Straight Up Interfererence

by Rose von Barnsley

  That last run to save Gabriella had me a mess. I knew Daniel wasn’t going to be around to save my husband, and when I found out Marcello had taken our son with him, I nearly shot him myself.

  I wanted Marcello to retire, but I knew that wasn’t an option. I had seen what had gone on, when Daniel had tried to stay in the dark. They didn’t let you. Those brothers, that family, hell, even the rivals, they didn’t let anyone disappear. If you had the Valente name, you were a target. Marcello had lost four cousins that way. None were in the business, but they had those telling shiny copper penny eyes that people feared, the same eyes as my husband, the same eyes as my daughter. Little Marky had mine, but he still had the name, and there was no way in hell I would risk my daughter’s life.

  No, we were stuck in this life, and we had to kill every last person who challenged us or be killed. There was no way I was sitting back in this fight any longer. That bastard had shot my boys, and he had come after me and beaten me to a bloody pulp, when my husband hadn’t been there to stop him. Marcello had wanted to go after him then, but Luke had talked him down and told him they had to do it safely. There couldn’t be any repercussions. Marcello had to be in control when things went down, or the wrong brother might try and take us out to take over.

  “Where is everybody?” Marcello asked, checking the window. “We followed Anthony and your fucked-up twin brothers here. Luke is getting Alfonzo’s guys to help track them down.”

  “They went to the chapel.”

  “Help me move Marky to the far side of the room. We’ll close the curtain around him and drop the bed down low. Hopefully, if they come in, he’ll be safe.”

  I pulled out the bulletproof vests Victor had brought for us. I slipped mine on and lay Gabriella’s over Marky. I passed the one Victor had brought for Marky to Marcello. “Put this on, I’m not losing you.”

  It was small, but it covered his major organs. What I was about to do would piss him off, but I wasn’t risking my husband again. If something happened to him, my kids would be sitting ducks.

  I leaned in and kissed him. “I love you so much. You remember that, no matter what, I love you.”

  “I know, baby.” He kissed me back, squeezing me tight.

  “I need to get something from my purse,” I lied, so he would release me.

  I bolted straight for the door and took off running down the hall.

  “Ann!” I heard his pained shout.

  “Don’t you dare leave our son!” I screamed back at him.

  I stopped and peeked around the corner, just in time to see Dino shoot Alfonzo, and then Anthony shot Dante. Then the other guy with Alfonzo shot Dino in the head, but was then shot in the head by Anthony. They must have all had vests on, because everyone was going for head shots. My brothers were dead, and I knew I was screwed if I didn’t hit my target the first time. There was no way in hell I was letting Anthony get away. That bastard was going down.

  I peeked around the corner again and saw Daniel standing in front of the pulpit. Anthony was smiling at him. “It’s just you and me now, Son. I don’t know where that little bitch is hiding, but I’m glad I got here before she did. She’s not good enough for you.”

  There was a shot, and then another one.

  “Shit, boy! You’re not a killer, Daniel, just like your mother. God, that hurts like a bitch, though. I taught you well, fucking up my hands. That shit stings,” I heard Anthony let out a pissed growl. “All the same, you’re coming with me.”

  I wasn’t letting him get away. I stepped around the corner, just in time to see Daniel shoot out Anthony’s left knee, and as he aimed for the second one, I took my head shot. The large gun my husband had bought me for our anniversary showed no mercy. It ripped through Anthony’s skull, leaving nothing behind. There was nothing left of that psycho’s head.

  “Fucking hell, I almost had him!” I looked to my left to see Santino, struggling to hold up a gun. His vest had taken three obvious hits, and both his arms were fucked up and gushing blood, but he wasn’t going to lose Daniel or Gabriella.

  “Joey, fuck, where the hell is Joey?” He was the only one I trusted to save Santino.

  “Over there, behind the bench. He took a shot at close range to the chest. It blew him back, knocking him out. I don’t know if his vest saved him!” Daniel shouted, as he jumped over the pew. “He’s out cold, but he isn’t bleeding.”

  “Check his pockets for those wakeup capsules. The ones you use when you’ve fainted.”

  “Got it. Come on, Joey, wake up, we need you,” Daniel begged.

  I heard my brother groan.

  “Get over here, Joey,” I called. “Fucking Santino’s shot to hell.”

  Santino laughed a little. “Settle down, Ann, it doesn’t hurt.”

  “That’s not good, you stupid bastard!” I didn’t want to lose my brother. I couldn’t lose my brother.

  “Shout for a doctor. I need extra hands!” Joey ordered, as he took my place.

  I called for help, and then turned around suddenly, when I heard Daniel cry out, “No, Gabby, no!”

  I heard footsteps coming, as I turned and ran to where Daniel was. That boy couldn’t lose his wife before he had her.

  Daniel held a blood-soaked Gabriella, unconscious in his arms. He was patting all over her body, looking for the wound. I looked down at Victor. There was a huge puddle of blood between the two of them. “Son of a bitch. Joey! Fuck, Joey, get over here!” I searched for a pulse on Victor, but didn’t have a chance to find it, before Joey shoved me out of the way.

  “Snap a vial under Gabby’s nose and ask her where she’s hurt. This blood is Victor’s,” Joey said, as he was tightening a belt that had already been cinched around Victor’s leg.

  I did as he said, moving out of the way, as a couple of guys loaded Victor onto a stretcher. Gabriella jumped awake, flailing. “Victor, help Victor!”

  “We’ve got him,” I tried to calm her.

  Daniel was still a crying mess and nearly fought the guy trying to take Gabriella to put her on a stretcher. “Gabby, oh God!” he cried.

  “I’m fine.” She looked down at her blood-soaked dress and grimaced, turning pale again. “I’m fine, it’s just the blood.”

  She closed her eyes and looked away.

  “The blood is making her sick,” the guy who was pulling Gabriella from Daniel’s arms warned.

  He started to fight, but Gabriella pushed Daniel away. “I’m fine. I swear it. Let them clean me up. Go take care of your brother.”

  “I’ve got another live one here. Get me a bed, now!” I heard another man shout from across the room. He was over Alfonzo’s body.

  I jumped to his side, hoping Alfonzo would make it. I didn’t think Dora would be able to handle losing him. He had been shot in the neck, and I hoped they could save him. Marcello had said Dora was stable, but I had a feeling a loss like this would kill her. I got right next to Alfonzo’s ear, so he could hear me. “You hang on, you crazy bastard. Dora needs you, and you know it. Don’t you dare die on her, you hear me? Dora needs you. You hang on.” I was pushed out of the way, as he was loaded and rushed down the hall.

  This was a fucking nightmare, but, God forgive me, Anthony was finally dead.

  Chapter 39 – Aftermath

  GABRIELLA

  Ann Marie and Daniel stayed with me, as I was checked out and cleared to go home, or released into Joey's care. My bloody dress was removed, and Ann Marie said she was going to clean it. She had a lot of experience with blood removal. "Not our family’s blood, right?" I worried.

  "No, baby, we always have the upper hand. Things just tend to splatter," she shrugged.

  Marcello had been furious. When we had returned to Marky's room, he spanked Ann Marie so hard, I was sure it bruised. "Don't you ever run off like that again!" he shouted so loud it could be heard down the halls, and so could his sobbing cries.

  Later on, I peeked in on Marky again and found his father holding vigil by his bed, with his wife in his
lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Both their eyes were red and swollen. I knew they needed their privacy, because they were still working through her taking off on him.

  Santino and Victor were moved into the same room together, after they had been "discharged against doctor's orders," so Joey could keep an eye on them with fewer questions being asked. There would be no cops sneaking in to ask questions, because they were supposedly at home. Joey himself only had a minor concussion and a bruised chest. He was released fairly quickly and set about getting his brothers out of the regular doctor's care.

  Daniel settled me into Santino and Victor's room. Victor had to have his artery patched up and a couple of pints of blood pumped into him. He swore he was feeling great, but Joey wanted to keep him still. He was worried the artery patch might pop.

  Santino, on the other hand, was in worse shape than we had thought. Between his blood loss and muscle damage in both arms, he ended up going into shock. They were able to get things under control. He had reconstructive surgery on his left arm, taking a strip of muscle from his leg to replace the nearly non-existent muscle. His right arm wasn't as bad, but still needed a patch job. I promised I would pay him his sandwich alimony, if he did his best to get better.

  Luke was in and out, ever quiet and secretive. He whispered with Victor and Joey and then nodded at Santino. He let us know he would be with Marcello if we needed anything. I wasn't happy, when Daniel picked up the bag Luke had dropped off and pulled out vests and guns. He was careful about getting it on Santino, and Victor tried shooing his help away, but Daniel helped him put his on anyway. What I didn't expect was for him to put a vest on me. He did it gently, making sure not to irritate my wounds, and then he strapped a gun holster on me as well. "Don't fire, unless you're sure of your shot."

  "Why do we need guns? Anthony's gone."

  "Leonardo isn't, and he's going to try and make a play for power, while Marcello's men are down. Luke said Alfonzo's guys had our backs. Alfonzo’s wife, Dora, was a mess after he was admitted into her room for recovery. She’s insisted he step back and not be so involved. Leonardo is a crazy son of a bitch. Alfonzo doesn't trust him as far as he can throw him. We're all pretty sure he inherited Anthony's insanity."

  I tried to settle down, but I was worried all hell would rain down on us. Between Leonardo and the mess we had made in that little chapel, I knew shit would hit the fan soon. "What story are we supposed to give, when they come to question us about what happened in the chapel?"

  Victor laughed. "Oh, honey, that's long been taken care of. We have a couple of boys on payroll. They took the surveillance video, determined it was self-defense, and then destroyed the evidence. They'll field any follow-up calls about the case from the doctors and get paid a hefty amount to keep their mouths shut."

  "And you're sure they will?" I squeezed Daniel's hand, worried for my new family.

  "They know what happens if they talk." Victor took my free hand and kissed it. "Everything is going to be fine, Gabby, I promise. We just have to get rid of Leonardo, and then all will be well in paradise," he said with a big goofy grin. I had a feeling Joey had him on some good painkillers.

  Luke popped in and gave us a smile. "How are the newlyweds? Once we get the outside of the hospital secure, we'll get you out of here and off on a honeymoon."

  "Then who'll watch over Victor and Santino? We can't leave now."

  Luke laughed at me and pulled me into a hug. "God, we really struck gold with you." He kissed my forehead and patted my cheek. "You take care of her, Daniel, or I’m gonna beat your ass," he threatened with a smile.

  There was a knock on the door. "Michael Angelo," was whispered through it. Luke opened it with a smile and pulled in a man I didn't know. "Dora wants to see the new couple." He gave us a smile that seemed genuine.

  "We should bring flowers," I insisted. For some reason, everybody laughed. I was able to convince Luke to run down and get some flowers from the gift shop. The new guy, Enzio, filled us in on Dora and Alfonzo's condition. Alfonzo was going to be fine, but his vocal cords had been shot to hell, literally. He couldn't speak, but could write us notes. He wouldn't be able to do more than whisper once he was fully healed. They had tried to patch and reconstruct what was left of his vocal cords, and it was because of a skilled surgeon's deft handiwork that Alfonzo would be able to whisper at all.

  Daniel and Enzio flanked me, as we walked to Alfonzo and Dora's room. Enzio did a fancy door knock and then opened the door for us.

  "Gabriella, Daniel, come give me some love. Are these for me?" Dora asked, taking the flowers and sniffing them, before she set them on the side table. She pulled me into her arms and hugged me. "It's finally official. I knew my baby brother would grab you up as soon as possible."

  We heard finger snapping, and a smiling Alfonzo caught our attention, waving us over. When he saw we were moving his direction, he scribbled something down on a notepad. "Look at that beautiful bride. She owes me a kiss for luck," he pointed to his cheek.

  I giggled. Alfonzo was not the hard-ass I had imagined him to be. I kissed his cheek, and he took my hand and kissed it. When he pulled back, he noticed the scabbing from the binding cuts. He frowned and snapped his fingers, getting his wife's attention. He held up my wrist and pointed to it.

  "I'm fine, really," I tried to brush it off, embarrassed.

  "No, you're not. I'm your husband now, and I talked with Joey." Daniel pulled me back into his arms. "Three cracked ribs, hairline fractures to her parietal and zygomatic bones, for starters," he pointed to my head and then under my black eye. I could see Alfonzo looking angrier and angrier with each injury pointed out to him. "Second and third degree burns…"

  When Daniel pointed to my ear, I turned away. "Please, stop."

  "Ninety-seven stitches and sixteen deep lacerations from her ties," he continued.

  "Daniel, please."

  I heard a loud clap and looked up to see Alfonzo pointing down to his notepad. He was making hand gestures, but I wasn't sure what they meant. The guy he was making them toward seemed to know exactly what they were, though. "Sure thing, Boss."

  I looked over to Dora, hoping for a reprieve, but found her sniffling through her tears. "Oh, sweet baby girl, I'm so sorry. I swear we'll make sure you're safe."

  When we returned to Victor and Santino's room, I overheard Luke whisper the name Leonardo. The way he had said it, with disdain, confirmed Leonardo was the threat that was left.

  The fancy reclining chair was pulled out to make a bed for me, and Joey gave me some painkillers, ordering me to rest. My body was still healing, and he didn't want me overdoing it. I coaxed Daniel into the chair with me, knowing I would sleep better in his arms. I was out quickly. The painkillers were working their magic.

  I knew it was much later when I woke, because the sun was no longer shining through the window. The men hadn't noticed me wake, since my back was to them. I closed my eyes and played asleep, listening to them talk.

  "We're sure now it was Leonardo who snatched her from the church. At some point after you were passed off to Anthony, she was given to the twins. The bastards were working with Leonardo and had planned to double-cross Ant and take over. Martin squealed like a pig, when we finally got our hands on him. He was one of the guys who played a fake FBI agent, trying to get her to talk. Leonardo has Dr. Torrente on his payroll. He convinced Ant to use him instead of Joey, because they both knew he'd flip his shit, if he saw what they’d done to her. Martin, Vince and Lorenzo need to go, before we take out Leonardo. We can't have them warning the bastard. Marcello has them in the clean room. Alfonzo wants a crack at them. You want in, Daniel?" Luke asked him.

  I squeezed him tightly in my supposed sleep. I felt his hand run through my hair. "I don't think she's gonna let me out of her sight. I don't want to let her out of mine." His arms tightened around the safe spots on my hips and shoulders. He knew better than to go anywhere near my gash and ribs. I sighed, snuggling into his chest. I was starting to doze
off again. "Make sure you bust their knees for me, though, and then give them the same shit she had to go through. They weren't the fuckers who did it, but they didn't stop it. They know the rule, they know not to touch our girls, wives, goomahs, or girlfriends, and they knew for damn sure she was mine. Kill them, but do it slowly," he growled, his body tense.

  It was a far cry from the idea of the Snow White persona I had originally had of him, but I found his anger and defensiveness, where I was concerned, comforting. It was the same with how all of his family had claimed me, even his Uncle Alfonzo. I might have still been in danger, but I felt oddly safe. I was pretty sure it was the medicine Joey had me on, since before, I could barely leave my room, and now I just felt warm and fuzzy.

  I felt something hard, when I shifted into his side. There was a snap, and Daniel mumbled, "Hold this one for me. I'll put it back when she wakes."

  "You should probably take your other one off, too," Luke suggested. I had taken my holster off to sleep, but Daniel still had his on. His guns hadn’t bothered me, when I was snuggled in the middle of his chest.

  "This one’s fine. I'll swap it if she moves to the other side." I felt him wiggle my vest a little. They wouldn't let me take it off. I was sure now that Joey had given me something good, because if I had been in my right mind, I would have been too freaked out to sleep. I would yell at Joey when I woke up again, but I was too tired to do it now.

  The last thing I heard was Daniel's voice. "I think we'll both feel better if we can get her back home. It'll be easier for me to take care of her there. I think a little solitude will do us both good." That sounded pretty good in my jumbled mind.

  Chapter 40 – Home

  I woke up feeling warm. My eyes were protesting against the light. It was awfully bright, wherever the hell I was. There was a cool breeze, so I knew I wasn’t in the hospital. I heard the familiar chirping of birds and chattering of squirrels.