by Anna Widzisz
Now that Inéz had officially been introduced as an inducted soldier into the Famiglia, and no longer under the threat of an already gone Gastone Conte, she wasn’t afraid to go out by herself. However, she was pretty sure that someone had been keeping an eye on her anyway. Whether it had been ordered by Noah or Flavio, it didn’t matter. It was predictable. Made Men took care of their own.
As she was coming back from her rehabilitation, she found two men waiting for her in front of her apartment. Elio and Fabro Conte. Soldiers whom she’d deceived in a spectacular way, and had only found out the truth when she had been kidnapped by their father. And their cold expressions showed exactly that.
Inéz stopped at the last step, ready to turn back. Whoever was guarding her hadn’t probably thought that someone could come and wait on her to return. Elio shook his head, seeing what the girl was planning on doing.
"We don’t want to hurt you. Just to talk, Layla," said Fabro.
The girl swallowed. "It’s Inéz actually," she whispered, unsure whether it was actually the right thing to do to correct him. But when Elio chuckled, shoving down his anger, she relaxed a little. At this point, there was no use in trying to run because she was way too slow with her back still on the mend, and even if that weren’t the case, they were too fast for her anyway.
Instead, she breathed out, building up her courage and invited them into the apartment. She hadn’t moved since she actually felt good there, and didn’t want to go back to their old living arrangements from Seattle and live with Isaac and Drew. They would be unbearable this time around, wanting to do everything for her and being way too overprotective.
With a heavy heart, she watched as they sat on the couch, carefully looking at her. They probably still had trouble with realizing who the girl in front of them actually was.
"I assume you want to know exactly how it all came to be," she said, settling herself in the armchair. They nodded.
"Why did Noah choose you?" asked Fabro, unlike his twin brother who was still keeping his composure.
"He flew to Seattle to get me, Isaac and Drew to work for him as he wanted to find Lynette, telling us that she was alive. Drew loves her so he would never refuse, Isaac had many legal reasons to agree, and I wouldn’t abandon my best friends. He proposed me to become a spy for him to get your father to spill his side deals as he was certain he had many. As for your question why I don’t know for sure. He always said that men were less careful around women, thinking they were too weak to actually be taken into consideration and that would be my advantage." Pause. "But I believe the way I carried myself was also one of those reasons."
"You befriended Amanda, did she know?"
She shook her head immediately. "No, she had no idea. I didn’t say a word to anyone."
"So our lives laid in your hands?"
"More or less. I was to see if you were also involved in your father’s betrayal. I ruled out Elio pretty quickly, and there’s that. I don’t really know what else I can tell you. I didn’t finish my job as you know. It was Lynette’s doing so, in the end, your lives were in her hands."
Silence fell upon them. Inéz wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. She told them everything, knowing that they deserved at least that modicum of decency from her. Because as it appeared, neither Elio nor Fabro had been involved. While it hadn’t been hard to realize when it came to the first one, the latter had been handling pretty bad stuff, but none kept out of the usual books, so Flavio had told her that Noah had ruled to let Fabro live. He didn’t become a Capodecina after his father but was able to keep the club. That was as much a mercy as the Capo was willing to give. And it had to be enough.
She looked at Elio and saw a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. He had become a soldier under Noah’s rule because of his father’s betrayal. He was still keeping the position but there were probably questions that he wasn’t ready to ask his boss.
"Noah appreciates those who want to achieve something on their own, and he saw something in you that was worth giving a chance to. Don’t think it was solely because of Gastone’s case. Yes, giving you this opportunity was one way of ensuring you would pledge your loyalty to him and only him, but that wasn’t all. Don’t feel like you don’t deserve it because you do, Elio," she pointed out, smiling.
The man had been through enough with his father as it was and should let go of it all now. His position was one that could evolve anytime, and focusing on making it happen was what he should be trying to do instead.
CHAPTER 47
He wasn’t in the mood for a night out, although after the day he’d had, he deserved it. Capturing Gastone hadn’t been anywhere close to being the hardest part. What came after had. Proving his power left and right so his men wouldn’t start a mutiny wasn’t easy. Meeting with his soldiers and doing favors for them was one of the most annoying shibboleths that he hadn’t ever been able to completely avoid. But he used to do as little of those open meetings as possible. Not this time around. He spent most of his Friday inviting men to his office, listening to their problems.
He needed a fucking drink. And a really strong one too. However, he couldn’t be bothered with that anymore after he’d heard his brother saying that he had just come from Inéz’s. That name was haunting him just as much as her image haunted his dreams. Restraining himself and giving her the space that she’d asked for was proving too fucking hard. He had found himself driving to her apartment building more times than he could count. The only thing that had stopped him had been seeing the man he’d ordered to guard her. She wouldn’t be needing anyone else’s protection but his if he had only pulled his head out of his ass much earlier. And after reminding himself that it was all his fault that they had been separated, he found himself driving back home.
As he downed his fourth round of tequila shots with Flavio, Drew and Isaac, Nicodemo appeared with a huge grin on his face. He rarely smiled, so it was very unsettling to see him like that. The Enforcer took his seat, ordering a beer, and looked at his companions.
"I don’t have to leave Las Vegas. My brother has been acquitted of all charges. Fuck knows how his lawyers managed to do it, but I don’t fucking care," he beamed.
Flavio nodded, smiling at the man. In fact, it had been the Falcone brothers who’d got involved in Nicodemo’s brother’s case, so that they could prevent losing one of the best soldiers they had. Especially when he didn’t want to go to Sicily himself. But they didn’t say anything because it didn’t matter. The important thing was that the man was staying for now.
They engaged in a conversation that Noah stopped following. Memories still kept creeping in at the worst moments possible, feeling like daggers piercing his heart over and over again. With them came another urge to go to Inéz and tell her that he wasn’t going anywhere and that he was done with giving her space. He couldn’t care less if their relationship would go back to being toxic. He needed her in his life, and not just as someone who worked for him. He hated that she held so much power over him, but he would do anything for her if it meant that she would give him another chance.
Never before had he wanted someone’s forgiveness so much that he would be willing to beg. And if it made him weak, then so be it.
Making a decision, he stood up and moved towards the exit. Predictably, Flavio went after him and stopped him in the parking lot.
"It’s a mistake, brother. You’ve been drinking," he said, blocking his way to the car.
"As if I give a fuck." Noah snorted.
Flavio sighed, shaking his head. "She’s going to smell the alcohol on your breath and won’t take you seriously. And you’re going to get the answer you don’t fucking want to hear, believe me."
Noah’s eyes darkened remaining an endless abyss of sorrow, deep pain was all that could be observed in them. They were the depths of Tartarus holding a thousand souls, yet there were none to be seen. And it even terrified Flavio because he had never witnessed his older brother in such a state. He could only believe that it was
the exact same way he had been when he and Sienna had been kidnapped, but since then he was the strongest man Flavio had known.
Despite the shivers traveling up his spine, he hadn’t moved an inch, knowing that he’d hit home.
"Your relationship is toxic, Noah."
The Capo laughed. "You sound just like her. Have you been chit-chatting about me and how messed up I am?"
"No, if anything Inéz sounds like me because I was the one who made her realize the road your relationship had taken," he confessed at last.
Until now Noah had been certain that it was Inéz’s observation and because of that, he had no ammunition to make her see otherwise. But now that he knew it had come from his brother, there were more reasons to go to her and tell her that she cannot base her decisions on others’ perception of their relation. They were not involved and couldn’t make observations that were undeniably true. Not when they couldn’t see things their way.
"Why the fuck did you say that to her?" Noah roared, for the first time feeling like he could smash his brother’s head against the car.
Out of all people, he should be the one supporting them. With his disposition to be empathetic to most people, he was more than qualified to have his brother’s back and not push a knife into it.
"Because it’s the fucking truth and you’re too close to see it. That girl was ready to fucking die to uphold her promise to you and see the task you’d given her through. Even when she was told by Nicodemo that she could leave with him. I know she is also a soldier now that she has been inducted, but it was never just that, Noah. And you know it. She means more to you, but you let her stay in that situation because you put the Famiglia above all. And yes, it is a good thing because you’re the Capo, but you could have told me to find another fucking way and pulled Inéz out. Now, look where it got you two."
"Jesus, are you a shrink now too, brother? I don’t fucking need your analysis. Stop badgering me with your idiotic logic!"
While Noah was almost seething, Flavio looked more worried than angry. It was a rare occurrence for him to show any kind of emotion openly, even though he felt more than most Made Men combined. And it was understandable after everything he had been through as a kid. The things he had seen but never talked about. Those made him close himself off to the outside world, even though the reverse had been impossible for him. But him admitting that the situation between Noah and Inéz hadn’t been taken lightly by him was out of the ordinary.
Flavio put his hand on his brother’s arm, gripping it tightly. "For you, I would carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and if it crushed me, I would be fine knowing that I had died for you," he said. "But it must be her decision to come back and you know it. Don’t put words into her mouth just because you think I am wrong. I’m not. Perhaps, even you know it deep down."
"Loving any of us is a death sentence, isn’t it?" he asked.
"I don’t know about a death sentence, but it sure as hell isn’t easy. That’s why you need to give her time to become strong enough to handle it. You have a lot of enemies and you know they will use the people you love against you. And Inéz has to be ready to face it all. Don’t rush things just because you miss her. Believe me, she misses you too."
§ § §
There were days when Noah would see Sienna’s blood on his hands and he'd have to shake his head to escape the illusion. He knew the choices hadn’t been his to make at that point but his father’s, yet that hadn’t helped him once. He had always believed himself a protector, a guardian, and the one who should be in the line of fire. Yet, he hadn’t been kidnapped like his younger sister and brother. Having his siblings in any kind of danger was equal to having his stomach stabbed millions of times. Or maybe even that couldn’t compare to it. And when he had been driving to the place they were said to be, he hadn’t been able to think of anything other than getting them out of there and finally being the big brother they should’ve had from the start. The one who would be able to protect them no matter what. So, at seeing Sienna’s dead body, in a pool of her own blood, he’d suddenly felt numb. His brain hadn’t been able to comprehend what it was seeing, and his body refused to be overflooded with the expected pain that was to come after such loss. And ever since, the visions had plagued him - blood running down his fingers, dripping to the floor.
So, he made them as real as possible. To cover up the numbness he felt. It easily turned into the thrill of taking a life that didn’t mean much to him in the first place. And it made him the Made Man he should have been from the start. Cruel, brutal, and merciless. Because the number of people dying around him continued to grow, and he should be able to shut down any emotions that followed.
He threw another punch towards the man who was barely sitting on the chair. His face was a total mess of blood and saliva and there was no way of distinguishing his features and identifying him anymore. Noah knew, however, because the man in front of him had made it his life’s mission to screw with his Famiglia. The prosecutor, one of the few people that had refused to succumb to the mafia’s rule. Because he believed in a better world where he was free to choose and live with his choice. Such a naïve outlook.
Another kick to the stomach swung the chair back, and the prosecutor landed on the floor with a loud whimper. Thankfully, those who didn’t belong the underworld never held up for long and quickly begged for mercy. Not than any person would stand a chance against Noah. He was able to break anyone. Whether they were a part of his world or not. And right now, he preferred to deal out the punishment on his own. He had all this tension that he needed to let go of. He was serving the man’s personal hell on a big, silver platter. A hell where endless pain and torture went hand in hand.
Hell was reserved for those who knew their actions were wrong and did them anyway, enjoying other people’s anguish and taking what was not rightfully theirs. And it was also called heaven for people like Noah. The real hell for him was not being able to see his sister’s laughing face ever again, and in stark contrast to it - seeing his brother’s expression hold a million painful memories behind a wall so high there was no breaking it down. Hell was the vision of losing Inéz to his own stupidity. Because after dealing with so much horror from such a young age, he believed that the Famiglia was to be put first and that he didn’t need anyone else in his life to balance out his evil nature.
How wrong he had been…
Because waking up alone, and realizing that he could have done things differently was as much of a torture for him, as getting beat up was for the prosecutor. The thing was that the man was going to die at the end of it, and Noah still has to live with his decisions.
Grabbing a knife, he decided it was time to move on to more satisfying actions. With a smirk on his face, he came up to the man, leaning down and pinning him against the floor steadily with his knees. The blade moved towards the man’s right hand.
Horror flickered in the prosecutor’s eyes as he realized Noah’s intentions. "No, please. I will do anything you want. Please don’t do it," he begged, but regrettably, it only made the Capo want to hurt him more.
Taking his time, he pressed his knees tighter into the man’s chest and legs, gripping his hand at the same time. He was muscled and strong so there was no chance he wouldn’t get his way. And with that thought, he slashed the blade through the fingers, going deeper and deeper with each move. Blood started spouting as agony-filled screams rang in Noah’s ears. Finally, he pressed the knife, cutting through all the layers, the fingers now lying on the floor, separated from the rest of the body.
But it wasn’t the end. No, just the beginning as he did the same thing with the other hand, taking his time and enjoying it all profoundly. More begging rolled through the prosecutor's lips. This time Noah didn’t ignore it.
"Don’t act like I haven’t given you the possibility to do things differently. My brother was very lenient with you for longer than you deserved," he seethed.
If there was one thing Noah hated was being take
n for a fool. He rarely acted in the spur of the moment when it came to killing someone. He preferred having leverage over people to ending their life just because he loved killing. But after repeatedly warning someone, there was nothing else to do but take matters into his hands and deal out a suitable punishment for the crime that had been committed against him. And the man’s bold statement that he was going to get rid of the mafia had been the last straw, equaling in his death sentence.
"Stop the pitiful begging, you fucker. You did this to yourself. I am just showing you how badly you screwed up."
With those words, he stood up and hammered his foot into the man’s knee. A loud snap resonated in the room, followed by a string of curse words and a muffled cry. Then it all stopped and the prosecutor passed out from the pain. Now, the fun was over since he had no way of giving him more blood to prolong the torture. The man would die soon enough from the heavy blood loss. So finally, Noah smiled and stepped on his throat, crushing it all together, speeding up the process.
Sheathing his knife, he took out a handkerchief and dried his hands enough to be able to grip the stirring wheel without his hands sliding off. It was his only reason to bother doing it. Then he left the man in his office, hoping that people would soon find the body and the message not to mess with his Famiglia would get through to his enemies.
CHAPTER 48
"How are you?" asked Francisco just as he picked up the call from his sister. She laughed, hearing his concerned voice.
"I’m alright," she said simply not wanting to get into details.
She hadn’t mentioned her surgery or further injuring her back. It would only lead to more uncomfortable questions that she wouldn’t be able to answer, and as a result, her twin would be worried and fly to Seattle, only to find her gone. There was no use informing Francisco of anything. What was done was done. She was going to have problems with her back all her life, and probably never have kids. Nothing she hadn’t learnt a long time ago and already made peace with.
