Altered (An Italian Mafia Story)

Chapter Twelve

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All the air left my lungs as Stefano barreled into me, tackling me to the ground. My head hit the concrete painfully and I saw stars. I sputtered and gasped, trying in vain to get a breath of air.

"I'm going to drown you in your own god damn blood!" Stefano roared in my ear. "Do you have any fucking idea how expensive that car is?"

He roughly dragged me up by my arms while my head spun. Taking advantage of my dazed and confused state, Stefano threw me over his shoulder and carried me back to his car. The sound of broken glass crunching underneath his feet interrupted the otherwise peaceful night. It wasn't until I heard the trunk open that I snapped out of my confusion.

"Wait!" I gasped as he dumped me into the trunk. "Wait, no!" I tried to climb out, but he drew his gun, and pressed it against my forehead.

"Go ahead, give me a fucking reason to kill you." He said with a sadistic smile.

I couldn't hold back the sob that escaped my lips as he pushed me down with his gun. I'd never seen him look as furious as he did as he closed the trunk, leaving me in complete darkness. I tried not to panic, but the darkness rushed in from all sides, suffocating me.

I pressed the palm of my hand against my mouth and let out a muffled scream as tears started building up in my eyes. I'd never been very claustrophobic, but this was testing my limits in ways I'd never imagined. Suddenly, the car lurched forward, sending me rolling towards the back of the tight space.

Assuming it was him, Stefano drove like a madman, taking sharp corners and accelerating and breaking suddenly. I kept my eyes shut tightly as I breathed unevenly, trying to control myself. I didn't want to have a full on panic attack in the tiny trunk of his car.

The car finally came to a stop after what felt like hours even though it had only been half an hour at most. I felt the car shake as the door opened and closed, signaling that the driver had stepped out of the vehicle. When the trunk opened, I shielded my eyes against the bright lights, something I hadn't been expecting.

"Get out." Stefano said, quietly. That almost scared me more than his yelling.

I silently picked myself up and climbed out of the trunk, standing on shaky legs. I looked around, realizing we were in some kind of warehouse. A myriad of car parts littered the floor and table as well as a dozen cars, all in different states of distress.

My eyes eventually strayed back to Stefano, who was still just glaring at me, almost as if he couldn't decide what to do with me. I awkwardly shifted my weight to my left foot, uncomfortable under his heavy gaze. I had to hold myself back from breathing a sigh of relief when he finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"The drive here gave me some time to think and to calm down." He began. I bit back any comments I had about how calm he looked with his clenched jaw. "I'm not going to kill you, but if you ever test me like that again, I'll give you a pair of cement shoes and throw you into the Hudson."

I didn't answer out of fear of making him change his mind.

"Dai. There's a car waiting for us outside."

(Come.)

I followed silently behind him as he walked out of the warehouse. Sure enough, a driver was waiting in a black SUV with the engine running. Stefano opened the door for me, but I knew it wasn't an act of chivalry, just an extra precaution in case I decided to run again. I moved all the way over, pressing myself against the door to create as much space between Stefano and me as he climbed in.

I traced small patterns on the green fabric of my dress for the majority of the car ride, completely avoiding eye contact with anyone. I didn't say anything until the car stopped in front of a grand looking gated entrance, but I didn't recognize it. "We aren't going back to the estate?"