Page 12 of Crescendo

He flicks it open, and my world ends. “It’s finally time.”

Time.It slows to a crawl for me. I can’t breathe. I can’t take my eyes off the object perched on a pillow of black velvet inside that box, either. The light of the chandelier overhead glances off the expertly cut face of a small, polished bit of material.A diamond, my mind supplies. It’s attached to a metal base that forms a delicate circle.A ring.

“You’re speechless,” Vinny says, grinning. He’s happy.

I’m...crying. My vision blurs. I blink too rapidly, and the tears fall, striking my cheeks. I can’t even lift my hand to wipe them away, and they slide down my face unchecked, wetting the collar of my blouse.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

He holds out his hand expectantly, but I can’t move. I can’t take my eyes off the ring. It really is beautiful—a beautiful shackle. At the thought of putting it on, pain sears through every inch of my body.

After years of studying Vinny, I know better than to let him catch me off guard, and even this “surprise” was anticipated, in a sense—the inevitable end to the songbird’s captivity. I just hadn’t expected it to come now. I had another year left, at least. One more year before I had to take his name, become hiswife.

“Tell me how happy you are,” Vinny commands.

I’ve been silent for too long—emotionless for too long. His fingers flex impatiently for my hand.

“I’m ha...” The words stick in my throat. My arm won’t budge.

“Put it on,” Vinny urges, nodding toward the ring.

I can’t. I can’t. I won’t do it.I eye the scenery behind his head, chewing so hard on my bottom lip that I taste blood. This is the part of the nightmare when I usually wake up, sometimes with a scream poised at the back of my throat. I can’t seem to make any sound now, ironically. I can’t speak. I can’t cry out.

There’s a man at the table behind Vinny. A woman is sitting across from him, but his eyes remain fixated on our table. He sees me, and I wonder if he knows what’s happening. If he can see what little life there is left drain out of me. I certainly can feel it leaving. My limbs are heavier. The artificial heat is sweltering. I’m suffocating beneath flimsy lace and luxurious cotton.

“Lynn?” Vinny snaps his fingers, the sound sharp and demanding—but I still can’t bring myself to look at him. Not yet. This wasn’t supposed to happen yet. “Daniela...”

The man behind Vinny is still watching us. He has short, black hair and a memorable face. There’s a scar underneath his left eye, a sight my mind won’t let go of for some reason. My gaze drifts downward to take in the rest of him. He’s wearing a suit three years out of style. The woman across from him is siting toostiffly. It’s as if, even inside Vinny’s carefully crafted illusion, they don’t belong...

“Daniela, are you listening to me?” Vinny’s tone is an ominous growl.

I’m spoiling this for him. He’ll enjoy making me suffer.

But I can’t take my eyes off the strange diner; he definitely doesn’t fit. It’s almost as if we’re playing a silent game, the two of us. The moment he notices me staring, he reaches into his pocket and withdraws a metal object that glints in the light of the chandelier. He raises it quickly and aims it surely—but there’s a split second when he hesitates. I could scream then. Alert Vinny. But I don’t.

He realizes that, his mouth twisting into a frown.Why?I can imagine him wondering that while Vinny utters something in a dark tone for my ears only. The truth is...I don’t care what the hell he does with that gun.

Just as long as he shoots me first.

“Mr. Stacatto! Get down!”

The shout from one of his thugs startles Vinny into turning around—just as the assassin pulls the trigger.

Bang!

The sound is mind-wrenching. World-splitting. It tears through my eardrums, and I can almost taste the resounding silence that comes after. I’ve never felt freer than in that one pathetic second. There’s no one in this narrow void with me. There’s only silence...

And then, like a freight train at full speed, reality slams back into me, throwing me out of my chair.

“Stay down!” someone growls into my ear.

Then all I hear is sound. Clashing, clanging, terrible sound.Four more gunshots echo off the walls, followed by shouts and screams that churn into a deafening hum.

I blink, struggling to make out my surroundings. All I can see are polished loafers racing across the room. Silverware crashesdown from a nearby table. There’s a dark, red substance forming a puddle on the polished floor a few feet away, and despite the confusion swirling around me...I pray to God that it’s Vinny’s.

“Get up.” A heavy hand seizes my collar and drags me to my feet.

I sway. The once beautiful restaurant is in shambles. The tables are crooked, some overturned. The chairs are empty. A few stragglers struggle for the exits, but the only people left are two men I recognize as Vinny’s goons and me. AndVinny...