Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 8: Chapter 8

DANI
“Please, help me! I need your help!”
“Hey.” There was a pause, a moment of silence before a deep, husky male voice came to the speaker again. “Calm down. You should call 911.”
“No, please, don’t hang up—” I gasped and jolted up in bed, disoriented as I felt a large hand gripping my shoulder and shaking me lightly.
“Hey,” said the giant man, the size of Volk, standing before me. He was a few years older than Terzo, but he looked trustworthy in his dark blue suit and tie.
My eyes landed on the semi-opened hotel room. He seemed instinctive and noticed my cynicism and mistrust.
“You called my phone earlier this morning. I’m Gabe Linden.” He offered his large hand.
I immediately recognized his voice before he connected to the other line, wherever it was that saved my life. I swallowed hard as I hesitantly shook his hand.
He gripped it tightly and warmly before he smiled. “You can trust me. Whoever gave you my number just saved your life.” He must have noticed the bruises on my chin and my wrists. “Do you wanna talk about that? Can I take you to the police station so you can file a formal complaint?”
I shook my head. Tears streamed down my face.
“Okay. Will you trust me if I say I’m taking you to my office with me?”
I wiped my face with the back of my hands as I nodded. “Who were the men who took me from the lobby?”
“My most trusted men. The man you talked to after me on the phone was Sax Ryder, the bald one. The guys who came to take you were Jacques Lynx, the man from down under, and Kye Wilder the blond. You’ll see them in the office later.” He looked around. He didn’t see anything.
“I left my things with my ex.”
“We’ll talk about that when you’re ready,” he said calmly. “I know you’re scared, and you don’t know who I am to trust me. I know no one should have gone through what you’ve been through earlier, but you trust me enough, and I promise I will do anything to protect you. You have my private number for a reason, and you did the right thing.” He took off his suit jacket the moment I tried to wrap my arms around me. I was only wearing my pink pajamas. “Put this on.”
I gratefully took it as I got out of bed.
“You can use the hotel slippers. I’ll get everything you need once we get to my office.”
The ride to his office, wherever it was, was smooth, and a relief that he didn’t pry and force me to talk. I was thankful that somehow he understood my situation, or if his intention was good, or maybe he was just another man who was under Humphries’s payroll. Then I was as good as dead.
I was shocked to see the office he mentioned. I was standing at one of the most futuristic buildings in New York. The Osmium Resource Group in metallic bold letters was on the monument sign to my right.
“You work here?” My voice came out squeaky and dry.
“Yes.”
I wrapped his jacket tightly around me as we entered the building. Everyone around was looking at us as if Mr. Gabe Linden had just found a baby alien on his way.
“Ignore them. We’ll use my private elevator so you can have a little privacy.” Private elevator? Who was this man? Why was his number on that paper?
“Thank you, Mr. Linden.”
“People around here usually call me Linden or Gabe. Mr. Linden is my father.”
I smiled. For the first time since things fell apart, I smiled genuinely.
We stopped at the office with a huge name tag, President.
I swallowed hard and felt ashamed. “I can just stay at the cafeteria or the waiting area.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re my guest.” He pushed the door open.
An Asian woman stood up and looked at us. “Boss.”
“Check her size and call the stock for joggers, hoodies, and a pair of shoes.”
“Of course.” She smiled at me. “Hi.”
Once we got into his massive office that screamed luxury and power, I took off his jacket and offered it back to him.
“Keep it until someone brings you clothes to warm you.”
A moment later, I sat in the corner as he started making phone calls. I respected that he gave me enough time to process without barging me with questions.
The Asian woman walked in with two cups of coffee and some donuts. She gave one to Mr. Linden or Linden, and then she came smiling. “I thought you could use this.”
“Thank you.” I took it and wrapped my shaking hands around it. I sipped the coffee. It was black, but I didn’t mind. I took a huge bite of the donut and smiled shyly.
“You know his wife called this building a donut,” she started, which made me smile.
“It was Sweetheart. London,” Linden corrected her. “But yeah, my wife agreed with her.”
“Right. I’m Hope, by the way.”
“I’m Dani Souls.” I shook her hand.
Linden joined us and looked at the only thing I had. My phone. “Is there someone you wanna call? Friends, parents?”
I shook my head.
“You’re safe here, I promise, Dani,” said Hope. You’re in the safest place in the city. We have soldiers. I’m a soldier, too. This is a private military contractor company. Whoever did this to you can’t come and hurt you again.”
“What if I get out? Who will protect me?” I looked at both of them.
“You don’t have to tell me, Dani. That apartment building is owned by the Humphries. If you came from the penthouse, you must know Deckard Humphries. I know his father is a prominent politician, but I won’t let anything happen to you. Did he do this to you?”
I nodded. If they said they could help me, then I should trust them with my secret. “We dated for a few months. Then I visited Italy to bury my brother. I didn’t know my father until about a couple of years ago. He’s kinda dangerous. I stayed there for a week until he wanted me to marry someone else. I left my life here and escaped from my father’s men.”
They shared a look, but I felt like Linden wasn’t surprised by my story anymore like he knew before I could tell them.
“Go on.”
I stared at him. “You knew?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.” My chin trembled.
“I know some dangerous people in Italy, but we built a unique relationship, so I know I can trust them.”
“The Sicilianos?”
“How do you know about the Sicilianos?”
When my tears streamed down my face, I began to sob. Another trap. At that moment, when I dialed the number, I didn’t have anyone to call. I didn’t have a lot of choices. It was a matter of life and death. I couldn’t call Ilya to arrive on time to help me.
“You’re going to hand me over to him, aren’t you?”
“Who?”
“Terzo Siciliano.”
“Did Siciliano hurt you?” There was a deep concern in his voice. He seemed to care immensely about my well-being. “I will kill him myself if he ever lays a hand on you.”
“Why? Why do you care? You just met me less than an hour ago.”
“I was the one who gave your whereabouts.”
“You did what? Why?” I was shocked that I was quick on my feet and ready to bolt out of his office. There was no safe place where I could go. It seemed that Terzo was everywhere.
“Calm down. He never hurt women. If you made it here, you didn’t escape, Dani. He let you go, but why, of all the places, why did you go back to your ex?”
I sat back down and drank my coffee. I wiped the tears off my cheeks and sniffled. “I shot him.”
“You what?” Shocked, they asked in unison.
Linden chuckled, “You shot Terzo fucking Siciliano and you’re still alive?”
When I nodded, he grinned and laughed out loud.
“She shot Siciliano? I didn’t see that coming, boss.” Hope joined him as well.
He rose to his feet and continued laughing before picking up his phone and dialing someone.
“Who’s he calling?”
“Don’t worry. He’s not gonna let anything happen to you.”
“You guys keep saying that. I just shot a man.”
“Did he survive?” Linden was still laughing.
I shrugged. “I guess he did. One of his guys let me live.”
“Stay put,” Linden said, still smiling. “I can’t wait to tell my wife about this, but don’t worry, he deserved it.”
Right, and Terzo seemed famous around here. Crap.