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Is he sick? Is he really trying to make amends? I feel like I stepped into an alternate dimension.
“Well, if you really want to hash out old problems and make things right, you can start by releasing the mother of my child.”
A smirk forms on his face. “I’m not done with her just yet. She still has a purpose to fulfill.”
My fists clench as anger fills my veins. I will get Alexandra out of his house, and there will be hell to pay for anyone involved in her kidnapping.
Chapter Nineteen
ALEXANDRA
Giuseppe Rossi tookmy pictures and left. He hasn’t been back since. I don’t know if it’s been hours or days.
I’ve cried off and on and even napped when my eyes refused to stay open. I’ve tried counting, but that’s not really entertaining.
There’s no way for me to escape this room. I’ve tried twice. There are no windows to crawl out of, the door locks from the outside, and the air conditioner vent is too narrow.
My only option to get out of this room is for Giuseppe or Vincent to let me out, and that’s as likely to happen as a unicorn coming to save me.
The lock tumbles on the door a second before the metal hatch swings open. Vincent steps into the doorway with a smirk on his face. “I think it’s time for some family bonding time. You two can get reacquainted.”
He shoves Dad into the room with me. Dad is skinnier than the last time I saw him. His hair is longer and matted in the back and he looks like he needs a shower.
“Talk, and enjoy captivity with one another.” Vincent slams and locks the door behind him.
Dad walks to the other side of the room and sits on the mattress in the corner. “It really is good to see you again, Alex. You grew into a very beautiful woman. I hear you are pretty successful, too.”
I lean back against the wall, not in the mood for friendly small talk.
“I had no choice but to work my ass off. I was lucky to find the job I did, especially without a college degree.”
“You could have found another job. You didn’t have to go straight to the mafia boss in town and beg for a job.”
I sigh. Clearly he’s not going to shut up, but maybe if I don’t engage too much, he will stop talking. “I didn’t beg.”
There might have been some desperate pleading, but I didn’t really beg for the job. We were both equally desperate at the time. He needed someone to keep him organized and on time for his meetings, and I needed a job to get a place of my own and a car.
His voice is as soft as a whisper. It’s the opposite of what I’ve known. “Alex, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that there are less risky jobs out there. You didn’t have to go straight to Arturo Marino and the life of crime.”
I mentally roll my eyes. He’s one to talk. Most of the money he used for gambling was acquired illegally.
“For the most part, I sit at a desk and answer phone calls and reply to emails. My life was never at risk until you came to town and painted a target on my back.”
That is technically not true, but I was a whole hell of a lot safer with Joseph and the guys watching out for me. I never would have had to lie and pretend to be working for Rossi if Dad was still in the hellhole he calls home.
He clears his throat and speaks louder. “You could have graduated high school, gone to college, got your degree, and found a great job back home.”
My dry laugh echoes throughout the room.
Is he fucking for real?
“With lots of help and advice from Arturo, I got my GED and driver’s license. I don’t need a degree to get a great job because I already have a great job. The pay is amazing, the benefits are better than anywhere else, and I’m always surrounded by great people that always take my thoughts and opinions into consideration.”
“I don’t understand why you felt the need to run away and change your name. You were always so dramatic as a child. I’m surprised you didn’t get a job in acting or theater.”
I scoff as he tries to pretend my childhood wasn’t that bad, like I made it all up on my own.
“The only smiling picture I have from my childhood is from my eighth birthday. I wanted a cake so bad, but you and Mom never celebrated my birthday. Mrs. Edith found me crying on the front porch and snuck me a tiny cupcake. After I ate it, she took my picture.”