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I tried to sleep. I really did. Once Ace left, it was useless. I didn't know what was going on, and I was worried, so I tossed and turned. Sighing, I eventually got out of bed and was surprised to see Gun sitting on the carpet in front of a coffee table watching TV.
"What are you eating?" I asked.
He looked up at me, surprised. "You're up! Mom said I needed to be quiet because you were sleeping. I'm eating Lucky Charms. Have you had it? It's so good."
"I can't say that I have."
"Mom!" Gun shouted.
"Gun, what is it?" Charlie rushed in.
"Auntie Alex has never had Lucky Charms. Can you get her a bowl?"
"No. That's okay. You don't have to," I protested.
"It's not a bother." She began to move back to the kitchen.
"Seriously. You don't have to wait on me. I can get it." I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she took a bowl down from a cupboard, then took a sip of her coffee that was sitting on the counter.
I saw the red box labeled Lucky Charms sitting on the marble countertop. I poured a few pieces into the bowl and tasted it. "It's so sweet." I wanted to try it to make Gun happy, but I'd never eaten anything as sweet as this.
"It is. Don't feel like you have to eat it. How about coffee instead? Gun, Alex is not in the mood for cereal. Sorry, bud." She yelled the last part, and I was grateful not to see the disappointment he surely wore on his face
I winced, hating to let him down. My nephew, I thought on a sigh. "I would love some coffee. Has it been a while since they left? There's no clock in the room, but it feels like so much time has passed."
"Hardly. They left about twenty minutes ago."
She poured coffee into a mug, and steam rose from it filling the air. "I have a good sweetener in the fridge, or I have milk if you take it that way."
"Black is good, thank you."
"I don't know how you drink it like that."
I grabbed the mug and took a sip. "It's delicious. I appreciate it."
"No problem." Charlie shrugged, and I noticed again how pretty she was. Her hair was so long and sleek. I had dark hair like hers; however, mine could never get that straight. She wore a light blue fuzzy robe, and I could see the faintest hint of lace peeking out over her chest.
She seemed so nice and normal. It was odd for me to think of her as my sister-in-law, but she was.
"Are you doing all right this morning?"
We talked a little last night, and I relayed what happened with Ace. She was incredibly supportive, so much so, I hugged her before we parted ways.
Me? Hug someone?
It was so unlike me. This whole place made me feel out of my element, but in a way that I could get used to.
I thought about her question. Was I all right? "Truthfully, I'm nervous. They were so rushed, and Ace looked concerned. The way they left this morning, is that normal?"
"Not all the time, but the club has stuff come up. You get used to it. I try to just trust that Gunner knows how to handle himself, and it's out of my hands. It's hard to make that adjustment, but you have to trust," she said, sipping her coffee. I knew what she meant. Going from the captive way we both had been to learning to trust. We had touched on that a little last night as well.
"I'm afraid," I offered. It wasn't just how quickly they left that morning that had me afraid; it was everything. "He came to me last night, and was sincere and apologetic, and for the first time, he made me have hope that this would all work out." I took a deep breath, and I was about to continue when we heard Gun yell out.
"Mom, someone's at the door!"
Charlie moved towards the living room, and as she did, she yelled, "Don't answer it." I followed her to the living room, but we were too late.
A man I didn't recognize dressed all in black held a long, black pistol to Gun's temple.
"Alejandra," the man said, and my body went tight. I recognized the accent right away. This wasn't one of my grandpa's men.
"Let him go," I commanded, my voice sounded strong and steady.
"You come with me quietly, I'll let him go. If you give me a hard time, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in his head and then shoot your friend too."
Oh, God. Oh, no. I couldn't believe they had tracked me here.
"Don't do anything rash. I will come with you. Just leave him alone."
The man sardonically smiled at me.
"Gunner, baby. It's going to be okay. Stay calm. Look at me, baby." Charlie's voice trembled beside me. I stepped forward and locked eyes with Charlie.
"I'm sorry." she mouthed.
I gave her a small nod, accepting that this was my fate. I wouldn't let them hurt Gun. I took another step, and then another until I was within reach of the man. He reached out and grabbed me, then let Gun go and focused the gun on me.
"Let's go." He dragged me out the door, and I heard Charlie yell, "They'll come for you. Stay strong."
A large black SUV was in the street, not fully parked. As we rushed to it, I saw Reggie slumped over his steering wheel, and my stomach roiled. No, not Reggie. He was so kind to me. He didn't need to pay because of me. Sadness coursed through me, and I prayed that he wasn't dead.
The man holding me opened the back door. "Get in."
I shivered since I was only wearing the T-shirt and shorts that I had borrowed from Charlie the night before. "In," he said again, shoving me inside the car.
A phone ringing came through the speakers, and I realized the driver must've called someone on Bluetooth. "I have her," he said in Russian.
"Good. Good. Bring her to our meeting point. I'll be there shortly."
I knew the voice on the other end. My body went taut, and a cold fear washed over me. Mr. Sokolov, one of Santos's business partners, was here to collect me. I'd always known he'd had a small obsession with me, but I hadn't guessed that he would come for me.
The car lurched forward, and I briefly looked out the window and saw Charlie squeezing young Gun. I put that sweet boy at risk. I put my sister-in-law at risk. I was sent to spy on my brother, and I thought at the time that I would walk away, and everything would be fine—that I could leave them all, and I would have some freedom. How wrong I was. Reggie was hurt and maybe dead because of me, and Gun had had a gun held to his head. What if they hurt him?
I felt shame and guilt as we rode away, and I hoped Charlie was wrong. I hoped they didn't come for me and that no one was dumb enough to try. They couldn't go against the Bratva.
We stopped under an underpass. A silver Town Car that reminded me of the cars Uncle Enrico or Grandpa would often ride in, sat idling. We came to a stop beside it, and my door was opened. I was ushered into the waiting Town Car. It all happened so fast. One minute I was in one car, and the next, I was being roughly shoved into another.
"Alejandra," Mr. Sokolov said my name on a sigh. I turned and noticed he was next to me. My entire body locked up. I wasn't prepared. How could I ever really have been prepared?
"Hello, Sokolov."
"My dear," he said, squeezing my thigh. "What on earth are you wearing? You look so... so average." His Russian accent was thick as he spoke. The sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine.
I schooled my features and found it was harder than it used to be to not give anything away. I could feel the tremble in my voice before the words even came out. "Mr. Sokolov, you caught me just waking up. I apologize."
"We'll have accommodations tonight, and then we'll leave for my home. Your home now. We'll find something suitable for you to wear. I don't like to see you like this." His grip on my leg grew tighter, and I was sure there would be finger marks if he'd ever remove his hand. "I'm displeased with you for making me have to retrieve you. Tonight, Alejandra, there will be punishment. Do you understand?"
What could I say? I understood perfectly. "Yes, Mr. Sokolov."