The Mafia's Ruination - Episode 67
Subtitle; {Between Love and War}
Authoress Rejoice
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Alexander's POV
The whole family looked at me as if I had suddenly sprouted two heads before Derek finally broke the silence in the room.
"We will discuss that later," he said to me, his tone laced with a hint of thréat. "Honey, who do you think she is?"
"Phoebe, Deluxe's one and only friend," replied Derek's wife.
"The FBI's daughter?"
"Yes, love."
There was a brief pause before Derek turned to Damon. "Prepare the cars."
"Okay," Damon replied and left the room.
Darren sighed heavily beside me, and when I glared at him, he returned the glare.
"Thank goodness she wasn't kidnappéd," Mrs. Dominguez's voice interrupted our glaring contest. I turned to face her, tilting my head in confusion and anger.
"You don't know that for sure," both Derek and I replied simultaneously, though his tone was softer. We continued to glare at each other.
Darren walked over to his mother and sat beside her, resting his head on her lap while she brushed her fingers through his hair. "It's Phoebe. What hà rm could she possibly do?"
"Anybody can change at any time," Derek audaciously stated, echoing my earlier words. This time, he was the only one doing the glaring.
"Exactly. This is obviously Deluxe's plan," she replied to her son on her lap, looking down at him as though he meant the world to her. She looked back up at me and her husband. "You two are more alike than you think."
"There is absolutely nothing that makes us alike," Derek told his wife, eying me up and down. "If it wasn't for Deluxe, I would have endéd his life."
I forced a fake smile onto my face. "Same here."
"Dad, leave him alone. He's obviously insà ne," one of the brothers who rarely spoke intervened with a scoff.
I ignored him and turned to his father. "Do you know the address?"
"Yes."
Damon ran into the room. "Dad, the cars are ready."
"Let's go."
"Wait!" Derek's wife exclaimed, standing up and looking around at her family members. She focused mainly on her husband, who stared back at her as if she were the oxygen he breathed. "Only you and Alexander are going. You don't all need to come along. Deluxe is safe, and you just need to go pick her up."
"What if she isn't? What if something else went wrong?" the unnamed brother anxiously interjected. Fear laced his questions, clearly afraid of anything untoward happening to his sister, my girlfriend, and the only daughter of the Mexican clan. "I'm going, Mom."
His mother looked at him, her eyes filled with an intense love. She sighed and nodded her head. "Alright, if you say so."
He smiled back at her, and I looked around, searching for any signs of hatréd in the air. But there was none. This family was happy, and love reigned in the room. It made my heart sink to my feet, shattering into tiny fragments.
"I'm going too."
"Me too."
"Fine. Just bring my baby back to me safely, please."
..
The car in front of me came to a stop, and I did the same, wasting no time in getting out. If I were to say that I needed Deluxe in my arms more than I needed air to breathe, it would sound like an exaggeration, but it was true. That girl who was not with me right now was my whole world.
A building stood just ten feet away from the beach. The others also got out of their cars, and we made our way towards the house. I don't know why or what came over me, but I let Derek go in front of me and knocked on the door.
"Deluxe, I was..." The so-called Phoebe immediately stopped talking as soon as she saw us. Fear washed over her pale skin.
Damon pushed his way into her doorway, entering the house and scanning the area. "Where is she?"
"Cat got your tongue?" Darren snapped. "Answer the question!"
"Where the fúck is she?" I barked, causing her to jump up in terror. "Stop shaking and answer the dà mn question!"
"She... she... I... She is g-g-g-gone."
Derek took a step towards her, and she took a step back. His face devoid of any human emotion, leaving only a monstrous gaze in his eyes. "You will also be gone if you don't tell me where my daughter is. Start talking. You don't want to dÃe, do you?"
Phoebe shook her head vigorously. Tears rolled down her face as her whole body trembled with fear. "Someone took her, and I don't know where."
I let out a maniacal laugh, poking the inside of my mouth with my tongue.
"Who took her?"
"I don't know." Tears continued to flow as she shook in terror. "I don't know... The man was wearing a nose mask and a baseball cap, and I thought he was a pizza delivery guy, but he wasn't. He sprayed something on my face, and I passed out. When I woke up, Deluxe was gone."
"You didn't see his face?" Damon interjected with his question.
"N-no."
"What did he sound like?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"Accentless," she looked up at me. "He made an effort not to sound like where he's from."
"Spanish," Damon and I said at the same time, coming to the same conclusion.
The Spanish clan always taught their men how not to sound like themselves. They probably thought it would prevent people from recognizing them, but it did the opposite.
"That's impossible," I muttered, shaking my head and running my fingers through my hair. "I burñed down their house."
"And I killéd every one of them," Derek also muttered, staring at me. "Who do you think survived the explosÃon and the massà cre?"
"He's about 6ft tall and quite large. His voice sounded somewhat American mixed with British," Phoebe chimed in, trying to provide any sort of lead.
"Nicholas," Damon and I exchanged a knowing glance, and a smirk appeared on his face.
If Nicholas has taken her, he will surely seek reveñge. I am certain he would make her suffér before ultimately killÃng her. The thought alone terrifies me, let alone the reality.
Where might he have taken her?
I have no clue. I am new to this country.
"Alexander, do you happen to know if she was wearing anything new when you last saw her?" Derek, Deluxe's father, asked me while holding his phone.
"No. We had a fight and she didn't return to the room," I replied.
"Phoebe, any idea? Did you notice anything on her? Like a necklace, bracelet, anklet, or hairpins?" Derek redirected his attention to the girl who seemed unfazed by our presence, but deeply concerned about the safety of Deluxe. "She was wearing beaded bracelets. Two on each hand."
"Good," Derek nodded, his focus returning to his phone screen. His sons also took out their phones, tapping away rapidly. "Once she touches any of them, we will be able to locate her."
Touch what?
"Got it!" Darren exclaimed, quickly running to one of the cars and jumping into the driver's seat.
"I'll drive with Alexander." Derek informed his two remaining sons, and they nodded, rushing to the other cars.
"Can I come with?" Derek and I turned to look at the girl who I would absolutely kÃll if anything happens to my girlfriend.
"No."
..
I déspise Derek Dominguez, but I must give credit where it's due. This man drives like a manià c, ignoring all traffic signs in order to reach his daughter as quickly as possible. I sat silently beside him, praying that Deluxe is safe.
When he pulled over, I glanced around and discovered that we were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by tall trees. To make matters worse, the sun was setting.
"She is nearby. Let's split up," he instructed me after getting out of the car. I nodded silently, and I was taken aback when he did something unexpected. He placed his hand on my shoulder, patting it gently while locking eyes with me in an intense gaze. "Be careful."
I barely had a chance to react before he turned away, leaving me in shock. The feeling of his hand on my shoulder lingered longer than I wanted as I began my search for her.
My own father has never touched me like that, looked at me like that, or even spoken to me like that. And even if I deny it a million times, I can't help but admit that I enjoyed it.
Scanning my surroundings, I continued running and praying, desperately hoping to find her. A peculiar cottage caught my attention, followed by the shadow of a beautiful girl approaching its entrance.
The relief that washed over me was indescribable, and I moved stealthily to surprise her. I approached from behind, covering her mouth with my hand, causing her to freeze for a moment before biting down hard. Despite the pain, I held onto her, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "Kitten."
Immediately, her body relaxed against mine, and she turned around, wrapping her small hands around me. I lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around me, holding on tightly.
Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed in her arms. "God, I was so scared. I thought I would lose you."
"That's not possible. You're stuck with me for life," Deluxe replied, unfazed by the ordeal of her kidnappÃng.
"Where is he?" I asked, remembering myself. Reluctantly, I let her stand on her own. "What happened to your mouth? You're bleéding. Did he húrt you?"
"I'm fine," she reassured me, caressing my face. "He paid for it."
What?!
"W-what do you mean?"
"I shót him," she responded casually.
"You did what?"
"I shót him."
I stared at her hands in disbelief, then back at her. "With what?"
"A gun. We need to leave. He mentioned something about an explosÃon."
"Where did you shoót him?"
"In the chest. He won't survive. He was barely breathing when I..." Deluxe abruptly stopped talking and looked at me curiously. "How did you find me?"
"Your dad is quite clever. He had a tracking device installed on your belongings."
"Oh, I know. It took some getting used to. Is he here? Where is he? We need to go now," she said urgently, her voice a mix of concern, worry, and fear, yet oddly calm.
Without wasting any more time, we interlocked our fingers and made our way back to where the car was parked.
"You crazy dummy," the brother whose name I don't know exclaimed as soon as he saw Deluxe, pulling her into a hug to which she immediately responded. "You had us worried sick."
"I'm sorry. I didn't plan this."
"Baby, come here," Derek extended his arms, and she ran into them, finding solace in her father's embrace. "Don't ever do anything like this again. Don't you know that I love you more than your brothers?"
"Hey!" All three of the Dominguez boys protested, feigning hurt. Yet, if you looked closely into their eyes, you could see the intense happiness and relief at seeing their little sister safe.
No wonder Deluxe loves her family so much. I would give everything to have a family like theirs, but of course, fate has cúrsed me with Aidan as my father.
Everyone, including myself, flinched at the sound of a loud boom that reverberated through the area. We all turned our gaze towards the distant building, now engulfed in flames.
"Wow," Damon grinned widely. "That's impressive. Let's head home. I'm exhausted."
"Yeah. I'll drive back with Alexander and Deluxe," Derek informed his sons, and they got into the remaining two cars. "You'll drive, Alexander."
"No."
"Do I look like your chauffeur?"
"Yes, you actually do."
He muttered something under his breath in Mexican, and Deluxe couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Dad, not cool," she scolded with a mixture of laughter. "Let's go, please. The firé isn't getting any smaller."
Despite my hatréd for the Mexicans, except my soon-to-be wife, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude and relief as we made our way back to civilization.
TBC 📖✍️
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