Damaged (The Dark Billionaire, #6) (6 page)

“Are you hungry?” The woman said.

“How could you be so casual? Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves first?”

“What for?”

“Well, I feel pretty uncomfortable. What am I doing here?”

“We’re waiting for my son. He’ll be back very soon.”

“Who’s your son?”

“You’ll see. Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“What do you want us to do with the man who attacked you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Bring him to the police, I guess.”

The woman smiled with a light giggle. “The police... That’s a good one. I like you.”

Jennifer didn’t smile and blinked in disbelief: what was so funny about what she’d said?

“I don’t understand why you’re laughing at me. I think we should bring him to the police. That’s what normal people do.”

“Exactly. That’s why we’re not going to do it.”

“You’re not normal people...”

“Can’t you tell?”

The door suddenly swung open and Danny came in, followed by a man that she recognized immediately.

“Fancelli? What are you doing here?” Jennifer said.

“How are you?” He said, taking a chair near the old woman.

“I’m completely lost. Who are these people and what am I doing here?”

“This is Maria, my mother,” Fancelli said, pointing at the woman. “And I think you’ve already met Danny. He’s... a good friend of the family.”

Maria and Danny nodded and Jennifer waved her hand. “Hi guys...”

“Relax, Jennifer,” Fancelli said. “Don’t be so tight.”

“How am I supposed to relax? I almost got raped and then I got blindfolded by complete strangers. I don’t understand what’s going on, for Christ’s sake!”

“That man in the trunk, who is he?”

“Kenichi Sakamura. Bruce’s former business partner.”

“Aw... I see. He attacked you to get to Bruce, very courageous.”

“How did you know he would attack me?”

“We didn’t.”

“So why were you watching me?”

“Because Bruce asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“Bruce? Why?”

“He didn’t tell me why. He just said he was worried about you and I guess he was right.”

“So you’re still in touch with him?”

“Yes, still.”

“How is he doing?”

“Not so great. He’s been audited by the IRS.”

“Shit.”

“Like you said. He’s attracted too much attention by losing so much money with Sakanichi and -”

“Sakamura. Kenichi Sakamura.”

“Whatever. And then, I made a few millions for him and the tax men flagged him. I feel bad for him.”

“Wait, why did he ask
you
to keep an eye on me? Why not somebody else, like professionals?”

“Do you mean we’re not professionals? Be careful, Danny is very sensitive; you don’t want to insult him...”

“Come on, Fancelli. You’re a Wall Street guy. What do you know about this?”

“I have a little family business on the side.”

“Security business?”

Fancelli pursed his lips and looked up, thinking. “Well... Not really. Let’s say that we’re in the protection business.”

“Security, protection, I don’t see any difference.”

“You don’t have to understand.”

“Yeah. So Bruce asked you to... protect me?”

“Yes.”

“And why didn’t he contact me? Why didn’t he call me to see how I was doing, instead of sending you guys?”

“Why do you ask me? I don’t know!”

Jennifer shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense...”

“It probably has something to do with the man he saw you with at the club the other night...”

“The man you sent to the hospital, yeah...”

“He disrespected me. And he disrespected Bruce as well. He deserved it.”

Jennifer thought about how Enzo had fooled her and this time, she agreed with Fancelli - she didn’t feel like being on Enzo’s side anymore. “Yes, you’re probably right. Does he have someone? Bruce?”

“I’ve seen him hanging out with a few models and he seems pretty happy.”

Jennifer felt a stone falling in her stomach. “Great...”

“I’m just kidding. He’s still alone, probably waiting for you.”

Jennifer smiled. Fancelli was much more likeable than she had imagined. “You idiot,” she said, relieved. Maria and Danny immediately sent her a killer look and Jennifer quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. I meant... you’re a funny guy.”

“How about you? Anyone new in your life?” Fancelli said without paying attention to his mother and Danny’s reactions.

“You should be able to answer that question since you’ve been watching me...”

“You mean my men have been watching you. I have better things to do with my time...”

Jennifer felt slightly upset but quickly refocused on the conversation. “No. Nobody.”

“Bruce thinks that you’re still with that guy.”

“Who?”

“The guy from the club.”

“Enzo?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t talk much about it but I can tell. He avoids the subject. It’s still sensitive for him and he’s a proud man.”

“Too proud, yes.”

“Maybe but that’s how it is. You don’t seem better than him, by the way. Oh, wait, hold on a second,” Fancelli said as he picked up his phone. “It’s Bruce,” he told Jennifer before leaving the kitchen.

Jennifer waited in silence, Maria and Danny still in the room but quiet. It was an awkward silence and Jennifer couldn’t wait to leave.

“How long are you going to keep me in here?” She finally asked.

“Nobody’s forcing you to stay. You can go if you want to,” Danny said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Fancelli came back in the kitchen.

“Jennifer,” he said. “I need to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“I just had Bruce on the phone and I told him about Sakamura.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked about you, of course. I told him you were okay and then, I felt he wanted to ask me something but he didn’t.”

“And?”

“And I think he wants to see you...”

Jennifer felt butterflies in her gut and her heart started to race. “You think so?” She said.

“I’m pretty sure. He sounded pretty worried about you. If anything like that happened to my girl, I would want to see her right away.”

“You mean, Victoria...”

Maria and Danny stared at Jennifer with surprise, and Fancelli frowned but smiled at the same time. “You’re full of surprises...” he said. “I know why Bruce likes you.”

“So... what did you want to ask me?” Jennifer said after a short silence.

“Do you still love him?” Fancelli asked.

It was a straightforward question but Jennifer nodded without hesitation. “Yes. Yes, I do. I still love him.”

Fancelli smiled. “Okay, I think I can help,” he said. Then he nodded at Danny. “Blindfold her...”

Jennifer opened her eyes wide. “What? Again?”

J
ennifer waited for fifteen minutes, blindfolded. She was still in the kitchen and Danny was sitting somewhere. Maria had left already, along with Fancelli. Now that she knew that she wasn’t in danger, she relaxed and reviewed what had happened. The thought of Kenichi assaulting her in the middle of the night was absolutely creepy and she couldn’t imagine how things would have ended without Fancelli’s help. Kenichi was a sick man, just like Enzo had said. He really deserved his reputation and it was a good thing to know that he was under control.

“What are you going to do with Kenichi?” She asked. “I certainly don’t want to deal with him again.”

“He won’t bother you. We’ll probably remove him,” Danny said.

“Remove?”

“Yeah. We’ll make him disappear. Naturally, of course.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t make people disappear just like that.”

“Yes, we can...”

Jennifer didn’t insist and didn’t dare asking more. Danny was strange and Jennifer wondered how Fancelli could be associated with him.

“Why do you need to blindfold me?”

“So you don’t see what you’re not supposed to see.”

Jennifer sighed. “Why so much mystery? Can’t you be a little more specific?”

“No.”

“Jesus...”

Someone opened the door and Jennifer heard Danny getting up. Two hands grabbed her on each side by the elbow and she was led to a car - probably the same SUV, she thought.

“Where are we going? Am I going to see Bruce?”

“No more questions,” Danny said. His voice was calm but his tone was firm. Jennifer could feel the authority of a man who was used to give orders.

The car got in motion and Jennifer had no choice but to let go. She wasn’t sure where they were going, but Fancelli had said he could help her. She had no idea where he had gone and was about to ask Danny, but changed her mind at the last minute. It would be useless - no more questions, he had said.

“Hey,” she said suddenly. “I forgot to ask you about my van. I’ve got all my equipment in there and it’s not exactly cheap. What if somebody steals everything?”

“Then, call the police,” Danny said. He and the other two men in the car started laughing as if his comment was an excellent joke. Jennifer frowned and wondered what was so funny about it.

“I’m serious, guys. It’s my business, I really need to know if it’s safe or not.”

“Stop crying over a few spoons and one or two skillet pans, honey...”

“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to be where I am? Don’t you know how to respect other people’s hard work?”

A short silence followed and Jennifer didn’t know if she had been too far, or if she had been rude.

“We will see what we can do about it,” Danny finally said, his tone suddenly serious and considerate.

“Thank you,” she said, slightly relieved.

The SUV slowed down and eased to a stop, but the driver didn’t kill the engine. Jennifer heard the doors opening and was led to yet another unknown location.

“All right, stop,” Danny said. “Count until sixty and then, you can remove your blindfold.”

She noticed that his voice had echoed and figured she was in some kind of large and empty space. This time, the acoustic really sounded like they were in a warehouse. She heard Danny walking back to where they’d come from, his steps resonating loudly. Jennifer could still hear the engine of the SUV and then, she heard it fading - they were gone.

What the hell! Sixty!

She yanked the blindfold and tossed it on the floor - enough with this nonsense, she thought. As she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. She was in complete obscurity and had no idea where she was.

“Danny? Hello? Are you there?”

Silence.

And then, a voice echoed out of nowhere. It was a voice that she could recognize among thousands. It was Bruce.

“Hi Jen,” he said.

“Bruce? Where are you? What are we doing here?”

Bruce didn’t reply and refused to give her any information.

“I’ve heard what happened with Kenichi,” he said. “I’m really sorry. I hope he didn’t hurt you.”

“My throat is still a bit sore and I’m pretty much in shock, but I guess I’m fine. It could have been much worse.”

Bruce said nothing and they kept silent in the darkness. Jennifer waited for an explanation - anything that could help her understand.

“I’ve missed you,” he finally said.

“I’ve tried to fix things between us, but you refused.”

“It took me years to learn how to trust again. You know my story. How did you expect me to react?”

“Bruce... I know you’ve been hurt before and I’m really sorry to be the one to hurt you again. I’ve always done everything for you... but you’ve got to understand that it works both ways. I cannot always give and simply hope I will receive something from you.”

“Why did you go with him?”

“Because I was weak and he was there for me.”

“Tell me the truth!”

“It
is
the truth! Bruce, do you realize how many obstacles we’ve been through together? Do you know how challenging it’s been for me?”

“Yes, I know. It’s not a reason to have an affair with someone else, though.”

“I didn’t have an affair with him. It was a flirt.”

“Bullshit. Don’t fuck with me, Jen. Don’t you ever do that!”

“I’m not lying, Bruce. Yes, I made a mistake and I’m sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry Bruce,” she said, her eyes getting wet.

“Have you... have you thought about leaving me? Have you considered going with him?”

Jennifer sighed but didn’t hesitate. It was time to be completely honest. “Yes, Bruce. I thought about it...”

“Why it didn’t happen then?”

“It was still unclear between us but I was still yours. I couldn’t do it. I needed to know if we were really meant for each other.”

“That’s it?”

Jennifer paused - it was the hardest part to admit. “No. I also realized that he was playing with me; he had someone else while he was flirting with me and I didn’t know. I guess I deserved it.”

“How about now? Is he still around?”

“No. He disappeared.”

“You didn’t keep in touch with him?”

“Absolutely not. Even if he comes to me again, nothing will happen.”

“Why? Because you’re mad at him?”

“No. Because there’s already someone in my heart and I can’t forget about him. I’ve tried everything to move on but he’s still here, sucking the life out of me because he refuses to talk to me. I’m not even sure whether he’s been with someone other than me or not, but I guess I have to deal with it. I have to forgive him, that’s the only way.”

“Jen...”

“He thinks he can get away with anything and you know what? He’s right. I’m so in love with him - or stupid maybe - that he can get away with nearly everything; I still love him, no matter what,” she said, tears rolling on her face. She had been waiting for this moment for so long that she had lost hope. She had been convinced that she would never have another chance to open her heart to him and there she was. She couldn’t afford not to tell him.

“Jen, I’ve also made mistakes, I admit it. I’ve been so focused on my business that I almost forgot about you. I was scared. This company is the only thing I had when times were tough. I’ve been betrayed, I’ve been screwed and I’ve been disillusioned but my business never failed me. It was the only constant in my life and I was about to lose it. I freaked out. I started partying again because I thought I needed to enjoy the high-life before it was too late. I was paranoid.” Bruce paused and took a deep breath. She couldn’t see him but she knew he was emotional and figured he didn’t want her to see him like that.