AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Boy—” Renzo opened the door.
Dante scooted past him, out of the cell.
Startled, Renzo shouted, “Hey!”
Dante raced down the hallway. He saw a stairwell ahead and ran faster than he ever had in his life. He reached the staircase and tore up the stairs.
“Get back here!” Renzo lumbered after him.
Dante made it to the top of the stairs and found himself in an entrance hall with a big door. All of a sudden, he remembered it was the way he’d come in.
“I’ll kill you!” Renzo’s threat echoed in the stairwell.
Dante bolted to the door, turned the knob, and pushed hard. The door flew open, and he raced outside into the darkness, running for his life.
“Mountjoy!” Dante shouted, Roland’s battle cry. “Mountjoy!”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Twilight had fallen, and Franco checked the last donkey cart, which was loaded with lemons for the trip to La Cala, the harbor. It would take about three hours to get there, traveling at night to avoid the heat. Franco usually felt satisfaction in delivering his lemons, but tonight he was unhappy. He still didn’t know if Roberto was leaving, and they were barely speaking. Their parents had gone long stretches without speaking, and Franco didn’t know if it was a Fiorvanti or a Sicilian tradition. He suspected both. For a talkative people, silence was the ultimate weapon.
“Men, to your positions!” Franco mounted Arabo. “Sebastiano in front! Ezio andbracciantialong the sides!”
Roberto turned to him atop the mare, his expression hard to see in the dark. “Where do you want me?”
“In the middle.”
Roberto obeyed, saying nothing.
“Andiamo, men!” Franco trotted to the rear, and the caravan lurched into motion, the donkeys tossing their manes and snorting dust. There were fifteen carts, which he considered the perfect length, and his men were spaced along the line for security. The value of the lemons made them a target for brigands, so each carried alupara, or a sawed-off shotgun.
The rising moon shed a gentle light on the caravan, and they set out through the Conca d’Oro with the fragrance of lemons perfuming the air. Lushgiardiniflanked the dirt road, and Franco noticed a repainted shed and a fixed fence here and there. Still, every trip reassured him that Baron Zito’sgiardinowas the best run.
Clouds drifted in front of the moon, and the sky turned a velvety black. The horizon vanished into the mountains, and the caravan snaked along. The breeze cooled, and birds and bats flapped overhead. Deer, hare, and lizards hurried through underbrush.
Franco relaxed, his hips rolling with Arabo’s regular gait. His thoughts turned to Violetta and he remembered their glorious afternoon at Villa Zito, making love in the garden. She was everything he wanted in a woman, and he could imagine living happily with her the rest of his life.
A gunshot shocked him out of his reverie.
Suddenly five brigands on horseback materialized out of the darkness, shadows thundering toward Roberto. The one in front brandished hislupara.He must have shot at Roberto but missed. He wouldn’t get a second chance.
Franco kicked Arabo into a gallop, straight at the brigands. He raised his gun but didn’t fire. He had only one shot before reloading.
The brigands kept coming. Franco heard Sebastiano and Ezio shouting behind him. Then the pounding of a horse’s hooves. He knew who was following him.
Franco fired at the brigand in front. The man jerked back at the shoulder but stayed on his horse. Franco couldn’t reload at speed but raced toward them anyway.
The brigands pulled up their horses, confused. Franco heard them shouting to one another. They didn’t expect him to keep coming, on the attack. Three brigands turned around and took off in retreat.
Franco chased them past olive trees and cypresses, driven by fury. His breath came in ragged bursts. He could feel Arabo’s heart pounding through the saddle.
The last of the brigands turned tail, racing away.
Franco galloped faster, chasing them.
“Franco, no!” Roberto shouted, as the brigands vanished into the darkness.
Franco came to his senses, slowed Arabo, and turned around, cantering back to his brother.
