20

##Lost

Joe

I can't believe what I just heard, I'm surprised of course. Because with my intelligence, didn't it occur to me that she might leave me if she stopped caring about her parents? If your devotion and love for them ended? Conviction! I lost track of everything.

In that space of almost a month together, she drove me crazy in bed, just like I did her, I've never felt so much pleasure with a woman as I felt with Emília, I was the first man in her life, even if by agreement, and I I can't bear the thought that it's over, that I won't have her anymore.

We had sex, a lot of sex, with her I insisted on being an affectionate lover thinking totally about her happiness in bed. It even shortened my journeys out of town, in which I always stayed days. She was not a hypocrite and always said that she liked it, beyond words, it was her body that showed me.

I don't know where she's going, but I feel like I can't stop her, I shouldn't. The folder is still in her hands, I don't care, it's hers, it's about her. Wasn't that what I wanted? I fucking got it. And why do I feel terrified at the idea of not having her anymore?

I'm a fuckin' man with no feelings and no scruples, I think if I go up to her and tell her she's going to be mine, she has to be, I always have everything I want. But I wonder what fun it would be to be with someone out of obligation? I know about our agreement, but it wasn't against my will that I had her in my arms, she liked it a lot.

However, when have I ever cared about someone's feelings? Never, even when I revealed to her about her origin, was it cold and cruel, everything I did to her was cruel. I'm a wicked man and I'm proud of it, if I hold her in my arms one more time it will be like that, being who I've always been. I'm not the type to kneel, Emilia will come back to me of her own accord and I'll be waiting eagerly to satisfy her dark desires that I've awakened.

Now I have more important things to do, like for example getting into the fun game of getting rid of Donatello Campbell, the same anxiety in killing my mother's killer, I feel like I'm taking this apprentice of the same. The first step is: what will be your first step?

Minutes later, lost in my mental palace, I hear my cell phone ring.

"Say it, Franco." I answer without looking.

"It's not Franco, bambino." A strange voice rings in my ears.

"So, who is?" I inquire.

Bambino was what my father called me. How does this person know this? I feel an internal tremor.

With your delay to answer, I stress.

"I'm not in the mood for games. Tell me who it is!" I insist.

"You'll have to be patient, I have something that interests you, better said, someone." My blood boils instantly.

"What do you want? And who are you?" I inquire once more.

"I'm Campbell Jr. You won once, when you killed my father and burned our money, the second time you won't win." I chuckle at his predictable way of working.

"Why did I already imagine that the first thing you would do would be this?" I ask without an ounce of fear.

"It's not you who's in control this time, it's me. The game's on, Joseph, and I can already tell I won't be the loser." Your spoken nonsense makes me sleepy.

"I don't intend to play. I don't give a damn about you, Donatello. You know if I breathe any differently, you die wherever you are , don't you?"

"I know that. But do you think I would go to mighty Joseph without an ace up my sleeve?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I ask impatiently.

"A thin, pretty, smelling girl... Emília Antonelli, do you know her?" At that moment it's as if my dead heart was beating out of rhythm.

"What do you want, bastard?!" I exclaim trying not to show the fury in my voice.

"I want money, lots of money, everything you've got. If she's worth that much to you, so will you, if not, you'll get her body in little pieces in a nice box to go with her, but before that my servants can have fun with Joseph's toy." With the rage consuming me, I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down.

This son of a bitch is going to see me, he messed with the wrong person.

"First my dear, I don't care about anyone but myself, if you want to bargain, you're coming to the wrong person. And another, if I agree to play with you, believe me, Joseph never loses, do you hear that? Never... " I'm lying when I say I don't care about Emilia.

Fuck, I shouldn't care, but I care a lot. Conviction! I've never felt terrified like I do now. Cum! Cum! Fuck! Hell!

But if Donatello thinks I'm stupid, he's wrong. It's part of my game to demonstrate that I don't care, that there's nothing that can shake me, so it can be used against me.

"It wasn't a lie when they said what a monster you are!" Your anger at me not giving in to your blackmail is notorious.

"I'm flattered that you researched me, but if I'd done it right, I'd know there's nothing in the world that could unsettle me."

"I will get revenge on you, Joseph! Wait for me!" Threat.

"While I'm wasting my time talking to you, someone is already tracking you. Oops, I already know where you are. Wait for me, I'm coming to you, we'll see if you're a real man who can make threats face to face with a real man !" I growl in anger and hang up.

With adrenaline running through my veins I call Franco, he could be lying about being with Emilia, just like I lied saying I don't care about her. It turns out that I know how to play, I don't get carried away by threats and that's what I did with Donatello.

"Boss." Franco answers.

"Did you let him get Emilia, hell?" I ask with hate in my voice.

"I kept an eye on her the whole time, she went into her friend's house again and never came out." It says.

"Then look around, see if there's another way out of her friend's house. Find her!" I command.

Then other people on my team track the asshole for me, done that, I get in my car and drive to meet the so-called man who wants to challenge me. Oh how I miss an emotion like that!

Emily

As soon as I see myself out of Joe's sight, I start running towards Malvina's house not knowing where else to go. Tears and more tears just keep flowing, I can't breathe properly and my head hurts like never before. Everything I've discovered has left me devastated, I don't know what else to do, I just feel lost.

I confess that I am also confused about a life without Joe. Why can't I suddenly imagine a day without him? Without his rudeness saying I'm his, that I belong to him?

Finally I stop in front of my friend's house and reflect, strangely the idea of never seeing him again, left me more shaken than anything else that day. Putting my hands to my face to wipe away the tears, I get lost in turmoil.

When did I stop hating Joe? I had said that I hated him, but when we were together it wasn't really hate that I felt. Why didn't I realize that I like him for a long time? How could I fall in love with Joe? We do not have nothing in common. And what's the use of all these unanswered questions now when I just told him it was over.

Is there still time to change your mind? I look at my dead cell phone and think if maybe he called me. After calling Malvina several times and she doesn't answer, I sit on the porch of her house alone for several minutes, totally aimless.

I'm suddenly startled by a middle-aged man holding my arm.

"Miss Antonelli. Come with me." The man says and I try to pull my arm away starting to panic.

"Let me go!" I talk.

"The boss told me to make sure you'll be okay, and you'll only be one hundred percent safe with him."

"First of all, who are you?" I ask.

"I'm Franco, I'm under Joseph's orders." I feel relieved.

"Where is he?" I ask wondering why he's not here.

He always made a point of picking me up from places, arriving by surprise and taking me by force.

"He's got a tough job. He thinks he's coming to rescue you, someone called him saying they were with you." Explains and my heart races.

"Call him and tell him I'm fine, tell him to come back." I say desperately and watch as he listens to something on his electronic dot.

"Too late. He was caught in an ambush. I need to get you to safety and go get him." We quickly walked to his car.

I'm scared, shit, I'm scared Joe is going to get hurt or something worse is going to happen to him. Oh my, my heart feels like a drum inside my chest, I'm so terrified at the idea of not having him anymore that I forget all my problems.

"There's no time to drop me off at his house to pick him up later, take me with you, he could be in danger." I propose in order not to waste any second.

"He'll kill me if Miss gets scratched." It says driving fast.

"I'll stay in the car, I promise. Please don't take too long to pick him up." I ask in a panic.

"Don't worry so much, he knows very well how to deal with it. The boss is practically immortal, the man who manages to kill him deserves an Oscar." He asserts and I swallow hard.

Joe really is quite a man. But... it's human!

"Please Sir, let's get him!" I exclaim desperately.

I feel terribly guilty if he's in danger it's because of me, to save me.

"Okay, but Miss has to promise not to get out of the car."

"Yes, I won't." I promise, but if I can do something I will.

Then Franco drives quickly through a strange ground surrounded by weeds, about ten minutes later at high speed we see an old factory in the distance, I'm terrified. But I have to keep calm.

He stops the car a reasonable distance away and gets out, not before looking at me to make sure I stay quiet in the car.

"I know that after this I may not be alive, but take it. Take cover, if someone approaches, shoot without hesitation." He makes a few moves on a gun and places it in my hand. "Just pull the trigger." Says and runs towards the factory.