Ellise quietly struggled against her restraints, wincing at the pain on her wrists and ankles. She let out a sigh, staring at the ceilings.
She was worried.
Cornelia didn't want to kill her. She actually wanted Dre to die in front of her. It had been her aim all along.
The day she'd poisoned Dre with some sort of gas, she'd actually wanted her to stay and watch him die.
"There's no use of struggling. We just have to wait a bit longer. I'm sure Alex is on his way" she said, smirking.
Ellise clenched her fist, glaring at her. She grinned and squatted in front of her.
"Your husband loves you a lot doesn't he? He'll do anything to protect you.... to keep you safe" she said, her long fingers tracing Ellise's baby bump through her large shirt. "Don't touch me" she hissed, spitting at her.
Cornelia grimaced with disgust, wiping it off.
"You bitch!" She growled, slapping her on the face.
"You're the bitch!" Ellise spat.
"You piece of shit!" She growled, yanking her hair backwards.
Ellise winced, still glaring at her.
"Wait until Dre gets his hands on you" she said.
Cornelia chuckled.
"You see, I have everything planned out. Soon, you'll feel the pain I felt when I lost Gomez. That pain will drive you crazy and maybe we'll become partners in crime" she said.
"Never. You don't stand a chance against my husband" Ellise said, furiously.
She chuckled again.
"Oh, I forgot he's a mafia bla bla bla...Let me remind you, he's no longer a mafia boss. He's become weak. Much weaker than you think. I poisoned your husband and nearly killed him. He was helpless. I can remember the look of unadulterated terror in those enchanting green eyes of his. I'm the one who had him wrapped around my little finger until I decided to ease my grip on him. Soon, everything will be over" she said.
Ellise closed her eyes, hoping that Dre wouldn't show up alone. She couldn't live without him.
She wouldn't be able to watch him die. Not at all.
"Oh, look who I brought you. I brought you guests" She said as her men carried motionless bodies into the room and placed them in the floor. Her eyes widened at the sight of Anne, CeCe, Lilly, Tasha and Xanthis. She choked out a sob when she realized that they were all out cold. "What did you do to them?" She said.
"Well, they wouldn't stop yelling. I simply hit them on the head" she replied.
Ellise's stomach sank at the sight of the amount of blood pooling on the floor, around Xanthis' head. Most part of his hair was stained with blood. Time sped by in a blur but she couldn't tell how long they'd been imprisoned there. Cornelia had left them alone.
Xanthis groaned and opened his eyes. He tried to sit up but failed. His blue eyes scanned the room until he saw Ellise. His eyes widened with shock.
"Oh my God, please tell me she didn't hurt you or the baby" he said.
"No, she didn't. She doesn't want me dead" she told him.
"Then, why are you here?" He asked. "We're all baits. She needs Dre to come here. One way or the other, she plans to kill him right before our eyes" she said, pain tugging at her heart.
"What if he doesn't show up?" Xanthis asked. She frowned.
"She's called him already. He'll be here anytime soon" Ellise said. "Not if we warn him" he said.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
He dragged his body to a sitting position as he leaned heavily on the wall. He reached up to touch the injury on his head before letting out a groan.
He moved his hair to the side and began to search for something in his hair. She frowned, watching him pull out a small device that looked like a hair clip.
"What the hell is that?" She asked. He shrugged weakly.
"It's a kind of transmitter device. Dre has one too. It's hidden in his hair" he said.
Ellise furrowed her brows.
"Let me guess, Valentino has one too"
"Yeah, we can communicate with each other using the device. It's like a mini walkie talkie" he said and she nodded in understanding.
He pressed a tiny black button and a green and yellow light appeared on it.
He sighed with relief, muttering a 'thank God'
"Dre?" He whispered, wincing a bit. He was starting to feel dizzy, she noticed. There was a buzzing sound and then, her heart nearly stopped when she heard Dre's voice.
"Xan? Is that you?" He whispered, hoarsely.
"Yes, it's me. I want you to listen to me" Xanthis said.
"Okay"
"Please don't come here alone. She doesn't want to kill any of us. She wants to kill you"
There was a brief silence.
"Is Ellise there? Is she hurt?"
"She's okay. She's just tied to a chair in the opposite end of the basement" he replied.
"Oh God.... I don't-"
"Calm down, Dre. You can do this. Are you on your way here?"
"Yeah" he replied.
"No, no, no. Andre, you shouldn't come here alone"
"Dom, Dmitri, Val and Fabiano are coming with me"
"That's good. We're okay, Dre. Don't panic" Xanthis said.
"Okay, Lilly.....Is she hurt?"
"She's not bleeding anywhere... she's just unconscious. She's okay"
"What about Mom and CeCe?"
"They're unconscious.... they're not hurt"
"You don't sound like you're okay, Xan. Tasha isn't hurt, is she?"
"She's okay"
"You mean to tell me that she hasn't hurt anyone? You're lying" Val's voice came from the device.
Xanthis sighed.
"I'm the only one who's hurt. She hit me on the head and I'm bleeding. Perhaps, I have a mountain sized concussion but everyone else is fine"
Xandre inhaled sharply.
"How bad are you bleeding?" He asked.
Xanthis sighed, closing his eyes.
"Dre-"
"No, Xanthis. Don't lie to me"
"How bad is it?" Valentino asked.
Xanthis looked at his blood stained shirt and the blood on the floor. He didn't look good. He was really pale, it was terrifying.
"It's really bad" he replied, almost quietly.
"Oh God" both Val and Dre rasped.
"You have to be strong, okay? We'll get you out of that hell hole. You'll be fine" Dre said, his voice cracking a bit with emotion.
"Be careful" Xanthis slurred, his eyelids growing heavy.
The transmitter went off.
Tasha gained consciousness, tears filling her eyes when she saw how pale he was. She ripped off the bottom of her shirt and tied it around his head wound. She kissed the corners of his lips.
"Stay with me, please" she sobbed, holding him to herself. Ellise's heart broke for her as he closed his eyes, are exhausted. He was barely holding on to consciousness.
After an hour, the door opened and two people walked in. It was dark, Ellise couldn't see their faces. Her breath hitched in her throat when they began to loose the ropes binding the others. The lights went on and Xandre stepped in, his hair in bold braids. He looked so badass, Ellise wanted to kiss him. He quickly untied her, gently rubbing her ankles and wrists. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. She smiled, stroking his face with her thumb.
"Are you okay?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her protruding stomach.
"I am, now" she said as he helped her to her feet.
He gave her a brief kiss before squatting in front of a half conscious Xanthis.
"Hey, Xanthis" he said, tapping his face. Xanthis groaned weakly and opened his eyes.
"You're here" he rasped.
"Yeah. It's time to get you out of here" he said, smiling.
Ellise watched him support his brother, helping him to his feet.
Val stepped into the room.
"I'll take him" he said, steadying Xanthis. "Thank God you guys are here, I was so scared" Tasha said, placing Xanthis' left arm around her shoulder.
"Easy, there" she said as they led him outside.
"I don't know what to think. She has to know that you guys are here. What if she's planning something big?" Ellise asked Dre.
"We'll be okay, I promise. I need you to do something for me" he said. She frowned
"What?"
"Go with Fabiano and the others" he said.
"No, Dre. I don't want to. You might get hurt" she replied, cupping his face. He shook his head.
"You're pregnant. If you get hurt, the baby gets hurt" he said and she sighed. "Please, you have to leave now" he said. She nodded and kissed him before walking away.
She didn't want to leave.
What if he really got hurt?
But, since Dre didn't want her to get hurt, she knew she had to leave. She got to the door and tried to push it open but it was locked. Dre walked towards the door, he tried to open it but it won't budge.
"Oh no, the door is locked!" a familiar voice squealed from behind them.
"Cornelia" Dre said through gritted teeth.
"Stay behind me, Ellise" he said, his eyes burning with fury.
She cackled, her piercing gaze not leaving his.
Slowly, Ellise moved behind her husband. A dozen men walked into the room.
"Get him" she ordered.
At the same time, Val and the others stepped into the room from the ceilings.
"What?" She gasped, eyes wide.
"What? Your little plan didn't go well, did it?" Dre mocked.
Cornelia's men attacked and suddenly, Ellise was grabbed from behind. Dre was being attacked by two men. By the time he noticed that two men were dragging his wife towards Cornelia, it was too late.
"Dre!" She cried.
He turned quickly, knocking his assailants out.
"Go! Get Ellie. We'll handle these men" Val said.
Dre nodded and took off.
Cornelia dragged Ellie into an empty room and placed an arm around her neck. She had a gun pointed at Ellise's temple. Ellie looked so terrified.
"Take one step closer and I pull the trigger" Cornelia said, her eyes glinting mischievously. Dre's anger was simmering to the surface and all he wanted to do was to rip her apart.
"Ellie is in trouble. Save her" she pouted. Ellie shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
Cornelia began to laugh and Ellie used the opportunity to step on her foot hard enough for her grip to loosen. She moved away, swiftly throwing a punch at Cornelia's temple.
Cornelia tried to get to her gun but Ellise moved it far beyond her reach before stepping on her fingers, hard. Ellie kicked her on the leg and rushed to Dre who held her in his arms, relieved.
"It's time to end this..... once and for all" Dre said, stepping forward.
"Dre-"
Cornelia took the moment to throw a knife towards Dre who caught it easily.
Frustrated, she began to throw them random until one of the knives made a vertical cut across his stomach. Ellise gasped, tears filling her eyes.
He didn't flinch or show any signs of pain. It was like he was invincible because he kept walking towards her.
The door opened and Dmitri walked in, slightly out of breath.
"Help him. He's hurt" Ellise whimpered.
Dmitri smiled.
"He's fine. Now, there's the badass mafia king I remember" Dmitri said, smirking.
"What? Are you blind? He's bleeding"
"Yeah, I know but does he look like he's hurting? Do you want to know what Dre is known as in the mafia world? He's known as 'the devil'"
"W-what?"
"Yeah, I think you're about to see what my best friend is capable of"
Ellise turned back to look at Dre. He was smirking, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
"I guess you know about my mafia history, huhn?" He said.
Cornelia looked scared as she cowered against the corner of the wall. "They called me 'The Devil' for a reason. I bet you're about to find out"
He caught another knife and threw it at her, it landed on her left shoulder, pinning her to the wall. She gapsed, trembling with horror. The next knife landed on her right shoulder.
"It has just begun" he said in a a very intimidating voice.
"Okay, this is about to get interesting" Dmitri drawled from beside Ellise who was shellshocked.