Illicit Temptations (Tempted Series Book 1) (36 page)

“Daddy?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Nikki? Nikki sweetheart are you okay?” He cried into the receiver.

“I’m okay Dad,” I choked on my sobs as I stared at the bastard’s cold eyes. “Whatever he wants don’t do it don’t let him win because he’s going to kill me regardless,” the tears streaked down my cheeks as he pulled the phone away from me.

“Listen to me Nicole. I’m going to bring you home, I swear on everything that’s holy. I’m going to get my little girl back,” my heart broke for him because he spoke with such conviction that one would think he really believed that he could save me.

“That’s enough,” he said, dropping the gun from my temple but still keeping it aimed at me. “How you doing Victor? You know who this is?”

“Deke, you listen here if you so much as harm one fucking hair on my daughter’s head so help me god I will bury you alive,” my father yelled into the phone.

I lifted my head to look at the man who now had a name to go with his face.

“That’s pretty bold of you to be making threats when I’m the one holding a gun to your daughter’s head,” Deke laughed maliciously before winking at me tauntingly.

“Just tell me what the fuck it is you want already!” My dad pleaded sounding as if he was losing whatever little shred of control he had left.

“Now you get it,” Deke said, rising from his chair as he paced in front of me. “As you know for years I have been trying to push my product through the New York harbor, but you are always standing in my way shutting me down. You’ve been a thorn in my side for a long time Victor. You’ve cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars and I don’t take it lightly when someone hurts my pocket. You have exactly twenty-four hours to relinquish your power of the docks meaning that the Longshoreman, you have in your pocket will be employed by me and turn their cheeks to my shipments. I’m serious Victor if I don’t get what I want I will kill your daughter. I’ll be in touch,” the corners of his mouth lifted as he smiled like the wicked bastard he was and ended the call before my father could speak another word.

Deke’s eyes found mine again. “Better say your prayers little girl and hope daddy comes through for you,” he bent down to pick up the bagel that lay on the dirty floor and then threw it on my lap. “In case you get hungry,” he said, chuckling and started to walk away, but stopped in his tracks turning back to me.

I peered up at him, hoping that he could see the hatred I had for him reflected in my eyes and not the fear. I didn’t want to give him any satisfaction whatsoever.

“I haven’t been very nice to you,” Deke said pointedly. “I owe you a great deal,” I turned my head as he pulled up the chair and sat directly across from me. He leaned forward and cupped my chin twisting my head so that I was looking at him. “I won’t tolerate rudeness.”

“There’s nothing you have to say that I want to hear,” I said forcefully turning my head again.

“Really? Not even the slightest bit curious as to what your whole part in this was?”

I turned around quickly clenching my teeth as I spoke. “I had nothing to do with this you miserable fuck.”

Deke tilted his head back laughing in amusement. “That’s what you think. I should be on my hands and knees thanking you for being a stupid little bitch and making this whole thing possible.”

“Fuck you,” I hissed. His hand lurched backward before connecting with my cheek the force behind his slap so strong that the chair I was tied to rocked back on its legs.

“I said I won’t tolerate your rudeness,” he cracked his knuckles. “Now where was I… oh yes, I was telling you what a stupid cunt you were.” He smiled proud with the way his words degraded me. “You see many years ago, my father and I made a play for Victor’s territory, but that underboss of his stepped in our way. Val was too smart and too wise to our moves shutting us down before we could ever make a dime sticking us with thousands of dollars in drugs and ultimately sending my father to rot in prison,” he balled his fists at his sides as he spoke. “After he set my dad up I put a hit out on your father. The wrong man died in front of that bakery Val should’ve never gotten in the way, but he was too fucking loyal to Victor and his loyalty wound up getting him killed.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?” I asked, not understanding how I played a part in any of that when I was just a kid.

“Your father avenged Val’s death killing the hitman that murdered him, he probably would’ve killed my old man too for ordering the hit, but we had him transferred to a maximum security prison. Victor thought he was fooling us by sending his soldier Anthony Bianci to the same prison my father was in he thought Anthony would get close enough to kill him. Victor went to extreme measures to destroy my father, but we were one step ahead of him.”

I held a straight face even as he shocked me with the truth of why Anthony had gone to jail, leaving my sister and the life they were meant to have behind. Still, none of this had anything to do with me.

“Fast forward to a little over a year ago when I found the perfect opportunity to finally conquer what my family had set out to accomplish years ago. It was really a brilliant idea if you think about it. I’d not only be able to gain the control of the harbor, but I’d also give the son of the hitman your father killed a chance to punish the man who killed his father. Are you connecting the dots?”

I rolled my eyes at him. I was fucking exhausted my wrists hurt my face still felt the sting of where he slapped me and to top it off I was probably going to die. I didn’t feel like entertaining this son of a bitch and didn’t care what the fuck riddle he was trying to deliver me.

“You forgot about your boyfriend that quickly did you?” He nodded, seeing it register in my eyes. “Now you follow yes? Rico’s father killed Val and your father killed him who better to lead Victor’s daughter on? Nobody, by Rico playing the doting boyfriend to the mobster's daughter we were able to push our product through the New York clubs and set your father up all in the same play. I told you it was brilliant.”

I swallowed as the truth finally became clear to me confirming my suspicions from the shootout at Temptations. Rico had never given a damn about me he only used me to get to my father to pay him back for murdering his dad. This whole fucking mess was my fault. If I hadn’t been so, naïve to believe Rico’s bullshit neither one of these assholes would have been able to execute any of this.

“How does it feel to know the life you lived for the last year was a lie?” He asked taunting me. “Not too good I imagine,” he said as he wiped his hands on his pants. He pushed himself off the chair and gave me one long final look before he exited the warehouse this time for real. I heard the metal door slide closed and broke down, unable to hold back the sobs that racked my body. I prayed for an end, even if it meant the end of me.

“You have to eat something,” Aunt Gina said, placing
a plate in front of me. I tore my eyes from my phone
that I had been staring at for hours praying for it to ring and looked at the sandwich she had made for me. The idea of eating anything repulsed me and I gently shoved the dish away from me.

Gina sighed, pulling out the chair beside me and taking a seat. “She’s going to be okay Michael. Nikki is a strong girl you know that.”

I turned abruptly to meet Gina’s gaze. “I don’t care how tough she is, she shouldn’t be in this fucking situation.”

“My brother isn’t going to let anyone hurt his daughter,” she said trying to reassure me.

“Your brother? Right big bad Victor is going to come riding in and save the fucking day.” I pushed out my chair and rose to my feet. “While I sit here like a fucking dope, I should be doing something to bring her home safely since I am the reason she was taken in the first place.”

Burt placed his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up kid.”

“Burt’s right,” Nana said as she sat across from where I was with her gun placed neatly in her lap. “You’re not to blame for this even if you hadn’t left Nikki they still would’ve taken her. It’s what these men do. He would’ve probably just killed you and taken her anyway, especially if he wanted to hurt my son.”

“Ma’s right. This isn’t the first time our family has been compromised because of Victor’s career choice,” Gina agreed pouring me a shot of Sambuca. “Here this might calm your nerves.”

I sighed heavily reaching for the espresso cup she had poured the shot in when my phone started to ring. I grabbed the phone not even bothering to look at who was calling hoping it was Nikki.

“Hello?”

“We know where she is,” Jimmy said.

“She’s okay? How? Did you speak to her?” I fired off my questions holding my breath as I waited for him to answer me.

“Vic spoke to her. She’s shaken up, but she’s hanging in there. Listen, we’re at the airport…”

“Where is she? I’ll go to her,” I said, glancing around the kitchen in search of my keys.

“No, now listen. We tracked the call to a warehouse down on Water Street but Mike, Vic wants you to stay put.”

I didn’t give two fucks what Victor wanted I needed to get to Nikki. I disconnected the call and looked at Aunt Gina.

“Do you know where Water Street is?”

“Does a bear shit in the woods?” She said crossing her arms under her breasts. “Is that where she is?”

“Yes. I need to know how to get there,” I said finally locating my keys snatching them off the counter.

“Hold it right there,” Nana said, standing to her full four feet and eleven inches. “You’re not going by yourself.”

My eyes widened as I watched her check her gun, making sure it was loaded.

“Ma’s right. You’re not going alone, you’ll need backup,” she turned to Burt. “Be a dear and grab the rifle in the sunroom.”

“What? No!” I said running out of patience for these people. “I’m not going after some fucking gangster with the Golden Girls as my back up.”

“Who you calling a Golden Girl?” Burt said, puffing out his chest.

“I put the Club on your car this morning,” Nana said pointedly.

“Ma!”

“What? He looked a little flighty,” the old troll said innocently before turning back to me. “So either you take us or you walk,” she said pulling out a set of keys from her straw pocketbook.

“The little witch stole my keys!” Aunt Gina said sounding shocked as if anything her mother did surprised her anymore.

“Fine!” I shouted. “Just come on, let’s go!” I said, throwing my hands in the air giving up the losing battle I was fighting. I headed towards the door with Nana and her gun, Aunt Gina and her shovel and Burt holding a rifle the three clowns as my backup. Victor was going to fucking kill me.

Present Day

I stared at the concrete floor of the warehouse wondering how long I had been trapped here as it was I had no concept of time. I figured I couldn’t have been here as long as it felt I had because I was still alive without eating or drinking anything. My mouth was dry, my stomach growled, and I had to fight to keep my eyes open as exhaustion settled in. I was starting to think that Deke wouldn’t get the chance to kill me as my body started to weaken thinking it would probably start to shut down on its own.

I didn’t want to die I thought as I started to cry again. This was all so unfair I was only twenty-one years old I was supposed to have my whole life ahead of me. There was so much that I’d never get to experience so many places I’d never get to see things I’d never get to do. I would never walk down the aisle or become a mother and I wouldn’t get to see my loved ones again or be able to tell them just what they meant to me. That alone had me thinking about Mikey hoping that I was wrong when I assumed that Deke had done something cruel to him. I closed my eyes as I began to sob uncontrollably. Oh God, what if he really was dead? I looked across the room to where there was a pool of blood and felt the bile rise in my throat thinking what if it that was Mikey’s blood. I dropped my head between my legs, vomiting on the floor in front of me until there was nothing left
in my stomach.
I lifted my head as the room spun before me and for the first time I wished I really would die.