No Escape
Presley stared at the man in front of her while her heart pounded against her ribcage with enough force, she. was sure it was visible. How could someone as evil as this exist in real life?
“I don’t want to have your babies. I certainly don’t want to have children and then never see them again. This
is cruel.”
“I’m not known to be kind.”
“How do I know you won’t simply kill me or my family even if I agree?”
“I’m a man of my word.”
“How many times does your word get changed?”
He gave a slight tilt of his head in acknowledgement of her question, “you’re asking me if I change my mind?”
“Yes.”
“It’s happened a time or two. However, I’ve signed a written agreement with your brother to wipe out his debt,
which include a blood oath he took with one of my soldiers to not miss a payment. Our agreement means his
mother and father don’t die and you become mine to do with as I please.”
“Your soldiers,” she shot a look at the one in the room holding his weapon at his side, “were talking outside
earlier about how you murdered your last two lovers. Who is to say you wouldn’t simply kill me once I did
what you asked?”
He looked at the man, “who?”
“I don’t know, boss, but I’ll find out.”
“Whoever was talking out of turn will die tonight.” As Presley paled, he chuckled, “they know better. Talking
about my,” he mentally grappled for the phrasing, “potential criminal activities such as disposing of
individuals, is a sin punishable by death in this family.”
“You murdered women.” Why was she asking for confirmation?
“Two,” he held up his first two fingers without reservation. “The first one I caught stealing from me. She
thought she was far cleverer than she was and tried to steal some money from a safe in my office. I
ed
to repaint my entire office since the only weapon I had on me at the time was a bit overkill. The second one,
well, I returned home unexpectedly to find her f*****g a couple of my men. Needless to say, several people
died that day.”
“Did you love her? The one who cheated?”
“No.” He laughed at her question. “It is not an emotion I am remotely acquainted with. I cannot say I ever have been, nor will I ever expect to be in love.”
“Why not ask me to harvest my eggs and get a surrogate?”
“I could simply cash in on the debt your brother signed, which means he and his parents die because it’s what he agreed to when he signed to borrow money from me and then get a surrogate. Let’s be real, there are hundreds of women in the world I could use to carry my heirs however, an opportunity arose and I’m taking it. You are smart, resourceful, cunning, and resilient and you want to protect your family. I am a man who is not
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opposed to using whatever means possible to get what I want.”
“You have other choices, why me?”
* Points >
“You are not a stupid woman. Stop asking the same question over and over. It’s boring. I’m going back to my room. Take tonight to think over your options. f**k your boyfriend for the last time because once you agree, and I am sure you will, we’ll be going to my home in Sicily. You will be medically examined and if you stupidly get pregnant before I touch you, it will be aborted so don’t try anything stupid tonight thinking it might get you out of this dire situation.”
“This isn’t fair.”
“Life rarely is,” he stood up and motioned to his man. “Let him out. Let’s go. I have a video conference in fifteen minutes and then Odin and I need to have a chat. Don’t forget to find out who it was who was
speaking out of turn.”
The guard knocked once on the wall behind him and the five men came out all with weapons drawn and immediately as Cruz stepped into the space, the red light which disappeared earlier, was now directed right on him. He looked down to his chest where it landed through the curtains.
Presley frowned at the sight and then Liborio and his team were leaving but not before the mobster delivered
a parting message.
“Hawley, my father was a cold cruel man who once beat me unconscious for taking pancakes which were meant for him. I say this with all the sincerity in the world, your father is the worst father on the planet. His archaic beliefs on the medical system aside, he cares only about getting richer and controlling you. If I were you, I’d look into his actions. He’s been undermining your business for the last year and has been pulling strings trying to make people bail on you simply because he wants you to run his business instead of yours. He is literally sabotaging you in hopes you fail so you have to go to him. Your success in spite of his behavior speaks volumes to what you could accomplish if you weren’t so narrow minded. He owes me a quarter billion dollars. If you wish to take over his debt and have me, call it in, let me know. I’m happy to rid the world of one more abusive prick of a father.”
As the door closed behind him, Presley wrapped her arms around her middle and let out a sob.
Cruz moved to stand in front of her the instant the light went off his chest and pulled her into his arms.
What does he want?”
”
“He wants me to surrogate his kids. Two babies in exchange for settling Odin’s debt. Odin used the lives of Dad and Marsha as collateral but in order to get what he wants, which is my eggs and womb, he is threatening everyone. Halima, Sloane, Mom, and Dad.” She felt his hand tracing up and down her back. “I told him you’d pay off the debt and he laughed. Said he doesn’t need money. He likes favors, not money.” “Holy shit.” He swallowed, “he’s a scary assed mother fucker and why he knows so much about my family is weird. First things first, we need to get you out of here and hidden somewhere he can’t get you.”
“You don’t understand, Cruz. If I run. If I leave. If I don’t agree to willingly do this, then he takes action against everyone I love.”
“You cannot be considering doing this?” He stared at her dumbfounded. “Come on Ladybird. You have one of the best creative minds known to man. We can find a way out of this.”
“This isn’t me trying to retaliate against you for throwing out my drawings by dumping sugar in your bike
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tank,” she argued. “This is life and death, Cruz. People will die if I don’t play along.”
“So what? You’re going to marry him and have his kids?”
O Ports
“He wants me to have two children, either one at a time or twins. He said,” she felt her throat closing off with the notion, “I could do IVF or in his bed, he didn’t care either way. However, once I give birth to the second. child, I can go but I’ll never be able to see the babies again.”
“Whoa, wait. He wants to impregnate you, either through clinical means or traditional,” he rubbed the back of his neck worriedly, “expects you to carry one or two children to term and then walk away from them?”
“Yes.”
“Over my dead f*****g body.”
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“I’m pretty sure he’s willing to make it happen this way.” She sniffed as she burrowed her face into his chest. ” Cruz I am not the kind of person who could have a baby and give it away.”
“You can’t stay with him!” he argued and then caught himself. “What am I even saying? You can’t have the kids. Come on Presley, let’s get everyone together and figure it out. We’ll come up with a plan of attack and get this sorted.”
“This is crazy. I feel so lost, and I don’t know what to do. I’m going to have to carry babies for a criminal in order for my mother and father not to die.”
“There has to be something we can do.”
“Cruz, there isn’t anything. He knows he has me trapped between a rock and a hard place.”
“Listen, we have some of the most brilliant minds among us. We will figure it out.”
“I’m scared, Cruz. I wish I didn’t open the door.” She pouted in his arms.
“I know. I’m scared too.” He looked away, “three of the men in the room held their guns right on me the entire time. Each time I moved, so did they. I don’t know where he trains his men but it’s like they all move in sync in a weird dance.”
She stepped out of his embrace aware he was watching her and pulled the blankets on the bed and climbed into the sheets.
“Ladybird, talk to me. What is going on?”
“I suddenly feel exhausted. I need to close my eyes and forget this is happening for a bit.”
“Do you want me to come hold you?”
“No.” She shook her head. She saw his stunned expression, but she shrugged, “Cruz, maybe it’s best if you got your own room. Leaving you is likely going to break my heart more than it already is. I think we need some distance so it’s not harder than it has to be.”
She stifled her sob into her pillow as she rolled away from him and tucked her face under the blankets. “Oh, I don’t f*****g think so.” Cruz grunted angrily and crawled onto the bed trapping her under the blankets.” You don’t get to make unilateral decisions regarding our relationship. Yes, there is a mob boss who wants you to carry his babies in exchange for Odin’s fuckups, but we will find a way out of this. Together, Presley. We will do it together. The way we are meant to do it.”
“He’s not going to negotiate.”
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“Then we make him willingly withdraw,” Cruz said seriously.
“How?”
“By doing what we do best, what you do best.”
“What is that?”
“Getting under his f*****g skin.”
She poked her head out from under the blanket to stare at him incredulously. “What?”
“Come on Ladybird. You said this isn’t like sugar in the gas tank, but isn’t it? When this guy realizes any baby, you have is coming in hot with your imagination, he’s going to second guess. I mean, I’m looking forward to it because I have twenty–five years of practice dealing with your pranks. He on the other hand, not so much.”
“He’ll shoot me.”
“Odin said he signed an electronic agreement. Let’s find out what exactly he signed. Then whatever the out is, because every good businessman gives himself an escape clause, we’ll have it violated a hundred different ways until the man realizes your children are likely to be born carrying itching powder and fake snot.”
Presley sat up in bed and stared at him wide–eyed. “You’re a genius.”
“I know.”
“I can go along with his plan but I’m going to do it my way.”
“No.” he shook his head, “we’re not going along with his plan.”
“Oh,” she grinned at Cruz in a way which made him shudder with memories of ghost pepper sauce burning his eyeballs and nearly blinding him. “We are going along with his plan. I think though, I don’t want to do IVF. If the motherfucker wants to put babies in me, he’s going to have to do it the old–fashioned way. I really hope he knows what he’s just signed up for.”
As Cruz stared at her incredulously, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to formulate a thought to argue with her, he sat back in disbelief at her next question.
“Where can I get tinned fish?”
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