CHAPTER 21: Piper
I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. All I could do was desperately implore Theo, with my eyes, to shoot the asshole that was holding me. He had an arm restraining me around the waist and, when I did try to struggle, he jabbed the metal barrel of his gun into my temple so hard I saw stars.
When Vinnie spoke, my heart fell through my stomach. I wondered what the hell Anna was doing, helping him set a trap for us, but I was too scared to be angry.
I saw Theo’s eyes flick from me, to the guy holding me, to at least one other guy I couldn’t see, who may or may not have been Vinnie. I saw him look back to me with a sad expression of regret on his face, before he smartly placed his gun down on the coffee table and put his hands up.
“Looks like you finally made a reasonable decision,” gloated Vinnie. The guy holding me relaxed a little and I was able to see over behind Anna, to where Vinnie and two more of his cronies were standing, all holding guns. The guy Theo had knocked down picked himself up and shoved his gun angrily into Theo’s back. Anna herself looked terrible. I’d never seen her look even remotely nervous in the five years I’d known her yet, right now, she actually looked scared. I couldn’t tell if Vinnie had merely threatened her, roughed her up, or gone even further.
“The deal’s done, babe,” he turned to smile at me. “After a little renegotiation,” he advanced on me, “I got you for a song. But don’t worry,” he stopped in front of me. My nostrils filled with his aftershave. It wasn’t a bad scent at all, it just made my stomach turn every time I smelled it, so much I didn’t even notice that the other had guy let go of me. “You’re still valuable to me.” He gripped my t-shirt at the neck in his two big hands and, with a grunt from him and a shriek from me, ripped it open in one movement, exposing my borrowed bra to the room.
“Get the fuck off her, Vinnie!” threatened Theo through gritted teeth. He had his hands clasped behind his head. Vinnie pawed at my breasts, making Theo even angrier, but I couldn’t pull away. I knew if I did, that the least I would get was a slap. The worst didn’t bear thinking about.
Vinnie turned his attention to Theo for a second. He nodded to the guy with the shotgun, who was still rubbing his jaw where Theo’s fist had hammered into it, and he slammed Theo in the gut with the butt of his gun. Theo doubled over and fell to his knees in pain.
“Why are you getting so mad, Theo?” Vinnie taunted him. He turned to look back at me but kept talking to him. “She’s a whore, a slut. If I told her to, she’d suck every guy in this room and still leave her ass open for you, boy…”
I spat in his face. He stopped and looked at me, a surprised yet amused look on his in his eyes. Fuck him, I decided. Vinnie was making me mad now, not scared. He could do what he liked to me but he wasn’t going to hurt Theo anymore.
“Let’s go,” Vinnie said in a low voice, taking out a silk handkerchief and wiping my spittle off him.
“Piper!” Theo managed to wheeze as I was dragged away
“Theo! I love you,” I managed to get out before Vinnie stung my cheek with a lazy slap. I saw a mobster kick Theo again, as I was pulled through the door, and then all I could see was Vinnie’s bulky frame and evil grin.
***
I couldn’t do much except go with them, as they took me down the stairs. So I did but I liked this new, different feeling. I was no longer feeling scared; I was feeling angry. I was so used to letting Vinnie do what he liked to me, I was always unable to struggle or fight because I knew he would hurt me. Only, when he started hurting Theo, I didn’t care anymore what he did to me. I’d never stood up to him before, certainly never spat in his face or refused him, but now I had and I was still alive. I’d crossed Vinnie and the world hadn’t ended. I knew then I didn’t have to be a victim anymore.
I went along with them, pretending to be my old, subservient self. Aside from Vinnie, there were two more mobsters with me. I just needed to get them alone and I might have a chance of getting away. I didn’t have my hands tied or anything, so I played along, just waiting for an opportunity.
“I missed you, beautiful,” cooed Vinnie as he liked to do in our sessions.
“I missed you too,” I smiled at him as he came to walk beside me.
“You look so beautiful today.”
“That’s because I’m so happy you’ve finally come to take me away from here,” I told him as we finally reached the outside sun.
He hit me again. Still with an open hand to the face but hard enough to drop me to my knees.
“Lying whore,” he spat as I looked up at him from the ground. My cheek stung and there were tears in my eyes. “Take her back home, boys,” he told the goons, “just make sure she behaves. I don’t feel like riding with lying whores today.” He strode away from us and went straight back into the building.
One of the guys picked me up and walked me to the big black Mercedes Vinnie was usually carried around in. The older, sterner looking of the two got into the driver’s seat while the younger one helped me into the back. As I scooted across the wide back seat and he slid in beside me, I thought I could see my chance approaching.