by Dee Garcia
Finding the rice cooker, or anything for that matter, was a mission as of late. Everything was in a different spot almost every time I’d come over in the last month or so. No, Mama wasn't losing her mind; she was just bored, and that boredom had led her to rearranging even the most common day items frequently. Thankfully it wasn’t furniture or anything requiring too much strength, but still, I worried she was doing too much. I couldn't exactly monitor her all hours of the day though, and she refused to have a nurse drop by while I was at work. That left me little to work with. I made a mental note to buy her a few things I knew she liked that could potentially keep her busy and out of harm's way; books and crossword puzzles, more wool for her knitting box, maybe even those hand-stitched embroidery things.
Five minutes later, I’d found the rice cooker, plugged it in, and was rummaging through the pantry for rice when Mama walked into the kitchen.
“Top shelf to the left,” she said nonchalantly.
I glanced up and sure enough, there it was. My stomach churned, and I cringed as I retrieved the bag and shut the door behind myself. “How’d it get up there?”
“By putting it up there.”
“How exactly, Mom? I know for a fact you’re too short to reach, hence why up until now, it’s always been the designated seasonal platters and baskets shelf.”
She side-eyed me and turned the faucet on, drizzling some soap onto the sponge. “Shelly from down the street came over and she helped me move things around.”
“Somehow, with the scheduled person Shelly is, I highly doubt that. I really hope you’re not about to tell me you climbed on a chair.”
“Of course not…” She paused for a moment, vigorously scrubbing one particular spot of the plate in her hands. “I used the ladder.”
Jesus Christ.
I could’ve laughed at the casual expression on her face and stopped breathing at the severity of her admission all in one shot.
“You did not…”
“Yes, I did.”
“Mama, you can't do that,” I chastised her delicately, and miraculously pulled out the measuring cup from its usual cabinet.
“Sure I can. It was only two steps, Xander. I'm perfectly capable, and besides, it's good exercise.”
“You're not supposed to be exercising or doing anything strenuous. Doctor Gardner said to take it easy after the last—”
“Yeah, I know what he said,” she snapped. Her palm hit the faucet, abruptly shutting off the water. “But I’m fifty, not ninety-five, and I refuse to lay around all day like a vegetable.”
“I'm not asking you to stay in bed all day, Mama, but overexerting yourself isn't a good idea with these meds either, you know that. You're fragile enough sometimes as it is...I don't wanna risk anything happening again.”
The silence that passed between us was tense, deafening. She was so stubborn, always so stubborn, and I had no right to be upset because I’d inherited the trait from her myself too. Regardless, instant frustration washed over me. She knew why the doc had told her to limit strenuous activity. She also knew death was not a topic I cared to discuss because it made her diagnosis that much more real. Was I living in the land of denial? No. I knew her cancer was real, that it had eaten decades of her life in the span of six short months. She’d never get to witness the day I got married, would never get to hold her grandchildren or great-grandchildren. That was a hard enough concept in itself, but it’s how soon that predicted expiration date was that I wasn't willing to come to terms with. The two years Doctor Gardner gave her were virtually nothing, and it wasn't guaranteed either. She could go sooner or exceed expectations, but we were advised to expect the former.
“The end is inevitable, Xander,” she said, her voice hushed, as if reading my mind. “We all go one way or another, son.”
I bowed my head and scrunched my eyes tightly to erase the unwanted images flickering through my mind. “I know...but chemo worked and these meds, minus the small side effects, are doing their job too. That means I can preserve you for just a little longer. It may be selfish but I'm not ready to let you go yet.”
“We never are, baby.” She reached out and cupped my face, turning me toward her. “We're never ready to lose a loved one. As humans, that's not how we’re programmed. We just have to accept the fact that some of us are called home earlier than others. It wasn’t easy to accept when your father passed, but I had to. I had no choice.”
“Not yet, please,” I whispered, draping my hand over hers. His death was hard enough and I was only a kid. I'd had my mom all my life... “Just a little longer.”
A small smile tilted her lips. “I’m not going anywhere right now. I feel good, stronger every day. Who knows, I may shock everyone and live another five years.”
“I hope so,” I said, my heart clenching at the thought of how short five years was too. I'd take that over two, though.
“I’m not giving up, Xander. Your mama is tough, she’s a fighter, just like I raised you to be. I’m going to kick cancer’s ass and get to see at least one grandbaby.”
I chuckled softly and pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her like she could disappear at any given moment. “Then stop with the ladders and the lifting, please. Save your energy for the fight, okay?”
She nodded against my chest and patted my back. “Alright, enough with the heavy. Are we going to eat some chili or what?”
“Rice, mom,” I reminded her.
“How about tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream instead? You know, taco soup?” she asked, glancing up at me with a quirked brow.
“Sounds good to me.”
And just like that, she was just my mom. Not my mom who had cancer and was deteriorating right before my very eyes. She was just Mama. The mom who still cooked for me a few times a week, the mom who loved me even though I was at my lowest, the mom who had no idea what a life-changing experience I was about to make, regardless of what option I chose. The mom who expected me to outlive her… I may not have been sure of what I was going to do, but what I did know for certain was that I had to make it out alive. If not for anything else, for Mama. My Mama.
“There’s no way I can set up in one of these trees with the sniper,” I said, craning my head back to observe the decades old oak once more. “I need to get on the roof.”
“And how the fuck do you expect to do that, Eden? You can’t just walk in the front gates and go about your business.” That was Matteo, who stood against one of the thick trunks with his inked arms crossed.
His foul mood hadn’t dissipated even a smidge since leaving the compound, and I was getting really tired of his shit. You're probably thinking, Jesus Christ, these two are always fighting. And yes, you're right to some degree because Matteo and I did bump heads a lot, but it wasn't always that way. At one point in time, believe it or not, he was my go-to for everything. It wasn't until he became fuck boy extraordinaire that our relationship withered away into virtually nothing.
I rolled my eyes. “No one was talking to you, Matteo. Shut up.”
“Make me,” he growled, hurdling toward me with a snarl on his lips, but Alessio caught him by the arm and shot us both a warning glare.
“We need a distraction. Get all the guards to the front so Petal can jump the fence and make it across the lawn,” said Gio from his spot on the ground as he took another drag from his disgusting cigarette.
Alessio widened his stance and shook his head. “I agree on the distraction, but she can’t go alone. Wind conditions don't seem to be an issue; however, she’ll still need coordinates.”
“He’s right,” I agreed. “Each shot needs to be strategically executed or we’ll never make it inside.”
Matteo nodded, as did Gio from beneath his hoodie, while Alessio rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“I have an idea,” he said, fishing his cell phone out from his pocket.
A few quick swipes across the screen and then he lifted it to his ear, prompting me to arch a brow curiously as he awaited an answer
. The second he uttered, “Brother,” I didn’t have to question who he’d called. My heart began galloping wildly, threatening to break my composure at any moment, as it did every time Alessio spoke to Luca in my presence. Breathing through my mini-panic attack was no easy feat when I could practically hear Gio laughing and feel the delighted amusement radiating off him in waves. Thankfully, though, he made not a peep as he rose from the ground and came to stand beside me, draping an arm around my shoulder for moral support. He was the only one who knew about my dirty little secret, and I wanted it to stay that way.
“I’m running a late night, actually. We seemed to have miscalculated one aspect of our entry and I need your help.”
Oh God, please, no.
“LeRoux... Yep... The very one… No, we just need a temporary distraction so Eden and I can get onto the roof.”
Alessio listened—well, we all listened intently—and then he went on to say, “Yeah, that works perfectly… We’ll be ready... I owe you one, bro.”
With a hasty goodbye, our eldest brother ended the call and shoved the phone back into its rightful place. “So, here’s the deal.” He glanced between the three of us while rubbing his hands together. “Luca’s with Arlo, Camillo, and the rest of the boys. In approximately twenty minutes, they’re going to drive by and shoot down the front, which in turn will cause the distraction we need.”
“Won’t that have LeRoux on high alert, though?” Matteo asked almost immediately.
“No, their attention will be trained on what’s happening just beyond the gates, giving Eden and I time to make it onto the roof. With the numbers reduced, Gaspard’s dogs cleaning up the mess, and the silencer on, Petal can take out the remaining targets with ease.”
He was right. As much as I hated that he’d brought the Ravennas into this, having them drive by was exactly what we needed to properly execute our plan. I mean, it’s not like they didn’t know what they were doing. Marcello Ravenna dabbled in much of the same business as Daddy, and he’d trained his children, along with his nephews, much in the same way my father had trained us. The only difference was that their training was strictly for self-defense purposes, whereas ours was...well, you know...
“It'll work,” I said, “but we need to get on the move now. We can't wait for their arrival to get into position, especially with our time being limited.”
With a full understanding for what needed to be done, my brothers and I split into pairs and
climbed up the trees, situating ourselves as close to the gray stone wall as possible. We waited and waited, and exactly twenty minutes later, I heard the loud squeal of tires turning onto the street at high speed. Through the veil of full branches, I could still see some of the expansive gates at the front of the property, with several guards now peering down both sides of the street on high alert. Some were even trickling out from inside the estate with their firearms already drawn. They knew something was coming…
They just didn't know it was us.
The first pop sounded off as soon as Camillo’s black Avalanche came into view, and what followed was a hailstorm of gunshots that sprung Alessio and I into action.
“Go, go, go,” he ordered behind me. and with practiced momentum, we swooped down from one branch to the next until the massive wall was just within reach.
When he called the “all clear,” I took the leap with a grunt and landed along the ledge on the balls of my feet. Alessio was right on my tail a moment later and together we dropped down onto the grass, army crawling toward a cluster of thick bushes for cover. That familiar buzz of excitement pumped through my veins as we watched the madness unfold from afar. Shots were still going off like bursts of fireworks on the 4th, but it wouldn’t last much longer. We had to move quickly. Alessio and I exchanged a brief look, and with a simple nod of our heads, we took off sprinting across the property, keeping our eyes peeled for the slightest, unexpected movement.
Upon reaching the darkened edge of the estate, we flattened ourselves against the rough brickwork, and Alessio immediately panted a version of, “You first, Petal. I'd rather you be up there if all hell breaks loose down here.”
He couldn't see me but I nodded and watched him deftly launch the grappling hook in the air, the telltale clunk a confirmation of the metal prongs catching onto the thick railing of the balcony above us. Before I could blink, the loose end was secured around me too. I peered up and tugged on the thick black rope to ensure the hook was firmly attached and when it didn’t budge, I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t mind using the grappling hook, per se, but it was more Alessio’s forte than mine. I much preferred ladders. Obviously, that wasn’t an option on a private estate.
“It’s all in the arms,” my brother reminded me. “Inch up with your feet and pull with your arms.”
Again, I nodded as I set my foot flat on the large pillar and lifted myself off the ground. The climb was simple, more so than I’d anticipated, given the angle...until I began nearing the top, that is. The rope was nearing its end, the grappling hook just within sight, leaving me with no choice but to push off and launch myself toward the railing. I caught it without issue but my grip slipped ever so slightly.
“Shit,” I hissed, white-knuckling the thick stone for dear life.
Daddy’s voice instantly rung out in my head, advising me on how to execute my next move without panicking amidst Alessio trying his hardest to guide me through as well, all while remaining as silent as possible. But I focused on my dad’s voice instead. Pulling myself up was clearly out of the question and given the way I was suspended, I needed some sort of momentum to propel myself up and over. There were only so many ways I could do that though...
Here goes nothing.
Taking a deep breath, I swung my legs from side to side and used as much strength as I could muster to run up the column and flip over the railing. A broad, triumphant smile split across my face when my feet hit the concrete of the balcony. I wiggled my butt in the quickest of victory dances, knowing Daddy would be proud had he been here, and undid the rope Alessio had expertly knotted around me, tossing it down to where he stood on standby two stories below. I’d say it was a mere sixty seconds later when his dark figure appeared against the column and he launched out toward the railing, hurdling himself over with ease. Expert grappler, I told you. Or maybe he was the family ninja. Either way, my brother made this type of shit look easy when, in reality, it was far from it.
“Show off,” I whispered, as he dislodged the grappling hook and coiled the rope around his arm.
All that earned me was a broad smile, a smile to which I almost gasped because Alessio never smiled. They were few and far between these days. Even a quirk of his lips was rare. I couldn’t lie and say I didn’t miss his smiles because I did, I really did. As a kid, I had him wrapped around my finger. He used to look at me with one of those beaming, so boyishly perfect, grins like I had the power to start and stop the world, and in my eyes, my big brother had the power to do just that. If I wasn’t clinging to Daddy, I was clinging to Alessio. But as we grew older and Daddy introduced him to the reality of the family business, he changed, and not the type of change one ever hopes for. The light that once burned so brightly within him slowly began to diminish, and by the time I was old enough to understand why, he was nothing more than a hardened shell and a blackened heart.
“Ready?” Alessio’s voice broke through the memories.
“Yeah,” I said softly, noting his face had returned to its usual state of being.
Emotionless.
Resigned.
Detached.
It took us no more than five minutes to climb the rounded overhang that covered half of the balcony and position ourselves behind the decorative banister overlooking the front of the property. My mouth nearly popped open at the sight that laid below us; a mini war zone, courtesy of Luca and his cousins. The lawn was littered with bodies, an eerie silence carrying through the air, save for the usual sounds of the city and the random guard yel
ling. What they didn't realize was that they were moments away from hitting the ground as well. With a steady hand, a careful eye, and the silencer in place, I forced the final five to their knees as Alessio called out distinct coordinates behind me. When the last one staggered about and finally collapsed in a heap, we waited in the chill of the night for another hoard to scramble outside, but they never came. Probably because they were given strict orders to remain by LeRoux’s side at all times. Regardless of how many there were though, they were no match for my family.
Our brothers were already waiting at the darkened edge of the estate when Alessio and I made it back down in one piece. My eyes darted to Gio, who looked like he was ready to scoop me up and never let go. Overprotective didn’t quite cover him, or any of my brothers for that matter. Sure, we might have had our differences, but that didn’t change the fact that I was their baby sister, and no matter how much they denied it, they worried when I got my hands dirty. While Alessio and Matteo exchanged a brief hug with the typical macho slap on the back, you know, the universal code for Great job, bro, Gio pushed off the wall and swallowed me in his arms.
“You kicked ass, Petal,” he murmured, squeezing the life out of me.
I clenched the back of his tee in my fists and smiled into his chest as he kissed the top of my head. “Thanks, G.”
“We ready?” Matteo asked, prompting me to tear myself away from Gio and refocus my attention on the remainder of the mission ahead.
Phase One was completed without incident, thankfully. Now we just needed to get inside, do away with surveillance, and take down the Frenchman once and for all.
Breaking and entering through the back doors, also known as Matteo’s specialty, was a lot easier than I’d anticipated. What was I expecting? I don’t know. Maybe an alarm to blare the moment we cracked the door open or a swarm of guards to come barreling toward us. The point is, nothing happened, and as we slipped into the library just off the massive living room, I couldn’t help but feel that raw sense of dread seeping from my gut again. I forced myself to shake it off, though, because there wasn’t any time for misplaced thoughts. I needed to keep my head in the game. LeRoux wouldn't go down without a fight, and we needed to be prepared for whatever he had up his sleeve. If he didn't know we were here, he'd definitely know the second Gio cancelled out his surveillance.
