Choosing Jada [Book 2]

Broken Promises

I sat at the kitchen table, avoiding eye contact with Justin and his two men. I had no idea what they saw of me, and I didn't want to ask. I held Matteo in my hands as he looked around at the new men with a face of suspicion and curiosity. Alessio was in the kitchen cooking for me as the other men ate food bought from McDonald's. Alessio came over with my plate.

"Let me see my boy," he says, placing my plate down. I hand him Matteo, and he beams so brightly, I don't think I could ever forget that face. Matteo giggled and touched his face as if he had known him his whole life, as if he never skipped a beat. I smiled and then started to eat the scrambled eggs with sausage. I watched as he brought him over to the kitchen, and my shoulders relaxed. As he showed Matteo around, there was a knock at the door, and it opened. In walked Ettore, followed by Alessio's mom and dad. They looked tired, and you could feel the tension between them.

"And that's grandma and grandpa," he said through gritted teeth as he swung Matteo around to face them. I stood up and came over to Alessio and Matteo as I watched his mom, Isabella, light up as she saw our son. Alessio pulled Matteo back and handed him off to me. He turned his attention to his parents. I could feel how angry Alessio was, and I placed my hand on his shoulder as Matteo clung to me. It was silent for a few moments before Alessandro, his father, spoke up.

"I've been working with some old friends for some backup," Alessandro said.

"Fine," Alessio says short in this tone.

"Look, none of us expected any of this to happen. We all thought everything was okay. We didn't even know where you were at that point," Isabella said, his voice soft. Alessandro looked at his son with a firm face but nodded.

"Where is he?" Alessio asked.

"Right now, he's been laid at the Gains Frost Cemetery about 8 miles from here," Alessandro

Its silent again, and I hear the other guys get up; their chairs slid against the floor, and it sounds so loud. They walk past, leaving the rest to stew.

"Right now the safety of my grandson is the most important thing, and his mom," Alessandro said, looking to me. I just nod.

"I'll handle that. I can protect my family," Alessio snapped at his dad. Both men looked at each other angrily.

"Alright, alright, let's cool off. This isn't the time for this. We are safe, and he's safe," Isabella said, looking over to Matteo and then to me.

"His name is Matteo," I said. She smiled brightly, mouthing his name; I could see the proud look on her face.

"Can I?" she asks. I looked to Alessio, who didn't say no, so I carefully handed him over. She smiled widely, holding him. Matteo's face stopped smiling, and slowly he started to get fussy before crying. I took him back, and he started to calm down, and I rocked him.

"He doesn't know you yet," I say to her.

It was silent for a while longer before Alessio's mom and dad split off with Ettore, leaving the two of us alone.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Not really; this is just tough, alright. I want you and Matteo to stay safe, to be alright." Alessio sighs.

"We will figure this out," I try to assure him as best as I can. Matteo is content again and babbles. I watch Alessio look at him, and he relaxes as he watches his son. I hand him the boy once more.

"Bathroom break," I say, and Alessio nods silently as he looks at Matteo and smiles widely.

I walk downstairs to the bathroom. It's quiet as I go down. It was not till I headed back up the stairs that I felt someone grab my mouth and press something hard against my back. My heart is beating so hard as I realize something bad is happening.

"You're coming with me," Lorenzo said to be in my ear, his tone harsh. I can't think fast enough about what I could do with what felt like a gun on my lower back. I can't run; I can't fight him like this, and if I yell, he could shoot me. He would have to.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be; I would hate for you, son, to see you shot before his eyes," he says.

I'm pissed he would ever say anything like that, but he moves the gun from my back and pulls me flush against him. I can't escape his grip despite my trying to create space between us. Lorenzo pulled me out of the side door that was still open. I'm shoved into the backseat of an all-black car. Lorenzo gets in the driver's seat and speeds off. The tears roll down my face as I watch the house disappear. I was on my own, for god knows how long, but I doubt Lorenzo would make this easy on me.

"Why Lorenzo, why all this? With Alto. At least let me understand. Why help and then do this?" I ask Lorenzo.

It is quiet; expect the noise of the wheels of the car. He stays looking forward at the road. I doubt he would entertain me. There were so many questions about why this ever had to happen. His actions were so foreign, and I knew I didn't even know him, not even as friends.

"To finally be in control," Lorenzo says in the silence.

"Control? You could have done that in so many other ways. None of this had to happen," I said to him.

"And I could have let you die the first time," Lorenzo snapped.

I go quiet again at his outburst. He was different from when I was pregnant. I look out the window, watching the wealthy countryside pass us by. I just wanted my son back, more than anything else in the world.

"Why pretend.. Pretend to help and be my friend or whatever it was." I say to him softly, remembering how he always called to check on me and made sure I did my physical and occupational therapy. I found myself more frustrated as we drove in the silence as he ignored my question and we drove on.

I sit against a chair tied up as Lorenzo places his camera on a tripod. We had traveled for some time, but not long enough for the sun to see. Less than 10 hours, probably. Alessio had to have noticed maybe 30 minutes later before he started to look for me. Would he be able to find me? Will Matteo be okay without me for this long? What was Lorenzo planning to do with me? I had so many questions, and I wanted to know now if this was going to be my real end.

The camera's red light turned on, indicating it was recording. Lorenzo steps back into the view and looks on with a sickly smile on his face. I can't move, and the zip ties are digging into my wrist worse when I move. I look around, but the spotlight on me makes it hard to see far out. I don't know where I am or how I got here.

"This game is called How fast can you find her?" Lorenzo said. He turned to me.

"This is going to hurt, sweetheart," Lorenzo said, his voice so gentle.

The nickname he always called me when he used to call and check on me, just to keep me company when I was feeling depressed. He slapped me without warning, hard, and my head snapped to the right, and I winced in pain. Something warm spills in my mouth a bit, and I spit out blood.

"Before she breaks," Lorenzo adds, looking to the camera. I turn my head back to the camera, worried.

A/N:

I just wanted to say, have an amazing Thanksgiving! I hope you all enjoy you holiday break. We have about 3 more chapters left before we reach our conclusion for this whole series! So leave any comments and give this a like! Comments help me remember to keep updating and they motivate me! Thanks again. 

Oh and thanks so much for over 30k reads on Beautiful in Jada and over 5k reads on Choosing Jada. I'm blown away by the love and attention and the reaction! Appreciate you all