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“Guerra!” Lunging forward when he sees it's me, he’s soon put on his knees by a crowbar to the shins courtesy of Marco.
“You will pay for this, Guerra.”
“No, Jay, I won’t.” His eyes widen when he realises I have called him the name he uses for Graves. “Your time there is over; your time, in general, is over actually. How do you think we found you so easily?” The penny starts to drop. His expression changing as he realises he has been thrown to the wolves by his own men.
“How’s Katie?”
“Don’t mention her name.”
“She tastes good, doesn’t she? And that little moan she does when..” Crack. My fist breaks his cheekbone. He doesn’t fight back. Instead, he laughs and continues.
“She likes it hard, you know. Slap her about a bit, if you know what I mean.” Anger consumes me; my body reacts on impulse, beating him over and over. I must stop myself. He’s not getting away with it this easily. He’s taunting me. Forcing my mind elsewhere, I calm myself. Jaxon coughs and splutters; he spits out teeth with blood as he picks himself up from the floor.
“You’ve seen that scar on the back of her shoulder? I put that there, biting down as I pounded her from behind.” He loses his balance as he thrusts his hips for more effect. It doesn’t work, however. The scar he speaks of I know very well. I also know he did not put that there. Katie acquired that scar one night after falling from the hotel wall when we were teenagers. We were running away from security. Katie thought I didn’t want to be seen as I would get thrown out. Really it was the fact the guards would recognise me; I didn’t want Katie to know who I really was. Katie and her mother would have been treated very differently the minute anyone found out they were friends with a Guerra. I enjoyed being treated as a normal person. Knowing that she was being nice to me because she liked me for who I was, not because she was scared of what would happen to her if she wasn’t. Surprisingly though, she still treats me as if I were any regular guy. She’s not scared of speaking her mind or putting me in my place. I love that about her. She makes me feel loved, normal and happy. I’m myself when I’m around her, a self I haven’t been for many years. Unlike many of the women I have been with, Katie doesn’t want to be with me because of my reputation. She wants to be with me in spite of it. Jaxon continues to goad me; Marco clearly has heard too much.
“ENOUGH!” With one flick of his knife, Jaxon loses his tongue, thus ending his provoking.
We manage to keep him alive for another 6 hours. By the end of it I’m exhausted, relieved it's done. Marco could have continued, I’m sure. His body and each piece of flesh we have removed are thrown back into the container to be sent back to the Graves. A reminder that anyone who dares to cross the Guerra will not live to tell the tale.
Once we have cleaned ourselves up, we visit my father. He wants to know the plans for the wedding in detail. He’s the shell of the man he used to be. Frail and yellow in colour, he sits in his wheelchair. Once a dangerous, powerful man who haunted my nightmares could now drop dead at any moment. While Marco runs through the order of the wedding day, I find my mother in the kitchen. She’s standing at the island mixing some kind of cake batter. My parents have staff to cook, so I know when she’s in here, it's to take her mind off something. Her eyes are visibly red and swollen. To know you are about to lose the person you love must be incredibly hard. The pain is too hard to imagine.
“Mamma.”
“Leonardo. It’s so good to see you.” After kissing both my cheeks, she holds my face in her hands.
“You look so tired. Sit; let me get you a drink.” Getting a glass out of the cupboard, she pours me some wine from the bottle she is drinking.
“How is Papa?”
“He is looking forward to your wedding.” We make small talk while the batter continues to be beaten. We live in such a life of luxury. Anything we desire, we can have unlimitedly, apart from the two things we need most, health and life. Something which we all take for granted. Something which I now plan to cherish.
Marco appears at the door, notifying me my father wants my attention.
“Leonardo, Marco has everything under control. He is a true Guerra.”
“He is one of the best.” I agree. My father then holds out his arms. A gesture I have never seen from him before. He flaps his fingers, encouraging me to get closer. Assuming he must be trying to give me one last crack while he still can, I do as instructed. To my surprise, he pulls me into him, slapping me on the back. He whispers.
“You’ve done me proud, son.” Then releases me. A nod is all I can give in return. Since the day my brother died, my father has only ever treated me like the monster I have become. By his hand, I have encountered beatings and torture. All to prepare me for the life which I now lead, he made me a demon. It wasn’t always like that, though. Before the death of my brother, my father and I were close. I worked with him in the vineyards, and he taught me everything I know and love about viticulture. That is the father I remember; I have already mourned his death.
“A package has arrived for you, sir,” Sergio informs me as soon as I arrive home.
“Excellent; where is it?”
“On your desk, sir.” Pleased to find the package is exactly what I have been waiting for, I immediately go to find Katie; she’s in our bedroom getting ready for bed.
“Oh Leo, you're home. I’ve missed you.” Her arms fling around my neck, and I breathe her in, instantly feeling relaxed.
“Hey, what do you have there?” she tugs at the package in my hand.
“It’s a surprise for you.”
“You know I don’t like surprises.”
“I think you will like this one.” Apprehensively, she takes it from me, slowly tearing open the box. The reaction she gives once she takes out what’s inside isn’t what I expected, tears flood her face, she sobs hard.
“Hey, Hey.” I sit beside her on the bed. My arm goes around her pulling her into me. Seeing her upset makes me crazy. “I’m sorry, is it bad? I’ll send it back now.”
“No, it’s perfect.” More crying. “How did you do this?”
