Chapter 134
134
We found out the details when Dario returned with Alessandra.
Apparently, she had fled to a church in a nearby village, where a blind priest had taken her in… but the priest had started asking disturbing questions about the Rosolinis. When she tried to leave, a different man stopped her outside the church and started to assault her.
Dario showed up just in time – and nearly beat the thug to death with his bare hands.
To avoid capture, both the thug and the priest bit down on cyanide capsules.
All of it was shocking, but the most surprising thing to me was the cyanide. I’d been in Special Forces and worked as an assassin for MI6, and yet I’d never heard of using cyanide capsules – not in real life. It was something straight out of a movie.
I wondered if Rachel knew about things like that…
And felt a sharp pang when I realized I would never be able to ask her.
As traumatic as the incident was for Alessandra, it led to an incredibly important piece of intel: we had spies all around us. The assailant and the priest were both connected to the Oldanis, just like the man I’d killed in the café.
Not only that, but Alessandra’s escape exposed several glaring weaknesses in our security.
We didn’t have time to patch the gap in the wall, so I installed a camera to monitor it instead. And I posted hidden cameras to watch the secret passageway.
I think the close call shifted something in Alessandra and Dario’s dynamic – because they started sleeping together soon after.
I don’t know how it happened, and I didn’t ask. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
What I did know was that I started hearing high-pitched feminine moans and screams coming from Dario’s bedroom at all hours of the night.
It was seriously annoying…
Because every time I heard them, I thought of Rachel and what she used to sound like when she came.
I got a white noise machine and cranked it up as high as it would go whenever I went to bed. That solved the problem.
I was worried about the situation – but Alessandra seemed smitten, and Dario was ten times happier than I’d ever seen him before. The stresses of being a don seemed to melt away whenever he was with her.
And there were plenty of stresses – like when a vicious new rival nicknamed the Turk tried to strongarm Dario into letting him use Rosolini territory for human trafficking and drug smuggling.
When Dario refused, the Turk apparently vented his anger by having his men try to kill Massimo and Valentino in Florence. They nearly killed Alessandra, as well.
But we got through it. The extreme circumstances not only drove Alessandra further into Dario’s arms, they fanned the flames of their passion.
Despite the danger, I was happy for them.
Everything was going so well between them…
Until it wasn’t.
One night, they had a terrible fight. Instead of passionate moans, we heard tears.
Then Niccolo came to me. His face was drawn, and he looked beaten down.
“I need you to take Alessandra back to her father’s,” he said quietly.
I stared at him in shock. “…what p>
“Dario specifically requested that you take her back. He wants you to keep her safe p>
“If he wants to keep her safe, then why is he throwing her out p>
“He’s not. She asked to leave… and he said yes p>
I stared at him in disbelief. “Niccolo – it’s fucking dangerous out there right now – ”
“I know,” he said wearily. “I know p>
“Whatever it is, they can’t work it out p>
“Apparently not p>
I sighed. “So, when? Tomorrow morning p>
“No. Right now p>
“You’ve got to be kidding me p>
“Just do it, alright?” he snapped.
He held out his hand. In his palm was Alessandra’s cell phone, which Dario had taken away when he first brought her to the estate.
After I took it, Niccolo turned and walked away, leaving me in stunned silence.
I stood there for a second, wondering what the hell I could do to protect her… then came up with the only solution I could think of.
I powered up her phone, which luckily didn’t have a password. Then I punched in my number and added my name.
My heart was heavy as I shut her phone down again and slipped it into my pocket.
I had grown quite fond of Alessandra over the last couple of weeks. Her initial sarcasm towards me – during our talk after I’d shot the snake – had obviously come from fear. Once she trusted me, she let me see the charming, sweet, kind soul that she actually was.
I began to understand why Dario had fallen so hard for her… which made it all the more wrenching when he ended things between them.
I didn’t understand; it was incomprehensible. I wanted to talk to him, to ask him why – but now wasn’t the time. I had a job to do, and it was to deliver Alessandra safely home.
Even though he’d broken up with her, Dario had entrusted me to keep her safe… which meant that, deep down, he still loved her.
I just hoped that after I got back, I could find out what was going on in his head – and maybe knock some sense into him.
Massimo, Roberto, Valentino, and Adriano waited with me in the foyer to say goodbye before she left.
Niccolo walked her down the stairs, her hand on his arm.
When she saw us, she froze – probably out of fear that we would shame her.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. We had all come to care for her deeply, in our own separate ways… and the fact that she was leaving was tearing us all apart.
She bravely started down the stairs and passed us one by one.
Massimo was first.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For saving my life p>
“I would do it a thousand times over.” He gave her a sad smile; it was the most torn up I’d seen Massimo since his father’s death. “I had hoped… that you would be around for a long, long time to come p>
Tears welled up in her eyes as she managed to smile. “So did I p>
Roberto was next. He said he would help her however he could, and she gratefully accepted his offer.
Valentino hugged her. Not in his typical lady-killer way, but like a little boy about to lose the sister he’d always wanted.
Alessandra made him promise not to break the heart of the servant girl he was hooking up with, and he promised to try not to.
But Adriano… Adriano was the one who surprised me.
He looked angry. That was nothing new; Adriano always looked angry.
But he wasn’t angry wasn’t at her or the circumstances –
He was angry at Dario for letting her go.
“You deserve better than this,” he murmured.
It was an incredible moment.
Adriano had gone from shouting at me for not killing her that first night…
To taking her side over his brother’s.
Alessandra didn’t know the details, but she knew a profound change had occurred in him.
She started crying, but she still managed to smile as she said, “Thank you p>
And then, even more incredibly, Adriano leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead.
Alessandra started bawling.
That moment even made my eyes mist up.
Finally, she looked over at me.
My heart ached as I said, “I’ll be the one taking you home. Are you ready p>
She nodded.
As I held the front door for her, she looked back at the brothers and silently mouthed, Thank you…
And then I closed the door behind us.
The ride towards Mensano was excruciating. I was hurting, so I knew Alessandra must be in agony.
All I could think of was Rachel telling me it was over.
While you were gone, I moved on. You should, too.
The pain I had gone through…
That must be what Alessandra was dealing with right now.
I felt absolutely awful for her.
I didn’t know what to say, so I mumbled some bullshit about, “It’s poetic in a way, isn’t it p>
She looked over at me in confusion. “What is p>
“Our little journey started the moment we saw each other in the café… and now it ends with the two of us, as well p>
“I guess that’s true p>
“Is there anything I could say to change your mind?” I asked. I would have done anything to help save her and Dario’s relationship – maybe because I hadn’t been able to save mine and Rachel’s. “Anything I could do so you’d let me take you back to the house p>
“No. But thank you for asking p>
It was too awkward to continue talking, so I drove in silence.
Then she said my name in a weird, frightened voice.
“…Lars p>
“Yes p>
“Why were you the one to take me back home p>
I didn’t want to say, The man you’re breaking up with told me to.
So I said, “I volunteered p>
It was a little white lie. If Dario hadn’t asked me, I absolutely would have volunteered. Once I’d gotten over my shock, that is.
“Why?” she asked.
I had to come up with a reason, but I didn’t have to think long: the best excuse was the God’s honest truth.
“Somebody’s out there trying to kill Dario and his brothers. They’re a target. I’m not p>
“I don’t think that’s true,” she said softly.
For a second, I was surprised. I thought she knew I wasn’t being completely truthful –
And then I realized that she meant the part about my not being a target.
“Well… it’s true they think of me like family… but the fact of the matter is, I’m not as tactically important as any of them. I’m just the muscle. The enforcer, if you will p>
I found it amusing to describe myself in a role I hadn’t even wanted.
It was easier that way, though. Simpler.
“Plus,” I added, putting aside any false modesty, “I’m better in a firefight than any of them. Dario, Adriano, and Massimo are good, but I’m the best p>
“You wouldn’t… be taking me out into the country at night… to tie up loose ends, would you?” she asked in a freaked-out tone of voice.
…tie up loose ends p>
Suddenly, I realized what she meant.
I stared at her in shock –
Then looked back at the road as I burst out laughing. “You thought I was driving you somewhere to KILL YOU p>
“Well, I mean – that’s what you do, isn’t it p>
“No p>
A little voice in the back of my head started rattling off names. Umberto Fumagalli… Hans Solberg… Jan van der Linden, if you’d gotten the chance…
“I mean, I kill when I have to, but I do it to protect the family!” I protested. I knew I sounded like I was trying to justify myself. “Plus, I would never kill women or children – you know that p>
She looked at me timidly. “What about the man in the café p>
“Umberto Fumagalli was an enforcer for the Oldanis – a rival family that wants to kill Dario and his brothers so they can take over their territory p>
“So… he basically had the same job as you p>
Ouch.
“Yes – except I do it out of necessity. From what I’ve heard, Fumagalli enjoyed his work a little too much, if you get my meaning p>
“…oh,” she said quietly.
Had I really become a monster in other people’s eyes?
Did they look at me and see a murderer – the kind of man who would kill a defenseless girl in the middle of the night?
It made me a little angry. This whole thing had started because I’d walked out of the café rather than hurt her!
After you murdered someone else in front of her, the little voice reminded me.
“I can’t believe you thought I was going to kill you,” I muttered.
“Well, I mean, you are in the mafia p>
OUCH.
Not ‘You work for Dario p>
Not even ‘You work for a mafia family p>
No, she’d said exactly what she thought:
You ARE in the mafia…
“Yes, but there’s a difference between those who inflict pain and suffering with no regard for innocents, and those who are in a business that happens to be outside the law,” I argued. “That’s why Dario insisted they get out of drugs and sex trafficking – because he doesn’t want to be part of that anymore. The things he’s keeping – gambling and political influence – they’re not like taking women out of Eastern Europe and forcing them to be prostitutes. He wants no part of that shit p>
“But his father was involved in it,” she pointed out.
“And Dario’s stopping it. In fact, you probably got shot at in Florence because Dario refused to let the Turk do anything in his territory. Well… I think that’s what happened, anyway p>
In reality, none of us knew for certain why the Turk’s men had shot at them in Florence… but his beef with Dario seemed to be the only explanation.
“The Turk… Fausto and Dario talked about him a lot,” Alessandra said.
“I forgot you were there. Yeah, he was the bastard we had a meeting with while you were in Florence p>
Suddenly she said, “My father’s place is up here on the right p>
I couldn’t help but smile grimly. “I know. I’ve been here before, remember p>
To kill someone…
I parked the car in the gravel outside the café. All the lights were out; her father had closed the place for the night. That is, if he’d even been running it while she was gone.
Either way, he’d obviously gone to bed.
I pulled out Alessandra’s phone and handed it to her. “Here. Do you have a key to get in p>
“I know where the spare is hidden p>
“Do you want me to go in with you?” I offered.
She looked conflicted, but finally said, “No… I’ll be fine p>
I held her gaze and tried to think of what I should say.
What could I have said to Rachel to make her come with me?
To give us a second chance?
In the end, I couldn’t think of anything, so I just asked. “You sure I can’t convince you to come back with me? I think you can probably patch things up with Dario p>
Alessandra smiled sadly and shook her head no.
The pain in her eyes broke my heart.
“Alright… well, it was worth a shot. I, uh, programmed my personal number into your phone. I know Roberto gave you his card, and he can help you with money – that’s his specialty – but I can help you if you’re ever in danger. If you need anything – anything at all – give me a call, day or night p>
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I didn’t know what else to do – I hated leaving her like this –
So I tried a little joke to lighten the moment.
I held out my hand. She frowned the tiniest bit like she was surprised I was making our goodbye so formal. She reached out to shake it –
But at the last second, I pulled my hand back and turned my finger and thumb into a gun.
“Pew pew,” I said quietly.
Her expression was priceless.
Shock – outrage – disbelief.
I broke out into a belly laugh at the look on her face.
“Sorry – I couldn’t resist,” I said, then leaned forward and gave her a proper hug. “Good luck, Alessandra. Call if you need me p>
“I will,” she promised.
But as she got out of my car and entered the café, I got the sinking feeling I would never see or hear from her again.
Just like Rachel.
Little did I know what would happen just a couple of hours later.