Merchants of Milan

by Edale Lane

  Now the key was to walk quietly around to the narrow stairway that led to the kitchen. She didn’t want to run into Madelena again, nor wake any of the staff. She had done this numerous times before. But as she crept along the terracotta tiles, something caught Florentina’s eye–a dark figure on Maddie’s balcony, and it was definitely not the woman she loved.

  Instantly the Night Flyer snapped to full alert. Her delicate steps gave way to a desperate dash as she took off running as fast as possible without slipping and falling to her death in the courtyard below.

  Oh no you don’t, she swore to herself frantically as she pushed to run even faster. Not my Maddie! She could now see it was a man of average size wearing a dark colored waist cape and cap. He had jimmied open her balcony door and was fitting a bolt into a crossbow.

  Florentina’s protective instinct outmaneuvered panic and dread as her brain kicked into strategy mode. There were still several yards between them and she would have to jump down to a second floor landing; there wasn’t time for all that. She drew up her repeating crossbow, slid to a halt, aimed, and fired two hasty shots. Because of that, the first one missed, but the other struck the intruder’s weapon, knocking it to the balcony’s base. He whirled to spot her running toward him along the roof and she saw him draw a dagger. She fired two more bolts in his direction, one of which grazed his leg and the other lodged into a floor plank, then she tossed the firearm aside.

  At the moment he looked away to check the slight injury to his leg, Florentina launched herself at him from ten feet away and twenty feet above. She was confident at her speed she would make the landing; she just hoped she took him down when she did.

  As gravity aided her rapid descent, the would-be assassin glanced up just in time to discern the dreaded Night Flyer closing on him. He stepped away from the railing toward Madelena’s open door and Florentina thrust out her left arm in a speed-induced sweep. They both tumbled to the balcony floor. She landed like a stone and felt a vague, far away pain in her right knee, plus she was still bruised from battling Zuane the night before, but the adrenaline was pumping too hard for her to pay it any attention. Why was this man trying to kill Maddie? That didn’t matter now; she had to stop him.

  Florentina drew her knife as she rolled, coming up in a crouch. Her opponent poised on hands and knees in front of her and lunged. She dodged with a quick feint toward the railing and jabbed her blade in the path of his advance, but he swatted it away with a rapid motion of his powerful forearm which connected with hers. She scuttled around him crab-like, still staying low to the floor so he couldn’t bat her off their precarious perch like an annoying fly.

  The assassin straightened up as he pivoted in her direction and she saw him clearly. His dark complexion was accented by short black hair that stuck out from his uncovered head as his cap had vanished in the struggle. He was neither old nor young and his face was the rugged mask of a trained warrior. However his build was slighter than a traditional fighter’s and he could probably match her speed and dexterity. He pulled a second dagger as he also scrutinized her with wary eyes. He was definitely a professional assassin, but it was clear that he respected the Night Flyer’s reputation. However Florentina had one huge factor in her favor–this was no job for her; she was in love with the woman he had come to kill and would protect her at all costs.

  Chapter 28

  Madelena was in the middle of a sound sleep, after having so little the night before, when a loud noise woke her. Before she had even opened her eyes, she felt a cold gust of wind that should not be there. Once they were open, she saw that her balcony door was pushed ajar and two figures were fighting beyond it.

  Alarm jolted her into full wakefulness and she leapt out of bed, pulling on her robe as she rushed toward the commotion. She stopped abruptly inside the open doorway, her breath catching in her throat, as wide-eyed she spied the Night Flyer grappling with a strange man in a menacing looking smoky waist cloak. The interloper held a knife in each hand and she immediately feared for her mysterious guardian. She must have gasped loudly, because the Night Flyer flicked her a quick glance before springing to his feet brandishing his own dagger.

  She stood frozen and breathless as they circled each other, testing with short jabs and slices. There was very little room for them to maneuver and she wondered for an instant if they would come crashing into her bedchamber. Clutching her robe closed at her neck, she took a cautious step backward.

  I should run! she reasoned. I should run screaming to Alessandro’s chamber and fetch him right this minute! But she couldn’t move. Maddie’s concern over the Night Flyer’s fate rooted her feet to the floor. She was transfixed as she watched in shock and fright wishing there was something she could do. I can go get Ally; that is what I should do. Still, her feet refused to budge.

  The intruder struck with both knifes, one arcing high toward the Night Flyer’s face and the other jabbing low toward his abdomen. Another gasp escaped her lips, but she saw her protector slide sideways and bending back avoid both moves. Then he charged into the opening, blade first, but the other man snapped his foot in a quick kick that dislodged the Night Flyer’s dagger from his hand and sent it flying over the rail. She heard herself cry out, “No!” then covered her mouth and took another step backward. This couldn’t be happening. No one bests the Night Flyer!

  Madelena wanted to close her eyes so she wouldn’t see her champion die, but for some reason was unable to turn them away. She recognized her fate was intertwined with his should she remain where she stood, but she could not will her gaze nor her feet from that spot. What she witnessed next was nothing less than remarkable. The assailant with his two shining blades and dark cape flapping advanced on the Night Flyer in a low, swift, powerful charge, ready to finish him. But the inscrutable vigilante dropped in a skid toward him, lay flat on his back, and thrust both feet into the stranger’s gut and pushed. He continued the motion, pressing with palms on the floor boards, arching his back, and sustained the shove until he had completed a backward somersault. It happened so quickly and was clearly so unexpected that the assassin was lifted from the ground and the forward momentum of his attack combined with the Night Flyer’s forceful kick launched him headfirst over the iron railing. Maddie heard a crunch and a thud and imagined from the sound she did not want to look. She didn’t know if he had cried out or not on his short trip to the courtyard paving stones; she was too immersed in her own relief that her hero was safe!

  Madelena tried to steady herself, return her breath to normal, slow her racing heartbeat; that was impossible! It had all happened so fast, or did it just seem that way? She willed one foot to move, discovered that it would obey, and took the few steps required to pass through her open balcony door. The Night Flyer, breathing heavily, rose to his feet and peered over the railing.

  “Are you injured?” Maddie asked, reaching a hand toward him, then drawing it back in hesitation.

  The masked figure in black turned to her, concerned brown eyes his only discernable feature. “No.” His chest heaved up and down and it looked like he was shaking.

  “Are you sure?” She took a tentative step in his direction.

  “He, he was here to kill you. Why?”

  She stopped an arm’s length from her shadowy guardian. “I have no idea.” Madelena was caught in a whirlwind of emotions, helpless to ascertain their origins nor directions. She felt a little dizzy and must have swayed because a firm hand caught her arm and steadied her. She raised her eyes to his and there she read more than casual concern. “I only know that if you had not been here…” She swallowed before continuing the sentence. “I would be dead now. So, thank you, for saving my life.”

  He just stood there holding her arm, drawing in deep, labored breaths, gazing into her eyes. Did he not know what to say or do? Was he as nervous as she was? She didn’t understand why she was so drawn to this, this man. She preferred the pleasures of another woman and was perfectly happy in her relationship with Florentina. Bu
t her heart fluttered, and she felt weak in the knees. A mere “thank you” was not enough. He risked his life to save hers and nearly lost it in the process. She took that last step, reached her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

  It only took a moment, and she knew. Madelena jumped back in total shock, wide-eyed and slack jawed, her head spinning like a top. “It’s you!”

  Astonishment gave way to the painful knife-twist of betrayal. Maddie understood she should be grateful; after all, Florentina had just wrestled with a man who had tried to kill them both in order to save her life. And she should appreciate no longer having her heartstrings pulled between two love interests. But she simply felt numb.

  Florentina must have read her expression because fear registered in those bright, honey eyes of hers. “I am sorry, Maddie; I never intended to deceive you, but I had to keep you safe. If I had ever been caught,” Florentina hastily explained, “you could tell the authorities that you didn’t know, and the truth is always more convincing than a lie.”

  “You were convincing.” She didn’t intend for the comment to sound as sharp as it did, and she pulled her robe tight again.

  “Please, just let me explain,” she pleaded. “But not here and now.” A scream sounded below as one of the servants obviously discovered the body. “I have to go, but I’ll come to your room and explain everything. Then if you want me to leave, I’ll go, but…” Florentina’s shoulders slumped and a pained expression that threatened a flood of tears peeked from behind the mask. “I truly love you.”

  Madelena wasn’t sure what to think or what to believe, but Florentina was right; this wasn’t the time to get into it. She considered her with a cool, flat look. “And how will you return to your room to change clothes? There are already people gathering below and the roof is too high for you to reach from here.” She sighed and motioned through the doorway into her bed chamber. “May as well just wait here. I have to go tell Alessandro… something. There’s a dead man on our patio.” She closed the door behind them, blocking out the cold and the maid’s screams. Then, brushing her hand to Florentina’s added, “I’m glad it isn’t you.”

  “Please,” she asked reaching for Maddie’s hand. She purposefully drew it out of reach. Florentina sighed, noticeably more distressed by Maddie’s mood than the prospect of a bloody death. “Don’t tell Don Alessandro about me being the Night Flyer, not until we’ve talked at least. I trust him; I just not certain how he’ll react.” Madelena said nothing, simply turned and strode out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  As she ambled down the hall toward her brother’s bedchamber, Madelena’s stomach churned and shock warped into anger. Why didn’t she tell me? She knew I was infatuated with the Night Flyer, and still she didn’t tell me. No, she made me suffer through all these conflicting feelings. And if she lied about this, what else has she lied about? Do I even know her at all? To think–I trusted her with my precious children! The nerve of that woman. Was everything a lie? Sure, she says she loves me, but how can I be certain? She is accomplished in the art of deception. I am so mad at her right now I could spit teeth!

  Fury flushed over Maddie’s porcelain cheeks and her eyes flashed like jade lightning. Alessandro opened his door, alarm on his face, just as she arrived. “What’s wrong?” he inquired briskly. “I heard screaming.”

  Madelena took a calming breath. She didn’t want to start gushing about this to her brother, so she would stick to the facts. “It would seem someone wants me dead.”

  “What!” His eyes flew wide, and he reached a hand to push hair up his forehead. “Are you alright? What happened?”

  She relayed the story to him as she had seen it, leaving out the part about Florentina being the Night Flyer, and concluding with, “So there’s a dead assassin in the courtyard. Maybe you can find out who he is and why someone is trying to murder me. Perhaps there is merit in the secret society of really bad people theory after all,” she quipped to him. “But I still don’t understand why they would want to kill me.”

  Alessandro wrapped her in a strong, supportive embrace. “I did not mean to belittle your suspicions,” he conceded. “It just sounded so farfetched. I will send for Salvador and you can be assured there will be an inquiry into this matter. No one tries to kill my sister and gets away with it!”

  She sank into the hold of his arms, and for the first time since she awoke the fact that someone actually came to her room in the middle of the night with the intent to kill her in her sleep registered as real in her befuddled mind. Somebody wanted her dead and hired a professional to do the deed. That was surreal! And Florentina had raced to her rescue, with no reservations, and at prodigious peril. And Florentina was the Night Flyer. Then it dawned on her; that’s the reason I was so attracted to the Night Flyer!

  “Thank you,” she uttered in gratitude.

  Ally released the hug and looked into her eyes with deep emotion. “I am most thankful that the Night Flyer just happened to be here at the exact time this villain was ready to strike, or…” He had to pause to swallow a lump in his throat.

  Madelena sighed and patted his cheek. “I know. Me too.” She now realized why the Night Flyer was always showing up at their home–she lives here. But she didn’t know why Florentina had been returning at that very moment. “God’s providence.”

  A smile returned to light Alessandro’s face. “I guess He is pleased with your plan to build Margarita’s Hope House.”

  Seeing the misty glow in his eyes, Madelena said her good-nights and began a slow stroll back toward her room. What to do about Florentina? On the one hand she did arrive at a most fortuitous moment and risk her own life to save her from that hired killer–the truth that there even was a hired killer in the first place baffled her. That did not, however, negate the fact that her lover had systematically deceived her, living a double life right under her own roof. Why didn’t she tell me? Does she not trust me? And if she doesn’t trust me, why should I trust her? So many little things all came together… the long hours “at the production house working on equipment,” odd “shopping trips,” and the cut on her arm–that was not from any machinery; that had been the night of the big game and raining coins. I should have figured it out, she chided herself. But why insert herself into our household? Was that part of her plan or did she truly need the position? Had she ever loved me or was I just part of her cover?

  Maddie stopped at her own door, hesitating with her hand on the knob. Neither her mind nor emotions were settled. Someone had just tried to kill her, her lover was a vigilante with a secret identity, and it all seemed to fantastical to be real. She felt relieved and thankful, resentful and betrayed, angry and insulted, and very thoroughly confused. Might as well hear what she has to say. She turned the handle, stepped inside, and closed and locked the door behind her.

  Only then did Madelena turn her eyes toward Florentina. A black backpack and belt loaded with pouches, a sheath, and some kind of hook and cord attached were set off to one side, while Fiore lay disposed in a heap on the floor like a discarded rag doll. As Maddie migrated into the room, Florentina pushed to a sitting position, turning haunted damp eyes up to hers in desperate hope, and all her temper melted away.

  “I was coming home from what was to be the Night Flyer’s last mission, to make sure Don Benetto had left the city, when I saw…” Florentina stopped to swallow and rubbed a hand under her leaky eye. “Oh, Maddie, I was so scared! If that man had killed you…” She had to swallow another sob before she could continue. Madelena’s face had softened toward her and that helped. “If he had gotten to you before I got to him… I would be shattered, lost…”

  “But he didn’t.” Madelena’s voice was filled with compassion as she moved to where Fiore sat. “You saved me.”

  Florentina rubbed her hands down her face before lifting it back to Maddie who stooped down to take a seat on the floor directly in front of her. “I had to; I love you more than life itself! And I’ve been thinking, if I had returned a f
ew minutes sooner or a few minutes later, or if I had not gone out at all; if, if… so many ifs.”

  “Shh.” Madelena’s tone was comforting, and she took Florentina’s hands in hers. “You were exactly where fate intended you be, and at precisely the right moment. You know, I was frightened for you too, out there fighting for your life.”

  A shimmer flashed across Florentina’s eyes. “But you didn’t know it was me yet.”

  “So, why didn’t you just fly away? You had to know I would recognize your kiss.”

  “I have wanted to tell you for a long time,” Florentina began to explain. “I came to your brother seeking a post because he was Viscardi’s rival, because there were rumors Benetto had killed your husband, and I thought I might do your family a favor while dispatching my own vengeance on the murdering bastard. Your House was wealthy enough to afford me and your residence held the correct balance between distance and nearness to my target. I planned everything to the last detail,” she said, then gave Maddie’s hands a squeeze. “Except falling in love with you. At first I thought nothing would come of it; how could it? But then… it did.”

  Florentina sighed and rolled her shoulders. She was sore, but all that mattered was that Maddie was giving her a chance to explain herself. “I never really lied to you,” she offered innocently. “I just failed to mention a few things.”

  “Um,” Madelena hummed disapprovingly. “Is that what you call it?”

  “Truly, my intent was to protect you and Don Alessandro from any involvement in my vendetta. It killed me to keep secrets from you,” she admitted with suppliant eyes that threatened to brim with tears again. Florentina sucked them back deliberately. She had sobbed enough. “Tonight was going to be the Night Flyer’s last escapade–just make sure Viscardi left town and that would be the end of it, but…” She sighed, dropped her chin and shook her head.