Never Say Love (18 page)

Lucy slept very well and woke early, the headache long gone. Turning towards Benito, she took in his dark hair with the bed head look, the square chin and those full soft lips, perfectly kissable.

After the Chinese take away they had enjoyed, her mouth felt furred up and she was so very thirsty. She crept from the bed, dressed only in one of his t-shirts, and she softly padded into the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and threw some water over her face. Walking out into the bedroom, she noticed him still fast asleep—she really didn’t want to wake him as that would ruin her plan.

Creeping softly into the kitchen, she filled a large glass of water and drank it all before returning to the bedroom and sliding back into bed beside him. Wriggling next to him, Lucy let her fingers trail softly across his chest. Moving closer, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Stirring, Benito turned, slowly opening his eyes as he focussed on Lucy, “Morning,” he croaked, “feeling better?”

“Yes, I am.”

Bringing his arm up towards her, she felt his hand on her shoulder, holding her closer. “Good.”

Snuggling towards him, she let her hand travel down his firm stomach, her fingers rising and falling over his abs until she found his happy line allowing her fingertips to glide further down. Raising her eyes to him, she saw his beautiful lips pull up into the gentlest of smiles and then blow a little kiss to her.

Finding his hard length, ready and waiting, she grasped it, her small hand barely fitting around his girth, “Like this?” she purred as he studied her face.

“Yes,” he growled in response.

Shuffling onto her knees and pushing the duvet back, she looked towards him, licking her lips, “Do you want me to?” Lucy asked.

Looking at her, he nodded as she leaned forward. Brushing her lips against the nub end of his huge cock, she took him into her mouth before starting to bob, down and up. “Hold me,” Benito growled.

Bringing her small hand around, she grasped the base of his shaft, her fingers brushing against his sack as she did.

Over and over she drew him into her, feeling his hand at the back of her legs as she knelt before him. Brushing his finger tips up the back of her thigh until they reached her backside, squeezing it gently before letting his fingers drift to her most private place.

As he brushed against her lips, the intense feelings flooded through her, driving her on to pleasure him more, faster. Her tongue was swirling around the end of his hard erection, while her small hand squeezed his heavy sack.

Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, her body becoming alight by his touch she became aware of him parting her lips. His fingertips found her sensitive little nub, gently circling, over and over, sending her fast toward the edge of what was set to be an explosive climax.

Focussing on his length, working him, she heard his deep voice rumble, “Lucy, you’re so fucking good at this.”

Ignoring him but driven on by his words of encouragement, she continued to work him, her tongue flicking, surrounding the edge of his engorged member.

“No, Lucy.” He guided her head away from him. Turning, he slowly brought her onto her back before leaning forward towards her breast, taking each nipple in turn, lapping and nipping at the blush pearls.

Pushing his knees between her legs, he manoeuvred himself closer to her, “Wrap your legs around me,” he whispered.

Lucy lifted her legs as she felt the hard tip of his length nudge towards her opening, gently pushing himself forward, filling her completely before withdrawing slightly and then powering home, over and over, Lucy, crying out at each thrust.

“Oh my God!” she cried out as he slammed into her again. Feeling him pulse within her, her muscles clenched, drawing him in further and further, squeezing every ounce from him.

Waking early, both of them having enjoyed more amazing make-up sex, Lucy and Benito then showered together, where more fantastic love making had taken place. After devouring a quick breakfast, they headed off to the office. Pulling up outside the building, they made their way to the door, standing side by side, as Benito unlocked the door.

“Damn it, I forgot to get some milk. You head on in; I’ll nip down to the corner shop.” Lucy huffed, cross with herself for forgetting to bring some from
home
.

Placing a chaste kiss on Benito’s cheek, she left him and walked across the car park in the direction of the corner store. Turning to watch her, Benito saw that beautiful long hair of hers swinging in a high pony tail, he loved that hair. Turning back towards the door, he opened up and headed inside toward his office. Taking his laptop from its case, he switched it on before heading to make a cafetière of coffee.

Sitting down with a black coffee, Benito checked his emails, answering a couple from Franco and some of the other staff in Italy, becoming engrossed in his work and losing track of time. Buried in his work, he was disturbed from his thoughts by Katie knocking his door, “Morning Katie,” Benito looked up, smiling.

“Is Lucy okay?” she asked

“Yes, she’s fine. Why?” He frowned.

“Because she’s not here, I thought she must be ill.” Katie looked confused, “You did know she isn’t in today, didn’t you?”

“But she came in with me. She went to get some milk from the shop on the corner.” He stood, turning towards his window and looked in the direction of the corner shop.

“She’s not here, Mr Abelli,” Katie said slowly, “We have not seen her all morning,” glancing at her watch, “it’s ten o’clock now.”

Moving from the window, he quickly walked towards Katie, “You’ve not seen her at all?” he questioned.

Katie shook her head, looking up at him, “No, we’ve not seen or heard from her all morning. Like I said, we assumed she was off ill!”

His face hardened, looking increasingly concerned. He snapped, “Then where the hell is she?”

Returning to his desk, he picked up his mobile and scrolled to Lucy’s number. Tapping the screen and putting the phone to his ear, he listened as the call connected straight to her voice mail.

“Lucy, as soon as you get this, call me and where are you?” He spoke calmly.

Holding onto his phone, he looked at Katie, “I’m going to drive down to the shop, just to make sure she’s not standing around gossiping to anyone.”

Leaving the office, Benito popped the locks on his Range Rover. He sped out of the car park and down the road. Watching the people walk along the footpath as he went, glancing at both sides, he was checking that she was not walking back towards the office. Lucy was not to be seen.

Arriving at the corner shop, he double parked. He flicked the hazard lights on his car and jogged into the store, interrupting a conversation between the sales assistant and an elderly lady. He barged through to the cash desk.

“Has a young woman been in, about this tall,” he levelled his hand to just below his shoulder, indicating Lucy’s approximate height, “pretty, long wavy blonde hair, big blue eyes?”

“No, nobody been in here with that description,” the grey haired lady glared at Benito, presumably annoyed for interrupting her in depth conversation with the customer she was attending to.

“Are you sure?” Benito snapped, “It’s really important!”

“Sorry love, I’ve told you, nobody by that description has been in here this morning. Anyway, what was this girl wearing?” The woman asked.

“She was wearing a floral dress and heels.” He described what Lucy was wearing, the pretty dress, her shoes. He even described how she had her hair today, the high ponytail and her handbag, not missing a detail.

The customer turned and looked towards Benito. “There was a young girl outside when I came in here, about an hour ago. I’ve been here chatting with Jane for about an hour, haven’t I?” she turned and looked to the sales
assistant. “She was talking to some men. She didn’t look very happy. Then she got into a black car with them, and they drove off. They helped her in.”

Helped her in, I bet!
Benito thought. Turning towards the customer, he held her gently by the shoulders, looking directly at her old wrinkled face, her clouded once blue eyes, “Which way did they go? What sort of car were they driving?” He demanded.

“Oh, I don’t know—a black one, one of those with a blue and white circle thing on the front. It looked brand new.” She shrugged herself from his grip. “It went that way.” Looking out of the shop window, she pointed in the direction the car had gone.

“Is that all you can remember?” Benito spoke gently to the elderly lady, “It’s really important. I think you saw my girlfriend getting into that car.” Pleading, his face full of worry and stress, he pressed the woman for further information.

Smiling at him softly, “No son, that’s all I can tell you. I’m sorry.”

Sighing deeply, he thanked the woman and left the shop, taking his mobile from his pocket, he was trying Lucy’s number for a second time. Again, it went straight to voicemail.

Starting to feel slightly panicked, yet outwardly remaining calm, Benito called Lee and Jake, the two security professionals on his payroll that he felt he could trust the most. He told them what had happened. Deep down he knew he should probably call Michael, Lucy’s brother. There was no reason why she would have gone there. They hadn’t fallen out; in fact, it was the opposite—their relationship was great and he didn’t want to unnecessarily worry Lucy’s family.

Calling the office, he spoke with Katie. He asked her not to mention Lucy’s disappearance to anyone and to call him if she turned up or phoned.

“But where is she?” A concerned Katie had asked.

“I have no idea, some woman in the shop said she saw someone that looked like Lucy, getting into a black car. That’s all I know.” He sighed, “Look, Katie, that was an hour ago, but I’m going to drive around. Lee and Jake know, they are driving over to meet me now. Can you hold the fort there please and call me if you need me or if you hear anything?”

“I will,” Katie’s voice sounded strained as she spoke.

A thought occurred to him, “Katie, have you got the
Find Friends
app on your phone? Is Lucy on your list of approved friends? I’m nowhere near wi-fi.”

“Good thinking, and yes, she is!” Katie smiled, thinking that finally there may be some news. “Hold on, I’ll try it now.”

Rummaging through her handbag, she pulled out her phone. She tapped on the
Find Friends
app and waited. One by one, the few friends that had agreed to use the app with her started to pop up on her screen, their locations. Then Lucy’s name –
unavailable.

Continuing on his slow drive, Benito checked every black BMW that he saw, the ones where he could see through the windows anyway. Thinking about the pig’s heart that had been delivered and threatening letters that he and his father had received, his blood ran cold. Someone
had Lucy. Whoever it was, they must have been watching him and known that he had finally begun the settling-down process. It was common knowledge that Benito Abelli didn’t have a girlfriend; well hadn’t until recently anyway. Racking his memory, he thought back to the man in the bar, the one that had watched him and Lucy a few weeks ago. He recognised him, but still couldn’t remember where from.

As he drove around, he felt his heart racing and the tension inside his stomach growing. If they hurt her, whoever
they
were, he would kill them, just like he had done with the bastard that had violated his sister. Lucy was his
—
he’d been her first, as far as he was concerned, he’d laid claim to her. She
was
his.

As the morning moved into afternoon, he spoke with Lee and Jake. They were out, independently of each other, trolling London’s back streets, looking for the black BMW, searching for Lucy, none of them turning anything up at all. Starting to feel like his world was crashing down around
him, Benito reminded himself why he’d chosen never to have a girlfriend, why he had decided to stay single, because of this. This feeling of dread that swept over him, is this what his father felt when his mother, had died—feelings of helplessness and of being alone, the feeling that he was only half of the whole.

After hours and hours of driving around with no sighting of a black BMW or Lucy, Benito called Lee. “Can you meet me at my place?” he asked before setting off for his apartment.

“Sure, see you in twenty,” Lee’s deep voice coming through the speakers of the hands free unit in Benito’s Range Rover.

Pulling into the secure car park, Benito slowly got out of the car. Slamming the door closed, his temper was showing through. Turning, he rested his hand on the roof. Leaning forward, he lowered his forehead into his other hand.

“
Io cazzo li ammazzo,” he murmured under his breath. Looking up, his lips tight, he breathed deeply, fist clenched tightly his side. His father’s words running through his head,
“we look after our own in this family,”
and as far as he was concerned, Lucy
was
his family.

Starting to feel sick at the thought of what they might do to her, “Oh God!” he mumbled out loud, “Mama, please don’t let them hurt her, she’s too precious, too fragile to be hurt.”

On hearing the wheel spin of a car behind him, Benito turned as a black BMW sped past, a large brown padded envelope being flung out of the rear window towards him.

Jogging over towards the package, he bent down and picked it up whilst watching the BMW sped away. Studying the car as it disappeared around a corner, he made a mental note of a part of the registration, the car going too fast to get all of it.

Feeling torn inside, he looked down at the package. Scrawled on the outside of it in thick black handwriting, was the word
Abelli.

Turning back towards the apartment complex, his attention was distracted again as Lee arrived. Parking his Range Rover next to Benito’s, he quickly climbed out of the car. “No news?” he asked as he strode over to his boss.

“No, but someone just drove past and chucked this out of the window at me.” Benito showed Lee what was in his hand, “I got a partial number off the black beemer.”

Benito recounted the partial registration to Lee, who text the details to the office, as they walked into the apartment complex and to the lift. Benito started to carefully peel away the flap of the package. Lee watched him intently as his employer opened the padded envelope, “Fucking hell,
the bastards.” He hissed, “If they’ve hurt her, I’ll kill them with my bare hands. So help me, I’ll make them fucking suffer.” Turning his face, white with anger, he looked at Lee. “Go fetch Jake and the others; I want everyone out looking for her. I want her found
tonight.
The bastards that have her are not going to know what’s hit them as I intend to deal with them myself.” His tone hardening, a man possessed, committed to find the woman he regarded as his.

“Sure thing,” Lee nodded, “but what is it?”

Shaking his head, Benito muttered under his breath. “Bastards,” reaching into the envelope his hands brushed against the silky strands, turning him cold, his face full of anger and hatred. He pulled out Lucy’s ponytail, held together at one end by the band she had used this morning, the soft waves hung from his fist as he held it aloft for Lee to see.

“The fucking monsters,” Lee hissed, staring at the scene of hair, at Lucy’s blonde locks held aloft by Benito. “Leave it to us boss, we’ll find her.”

Benito looked into the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper, after reading it, he handed the paper to Lee.

We have your girl. She will be unharmed as long as you follow our instructions. Contact will be made through your girl’s phone. Unless you don’t want any more pieces of your girl delivered, just do as you’re told.

“We’ll get her back.” Lee looked at Benito, his face drawn. He’d never seen the composed Italian look so distressed, always the cool and calm type, never flustered.

As soon as the lift reached Benito’s floor, he stepped out onto his landing. Lee stayed put, travelling back down again.

Stepping into his apartment, Benito held the envelope close to his chest, wrapping both arms around it. “Oh mama,” he said quietly, looking up, his back resting against the wall. “Please look after her, please.”

Lost in his thoughts, feeling torn apart in side, he took several deep breaths, trying to pull himself together mentally.

Moving towards the kitchen, he threw the envelope onto the counter before reaching for his Café Crème and lighting up. Breathing the smoke in deeply, he poured himself a large cognac and took his phone from his pocket.

Scrolling down to his father’s number, he tapped the screen to connect the call, Franco answering quickly.

Speaking in Italian, Benito struggled through the pleasantries.

“Have you had any more threats?” He asked

“Nothing son, it’s all gone quiet. Why?” Franco’s voice boomed through the phone.