KINGDOM FALL

by A. Zavarelli

  “Did I say that out loud?” I groan.

  “Yes, you did. Now do me a favor. Do us both a favor. Fix this shit.”

  “The Tribunal?”

  “No.” He snorts. “Your marriage.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.” I stand before the Councilors, waiting for any indication that they will reconsider their position. This is the last attempt I will make to go through the proper channels. If they deny my request again, I will walk into the prison and kill Enzo there, consequences be damned.

  “We’ve watched the footage you sent over,” Guillory responds. “But I must say this is quite unfortunate timing. Why the urgency, Scarcello? Enzo is already locked up. Couldn’t this wait until after the holiday?”

  I hand the guard the transcripts of Enzo’s voicemails. “This is why.”

  The guard delivers them to the dais, and the room falls into silence as the Councilors read through them.

  “He’s threatening your family.” Guillory peers at me over the rim of his glasses. “The man is clearly unhinged, but what can he do locked away in prison?”

  My jaw works as I force myself to keep a level head. “Does it matter if he’s locked away? His access to the outside might be limited, but he has proven himself resourceful in the past. I’m imploring you to consider your response if it was your own family. Would you determine his threats to be harmless then?”

  Guillory narrows his gaze at me. “Leave my family out of this. Your point has been made.”

  I cut my gaze to Angelo briefly, recalling the rest of our conversation in the car. He encourages me with a nod, and I continue, choosing the words from my heart rather than my head.

  “I stand before you today as a Sovereign Son who wishes to avenge the deaths of Ricardo, Nicolette, Elizabeth, and anyone else’s life Enzo’s time on this earth has cut short. But I’m also standing before you as a man who…” My throat works as I stumble over the words. “A man who watched that footage with the knowledge that Enzo perpetrated those same acts against my wife. Not only did he violate her body, but he ripped an innocent child from her arms, depriving him of a mother for years. Enzo tortured my wife, slashed her throat, and tossed her into a river like garbage. I have no choice but to ask when will enough be enough? At what point will this Tribunal deem him unfit to live? Once his body count reaches double digits? The crimes he has committed are heinous, and he is undeserving of another second of your leniency. The only equitable punishment is a slaughter as vicious as he has doled out himself.”

  The three Councilors stare down at me, stone-faced, and I’m not certain whether I’ve managed to sway them. They turn to each other, speaking quietly amongst themselves before returning their focus to me.

  “Merry Christmas, Scarcello. You’ve got your wish. At this time, the court finds the evidence you’ve brought forth sufficient to move forward with a penalty of death. Now, end him and be done with it.”

  31

  Natalia

  After an extended meeting, my half-day at work ran later than I had anticipated. When I say goodbye to the group of Society women who have been assisting with my class development, I realize Nino needs to be picked up from school.

  Damien, we have to go. I play him a message as I rush around the desk.

  “Of course, Mrs. Scarcello.” He opens the door for me and leads me out of the building, scanning the street as we walk to the car.

  He’s been with me all day, and I don’t know if it’s just that I need to get used to him, but it’s strange having his eyes on me so frequently. Manuel has a way of watching you without making you overly aware you’re being watched, and Damien definitely does not. If I’m completely honest, I feel a little uneasy when he looks at me. It’s a problem I’ll have to address with Alessio, but I can’t imagine he’ll be responsive to hearing it.

  We’ll need to go straight to Nino’s school. I type out another note as Damien opens the back door for me.

  “No problem.”

  He settles into the driver’s seat and pulls out into the afternoon traffic. I check a few emails along the way and then notice I have a missed text.

  Abella: Sooooo?

  Me: He wouldn’t talk to me.

  The three dots appear immediately, and she sends me a string of crying emojis followed by another text.

  Abella: Give it time.

  I send her a hug emoji and rest the phone in my lap, rubbing my aching temples. I don’t want to cry again. I’m not going to cry again. I’ve already had three spontaneous outbursts of emotion throughout the day. I want to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I know it isn’t just that.

  When I glance up, I catch Damien staring at me in the rearview mirror. It irritates me, and I’m tempted to tell him so. In the office, I could understand his attention, but this is beyond excessive.

  I’m grateful when we pull up to the school so I can get out of the car, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Damien seems to know how this situation works already as he follows me inside to retrieve Nino. He told me this morning that both Manuel and Alessio gave him detailed instructions. I can’t imagine Alessio telling him anything other than grunting not to let me out of his sight, but those are thoughts better saved for another time.

  Nino beams at me as soon as he sees me, and I greet him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  How was school, darling?

  “It was okay,” he says. “But I’m ready to go.”

  Me too, I laugh.

  We walk out to the car, and Damien drives us to Nino’s piano lessons as planned. He eats his afternoon snack along the way and then asks me what we’re doing on Christmas day.

  I smile at him, brushing his hair aside. I don’t know yet, but let me talk to dad about it, okay?

  He nods, and we arrive too quickly. It’s tempting to skip today altogether, but Nino enjoys visiting with Mrs. Hudson. Abella was the one to inform me that their daughter was who everyone thought was Nino’s mother. She disappeared, and then months later, Enzo came back with Nino. He told the other Society members she didn’t want the baby, and she was too ashamed to return. I have a sick feeling Elizabeth met a terrible fate with Enzo before he ever realized I’d had a baby.

  I took it upon myself to have a heart-to-heart with Mrs. Hudson after I wed Alessio, and she told me she always knew Nino wasn’t really her grandson. She wanted to continue their visits regardless, and I saw no reason to deprive her of that request when it’s something Nino enjoys too.

  When we arrive, I walk him to the door with Damien, and Nino glances up at me.

  “See you after?” he asks.

  I nod, ruffling his hair. I tried to go in with him a few times, but he was too nervous to play with me watching him, and he promised he would tell me when he was ready. We made a deal that it would be on his terms, so for now, I use the time to catch up on emails or read in the car.

  Damien opens the door for me when I return, and I remove my phone from my pocket as I sit down. I’m reaching for my seatbelt when I catch a movement from my periphery. It’s too late for me to react when Damien punches me in the side of the head, blindsiding me. My body slumps against the seat, and I’m barely clinging to consciousness as he grabs my phone and pockets it.

  “You and I are going to have a little fun, Mrs. Scarcello.”

  His words are garbled like I’m underwater, and my head throbs furiously as he shuts me inside and starts the engine. It takes me a few minutes to come back to my senses, fighting off the subsequent nausea as the adrenaline response takes over me. I flutter my eyes open, and the afternoon light makes them water. It burns, but I fight off the instinct to close them as I peek up at the back of his head. Damien doesn’t think I’m a threat right now, and I have to use this time to think. But my thoughts are distorted, and everything is blurry. It feels like a dream because none of it makes sense.

  Why would he do this?

  Then it hits me. It’s a dark thought, but one I have to acknowledg
e. Alessio hired him to watch me, and this is only his first day. Is this why? Did he ask him to do this to me? Did he hire him to do the thing he couldn’t?

  Ice numbs my heart, and I swallow the pain that feels unbearable, forcing it down. There isn’t time to focus on that now. I have to think about survival. I have to find a way to get back to Nino like I promised.

  I turn my gaze toward the window, studying the familiar foliage of the Hudson’s long driveway before Damien merges onto the street. He starts to turn in his seat, and I close my eyes, hoping he can’t tell that I’m awake. I remain in the same position for a good three minutes as he drives, and then slowly, as quietly as I can, I use my hand to search for my bag. When I find it, I dip into the largest pocket where I’ve kept my butterfly knife since Alessio returned it to me.

  For years, I’ve carried this knife as protection. I familiarized myself with it. I practiced with it. I trained in self-defense, maintaining a physical routine that made every strategic move feel like second nature. I’ve never actually used it on anyone before today, but there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I will. Damien doesn’t know me. If he did, he would have never left me unsecured in the back the way that he has. He underestimated me, and that mistake will cost him his life, so help me, God.

  From my position on the seat, I watch the passing scenery through the top of the window, but I can’t see anything more than clouds now. I relax my breathing, trying to think this through rationally. Attacking him in the car would be easier, but we’re going too fast, and I’m not wearing a seatbelt. Killing myself isn’t part of the plan, so I sit tight, cataloging my advantages. He thinks I’m unconscious, and he doesn’t know I have a weapon. I don’t want to wait because I don’t know where he’s driving me but catching him off guard is the best chance of my survival.

  The car slows and turns once and then a second time before Damien lowers his window, and I recognize the familiar sound of the security gate unlocking. He’s taking me back home.

  The first thought in my mind is that Manuel is gone, and I know Alessio is too. He won’t be here to watch it. He just wants to know it’s done.

  My eyes blur with tears, and I blink them away rapidly, pulling myself together. I can’t fucking do this right now. I have to win this fight for Nino. That’s it. There is no other choice.

  The car comes to a stop, and I lie as still as I can, opening the blade when he gets out. I hide it beneath my palm and wait. I’m not sure which door he’ll open first, but I’m prepared with my heels at one end and my blade at the other. I count the seconds, forcing myself not to look, and then I hear the handle above my head. The door opens, cool air rushes in, and he grabs me by the hair. He yanks on my head to drag me back, and the pain is excruciating, but I don’t make a sound. I don’t give him any indication that I’m conscious.

  “Wake up, bitch.” He slaps my face when my dead weight flops against the seat cushion, and again, I don’t move.

  “And here I thought you were a fighter,” he grumbles, leaning down to lift my shoulders with his hands.

  The moment I feel his breath on my face, I open my eyes and lock my gaze on the target of his artery. I swing my arm, and he mutters a stunned curse right before the knife plunges into his neck. He drops me immediately, staggering back as he grabs at the blade, yanking it free. It’s only once he does that, he realizes his mistake. Blood spurts from the wound rapidly, and he slaps his palm over it in a desperate attempt to stop it.

  “You fucking bitch,” he gurgles the words as he drops to his knees.

  He collapses onto the ground, his body twitching as he continues to bleed out. He’s dying quickly, but I can’t let him go until I have the answer I need.

  “Who asked you to do this?” I force the words from deep within as I stare down at the face I’ll never forget.

  He digs his fingers into his flesh, his last words so faint, they barely register. “You know who.”

  “Natalia, are you okay?” Mrs. Hudson stares at me, wide-eyed with concern as she examines the wound on the side of my face. It’s swollen and bruised, so there’s no hiding it, but I can’t think about that right now.

  I play the message from my phone, hoping she can’t see the tremor in my arm.

  Everything is okay. I just fell, and Damien had an emergency arise, so I need to take Nino now.

  She seems uncertain, glancing over my shoulder. When she notices Alessio’s car in the driveway and not the Rolls Royce, she looks even more doubtful. But I don’t have time to waste convincing her. I move around her just as Nino comes into the entryway.

  “Mom?”

  We have to go. I sign to him. Come here, darling. Quick, quick.

  He doesn’t hesitate, scurrying over to join me. Mrs. Hudson eyes my Burberry coat curiously. It wasn’t what I was wearing when I dropped him off, and she knows it. But I don’t have time to care. I just need to go.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” She calls after us as I take Nino to the car. “I could have the Society doctor come here. It’s no trouble.”

  I wave at her and shake my head, helping Nino into the backseat. Once he’s secured, he starts asking questions the minute I’ve got the car started. I turn back to him long enough to tell him that I’ll explain everything as soon as I can, but right now, I have to drive.

  It would be tempting to tell him that everything will be okay, but I don’t know that. What I do know is I’m more prepared this time. When I turn onto the main road, I only drive a few blocks before I stop to park Alessio’s car on the street. I help Nino out, and we walk two blocks to the grocery store where the taxi I ordered is waiting. We get inside, and the driver gives me a bored expression, asking where I want to go. I check my phone to make sure the GPS is disabled and it’s in airplane mode and then write out a message for him.

  The ferry terminal.

  He nods and pulls out into traffic, leaving me to check on Nino. He seems to understand that something’s not right, and he looks scared, and I wish more than anything I could give him my assurances.

  Guess what? I sign to him.

  What? he asks.

  We’re going on a really big boat.

  He leans up, peering out the window as if we might be there already. “Where to?”

  You’ll see, I tell him. It’s a surprise.

  It will be a surprise for both of us.

  I have more than enough cash on me to hold us over for a while. I’ve been pulling it out of my account every week when I meet Abella, just in case. I have no idea how long it will take Alessio to track his car to where I left it, but I’m hoping it will take him longer to track down the taxi.

  The ride to the ferry terminal seems to go on forever, and I find myself glancing over my shoulder every few minutes, expecting Alessio to appear behind us, but he hasn’t yet. I won’t be relieved until we’re on the ferry, and even then, I have to consider that he might figure out what I’m doing. In the meantime, I plan my next steps, writing two notes in advance.

  The taxi driver drops us off, and I pay him in cash, scrambling out onto the pavement with Nino in tow. We head for the terminal and go straight to the passenger-only line, purchasing two tickets for Bainbridge Island. Then, we head for the bathroom, and I pull out a different set of clothes and tell Nino he needs to change before we get on the ferry. An older woman comes out of the stall, offering me a sympathetic glance before she heads to the sink. Once Nino is in the stall, I approach her apologetically and use my app to ask her for a favor.

  I’m so sorry to bother you, but my son is feeling unwell, and we really need to catch the ferry to Bremerton. I’m worried we won’t make it in time to purchase the tickets, and I can’t leave him in here alone. Would it be a huge imposition to ask if you could buy us two tickets if I give you the cash?

  She reads the note, and her eyes move to the bruise on the side of my face. Obviously, she thinks there’s more to the story, but she takes pity on me and accepts the cash from my hand.

  “Of cour
se, dear. Don’t you worry. I’ll get the tickets and bring them right back here.”

  Thank you so much, I write. You don’t know how much this means.

  She nods and disappears, and I tap on the stall Nino’s in. He opens the door for me, and I make quick work of slipping on a pair of jeans, some sneakers, and a different coat. When we exit together, I direct him to wash his hands and wait for her to return. To my relief, she does, handing over the two tickets with a gracious smile.

  “I hope you feel better, young man.”

  Nino gives her a confused glance, and I smile at her, typing out one last message. Thank you again. You’re a lifesaver.

  She checks her watch and sighs. “I have to be going myself. Safe travels, you two.”

  She leaves, and I hand Nino a winter hat and secure my hair in my coat before putting mine on as well.

  Okay, ready? I ask.

  He nods.

  Let’s play a game, I sign. I want you to look for any cracks on the floor. Whoever spots the most wins.

  “Cool,” he says.

  I take his hand, guilt eating at me as we step out of the bathrooms, both of our gazes on the floor. I don’t know how many cameras are around here, and I don’t think I’ll be able to fool Alessio completely, but right now, I just need to buy time.

  We board the Bremerton ferry with only a few minutes to spare, and Nino proudly declares that he won the game before his excitement turns to the ferry.

  “Can we go look around?” he asks.

  Yes.

  He leads the way, weaving through people as the ferry glides out into the water. The journey is only a little over thirty minutes, but it feels much longer. I find myself scanning the passengers for anyone who looks like they might be associated with IVI, but realistically, I don’t know.

  When we arrive, Nino and I exit with the first wave of passengers, blending into the crowd before it disperses. We walk down the street, and I flag a taxi before they pull away from the curb. The driver, a woman with pink hair, gives me a curious glance as I approach her window.