Mafia Betrayal

Chapter Fifty Five

Luca

I gripped the phone in my hand as if my life depended on it, and it kind of did. If I could keep him on the phone long enough, Marco could have a trace. Listening to her screams and not being able to help was bone chilling, but if it brought me closer to finding her, I would do just about anything.

"I know it must be tough, Luca." I could almost hear the sick grin on Silvano's face as he spoke. "Imagining Charlotte's last moments, thinking about how much she must be suffering. Not knowing if you'll ever find her body. I can't imagine what you're going through."

I sucked in a sharp breath. Focus on the anger,Luca.

"Silvano, I swear to God I am going to find you and rip you to fucking shreds for what you're doing to her." I hissed, trying to drowned out the screams I was hearing in the background. My hands were trembling as I clenched my jaw. This was breaking me, like my heart was physically being ripped out of my chest.

She must be so terrified, crying out for me and wondering why the hell I wasn't there yet.

"How does it feel to be on the losing end for once?" He chuckled, amused with himself. My threats had no effect on him now; he was beyond any kind of rational thinking.

Marco gave me the thumbs up that he'd been able to get a trace, and that was all I needed.

"I'm coming for you, Silvano, and you better pray to God that she's alive when I get there." I growled, slamming the phone down on the table.

Just a little longer, Charlotte. I'm on my way, baby.

Charlotte

When I opened my eyes again, I couldn't see anything out of my right eye. It was nearly swollen shut, matted with blood and absolutely throbbing. I was still tied to the chair, and a piece of duct tape slapped across my mouth.

Silvano was sitting in a chair in front of me, my blood splattering his shirt and a disgusting grin on his face. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a knife and flipping it open. I flinched when he made a move toward me, but he held a hand up as if he was trying to calm me down.

"I'm going to take the tape off, but if you scream, I will slit your throat." He warned. "Do you understand?"

I nodded weakly. I wasn't even sure I had the strength to scream at this point.

He took the tape off and then reached for a water bottle, unscrewing the lid. He held the bottle to my lips. "Open." I hesitated, wondering if it might be poisoned. Silvano narrowed his eyes at me, grabbing my cheeks and squeezing until my mouth opened.

"Drink." He poured the liquid into my mouth slowly.

Cool water felt like heaven on my dry and cracked throat. At this point, I didn't care if it was poisoned. I was just so thirsty.

"Thank you." I whispered. Silvano nodded and sat back down across from me.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, staring back at him. Until this moment, all he had been was harsh.

Silvano chuckled, eyeing me carefully. "Why am I giving you water, or why did I kidnap you?"

"Both." He flashed a toothy grin at me, exposing his crooked teeth.

"I gave you water because I need you alive for a bit longer." He spat. "The answer to your other question is a little more complicated." He leaned back in his chair and got comfortable, as if he was about to tell a bedtime story.

He looked lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out where to start. "Several years ago, your father framed made for your death. I was practically exiled from the entire community. No one would work with me. All my clients dropped off the face of the earth. His story was so airtight that not even my wife believed me. She didn't believe in divorce though, so she killed herself to get away from me."