Page 31 of Chaos
Dante nods his head, agreeing with whatever was spoken between them. More is said as the other six men sitting around the table don’t say anything, just listening and taking everything in. All but the man to my right. I can feel his creepy gaze skittering across my skin, making me want to retch. I ignore him as best as I can, waiting for Dante to finish the meeting.
Dante says one last thing, making all but the creep beside me nod and get up from their chairs. The man on Dante’s left starts saying something to him, pulling his attention- and his hand- off me.
“How much for an hour of your time?” The creep leans in close to me, whispering in my ear, his hand squeezing my hip.
I take in the man before me. It must be in his fifties or sixties. His bald head is pale. His stomach is round from years of eating whatever he wants. Yellowing teeth from smoking too much. The scent of strong liquor on his breath made me want to gag.
I open my mouth about to say something when his hand glides from my hip to my ass, squeezing it hard. A yelp leaves my lips before I can register it happening. The men around us go silent.
I don’t think, just react. I cock my fist back and punch the man in the nose. His hand instantly drops and clenches his nose as he curses in Italian. I shake my hand out, pain radiating through it. That was the first time I have ever punched someone, and man, did that feel amazing.
Dante grabs my arm, pulling me behind him before taking out a gun I didn’t know he had and shooting the man between the eyes. I scream, cowering away from the gun.
Flashbacks of the night not even a week ago play on repeat in my head. The stalker pointed his gun at me. Him firing it and the immense pain I felt as the bullet tore through my skin.
Commotion starts around me, but I don’t even notice it. My vision starts to tunnel, and then everything goes black. Fear and pain are the only things registering.
Serena
“You have no idea how long I have been waiting to have you to myself.”
“You look so pretty when you cry. I wonder how many tears I can make you shed before the night is over.”
I make a break for the kitchen. I need a knife or something to hurt him with.
He stops a foot away from me and laughs at the blade.
He takes a step towards me. I start slashing the blade around, trying to keep my distance from him. I can’t see his face, but I can feel the smile he is giving, patronizing me. I do the only thing I can think of. I throw the knife as hard as I can and grab another knife from the drawer. He dodges the flying knife and pulls a gun on me.
He holds the gun up, aims at my chest, and laughs. I straighten my back and wait for the shot that is coming. I stare death in the face and wait. The seconds feel like hours while he holds me hostage. He clicks the safety off, and I close my eyes.
BANG!
“Serena.” Someone is frantically calling my name. The voice sounds so familiar, so comforting. I want to open my eyes, but they won’t cooperate.
The voice calls my name a few more times, I can feel their hands on me. I should be scared, worried that my stalker finally has taken me, but I’m not. I feel content, safe, and protected. Like nothing bad will happen to me again.
I blink a few times, clearing the fog that covers my sight. Dante is leaning over me, fear and worry lining his beautiful features. I try to reach out to him with my right arm, but the pain is scorching. I look around, noticing I am on the floor, surrounded by all the men who were at the table. The creep is still on the floor in front of me, bleeding out of the wound on his head.
I must have fallen on my injured arm when I blacked out. I can feel my arm pulsing, but I try to push through the pain and sit up. Dante starts barking orders in Italian, making everyone run from the room. The man who was speaking to Dante during the meeting grabs a glass of water from the table and hands it to me. I smile in appreciation and take a sip.
He looks at me, once again assessing me. His gaze wanders across my body, not in a creepy way. Almost like he is deciding if he trusts me or not. His eyes reach mine again. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Michael.”
“Serena. I wish I had made a better first impression.” I joke, trying to avoid the embarrassment I feel.
Dressed the way that I am, and fainting in front of all these people is a horrible first impression. I don’t know what relationship these men have with Dante, but it’s obvious they respect him in a specific way. I always thought if I met anyone that Dante knew, I would be prepared for that. I would have been able to dress up, and, you know, not faint in front of them because I had a flashback of that night.
Dante helps me stand, his arms protectively around me as I get to my feet. He keeps me tucked against his side as he waits for everyone to vacate the room. Michael is the only one left, clearly not leaving. Dante guides me over to a booth, far away from the dead body that is still lying on the ground.
“Chiama l'equipaggio delle pulizie. Voglio che quel corpo sparisca entro i prossimi venti minuti.” Dante says to Michael.
Michael bows his head before taking out his phone, walking a few paces away, and calling someone.
The room is quiet except for Michael, whisper-yelling in Italian to whoever is on the other end of the call. My eyes wander around the room, needing somewhere to look besides Dante’s pressing gaze. Anxiety coursing through my body as I, unwillingly, look at the body still bleeding out on the floor.
My stare is focused on him, but all I can see is me. What if my stalker had done that to me the night he broke in? What if Mom or someone else came in and found me lying on the floor, lifeless, like that man over there?
The one thing that surprises me the most is that I don’t feel bad for him. I don’t feel like killing him was wrong. What does that say about me? I mean, no one deserves to die, but who knows what else he could have done to me.
