Indecent Pawn: What price is too high to pay for another person’s debt? (19 page)

To add insult to injury, she was told that she had been drugged to give him more of an advantage and to keep her under longer. Sadly that wasn’t the only time he’d drugged her for a good time. Another time she’d woken up to a whole new pain from another cavity on her body. That mess gained her a trip to emergency room for sure to sew up the damage. Derek confessed he used that hole because the other was under the weather and he needed an outlet. Blow by gruesome blow, Allison laid out her life with her husband. By the time she had completed her nine year run with him she was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.

“Allison, you have been through a lot in all the years you’ve been on this Earth. I hate you had to endure such hardships.” Antonio confessed. That was the nicest thing she has ever heard from him while in a business setting. “As hard as it is to admit, you saved my life and for that I owe you a great deal.”

“Antonio…” Allison started only to be stopped.

“Let me finish.” She nodded and refrained from refuting whether or not she did any of it as leverage. “In my culture, one good deed deserves another. You once laid out before me what you would want in return for saving my life. I could grant that easily but what I offer you is this. Your freedom.”

“My freedom?”

“Yes you will be free to go back to your life. Your husband’s debt will be solely on his head. Consider yourself no longer a pawn.”

“Pardon me if this comes off the wrong way… but that’s a contradictory statement. I have no life to go back to.” Allison admitted with passion. “I have no one or nothing.”

“Then take this chance to start a new life.”

“Doing what? With what?”

“The same work you do for me of course. I still owe you for your services regardless of what you previously stated.” Antonio smoothly stated as if it were easy. In Allison’s mind it was far from easy. For one she wouldn’t have him. “I told you I would ponder over your
offer
to work for me in place of your life. By gifting your freedom, you will live without worry of having to face my wrath. Unless of course the loyalty you claim to me is revoked in any way.”

“I would never…”

“Never say never,
Miss Myers
.” There, he’d just reverted back to last name references. Maybe this was a way to rid himself of her completely. “Even family turns on one another at the right price or threat.”

“Couldn’t I just stay here in Italy?”

“This is no place for a woman to live
alone
, it is too dangerous.”

“And there are no dangers in Illinois? There is no way I wouldn’t be spotted by Derek or anyone associated with him. If you want to set me out to be killed, why not do it yourself?”

“Where would you prefer?” HERE, Allison screamed in her head but obviously that wasn’t an option.

“Anywhere but there.” If he wanted to be rid of her then so be it. At least she had her life. For now anyway. Somehow she felt this was far from over. No matter where she ended up, danger was bound to follow.

Antonio was dreading the hour he had to part ways with Allison but it needed to be done. This wasn’t a safe place for her in Italy. Hell by his side period. It was best for them to part ways. If she stayed within his immediate circle, there is no doubt she would turn into a target. Her importance will become known by all those around. It was bad enough he didn’t know to what extent his enemies stretched within his very own organization not to mention those on the outside.

Antonio was planning on leaving Italy to put space between he and his mother. She will be heavily guarded as always so he didn’t worry as much. With the present threat he needed to isolate himself but keep the façade up that he has no definite answers as to who the threat is. All while he sets a perfect plan into motion to flush out the rats to be destroyed at one time as well as recover his stolen funds.

"Antonio, non capisco la logica in questo."

His mother repeated how she didn’t understand his logic for the decisions he’d made. Thankfully having been a Don’s wife before, she knew that was the way things went at times. Soon she just accepted what she didn’t understand or what she didn’t agree with. She did somehow talk Allison into not running away but to face the dangers that lurk. Carlina had single handedly given strength and a sense of determination to the once timid woman.

“You take care caro. And please keep in touch.” Carlina was a bucket of tears.

“I will. Thank you Carlina for taking me in.”

“It was my pleasure.” Once Allison was seated inside of the truck, he took his turn to say his goodbye’s for now. Unlike Allison he would be back.

“Look after her.”

“Mamma…”

“I mean it Antonio!” Carlina cut him off. “You may be Don Mucciono but you are also a man with feelings. I know you better than you know you because I knew you first. You care for her. Take care of your business the way you have to but don’t throw her to the wolves because you are afraid.”

“Yes mamma.” Antonio spent most of the previous day dancing around the issue at hand. His mother made it clear she didn’t agree but saw his point of view. Still he didn’t miss the visible signs that she was trying to conjure up some ideas. What he would give to have a bird’s eye view inside her thinking well? The woman was too clever even for him to comprehend.

The flight back to the states was filled to the brim with silence. His mother had gifted Allison with an iPad loaded to the rim with books, magazines, and other entertaining tools. She claimed it was for them to keep in touch but at the moment it was posing as a distraction for her. With some careful deliberation, they finally came to an understanding of her living arrangements. Of course there was no way she would return to her husband but there was also no way she could live on the run.

It was quite simple actually, the same fate Derek had conjured up for his wife will soon become his own in due time. There was only a matter of time that the bastard would rear his ugly head to show his ass. First thing was first, she had to make her presence known to prove she wasn’t really missing. The falsified report would go away and Derek would look like the little boy that cried wolf. Of course Derek will attempt to use his connections to find out just where Allison is being held but his attempts will come up short.

The worry that he can’t come up with the money will begin to sink in and his only out was now hidden from his sight. Completely out of his reach. Having placed an unbreakable restraining order against him with the countless stacks of hospital records, he had no choice but to stay far-far away. The invisible detail around her didn’t help matters a bit either. Even though Allison was determined she wasn’t going to leave her living quarters for fear that he would try something.

Antonio still needed her services and in return he would pay her nicely. Another form of payment was her secure living arrangements and an open door for assistance in any other area she may see the need. Although they were never together, it somehow always felt like a cordial breakup the way things ended. He was now open to accepting dates to different events to keep his mind off of his current infatuation. Allison was like a drug that he wanted to inhale all the high he could handle. He’d already taken the first step, now it was time to officially let her go.

“Alli sent these papers over for you to review.” Gio entered his office. Just hearing her name made his body react.

“How is she?”

“Why haven’t you gone to find out?”

“…”

“She’s fine.”

“Any word on the prick?”

“Yes actually. There has been a bug planted.”

“Oh yeah.”

“He’s up to his eyeballs in debt on all aspects of the spectrum. There is no way out of this mess he has created. It’s only a matter of time before one or all them try to take him out at one time. No fingers will even itch to point in this direction.” Gio recounted. “There is something else.”

“…” Antonio stopped everything he was doing to listen to this report. From the seriousness in Gio’s voice he knew this was going to be a doozy.

“Confirmation has been made on the administrator of Chon’s services.”

“How bad?”

“He has enlisted the services of two other leaders but that is only the beginning.”

“Beginning, huh?”

“He is trying to cause a mutiny amongst the organization and has even reached out to surrounding organizations. Claiming that you have grown soft because of the death of his father. His claims have reached as far as the southern hemisphere.”

“Everyone knows he is a hot head. Full of air, gassing himself up in the process of spewing untruths without sufficient proof. Call a meeting for all the Don’s minus all associates. This includes capos and soldiers, they all are to stay out of the conferences.” Antonio was getting angry just listening to this report.

“Already done. Including private meetings scheduled with those you don’t normally entertain.”

“Has his books come in?”

“Yes and as we suspected they are not regulating properly. Alli is wracking her brain trying to figure them out. The account numbers and video footage also came back with a positive identification belonging to the traitor as well. Somehow good ole Franco is officially missing. No one has seen nor heard from him. I wouldn’t be surprised if the snake is to blame for that as well.”

“An inside source says his wife was killed years ago by someone in Ernesto’s organization. It was all staged for Franco to gain the insurance money. Rumors circulated but were laid to rest just as easy considering whom he worked for. He being a widower makes it easier for him to disappear off the map without a trace or anyone to look for him.”

“I hate I ever put Allison in the spotlight like I did now.”

“The good thing about it is, the other’s only suspect that she was a one-time worker. No one is the wiser that she is still in your employ. All they know is their information is due here at the set times. Every document she signs off on is only under her initials. No trail.”

“Good. First meeting?”

“The plane is on the tarmac as we speak. Bags are prepared as well.”

“I need you to stay here for added precautions.”

“No can do. My first priority...”

“Is to follow orders.”

“Antonio, this isn’t a good idea with a price tag as substantial as it is on your head.”

“It’s part of the job. I need my most trusted in place in case something doesn’t work out the way we planned.”

Antonio knew Gio didn’t like his orders but also knew there was no winning this one. Gio knew Antonio so well, he didn’t have to explain why it was imperative that at least one of them stayed behind. If they were both indisposed there was no telling what kind of havoc the trouble makers would stir up. Antonio was well aware that he could very well never return to the states but that was a risk he would have to take. Mainly to show the crooked bitches that wanted him knocked out that he wasn’t going down without a fight. No one was going to rob him of his given right, passed justly through blood. GAME ON BITCHES!

*****

Allison was torn with her feelings to be back in the states. Having no friends before all this happened there was no one to contact. No one to reach out to. With the current restraining order against Derek, she was sure he wanted her blood. Mercifully he had no ways of communicating with her being that the only phone she had while with him was left at their residence the night she abducted. That left absolutely no means of communication between the two.

Antonio had in so many words asked her to return to Illinois to continue to be his accountant. Gio assured her that she would be so far behind the scenes, it would take an act of God to pick her out. Carlina made her swear to continue to stick close to Antonio for safety reasons. For her she would do just about anything.

The constant fear that somehow Derek would still get within a stone’s throw to reach out and touch her, she almost passed on the opportunity. On one hand she hoped that the fling they started would continue and that was the real reason he wanted her close. To no avail that didn’t happen. On the other hand she was thankful because she was living foul and even though Derek was never faithful, two wrongs didn’t make it right. With him being so obviously close to Brian, she was afraid to take a chance. How could she keep him away from her? How could she obtain a divorce without putting herself in more danger? Hell how could she divorce him without beating herself up too bad for going against the bible or at least what her understanding of it was.

When Carlina had given her information on filing a restraining order to give her time to make up her mind, she remembered all the orders that were ignored. All the reports of women filing restraining orders against their abusive spouses to go into hiding, only for the men to ignore them and do bodily harm. So many women never lived to see the next day after such an ordeal. She was ever so thankful she never conceived a child with the bastard. He didn’t deserve to reproduce that was for sure.

“Hey, I’m downstairs.” Gio said through the speaker.

“Oh, alright.” Allison answered hesitantly.

“Hey Alli.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Not happy to see me, I see.” Gio raised an eyebrow at her with a playful smirk.

“No, it’s not that. You know what I mean. You were supposed to be out of town. Was the trip cancelled?”

“I came by to check on you. The last time…” Gio tried to change the subject but Allison quickly caught on and wasn’t going for it.

“Rob just checked on me. Plus you could have called.”

“It’s better in person.”

“The same thing he always says.”

“We have apartments in the same building anyway, might as well swing by.”

“I thought you lived at the estates.”

“We have rooms there as well.”

“Awesome. Now back to the trip being cancelled.”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“No. What happened to the trip? I wasn’t expected you all back for a while.”

“Don Mucciono ordered me to stay behind.”

“Why? That’s makes no sense. You always travel with him.”

“You know just in case.”

“Just in case what?”

“…” Gio only looked at Allison as if to say she knew better than to ask dumb questions.

“What if something happens to him?”

“His words exactly for leaving me behind.”

“Why didn’t you convince him it wasn’t safe to travel without you?”

“Tried that as well. Come on now it’s bad enough I am not supposed to talk about business with you.”

“Please, give me a break.” Her stomach started to churn smelling the Chinese food she just eaten not even twenty minutes ago. She’d just fixed Gio a plate. She figured that was one of the main reason any of the guys visited her apartment. To eat. “Excuse me.” Allison ran to the restroom as fast as she could. Her nerves were on tilt and there was nothing she could do about it.

“You alright?” She heard Gio ask from the door. From the sound of his voice he was disgusted beyond measure.

“Fine. It’s just my nerves.” Allison flushed the toilet and was now rinsing her mouth out.

“Your nerves?”

“Yeah. Just worried about
your
boss is all.”

“…” Gio didn’t say anything else as they reclaimed their seats in the eating area in her kitchen.

“Since when did your nerves cause you to puke your guts out?”

“Since now. I don’t know.” Allison was getting a bit frustrated all of sudden. She felt like she was on the defense.

“Bullshit.”

“Whatever.”

“Allison, are you pregnant?”

“NO! No. I told you…”

“I know what you said before.”

“Then why are you asking something so idiotic?”

“Things happen. Who diagnosed you infertile?”

“What?”

“Don’t continue to insult my intelligence, Allison.” Gio responded with disdain.

“…” Allison only closed her eyes at the spinning room. She was beginning to overheat again.