COMING SOON
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In the Roaring Twenties, there were no clean hands and that included Giovanni Benedetto. He was respected and feared by anyone who knew him, but the last thing he ever expected was to be loved. Willow could bring down his empire and Giovanni to his knees with the information she possessed. Unfortunately, he stole something much more valuable of hers; her heart. When her tangled web of lies begins to unravel, no one is safe from Giovanni’s wrath. |
PROLOGUE
The cold air burnt my lungs as my legs threatened to give out from under me. My body wasn’t used to running anymore. I’d become an animal in a sanctuary, given the illusion of freedom but the fences were cleverly hidden, built up in my mind. My world was small and dark and escaping that enclosure was almost too overwhelming to my senses. The sights and sounds were so foreign I contemplated doubling back, but I knew that option had passed the moment my toes touched the soil. The rustling leaves whispered to me, telling me of the torment that awaited me when I was found. The darkened skies warned of the blindfold that would remain over my eyes for days until even my memories turned black and I’d forgotten who I was. But the smell of fire, that smell gave me hope. It gave me back a memory I’d been clinging to for all these years of sitting around a campfire. Laughter roared louder than the flames, and the only fear was falling asleep and missing out on more memories that we’d take for granted.
Tree roots bit into my bare heels, tender and soft after years of not being able to wander over anything but smooth wooden floors. I tried to cry out but my throat was dry, and my voice cracked under the fear of being found. I reached the tree line and stumbled, naked and filthy onto a rocky road, still heated by the fading sun. The pain of the stones slicing into flesh caused me to drop onto my knees, palms slapping hard against the ground. I let my head hang as I absorbed the pain, disappearing into my mind where I was safe, where the monsters couldn’t reach. White light blinded my sight, and the rumble of an engine caused my heart to race as a vehicle stopped just feet from my shivering body. My heart was thudding so hard against my chest I thought for certain I would die, but it wasn’t racing out of fear. I was finally free. I’d survived, but I’d never felt more dead inside.
CHAPTER ONE
PRESENT DAY –May 24, 1924
“My name is Willow,” my voice shook as I spoke, my untrimmed nails digging into the flesh of my upper arm as I scratched myself until I felt the warmth of blood. The pain was calming to my thoughts, bringing me back to this moment and allowing me to stay present.
“We both know that isn’t your name, Holly.” His tone was too confident, and it caused me to grind my teeth. He wasn’t listening. He was asking me questions, but he refused to listen. He wouldn’t last long where I had been. Most didn’t. I was different.
“My name is Willow.”
“Okay,” he said as he gestured with his hands before fumbling again with his pen, clicking and unclicking it. My mind could only focus on that noise, the sound reminiscent of the ticking of his watch. “Willow?” He said as if testing the waters. My eyes snapped to his, and my heart began to calm as I cleared my throat. “Why would you like me to call you Willow?”
“Because that’s who I am now.” Because I can be bent to your will and never break. My voice was steady now, and I spoke with confidence as I repeated his words.
“Going through what you’ve been through would change anyone. No one is blaming you right now.”
“Don’t talk to me like a child.”
“Holly… Willow, I am not talking to you like a child. I’m speaking to you as if you had just survived something horrific and you need time to process.”
“I don’t need time. I don’t want time. I’m not a victim. Bobby Franks is a victim. Why are you wasting your time with me and not finding that poor boy?”
“No, of course, you’re not. We both know you’re not. But if what you went through is making you feel… bad or remorseful even, that is okay. No one is judging you. We just want to go over the details while everything is fresh in your mind. Can we do that? Can we talk?”
I sighed heavily, rubbing my fingertips across my forehead to try to push back the headache that was now pulsing behind my eyes. “You know how it started,” I mumbled as I pulled a thread loose from my sweater sleeve.
“Then start somewhere else. Tell me a significant day that stands out in your mind. Tell me how you became Willow.”
I cleared my throat as I pictured the high ceilings. The room seemed to go to the Heavens with beautifully ornate crown molding and deep grey wallpaper covered in filigree.
***
My entire body ached, and the man who stood before me in his tailored three-piece suit seemed oblivious to the inner turmoil that caused my entire being to vibrate with fear. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inside of his suit jacket with a gold metal lighter. I was hunched over on a wooden kitchen chair, cocooned in a brown fur blanket, my eyes trained on his. The light blue color was hauntingly beautiful, but I knew that there was nothing beautiful about this man. The way the staff avoided his gaze. The way he squared his shoulders proved he held the burdens of the world on them effortlessly. Something inside of me knew I should fear him, yet when he spoke, his voice was low, his face softening.
Sinking down to eye level with me, he tucked a long piece of my knotted, chestnut hair behind my ear before lighting his cigarette. “Do you know who I am, doll face?” His Italian accent was thick and commanding.
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t find the words. He smiled as his eyes narrowed slightly.
“My name is Giovanni Benedetto. Do you need me to call the police or a doctor?” This question surprised me, but it felt like a test.
“No,” I finally spoke as I shook my head slightly, dislodging my hair from behind my ear. His eyes had searched my face before he nodded, his tongue running over his lips before he stood to his full height of nearly six foot.
He turned to the man in a lighter grey suit in the doorway. “Get her cleaned up and fed. I have to go into town for a while.”
“You want her gone before you get back?” The smaller man asked as pale blue eyes met mine before he walked by the man in the doorway, calling out behind him.
“Just do what I fucking told you to do,” Giovanni commanded as he muttered something in Italian that I couldn’t decipher.
“Why do I have to watch the canceled stamp?” The smaller man called out, joking at my expense as he shook his head.
The smaller man walked toward me slowly. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” His fingers looped around my forearm and he pulled me to my feet, dragging me down a long hallway and up two flights of stairs to a gorgeous room overlooking a pond.
“Bathroom is in there,” he nodded to one of the oversized white doors along the right wall before backing out of the room, and I heard a lock click in place as he left.
I let out a heavy breath as I sank down onto the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around my body.
***
“Do you think Benedetto was worried that you knew who he was?”
“I don’t think you become someone like Giovanni without questioning other’s motives.”
“Giovanni? You referred to him by his first name? Interesting. So tell me what happened when he returned?” His eyes were focused on his notepad as he scribbled down a few notes and waited for me to continue.
The cold air burnt my lungs as my legs threatened to give out from under me. My body wasn’t used to running anymore. I’d become an animal in a sanctuary, given the illusion of freedom but the fences were cleverly hidden, built up in my mind. My world was small and dark and escaping that enclosure was almost too overwhelming to my senses. The sights and sounds were so foreign I contemplated doubling back, but I knew that option had passed the moment my toes touched the soil. The rustling leaves whispered to me, telling me of the torment that awaited me when I was found. The darkened skies warned of the blindfold that would remain over my eyes for days until even my memories turned black and I’d forgotten who I was. But the smell of fire, that smell gave me hope. It gave me back a memory I’d been clinging to for all these years of sitting around a campfire. Laughter roared louder than the flames, and the only fear was falling asleep and missing out on more memories that we’d take for granted.
Tree roots bit into my bare heels, tender and soft after years of not being able to wander over anything but smooth wooden floors. I tried to cry out but my throat was dry, and my voice cracked under the fear of being found. I reached the tree line and stumbled, naked and filthy onto a rocky road, still heated by the fading sun. The pain of the stones slicing into flesh caused me to drop onto my knees, palms slapping hard against the ground. I let my head hang as I absorbed the pain, disappearing into my mind where I was safe, where the monsters couldn’t reach. White light blinded my sight, and the rumble of an engine caused my heart to race as a vehicle stopped just feet from my shivering body. My heart was thudding so hard against my chest I thought for certain I would die, but it wasn’t racing out of fear. I was finally free. I’d survived, but I’d never felt more dead inside.
CHAPTER ONE
PRESENT DAY –May 24, 1924
“My name is Willow,” my voice shook as I spoke, my untrimmed nails digging into the flesh of my upper arm as I scratched myself until I felt the warmth of blood. The pain was calming to my thoughts, bringing me back to this moment and allowing me to stay present.
“We both know that isn’t your name, Holly.” His tone was too confident, and it caused me to grind my teeth. He wasn’t listening. He was asking me questions, but he refused to listen. He wouldn’t last long where I had been. Most didn’t. I was different.
“My name is Willow.”
“Okay,” he said as he gestured with his hands before fumbling again with his pen, clicking and unclicking it. My mind could only focus on that noise, the sound reminiscent of the ticking of his watch. “Willow?” He said as if testing the waters. My eyes snapped to his, and my heart began to calm as I cleared my throat. “Why would you like me to call you Willow?”
“Because that’s who I am now.” Because I can be bent to your will and never break. My voice was steady now, and I spoke with confidence as I repeated his words.
“Going through what you’ve been through would change anyone. No one is blaming you right now.”
“Don’t talk to me like a child.”
“Holly… Willow, I am not talking to you like a child. I’m speaking to you as if you had just survived something horrific and you need time to process.”
“I don’t need time. I don’t want time. I’m not a victim. Bobby Franks is a victim. Why are you wasting your time with me and not finding that poor boy?”
“No, of course, you’re not. We both know you’re not. But if what you went through is making you feel… bad or remorseful even, that is okay. No one is judging you. We just want to go over the details while everything is fresh in your mind. Can we do that? Can we talk?”
I sighed heavily, rubbing my fingertips across my forehead to try to push back the headache that was now pulsing behind my eyes. “You know how it started,” I mumbled as I pulled a thread loose from my sweater sleeve.
“Then start somewhere else. Tell me a significant day that stands out in your mind. Tell me how you became Willow.”
I cleared my throat as I pictured the high ceilings. The room seemed to go to the Heavens with beautifully ornate crown molding and deep grey wallpaper covered in filigree.
***
My entire body ached, and the man who stood before me in his tailored three-piece suit seemed oblivious to the inner turmoil that caused my entire being to vibrate with fear. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inside of his suit jacket with a gold metal lighter. I was hunched over on a wooden kitchen chair, cocooned in a brown fur blanket, my eyes trained on his. The light blue color was hauntingly beautiful, but I knew that there was nothing beautiful about this man. The way the staff avoided his gaze. The way he squared his shoulders proved he held the burdens of the world on them effortlessly. Something inside of me knew I should fear him, yet when he spoke, his voice was low, his face softening.
Sinking down to eye level with me, he tucked a long piece of my knotted, chestnut hair behind my ear before lighting his cigarette. “Do you know who I am, doll face?” His Italian accent was thick and commanding.
My mouth opened, but I couldn’t find the words. He smiled as his eyes narrowed slightly.
“My name is Giovanni Benedetto. Do you need me to call the police or a doctor?” This question surprised me, but it felt like a test.
“No,” I finally spoke as I shook my head slightly, dislodging my hair from behind my ear. His eyes had searched my face before he nodded, his tongue running over his lips before he stood to his full height of nearly six foot.
He turned to the man in a lighter grey suit in the doorway. “Get her cleaned up and fed. I have to go into town for a while.”
“You want her gone before you get back?” The smaller man asked as pale blue eyes met mine before he walked by the man in the doorway, calling out behind him.
“Just do what I fucking told you to do,” Giovanni commanded as he muttered something in Italian that I couldn’t decipher.
“Why do I have to watch the canceled stamp?” The smaller man called out, joking at my expense as he shook his head.
The smaller man walked toward me slowly. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” His fingers looped around my forearm and he pulled me to my feet, dragging me down a long hallway and up two flights of stairs to a gorgeous room overlooking a pond.
“Bathroom is in there,” he nodded to one of the oversized white doors along the right wall before backing out of the room, and I heard a lock click in place as he left.
I let out a heavy breath as I sank down onto the bed, pulling the blanket tighter around my body.
***
“Do you think Benedetto was worried that you knew who he was?”
“I don’t think you become someone like Giovanni without questioning other’s motives.”
“Giovanni? You referred to him by his first name? Interesting. So tell me what happened when he returned?” His eyes were focused on his notepad as he scribbled down a few notes and waited for me to continue.
