FOREVER MINE, MRS. CEO

There was an increasing number of female kidnappings around the area where I lived; downtown Chicago. That’s why I hugged my body to myself after my bar shift at 3 am and rushed home.

I held a small pocket knife tightly in my hand inside my purse. I didn’t want to take a risk. As I was walking through the dark streets, I thought I heard footsteps behind me.

I looked behind but I didn’t see anything. I had seen too many thriller movies not to guess what happened after a woman heard rustling nearby. I walked quickly, looking behind to ensure no one was following me.

When I looked forward again, a man was walking toward me. I stopped and contemplated running back the way I came from.

Luckily for me, the man wasn’t a threat to me. He walked past me as though he hadn’t seen me.

I continued on my way home. This time, my guard was lowered because I assumed I was growing paranoid. I walked safely for the next two blocks until everything changed.

It all happened in an instant. One minute I was leisurely walking and the next, I was being pulled into an alley. My perpetrator had his dirty hand covering my mouth and the other holding my midribs tightly.

Fear so great crept up my chest. A lot of scenarios flashed before my eyes and I knew I had to do everything to escape.

My fight or flight instinct kicked in and I managed to elbow him in the stomach. His grip loosened and I had more room to stab him in the leg with my pocket knife.

I turned around and kicked him in the nuts. Once he was on the ground holding his family jewels, I turned around and ran.

However, luck was not on my side. A black SUV pulled up in front of the alley, blocking the road. I turned to run in the other direction but my perpetrator was standing right in front of me glaring like he wanted to kill me.

He lifted his hand and hit me smack in the face with a gun. Then everything went dark.

***

When I woke up, my wrists and feet were cuffed to the bed. My jeans and top were gone. All I was left with were a bra, panties, and a huge T-shirt covering my body that reeked of sweat and dirt.

My head was pounding hard and I could barely see clearly. There was pain above my forehead which indicated there was a deep gush there. All I wanted was to be uncuffed.

I tried to wiggle my wrists and ankles but nothing worked. My hair was let loose so I couldn’t even use a hairpin to pick a lock. At that moment, it felt like everything Daddy had taught me about self-defense and martial arts was useless.

All of it was a waste of time if I couldn’t even prevent myself from getting kidnapped.

I looked around to try and see where I was. The place reeked of urine and the mattress was worn out like there had been several occupants before me.

The walls were made of wood. I must have been in a warehouse—

“The little bitch is awake,” a man said as he unlocked the door. Another man soon followed behind him. They were all huge men who were over six feet tall.

They wore jeans and dark t-shirts that exposed their tattoos. I saw the skull and rose tattoos on both of their wrists. It was the sign of the Omertá–a code of silence for the Italian Mafia.

They were my father’s men. After all I had done to escape my family, they had finally found me.

I didn’t have to guess which one of my brothers Papa had sent because Carlo walked in a few seconds later. He was in a suit without a tie and very clean shoes. His dark hair was slicked back and his beard covered most of his face.

When he saw me, he smirked. It was an evil expression that sent chills up my spine.

“Daddy sent the worst of my three brothers,” I whispered to myself.

“If it isn’t the prodigal daughter,” Carlo said as he sneered, “How long did you think you were going to run before we found you?” He asked as he approached me.

He grabbed my chin in his hands and leaned in to whisper, “Papa sent me here to kill you.”

I whimpered and closed my eyes tightly. My brothers would blindly follow Papa if he was leading them to a trap. He had a way about him that made everyone fight to impress him.

He made all his children fight for his approval and affection. For five years, I had been able to run away from him. I should have known no one ran from Alfonso Rossi, the leader of the Italian Mafia.

“P-Please,” I begged for my life even though I knew it was useless. Carlo would never go against Papa.

“Relax, I’m not going to kill my sister. What kind of monster would that make me?”

I allowed myself to have a momentary burst of hope. It was just a little moment before Carlo crushed it with his vindictive fingers.

“I’m going to sell you to the highest bidder. Papa is going to be so happy when I bring him a shit ton of money. You’ve always been very attractive. Almost all my friends wanted you in high school. I know some rich fool will pay a lot for you.”

My heart dropped in my stomach. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what happened to girls who were sold. They were raped, tortured, and drugged up until they couldn’t take it anymore and they took their own lives.

Others didn’t have a means to escape and they ended up suffering hell for the rest of their lives–passed down from one owner to the next. If I was lucky, I would be sold to a man who was castrated or one who simply wanted a wife for political purposes but was too ugly to find one for himself.

The chances of that, however, were slim. I preferred death.

As soon as Carlo was close enough, I spit in his face. He smacked me immediately and backhanded me when I tried to lift my head. I ended up getting two more cuts on my face from his rings.

“You should have married Domenico like father wanted. You really shouldn’t have run away. I thought you were smart, Livia. You can’t leave the familia, dear sister. There’s only one way out.”

Through death. He didn’t have to say it.

“I’ll die before you sell me!” I screamed.

Carlo laughed and put his hands in his pockets, “Oh, but I will sell you and there is nothing you can do about it.”

“Carlo, please! We’re flesh and blood. You can’t do this to me.” I begged. If I was free, I would have gotten on my knees and begged for mercy.

“You better pray you’re a virgin. Otherwise, I’ll sell you to a brothel in the States where several men will drug you and do whatever they want to you. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

Just then, his men uncuffed my ankles and held them apart, leaving my underwear on full display. I tried to kick and scream but Carlo put a gun to my head.

“If you move, I will blow your fucking brains out, brat.”

One more man came in and got on the bed. I didn’t recognize him but I didn’t trust his intentions. When he pulled my panties to the side, I closed my eyes tightly waiting for the worst to happen…