Chapter I



Annabelle urgently made her way to the elevator of her fathers office building. She was disgusted that it took her nearly an hour to arrive after her fathers short worded phone call. None the less she knew it was important and she needed to be there immediately. The traffic in the city as soon as twelve hit was atrocious, but Annabelle had made it. She hurriedly pressed the button for the elevator, she needed to get to the eleventh floor and fast. The bell of the elevator door chimed and a crowd of attorneys shuffled out quickly. Annabelle wasted no time in jumping into the elevator and quickly pressing the button for the eleventh floor. She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator ascended into the skies of the office tower first, second, third. Annabelle looked at her wrist watch and grunted her father could have been having a stroke and still she would be an hour late because traffic waits for no one, especially in New York. Finally the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, she had made it to the eleventh floor. She didn’t stop for a second as people from her fathers firm smiled and waved she just smiled back and quickly moved passed them all. She was just one hall away from her fathers office door when she ran smack into William Segul. Her whole life she had to put up with his crush simply because he was the best attorney other than her father at the firm. Five years William had tried to make Annabelle love him, but she was not easily swayed. No doubt Annabelle considered William a good friend, but he was just too vain for her. He loved to flash his cash around town, he believed love was earned through a wad of cash and Annabelle believed love was earned through honesty. And William being an attorney had not the slightest clue what honesty was, but Annabelle didn’t blame him it was just part of his day to day life. William stopped her in the hall with a harmless smile and two hands on her shoulders.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa slow down there boss, what’s the hurry?”

“I’m sorry William, I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t have time to play games right now. I’m late as it is.”

Annabelle hurried past William down the hall dead set on reaching her fathers office, William followed at an even pace behind her.

“What are you late for, Lunch with daddy?”

Annabelle ignored him and continued a fast paced walk down the hall, William did not give up.

“C’mon Anna talk to me what’s wrong?”

Annabelle had finally reached the door of her fathers office and she turned around quickly outside the door to face William. His face was confused but sincere he honestly cared what was troubling her as much a man like William could care. Annabelle allowed a sarcastic grimace to escape her lips.

“Tootolos late for lunch with daddy.”

She closed the door in Williams face and sighed a sigh of relief as she turned to face her father. His head was down and he was as usual buried in case files. Annabelle sat quietly in a chair facing his desk, he looked up for a moment and smiled at his daughter. Annabelle ducked her head in shame as she peered over his desk at the clock on the wall that read 1:15. She was fifteen minutes over her lunch hour and nearly an hour and a half late to her fathers office.

“I’m sorry I’m so late…” Annabelle began.

“No worries, I assumed it would take you some time getting here after realizing I had called you at twelve. Traffic here is atrocious at lunch hour, everyone speeding around hurried to get their lunch and return to work. Savages of the road really.”

He did not look up from his work once as he spoke. Annabelle smiled at the ramblings of the old man. She always thought he looked like a Muppet when he was focused. His grey hair flopping over into his face every once in a while the pipe wiggled from on his lips as he spoke and never once did he look up from his case files.

“Well, now that I finally made it, what’s the big urgency to get me here?”

Annabelle’s smile illuminated her face making her features all the more beautiful. The dimples in her cheeks seemed to just glow with her golden brown eyes and perfect teeth. Annabelle was easily the most beautiful woman in the city inside and out. Annabelle’s father finally put aside his case files and looked at his daughter, he sighed. She knew something was wrong but she didn’t pry she just waited for him to tell her what was going on that troubled him so deeply.

“Well, it’s about this case I have been working for the past year. I finally have enough evidence to stop the drug smuggling in the city.”

“That’s great dad!” Annabelle chimed.

“But. Somehow my progress got leaked to the public and the men in charge of the drug ring have a bull’s-eye right over my face. Well, in a way its my face…”

“Oh my god, have you informed the police?”

“No, no I can’t.”

“What not?” Annabelle rose her voice just a slight bit in frustration.

“You don’t understand what these men are capable of. They will not rest until this case is dead.”

“Well, fight back. You’ve dealt with things like this before all you have to do is inform Tony Jackson at the sheriffs department.”

“It’s not that simple, Belle!”

Her father shouted, it was the first time he had shouted at her in years. Annabelle silenced and a tear rolled down her fathers face. It broke her heart to see him in such a vulnerable place and she rose from her chair to put her arm around her fathers shoulder.

“What’s so different about this case, dad?”

Her fathers face glistening with tears he pushed a file labeled private over to her. She looked at her father and then back at the file and slowly opened it. Annabelle was in shock of what she saw inside the yellow folder and lowered herself back into a chair trying to catch her breath. Photos of her were smeared across the page, her home and work address were scribbled on a paper and she knew what this meant. If these men couldn’t reach her father they were going to hit him where it hurt the most, they were after Annabelle. Her heart pounded wildly as she peered down at the photos of her she hadn’t known even existed. Photos of her leaving work, arriving at work, Entering her car, and so many more. It was like a mini scrap book of her last week everything she did, everywhere she went.

“I never wanted this to involve you. These men are just smarter than I predicted.”

“They know everything.” Annabelle stammered.

“I know, I know.” Her father sighed in dismay.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You get back in your car and go to work as if nothing happened but lunch. You go to work and then you go right home Tony will be waiting at your house make it look like a friendly visit. You do not want to put up a red flag, Belle. These men will not hesitate to kill you if they feel you are a threat.”

“How do you expect me to act normal after learning my life has become a sick show to drug smugglers?”

Annabelle’s father sighed once more, there was more to it. Her heart dropped and she sunk a little more in her chair waiting for the rest of the bad news. Her life started to feel like a bad dream and all she wanted to do was wake up.

“They aren’t just drug smugglers. We have reason to believe that these men have immigrated from Sicily. They are part of the Sicilian mafia, Belle. They are not men to mess around with.”

Annabelle felt as though her heart were skipping beats as she sat there dumbfounded in her fathers office. Just yesterday she was happy everything was fine she even had dinner with an old high school friend, and now today she’s a target of the Italian mafia. She couldn’t help but think what a lunch hour this has been. She glanced at the clock above her fathers desk once more it read 1:30 she was a half an hour over her lunch hour.

“I guess I should get back to work.” Annabelle breathed the words but did not feel them leave her lips.

“Remember Belle, don’t let on that you know anything.”

Annabelle nodded and moved out of her fathers office. She felt as though this were all a dream her head wasn’t all there as she moved passed all the cubicles to the elevator once more. Down was the destination this time and it seemed as though nothing were standing in her way. The elevator chimed and she stepped in and went down. She tried to convince herself this was all just a dream but deep down she knew, she was awake. She drove back to work in a shaken haze it was hard for her to act as though nothing were wrong.

The day stretched on as soon as she returned. No one seemed to bother her about her long lunch hour which surprised her. Naturally her boss would be all over her case about things like that. When six-o-clock came and it was time to leave fear struck her and she decided to stay a little later. Not even fifteen minutes after six hit the office was still and quiet it was almost eerie the silence. The only light on in the building was her desk lamp and the sounds of her shuffling through papers seemed to echo through the halls. Something didn’t feel right to her and it was more than an empty office building.

Her desk phone rang and she jumped. It took her a moment to catch her breath before she could answer, she picked up the phone slowly and answered, her voice was shaking in fear. On the other end a man breathed no words just he sounds of his breath. Annabelle quickly hung up the phone and jumped from her desk. She began to pack up her things to go home when the phone rang again. Annabelle starred at it for several minutes before answering. She didn’t speak a word just listened.

“I knew the old man couldn’t keep his mouth shut, But now we got you right where we want you. I wonder how well he will prosecute knowing he’s the reason his little Belle is dead.”

Annabelle hung-up the phone again and rushed for the parking lot where her small red car sat idly waiting for her to start it up. She jumped in her car and jammed the keys into the ignition the car clicked then died it did this several times. Annabelle slammed her fist down on the dash and looked out the window of her car. Four black figures of men were approaching her car they all carried clubs in their hands. She bolted out of her car and darted for the park. She knew the park well enough that she could hide from them there. She ran as fast as she could across the parking lot she realized through her fear that her heels would slow her down so while running she ripped them off breaking the straps that held them to her feet and whipped them at her attackers. She ran at full speed but the men kept a close pace behind.

She reached the park in no time but she hadn’t expected the men to be so fast. One of them ran up behind her grabbing her hair, Annabelle swung wildly fighting to break free. She landed two or three kicks on her attacker before he whipped her to the ground. The other two men whaled on her with metal bats. They were merciless in their attack they hit her in the face the body and over the head. One of the men told the others to stop Annabelle couldn’t see her eyes were beaten shut.

“Boss said leave her alive. We did our job now lets go.” The mans voice had a strong Italian accent.

“Shut up rook, we know what we’re doing.”

The other men pushed the smaller one aside and continued beating Annabelle in the face. Annabelle kicked randomly and luckily landed a kick between the legs. She quickly got up and began to run. She knew she wouldn’t get far being that she couldn’t see, but she had to try. She wanted to scream but her voice wouldn’t allow it, she ran and ran until she ran right into someone. She fell to the ground and everything went black.