiting for hope, waiting for each new day, waiting to die. The church bells and the angelus were once again my saving grace, reminding me that joy comes in the morning.

Joy must be far away then, cause I don't see her anywhere near.

On this night like any other, I lay on my side, looking through the window, watching the numerous stars in the sky. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the metal door opening.

It was not yet time for food, who could it be at this ungodly hour?

I looked behind me to see who had walked in. It was Mira's most trusted man, Alfredo. He appeared with a torch in hand and on his face was an inescapable cynicism. He was tall and slender with caramel skin and a mustache. Soft-spoken yet heartless.

He came to sit in front of me, but I paid him no mind. This must have aggravated him because he gripped my chin and forced me to look at him.

"My little Orchid" He cooed, but it didn't phase me. It was his nickname for me, which I found uncomfortable, but my comfort was the least of his problems. "Guess what?" He said with excitement. I ignored him, a move I should have known would not pan out well. His grip on my chin tightened, "I said, guess what?"

"What?" I answered begrudgingly.

"You will get to see your beloved again." His words riled up my emotions, there was no way of telling if he was serious, still, an iota of hope was all I needed to keep breathing.

He got up and brought out a rope from his pocket. He pulled me down from the bed, forced my hands to my back, and tied me up. With masking tape, he sealed my lips. When he was done, he made me face him.

Looking into my eyes, he bit his lower lip... "If only you knew how gorgeous you are, you would make better choices in men. I don't get what you see in Patrizio Moretti." Patrizio's name seemed to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

In anger, he dragged me out into the hallway and down the stairs. The ivory moonlight was out in its full glory, shining through the stained glass windows into the hallways. The torch in Alfredo's hand illuminated the steps as we walked down them.

We reached the foot of the stairs where his associates were waiting. Consisting of five men and two chicks all dressed in black, each holding a gun.

They dragged me outside into the cold night. A short-sleeved blouse and a pair of jeans were all I had on—leaving my arms bare for the biting weather to nibble on.

We walked to a black van. Alfredo opened its back doors and pushed me inside to sit at the end. He joined me afterwards and so did the others. Two guys sat at the front, of course, one of them was the driver. There were a total of nine people in the van including me. Without wasting much time, the driver pulled us out of the garage and drove onto the dirt road. The ride was silent until Alfredo said to me in a warning voice. "If you try anything dumb, I won't hesitate to blow your brains out."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and gave him a small nod. He said nothing after that, none of them did.

***

After a long drive, we arrived at a clearing in the middle of a forest. The driver stopped the van but didn't kill the engine, hence, the headlights were on and pointing towards the clearing. Everyone else got down.

Alfredo pulled me out by the arm and we got out. He held a gun to my head as he pushed me further into the clearing. I looked ahead and saw silhouettes of several men under the moonlight—they were about fifty feet away from where I was.

The further Alfredo and I walked, the more visible the men's faces became, the light from the van helped too.

Never in my entire life have I been so happy to see Chris and Leo's faces. I gasped when I saw him... Patrizio? His hands were tied to his back but he wasn't gagged. No words were said but I could feel his gaze on me.

Alfredo gripped my arm tightly from behind, digging his filthy nails into my flesh and forcing a yelp from my throat. He said in a menacing voice: "Make sure you don't try anything stupid, Capo!! Or else-" He brought his gun to my temple. "-She will be killed right before your eyes!!!"

Patrizio replied, "I assure you on my honour, Nothing will go wrong. Begin the exchange!" 

The exchange?

Alfredo whispered in my ear, "One step at a time... if you attempt to run, I'll shoot your beloved." I nodded in comprehension.  "Good girl," He commended. "Now, go"

He pushed me forward...

Patrizio and I took slow strides towards each other. We were heading in opposite directions but I couldn't wait to get a close-up look at him, even if for a second.

As we approached each other, we locked eyes, his gaze softened as he watched me. I could feel his desire to hold me, to kiss me. His stoicism did not hide his longing for me.

When we got close enough, he whispered words that only I could hear...

"I love you."

"I love you more." I hummed in response, no thanks to this fucking tape covering my mouth.

I kept walking toward Chris, Leo, and the other men I didn't recognize. The tension was high. Knowing Chris, he wouldn't be here if things weren't about to get crazy.

I was merely a step away from the men when we heard a gunshot suddenly! Chris grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the ground behind him, shielding me from the chaos around me. Shots were being fired nonstop and I had no choice but to stay on the ground to avoid getting hit. Multiple shots were fired by opponents, killing their targets.

I peeked to get a glimpse of what was going on; There were several dead bodies scattered all over the ground. I saw Patrizio point a gun at Alfredo and blow his brains out, the latter fell to the ground like a sac of nothing.

I had never seen Patrizio like this; bloodthirsty, venomous. In that moment, he was the grim reaper.

While I watched it all unfold, someone hit me on the back of my head and I lost consciousness...