Chapter 58

**Annika**

"Do you hear that, darling? Your little boyfriend is on his way," he said, gripping my legs and rubbing between them while caressing my face.

"Don't touch me," I snapped, pulling my legs away from him.

"I can tell you're stunning. The moment I saw you at that auction, I knew you weren't meant for him. You deserve a real man with genuine power, not some guy who inherited everything from his grandfather. I built this entire Mafia from the ground up. All I need is a beautiful woman like you by my side," he said with a smirk.

"You don't even know him. Who are you to judge? And if you lay a finger on him, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what? Hit me with your high heels?" He laughed, cutting me off.

"You barely know him. Why are you defending him so fiercely?" he pressed. I remained silent, watching him mock me. "Don't tell me you're in love with him. Oh, this just got more interesting."

"Shut up," I retorted.

"Finally! Keep an eye on her while I go meet and eliminate her boyfriend," he grinned, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I can't wait to have you by my side." I fought back tears as he walked out the door.

A man entered, closing the door behind him, making me look up. When I recognized him, I was at a loss for words. "T.J.?" I croaked.

"T.J.," he mocked. "What are you doing here?" I asked, bewildered.

"Oh, you still haven't figured it out? I'm sure Raffaele hasn't told anyone except Flavio, but there's been a rat in the business for weeks. He probably realized it was me. You see, I liked you, Annika. I really did. But you just had to stick with that jerk Raffaele. I've seen you two together countless times, and every time I did, I wanted to kill Raffaele for touching you. You knew I liked you, Annika! You knew!" he shouted, causing tears to well up in my eyes.

I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. "I'm sorry," I said, sniffling. He just stared at me when suddenly, I felt a sharp blow to my face.

"Why couldn't you just love me back?" he shouted, making my tears flow even more. He struck me repeatedly, and I could taste blood in my mouth. "Damn it... I'm so sorry," he said, holding my face gently.

He wiped my tears and kissed my cheek, then moved to my lips. I tried to turn away, but he held my face firmly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he kept saying, kissing me again, which only made me cry harder.

"T.J, stop," I managed to say, finally breaking free from his grip. "You don't need to do this. Just let me go."

"I can't. This isn't just revenge for Tony; it's for me too. Ever since I saw how you look at Raffaele, I've wanted him gone. Then we can be together. You think our meeting at that club was a coincidence? I've always been watching you; you just never saw me," he explained.

"T.J, I—"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" he yelled, cutting me off.

I cried quietly against the wall while he sat down. I thought I might have a way out. "T.J," I called softly.

"What is it?" he replied.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Didn't you just go?"

"No, your guys took me before I could. I've been holding it," I sighed.

"Get a bucket," he ordered.

"T.J," I said. He sighed and helped me up, gripping my arm as he led me out. The place looked like a house but felt cold and unwelcoming. We reached a door, and I stepped inside, trying to keep him out.

"I can handle it, T.J. I need some privacy," I said, closing the door and locking it.

"Unlock the door, Annika," he demanded.

I didn't want him to catch me. I was searching for something, but there was no window, so I had to think quickly.

"Open the door now!" he yelled, twisting the knob and trying to force it. I glanced around and noticed a pair of sharp scissors in the reflection of the mirrors. That could work.

I hid the scissors in my hand and flushed the toilet to avoid raising suspicion as he broke the door open. "I told you no locked doors," he growled.

"I'm sorry," I stammered. He grabbed me roughly and pulled me back toward the room. I paused at the door and turned to face him. "You know, I actually liked you, T.J. I was going to say yes to the date, but—"

"But what?" he interrupted.

"I got scared when I found out you worked for Raffaele. I didn't want anything to happen to you," I lied. "I care about you, T.J."

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course," I replied. He smiled, lifted me, and carried me into the room. He laid me on the bed and started kissing my neck. I wrapped my arms around him, but then I took the scissors and stabbed them into his neck with all my strength, causing him to push me off the bed, screaming in pain.

"Dammit!" he yelled, clutching his neck. I got up and grabbed the lamp from the dresser. "You witch!" he shouted as I smashed the lamp over his head.

"You creep," I said, kicking him in the stomach. I picked up a shard of glass from the broken lamp and started cutting the ties off my wrists. I took his phone from his pocket and called Raffaele, but there was no answer. I then called Flavio, and he picked up on the last ring.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"F-Flavio?" I said, my voice shaky as I wiped my eyes.

"Annika, where are you?" he asked, his voice filled with panic.

"I don't know," I replied.

"I'm going to have Derek trace the phone. Stay on the line, okay?" he said.

"Okay," I answered, hearing more voices. "There are more men coming... Flavio, hurry please." I sniffled.

"Trace this phone number," I heard him say as I pushed something against the door. I grabbed the dresser and shoved it as hard as I could against the door.

"T.J., what's happening?" one of the men asked.

"We're on our way, Annika. Is there a place you can hide? A window?" he inquired.

"There’s a window, but it’s small. And there’s a vent," I told him.

"Can you try to get through it?" he asked. I moved to the window, but it was stuck.

"The window is stuck... it won’t open."

"What about the vent?" he asked. I looked around and pushed the bed until I was under the vent, which was big enough for me to fit through.

"The vent is big enough for me," I said.

"Okay, they’re going to break through that door any second. Hide in the vent and stay on the phone. We’ll be there in a few minutes, I promise," he assured me.

I sniffed, trying to hold back tears. The door was shaking more, forcing me to move back. I climbed on top of the dresser, squeezed into the vent, and carefully replaced the cover.

"Don't make a sound, Annika. We're almost there," Flavio promised. The door burst open, and men rushed in, cursing in Italian.

I covered my mouth, hoping to escape.