Ghost

35

(1539 words)

All I want is my fist " I tell him . He nods his head in agreement . " Stand so I can undo your cuffs he says " I stand and he undoes my cuffs . I don't give him a chance to make it to his tools as i go into attack mode . I knock him on his ass and punch anywhere I can find a place that is free to hit . He kicks me off , I land on my feet . He doesn't have a chance to get to his feet . I come running back and tackle him to the ground again .

He kicks me off again and this time I hit the wall momentarily stunning me . he takes this chance to get to his feet . He staggers over to where all his tools are displayed . He grabs a crow bar . " I underestimated you . But then again you underestimated me too ." He says throwing the crow bar from hand to hand . I stand to my feet and cock my head to the side " Is that so ? You see that bar is only useful if you get to swing it ." I tell him . He throws his head back laughing .

" Oh I will get to use it . You see this is my favorite tool to use . " He says . I crouch down into defense mode and brace myself . He may land a few blows but it's nothing I can't handle. I wait until he starts to swing it I duck the first few blows . Teasing him " I thought you said you was good with this tool ? I thought you said this was you favorite tool ?" I say tsking as I do .

Finally he lands a blow to my ribs I feel them crack , it knocks the breathe out of me . I don't let him see the pain he's caused instead I laugh . " Is that it is that all you got ?" I say before I lunge at him . We go back and forth for a good hour before the door swings open " Enough " Says a woman who strolls in with the last person I ever expected to see . "Lucy how nice to see you again " Joey says . He gets my attention just long enough for the man standing by me to knock me to my knees .

" You see this is how you should always greet me ." Joey says to me . I laugh " Serious Joey I should bow to you ? Answer me this is it so that way I can't beat your ass again ? You still recovering from that last beating I gave you ?" I say to him as I take in his scars that cover his face . " Tell me when did they take the wires off your jaw last I heard you was barely conscious and with a wired jaw ." I tell him . He lunges at me but is caught by the woman who walked in with him .

" You guys have had your fun . No one else is to touch her unless I say " She says to Joey and the man who I have been fighting with for the last hour . " Oh well you just missed the fight of a lifetime . " I tell her " No we didn't we seen it all from the control room ." She says setting up a tripod , and then setting a camera on it ." I have already done a live feed on your fight here with Vinchinzo but I want you to say hi to a few people for me . I will hit the start button here in a few minutes and I will go quiet . I have written you a few things I would like for you to tell your father and Roberto and then I will end the chat understand ." She says setting a computer down in front of me . I can see myself pop up on the screen I look like crap . My lip is busted and I know by tonight I will have a black eye .

Joey sets up a few big pieces of paper with a few lines written on each . " You will stick to this script . Do you understand ?" She asks . I don't answer her . She presses a button and I see Roberto and Victor's faces appear on the screen " Lucy are you okay ?" They both ask me . " Who has you ? Who did this to your face ?" Roberto asks me . I stay silent . " You can take all the time you want even the F.B.I can't trace this signal . So go ahead and answer them ." Joey says stepping forward . I still stay silent .

Joey back hands me " Read the prompt and talk to them . I figured you would have a lot to tell the man you like and your dear o daddy oh " Joey taunts me . He lifts my face up to look him in the eyes . I jerk my head out of his hold . I look up to the camera . " I am supposed to read some kind of cards which I am guessing is a ransom note of some kind ." I start by addressing the cards first . But to their dismay I don't start with the cards .

" Joey and some woman have me held captured .I have no idea where I am , but I know it is heavily guarded . " I tell them before I see the woman behind the camera hit a button on the camera I see the screen go wide and can now see Joey on the screen . He waves to the camera ." I have something you want . " Joey says grabbing my hair . " Now since you have told them who has you read the damn prompt ." He says looking ahead at the woman who smiles at him ." Oh honey don't think hes such a strong man " I say smiling at her .

" My name is Lucy Machetti . Most of you now know me as Ghost ." I say waiting for someone to flip the card . Vinchinzo walks over behind the camera and begins to flip the cards as I read from them . " You all have precisely two hours from the time this video goes live to pay the ransom or they will kill me and all your secrets will be exposed for the world to see . You all will go to prison and my mother will get the justice she deserves ." I stop when he flips to the next card .

I am so confused what does my mother have to do with this ? How do they know my mother . I stare at the woman behind the camera getting a good look at her . I notice the similarities between us . " Mom ?" I say looking to the woman behind the camera . She looks down avoiding eye contact . " You are my mother ?" I ask her waiting for her to answer . Joey looks from me to her and back . " No way is she your mother . She is not old enough to have a child your age . " Joey says .

"It's amazing what plastic surgery can do can't it . It can make a forty year old woman look twenty . " She says from behind the camera . I notice all the guys that I seen at the meeting the other day start popping up one by one on the computer screen ." Ahh great now everyone is starting to tune in . " the woman who is supposed to be my mother steps from behind the camera over to where I am . " Hello Victor it's been awhile ." She says "Don't you hurt one hair on her head ." Victor says to her .

 " You are a little late on that isn't that right love ?" She says grabbing my face between her thumb and first finger . She squeezes and digs her nails into my chin . I try to jerk my head but it's no use I am to exhausted my adrenaline has long faded . " You see you only got a glimpse of what we did to her earlier . She hasn't eaten in weeks . What you seen her get was the first true meal she has gotten in a while and here in a few she will throw that up . Just as soon as her adrenaline fades . " She says chuckling . Just as she finishes speaking I realize she is right but I won't give her the satisfaction of seeing me vomit .