Seven

 

 

Giovanni

What the fuck did I just do? I am not saying I’m a standup guy because that would be a boldfaced lie. I am in the fucking mob for crying out loud. I own a bordello—a fucking whorehouse! Albeit a high class one, but still a whorehouse nonetheless. I have killed when necessary and sometimes just because it’s what I felt should be done. But never have I resorted to kidnapping a young woman or any woman for that matter.

I went into the senator’s house with the intention of finding her but I wasn’t prepared for what I would do once I found her. I wasn’t prepared to see her beaten and bruised and broken… so fucking broken. One look at her and my heart felt like it was put through a grinder and was bleeding out. The look of pain in her eyes nearly brought me to my knees. Without even thinking about the repercussions of my actions, I picked her up and took her. Taking her as payment means she’s mine and there’s no going back on that. Not for her own safety and sure as fuck not for my reputation.

At first when I took her, she was quiet. I knew she was hurt but I figured she would be ok until we got to the club and I could have Vivian come check her out. But then when she tried to jump out of my car, which was doing at least seventy down the highway, I realized she was not okay. I pulled her into my arms and listened to her while she lost it until she finally blacked out from exhaustion.

Now, as she lays against my chest passed out in the back of the car, I contemplate all the ways I am going to torture Senator Weston Hightower before I bury him alive for physically and emotionally hurting this woman.

“Boss, is she ok?” That’s a loaded fucking question but I’m assuming he’s simply referring to her going from losing it on me to being deathly quiet. I can feel her chest rising and falling so I know she’s alive.

“I think she had a nervous breakdown and she appeared to be coming off drugs. I’m going to need to get Dr. Fox to come out. I think she’s in pain. It looks like her ribs might be broken.”

“Umm… Boss…”

“Yes, Johnny?”

“I don’t want to overstep…”

“Just spit it out, Johnny.” We’ve been friends for damn near our entire lives. The guy never cares when he oversteps.

“Are you kidnapping this woman? Because if you are, you know I have your back. I just need to know what to expect. Will someone be looking for her other than the Senator?”

“Her mom was killed in a car accident and from what my brother told me, everybody assumed she took off to grieve for her mom. I don’t know all the details but it seems the Senator has been holding her captive, drugging her and forcing himself on her as well as sharing her with other men.”

Johnny swears under his breath. His eyes meet mine in the rear-view mirror and we both silently agree. As soon as it’s possible, the senator is fucking dead. A few minutes later Johnny speaks up again. “But Boss, you didn’t answer my question. Are you kidnapping her?” He quirks his eyebrow up, his telltale sign that he needs the truth. I can’t bring myself to say the words so I look out the window. I’ve never lied to him and I’m not about to start now. Am I kidnapping her? I would like to say no. I’m saving her from the senator. But is it saving someone when you’re forcing them into a situation just as dangerous? Johnny lets out an exasperated sigh and the rest of the drive is made in silence.

When we arrive back at the mansion, Aria is still sleeping. Johnny opens the car door and carefully I carry her into the mansion. “Let’s bring her around the side,” I suggest. It’s early evening and with all the cars lined up, there will be several people in the common room and bar. No need to draw attention to myself and the semi-naked woman I’m carrying in who looks to be half dead.

“Where are you bringing her, Boss?” Johnny walks ahead to open the door to the side of the club. There are several available rooms in the workers’ wing and a couple empty ones where the girls stay, but my chest tightens at the thought of her being so far away from me in her fragile condition. “My room.”

Johnny’s steps falter a moment. “Your room, Boss?”

“Yes, my room,” I snap at him, irritated he’s questioning my choice. Aria stirs in my arms before her face goes back to nuzzling against my chest. “She’s hurt and I need to get her checked out.” I get her into my room and gently lay her down on my bed. I notice she has some dried blood on the inside of her thighs but I don’t want to touch her there, so I grab a towel and lay it down under her, then pull the blankets over her to keep her warm. “Call Dr. Fox and tell her I need her immediately,” I demand before Johnny leaves.

After changing out of my suit and into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, I use the bathroom, brush my teeth, and get ready for Dr. Fox to arrive. I grab one of my shirts and a pair of boxers for her to put on once she wakes up since she is still in only my jacket. Then I grab the garbage can from the bathroom. Once Aria wakes up, we will have a long night ahead of us; hell, depending on how badly she’s hurt and how bad her addiction is, we might have a long week ahead of us.

Quickly grabbing my laptop from my office, I settle into my sitting chair in the corner of the room to work while waiting for the doctor to arrive. Nico sent over the quarterly earnings for La Stella and as usual I am in the black. The gentleman’s club makes more money than most of the business ventures my family owns. When I took it over, I made significant changes and obviously for the better. I made it more exclusive by requiring a membership and allowing only powerful and wealthy men access.

When I told my father I was gutting the place and renovating it completely, he thought I was crazy. My mom thought it was a wonderful idea and it feels damn good that in the last ten years since I took over, I have always been in the black with my numbers steadily increasing.

I attempt to read over the reports probably ten times before I accept I’m not in any place to deal with work. Instead, I send an email to my housekeeper requesting for her to order clothes, under garments, and toiletries for Aria. Not knowing her size, I have her order a couple different sizes.

There’s a soft knock on my door and I check on Aria to make sure she hasn’t woken yet. After setting my laptop down, I open the door to find Cecilia and Dr. Fox standing together. “Giovanni, I didn’t know Dr. Fox was needed.” Cecilia gives me a perplexed look then tries to peer around me to see who is in my room. I block her view, closing the door behind me and stepping out into the hallway.

“Thank you for coming Dr. Fox. The woman I need you to take a look at is sleeping right now. I’m not sure when she’ll wake up. If you could wait inside, I just need to speak to Cecilia for a moment alone.” After letting Vivian into the room, I close the door. “I’m going to be occupied for a few days, so I am going to need you to be on your A game with the club. Go to Johnny first, but if you need me, I will be here.”

“What’s going on, Giovanni?” she questions. Sooner or later, I am going to need to tell Cecilia about Aria since she will be here for the foreseeable future, but at the same time, my business isn’t her business, and she needs to understand that.

“I am helping a woman get well. She was drugged and beaten up badly.” Cecilia looks at me baffled.

“At the club? How was I not aware?”

“No, not in the club. Elsewhere, but she will be staying here while she’s healing.”

Cecilia looks past me at my closed door. “In your room? You don’t let anyone in your room.” Her hand goes on her hip, angrily. Looks like I’m going to have to nip this shit in the bud right now.

“Who I let in my room isn’t any concern of yours. Your job is to take care of the escorts, that’s it. Nothing more.” Cecilia flinches before composing herself. She steps close to me, running her hand down my arm flipping her switch from angry to sweet.

“Don’t act like that, Giovanni. You know I just want to help.” Her voice is meant to be seductive but it doesn’t work on me. I am immune to her fake-ass charm.

I remove her hand from my body. “You can help by making sure the front end is running smoothly and there are no issues with the women or members.” Then I turn my back on her and go into my room, closing the door on her face.

When I step inside, Aria is awake and in tears. Dr. Fox is holding her on the bed while she sobs in her arms.

“I- I need something. Please. I-I’m in so m-much pain,” Aria hiccups through her gut-wrenching sobs.

“What do you need?” I ask, sitting on the edge of the bed next to the women.

Aria swipes away the falling tears, taking deep breaths until she composes herself. Then she narrows her glossy eyes at me, shooting me a glare like I’m the devil incarnated. “Are you in the mob?” she seethes. I try to hide my smirk. This woman has some sass to her and she’s not stupid. She guessed right on the first try.

“What do you need?” I repeat, ignoring her question. I’m not going to give her drugs but I need to know what she was on so we can help her kick that shit.

“Xanax or Oxy, please… or…” She contemplates what she’s going to say next, her bright red nose scrunching up like she’s not sure whether to say what she wants to. After a moment of hesitation, she murmurs, “Since you are in the mob, maybe you can get me something stronger. I’m sure you have access to the good stuff.”

Holy shit, this woman has no filter. Dr. Fox is quietly listening, her eyes volleying back and forth between Aria and me. “There are no drugs on this property,” I growl out. “Whatever the doctor says you can take is what you will get.”

Aria rolls her eyes and scoffs, “Fine. Give me whatever you can and then I need to get out of here.” I don’t bother to let her know she isn’t going anywhere. The doctor might have signed a NDA, but I can’t imagine her holding to it if she knew that technically Aria is being held here against her will.

“Sweetie, I am here to check you out and then we will see what we can give you for the pain. Can you tell me what happened to you? How long you were in this condition?” Dr. Fox pushes Aria’s hair from her face and speaks soothingly to her.

“I’m not sure. I don’t even know what today is.” I tell her the date and her eyes go wide in shock.

“Oh my god! That asshole had me locked up for nine months!! My mom was killed in an accident in May. He took me right before my finals, only a couple weeks after she died, and it’s already February! Nine goddamned months!” Her head drops into her hands as she shakes her head back and forth, mumbling incoherent things through her hands as she chokes on her sobs. I have never felt so helpless in my life. My first thought is that I want to find that piece-of-shit and kill him. It’s the only way I know to try to right this wrong, consequences be damned. But realistically, I know it’s not going to make Aria better. Only time will heal her, and even then, she will never truly be ok. Open wounds eventually heal, but wounds as deep as the ones she’s sporting will leave thick scars as a reminder of what she went through.

“Giovanni, can you give us some privacy so I can examine Aria, please?” As much as I don’t want to leave her, I reluctantly get up and go to my sitting room, which is attached to the bedroom, to give them privacy without leaving.