I am not playing around,
I got the crown
You cannot play in my ground

CARTER

These couple of days felt like heaven.
Everything was quiet until one night...

I wake up in the middle of the night to find her gone. Her side of the bed had gone cold and my left arm hurt for some reason. My shoulder blade is sore.

I get up and call her name, "Lilly?" No answer. No sound.

I go downstairs and everything is perfect, just the way we left it before going to sleep. My heart felt uneasy. I check the bathrooms and the store room, but she wasn't there.
I run out the door and she isn't in the hammock either. I run behind the house and she isn't there.
Run to the car, I can't find her.

I ran back to the house and try to look for her again, completely quiet. I turn on the lights in the living room and I find scratches on the wooden floor, leading out to the door but there are no boot tracks on the sand.
When my gaze lands on the arm that hurt, I notice the little red spot right on the vein.

I was out. Someone put me out.

I start to panic when I see her ring on the coffee table and I know... I know I didn't protect her this time. I grab my phone and as I even hold it in my hand for a second, it rings. I pick the call up and put the phone to my ear.

"Good morning, sunshine." Elijah chirps. Every vein, every bone in my body turns into flames. They took my wife from me.
Elijah asks, "Did you like the little sign my boss left on the back of your shoulder?" I run to the nearest mirror and turn around and look at my shoulder. It was a tattoo, a flower on fire. It was small but it was big enough to know that was a sign of Castello's mafia. I hold the phone tighter and grunt, "Where is my wife?"

"Oh, you mean Lilly? She's right here with me. We'll play hide and clap. I'm hiding while she wears the blindfold. Wanna talk to her?"

I hear her cries in the background, "Carter! Please! Carter! I'm so scared." Then Elijah clicks his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, never understood what you saw in this weak little girl that you made your whole life at this point. Is it the boobs? I can agree if you tell me her boobs were the reason you married her."

I warn him, word by word, "If you hurt her, I will bury you alive." Elijah snorts, "Save the drama. You know what I can do if you threaten. And I would put a bullet between her brows if you try to kill me."

"How did you find us?"

"You know I'm a great tracker. The small the trail, the more I have fun solving the puzzles. You know this. You've known me forever."

"No, I don't know you. You're not my best friend anymore."

"What makes you think I was before, stupid? Naive little Carter. All he has is mommy and daddy issues, and now I feel like you got wife issues." He chuckles at my fear, but I say, "What do you want? If you let her go unharmed, I'll do whatever you want. If you want the mafia, you can have it. Do you want money? Drugs? Name your price." He acts as if he's thinking it over but then I hear the grin, "What if I want your wife?"

"Elijah!"

"Oh, I don't think you're in any position to scream, Carter."

My voice trembled as I ask again, "What do you want?" Then he gets serious, "I want you to come to this location," my phone pings, and I open the map on my phone. It was a warehouse, a couple of hours away. I ask, "Is that it? You want me to come there?"

"Yes, and I want you to have a nice long chat with my boss."

"I don't need to speak to Rossi."

Elijah laughs loud, "You think I work for Rossi? You dumb little fuck. I work for someone more powerful than you and I. Someone that can bring you to your knees."

"Who?"

"You'll know when you come to us, unarmed. The clock is ticking. Ticktock, ticktock, ticktock."

"Fuck you."

"Oh my god, I'm so scared." Then he starts chuckling again. "Be here and we'll see you soon. My boss is waiting for you."

♡

I get to the place they told me to reach. Unarmed as promised. I even left my knife at home. The only thing on me was my phone. I didn't even wear a watch.

The place I was in was a disgusting warehouse. No power or anything except for the light outside the boarded-up windows. The place smelled like sewer water. It burned my nose and made me almost puke.

No sound or anything which might've told me there are people in here. It's all so fucking quiet.

I say loud, "I'm here now!" My voice echoes in the huge warehouse, bouncing off the old rusted machines. I say again, "Elijah, where is my wife?!" Then I hear footsteps. I turn around to the sound and there he is, the man who's stabbed me in the back.

His two guns are strapped to the holsters he wears. One at his thigh and the other in the holster vest. He looks distraught and panicking. He comes running to me and holds me by my arms, "I'm so fucking glad you're here. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I had to pretend that I was working for them to protect you and Lilly. Carter, believe me, stabbing you in the back is the last thing I want in this world." Then he laughs loud and all that fake panic just drips. I push him away. He says, "Yeah, I can't do it. I don't know how the fuck I acted so well these past few months and I can't do it anymore. I lost my charm. Do you think I lost my charm?" I spit, "Fuck your charm. Where is my wife?" He hisses, "Oh, the romantic man. The romance that you hold in your heart- ready to die for that pathetic bitch. You were gonna give up your life just to protect her that day. Fucking pathetic."

He taps his finger to his temple, "You're the smartest guy I know. Clever than your fucking father. Faster, stronger, wiser. People deal with you because they know you mean business. They know that you won't hurt anyone unless they give you a reason to, and all that goes down the fucking drain for a girl? Not just any girl, but the girl you tortured. When did you become so fucking soft, huh?" He pushes at my chest, "I hate you. I've hated you all my life but I fucking find it infuriating that you let all that talent go to waste. You just fucked the girl and called it love."

I grab him by the collar of his shirt but I can't do anything more as I feel the gun press at my stomach. Elijah smiles, "Careful. Just because I'm talking, doesn't mean I can't shoot." I let his collar go and backed away with my hands up. I'm caught. I might even die.
I say, "What does your boss want? The Romano mafia? He can have it. I don't care. He can have the mansion, the money, the cars- he can have everything. I'll even throw in Giovanni's business as well as Russo's, only if you let me and my wife go. Unharmed. And promise to never come after us. Ever." He snickers, "Like that's ever gonna happen. My boss doesn't care about wealth. They just want you to fall that you beg for death."

I growl, "Where is my Lilly?" Elijah rolls his eyes, "Take him." Suddenly men come running out of the shadows. I got ready. They weren't armed but they were ready to fight.

One man comes at me and I take no time in kicking him in the chest. He doubles over and calls. Another comes at me and I grab his head and connect it down to my knee. Another ran at me and I punch him right in the fucking nose.
A girl comes at me, wielding her knives. I dive away from the blade and I do get cut in the cheek. She hardly nicks me but I knee her in the stomach and pushed her away.

One by one, they all surrounded me. Trapped me. And all of them attacked me. I fought off as many as I could. But there were sixteen of them. I was one.
The odds were not in my favor.

They punch me, kick me, smash my skull on their knees, punch me in the stomach, and kick me in the ribs. I fight as much as I can but they pick me up, holding me trapped, facing Elijah who only smiles. My right eye is shut because it's getting swollen from a blow I took. My face hurts and as well my ribs. I know there's blood rubbing down my nose and I have a busted lip. But this isn't a fraction of the pain I'm used to.

I spit at Elijah's feet, spitting out a tooth that broke in the back of my jaw.

Elijah rolls his eyes and says, "Bring a chair." A man brings out a metal chair and keeps it in a puddle of water. They push me to make me sit down and tie me to the chair as another brings out an electric box with naked wires. Elijah said, "Boss did say that this will discipline you well." My hands are cuffed behind me and the girl cuffs my ankles to the chair. I sit with my legs parted, in a very uncomfortable position, and they all back away, admiring their work until the man with thick gloves drops the naked wire in the puddle.

I grunt as I get electrocuted but I know it was not high enough to kill me. No. They wanted me alive but barely. My teeth clench and I feel like I'm being burned alive again and again till I start breaking into cold sweats and the metal chair hurts me more and more as well as the cuffs that my hands were bound in.

They crank the power low and my mouth is numb. Drool drips down my mouth because I can't move for a minute. And then when I get the feeling back in my mouth, I spit and catch my breath, "Where is my wife?" Elijah gestures to his men and someone brings out my Lilly. Blindfolded, hands tied in a rope. They make her stand on the puddle and I try to pull out of the chair. They will do the same to her. Elijah smiles and says, "She looks pretty when she's scared, isn't she?"
She says, "Carter?" I sigh, "I'm sorry, baby." She cries for me, "Carter, why did you come here? What is happening? Where am I? Carter! Take the blindfold off!"

Elijah smiles and walks to her, I see them dragging that fucking electric box closer to her and the woman holding the fucking wires. Fuck!
I try to move, try to break out of that stupid fucking chair, "Elijah! She has nothing to do with anything. She's innocent. You fucking know she is! She's innocent!" Lilly cries and cries and I don't know what the fuck to do. I'm trapped while the love of my life is crying for me.

Fuck!

I yell, "Elijah!" He grabs Lilly by the collar of her T-shirt and pulls her in till she's on her toes, shaking with fear and his lips go near her cheek. She whimpers and stays quiet but as soon as he lets her go, he smacks her across the face. I cry out as she's about to fall but he has his grip on her arm, holding on tight so she won't fall. He slaps her again, smiling at me while tears stream down my eyes at how much in pain my Lilly is. He holds her by the collar again and in one motion, he tears her shirt down.

I cry, "Elijah, she has nothing to do with this! She's fucking innocent. I'm the one you want! I am your enemy! Not her." A punch lands across my face but I keep yelling, "Let her go!" Lilly cries as she tries to break free of Elijah's arms, "Please, stop!" He holds her wrists, stopping her from covering herself from all the gazes in the fucking warehouse. Elijah says, "36 of us. Do you think you can fight off 36 men after we're done with her? Shall we find out?" He pulls off her blindfold and I see her eyes are red, she's been crying so fucking much. A bruise is forming on her cheek and her bottom lip is bleeding.

I yell again and again till my throat is scratchy and dry, "Elijah, look at me. Listen to me. She's innocent." Lilly looks at me and cries as she breaks down, knowing damn well that I can't do anything when I'm bound. All hope breaks in her soul and she cries, begging them to stop and let us go, "Elijah, please, please, don't do this. I thought we were friends." Elijah rolls his eyes, "Friends? You gotta be fucking kidding me." He pulls her to his chest and goes to unhook her bra. I yell, "Stop! Please, stop." Feeling all that anxiety rushing inside me. That day is happening again. The woman I love needs me and I can't fucking do anything!

I cry out, "Please, let her go!" Crying loud as everything inside me breaks. My heart and soul- shattered, completely. Everything inside me shatters and I'm nothing but a hollowed carcass. I try to break from my chair but they're holding me down, my legs are bound as well as my hands.

I've failed her. I've failed again. I failed my love again.

Elijah pulls down her bra and she covers her chest, crying as all the men in the room start chuckling at Elijah as if this wasn't the most disgusting thing in the world. She begs me, "Carter, please, look away." She cries to save my soul, "Please, please, close your eyes." She screams, "Carter, don't remember me like this!"

I yell the name of the woman I love, keep yelling, begging the gods above to make this into a nightmare. I want this all to be a nightmare and wake up to her in my arms. Safe and sound. And alive.

(ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘)

Elijah pushes her down on her knees and as he's about to unbuckle his belt, she looks up at him, sniffing, and says, "That's enough for today." All that screaming and begging was just gone. She smiles up at him and he backs off, letting her stand up while she hides her breasts from every man in the room. But when I look at them, all their heads are down as if in respect of her.

The ones holding me down back off, my heart beating too fast and too loud, I say, "Lilly- Lilly, are you okay?" She shrugs, "Never better, Carter Romano." Hiding her breasts with one hand, she grabs the gun from Elijah's thigh holster and shoots right at the woman I kneed in the stomach. Shoots her right between her brows. The woman chokes and falls, gone in a matter of seconds. Lilly scoffs and says, "Nessun debole permesso Nella mia mafia. (No weak allowed in my mafia.)" Then she says to the men around, "Pathetic sons of bitches, all of you. Weak."

She lets the gun go, shoves it in Elijah's hands, and then makes her way to me. Everything about her changed in an instant. Her demeanor, the way she stands, the way she looks at me, the way she smirks down at me. Her eyes were cold and the smirk on her lips made a shiver go down my body. This was not my Lilly. All that warmth, all that love, all that security... all of it gone in a matter of minutes.

She mocks me, "Forgive and forget?" She chuckles, it's deep and very fucking cold, "Fuck you and fuck that." Then a smile spreads on her lips as she knows I'm confused to my soul, "My name is Lillian Castello. I'll let you connect the pieces." Then she adds, "Let's have some fun."

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

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Love, Hope
♥️♥️