Initiate Me(75)

“Shit, that’s a lot to digest. I never knew there was another Brunetti brother. I only ever thought there was just the three of you,” Brandon admitted, holding on to the rail as he descended the steps to the cellar. “Christ Almighty, this is one fine wine cellar. It’s state of the art. Not that I’ve been in many, but this is amazing. Everything is so well ordered and so carefully labelled; it looks like something right out of a magazine.”

“Yeah, Zane has spent a lot of money upgrading the pub,” I mumbled as I tried to work out the damn lights. There were just too many buttons to choose from. “Brandon, are you still up there, near the landing?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I can’t get this stupid light switch to work and I can’t see which vintage wine I need. Is there a light switch up there by any chance?” He didn’t answer me. “Brandon! Are you there?” Where the hell could he have gone? He just answered me a few seconds ago.

I heard a loud thump and then the door slammed shut. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs but they didn’t sound like Brandon’s; they were light and there was a click to them as if the shoes had a heel.

A torch was switched on and it was immediately targeted at my face, obscuring my vision. I had no idea who it was. All I knew was that it wasn’t Brandon.

“Well, it seems we are finally alone, doesn’t it, Miss Brunetti.”

I knew that voice. Jessica. My mood, which only moments before was so jovial, had shifted to being one of pure fear and dread. Oh, God, how did she get in here and where is Brandon? As she approached me, I could barely make out her features, but I could see that the look on her face was absolutely lethal.

“Where is Brandon? What have you done with him?”

“Oh, him. It seems he lost his footing at the top of the steps and fell. Oh, dear, I’m afraid accidents happen sometimes,” she sneered. “So, what type of accident is going to happen to you, I wonder, Miss Prim and Proper?”

What the hell was she talking about? An accident? Was she threatening me again?

I tried to move, but the second I moved backward, she lunged forward and grabbed me by my top, ripping it in the process. “You crazy bitch!” I yelled. My fear had evaporated and my adrenaline had kicked in. I was so sick of her attacking me. Following me in there was the last straw, and knocking out Brandon in the process only added to my anger.

“Don’t piss me off, angel.” She mimicked the endearment Zane called me, making it sound ugly coming off her lips. Her eyes were pure evil.

Throwing the cellar keys on the ground, I made quick work of the distance between us and kicked her in the chest, knocking her skinny arse to the ground. My mind didn’t register the sharp pain in my leg long enough for me to even give it a thought. While she was hunched over gripping her chest, I grabbed her by the hair, pulling on it and slamming her to the ground.

“Don’t piss me off, bitch! I am sick of you stalking me and Zane. He has told you numerous times it is over. You mean nothing to him. NOTHING!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Damn Zane for making the cellar soundproof. There was no way they could hear me from out in the front bar. Surely they would realise I was taking too long to get a bottle of wine. Where the hell were they?

“He will never be yours. He will always be mine,” she growled, still on the ground. “I can’t let you have him!”

“Well, I have a newsflash, bitch. You are very wrong because I already have him.” I smiled sweetly at her, but when her face contorted into what I could only describe as off her rocker, I knew she was way past seeing any sort of reasoning or understanding.

“He is only having some fun with you. He needs a real woman, like me. Only I know how to satisfy Zane’s desires and fetishes; you are only a girl.”

“You’re insane.”

She staggered and stood, turning her attention back to me. I didn’t even need to focus on her to realise she was pointing a gun to the left side of my head. The sickening click of her releasing the safety latch was all I needed to hear.

“You got that right. I admit it. I am crazy, and if you even think about moving one fucking inch, I’m going to put a goddamn bullet through your head, angel girl.”

The only way I could get out of my bad situation was to try and reason with her. There was no way I could make her angrier, so I had to give it a shot; it was my only chance. “Please, put the gun down. Why don’t we go on outside and we can talk, like two rational adults,” I begged her. I tried to swallow the lump of fear crawling up my throat, but my mouth had gone bone-dry. I heard a movement at the top of the stairs, knowing it was Brandon. But it was so dark in the cellar and all I could see was the few inches in front of me. And that was crazy-bitch Jessica.