And I didn’t want to know what the punishment was.
Vanessa’s strong voice sounded from the background. “Con, kill this fat lady and—”
“Enough.” Knuckles walked away, her voice fading into the background as he kept moving. “There. You heard it with your own ears. Your sister is alive and well…for now. Hand Sapphire over, and your sister is yours. Vanessa is a very pretty woman…she might be prettier than your girl. But you know I’ve wanted Sapphire longer.”
I hated knowing my father had to listen to this. “How do we make the trade?”
“We meet in the countryside. You can bring your boys, and I’ll bring mine. If we cross each other, none of us will get out of this alive.”
I didn’t know what else to do but agree to the terms. If I said no, I might not get a hold of him again. Vanessa didn’t give any helpful information, so we were stuck. “Let’s meet at two. There shouldn’t be anyone out at that time.”
“Sounds good to me. Wait for further instruction.” Click.
Now it was just my father and me. “I agreed because I didn’t know what else to do. If we have no idea where he is, we have no choice but to meet him.”
“You did the right thing.”
Now my heart was beating faster, the terror getting to me. What if I didn’t find Vanessa?
“Fat lady…” My father spoke under his breath, talking to himself more than to me.
“What?”
“She told us to kill the fat lady…it’s a strange insult.”
He was right. I’d never heard her say anything like that in my life. “You’re right.”
“Hold on.” My father took a break from the phone as he considered her words more carefully.
Carter had been listening to the entire conversation. “The only thing I can think of is until the fat lady sings…and fat ladies—”
“Are opera singers.” I turned back to the phone. “The opera house. La Scala.”
“You’re right, Con,” my father said in agreement. “It’s one of the biggest landmarks in this city. It’s unmistakable. Vanessa must have seen it before they pulled her inside.”
“There’re a few restaurants around the area,” I said. “But also a few apartment complexes.”
“At least we have an area now,” my father said. “Let’s meet there, one block over.”
“Alright.” I watched Carter start the engine. “We’ll meet you there.”
“Con.”
“Yeah?” I said.
“I know you’ve got beef with this guy, but he’s mine. Do you understand?”
I wanted to kill Knuckles for everything he’d done to the woman who was now mine. He’d stalked her, terrorized her. I wanted the assurance that he would never harm her again by putting two bullets in his brain. But I understood that my father’s only daughter had been taken, and despite how calmly he spoke, he was furious. His bloodlust couldn’t be satisfied until he slit the man’s throat. “Yes, I understand.”
16
Vanessa
I was placed in a bedroom inside the apartment. When Knuckles transferred me, he put a blindfold over my eyes. But I knew this city like the back of my hand, and every time we turned, I knew what street we were on.
When I turned my face slightly, I managed to get a peek of La Scala out of the corner of my eyes. I was exactly where I thought we were, and then the car drove into an underground garage of a building.
As my father taught me a long time ago, I was supposed to identify my surroundings and convey them in code. When my father told me all this initially, I brushed it off and called him paranoid.
Guess he wasn’t so paranoid, after all.
The man who had me didn’t seem that interested in me. He only wanted Sapphire, which worked in my favor. But his henchmen were creeps. Constantly touching my thigh in the back seat of the car or smelling my neck, they were totally repulsive.
When my brother was on the phone, I gave them the one bit of information I had at my disposal. I played it off as an insult, and I hoped my family was able to figure out what I was saying.
My life depended on it.
Now I sat on the small twin bed with my back against the wall. The room had nothing in it, like it only existed to house prisoners like me. I had a small window that overlooked the fire escape, but there were bars placed over it.
I didn’t see any way out.
My father promised me he would always come get me if this ever happened, but my mother taught me something else. She told me I should never wait to be rescued. The only person I could really rely on was myself. I had to find a way out—at any cost.
Now I was trying to plan an exit strategy.
Knuckles had two men with him, both armed with pistols. He seemed like the kind of thug that had a lot of men at his disposal, but perhaps kidnapping me seemed like such an amateur plan he didn’t need more than two men.