The Mafia's Redemption

Maria

An almost flat phone battery, ripped wedding dress, and horror are all I have, as I stumble on the rusty iron gate that leads to my father's house.

I pull my way into the old mansion covered in darkness, pulling down the creeping stems that covered the front door.

Some group of people have been trailing me since the mysterious death of my father earlier in the day. Hanging on a tiny thread of hope for survival, the best place I could think of for an escape is an abandoned property.

My phone vibrates as I glance behind, forcing my way into the building. I pick the call and slam the door shut. Dust settling over me from the harsh impact of the door against the crumbling building.

"Where are you, Maria."

"I'm at Pentagon," I reply, my whole body trembling as I slowly walk In, my eyes weary of tears.

"You went back there?"

"I couldn't think of a better hideout."

"Okay. Do not leave the mansion. I'll be there soon," his thick voice assures at the other end of the line.

"No...No...you can't come anywhere close. They'll kill you," I sob, falling on my knees as the memories flood back into my mind. I desperately need companion, but I could not bear the thought of bringing him into such a world as mine.

I hoped for freedom, instead, a pack of power hungry factions are after my life.

The last thing I intended was to allow Elvis anywhere close to my father's dark world.

He's a sweet gentleman, deserving of something more. Certainly, not a girl like me. Daughter of a ruthless don. The wedding was his idea of giving me a new life. How stupid of me to think of such possibility?

It would never be safe for him no matter how good his plan sounds. What was I ever thinking...that a girl like me could lead a normal life?

We planned a perfect small wedding. A happy ever after, far away from the claws of my father and his world. Until I was kidnapped right in the cathedral.

What should have been a fairy-tale wedding, turned out to be a bloodbath.

Unlike Elvis, I am now a murderer, no different from my late father.

So soon. Too soon, my wild imaginations of a perfect life have brought only pain to the man I always loved and a few others that died at the chapel.

"I don't care what they are, Maria. I'm coming for you. If they really want you dead, then they'll have to pass through me first." A new text from Elvis.

I try to call back. To stop him from making the mistake of his life. But my phone shuts down.

The damned phone dies. What now?

There's no stopping Elvis. His kind of love could be what every girl wishes for.

But who are my kidding? Elvis is weak. He could never stand against men like these. Men, strong enough to subdue a man like my father. The great Giovanni.

I would never be able to forgive myself, if Elvis becomes another victim in this clash.

A prolonged creaky sound comes from outside.

I jerk up from the cold ground, wrapping my arms around my shivering body, backing away from the direction of the sound. My eyes are fixed on the entrance.

They are here. A weapon is useless for defense, even if I had one on me.

I only pray for a less painful torture.

And with the Mafias, it is an impossible wish.

"Don't hurt me!" I scream with my eyes shut right as the door gives way to a faint ray of the setting sun outside.

"Maria," i hear my name. It doesn't sound threatening. It's the same charming voice I fell for some two years ago. I open my eyes to my beloved, as he rushes towards me for an embrace.

I bury my face in his suits, in tears. He still looks as charming as he did when he stood at the altar before the awful incidence.

"I'm sorry, Elvis..."

"You stay quiet, honey. If there's anyone to apologize, it's me. I'm sorry I was late,"

He replies, raising my chin and placing a kiss on my trembling lips.

"Your beloved husband is here now. Nothing can separate us. Not even your father..."

I pull away from his embrace instantly, with eyes filled with tears. He didn't know about it.

"They killed him."

I try to fight the tears as I break the news. The news I saw on the news myself, disguised as suicide. I know my father too well to believe the media.

"I think they are after me because I'm the only heir. And then they'll come for you because you have me," I add.

Our eyes meet as i speak, backing away from him.

"This thing..." I point at Elvis and then myself, "...Can't work. We've got to go our separate ways. It's the only way you can be safe."

I can hear the shattering of my heart as I speak the words. But it's the only way out.

"You don't know what you're saying, Maria. I wasn't kidding at the altar when I made those vows. We have a plane to catch for our honeymoon. So would you keep quiet and stick to the plan?" He insists, closing the gap between us as he reaches for my hand.

"By the way I'm sorry about your father."

"The same plan that almost got me killed, Elvis. It's a miracle I escaped them."

I pull away again, "Don't you get it! Your life is in danger because of me. You have to go! Leave this town!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Maria. I'm leaving this town but not without my newly wedded wife. The cops are outside. We have their protection. Now, would you please..."

Tears escape the corners of his eyes as his words trail off. His sincerity, deep affection gives me a false sense of protection but I know better.

The cops are not enough to protect us. But, I let myself fall for the delusions as we walk out of the darkness into a fleet of cop cars.

The ground outside is covered in flashing siren lights, as some armed cops approach us to guide us into one of the convoys.

Just as Elvis reaches for the car door, a loud explosion blast into the night, suspending my senses for what seems like a minute as I find my body face-down to the ground, my hands clasped above my head.

Maria

Thick smokes from the burning cars cloud my vision. I see figures of stiff bodies scattered all around in the chaos. Bodies of cops expected to protect me, drenched in their own blood.

I crawl in search of Elvis but the sole of a polished black shoe stops me. I lift my gaze, to the silhouette of a tall man towering above me.

The hem of his black leather coat grazes over the bridge of my nose as I try to make out the face.

"There she is," the man says.

A sharp cry come from the corner in the darkness.

"Let him go!" I scream as I sight Elvis at the mercy of a group of men, beating him to pulp.

"My apologies. You must have been expecting my visit. I see you're all dressed for our wedding. Aren't you, little angel?" the man says, pulling me up and flicking the brown hair sticking to the sides of my sweaty face.

"Let go of me," I cry, as he cuffs my neck with his thick arms, pulling me along.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Elvis rages from a corner, approaching us with a stick after managing to set himself free from the thugs behind him.

But he's kicked back to the floor before he gets close to me.

"It's going to be a long night," the man announces, smacking me on the face. I find myself falling helplessly as though I am floating, until everything becomes dark and silent.

The air is hot. It feels like I'm in a steam bath. The whiff of my sweat fills my nostrils as I regain consciousness but, there's another lingering scent.

Very familiar.

A secluded room in my father's house had that same horrific smell. A day that revealed my father's true identity. The smell of spontaneous decay.

With a throbbing head, I try to lift myself but I hear the clang of metals. Wide-eyed, I realize the chains clasped around my wrist, arms suspended above my head, anchored to a hook.

"Let me go!" I scream, terror engulfing me.

I catch the form of a man standing up from a chair in front of a fireplace, approaching me with a smirk.

"I made that mistake once, princess," he replies, his voice poisonous.

He takes off his hat, leaning towards me as he puffs smoke from his pipe.

I choke from the smell, coughing profusely, sweat tingling from every pore on my skin.

"Perfect timing," he adds, "You've been asleep for way too long. The priest is just by the door," He resumes full posture and walks away. My eyes trail his features. And for the first time, I see his form clearly. The chiseled jawline, a dangerous stare and a smile that spells mischief.

"I'll forgive you for trying to run away from me. Repeat the same stupid act and it would be the end of you," he says casually and takes a long drag from his pipe.

There's a knock on the door far ahead, opposite where I kneel.

"Come on in." He turns toward the dusty door on the extreme end.

The whole place makes my stomach churn with fear, enough to want to puke.

It's like a warehouse abandoned for decades. A complete wreck, yet someone took time to make out a room in the midst of the wreck.

Thoughts of Elvis crosses my mind as a priest walks in, guided in by two able-bodied men, fully armed.

"Where's Elvis!"

"Who the hell is that. This shall be our priest for the hour," he replies as though he didn't understand me.

"Elvis is my husband. What did you do to him, you bloody murderer!" I scream suddenly.

"Easy on the emotions, princess. There's only one husband. Me. And, It's our wedding night. You should be happy."

He turns briefly to me and back on the priest,

"Shall we proceed?."

It has to be a joke. What wedding?

He stands beside me as the priest is guided to our front by these heavily-built men.

The priest is spitting some words, clearly he's scared too.

"This is crazy! Shut the hell up you..." I order the priest as he begins the vows.

"You listen to me girl. I make the orders here and you do exactly as I say," the man beside me warns, smacking me on the cheek. The pain forces me to be quiet as I notice the situation I'm in. It must be the same people that kidnapped me. The same group that killed my father. The horror dawns on me as I recognize the voice that scared me to death as a child.

"I've no patience for such a display. Proceed," he turns to the priest with a cold stare.

I struggle with the chains, my eyes soaked in tears as the priest continues chanting what seems like a ritual prayer.

"I, Luca Adolfo accept you, Maria Giovanni, as mine," the bloody voice chants beside me.

Lost and terrified, I watch in horror as he turns to me, "It's your turn. Take your vows, princess."

"Repeat after me," the priest says in a tremble.

"Never! Such a coward you're, Luca. You had to wait for my father's death to claim me as your wife. You wouldn't dare lift a finger if he were alive," I breathe angrily, tears mixed with hot beading sweats.

"On the contrary, my dear princess. I killed him," his reply splattered with pride, adjusting the collar of his blood-stained shirt.

Even though I knew all along, the manner he said those words send shivers down my spine. Not out of pity for my late father, but out of fear of what this beast might do to me too.

"...and I won't hesitate to kill you if you disrupt this ritual again."

"I'd rather die than be your wife, Luca," I spit, my sudden courage surprising me.

As much as I fear death, I fear Luca even more. I know the kind of man he is. A hungry beast who would stop at nothing to claim my father's empire, I'm simply a bonus to the package.

"I saw this coming. You leave me with no choice, Maria."

He walks away from me, approaching a table filled with weapons and a bag of daggers, arranged in different sizes.

"Bring him in," he orders.

Immediately, the door swings open and a man falls to the floor.

"Elvis!"

"That's right. This goes right into him. A painful death. Nothing less, I promise," Luca threatens, admiring the blades of the knife in his hand.

"Don't hurt him. Please let him go," I plead.

"That depends on you, Princess. It would be a delight to have him as an audience, if you cooperate."

Tears flow down my eyes as Elvis life flash before my very eyes. I want to crawl to him and help him from his pain, dress his wounds, but all I can do is swing around the chains holding me down. His cloth is soaked in his blood as he wails in pain on the floor. The sight pricks me so bad that i yell,

"I'll do it. I'll take the vows!"

My eyes are filled with pure hatred for Luca, as he chuckles.

"Please, Mariah. He doesn't deserve you," I hear Elvis' broken whisper, torturing me even more.

Luca makes another wild chuckle walking up to me and tapping my cheeks while I recite the vows, ignoring Elvis. It's the least I can do to protect him.

"I accept you, L..uca..." my voice breaks as I speak. A vow that binds me to the beast, giving him right to everything in my name, everything my father owned, and everything that belongs to me, including my body.

Maria

Elvis is badly injured and It is all my fault.

"I pronounce you as one," the priest concludes, making a cross sign in the air.

A gruesome cry follows immediately as a dagger is buried at the center of the priest's chest, making him fall lifeless in front of me.

In the midst of my shock, he turns around, backing me,

"I've no need of you too," he says. Then I realize he is referring to Elvis, aiming a pistol at him.

"No! We had a deal!" I scream, every cell in me fighting to set my hands loose from the constrains.

"Deals are made to be broken, darling wife. You must have learned that from your father."

One after the other, the bullet flies across the room, drilling into him, my only hope at a happy life. Elvis. Luca wouldn't stop sending those bullets into the stiff body.

I bow my head in grief, unable to stand the sight, my ears deafened from the shots.

The voice of his wails drilled into my ears until everything around me becomes still. So still that the loudest noise comes from my thumping heart. It suddenly dawns on me how helpless, lonely and stuck I am.

Terrified, I watch the blood fill the room, some splattered on my face.

Now, with my new husband, no doubt, my life has taken a new turn down miserable street.

There is no strength left in me for tears as they drag Elvis' body out of the room. His blood splattered on every side.

Another man drags out the priest. Now, it's just I and the beast in the room. With all that has happened tonight, i know it's just the beginning of my nightmares.

"The night is young...Our guests have left. I guess it's time to fulfil your role."

He picks up another small knife from the table, licking the blades seductively. The single bulb in the room only exaggerates the horrible scar on his face, qualifying him to be the most ugly human I ever met.

My heart is about to pull out of my chest as he approaches me.

I try to back away, but there's only little distance I can get away from him.

I feel the cold tip of the knife on my neck, trickling down to my wedding dress on my chest region.

There's an instant ripping sound.

I shudder as Luca rips off a portion of my wedding dress, exposing my chest.

"You know...your father and I used to be good friends. Until he betrayed me. I never forgive betrayals."

My eyes are horridly following the blades pointing against my skin.

"Let's see what we have down here..." he says in a whisper,

I can feel the cold blade on the parting of my laps.

"Please," I say with a nervous gulp, as he slices off the g-string off my waist with precision, the tip of the knife barely cutting through my skin.

He makes an irritating sigh, drawing close to my exposed laps.

"What a beauty to behold."

I shut my eyes knowing fully well that nothing could save me.

If only my legs weren't tied down, i would have made an attempt to kick him right under his balls. To suffer the consequences later.

My teeth are clenched as I feel his moist tongue on my laps, traveling up to the parting of my legs.

"Master! Big Tom is here. The goods are ready," one of Luca's men announces at the entrance.

I let out a heavy sigh as he backs away, resuming his full height.

"I smell lots of money. I'll be right back for you, darling." He places a kiss on my cheeks and resumes smoking his pipe.

As he approaches the door, he concludes,

"Get her some food."

A temporary relief falls on me as I watch him leave. A woman walks in. She seems to be in charge.

There's a tray of food in her hands as she squats in front of me, setting it on the floor. She reaches for the anchor above me, releasing my hands that has been suspended in the air for hours long. Weakly, I slump to the floor, crashing on the fetters on my wrist.

Luca is gone for a while. My chains are finally off. If only I could seize this moment.

I stare at the lady watching me as she unlocks the cuffs on my legs.

An escape is pointless, especially with how weak my body feels.

"I need to use the restroom," I asks, barely above a whisper.

"Whatever you've to do, you do it right there," the lady spits angrily, kicking the tray of food closer to me, her eyes constantly darting towards the entrance where a male guard stands.

I'm famished but I know better than to accept food from the likes of them. It could be drugged.

The man guarding the entrance, steps out to receive a phone call.

Immediately, the woman rushes towards me,

"You need enough strength for the task ahead," the woman suddenly whispers, grabbing my neck to face the food tray.

There's fear in her eyes as she keeps watch of the entrance.

"Who are you?" I ask, my brows furrowed in confusion.

"Doesn't matter. We don't have much time. Luca will be here anytime from now and you know what that means, don't you?."

I rush the food, my eyes fixed on the short blond woman risking her life for me. I watch as she puts out the fire in the fireplace with a bucket of water and ice.

"It's the fastest way out of here," she says.

I rush into a shirt, as she walks over to the door to shut it properly, before squatting in front of the fireplace. Without hesitation, I follow behind her as she crawls into it, trusting the lead of a stranger, enduring the burning woods under my skin. As long as it takes me away from Luca, I didn't care what lay at the other side, even if it is death.

The fireplace leads out of the room, linking to an underground tunnel that led out of the warehouse.

There's a car parked ahead of a deserted track as we finally arrive at the open end.

"Why did you choose to save me?" I ask in disbelief as she throws a car key at me.

"Are you going to question my help or buy yourself some more time to get lost?"

Her reply shuts me up immediately.

"Anyways, I need your help for a bigger mission and that can't happen if I watch you die. You can call me Betty. Your new ID is in the car. Start a new life and stay hidden. We'll keep in touch."

Before I can say another word, Betty is out of sight.

I hurry into the car, finding my new ID that reads,

"Sarah Mayhill."