Annihilation

by S. W. Frank

  Sergio moved fast and did just that but he started up first and Aaron pointed the gun at his face, “The girl first shithead!”

  “You little bastard. You have a gun. Give it here.”

  “The girl, first!” Aaron said in his most threatening boy-man voice he could muster. What a wuss, trying to get out before the girl!

  The blonde came running and climbed those boxes like she’d scaled buildings all her life. Aaron pushed the window higher and pulled her through. She was atop the crate and it did a little wiggle and he held her still until it stopped. He let her hold his arm as she climbed down to the ground. “Get out of here. No cops!” He warned the woman and she dart straight to her car…oh no…car…headlights…noise…oh fuck!

  Sergio was already in motion climbing through the window, and then he got wedged there. He squirmed and grunt like a constipated pig. Suddenly, the engine of the girl’s car roared and the headlights came on. She barreled out the parking lot. The only problem is the men heard the commotion and ran out to look. They took shots at the car but thank goodness the girl screeched away and sped down the highway burning rubber.

  Sergio ripped his jacket but he made it through right in time because the storage room door banged open and bullets shattered the windowpane.

  Aaron put his hand in the corner of the window and squeezed off a shot but the damn gun kept shooting. He took his finger off the trigger and it stopped. A quick peek in and holy poo, he actually hit two of the guys. “Oh yeah, baby!” He said jumping down to the ground and chasing after Sergio who ran like the devil across the dark parking lot. Aaron was in the center of the lot when a series of shots reverberated. He felt the wind moving from the projectiles and one barely missed his face. He took cover behind a car nearly colliding with Sergio.

  “Kid give me the fucking gun, will you!” Sergio ordered.

  “No, you freaking left me.”

  “Stupid kid, I went for cover. I don’t have a weapon. Give me the damn thing or we’re both dead!”

  Reluctantly he slapped the gun in Sergio’s hand and as soon as he did the guy went down low and started shooting from beneath the car. He hit somebody because there was a loud cry then Aaron heard a tumultuous series of booms and the car rocked off the ground. Sergio scampered back, grabbing Aaron by the strap of his backpack toward the dumpster.

  “These motherfuckers got M4’s, where the devil is your dad?”

  “He’s on his way.”

  More tat-a-tat-tat-a-tat noises echoed and they could feel the vibrations as metal bounced across the dumpster. The men were rushing forward and Sergio slapped the kid on the back, “Any more clips?”

  Aaron pulled the magazine from his pocket and Sergio shoved it in his waist. He put his arm around the dumpster and fired blind and received return fire. He knew there was no way they were getting out of this fire fight alive and shook his head. Goddamn! He only came to shake-down his pops for some money and instead he got caught in the middle of some mafia shit. Had he known his dad’s people were in this deep, he would’ve stayed his ass out in Coney Island eating hot dogs and doing credit card scams. Maybe, this was the payback for all the years of swindling from hard-working folks. He turned to the kid, “Go take off. I’m gonna’ hold them back for a few minutes to give you a chance to get a nice head start.”

  Aaron crouched close to the guy. “They’re going to kill you if you do that. Let’s run together.”

  “Kid, if you’re my cousin. I’m older than you. I say something you do it. Now here we go.” He lay down more fire and yanked Aaron behind him and gave him a shove, “Run like hell kid. Go!”

  Aaron stayed low and his sneakers were just like advertised. He was gliding through the dark, through trees and at his back were a succession of loud booming noises. He just met his cousin and he was willing to die to save his life. He felt like crap. Running away was equivalent to a coward and he was far from a scaredy-cat, but he didn’t have a gun anymore and that’s what he needed in order to help. He cleared the dense brush along the side of the road then stopped. Coming right at him in the center of the highway were a pair of sleek black SUV ‘s. They were stealth missiles as they flew by and he heard the tires screeching as they skid into the parking lot. Aaron’s spirits lifted, “Dad…dad…you made it!”

  ****

  Alfonzo and Nico leaped from the car guns blazing. Alfonzo’s automatic sent several rounds straight into one man’s spine and another’s head before they even turned around. He ran toward the right, Nico went left. They collectively fired at a man in black who was spinning in their direction with the unmistakable barrel of an M4. Alfonzo’s shot caught the man in the hand and it released the weapon with a sudden jerk. Alfonzo rushed to the side of a car because in the periphery he saw others seeking cover near the building and heard more shots crack the night as Giuseppe, Lou and one of their guy’s head to the front of Dellegios. One enforcer stayed to protect Darren who was crouched on the seat, in pain from his injuries.

  Nico finished off the man with the M4 then took cover on a side of the dumpster. Alfonzo could see Nico clear as day. He was talking to somebody, probably Aaron but when he reached in his waist and tossed down one of his guns and instead of Aaron rising to his side, the shifty eye dude Sergio appeared. Where the hell was Aaron?

  Alfonzo refocused on the man hiding near the building. He doubt Nico had a clear shot. The angle wasn’t right. He’d waste bullets. Alfonzo reached in his pocket for a fresh clip, slapped it in the handle of the dual barrel pistol capable of firing 16 rounds in a span of three seconds and with double bullets it did massive damage. He jumped over the hood of the car, drawing the man out and as expected gunfire erupted. The bullets shattered the windshield and missed Alfonzo but it also exposed the shooter which was Alfonzo’s strategy. He fired the double shot pistol and the bullets careened into the man’s chest. He fell onto his weapon and they were clear.

  Gunshots came from inside the restaurant and Alfonzo’s body turned the entry. Giuseppe!

  Alfonzo was on the move, Nico on his heels. They went on opposite sides of the door. The cousins worked in sync, twin movements as if they’d practiced this routine numerous times. Alfonzo gestured and on the count of three and they went in with their pistols ready. Giuseppe and Lou were standing over a man. Giuseppe’s foot was on his chest, “Vito you scum, where is your cousin?”

  Alfonzo stepped further inside the dining area scanning everything. Damn, the scum killed Dellegio. The jovial man was supine on the floor with a gunshot between the eyes. One of Dellegio’s guys was prone near the door with a gaping hole to the back of his head. This was Mike, who’d fetched a computer for Nico earlier. He took several more steps in the once nice restaurant and grimaced. He shouldered the stainless steel door to the kitchen and shook his head. Several of Dellegio’s staff lay face-down in the kitchen, shot execution style. Blood slid in a river along the white tile floor. He didn’t touch anything. All he did was look. This was a massacre.

  Giuseppe’s voice was a bass, shouting in Italian at the man under his foot. “Where is your cousin, I ask you one more time Vito?”

  Vito laughed. His arm and leg mangled from the bullets. Giuseppe was a dead man. It was only a matter of time. Benny and his brother had plans…big plans. “You shouldn’t have killed Roberto, Giuseppe because now you’re all going to pay!” He laughed harder.

  Giuseppe shoved the barrel of his gun in Vito’s mouth and fired three times as he spat. “Kiss-my-ass!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Geovonna hugged Sophie and thanked her for the hospitality. Her brother had come with an escort of polizei to collect her. She had not found the right time to approach Sophie about what she suspected and did a gentle pout as her brother honked the horn for her to hurry along. She smiled at Giuseppe’s mother and asked her to have Giuseppe call when he returned. Sophie nodded. She’d say anything to get rid of the delusional woman. Giuseppe would be better off marrying a streetwalker than the likes of her.
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  When Geovonna was finally out of her hair she called Puerto Rico to speak with Selange. Amelda asked her to do so to cancel their trip to New York for Fashion Week. It was midnight there but she wanted to make the call before she forgot. When Selange came on the line Sophie greeted her with a cheerful, “Ciao Sela, how are you, sorry if I call late.”

  “No, it’s fine Sophie. Is everything okay?”

  “Amelda is not well, and Matteo is injured.”

  Selange’s sleepy voice soon cleared. “Sophie, tell me.”

  They had many talks, she and the woman. She had prepared her in a way for the hardships a woman in love with men such as theirs must face. Selange was in her eyes an American daughter and innocent in their violent ways. Perhaps, she was what they all needed to maintain their humanity. Like the blazing phoenix tattooed on Alfonzo’s skin, Sophie knew the woman was capable of saving their legacy if by misfortune the seas ran red with the blood of them all. This is why she loved her and Alfonzo held tight to this woman. She was not mean or cruel; many of the things women like her became birthed into this life. Sophie spoke the truth; the pledge of the mafia wife to her American daughter in spirit. “It has started here sweet girl. Prepare for the children, I know the men are not there and a cloud may come again in your life. I have told you in confidence a lot about our family but in the event I am not here for you, know I love you and see much of me in you.”

  Selange sat forward in a hurry. The temperance of Sophie’s words sent electric shocks to her skin. “Sophie, has something happened over there?”

  Sophie nodded as if the woman could see, “There has been bloodshed. Matteo is hospitalized and some of our allies have been hit. We are in the midst of a skirmish, it is tepid at this moment, yet I fear there is worse to come. My sins have come home to me. I am afraid for my son and Alfonzo.”

  “What are you saying; is Alfonzo in danger because of something Giuseppe’s done?”

  The older woman walked to the edge of the garden. She could see the rugged landscape below the hills where she traveled as a girl to meet her lover. The past held so much joy and pain, she grew tired from lying to everyone. On this bright clear afternoon she told Selange the truth. “I tell you in confidence that Giuseppe is Alfonzo’s brother, he is also Luzo’s son.” There came a gasp from the woman who was out across the sea, so far away. “I was in love with him before I met Carlo. He was married to a wicked woman, the one Gina and we loved in secret until I learned I was having his son. I told no one, not even Luzo and turned to his brother Carlo who helped keep this secret from his brother. He married me, offered me his protection and Luzo never knew that Giuseppe was his son. Gina was a wicked woman and would have killed Giuseppe. Even with Carlo’s position, he would not have been able to protect the child unless everyone believed Giuseppe was his. You see, he lied for me because he loved me and I never knew it. In time I began to love him in return and he was a good father to Giuseppe, in every way he was Giuseppe’s father except one. A few years later we had Amelda and we were happy together. When I learned about Luzo’s affair with the American woman, Maria I went to warn her. I told her who Luzo was and about his crazy wife Gina and told her to go home before the woman found out about her. Her life was in danger and she did not know it, but what I didn’t know is she was already carrying Luzo’s son. When I now see Alfonzo and Giuseppe together I find peace with my decision, the guilt has gone. Giuseppe is hardened and vicious, yet his love for Alfonzo is when I see his heart. Alfonzo is a leader; his mind is that of his father. He possesses the qualities of a true Don. He does not act in impulse and he is a tactician who strikes when men least expect. Giuseppe will strike and with the blow will demolish his home. He has many enemies because of this and they are striking with force like the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and its ripples will be felt in your home.”

  The woman’s words were even. She had listened and understood. Sophie was glad. Selange would rise as a shield to protect her home and Sophie smiled. The women could not come, she prayed the men returned when the hour came but her mother’s instinct and knowledge of these Russians told her they would come when the men’s defenses were down. They had done that here in Italy and with Alfonzo absent from the home what better time to send Giuseppe a message then through the annihilation of those he loved. She did feel remorse for a hand in the woman and Nico’s affair, especially after getting to know Selange better and realizing she was not wayward or manipulative like the others. There was soft-spot in her heart for Nico, eversince he was a boy he appeared so lost and like a surrogate mother she only wanted his happiness, but of course it had been at Vincent and Alfonzo’s expense. She vowed to make it up to Alfonzo, if she lived. This was a start. She gave Selange the wisdom of a woman long in the mafia game who could foresee when the climate of peace had changed. They must set aside their family discourse and battle together as one or the Giacanti’s would suffer the same fate as their ancestors and the descendants of the royals would have won.

  “I understand Nicholas has given you instruction on the guns, no?”

  Selange whispered in the dark, standing and listening to the quiet. Yes, it was eerily still. Nicholas was Crazy Nicky’s real name and hearing it brought soberness. Only in times of strife are birth names spoken. “Yes.”

  “Load them and take the children to safe shelter until Alfonzo comes. Do it quickly girl. It has grown silent here which means the danger has moved on. My husband Carlo once said, when it grows silent, expect a roar.”

  Selange took a deep breath, “Okay Sophie.”

  “What I shared with you in confidence about Giuseppe cannot be spoken. On my death you are free to disclose it. This is our oath.”

  “Yes, this is our oath.” Selange answered with the mantra of her Italian sisters.

  “I will see you and the children, soon. Ciao!”

  “Bye.”

  When Sophie disconnected from the woman she returned to the house and went upstairs to check on Amelda. The morning sickness for the woman came in the afternoon. Aye!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The men stood together. The trio of cousins, eyes in the distance, their thoughts the same. There was a mob war taking place and the kidnapping of Nico’s boy had nothing to do with it. The abduction of Darren Serano was purely about greed and nothing more. Gregory was dead, the piece of garbage and now they had pressing business to discuss that took place right where they stood near the tarmac.

  “Giuseppe I will come to Italy once I return my kids to their mother.” Nico announced. He put a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you cugino. I’ll be there to help squash any troubles.”

  “Of course you will. You owe me you shit, especially after breaking my arm!”

  Nico shook his head trying not to chuckle, “For a man with a broken arm, you’re sure using it just fine, but hey if you want sympathy from the women I can really break it and they’ll be glad to nurse you back to health.”

  Alfonzo wasn’t smiling, “Be safe Geo.”

  “What is safe, eh?” He said with a lop-sided grin, “Our life, my Selange loving cousin is not a safe one. When you return home, fuck Selange for the three of us. That will make her behave.”

  “Lay off the Selange jokes Geo. They’re starting to piss me off. You don’t want me pissed off, it’s not good.”

  Giuseppe grabbed Alfonzo by the face and gave him a masculine kiss on each cheek, “Ah, relax. You are uptight. I like the woman when she behaves. Give her more babies. Barefoot and pregnant will keep her out of trouble.”

  Alfonzo shoved the man, “Go find a woman who’ll put up with you and then we talk like men.”

  “But I thought I did. The best pussy I had belonged to the daughter of a cop. Ah, that is such a shame.” He looked over Alfonzo’s shoulder at the new addition to their family, “What of this Sergio?”

  “What about him?” Alfonzo asked.

  “What do we do with him?” Giuseppe enquired.

  “Nothing Geo,” Nico answered. “H
e saved my son.”

  “No, he saved his own ass.” Alfonzo murmured.

  “We’re not debating. He lives.”

  “He causes any trouble or points fingers Nico, you’re responsible. We don’t know shit about this guy.”

  “When this is over I’ll do some investigating. If it turns out he’s lying, I’ll eliminate the problem, but if he is Vincent’s son we let him live. Do we agree?”

  Giuseppe rolled his eyes, “Fucking bleeding hearts the two of you.” He marched over to Sergio who stood near one of the SUV’s smoking a cigarette. He leaned close to the shorter man and spoke in a threatening tone, “You speak of this to anyone. You whisper a name. You open your big-mouth and I will find you and blow a hole through your mouth, capisce thief?”

  Sergio didn’t like the mother-fucker. This Giuseppe was a scary dude. He didn’t doubt the man would deliver on his promise. “Chill, we’re good.”

  Giuseppe stepped back, removed his one hundred and fifty thousand dollar diamond encrusted Rolex and pushed it into Sergio’s chest with force. “Mai rubare da famiglia, mai!”

  Sergio nodded as he took the watch. He wasn’t a fool. He knew how much it was worth, “Yeah to whatever the fuck you said.”

  “Never steal from family. Go learn Italian!”

  Sergio grimaced when Giuseppe marched off. Yep, that was one anal mother-fucker! He thought as he blew rings of smoke in the air.

  ****

  Nico hugged Darren as he slept during the flight. Aaron had finally fallen asleep after giving a detailed account of what happened after the call to his father. He was hyped about killing two men and Nico frowned. Ariana was not going to be okay with that. Hell, she was going to be furious.

  Nico sighed. Darren was safe, but the boy seemed angry at him and when he asked why, he’d said, “Because dad you hurt people for money and that’s wrong.”