Consider This

Chapter 19

Olivia's POV

I hurried down the steps and rushed over to the large doors that led to the living room. The guard nodded so I went straight in. My nerves were tingling again as the oak door slammed shut behind me.

I had been nervous enough when I had been informed that Livio wanted to see me. My nervousness doubled as I noticed it was just Livio and me in the huge room.

"Hello Olivia," he said looking up from the papers he was shuffling through, "No need to sit. We're taking a trip."

Confusion and curiosity seared through me. My curious side begged me to ask where we were going but I knew better. When sucking up to a mob boss you did what you were told, no questions asked.

And that's why I silently followed Livio out a side door and into a dark limo.

I hated myself for acting as Livio's follower. I never wanted to follow someone like this again. I prided myself in being an independent person who stuck up for herself, and here I was being Livio's puppy dog.

"I've decided it's time you learn the ropes," Livio explained to me as we rode along, "We Messina's run things differently. One of our main focuses is on our warehouses and piers. That's where we can watch what comes in and out and exactly where it’s stored. We try to keep violence at a minimum but if someone uses our piers we can send the right message."

Livio stopped talking and left me alone with my thoughts.

Why in the world was he telling me this? Did he honestly already trust me enough to tell me about how he runs his business? And furthermore why was he personally telling me all of this? He had hundreds of goons that could explain this to me, but here he was riding with me in a limo.

I looked up at the powerful man as he reached into a small fridge and pulled out an expensive looking drink. He poured himself a tall glass and slowly started sipping on it.

I could almost feel his arrogance radiating off of him. He thought he was so amazing and above everyone else.

It disgusted me, but also gave me the courage to speak up.

"Sir?" I began, "Why are you taking the time to explain this all to me? I mean, don't you have more important things to do than show the new girl around?"

Livio chuckled as he took another sip of his drink.

"I have a lot of hope for your future," Livio told me, "Therefore I want to make sure you understand everything perfectly. You deserve to be given all of the correct information."

I nodded in reply as a realization hit me.

He was trying to suck up to me just as much as I was trying to suck up to him. He wanted me to like and trust him. He knew those were the things that led to loyalty.

I smirked now knowing he would answer any of my questions to please me.

"Can you tell me where we're going sir?" I asked pleasantly.

I had gotten very good at keeping the hatred and fury out of my voice.

"Our number one warehouse," Livio answered me without hesitation, "I thought it was time for you to see where most of our business takes place."

"So you're going to give me a tour of the warehouse?" I asked trying to hide my shock.

"Me and the three bodyguards following us," he replied.

I nodded again then stared out the tinted window for the rest of the ride. It was dusk so the sun was nearly set but I could still see.

Much sooner than I expected the limo came to a stop. I sat still waiting for Livio to make the first move. After a minute of waiting my car door opened and a body guard helped me out.

It felt awkward being surrounded by 3 body guards as I simply walked to a building.

A small smile appeared on my face as I thought of Joe, Nick, and Kevin. Is this what it felt like to be them? Escorted everywhere?

"Here it is," Livio said interrupting my thoughts.

I took a good look around the huge room I was standing in. The floor was cold cement and the bare walls matched. There were metal shelves lining the room, stacked with boxes and sacks. In the far corner were barrels that were most likely full of gun powder.

It was all familiar to me. The supply of goods. The goods that were only known to certain people.

And of course the coldness of the room. Everything was metal and plain and unwelcoming.

"Don't be shy," Livio said, "There's much to see here."

* * * *

JOE'S POV

I stopped my pacing as my clock beeped. It was 10:00. I knew I was lucky that my parents went to bed this early. I grabbed my keys off my dresser and pulled a black jacket over my t-shirt. It was time to go.

I moved swiftly down my stairs and into my car. Before I knew it I was on the road, in the dark, driving towards a mobster.

It didn't feel real that I was doing this. I wasn't scared or nervous. My whole mind and body was too focused on what I had to do: Get Olivia back.

I barely thought as I drove to the outskirts of town. I had to no plan. No back up. All I had was my love and the knowledge that Olivia needed me.

I reached the street that the Messina 's driveway was off of and parked my car. I continued to move as if it was someone else and I was just watching them.

I stopped when I came face to face with a huge iron gate.

I reached slowly up and rested my finger on the button that would call a guard to the gate.

I closed my eyes and began to apply pressure to the button.

"STOP!"

I jumped at the sound of a woman yelling at me and turned around searching for she who had called.

"I'm here."

A woman stepped out from behind my car and took a few steps towards me.

She appeared to be a little shorter than me and she was wearing dark clothes. Her straight brown hair was shoulder length and something about her was very familiar.

"Who are you?" I asked the obvious, "And why shouldn't I press that button?"

I had a slight fear that she was part of the Messina Organization and I was suddenly very glad that there was so much space between us.

"You must be Joe," the woman said.

Ok, now I was creeped out. This woman appears from behind my car and knows my name!? I needed answers.

"Yes," I answered, "Can you tell me why you know that?"

"I can tell you that pushing that button is a terrible idea," she told me, "Even if Olivia was in there it would do you no good."

"How do you know Olivia?" I demanded.

"My name is Celia," the woman told me, "Celia Dellacroce."

And it all clicked. Celia Dellacroce. Olivia's mom. That's why she looked familiar.

Here was the woman in front of me who had made the first 19 years of Olivia's life hell.

"I know you must hate me," Celia started, "But that's not important now. You must get Olivia back, and I will help you."

"Why would I help you get her back," I shot at her, "So she can join your organization instead?"

"No, Joe, no," Celia said, "I want her to go with you. I was terrible to her. I know I can't change that now, but I do wish for her to have a better life. And you can give her a better life than I can."

Something in Celia's voice made me believe her. And besides, I was wasting time.

"What's your plan?" I asked shortly.

"The Messina 's think they have me being tracked," Celia explained, "But I too am tracking them. That's why I can tell you that right now Livio Messina and Olivia are at the Messina 's largest warehouse."

"Impressive," I said honestly.

"Thank you," she replied, "Now get in your car and follow my directions."

I obeyed Mrs. Dellacroce and we both got into my car. She started telling me where to turn and eventually which warehouse to stop at.

"So now what?" I asked hoping that Celia had a plan.

"They won't be surprised to see you so you go in first," she told me, "You'll simply talk to them and work on getting her back. I'll find a sneaky entrance into the warehouse and come in when I can grab Olivia."

"So pretty much barge in there and take her back?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I like it."

We got out of the car and walked together to the door.

"Good luck," Celia whispered before disappearing behind the corner of the building.

Without hesitation I pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room.

As the door slammed behind me Livio and Olivia twisted around.

There was a guard in 3 of the 4 corners of the room. Livio and Olivia were standing at one of the shelves that were leaned against the wall.

"You," Livio hissed at me.

"Joe!"

My eyes focused on Olivia as she whispered my name.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized she was as beautiful as ever.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Livio demanded.

I wanted to answer but my eyes were still locked on Olivia, because she was staring right back.

"Jonas!"

My attention snapped back to the man next to her.

"What?" I responded.

"Get our of here."

"I'm not leaving without Olivia," I said fiercely.

"Yeah right," Livio scoffed.

Before I knew it Livio had shoved Olivia away from him.

She clearly hadn't been expecting it because she tripped and slid on the cold floor.

I instantly tried to move to her side but one of the guards suddenly had a death grip on my upper arm.

"Leave her alone!" I demanded trying to pull away from the guard.

"Why do you think I shoved her away?" Livio questioned, "Now I can take you down without hurting her."

I heard Olivia gasp and we all looked over at her.

She must have seen her mom! I slowly started moving away from Livio and backwards towards the guard. The man holding me seemed to be ok with it because he didn't fight me. I was desperately trying to make it so Livios back was to Olivia. I had gotten him pretty much turned around when Celia came out from behind the barrels in the corner.

"Oh yeah," I said trying to think of something to say as a distraction, "Well no way she's staying here with you!"

Wow, good one Joe!

But I didn't have time to call myself stupid, because another guard started yelling.

"Sir! They're escaping!"

Livio whipped around and saw Celia and Olivia half way out the side door.

"Stop them!" Livio bellowed as loud as he could.

That's when the chaos began. Before I could make a sound the guard had whipped out his gun and pulled the trigger.

"NOOO!" I was screaming, bloody murder.

My voice echoed through the huge room. Suddenly, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I turned back around as the bullet made contact with the stack of barrels, mere feet from Olivia.

An incredible BOOM sounded and all I could see was an orange flash. I threw myself to the ground as the barrels exploded.

I had no time to think - another explosion sounded and smoke was filling the room.

I weakly pushed myself to a sitting position and the smoke instantly filled my lungs.

A coughing fit took over me and I couldn't see more than 5 feet in front of me, due to the thick smoke.

I continued coughing and dropped into a laying position. I had to get to Olivia!

The room seemed to be spinning as more smoke overtook me.

I couldn't fight it anymore. I couldn't see fire but the smoke was worse.

I laid there coughing and wheezing and calling my girlfriends name. I had failed her....

Then suddenly through the daze around me I could hear something. A soft beeping, but it was getting louder. A siren.

"Police!" I heard a man shout.

I opened my eyes wider and saw dark figured running for the exit. None of that mattered.

Olivia. Where was she?

I grabbed onto a shelf and pulled myself to my feet. I rubbed my eyes as the sound of sirens pounded in my ears.

I stumbled my way through the clearing smoke and the rubble from the explosion.

"Olivia!" I called as loud as I could.

I saw a moving figure and my spirits soared.

"Joe!" the figure called.

That wasn't Olivia.

I took a few more steps and saw that it was Celia, kneeling on the ground.

She moved back to reveal what she was hovering over.

My heart dropped and I felt sick.

It was Olivia's unconscious body.