AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What. The. Fuck.
Who the hell would do this to them? Wait,them?
“You saidus. Who else was with you and your aunt, Luca?”
He finishes his second glass of wine and goes to pour more but I know from experience that wine and memories can loosen lips when they're mixed so I put my hand on the rim of his glass.
“Parlami, piccola.”Talk to me, baby. “Then we can get fucked up.” I give him a smile as I put his glass next to mine.
He heaves a breath and leans his head back so that I can see the tattoo on his neck, Sia, only now I notice the two little hands reaching out towards one another like the famous paintingCreation Of Adamin the Sistine Chapel. They're under the letters and they look like the hands of children.
“My sister, Sia. She was only a baby and she was sentenced to a life of never knowing her family. My aunt climbed through a window and ran with us through the dark neighborhood. She took us to a church and spoke to the Father who helped her change my name and birth certificate.”
“Why did she do that and where is Sia?” I'm angry on his behalf. I'm eternally grateful to this woman but why did she change his name?
“I'm not sure who or what my father was involved with but she said she had to change my name so that I'd never be found. Sia and I got separated. I got sent to California but I was too little to know that I wasn't in New York anymore so when I never saw Sia in the children's homes or foster homes I kept running away. I needed to find her and protect her like my ma wanted me to. To keep me from running away they locked me away in juvie and I spent my childhood in a cell block from age twelve to eighteen.”
I'm at a loss of words. That's seriously fucked up. He lost his entire family at such a young age and then he had to spend every birthday in a cell. What kind of fucked up beast does that to a child? The fucking system is bullshit and should be torn down like the wall in Germany.
I'm so pissed and I didn't even live his life. Hearing his story made me feel like I lived it, now can you even comprehend how he feels?
He lived it. He saw it. He went to sleep without his mama every night and he lived everyday without his father's guidance.
“You'll never be alone again, Luca.”
He stares deeply into my eyes like he's searching for deceit. He won't find any. I mean what I say and I say what I mean. I don't mince words and I don't toss them around, making them worthless and empty.
“For a second I thought you said 'bleed alone.'“ He gives me a cheeky smile, trying to show me that he's fine and doesn't need pity.
“That too.” I smile and wink because, yeah, I'd bleed for him too.
I know he doesn't want to talk about his past anymore and I won't push him. It's why I kept the wine from him. I wouldn't want him to regret telling me things he wouldn't have said had he been sober.
“Come on, let's get out of here. I want to take you to my apartment.”
I motion to the server but Gino comes running through the door with his gun drawn.
“Get down!”
Immediately the front floor-to-ceiling windows burst sending shards of glass everywhere and I'm knocked to the ground as gunfire ensues. Screams bombard us as I cover my ears and curl into Twitch's chest. I'm so damn scared but I can't lay here and hide, not while Gino and Pauly could be bleeding out.
“I need to get to Paul. I need to make sure he's okay.” I scream above the loud ringing and I'm not entirely sure that it’s not in my head. Twitch runs his hands over my body trying to find wounds but when I look up at him I see he's got a gash on the right side of his head to his cheekbone and he's bleeding badly. Fuck this. I grab the nearest table napkin to put it on his face but he pushes my hands away and lifts me from the bloody floor.
We're standing in a crouch when I see my purse spilled open showing my 9mm handgun that Gino gave me this morning at Barbarity after seeing the break-in.
I grab the gun and cock it. We can still hear faint gun fire but tires are squealing, trying to escape no doubt. I see blood from the front entrance and down the sidewalk. I point it out to Twitch and use two fingers to point to my eyes and the street. He nods and pulls out a set of butterfly knives, flipping them open before peeking out the door. My heart races and my palms sweat but seeing how he moves with ease make my core tighten. God, I'm a twisted bitch.
“All’s clear but I don't see Gino. This has to be his blood. Let’s go but keep your eyes on the street, Sil. We don't know if anyone is hiding.”
I nod and follow his lead, grateful he isn't treating me like a fragile flower and demanding I stay back. I wouldn't anyway.
We get to the alley where the blood trail turns. I pull the gun up and ahead of me before turning the corner. I see Gino on the ground clutching his chest while a young guy stands over him. Gun in hand and finger on the trigger. I don't hesitate I let the bullets fly. The guy goes down with three shots, two in the body and one in the neck.
“Gino!” I run straight to him, never pulling my aim off the piece of shit who grasps at his throat with a gurgling sound coming from him. His last breaths.
“I'm okay,bambina. Nice shot.” Gino is struggling to breathe and his pallor is ghostly white. Twitch rips Gino’s shirt open exposing the multiple holes in his chest. It's a miracle he's even still alive. I put pressure on his wounds as Twitch calls 911 but I know it's futile.
I kiss Gino on the forehead and whisper, “Andare con Dio. Mi assicurerò che paghino.”Go with God. I'll make sure they pay.
I tap my chest twice, “I'll take care of your wife. She'll never want for anything. You have my word.”
I sit with Gino, holding his heavy hand while he lets go. I cry when I see his eyes empty of the light he always shared.
He ran inside to protect me. He wasted precious seconds to warn me when he could have ducked behind a parked car.
For me.
I'll make them pay. I swear it.
Twitch sits with me on the ground and when we make eye contact I see it in him too. We won't let this crime go unpunished.
