“In broad daylight?” He looked at me and blinked in surprise. “That’s way too risky.”
“We may not have a choice.” I shrugged. “She doesn’t really leave her apartment otherwise. There’s no way we can drag her out of there without being seen.”
“You realize if we get caught, we’re both going to prison. The police aren’t going to give a shit that we’re trying to do the right thing here.” He shook his head and sighed. “If they see the cage…”
“We’re not going to get caught.” I slammed my finger down on the map. “She always walks the same route, and there are rarely any cars on Sycamore Street. As long as we take her before she makes it to Maple Street, we should be in the clear.”
“Okay.” He nodded slowly. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this, but—fuck.”
“You want revenge as much as I do.” I patted him on the shoulder. “It’s time to get it.”
“Yeah…” He sighed. “I guess it is.”
I stared at my brother’s picture for a couple of seconds before walking Mauro through the plan. We would wait until she was coming back from the grocery store so that her hands were full. Mauro would pretend to show interest—distract her from the danger that was coming—and then jump into the driver’s seat once I grabbed her. It would have been easier to let him be the one that put the chloroform over her mouth, but I was afraid he wouldn’t have the courage to actually go through with it when the moment came. There was still doubt in his heart and we were only going to have one chance. If we blew it—she wouldn’t let her guard down again.
Two days ago
“There she is.” I pointed at Lizzy as we turned onto Sycamore Street. “This is the first time she’s gone shopping at night. We have to do it now.”
“Fuck…” Mauro fidgeted and swallowed hard. “Fuck, fuck—fuck!”
“Just lean out the window and flirt with her. Keep her distracted until we get to the corner.” I growled under my breath. “Think about what she did to our brother. She deserves everything that’s going to happen once she’s locked in our cage.”
“I know.” He sighed. “I fucking know.”
I was afraid Mauro was going to chicken out, but he didn’t. When I slowed down, he leaned out the window and turned on his charm—or whatever it was about him that all the women loved. Most of the time he could make a woman melt with a glance and a smile—but Lizzy was different. She didn’t seem to be very impressed. The fact Mauro was in the passenger seat of a dirty old van instead of the sitting behind the steering wheel of his Rolls Royce probably had something to do with it. If we were in one our luxury sedans, she might have smelled the money and came running—that seemed to be what motivated her.
“Okay. Are you ready?” I let the van roll to a stop once we got to the intersection of Sycamore Street and Maple Leaf Drive.
“Yeah.” He nodded.
I slipped on my mask and crawled into the back of the van. We had to move quickly. The street was deserted, but it might not stay that way. As soon as she got close, I slapped the back of Mauro’s shoulder and he made the turn. That gave me enough cover to hop out and grab her. I would have been disappointed if she didn’t try to run—or put up a fight. Wrapping my arms around her and feeling her go limp in my arms was as divine as I imagined. I tossed her into the back of the van as soon as she was out cold, and Mauro hit the gas.
We had her.
Finally.
And she was going to pay for everything she did to our family.
Present day
“How long are you going to leave her in the cage before you go check on her?” Mauro leaned forward to look at the camera. “I’m sure she’s thirsty—probably hungry.”
“Her comfort isn’t my concern,” I growled under my breath. “She needs to feel the darkness, not just see it—and then we’ll give her hope—something to cling to before we rip it away.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on the news. Nobody is looking for her—yet.” Mauro sighed and poured a drink.
“I know.” I nodded. “She’s alienated everyone that cared about her except for a few friends.”
A few text messages and a post on social media took care of that problem. As far as they know, she’s taking a long overdue vacation—and she is—but there will be no sandy beach in her future.
“I should get to work.” Mauro looked down at his wrist. “Someone has to make sure the family business doesn’t fall apart while you play with your new toy.”
“It’ll be a while before I actually start playing with her.” I chuckled and reached out touch the image of her on the screen. “Sweet Lizzy needs to suffer for a little while first.”
“Yeah—but I think you enjoy this way more than you should.” He shook his head and started walking towards the door.
Maybe I do. She’s not the first woman I’ve put in a cage—but she’s the first one I’ve ever put there against her will.