by Serena Light
"You're going home and there is no negotiating that," Salvatore stated, scribbling his signature.
"And what should I do at home?" She inquired, pulling her legs up. "I have no one of interest there,"
"Don't you have work to get done?"
"Nope,"
"Go home and take a long bath or something,"
"I'd prefer to do that with you,"
Tazio chocked on his air as Salvatore silenced him with a glare.
"Nicole, I have work to get done and you will be nothing but bored here,"
"Bored? With you around?" She scoffed, resting her chin on the top of the sofa. "That's an impossibility."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," He relented, handing the files to Tazio who looked uncertainly at Nicole a moment before leaning forward and muttering something in Salvatore's ear, his boss responding just as quietly.
Settling on his chair, he set to work, typing on his laptop, sipping his coffee or dealing with phone calls, pacing the length of his office as night fell outside, Nicole watching him silently before lying back on the couch, momentarily closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"I am aware of what I said," Salvatore spoke into the phone, catching sight of Nicole's sleeping figure and making his way to her with his blazer. "You're the one who misunderstood me," He resumed gently, draping his blazer over her as she snuggled into it.
After that he resumed his business transactions quietly, not wanting to wake her and telling people to keep it down when they came into his office to talk to him. Letting out a relieved breath that his work was done, Salvatore stretched his arms over his head, and his chair squeaking beneath him as the sound of Nicole's phone had him jump back in surprise. He watched her blearily sit up before picking it up from the coffee table and swiping at the screen, holding it to her ear.
"Hey, Luca," She yawned into the phone, rubbing her eyes but tensing all of a sudden. "Yes, this is she,"
Looking at her in silence, he watched her face pale as she stumbled off the sofa, and placed a hand against her chest, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.
"Is he okay? What happened?" She choked out, Salvatore instantly standing beside her as she clutched onto his arm to stay standing. "Okay, okay, I'll be right there," She whimpered, ending the call and hastily putting on her shoes.
"What happened?"
"Luca's been mugged and is injured," Nicole exhaled shakily as Salvatore just blinked at the news, the Giovanni's were nothing to him. "I was on his speed dial so they called me; I have to tell his family,"
"Come on, let's go," She exclaimed, panic evident in her eyes as her fingers trembled, and Salvatore could see how hard she was trying to be strong, to stop the tears from falling.
Even if the Giovanni's were nothing to him, they were something to his wife, and he had no choice but to take her to them.
On the drive to the hospital, Nicole's voice kept trembling as she informed his father of the situation, telling him that she would meet him at the hospital and constantly moving in her seat in unease as she urged Salvatore to drive faster.
"Any faster and we'll be the ones dead instead of him," He finally snapped at her, the tears suddenly springing forward as Salvatore had to rub a hand over his forehead, seeing her fold into herself and wrap her arms around her body, sobbing. "Nicole," He sighed, pulling her towards him over the center console as she cried into his shoulder.
"Hush, you have to be strong otherwise you won't be able to take what they would tell you, okay?" He murmured into her hair, not tearing his gaze away from the road. "You have to be strong to help his family,"
Sniffling, she nodded, pulling away from him and wiping away the tears. The rest of the drive went by in silence as he could notice her swipe at her cheek every once in a while, having fallen completely silent.
Nicole was out of the car and rushing towards the hospital even before he parked the car properly. Running a hand through his hair, he followed after her, watching her look around the hospital in confusion, too overwhelmed and distraught to understand what to do. Grabbing hold of her arm, he led her to the reception, asking after Luca Giovanni as the woman asked if they were family.
"Yes," He lied through his teeth. "This is his sister and I'm his brother-in-law, now please, tell me where he is,"
"He is still in the OR, but he was mugged and sustained multiple bullet wounds. Once out of operation, he'd be moved to Room 324 on the 3rd floor,"
"Alright, thank you," Salvatore nodded as Nicole clutched onto him after the news.
Leading her to the third floor, the Mafia Boss had the entire floor cleared, ensuring there was no one other than staff, having been intercepted by security and the medical Dean as he informed them who he was and that he wanted this floor cleared for the Giovanni's. Eventually, it was just Salvatore and Nicole and his guards on the third floor, his wife sitting on the chair and clutching her head.
"Sir, this was on Luca," Tazio came running to him with a folded sheet of paper.
Opening it Salvatore clenched his jaw so hard he was afraid he might snap his teeth.
"Have Stephan pull off fingerprints from this," He muttered, giving the paper back to Tazio. "I have a feeling I know who did this, but it's better to be safe than sorry,"
Nodding, Tazio left with two men, leaving Salvatore to look out the window and watch him run across the parking lot in the dark. It hadn't even been 5 minutes since his departure when he heard footsteps rush across the ceramic tiles.
"You did this!" A voice shrieked as Aldo Giovanni turned Salvatore around by the shoulder, ready to land a punch to his face. But having suspected such an outburst, he caught the fist mid-strike, his grip painful as he kicked him in the thigh, sending him to his knees, before kicking his chest and sending him sprawling on the floor.
"You-!" The father, Maso Giovanni began to seethe, his men raising their gun and pointing it at Salvatore as instantly Salvatore's men held every single member of the Giovanni family at gunpoint, their arms wrapped around their necks and their barrels pressed to their temples. Maso and his wife, Leila, his daughter, Roma, and Aldo, each of them held at gunpoint as Salvatore looked at them with a cold mask.
"If I die, I'll take you down with me," Maso growled, putting up his gun and pointing it at Salvatore, ready to shoot, but hesitating when Nicole stepped in front of him.
"Stop it!" She shrieked her eyes bloodshot and her body trembling. "This is my husband you're threatening,"
That realization had Maso's hold on his gun falter, looking at Nicole with a pained expression.
"He-he had nothing to do with Luca," She heaved, a fresh torrent of tears making it difficult for her. "He was with me all the time, he brought me here and had security measures put into place and this is how you thank him?" She shrieked at them, Giovanni's wincing as they noticed how it was deserted save for their men.
Salvatore gave a nod to his men, all of them releasing their hold on the family and moving back to their positions, Maso's men looking at him and easing when their boss nodded at them.
"Just...just stop this feud, please..." Nicole choked out, trying to keep her tears from falling. "For me...please..."
"You should have married Aldo, Nicole," Maso spoke with a shake of his head, Nicole taking a step towards Salvatore and reaching back for his hand, her husband instantly giving her palm a reassuring squeeze. "We will call a truce until he's proven guilty,"
"You'll have tough luck with that Maso," Salvatore spoke from over Nicole's head, coming to stand beside her and looking down at his phone. "Luca had a black hand on him when he was brought to the hospital,"
Aldo and Maso looked at him as if though he had grown a second head, Nicole looking up at him in shock as neither Leila nor Roma understood what it meant.
"A vendetta?" Aldo whispered in disbelief. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"I'm not the one who did this to Luca, Aldo," Salvatore told him with ice in his voice. "If I wanted him dead he would be, and if I wanted on
e of Giovanni's dead I would go after either you or Maso," He stated calmly, taking a threatening step towards them as Nicole placed a hand on his chest, silently begging him not to do this.
"Are you threatening me, boy?" Maso growled in distaste, Salvatore looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, not even close old man," He smirked at him. "If I were threatening you, you'd know,"
"You said something about a black hand," Leila intervened, looking up at Salvatore pleadingly. "What does that mean? What does it have to do with my Luca?"
"A black hand means a vendetta," Salvatore explained. "It's a blood feud which won't stop until my family is dead,"
"Your family?" Aldo scoffed. "You mean my family,"
"No," The mafia boss stated bluntly. "The black hand was sent by Jayson Leone,"
Instantly Nicole tensed, the Giovanni's looking at him with wide eyes.
"This is Jayson's way of saying it has begun,"
Chapter XXIV: Warehouse
Nicole sat hunched on the seat, Luca's figure lying on the hospital bed, wounded, bruised and bandaged with various tubes sticking out of him as an oxygen mask covered his mouth, his face swollen and unrecognizable. Sniffling, she sat with his hand in her own as his family was outside and talking to his doctor.
Standing in the doorway, Salvatore felt an ache grow in his chest to see his wife so distraught. Stepping inside the room he went and placed a hand on her shoulder, Nicole jumping at the contact before relaxing to see him. Getting up from the seat, he was quick to envelop her in his embrace as she pressed her face into his chest.
"Let's go home," He murmured into her hair as she rubbed at her eyes. "It's getting late and you should rest,"
"But...Luca..." She tried to argue meekly, her lip wobbling.
"His entire family is here, sweetheart, and both the Regnante and Giovanni men are standing guard, and there is nothing to worry about,"
"He'll be alright, won't he?" Nicole choked out, her tears a never-ending waterfall.
"There is a medical staff here for every beck and call in case something happens," Salvatore cupped her face into his hands and rubbed his thumb over her cheek, not wanting to give her any false hope and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You can come again tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," She wiped the tears on her cheek.
"Come on, then," Salvatore draped his blazer over her shoulders and tangled their fingers together, allowing her to say farewell to Luca's unconscious body before they made their out the hospital room.
Before they could walk away, Salvatore was held back by Leila who thanked him for all that he had done for them: put all necessary security measures into place, inquired about Luca's status before they arrived, and lent them Regnante men for precaution.
He gave her a weak smile, nodding to her words before he watched Nicole hug her before they left.
On the drive back home, Nicole didn't say a single thing. The air felt thick and she kept sniffling and wiping at her cheek. Once home, she went straight to their bedroom as he informed his officials of the situation, settling on the second step and rubbing at his forehead.
"Luca Giovanni was attacked and mugged by Jayson's men," Salvatore informed the three men before him. "Suffered multiple bullet wounds, severe internal bleeding and beaten to the point where his face can't be recognized. They called Nicole since she was on speed dial, and we were the first to get there and learned all that,"
"How do you know it was Jayson?" Marco was the first to speak, looking at his brother in confusion when he was handed a folded piece of paper.
Opening the page his jaw clenched as he gave the page to Piero, no doubt left in his mind after having seen the Black Hand on it.
Sighing, he got up from the stairs and made his way up to his room, finding Nicole curled up on the bed and sniffling. Coming to sit behind her, he rubbed a comforting hand over her back as she wiped at the tears and he placed a kiss on her temple.
Placing a kiss on her cheek, he got up from the bed to change and joining her beneath the covers.
"Tell me he will be alright" Nicole wiped away at her tears and buried her face into his chest. "Please, tell me he will be alright,"
"You know I can't do that, baby," Salvatore murmured, running his fingers through her tangled hair. "You know it's too early to say,"
Pulling her into his arm, he comforted her through the night, not getting a wink of sleep since he couldn't bring his mind to ease knowing that his wife was hurting in his arms and eventually cried herself to sleep.
Days turned into weeks and every day Nicole went to visit Luca, sitting by his bedside for a few hours before she returned home with a weary mind to Salvatore as he would hug her and place a kiss on her forehead, holding her as long as she needed.
On this particular Tuesday, Salvatore had been waiting in their bedroom for her, sitting at the edge of the bed when she had walked in, an incurable sadness in her eyes and a frown on her lips as he wanted nothing more than to see her smiling again.
"Hey," He greeted her gently, taking her hand into his hold and pulled her onto his lap as she rested her head on his shoulder, sniffling. "How's Luca?"
"Not good," She choked out, shaking her head as tears blurred her vision. "They think he's not going to make it," Her voice cracked as she sobbed into his neck, Salvatore holding her tight as she clutched back in search for comfort.
"I'm so sorry sweetheart," Salvatore murmured into her hair and gently rocked back and forth until she had relatively calmed down. "I know this isn't the best time, darling, but I have to go to Ukraine,"
"What?" Nicole pulled away from him, looking at her husband with betrayal in her eyes. The look feeling like someone shot him through the heart. "Why?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, it's important business," He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she swatted his hand away from her, looking at him as if though he had just shot her parents and jumped off his lap. "It's just a couple of days,"
"No, of course, business is more important than your own wife," She spat at him in anger, her fear, and grief replaced by rage. "Please, go off to Ukraine, and New York, and Japan! Hell, you can go to the end of the world for all I care!"
"Nicole-"
"-No, no, go and leave your wife when she needs you the most!"
"Nicole," Salvatore sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead, knowing this was the grief talking.
"No need to explain!" Nicole walked away from her husband. "Go to Ukraine and leave me here with my pain since you're best at running away!"
He tensed in his spot on the bed, his face going blank at her words as they stung, but he would never let her know. But given the way she instantly froze after speaking, she knew exactly how they hurt.
"Salvatore..." She spoke in a meek voice, turning around to watch him stand up from the bed and walk by her as if though she didn't even exist.
Biting her lip she cursed herself for saying that, knowing that her husband wouldn't go if he had a choice. She knew if it were up to him, he wouldn't leave her alone in her state even for a second, but life moves on, and he had three businesses to cater to along with his emotionally hysterical wife.
Entering the walk-in closet, she swallowed to watch him place folded shirts and trousers into the bottom of the suitcase before he picked out a couple of suits and packed them inside.
"I-" She tried to talk as he sidestepped her into the washroom, putting his necessary toiletries into the bag and making his way back to suitcase lying on his ottoman bench. "Salvatore-"
"Tazio will see you to your parents' house," He spoke up in a monotonous voice, not looking up from his packing.
"What? No," She rejected, knowing she wouldn't be able to stand the disgust on her mother's face to see the tears.
"Fine," Salvatore stated flatly, zipping up the bag and lowering it to the ground. "Do whatever you want," He pulled on his blazer, buttoning the front before pulling up the trolley.
"You're leaving now?" Nicole squeaked,
watching him roll the bag behind him as he made his way to the door. The look he gave her was all the answer that she needed and winced at the coldness of his approach. "Have a safe trip," She murmured dejectedly, wrapping her arms around herself and watched Salvatore leave the room without a second glance her way.
The sky was black and would be streaking with colors soon, and Salvatore knew he had to get it done before sunrise. He pressed his back to the container and peeked over the side to see the bobbing balls of light: men patrolling the area.
"Count?" Salvatore murmured to the man behind him.
"12 outside," Piero informed, loading his gun.
"There would be more inside,"
"Yes, sir,"
"Marco?" The Mafia Boss spoke into his ear device, hearing rusting before his brother's voice spoke up.
"Boss?"
"Sniper's in position?"
"Affirmative sir,"
"On the count of three, I want 12 corpses," Salvatore looked around the container once more. "One. Two. Three."
They never heard the loading of the rifles, nor did they hear the bullets leave the chamber, they just heard the heavy thud which follows the bullet piercing its target.
"5, 6, 7," Piero counted the thuds he heard and how many affirmatives he got from the rest of the team. "9, 10, 11, 12,"
Salvatore gestured for the team to get moving, all of them dressed in full black apparel and hunching low with their guns at the ready, the stench of blood and death wafting around them as the Mafia Boss gestured for the team to split into three. One group split to the right, another to his left while, another stuck with him.
"In position," Salvatore spoke into the device at his ear, everyone holding up their guns as the boss took a step back, two men shot down the door, the sound of turmoil spilling out like the gasoline containers his other two teams were dropping around them. Soon the sound of gunfire infiltrated the night as Salvatore ducked inside, finding eight men in total with guns and protecting the merchandise.