Revenge

by Dana Delamar

  Which one led out of the room? Would it be safe to jump out the window? How high up was she? She could see the tops of tree branches, which led her to believe she was at least on the second floor. Did the house have a third floor?

  Scrambling up, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, but the room spun around her before she could get to her feet. She groaned and swallowed hard, trying not to vomit. Carlo stopped at the foot of the bed and rested a hand on the iron bed frame. He puffed on a cigar, the heavy aromatic smoke rising in wisps around his head. “I would not move too quickly if I were you. Massimo was perhaps too enthusiastic when he subdued you.”

  Kate touched her temple, probing a large bump under the skin, making herself wince.

  He motioned to a pitcher of water and a glass on the bedside table. “Are you thirsty?”

  “Yes.” She wondered at the rawness of her voice. It must be from the screaming. She poured herself a glass, taking a few sips, her eyes on him the whole time.

  “Better? Perhaps you should have some more.” Her stomach dropped. How could she have been so stupid? “You see I am not such a bad man, yes?” He advanced toward her, and she shrank away from him, setting down the glass. What was in the water? He frowned. “I see Lucchesi has filled your head with filthy stories about me.”

  “I’m sure they’re true.”

  He waved the hand holding the cigar in the air, the smoke making half circles as he spoke. “Think, mia cara. How many times has he lied to you?” He watched her face. “More than he has told the truth, I suspect.”

  “He had to lie. At least some of the time.”

  “To protect you, yes? That is how he would like you to think. But he lies to protect himself.” He took a long draw on the cigar, then let the smoke out through his nose and mouth. “Did you actually believe he would allow you to go, once you knew who he was? He will kill you to protect himself. That is the kind of man he is.”

  Kate avoided his eyes. She’d thought the same thing. Except that even Dom didn’t believe Enrico would harm her. Dom believed Enrico was a fool, not a killer. “He would never hurt me.”

  “Perhaps not while you carry his child. But if you were to persist in this notion of leaving him….”

  Kate shivered, then her face flushed and her skin burned with heat. Sweat broke out on her upper lip. She looked up at Carlo, going cold again when the head movement almost made her swoon. “Something’s wrong.” She couldn’t keep her voice steady.

  “Relax. I have given you something to make you more… cooperative.”

  Kate looked at the pitcher, then clutched her hands over her belly. “What?”

  He smiled. “Remember when I said I did not care for my nephew’s methods? I was not lying. I want you to be willing.”

  Kate’s eyebrows shot up. “Why would I ever be willing for you?”

  He pointed to her abdomen. “To save the child.”

  “You’re going to kill me anyway.”

  “Perhaps all I want is to humiliate you. And to use you to get what I really want.”

  “Which is?”

  “The death of Enrico Lucchesi.”

  She studied him. “Why wouldn’t you kill me?”

  He frowned. “Killing women and children is… distasteful. Weak.”

  “You killed Enrico’s mother and her two sons.”

  Carlo’s face stiffened. “Roaches have to be eradicated.”

  Keep him talking. “You married your daughter to a roach?”

  He flicked the ash of his cigar on the stone floor. “Rinaldo was holding my son captive. He sent me his finger as proof. What else was I supposed to do? Wait for his head to arrive?”

  Was that how Enrico would get her back? As a head in a box? She swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. “You swear you won’t kill me?”

  Carlo smiled. “I am a man of my word.”

  “Then swear it.”

  “I will not kill you.”

  “Or my baby.”

  He tilted his head to the side, studying her. “I cannot swear the drug is safe for the child.”

  “What did you give me?” Her head felt strange, and a completely unwarranted sense of calm came over her. Warmth spread through her limbs.

  He smiled. “It is called Rohypnol.” He sat down on the bed next to her. “No more questions. Just do what I say, and you and the baby will be safe.”

  He’d given her the date-rape drug. She tried to focus on him, to focus on why she should get up, run away. Her limbs felt like lead. She fell back on the bed. No! Get up!

  “Yes,” he murmured. “Just lie back and be quiet.”

  Yes, that’s what she should do. Enrico might never find her. It was best to earn Carlo’s trust, to cooperate. She wouldn’t be able to escape with this drug in her system anyway.

  He pulled a cell phone from his jacket pocket. “First, we must call Lucchesi. To assure him you are still alive.” He pressed a few buttons, then held the phone close to her mouth.

  “Rico! It’s a trap! I’m in the woods—”

  Carlo cut her off by pressing a button. “That’s enough.”

  She frowned. “You’re not going to speak to him?”

  He smiled. “I recorded you. For later. You might not be in a condition to talk then.” She shuddered, her stomach clenching. He paused. “I mean from the drug, mia cara. I promised not to kill you.”

  Cold blasted through her body. He was going to kill her. And Enrico would be too late to save her. Somehow she had to stay awake, she had to fight the drug. And she had to fool Carlo into thinking she’d cooperate. How long before she was unconscious? Fifteen minutes? Twenty?

  He set his cigar in the cut crystal ashtray next to the pitcher, then leaned over her. She smelled the smoke on his breath and hoped the drug would block her memory of what was coming. She didn’t want to recall this. If she lived through it.

  He kissed her cheek, then tried to kiss her lips. When she turned her head away, he grabbed her jaw, forcing her back. She ignored the kiss, just focused on breathing, staying still. Not fighting. The drug urged her to let go, to lie back and sleep. Stay awake. Keep thinking. There had to be a way. There had to be.

  “Mia cara,” he whispered. “I want this to be nice.” She closed her eyes. That was what Rico called her. Tears hovered beneath her eyelids.

  Carlo’s hands slipped down to cup her breasts, and she stiffened in revulsion. “When I first saw you, you stole my breath. You were so bellisima, so exquisite.” He kissed her lips again. “I dreamed of the day I could have you.”

  She kept her eyes shut. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.

  He slid a hand underneath her blouse, his fingers playing across the lace of her bra. “So bellisima.”

  She opened her eyes and looked up at him, seeing the glaze of lust on his face, in his eyes. He was not paying as close attention to her now. That could be useful. “Remove your clothes,” he said. He stood up to allow her to undress, and she scooted herself up to the pillows at the top of the bed. Now she was closer to the pitcher and the ashtray, both potential weapons.

  Kate pulled off her top, revealing a black lacy bra. His eyes latched on to her breasts. “More,” he said, his voice little more than a whisper.

  She lay back down. “You do it. I’m too tired.”

  He stripped off his suit jacket and leaned over her. She moved her right arm up to the head of the bed, seemingly out of his way. But closer to the ashtray, closer to the burning cigar.

  As he kissed the swells of her breasts, her fingers inched nearer to the ashtray. It was difficult to concentrate. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep.

  Her fingers touched the ashtray, the crystal cool and hard beneath her fingers. She looked down at Carlo. He was too absorbed in kissing her, touching her, to notice. She risked a glance at her target. Carefully, she closed her fingers around the cigar. Got it. With a triumphant surge, she shoved the cigar’s burning coal into the side of Carlo’s neck. />
  He roared in pain and jumped off her. She threw the lit cigar at his face. Clumsily, she dashed toward the far door, hoping it led out of the room. Almost there. The door slammed open and two men poured in, guns drawn. One of them was Dario, Carlo’s son. The other was the man who’d hit her in the forest. Massimo, that’s what Carlo had called the mountain of a man who stood before her. Both men stared at her chest, and she tried to dodge around them, but Dario caught her by the arm and yanked her close.

  “Father, what are you doing?” he asked.

  Carlo pressed a hand to the burn on his neck. “Get out and leave us alone.”

  Dario put himself between Kate and Carlo. “We did not come here so you could force yourself on Vincenzo’s wife.”

  “She’s not his wife any longer. She made sure of that.”

  “No doubt he deserved it.” He stared at Carlo for a moment. “I know you were thinking of replacing me with him.”

  Carlo shook his head. “You are my son.”

  Dario laughed. “As if that counts. You have never respected me.”

  “That does not mean I do not want you to be capo.”

  “You do not trust me with it. Admit it. Vincenzo was much more like you. Much more… vicious. Like one of your precious dogs.”

  Carlo opened his mouth, about to say something, but was interrupted by the sweetest sound Kate had ever heard—a burst of automatic machine gun fire.

  CHAPTER 34

  Enrico’s men regrouped at the turnoff indicated by the GPS tracking log. Dom was gone—Enrico’s phone showed him headed back to the lake, presumably going home. They would have to catch up with him later. His main priority was saving Kate. And getting Antonio out of the line of fire.

  They waited for Antonio, Paolo, and Tommaso to pull up. Claudio and Santino were already there, both conferring with Ruggero. Enrico and Ruggero had decided to split forces, three and three. They had no idea what they were walking into, how many men they faced. It was best not to go in as one team.

  Should he have called in more men? He was being selfish as it was to have asked anyone to accompany him. And what if Dom had recruited others to help him? These men, these were the only ones he could definitely rely on. His personal staff.

  A car pulled up, and Antonio, Paolo, and Tommaso piled out. Antonio looked stricken as he approached Enrico. “Don Lucchesi, I have failed you.” He waited, head bowed, for his punishment.

  Enrico put a hand on his shoulder. “Give me your phone.”

  Antonio pulled out the phone, questions on his face. “My gun too?”

  “You’re going to need that.” He handed Antonio his own phone, which was still tracking Dom. “I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything.”

  “Find Dom and bring him to the safe house. If I do not return, execute him, but make it look like it was the Andrettis. The cosca will need Dom’s sons to run it—”

  Antonio cut him off with a horizontal slash of his hand. “You will return, Don Lucchesi. I have no doubt.”

  Enrico smiled. “I wish I shared your certainty.” He gave Antonio a light push. “Now go.” Antonio started to step away. What if this was the last time he saw him? “Wait.” A pressure built up in his chest, his throat tightening. He placed his hands on Antonio’s shoulders. “I want you to know, Tonio….” His voice trailed off, thickening. He squeezed the boy’s shoulders. “You’ve never disappointed me.” He paused, looking Antonio full in the face. “I never had the pleasure of raising my own son, but sometimes I’ve thought of you that way.”

  Antonio’s eyes misted. “You honor me too much, Don Lucchesi.”

  Enrico embraced him, his heart contracting when Antonio returned it. Then he stepped back and gave him another little push. “Go now. And be careful. He is capable of anything.”

  Antonio nodded, not saying a word. He hurried back to the car and sped off. Enrico watched him for a moment, wishing he’d had more to offer the boy. More time, more love. There was never enough of the former, and the latter… the latter he’d held back out of respect for Nico. There was no replacing one son with another. But was there more room in his heart than he thought?

  Enrico called Paolo and Tommaso to him and briefed them on what he and Ruggero had decided. Paolo could barely meet his eye. Enrico pulled him aside. “This is not your fault, understand? She made a mistake. Not you.”

  Paolo shook his head. “I know my training. I shouldn’t have deviated from it.”

  “You can’t protect someone who doesn’t want it.”

  Paolo nodded, but still looked miserable. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”

  “You’ll earn it tonight, I promise you.”

  Enrico motioned for Tommaso and the others to rejoin them. “We’ll leave the cars partway, blocking the road. No one leaves without killing us.”

  The men nodded.

  “We have no idea what we’ll encounter. Hopefully we have prepared well enough.” Enrico gestured to Ruggero, who started handing out gloves, radios, knives, mini Uzis, and extra ammo clips in small backpacks.

  “I’m leaving additional guns and ammunition in the boots of the cars,” Ruggero said. “That’s our fallback point, if necessary.”

  Enrico stepped forward again, as all the men checked their weapons. “Remember, Kate’s in there, so be careful. This will all be for nothing if she’s killed.” He looked at each man in turn. “If any of you want to sit this out, I’ll understand.”

  Each man held his gaze, giving a slight nod. Enrico smiled, his heart full. “Good. I knew you were the men I could count on.”

  They departed for the house, stopping after several hundred feet and creating a roadblock with the cars. The men continued on foot, careful to make no sound. As soon as they saw lights, they split into two teams and struck out through the trees. The plan was for the teams to circle the location and meet up to exchange intelligence.

  Enrico chafed at not being able to charge up to the house and burst in. Anything could be happening to her. But it was quiet; that was a good sign. No screams, at least. Of course, Carlo could have her gagged. Or worse—she could already be dead.

  Enrico and his men circled the building. It was large, three stories, made of stone. Thick vines had crawled up the walls; the structure appeared quite old. They counted the number of vehicles in back: only three, so the odds were good.

  Creeping through the trees and underbrush that came up close to the house, Enrico wondered why Carlo had a place out here. It was inconvenient. But then it dawned on him—it wasn’t inconvenient. It was secluded. No neighbors, no one to see or hear anything. And plenty of places to dump bodies where they’d be found only by animals. It was the perfect place for dark projects. And now Kate was one.

  They met up with Ruggero’s team. Together, the teams had spotted four guards outside, one near each corner of the house. They’d have to be dealt with first.

  “Did you see anything inside?” Enrico asked.

  “Two more guards. And Dario. They’re playing cards by the fire,” Ruggero said. “We have no idea how many are upstairs.”

  “Did you see her?”

  He shook his head. “She must be upstairs. Carlo too.”

  The knot in Enrico’s stomach pulled tighter. If that bastard had laid one finger on her…. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus.

  They could see front and rear exits, and part of the interior on the bottom floor, but that gave them little idea of the layout inside. Enrico looked up, studying the house. “How many lights are on upstairs?”

  “I didn’t see any on our side,” Ruggero said, and Claudio and Santino nodded.

  “I remember one,” Enrico said. He looked at Paolo and Tommaso. “What did you see?”

  “One, maybe two,” Paulo ventured. Tommaso shrugged.

  Enrico turned back to Ruggero. “I want your team and Tommaso to handle the guards outside. I’ll take Paolo with me through the back door.” He looked at his watch. “In two minute
s, we head for our targets. Agreed?”

  Ruggero nodded, sliding his knife out of its sheath. It was large, a hunting knife, the handle utilitarian black rubber. Claudio, Santino, and Tommaso slid theirs out as well. The four men faded away, sneaking through the brush toward their targets. As soon as Enrico and Paolo saw the others break cover, they were to run for the back door.

  The plan went smoothly—Carlo’s guards had little time to react, and none of them managed to raise an alarm. Soon all four men lay twitching on the ground, their throats gurgling as they choked on their own blood.

  Enrico and Paolo were at the back door in a flash. It was locked. Enrico heard a dull roar inside the house, then the sound of feet pounding up the stairs. No time to pick the lock. He smashed a window panel with the butt of his knife, then reached through and opened the door from the inside.

  Ducking into a low crouch, he scanned the darkened room. It was a kitchen. Paolo came in next and raised his gun, squatting next to Enrico. They heard shouts and cursing from above, and then Enrico heard Kate’s voice. Grazie a Dio—she was alive.

  Ruggero and the others slipped in behind them. They waited, but heard no one moving toward them. Had the broken window gone unnoticed?

  They advanced toward the next room. When Paolo ducked his head out to see if all was clear, he was met by a machine gun burst. He slumped forward, his head a bloody mess. Enrico reached out to drag him back, but Ruggero tugged on his arm.

  “Leave him. He’s dead. And we’re trapped,” Ruggero said.

  Enrico stared at Paolo. He shouldn’t have brought him here. He shouldn’t have brought any of them here. Then a scream from above—a woman’s scream—focused him back on Kate. He couldn’t wait. He turned to Ruggero. “Cover me.”

  Before Ruggero could stop him, he rolled out into the room, aiming for the back of a sofa he thought would provide cover. Ruggero crouched in the doorway behind him, spraying the room with bullets. The bright muzzle flashes and the roar of the gun were disorienting, especially when Carlo’s man returned the fire. Enrico crawled around the side of the couch, looking for an angle to shoot his target.