CHAPTER 2 The Third Option
Zita's POV
My entire body freezes; I stop trying to break free.
"You're quite observant, aren't you? Heard the gun?" The mysterious man laughs. "Don't worry, girl. I won't kill you…yet."
I'm trying to still my breathing; trying to stay in the present and not black out from fear. My skin is cold and I'm shivering like a leaf.
"Mr. Antonio, your father, is quite the man. Very evasive, that fellow. So I had to go through another route, you see?"
Hearing my father's name, my ears perk up. Could it be…
"I've got to give it to him though. Ran away with my money and has totally disappeared! You'd think a man like me would be able to catch that wretched insect…" Even with the mask that warps his voice, I can still hear the undertone of humiliation.
"Stone!" The man calls; I assume it's a subordinate.
"Yes sir!"
"Remove her gag. I'd like to have a proper conversation. As adults." His boots move from one side of the room to the other; pacing.
Someone comes from behind me and removes the cloth.
I take a deep breath with my mouth and throw spit, trying to get the taste of chloroform off my tongue.
"W-what the fuck do you want? My father's debts have nothing to do with me." My voice is hoarse and scratchy; my tone is harsh and very defensive.
Mr. Mysterious Man laughs.
"Your father's debts have nothing to do with you? Pardon me, bellissima. Is your name not Zita Antonio?"
My lips curl into a sneer and I subtly find the knots holding my hands behind the chair.
"And so what?" I hiss, ignoring the pang of fear I feel each time I hear the sound of the gun.
"I should have mentioned it then- your father, Antonio, did not just gamble in my casino, ending up owing me literally millions of dollars. Antonio used your name. The one who was borrowing this money all along was you. At least, that's what the documents show."
My heart skips two beats and I think I might collapse right here; blindfolded and unable to move.
What?
"W-what…what documents? I didn't sign anything! I've never even been to a casino before! I-I don't even…" I trail off because if I let another word out, I will cry. I'll wail so loud my lungs would shrink.
I inhale quickly, denying whatever reality I am in right now.
"You didn't know, did you? Ahhh. I see. Well, too bad. Your father was required to sign a few documents before that game. You see, my casino has a reputation for fair play. What your dear father did, wasn't fair play. And now, you have to pay for it. Legally."
Legally?! This is a kidnapping!
I swallow my thoughts; and steady my breathing. Father had gone ahead and forged my signature. He knew what he was doing all along…
He had known he would lose the gamble and still had the fucking nerve to put this on me.
No wonder he was in such a rush in the morning. I could bet now that if I went home, he wouldn't be there.
"So you have three choices, girl," comes my kidnapper's warped voice. I hear him come closer, and feel him touch my neck. I twitch away from his cold touch.
"Bellissima."
Beautiful. He chuckles, and walks away.
"One, you pay me back the fifteen fucking million he owes. Two, you die and I finish off the rest of your bloody family. Three…"
I'm audibly panting for breath. With each option, I lose a bit of my grip on reality. This couldn't be happening.
These were the people Father was running from? The people he had crossed?
They'll kill us all…
I don't know when but somehow, I'm begging- crying for this stranger to spare my life.
"Please! I beg you, sir! I'll do anything at all. Anything! I do not have that kind of money but I promise! I-I…I'll do anything!"
The room is silent and for a while, all I can hear is my own ragged breathing.
"You didn't let me finish, Bellissima. There's a third option."
I gulp; the cold water they had poured on me earlier feels like hot butter on my skin now.
"Three; you get me something important. Dario Giovanni, ever heard of him?"
My brain goes numb for a moment as I search my memories for any name even a bit similar.
"Y-yes…" I say. The Giovannis was a powerhouse of madmen governing most of Europe's cartels and underground arms market.
Dario was the leader of this powerhouse - the maddest of them all.
The rumors painted him as a cold-hearted businessman who would crush anyone in his path. An absolute monster.
But then, what did that have to do with me?
"I see. You're well acquainted. Perfect. Well, Dario has something I want- but it's impossible to get through his defenses. I need an ally on the inside. A pretty, delicate flower like you…"
A small pause. My body is going cold again.
"So your third option: grow close to the don, get inside his so-called fortified palace. I don't care how you do it; use your pussy for all I care. But when you do, I'll contact you again and you will be given more details."
I see it now.
He knew from the start what my choice would be. He needed someone desperate enough to get close to a monster like that.
A bloody mafia don.
"So what will it be, Bellissima?"
I swallow saliva; and taste the chloroform on my tongue.
"Three," I whisper.
Fucking hell.
Two Weeks Later
Club 30's manager is a straight up prick.
I think this as I touch up my makeup for my first shift. After the incident with the kidnappers, I was sent a note.
Dario Giovanni would be making an appearance in Club 30, one of the elite clubs in Milan. He was going to be meeting with the owners. Apparently, he was buying the place.
So I became the best thing I could be- a bottle girl. Slutty "strippers" who waited on fat-pocketed rich men in clubs like this.
Even if it was something I wouldn't do in normal circumstances, I had to admit- this made more money than working at a cafe.
I had not heard from my father's creditor in these two weeks and all my money went into buying better medicine for my mother and higher grade cigars.
Life was a little less shitty. Except for the manager here of course.
He walks past me now in the dressing room and like he's done for the past two weeks, he smacks my ass.
"Get a move on girl! The owner just entered the club!"
The owner.
Which means my target is finally here. Dario Giovanni.
The word leaves a horrid taste in my mouth. Over the weeks, I have been researching everything I could about him.
There was not much information.
He's a businessman and he likes to golf.
That's all the internet could cough up.
This was a dangerous man I was going up against. Someone even my captor had been so afraid that he had to use me.
I draw the curtains and step out of the dressing room. My heels click up the stairs as I head up to the VIP section. The music is loud; my heart is racing.
This is a dangerous game to play. A game I cannot afford to lose.