Rise of the Titan

by Pressley James

Working fast, he aimed the gun high and fired.

  The bullets splintered the wood, just enough to destroy the barrier somewhat.

  Giving one swift kick, he broke through.

  Inhaling and exhaling fast, he stopped dead in his tracks.

  Vitali was expecting him.

  The mansion was drenched in near darkness.

  But, still, he knew the place well.

  Hanging and shouldering close to the wall, he moved.

  The hallway…it was dead quiet.

  Still, though, he could hear the faint stirrings of a low Italian opera ballad coming from the living room. Unperturbed, he forged ahead in that very direction. To no surprise, the door was unlocked, he discovered before pushing it open slowly.

  The Italian ballad played louder as he entered.

  A fine mix of lightness and darkness blended, adding surprising dimness to the lucrative quarters. As he stared ahead, a violent anger gripped him.

  At the center of the room, like a great king, Vitali lounged in the huge black upholstered chair. Directly over him, a ceiling light shone brightly on only him.

  His hold stiffened on the gun.

  Arrogance.

  It was the very filth that his father fed on.

  The tense moment intensified when Vitali spoke.

  “Wow, imagine that, little boy Titan actually has real guts,” Vitali offered with a vicious smile. “Guess that I should be grateful that you possess a bit of manly worth.”

  His eyes glazed over like steel. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

  “Pay for what exactly?” Eyes chilling, Vitali tented his hands together. “Destroying your mother or beating the crap out of that trick of yours?”

  “Leave them out of your filthy mouth, you bastard.” Clicking the hammer back, he leveled the gun at Vitali’s chest. “Besides that, I didn’t come to talk.”

  “So, what are you going to do then, boy?” Vitali stood up slowly and regarded him with plain mockery. “Kill me?”

  “That’s the whole idea.”

  “Kill your own father?” Vitali’s laugh was short. “You want that skank so bad that you’d go that far?”

  “Say another word against her, and you’ll find out just how far I’ll go.”

  “I am literally stunned.” Vitali widened his eyes on purpose. “You’re actually turning your back on all the morals and values that Lola instilled in you? I mean, haven’t you always prided yourself with the idea that you were nothing like me?”

  “Maybe I was wrong.” He kept the gun steady. “Maybe I’m more like you than I care to admit.”

  “In your fucking dreams. You’re nothing like me. Know what? I should have kicked your ass straight out of Lola’s womb like I intended. Fool mistake on my part because look at the pathetic thing that I was left with as a son,” Vitali sneered with pure disgust. “Me and you, we’re different, you see. Because if I were in your position, I’d have taken a shot right now.” Quickly, Vitali reached for his back waistband. “You’d be a dead man---”

  Just as Vitali fired the pistol, he reacted.

  Operating on pure instinct and survival, he fired the gun.

  Pandemonium came next.

  Firing fast shots, Vitali bolted to the dark corners.

  In enough time, he lunged behind the sofa.

  The bullets made chirping sounds as they cut into the fabric.

  After pausing for a heartbeat, he went up again before firing.

  A fast bullet whizzed past his head.

  Seizing a short breath, he dropped back down.

  The blazing bullets sizzled red.

  All around, glass shattered and sprinkled the floor.

  Things fell and became broken.

  Nothing stayed intact.

  Breathing unsteadily, sweating profusely, he peered around the corner of the sofa.

  Then, stilling, staying quiet….he listened…waited.

  A subtle noise sounded on the left.

  It was near the extensive sound system.

  At once, the volume and sounds were amplified.

  The Italian ballad was ear-splitting.

  Wincing, he still kept his focus.

  “How unfortunate that it’s come to this,” Vitali shouted over the music. “But, this moment is both tragic and poetic in a sense, isn’t it. It’s sort of like a Greek tragedy, where a profound message is brought forth.”

  Tensing, he stayed silent.

  “What? No words?” Vitali sneered cruelly again. “Surely, you want to say something since it’s your last day on earth.” His silence lasted for a second. “Ah…bet I know what your sad heart craves---it’s her, isn’t it? You want to ram that little bitch before she croaks---”

  The words were enough.

  Before good sense prevailed, he fired.

  “Yes!” Vitali chuckled in a craze. “Yes!”

  Giving a fierce cry, Vitali charged from the right, but before he could fire, the windows shattered. Eyes widening, stunned, Vitali whirled around only to encounter further madness. A spray of fast shots zoomed into the living room and past him.

  Releasing a violent string of curses, Vitali broke and ran.

  He went in hot pursuit.

  They met the outside.

  Right at space where the gardens began…

  A speeding vehicle crashed onto the scene.

  Vitali’s men, no doubt…

  “No, no, no!” he shouted with resurging fury and ran faster.

  He fired a shot and missed.

  The vehicle raced at a blinding speed.

  Defeated, alone, he dropped to the ground.

  ***

  The mountains were dead cold.

  And lonely, he realized, venturing inside the chalet home.

  Halting in the mudroom, he shrugged the battered shirt off.

  Then, leaving the black boots and trousers on, he treaded towards the living room.

  Surprise stopped him in his tracks.

  “Mama, you’re supposed to be gone. Get out of here, it’s not safe.” Wincing in slight pain, he advanced forward. As he stopped directly at the sofa where she sat, he regarded her closely. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Stop ordering me around,” Lola stated firmly and eyed him with motherly disapproval. Her frown drooped lower. “I don’t know whose worse, you or Carmine.”

  “Good point.”

  “Bella, how is she?” she asked with concern. “That poor girl. Better than anyone, I know how vicious Carlo’s beatings can be. His violent hands hardly show mercy.” A fiery anger claimed her expression. “Damn him to hell.” From head to toe, she flicked a knowing gaze over him. “Is that where you’ve been, trying to send him to that very place?”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mama,” he quipped tightly. “I’m taking care of things.”

  “Taking care of things how?” Concern growing, she grasped his large hand in her fragile one. “By resorting to the same tactics that Carlo uses?”

  “That’s the only way to deal with him!” he shot back angrily. “What was I supposed to do, Mama? Just stand back and let him get away with it? He nearly killed her, and right now, she’s lying in the hospital fighting for her life.”

  “Son, your rage is understandable.” Her eyes swam with tears. “But, hasn’t he stolen enough from you? Don’t allow him to take away what bit of happiness that you’ve found. Don’t let him win.”

  “He’s not going to win.” His jaw set tight. “Anyway that I can stop him, I’m going to. No rules. No boundaries. No thoughts.”

  “So, I’m assuming, you’ve already put this into motion.” At his guilty expression, she whimpered in surprise. “Good heavens, son, what did you do?”

  “I went to the compound to kill him.”

  Lola held her breath. “Did you?”

  “No, but I almost did.”

  “Braden, sweet heavens,” Lola whispered, covering her veiled face with both hands. They trembled violently against the thin fabric. “Kil
ling Carlo will only place you deeper into a private hell. I know that you don’t believe that, but it’s true.” She grabbed his hand again. “Please…sit down.”

  “Mama,” he sighed heavily, staring down at her.

  “Son, please.”

  Taking in her tortured expression once more, he sat down.

  “If there’s anyone that has the right to hate your father, it’s you. But, I get you.” She pointed a finger against her own chest. “The rage…it festers inside of you, and it never stops bleeding. But, the only, only solution is to stop that very bleeding.”

  His teary gaze met hers. “But, how, Mama? That man has destroyed me. My entire life, I’ve suffered at his hands.” He tensed while looking her. “But, no more.”

  “You say that you love Bella---”

  “I love her more than anything.”

  “Okay, I believe you.” She paused for a moment. “But, by killing Carlo, you’d let him win. Still, you’d be imprisoned in your world of hatred. Bella would be visiting you and staring at you between metal bars. Is that what you want for her?”

  “I want her to be happy.”

  “You are the one thing that makes her happy.” Through the veil, he felt her probing stare. “Know what she told me? She said that she was going to protect all of us.”

  “She did?” he asked in surprise.

  “Yes, she was adamant that things were turning around. I believed her and still do. In the short time that we spent together, I learned that Bella is a very special person. No wonder you love her so much.”

  “I love her, Mama,” he whispered, and the hot tears shot to her eyes. “I can’t lose her.”

  “Then, hold on. Fight for the life that you want. End this vendetta with Vitali before you lose your own life.” She was sobbing herself now. Then, releasing his hand, she grabbed the edges of the veil with shaky hands. Slowly, she raised it before pushing it away from her face. Barefaced, scarred, she proudly exposed herself. “Now, son, we both live.”

  Chapter 25

  Six and a half weeks passed by.

  On the 14th floor at Salem Grady Hospital, she remained locked in a mindless coma. Sighing, clutching another vase of flowers, he nodded curtly at the two guards posted by her room. Just as he did every time that he arrived, he paused and took in a deep breath.

  Seeing her like this while knowing that he was responsible was hell.

  He pushed the door open quietly only to find the second-shift nurse on hand. With her usual expertise, the nurse was taking vitals.

  “Good evening, Mr. Jameson,” the nurse smiled kindly. “Just the person that she needed to see. Her vitals have been a bit skittish since you’ve been gone. We’ve noticed that she appears to be much calmer with you close at hand.”

  Still, he avoided looking at her unconscious figure in the bed.

  Every time he did, it ripped him apart.

  “So, there’s been no change in her condition?” he asked and carefully placed the flowers on the small table. To his chagrin, his hands shook, so he clenched them by his side.

  “She’s stable, and that’s what matters at this point.” After hanging the stethoscope around her neck, she grabbed hold of the rolling cart and headed for the door. She dimmed the overhead lights real low. “I’ll return shortly and check on her again. If you need anything, just hit the call button.”

  He gave a brisk nod. “Thanks.”

  Once alone, he was left with a heady silence.

  The monitor made a steady beep.

  In a zigzag pattern, the static lines pulsated and indicated a normal heart rate.

  Finally, he looked at her.

  Defeated like a beaten man, he took the chair by her bedside. The scalding tears came to his eyes all too easily. “Baby,” he whispered in a scratchy tone, and grabbed hold of her limp hand. As he leaned down and kissed the back of her hand, a fat tear splashed against her skin. “I’d do everything in my power to trade places with you right now. You shouldn’t be here fighting for your life. Just because you loved and believed in me, you’re here.” While he fought to restrain a broken sob, it broke free. Sobbing softly, he stared at her with tear-swollen eyes. “I need you, baby. Please come back to me.”

  A quiet knock sounded against the door.

  He started in surprise, but was relieved upon finding that it was Cassius.

  “Hey, bro, it’s me,” Cassius said as he entered. Then, he held up a brown paper bag. “Thought me and you could just chill for a bit; So, I brought dinner. How’s our girl?”

  “She’s doing well, considering, and I’m not hungry,” he muttered, gripping her hand tighter, and turned around. Still, though, she was unresponsive to everything. “But, you go ahead.”

  “Man, you have to eat,” Cassius insisted firmly and stopped behind him. “What good are you going to be for Bella if you don’t take care of yourself? Come on, dude. We’re going to chow down at the same time.” He capped his shoulder reassuringly. “Look, you’re right here in the room with her. So, she’s safe.”

  With reluctance, he conceded. “Alright.”

  They settled on the small settee by the window.

  For a moment, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

  “How did things get to this point, Cassius?” he asked, accepting the wrapped hamburger. Carefully, he pulled the thin foil back, but then laid the sandwich on the small paper plate alongside the fries. “To the point where Vitali still has a tremendous hold on me?”

  “Does anyone really ever have the answers?” Shaking his head, Cassius took a healthy bite of his own burger. Between chews, he continued on. “So many things were just happening, man. Ricci, Velasquez, and Vitali, all at once? That’s a lot to contend with.”

  “But, my job is to protect her. What good am I to her if I can’t do that?”

  “This is not your fault,” Cassius insisted strongly. “Place the blame where it belongs---Vitali. He’s the one responsible for Bella being here.”

  “Am I going to hell?”

  “If you do, that means I’ll be standing right there with you,” Cassius muttered with a faint laugh, and then grew serious. “Why are you asking such a question?”

  “You’re supposed to love and respect your mother and father.” Blowing a breath, he stared up at the ceiling. “But, the truth is, I despise the very ground that my father walks on. I even tried to kill him.”

  “And with good reason,” Cassius stressed again. “Vitali may have spawned you, but he sure in the hell has never been a father to you. For pity’s sake, don’t start feeling guilty for the hard feelings that you have!” A look of incredibility seized his features. “He’s been abusive towards you and Lola since you’ve known him. That’s not love. That’s not fatherly.” He paused for a second. “While I’m a little rusty with this religious stuff, I know enough that you can be forgiven.”

  “I want things to be different. I want to be the man that Bella deserves. She deserves more than what I’ve been giving her.”

  “Bella loves you, man.”

  “I know that now.” With a sinking heart, he glanced back at the bed. “Damn it, Cassius. What if I never get the chance to tell her that? The last time she was with me, I broke her damned heart. I told her that I never wanted to see her again.”

  “You were upset, dude. I mean, you found out that she was an undercover agent sent to hustle information from you. How were you supposed to feel?”

  “I should have given her a chance---”

  “Arguments are spurred in the heat of the moment,” Cassius rationalized, placing his own food down. “Most times when we’re angry, we say shit that we just don’t mean.” Spreading his hands wide, he shrugged his shoulders. “Then, you find time to make up for it.”

  “I can’t lose her, Cass.” Eyes swimming with fresh tears, he looked away from his friend. “If I lost her, I don’t know what I’d do.”

  “Good thing you’re not going to lose her. If Bella hasn’t proven anything else, she’s prov
en that she’s resilient.” He gave a long thoughtful pause. “And the thing with your attorneys and the feds---how’s that working out?”

  “Better than expected, believe or not.” He shook his head in frustration. “If we had our hands on that flash drive, it’d do a world a good. We’d have the ammunition to take Vitali down once and for all.”

  “About that,” Cassius surmised, leaning back, and then reached into his pocket. As he pulled out the thin black flash stick, a grin split his face. “I think that I can help you a bit with that one.”

  “You son-of-a-bitch,” he exclaimed, sitting forward in surprise. A blind eagerness catapulted within him and caused his sunken spirits to lift. He cuffed the thin stick in his hand. “How did you manage to wrangle this from the mafia princess?”

  “Like I said, I have my ways.” Cassius cleared his throat uncomfortably. Again, as it had for weeks, a strange look masked Cassius’s face whenever Lucinda Ricci was mentioned. “Now, put the thing to good use and nail that son-of-a-bitch’s ass to the wall.”

  “I owe you big time for this, man.” He returned the fast fist bump before grabbing the hamburger. For the first time in weeks, he had an appetite. “Now, let’s eat.”

  ***

  The very next morning, behind closed doors, they presented their findings to the feds. To say that they were flabbergasted, shocked, and sickened by the contents on the flash drive would be on point. The money trail, illegal dealings, business transactions, a client list….it was all there.

  Bingsby Smokes had delivered, as promised.

  In return, out of respect, he’d set up a private trust for the man’s family.

  Smokes deserved that much.

  By lunch time, alone at the chalet home, he was sitting on edge.

  Dripping wet from the shower, he stepped into the bedroom nude.

  Uncaring of any moisture, he plopped down on the bed before turning on the television. When he made it to the local news station, the reporter was relaying a special report. A triumphant smile covered his face as he read the headline: Carlo Vitali and his ring had been apprehended.

  “…authorities have identified those responsible for the sex trafficking ring, Carlo Vitali, one of the city’s most notorious criminals has been charged. Sources say that bond has been denied….”