GINEVRA
Sometimes, I wondered how many raptures I had missed. I’d sit in my room and hear about all the massacres, the genocides, volcanic eruptions, suicides, homosides, and every natural and unatural causes of death—and I’d ask myself, was it rapture for the victims?Rapture had after all been painted that way in my head—a few would be taken, and those undeserving would be left behind.Why was I always left behind?365 days in a year, millions out of billions of people would cross over to the other side, they’d get their rapture—but me, was I unrapturable? Had I done something wrong?What was it about me that had death spitting me out? I asked these questions because at the end of the day, I desired to be raptured.I wanted to be raptured.Why was I still breathing? The thought had popped into my head as my eyes shot open. The thought popped into my head in between the pain and muscle spasms I felt.Through the strong odor of alcohol swabs.Everything was a little blurry, but I could see the IV drip bag resting on the white washed ceiling, and a man standing over me.As I struggled to fully awake, more darkness clouded me. I felt imprisoned, the despicable truth of my past taunting my consciousness. Every memory I loathed resurfaced, leaving me a whimpering mess—there was no escaping my past. There was no running away. The farther I ran, the more those events caught up on me.I groaned again, feeling irritated by the continuous beeping noise that wouldn’t stop resonating in my ear drums.“Shut it off,” I breathed, a strained whimper escaping my throat. The noise didn’t stop. “Shut it the fuck off!” I forced my voice aloud, my eyes finally snapping open, shooting a glare at the startled doctor hovering over me.A doctor.My brows creased together in confusion. “Where am I?” I questioned and the doctor eyed me suspiciously, his confused eyes darting around the entire room as if to mock my inability to note that I was in a hospital. Heaving out a shaky breath, I asked, “where the fuck am I?”He cleared his throat. “In the hospital?”“You have an accent,” I observed. “Am I in Italy?”Silence stretched in the room for a few minutes before the doctor began speaking. “Where else are you meant to be?” He inquired, his fingers working fast as he scribbled a few things on a clipboard. “It is quite concerning that you wound up here all beat up, with traces of hard drugs in your blood and now you’re awake and can’t even remember a thing. Do I have to involve la polizia?”“I—““They’ll be no need for that.” A powerful voice spoke as the door jammed shut. The same ocean blue eyes that had kept me on my toes for months collided with mine, and those plump lips stretched into a smile.A smiled which seemed forced.“Ghost?” I whispered. He hummed a response as he sat by the edge of the bed. One glare shot at the doctor and the man scurried away. I swallowed thickly. “How did you find me?”Ghost hummed again, his eyes taking my form in, gently, slowly—sluggishly. I was unnerved by the look in his eyes. “Anonymous tip,” he drawled his answer. “I’ve missed you, Ginevra Rodriguez. What kept you so long in Russia? Was Viktor Advik a difficult man to deal with?”I fell silent.The Pakhan of Russia Bratva was an extremely difficult man—he wasn’t just difficult, he was wickedness personified.I recalled how I blacked out the moment I stepped out of my car—the moment the heel of my shoe made contact with the ground. I didn’t know how long I was unconscious for but all I knew, was that I was continuously waking up, and passing back out.I had no control over how my body operated anymore. My head was a mess. My nightmares had become so real that I began losing my mind.I was hallucinating, I knew I was hallucinating, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing so.The Russians had done something to me. And that something clawed at my skin, bones, mind, body, and soul.Day and night, all I did was scream. I begged for them to spare me even a minute of torture. But my plea seemed to be a compelling force for them.The torture didn’t end until I began to take it silently. They didn’t stop until I was silenced. It took about a week after that before The Pakhan made his presence known.That day, when The Pakhan walked into the room I was held in, an unsettling silence had stretched across the room, leaving me in complete fear. I needed not to be told that a person of power was in the same space as I."You look a great deal of pain," The Pakhan had murmured, his eyes glaring into mine. "I got your gift, Ginevra Rodriguez, and I can only wonder how stupid you are to have stepped foot on Russia soil after what your people did to my daughter.” His voice had been calm, too calm for comfort.I gulped down the thick lump forming in my throat as I managed to breathlessly whisper. "You're not going to kill me.""Ah! really?" He had asked humorlessly."Not if I have the answers you seek," I said, my words a complete mess—slurred and murmured.The man had just offered me a single nod like he was amused by my make-believe courage. "You really are gutsy. A person in your present state attempting to strike a deal with me, do you think me incapable of uncovering the truth?"I was completely terrified of the man that stood tall before me, but I couldn’t afford to show my fear. I had to prove myself worthy. I had already gotten the man’s attention and it would be a mistake on my part if I had let my fears win.With a chuckle, I held his gaze and spoke—this time making certain my voice was stable enough to exude authority. "If you were capable, you would have uncovered that truth by now, but here we are."All the man did was hum as he signaled his men to unchain me. And when they did unchain me, it hadn’t taken a second before I was dragged across the floor and slammed on the chair at the opposite side of The Pakhan.A simple demand was made. “Tell me what you know about the murder of Ariana Viktor Advik.”That simple demand alone led to my unending torture, because I wasn’t willing to give up any answers just yet. I needed to strike a deal, and until the deal was struck, I was willing to remain silent.That deal had taken too long to be struck. So long that I had passed out in the middle of my unending hell, and when my eyes finally opened, I found myself in Italy.My life was going exceedingly great.Dragging my hands across my face, I breathed in a long, shuddered breath. “The Pakhan gave me five days to deliver the culprit to him in Russia.”Ghost hummed. “Well, you have to act fast. You’ve been here for three days and that leaves you with less than two days to put things in order.”“Merda.” I sighed. “I’m still sore all over, I don’t think I’m ready to do this.”Laughter rippled out of Ghost—he mocked me with each chuckle and each tsk. “Stop whining, Ginevra, pain is a state of mind. Get your ass out of that bed and do what you need to do in order to stay alive, except you want to be skinned alive by that unforgiving man.”He was right. I needed to do this, for myself and for Julia. I had to stand true by the promises I made to her.I gathered all the strength I could, and slid out of the hospital’s bed.My movements were sluggish at first, until I chugged down a cup of coffee and got a shot of morphine. I began operating like a machine. Again.All I needed to do was stay alive.“Stay alive, Ginevra.” I chanted continuously to myself as I drove home in the car Ghost had lent me.. . .It took more than a few hours and five more cups of coffee before I arrived the Rodriguez estate.I was already running out of time, hence, my impatience. A meeting with the members of the parliament was already scheduled over the phone before I walked into mio padre’s manor.Anger.That was the exact emotion I felt the moment I walked into the cursed house. My father, mother, brother, and both sisters—they were seated with smiles on their faces as they conversed whilst having a peaceful lunch. None looked worried about my safety. None cared about what might’ve prompted my sudden disappearance.They were happy within themselves.I scoffed to myself, feeling the weight of guilt lifted off my shoulders. I could ruin them now without batting an eye.“Look who’s back home,” my sister—Emma—jested. All eyes snapped towards me and with a shrug of my shoulders, my gaze was diverted to my brother.He seethed. “The fuck are you staring at?”“You?” I answered, a ghostly smile sweeping across my lips. “I’m staring at you, Gustavo, and I’m wondering how you plan on getting yourself out of this mess.”“What mess?” It was mio padre’s voice that thundered this time. He knew what his son was capable of, and the look in his eyes showed how petrified he was of whatever situation his son might’ve landed himself into. Again.I laughed. “You should ask your son, papà. Ask him why he’s so self destructive.”“Abbastanza!” Gustavo roared.My father heaved out a breath—a calming breath. A shaky breath. “What are you talking about, Ginevra?”“Ariana Viktor Advik is dead.” I declared, my index and middle finger pushing a raspberry fruit into my mouth as my eyes landed on my brother’s. “You killed her, didn’t you?”Time stilled.Breaths shook.Mouths dropped open.Tears brimmed my mother’s eyes.My father’s jaw locked. “Gustavo. . .”“I don’t know what she’s talking about, papá!” My dearest brother screamed in fear. “Why’re you accusing me of things I know nothing of? What proof do you have?”I chortled. “Oh, I have proof, so many of them.” I declared, throwing my tab and a brown envelope on the glass table centering the dinning area.“Look at me,” I kissed my teeth, “look at the evidence of how much I’ve had to suffer because you chose to be stupid! I’m done. I’m done protecting you, and I’m done covering up for you. The Pakhan of Russia will be coming, I hope you’re ready.”Mio Padre rose from his seat. “Ginevra,” he began, his voice pinged with rage. “As the head of this family, you’ll not let this escalate. You’ll protect your brother. It is an order.”“I can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t do this. Who’ll take the blame? Who?” My gaze fell on my pale-looking brother. “Except he’s willing to give me a name. I’m sure he didn’t do this alone, right, Gustavo? They was someone else, si?”He nodded absentmindedly.I chuckled at how weak he truly was. “Well, give me a name.”“I can’t. I can’t betray him.”“Very well then,” I made a move to leave but father’s voice boomed. “I’ll fucking put a bullet in your skull if you don’t start talking right this instant! You think I care about some stronzo? You’ll not put my family to shame like this, Gustavo!”“It’s Maxwell!” Gustavo’s chest quaked. “I did it with Maxwell.”“Cazzo,” papá breathed. His breath strained and ragged. “You heard him, take care of it.”“On one condition.” I smiled.“Of course, Ginevra. Nothing comes free with you. Get it done, I’ll do whatever you need me to.”I beamed again. “Of course you would.”I began making my way out of my father’s manor with a smile on my face—I felt their gazes burning against my back—I was proud of my boldness.I hadn’t stuttered, I hadn’t faltered, and my gaze hadn’t wavered.I was winning.I won.GINEVRA My hair in a messy bun, an all black two piece sweat pant and shirt was all I adorned myself by. Today was not an official day, today was the day I would feast on blood, today was the day I was going to let the monster that had relentlessly clawed at my soul have a taste of what it had been yearning for.Today was the day I was going to leave my mark, and gain myself a lasting reputation and respect in both my clan and all of the crime families in Cosa Nostra.In the world of crime, women were almost never taken seriously—young, vibrant women like myself especially. We were bred to become wives and mothers, we were used as tools to initiate peace treaties between rival families.We were regarded as nothing but princesses with pretty faces, nice bodies, and a good pussy.But I wanted nothing to do with that absurd arrangement. I wanted more. I had always desired to be more than a princess.And when I was declared and sworn in as the head of my clan, a lot of Capo’s expressed
GINEVRAFear had erupted deep in my soul.With every click of my heels against the floor, came fear.With every rattle of chains, came fear.With every strained whimper, came fear.I trembled tremendously as I walked through the tunnel-like structure leading into the holding cell where Maxwell was held captive.Cold shivers coursed through my bloodstreams as I had a recollection of about a week ago, when I was in the same situation as Maxwell. I was held hostage by the same man, I was familiar with that evil smirk plastered across his lips, I was familiar with the stench of blood and human feces, I was familiar with the smoke from his burning cigar, I was familiar with those chains, and I was familiar with the fear in Maxwell’s eyes.But I wasn’t familiar with the way my heart almost leaped with joy at the suffering of another.I was unfamiliar with the way my adrenaline pumped.A few hours ago when Maxwell was delivered to the Pakhan during the procession of his daughter’s funeral, t
GINEVRA When I told my father that helping his son escape Don Viktor’s wrath came with a price, he had imagined that price to be money.It was after all what the average human pined after—money.But for me, money was not an issue. Julia left me a shit ton.So, when I had demanded that ownership of the Rodriguez group of companies be passed down to me, it caused a stir of trouble in the Rodriguez home.Gustavo came at me, Sophia Rodriguez—my mamá—came at me, and my eldest sister came at me.Selfish.Insensitive.Greedy.Fool.Wicked.They had all called me names, slapped me across the face even. And all I did was wear a smile. I wore a smile with pride and sat there until their ranting died down.Mio padre knew, he knew there was no way out of the mess his son had caused him. So, when his extremely loud family had the decency to keep their tongue at bay, he simply got the documents ready and his companies were transferred under my name.It took hours, but I waited. I had no issue wait
GINEVRA The day of the hijack.“Padre Nostro, che sei nei cieli, sia santificato il tuo nome.”My shoulders slumped. “Venga il tuo regno, sia fatta la tua volontá.”My knees burnt against the ground as I had been kneeling for too long. “Come in cielo, così in terra.”The metal rosary dug into my palm, drawing blood. “Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano.”I shook. “E rimetti a noi i nostri debiti.”I quaked. “Come noi li rimettiamo ai nostri debitori.”I feared the unforeseen. “E non ci indurre in tentazione.”I murmured to myself. “Ma liberaci dal male.”I begged for redemption—a chance to be saved. A chance to walk away from this unscathed. “Amen.”I rose to my full height, swallowing the lump in my throat, firmly holding on to my last string of courage.Walking out of my room, energy surged through me, adrenaline pumped, I became more resolved—more determined to emerge a winner in my conquest.Seven days had rolled by quicker than I had anticipated, and today, after so many
RICARDO Twelve days before the hijack.I was born with a purpose.During the days of my mother, as related to how the story was told, women were looked down upon.There weren’t allowed to be involved in the business that concerned the men—those businesses included running the family, and bringing honor to their name. Sometimes, because of the strong affiliation to crime, drug trafficking and every other thing that had a connection to criminal activities were also handled by the men. Murder included.But my mother was a woman who was born different. She wanted different. She craved different. She was rebellious, too rebellious to be regarded a woman.Unfortunately for her, her father wasn’t a very flexible man. He needed her disciplined, he needed to tame her. And his idea of taming his daughter was marrying her off to a man she barely knew. My father.Their marriage wasn’t born out of love, but out of a business alliance.My mama’s world had shattered, and she began to desperately se
GINEVRA By my dressing table was a huge mirror, and by that mirror, I stood. Confused out of my mind, tears brimming my eyes, my body trembling, and an emotion that had no explanation surging through my veins. For hours, I had been standing in front of that mirror. Unable to move, unable to blink, and unable to properly function. Tears brimmed my eyes some more, stinging at the corners, wanting to slip out. I blinked rapidly, holding the tears in.What had I gotten myself into?What was I doing wrong?I had desperately sought after power all my life, and now, I had that power, I had gained myself quite the reputation—I was something. And yet, I was miserable.With great power, came great pain. The power I had achieved was my undoing.I blinked again, taking in the reflection of me as repeated flashbacks of when I pulled open the back doors of the truck came afresh in my memory, disorienting my conscious state.The many pairs of eyes belonging to women and children that had fearfull
RICARDO Pacing back and forth in my office, rage enveloped me, my blood rose in anger, and my chest constricted with rage.How was I so oblivious to the disgusting activities that was happening right under my nose?How had I been completely blind to my mother’s wickedness?How did my father get away with constantly playing the victim?Questions after questions plagued my mind. I was losing my grip on the last string of sanity I had left. My life was a mess. My life was a complete mess.Desperately needing to calm my present disorderliness, I continuously poured myself one glass after another of scotch. The burning liquid hadn’t helped me at all.Nothing seemed to be working in my favor.I was doomed. My life was doomed.Human trafficking?Human fucking trafficking?!How could they do this? How could those monsters that birthed me do a thing like this?And I had been a fool. My papá must’ve been having a good laugh all those years when he had successfully played the victim, when in tr
GINEVRAOne week later.“Oh. . .Hi, Cassie! Why’re you just standing there? Come in.”My personal assistant strutted into my office and began assisting me with the files I had to organize before I retired for the day.With Cassie by my corner, my work ran smoothly. She was an angel, specially sent my way to make my life a little easier than it had been. She had always been there to help me whenever I ran into any unforeseen problems with the business.Cassie cared for me like a sister, and it hadn’t taken too long before I began letting her into my deepest, darkest secrets.Of course, not every information was shared, but she knew enough. Enough to know that the legal businesses my family ran was a front for something far more dangerous.Letting Cassie into that part of my life was my way of baiting her—I threw her a bone and waited for her to fall into my trap, but she instead proved herself worthy enough to earn my trust.Cyrus’s distrust for her was just his paranoia and she had pr