The Mafia Contract Series

Winter

TT WINTER welve hours of pure pleasure is over, and I was collected from the nursery and delivered to the dressing room by one of Massimo’s guards. None of them can talk because he cut their tongues out years ago. They never even look at me. Just silently guide me to my cage, where I wait for the puppet master to pull my strings.

As always, I stand naked on the pedestal and sometimes stand here for hours. I’m never cold because Massimo keeps an even temperature in the room, but I know better than to move an inch because he watches from the cameras set up at every angle. I am his living doll to dress, play with and discard at will, and this is my shelf. He likes to dress me in the finest clothes, drip the finest jewels from my body and paint a masterpiece on my face. His comment about bleaching my hair raises my curiosity because he has always said how much he likes my hair to be as black as the night so he can see it shine.

The door opens, and he heads inside and my flesh crawls on my body as if it has a will of its own.

“Morning, my darling. I trust you got some sleep because today we are going out to play.”

I say nothing and wait for the details and as he decides on what to dress me in, he tells me where we’re heading.

“Iris Young was my nanny and like a second mother. It was her who raised me to be the strong man I am today.”

He pulls a flowery sundress from the hanger and lifts a pair of white espadrilles from the shelf.

Then he selects a white blazer before removing some white shades from the glass fronted drawer.

As he pulls out the most beautiful silk lingerie, I steel myself for his probing fingers to do their worst and as he runs those hands across my entire body, stroking, rubbing and kneading my flesh, I try to stand as still as a statue while he finishes the job.

“Yes, it’s about time you met. She will be so happy to see I have a loving wife at last.”

He fastens the bra around my back and drops a light kiss on the back of my neck and it takes all my concentration not to flinch under it. Despite the degrading way he treats me, it’s never sexual. He isn’t interested in me for that because he prefers young men. But hearing he has a daughter makes me wonder about his past and I am intrigued to learn more about the woman he obviously loved once upon a time.

I am soon ready, and he walks around me critically before snarling, “Iris has betrayed me. She tricked me and conspired with my best friend to keep something important from me. Today she has the opportunity to make up for that and so, Winter, my darling, I am bringing you along to watch what happens when my treasured possessions go against me.”

He twists his mouth into a satanic grin and takes my hand.

“Shall we visit Mother, my darling? She will be ecstatic to meet you at last.”

CEDAR HEIGHTS IS like a grand hotel and as we pass through the gates, I see a pleasant home set in parkland. It looks expensive, which doesn’t surprise me because Massimo likes the best of everything.

We are met at the door as our cavalcade rolls to a stop and the woman standing there looks impressive in her navy-blue suit and crisp white shirt. Her hair has been pulled into a bun and she stands to attention with a huge smile on her face as Massimo helps me from the car.

“Mr. and Mrs. Delauren, welcome to Cedar…” “Mrs. Travers, I have a serious complaint.”

Massimo’s word come out like rapid fire, and the blood drains from her face and her lip trembles.

“I’m sorry sir, please tell me so I can put it right.”

He snarls, “You allowed my mother visitors against my strict instructions.”

“Visitors?” She looks confused.

“A few days ago, apparently.”

He sweeps past her into the entrance hall, and she follows behind, saying in confusion, “I was away for one day. Perhaps they came then, and my manager forgot to mention it. We had to deal with a mild heart attack, and she may have forgotten about the visit in all the confusion. I’ll enquire into it, and it won’t happen again.”

She is almost panting as she runs to keep up and he shouts so loudly it makes me jump. “NOT GOOD ENOUGH MRS TRA VERS!”

He turns on her shivering form and growls, “I pay you well to follow my rules, and this is your mistake. If anything has happened to my mother because of your negligence, I will make you pay. Do you understand?”

The madness in his eyes is scaring me and she is no different as she sobs, “Please sir, I didn’t…” “Leave us.” Massimo nods to one of his guards who moves between them and as we continue on, she is guided in the opposite direction.

I walk quickly and silently beside him because when Massimo is in this mood, there is no point in trying to communicate with him. In fact, he may already have forgotten I’m here and as he heads for the unfortunate Iris Young, I am fearful for the frail lady who will be on the receiving end of his temper.

However, I’m shocked when he knocks gently on the door and enters the room, calling out softly, “Mama, I’m home.”

A surprisingly firm voice says sharply, “Massimo, you’re late.”

He looks a little worried, which confuses me further, and as he stands before her meekly, he nods to me to follow.

Feeling like two naughty children before the principal, I stand with him as she peers at us from over her spectacles.

“Who is the girl?”

“My wife, mama.”

“Your wife is dead.”

Her harsh words cause him to flinch, and he says in a shaking voice, “My second wife, Winter.”

Iris Young looks closer, and I see a stern woman with harsh angular features looking at me with derision.

“She’s not good enough.”

Massimo looks worried as she spits, “Nobody will ever be good enough for my son.”

Now I’m even more confused because she was his nanny, not his mother, he already told me that, but they obviously act out a role they are happy with and I’m guessing she was more like a mother to him than his own, anyway.

She lifts a brush from the side and says sharply, “Kneel before me.”

I am shocked when he meekly does what she says and as I stand there awkwardly, she proceeds to brush his hair with a firm hand that looks quite painful.

“Tell me your news.”

As she goes about her task, he says in a gentle voice, “I had dinner with a visitor of yours.”

She hesitates before carrying on and says harshly, “I don’t know what you are talking about. Make sense, Massimo, don’t pretend.”

I stare at him intently and see the malevolence creep into his eyes as he hisses, “Wesley V asquez’s son and my brother’s daughter.”

“Dimitri’s daughter don’t be ridiculous. Why would she come to see me? Stop telling lies, Massimo.”

I jump when she cracks the brush hard against his head, causing it to lurch sideways and as he rights himself, the rage settles over him like a welcome friend, transforming him into the monster he is most of the time. As she raises her hand to carry on brushing, he grabs her wrist and turns, leaning forward so he is staring into her startled eyes.

“Are you lying to me, mama?”

For the first time, I see the genuine fear in her expression and her voice quivers as she says, “No.”

The brush drops from her frail hand as his palm presses firmly against her mouth and her eyes water as he whispers in a voice dressed in darkness, “Now listen to me, you old hag. I have treated you like a loving son. Paid for you to live like a queen and been your only visitor for several years.

There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you and in return, I expected your loyalty.”

I’m not sure if she can even breathe as her face turns red, and he snarls, “You betrayed me, mama.

You lied to me, you took my daughter from me and put a cuckoo in the nest. You conspired with my best friend to lie to me, and I will never forgive you for that.”

I’m not sure if she’s still breathing and then he removes his hand, and she gasps for air.

Grabbing her head in both hands like he did to me, he snarls, “Where is my daughter?”

Iris’s eyes are wide and frightened, and I pity her despite what she’s done. I really hope she tells him what he needs but she looks defeated as she whispers, “I can’t.”

I have to admire her balls because Massimo is holding her life in his hands literally and yet if I were in her position, death would be a welcome compromise because it doesn’t look as if she has that many years left, anyway.

“Why not?” Massimo’s words are without emotion, despite the fact he is full of it right now and the tears leak from her eyes as she whispers, “I don’t know.”

“Try again.” He tightens his grip, and she chokes. “All I remember is she went to England to a family I used to work for. Mr. and Mrs. Cruickshank.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Massimo sounds triumphant, and she says sadly, “They were killed in a car accident when she was one year old and the last I heard she was put up for adoption.”

I am so fearful right now because Massimo has turned so red it looks as if his blood is about to boil over and he releases her and pushes her back in her seat. Then he paces across to the window, looking as if he’s deep in thought.

For a moment I stare at Iris Young, and she returns it with a fearful one of her own and I’m guessing we are thinking the same thing right now. She is about to experience the extent of his anger, and there is absolutely nothing either of us can do about that.

The seconds tick by and then Massimo reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small metal box. I watch intently as he removes the lid and takes out a syringe, filling it with liquid from a phial nestling beside it.

I hitch my breath and stare at Iris with fear, but she merely looks resigned to whatever he has planned.

He moves back before her and drops to his knees and then a low wail shatters the silence. He sounds like a tortured animal hoping to be put out of its misery. Then he rests the syringe on the floor beside him before reaching for her and proceeds to hold her tenderly against his chest.

As my eyes rest on the loaded syringe, Baron’s words come back to me when he told me to wait for the opportune moment.

This could be it.

As Massimo loses himself in the moment, I could step forward and plunge the syringe deep into his neck. I could save us all because I’m guessing there’s nothing good about what’s inside that phial.

A brief second is all I have and as my limbs respond so do his and he reaches out and wraps his fingers around my only chance before I can even move, and I watch with all the pain of a lost opportunity as he drives the needle deep into the back of her neck.

He openly weeps as she convulses in his arms and he whispers, “I’m sorry, mama. I love you, always remember that.”

I’m shocked when he yells angrily, “Winter, sound the alarm! My mother is having a stroke.”

Springing to the alarm pull by her side, I pull it hard and hope that help arrives soon, and they can do something to save her and as the footsteps pound toward the door, Massimo coolly pockets the evidence as he holds his former nanny in his arms, crying as he begs her to hold on. As the room fills and they put into practice a well-rehearsed drill, Massimo watches keenly the entire time, holding my hand.

We wait until the ambulance arrives and the medics check her over. As they hook her up to various lines and move her limp, frail body to the stretcher, one of them says kindly, “Are you her son?”

Massimo nods. “Will she be ok?”

“I’m not sure. It looks like a stroke. We’ll know more when we get to the hospital. St Cedars, if you want to meet us there.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“Of course.”

Massimo sounds every inch the concerned relative and as they whisk Iris Young away, we start walking slowly to the waiting car.

Once inside, Massimo leans back and says sadly, “Strokes are a terrible thing, Winter. The person could be locked inside their own body in a living hell. My poor mama, she will never be able to talk again. Never be able to spill my secrets and will be kept alive by tubes and drugs until I decide to pull the plug. Such a terrible end for a powerful woman, wouldn’t you agree?”

The ice chills my heart with every word he speaks, because Massimo’s revenge is a sadistic one.

As the car moves away, he sighs heavily. “Such a shame that I will be forced to re-home mama with us when this place shuts down when the murder investigations involving Mrs. Travers begin.

Such a wicked woman dealing in death by being well paid to end her resident’s suffering for money.

What a tragedy, wouldn’t you agree?”

I can only agree as we speed home, and all hope is left back at Cedar Heights. I am a fool if I think I can ever escape this despicable monster which is reinforced when he says brightly, “At least I will have my old friend Wesley to comfort me in my darkest hour. I’m afraid I have no further use of you for the time being, so you must return to the shelf. But stay strong, my dear, your day will come.”

My shelf, as he calls it, is a white painted cage set in one of his dungeons where I live until he decides to play with me. I am not often locked in there, only when he has something that gives him way more pleasure to occupy his time, and I’m guessing the unfortunate victim this time is Wesley V asquez. For once, I’m glad to be off the hook because even locked in a cage in a damp prison is better than the fate awaiting Wesley V asquez.