Prisioner In Your Arms

Sara observed the couple with satisfaction as they continued to show their love for each other.

“It’s only a couple of months until we have our baby in our arms. I know Santi will be with us soon, and our happiness will be complete,” Bruno exclaimed, taking Nicole’s hand and kissing it.

In Italy, one of Sergio’s men received a call.

“Sir, you have a call. It’s one of the men who fled with Deborah.”

Sergio hurriedly approached, a satisfied smile on his face. He knew offering a large sum for Deborah would work.

“Speak,” he answered, feeling restless.

“Sir.”

“Lazarus, it’s good that you’ve decided to call me. Tell me, where is that damn bitch? You know I will reward you handsomely.”

“Transfer the amount you’re offering to my family, and I will tell you where you can find her.”

“Send the account number to Sandro. He will make the transfer immediately. If you lie to me, your family will suffer the consequences. You know I can be very cruel when I set my mind to it.”

“Wait a moment.” The man immediately sent the requested account number to Sandro.

He quickly received a notification that the transfer had been made.

“It’s all set. Now tell me, I’m waiting,” Sergio demanded.

“We are in a small rented house at Via S. Giuseppe n. 30. The house is terracotta-colored with black iron bars at the front,” Lazarus replied.

“Perfect. They are relatively close. Who would have thought? I thought they would already be in another country. We’re heading there. It’s about an hour away. Leave the gate open for us to enter. You better not dare betray me,” Sergio warned.

“I won’t, sir,” Lazarus assured him.

Lazarus ended the call and immediately contacted his family to retrieve the money.

“You need to leave immediately. Sergio is capable of anything. We will meet in Turin at Aunt Lorna’s house. We will cross into Switzerland. I will leave here in less than an hour.”

Deborah, oblivious to what was about to happen, watched Santi playing video games. He reminded her of a young Bruno; they were identical. Seeing his big blue eyes made her feel guilty. She had never felt what she was feeling now-a mix of emotions tormenting her.

“Grandma,” Santi called.

“Yes, my dear?”

“When can I see my parents? I miss them.”

“Soon, be patient.”

Lazarus pretended to check the refrigerator.

“We’re out of milk. I’ll go buy a bottle.”

“Perfect. Could you also get some cereal for the child?”

“Of course, no problem.”

As Lazarus left, he left the gate slightly ajar. He had fulfilled his part; being present was not part of the deal. He quickly walked away, and minutes later, two vans arrived. Sergio and his men entered the property, immediately subduing the few men present.

Deborah had put on some music and was dancing in the living room with her grandson. The child laughed happily as he watched her, his grandmother dancing in a comical way.

When the music stopped, Deborah turned around, smiling towards where Santi was standing. She froze when she saw who was standing right behind him.

“Sergio, please, don’t hurt him,” she pleaded.

Sergio smirked macabrely.

“This is how I wanted to see you, begging me, you treacherous whore.”

Deborah tried to run towards her grandson, but a man stopped her. He took Santi’s hand and led him away. The little boy didn’t understand what was happening as he was taken to the van. The man stayed to keep an eye on him.

“You thought I wouldn’t find you?” Sergio approached her slowly, taking her chin and squeezing it tightly.

“Deborah, Deborah, Deborah. Now I’m going to show you that you don’t play games with me. Your son has left me in utter ruin. I would love to see the look on his face when I send him his son in a box. I wonder if it’s better to send him whole or in pieces. Imagine how fun it would be. He’ll receive a piece today, another tomorrow, until he can assemble it like a puzzle. He’ll have to bury it when he has all the pieces.”

“Sergio, please, don’t do it.”

“Hmm, perhaps if you get on your knees and clean my shoes with your precious mouth, I’ll stop and send him in one piece.”

The woman was horrified. She should have gotten rid of him when she had the chance. Now she had to do what he asked.

She knelt down and began to clean his shoes as Sergio watched amusedly. He lifted one of his feet.

“You missed the soles.”

Deborah felt nauseous, but she managed to hold back. He was a monster, and she was a fool for leaving René for this heartless creature.

“Very well, you’ve cleaned them more than enough. Perfect.”

He then grabbed her by the hair and ordered his men to bring Deborah’s accomplices.

“Make them kneel in front of me.”

The men were forced to do as he asked. Sergio, with all the malice in the world, shot each one of them with a single bullet right in the center of their foreheads. He couldn’t waste the ammunition he had. The suppressor on his gun prevented the shots from being heard by the neighbors. No one could imagine what was happening in that house.

Deborah covered her mouth to suppress her screams. She already knew what was coming next. Sergio was not one to forgive.

Sergio pulled out the folded list from his shirt pocket and showed it to Deborah.

“Person number one to be eliminated: Deborah.”

He took out a pen and crossed off her name from the list. Deborah started trembling even more, especially when she saw that the next name on the list was Santi’s, followed by her son’s.

“Well, you’re a woman of strong character. Who would have thought you would tremble like you are now?”

He calmly folded the list and put it away. Then he grabbed Deborah by the throat and began squeezing with all his might. Deborah started flailing her arms, trying to free herself, her expression one of sheer horror.

“This is how I wanted to see you. I dreamt of this day. I will remember that face of yours to savor it in my memories.”

The woman gradually stopped moving, and Sergio began laughing maniacally. His men looked at each other, realizing their boss was losing his sanity.

“Let’s go,” he said, throwing Deborah’s body onto the men lying on the ground.

They left the house. Santi was crying, huddled in a corner of the van. Sergio was intimidating to him.

Deborah had deceived Sergio. With her last breath, she crawled to grab the phone. Bruno’s phone rang at that moment.

“Hello.”

“Son…” Deborah’s voice was weak. “Forgive me. I can’t leave this world without hearing that you’ve forgiven me.”

“Where is my son? Where is Santi?” Bruno ignored what she had said. He was only concerned about his son.

“Sergio… he took him…”

Bruno only heard a deep sigh, then nothing. Complete silence.

“Deborah, Deborah, damn it, answer me!”

Bruno knew that something terrible had happened to his son. He immediately dialed Leandro’s number. After several attempts, Leandro finally answered.

“Leandro, what happened?” Bruno asked desperately.

“I just arrived where Deborah was with your son. Lazarus had a change of heart and called me. Sergio has taken Santi.”

“And Deborah?”

“I’m sorry, Bruno. I found her dead. She had the phone in her hand.”

Bruno felt like he couldn’t take it anymore. He ended the call and sat in a chair, sobbing. However complicated their relationship may have been, she was still his mother. He felt hurt, confused, and worried. His son was once again in the hands of that madman.

Nicole had been searching for him. Sophie and Dante had just arrived and were startled to see him in that state.

“Bruno, what happened? Please, answer me,” Nicole pleaded.

He continued to stare blankly, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to be strong for her, but he felt overwhelmed. It was all too much.

Nicole noticed that he had his phone in his hand. When she checked it, she saw that it was Leandro’s number. It immediately reminded her of their son. Something must have happened to him. She dialed the number right away. Dante approached to offer Bruno a drink of whisky to help him recover, while Sophie called their parents-in-law. Leandro answered Nicole’s call promptly.

“Bruno.”

“It’s Nicole, Leandro. What happened?” He could sense the desperation in her voice, and he was worried about her pregnancy.

Leandro hesitated. If she was asking, it meant that Bruno hadn’t told her yet. But he knew Bruno would be upset if he didn’t.

“You need to stay calm. I know it’s difficult with everything that’s happening.”

“Leandro, you’re scaring me,” Nicole said, feeling overwhelmed.

“Deborah is dead, Sergio has taken Santi. I’m sorry I couldn’t get there in time,” Leandro said, feeling like he had failed in the worst possible way. If only he had hurried, Santi might be with him now.

Nicole paled. She couldn’t believe it. Her son was once again in the hands of that damn monster. She ended the call; she couldn’t bear to continue speaking.

As soon as she hung up, her phone started ringing again. She moved away to answer it; it was an unknown number.

“Hello again. Go somewhere where you can hear me without anyone noticing.”

Sophie and Dante were busy trying to get a response from Bruno, who remained silent, only crying silently.

“Tell me, where is my son?” Nicole asked after stepping out onto the terrace.

“Hi, Mommy,” a tender voice came from the other side, fear evident in it.

Nicole was about to respond to her son, but Sergio’s voice interrupted again.

“You’ve heard him. Now tell me, do you want him sent to you whole or in pieces?”

“You’re a sick bastard.”

“Shhh, you’re in no position to insult me. Tomorrow, I want you in Milan. I’ll call you in the afternoon to give you instructions. It’s better for you to obey me, and make sure no one else finds out, or I’ll send your little boy to you in pieces.”

Sergio hung up. Nicole stood there, unsure of what to do. Sergio was a heartless monster, there was no doubt about it.