Chapter 91
Evangeline woke up that Saturday with a strange feeling in her chest. She had agreed with Allegra that that day would be only two of them, where they could do whatever they wanted. The little one chose to go to a park, where they spent the day in complete harmony. They walked through the grass, fed the ducks they had in the lake, had a picnic and lay on the cloth, facing the shape of the clouds.
When the afternoon was falling, Allegra wanted to have an ice cream before going. As soon as she asks for two ice cream, Evangeline realizes she only has a single fifty dollar bill in her purse.
"I’ll go around the corner and change and be right back.”
Mother and daughter sit on the bench next to the cart, enjoying the strawberry ice cream. Suddenly a large black van stops before them and opens the door, showing two hooded and armed men. They jump out of the van quickly, frightening them both. Evangeline quickly raises her arms, trembling all over.
"You can take everything." she says, stretching her purse. "Just don’t hurt us, please.”
"That’s not the bag we want.”
One man grabs Evangeline’s arm and the other man grabs Allegra’s arm, throwing them abruptly into the van. They were blindfolded and tied, unable to see where they were being taken. Evie tried to stay calm for Allegra’s sake, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn’t believe it was happening to her again.
After what seemed like hours, the van stopped and they were pulled out of the vehicle. Evangeline stumbled and fell to the ground, scraping her knees on the rough surface. She heard Allegra crying beside her and tried to comfort her as best she could. Her greatest terror was living that kidnapping with her daughter.
They were led to an abandoned building and thrown into a small room. Evie could hear the sound of mice running around them and the musty smell invaded her nose. The kidnappers took off the blindfolds and Evie could see three men standing in front of them. Two of them wore masks, but what was in between, made no point of hiding.
"Jonah?" Evie blinks sometimes, confused by what was going on. "What... where are we? What kind of sick joke is that?”
"Joking? You think someone here is joking?”
Jonah opens his arms, giving the cue for Evangeline to look where she was. That abandoned, dusty room was almost empty, except for a thin mattress and a toilet in the corner.
"If this is a prank, stop it now. It’s scaring Allegra.”
The two look in the direction of the girl, who in addition to crying copiously, moved his arms in an uncomfortable way, since the ties hurt his wrists. When Jonah walked to her, Evangeline crawled closer to her daughter, intending to be a barrier between the two of them.
"Am I scaring you?" he questions, staring at Allegra’s blue, soggy eyes. The little one looks at her mother for a few seconds and then nods, staring back at Jonah. "Answer, girl!”
"Yes, Dad, yes.”
"Dad?" Jonah repeats, with a laugh at the end. "I’m not your father, stupid girl.”
"Look how you talk to her!”
"Or what?" he directs his gaze to Evangeline, who had hatred throbbing in his blood? "What are you going to do, redhead no grace?”
"No grace now, right?" Evangeline smiles sideways, with irony dancing in her voice. "Just because I DON’T WANT YOU ANYMORE!”
Jonah’s right hand hits Evangeline’s face so hard, it makes her fall.
"Mom!?" Allegra calls, every second more desperate. "Mom?”
"I’m fine, daughter." she murmurs, feeling the taste of blood in her mouth. With effort, Evangeline rises up and faces Jonah again. "What’s wrong with you?”
"You! You and that fucking mobster.”
Evangeline blinks a few times, trying to understand that phrase.
"My father had given me only one mission." he says, walking back and forth, making Evangeline notice the gun that was in his back. "I had to stay in London and watch you and make sure you and Castello never met again. Since killing you didn’t work out, keeping you away was enough. My father managed to join in the business of the Castello and has undermined his fortune since then..., but then you decide to come to New York, find that asshole and he decides he wants to leave the mafia, to live happily with his red family.”
"Wait... your father... works with Alec?" Evie joins a more b, remembers everything that Felippa’s father told him and comes to an unhealthy conclusion. "You’re Paul Baker’s son... the man who had Blake killed... who almost killed me...”
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway!" Jonah snaps his fingers towards the two masked men and points to mother and daughter. "You can release their hands." He pulls out the gun that was stuck in his pants and points directly to Allegra. "Makes a cutie, I blow the head of this annoying child.”
Evangeline felt her blood boiling, every time she heard Jonah refer to her daughter that way. As one of the masked men releases her arms, Evie makes a sudden movement and hugs Allegra, who also had her arm loose.
"But what is it..." Jonah approaches them and grabs the hand of Evangeline, who had the ring. "A diamond ring... the gangster plow asked you to marry him?”
"That’s none of your business.”
Evangeline pulls her hand violently and hugs her daughter again. One of the masked men mentions approaching her, but Jonah stops him and gets up.
"This position is perfect..." Jonah asks, facing the two embraced. "don’t you think?" he looks interspersed for the two henchmen. "When the fire we put in this place is extinguished and they find their bodies hugged, it will be news all year.”
"Take the ring off?”
"No." He answers the question asked by one of the goons. "So Alec will be sure that the roasted body is that of his beloved Evangeline. Diamonds don’t melt, human skin...”
"Mom?”
Jonah lets out a loud and macabre laugh, before the frightened look that little Allegra gave to her mother. He again snaps his fingers at the men, pointing to the exit.
"Soon someone will bring you a last meal. Enjoy those last hours of life.”
After a wink and an ironic kiss, Jonah leaves the small space along with his henchmen. Evie does not see, but the door is being closed with thick chains and padlocks on the outside.
"What’s going on, Mom?" Allegra asks, crying. "Will Dad burn us?”
"Don’t think about it, daughter...”
Evangeline gets up with some difficulty and begins to inspect every corner of that room. In addition to dark, dirty, with rats passing over the exposed pipes, there was only a small window, which had bars and woods closing it. The only way out was the way they came in.
Noticing that, Evie feels the despair take over her body. She looked at her daughter, seeking some source of energy. Allegra remained seated in the same place, hugging her legs, while crying without stopping.
"Calm down, daughter." Evangeline says, sitting next to her and pulling her to her body. Hugging her comfortingly and kissing her head, Evangeline tries to pass some peace to Allegra. "Alec will realize something is wrong. I know. I know him. He will come to save us.”