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Gio hesitates, filling the frequency between us with sounds of rainfall, breaking limbs, and rustling leaves. “Give me ten,” he finally says. At that, I lower my head and close my eyes. He and I both know we may not have ten minutes. As much as we thought we were prepared, Vitale turned the tables on us when he took Ariana. We’re playing by his rules now, and who knows what he has in store for me and for her. And if his men spot ours before Gio is in sniping position, I’m as good as dead and so is Ariana.
As the men reach me, I whisper “Copy” just in time for them to open the door and pull me from the vehicle into the chilly night.
“Mr. Amato, we’ve been expecting you.” Despite their respectful words, their movements are anything but. They leave nothing to chance as they search my person, removing all the weapons they find. In truth, I expected nothing less and would’ve done it myself had I had time. As they toss the gadgets aside and lead me toward the disheveled structure, rain soaks my clothes and casts a chill upon my body. The sensation makes me think of Ariana. She’s been out here for hours now. “You know I expected more of a fight. That picture must’ve done a real number on you,” the man to my left says.
His words gnaw at me, and I press my lips into a flat line and clench my fists. It takes everything in me not to kill him right here and now. But I can’t. Without a sniper, I’m going in blind. I have to be patient. Gio has never let me down before. He won’t start now. At least, that’s what I tell myself as the two men lead me through mud and ash until we reach the ground-level entrance to the home. When we do, both men fall back and shove me through the threshold.
As I stumble into the small, square-shaped room lit by battery-operated lanterns, my eyes immediately scan the perimeter. I count six men plus the two who corral me from behind. Yet, none of them make any moves to approach me. The man behind me shoves me forward, forcing me farther into the space. It’s then that Ariana comes into view. She sits in the center of the dilapidated structure, soaked to the bone, still restrained to the same chair from hours before. Her chin rests against her torn, stained sweater. Her wet hair sticks to her skin, shielding her face from view. She’s so still, so—
I run to her and reach her in seconds. To my surprise, no one stops me. As I drop to my knees before her, I fear it’s because they want me to see her, to assess the pain they’ve inflicted. I brush her hair behind her ears and her face comes into view, but she does not respond to my touch. She doesn’t even shiver, despite her body being ice cold. At the sight of her, I break, unable to hold in my emotions any longer. Tears steam down my face, mixing with the pouring rain. I want nothing more than to shield her from it and from all the predators lurking in the shadows. Yet, I can’t bring myself to do anything until I know she’s still with me.
“Ariana,” I say, my voice strained. “Ariana.” I bring both hands to her cheeks and gently lift her to look at me. “Ariana,” I say again. My lips quiver as the bright yellow light of the lanterns shines on her wounds. Her lip is split as are her cheeks in various places, no doubt a result of her taking a fist to the face. The rest of her body is in a similar condition. It looks as if someone came at her with a knife. I lower my eyes to take in her hands. Her knuckles are just as bloody and torn as mine. She gave them Hell. Unfortunately for her, they gave it right back. As I bring my eyes to her face once more, my heart tightens in my chest. She still hasn’t moved. “Mi amore?”Please, please, wake up. I can’t lose you like this. I—
Finally, her face twitches and I feel her take on a little of her own weight. “Ariana, it’s me, Alister. I’m here. I’m here, baby.” I coax her out of her sleep, breaking all my rules in the process. Vitale and his men wouldn’t have taken her if they didn’t know what she means to me. There’s no use in hiding it now, as if I even could. Slowly, Ariana opens her eyes, and I immediately wrap my arms around her. “Thank God. Thank you, God,” I say as I rub my hand on her back to help warm her up.
“Can we go home now?” she asks. Her voice is weak, and her question lets me know she’s still out of it. Maybe it’s for the best. She doesn’t need to see what happens next. She just needs to survive. That’s all I need from her.
“Alright, that’s enough.” I release Ariana from my grasp and lower my head as Vitale’s crackling voice rings in my ears. Almost immediately, two men pull me from Ariana, forcing me down on my knees in the mud as Vitale makes his way between us. Ariana rouses at the noise, finally aware that this isn’t over. It’s only beginning.
“You see?” Vitale turns to her then. “I told you he’d come.” A wicked smile spreads across his face as he returns his attention to me, blocking Ariana from my sight.
That’s right, you bastard. Keep your eyes on me.
“To think if I would’ve held your mother hostage rather than killing her, I could’ve had my revenge on your family a long time ago.” At the mention of my mother, I grit my teeth and fight to free myself from the men holding me down. Surely, Gio has had enough time to get in position by now. “Uh-uh!” Vitale wags his finger at me before planting a single punch on my cheek. It only makes me smile.
“Well, that tickled,” I say. No wonder he’s spent twenty years building an army and operating in the shadows. If he had to face me one-on-one, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Vitale smiles, though it does not touch his eyes nor lift his cheeks. He nods and walks toward Ariana. “Wait, no.”
“How about this? Does this tickle?” Vitale pulls back and barrels his fist into Ariana’s cheek. She cries out as her body collapses under the force.
“Hey, you want to hurt someone, hurt me! You hear me, Vitale. Hurt me!” I yell, once more fighting against the men who hold me.Come on, Gio. Where are you?
Vitale turns to me then. “I think I am.” At that, he returns his attention to Ariana.Fuck this.As Vitale lays into Ariana, I break free from my captors’ grasp. Using the knife they somehow missed during their search, I slit both their throats and turn my attention to Vitale. The sounds of the scuffle draw his gaze from Ariana to me. Though, as I grip the rubber handle of my blade, readying myself to take out the wannabe king, the blaring sound of gunfire rings through the small space. It is only made louder as it bounces off the cinderblock walls surrounding us. The sound stuns me. I don’t even feel the first bullet enter my shoulder. But the second one, the second one is hard to mistake. When another round of gunfire echoes around us, a second bullet rips through my chest, bringing me to my knees.
“No!” Ariana screams, tugging at the ropes that bind her.
As I bring my hand to my chest, my knife falls among the rubble, out of reach. I draw my fingers back to find them covered in blood, which is quickly washed away by the falling rain. Vitale walks toward me, taking in the bodies of his men left in my wake.There you go, old man. Come closer. The first two bullets missed everything vital. While a third might kill me, if I end Vitale before he ends me, his men may very well jump sides. Without a leader, a paycheck, and a promise of power, what do they have to fight for? Even without my knife, I can kill him within seconds. Although, a quick death would ruin my elaborate plans for him.
“I heard the gunshots. If you’re still with me, Boss, hang on. I’ve almost got visual. This damn rain is fucking everything up,” Gio says through my flesh-colored earpiece. I’m running out of patience, but I manage to muster a little more knowing that Ariana’s and my best shot at making it out of here alive is with Gio’s help. As it stands, Vitale stops just out of reach.
“I came alone,” I say. “I did what you asked. Now, please, let Ariana go. Take me instead.”
Vitale’s eyes narrow as he looks down on me like I’m nothing more than a dog he aims to break, but I don’t care. As he hesitates to speak, I look past him to Ariana. She sits, drenched and alert. Her hands grip around the arms of her chair to the point her knuckles are white while her face is a combination of reds and purples. The sight of her is even more of a reason to give Gio the extra time he needs. I will make Vitale suffer for what he’s done to her. One day of torture for the murder of my mother. One day of torture for the murder of Valentina Vitale. One day of torture for the abduction that resulted in the death of my sister. And one day for daring to lay a finger on the woman I love. When I’m done with him, I will gut him like the pig he is and then I’ll toss his rotting corpse into the wild so that the true beasts may devour what’s left of him. I wonder if he will feel it—the birds pecking, the insects nibbling, and the alligators taking what’s left. I suppose he’d be lucky if that’s all he felt. Where he’s going, the Devil has much more sinister ways of inflicting pain. At that, I move my eyes back to Vitale and hold his gaze as I fight through the white-hot pain spreading through my shoulder.
“You did what I asked,” Vitale agrees. “But there are still two things I want from you.”
“And what are those?”
Vitale takes a step toward me then. As he does, I ball my fists.Come on, Gio. I’m running low on patience and time.As if sensing the end is near, the rain finally stops along with the thunder and lightning. The silence left in its wake gives way to other sounds—my ragged breath, Ariana’s shivers, and Vitale’s demands.
“First, I want your crown. Or, should I say, ring.” Vitale looks to my hand where he finds the ring of my family crest. Though it features the Amato family crest, it represents an organization much larger than my blood kin. It represents power and the control I wield over ten Mafia families stretching across the Southern United States in addition to my own. By giving him my ring, I give up my power and the loyalty of the ten families. The protection they provide their king will transfer from me to him and then he will be unstoppable. That is, if he survives to exact such power.
Upon request, I remove the ring from my finger without a second thought or dropping his gaze. His lips spread into a wicked grin as he takes it from me. He believes he’s won. Good. The moment he places the ring on his finger, he will feel invincible. And that’s when his guard will be the lowest.
“You know, I never desired power the way my brother did. I’ve taken it from you as part of my plan to destroy you and what’s left of the Amato legacy.” He places the ring on his finger then. “But now, I’m starting to understand the appeal.”
“It’s a curse, Vitale. One I am happy to pass on to you and your line. Although, I suppose your line ends with you. Unless you let Ariana live, claim her as your long-lost niece, and pass on the crown to her. I know men have a longer reproductive shelf life than women, but somehow, I doubt you’ve got any other options.”
Vitale laughs and begins pacing the space between me and Ariana, ashy mud kicking up with each step. It splatters against my pant legs where I remain on my knees before him. “Do you think I am so easily manipulated? More importantly, do you think it’s wise to so blatantly reveal your greatest weakness? My men have already been to Laroux House. I know Sophia is gone. Wherever she is, you were smart to send her away. You bought her another day, week, maybe a month tops before I find her. But losing her won’t break you, will it? Not anymore, at least. You see, now you have someone else occupying your heart, mind, and soul. Someone else who you’d do anything for, even give up your throne despite knowing that your weakness will result in your sister’s death.” At that, Vitale turns toward Ariana.
