Suddenly she heard the sound of running water in the bathroom. It sounded like it was coming from the shower. She slowly pushes the door open and then completely opens the bathroom door wide. The sound got louder as the shower was turned on to the max.
She noticed clothes on the bathroom counter, she could not recognise the clothes. It was different from the clothes her father wore on his way out. She remembered clearly that he was wearing a bespoke suit. Many thoughts ran through her mind.
She hoped he was okay and not badly hurt or in any danger. The blood trail was leading into the shower and she could hear slight grunts coming from behind the shower curtain.
It would seem there was no danger that required the solution of the baseball bat. Carmela placed the bat against the base of the wall as she moved silently into the bathroom with slow walking. She made no sound as she approached the shower.
She was truly worried and terrified. But his silhouette showed he was standing so she thought he must be okay. He had to be, she reassured herself as though it would change anything.
“Dad!” she whispers but no response.
“Dad!” she calls out his name again, yet no response and she became more worried. She moved closer and there was silence but only the sound of the running shower and her heartbeat. She stretched her hand towards the shower curtain. She held onto it and took a deep breath as she slowly began to pull the curtain back.
There he was - her father.
Pasquale was clothed in his full attire. He looked as though he was soaked in a pool of blood. She watched the shower pour on him to wash away the blood on his body and she watched the water push the blood into the drain. He was okay and in good health. Carmela was relieved but her concern grew more.
Whose blood was it? What had he done this time around?
Her father once told her the less you know the better. So no questions asked about what had happened. She knew the drills. He would take care of it. He always does. This is the reason he had been in the game for so long. It was just another rough night. She had seen worse and this was nothing much compared to what she had seen. However, she never knew the story behind what has been happening.
Her father realising that she had come around continues to look forward as though she was not there. He did not acknowledge his concerned daughter next to him. Carmela understood, it has always been this way. They don’t talk about his business or what happens. But it would seem something was not right. “What could have gone wrong?” she thought as she proceeded to assist him.
She placed her hand on his cheeks as she gently turns his gaze to focus on her. She needed him to confide in her. Although she wanted him out of the crime business, she still wanted him to trust her. She began to speak softly to assure him where she stands. She is with him and would be there for him no matter what. He is her father and there is no one that can ever replace him in her life. He didn’t say a word but continued to gaze at her in bewilderment. Carmela picks up a clean towel in the bathroom to clean up the residue blood on his face and other parts of his exposed skin that had bloodstains. She had never seen him this way. Pasquale was stunned. It was the first time he would be this way and it made her think of what could have happened out there. She helps her father out of the tub as he put his hands around her. She led him to his room and helped him to pick out clothes to wear. She gave it to him then made her way out of the room to wait for him. Pasquale changed into the clothes while Carmela was outside waiting for him, a little shaken and relieved at the same time. She had a weird and strange feeling about the night.
Moments later, he opens the door and it was as though he was himself once again. Carmela did not have to be told. She knew what to do. She went into the room to take his soaking wet clothes and the towel she used to mob his skin. She took the clothes to the fireplace where she would set it on fire. She lights up the fireplace and soon the fire was up. She throws the clothes into the fireplace and she watched the fabric burn in the rising red hot flames. As the clothes burns, she notices she had some blood on her night top and so she takes it off and throws it into the fire. This was a crime that needed some covering up. She knew about crime and so she got a mop stick and bucket with disinfectants to clean the bloodstains from the door up to the stairs and to the bathroom and the bathroom floors. She also cleaned the door handles and railing of the staircase. Every evidence had to be destroyed. These were the things she learned from her father from his endeavours. This she knows about crime; it comes back to bite you in the ass if the evidence is not properly disposed of.
She was sweaty from the cleaning she had done and so she took a quick shower then returned to her room. She changed into another nightwear after which she decides to return to check on her father. She got to his door and knocked but there was no response. Then she leaned into the door and she began to hear him talk. It was not audible but she could tell he was on a phone call talking to someone. She could not tell exactly how intense the conversation was but it sounded very serious.
Moments later, she heard the door unlocking. “That took longer than expected,” she said.
Her father comes out with a straight face as always with his phone still in his hand. In the morning or at the dead of the night, his face was always straight. He rarely smiles which gave him a stone cold facial look. He walked up to her to say some words. Carmela had seen this face before. He was about to tell her something serious or give her and instruction with no questions asked. She wondered why everything about her father was never straight forward. It always comes with poking questions which can be tiring as she would never get an answer if she asked. And if she did get an answer it will not make any difference and so she had learnt over the years to not ask any questions. However, she would always voice her opinion when she had the opportunity. They have been on this journey for such a long time. She knows her father and she understands him. He cleared his throat and he began to speak.
“I just had a long phone conversation and this is what you need to know,” he says.
Oh, dear! She sighs without words but her face says it all.
“Don Vito is on his way here.”
Carmela’s eyes were in disbelief. “The Don Vito!” she exclaimed. Her father never wants her around when the Don comes to the house. She knew already that she would have to leave the house that night. Tonight could not get any better. Good grief! She sighed . . .
“The mafia boss is on his way to our home.”
“Yes, indeed,” he said.
Don Vito Agresti is the most feared mafia boss in the city. She had read about him in the papers and on the news. The authorities had nothing on him. He had the city in his pocket and he ran a successful criminal enterprise and organised crime. If he is personally coming to your home it means you should fear for the worst. He doesn’t go visiting except when he had a business he wanted to see through to the end. But what business could he have with Pasquale that he needed to see its completion at this time of the night. It had to be serious for Pasquale to be so shaken up that he wanted his only daughter away from the scene because of the worst case scenario that could happen. He needed to get her away from everything that was about to go down tonight. What could her father have done? What mess had he gotten himself into? There was no time to think. What were they supposed to do now?
He told her she had to leave the house immediately. He gave her a key to a safe house and asked her to take one of the cars in the house. Carmela knew the safe house, she had been there before when she was younger. She could recall they went there for a night. Now that she thinks about it, she could only think that they were there hiding from someone or to lay low till things got back on the upside.
She knew the car he wanted her to take. It was the one that was registered in her name and it looked like a commoner’s vehicle which would not look out of place in any neighbourhood as it was an affordable car. The car is a stick just the way she liked it. It was late into the night and all of these were happening. This was
her world. This is her home. It is different from the memory other kids had growing up in their homes. Home came with a lot of responsibilities for her. It could also be a battle field and no error could be made at home. This is home where anything could happen. The unpredictable happens in what she calls home. She loved to stay away but this would forever be home. It was barely a day since she got home and she could not get a good night sleep before the troubles came running back into her life.
She heard his instructions clearly and she affirms to it. Carmela nods her head and says, “Yes, Father,” without questioning him. She set out to her room to get her things to leave immediately at his request. On her way to pack her things, she had other ideas. “I have to convince him to come with me,” she thought.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
He followed her immediately as she left his presence. Carmela was halfway to her room when he made his move. And in a haste, he dashed to her room behind her. Carmela hurriedly picked a suitcase which she drew closer to her closet. She began to throw random clothes from her closet into the box. She was surprised to see her father join her.
“Hurry,” he says. “Take some essentials.”
Carmela looked at him as he assisted her. She holds his hand to get his attention. He looked at her and then she says, “Come with me Father. Let's go together. Let's leave all of this behind. Let's go somewhere to start anew.”
“Come with me. . .” she pleaded with him. She begged as her eyes were teary but she held back the tears. Her father never brought her up to cry. It's a sign of weakness and she is strong. She had to be stronger than ever.
She had what she needed and her father began to line the zipper of the bag.
He turned to her with his hands running through her hair. He says, “Carmela, my child. All I do is to protect you and give you the life that you deserve, but not like this. I can’t protect you if I should go with you. So I will stay. This is the only way I can protect you. I can’t do what you ask of me.”
Her eyes burned from the tears flowing from her eyes. She was taught to be stronger but she gave in to the emotions as she could no longer hold it in. the tears flowed down her face but her father did not react to her tears. Pasquale picks up the bag which was now full and shoves it into her arms. “Follow me,” he says, “and hurry up,” as he led her to the living room. “You know what to do right.”
“Yes,” she says.
“Now run the drill with me,” he instructed.
Carmela began to narrate how she would get to the safe house. “I will drive the car to the bus stop then park at the corner. I will leave the vehicle then board the bus leaving for the suburbs.”
“Very good,” he says. “You will be fine my child. You are brave. I need you to leave without looking back. Can you do that Carmela?”
“Yes, I can Father,” she says as she nodded her head in acknowledgement. She tried again to persuade him. “Father! Come with me. Please change your mind and come with.”
He followed her up to the door while holding her. He held her face with his two hands to plant a kiss on her forehead. He only needed to bend a little has her head was on his chest level. “Stay safe,” he says. He watched her step outside completely as he pushed her then he slams the door on her. She heard a sound that followed and she could tell that the door had been locked from inside. She thought to knock the door. She wanted to be in but what was she thinking. She knew he would still not open the door for her nor hear whatever she had in mind. Her thoughts were finding her way to the car and drive away until her taillights were no longer visible to anyone because of the mile she would have covered. She would have one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear for changing the transition at each increase or decrease in velocity.
She would keep the bag on the passenger seat with thoughts that her father could be driving and she would be riding shotgun with him. That was just wishful thinking.
Carmela turns around to find herself staring at the barrel of a gun pointed between her eyes. Her heart began to race, her breath was seized at the moment then it began to drag. There were several young men around. She was too terrified to count them but they wore a black 3-piece suits and flat caps.
The man in front of her made a hand gesture that she should remain calm. Pasquale notices the sudden silence outside and he knew immediately that some men were around. He unlocked the door and steps outside. More men point their gun at him to put him under control. He knew there was no chance for him to take them on his own. His fear was his daughter could be caught in the middle of a gunfight if it were to happen. She was taken to the car to drive. The man with the gun pointed at her with instructions to drive and not call any attention to them. If she did, Pasquale would be killed first before they execute her. Carmela looks at the front door where she sees a huge man lead her father into the car. He looked like a hired muscle. She watched as he was taken to the car where he sat on the passenger’s seat. The man was also well dressed in a suit with a flat cap. Carmela sat on the driver’s seat while two men sat at the back.
“Drive!” one of the men says authoritatively, as though he had other places to be at this hour.
“Again,” he says, “if you try to signal for help, both of them will be killed instantly.”
Carmela follows the men’s instructions fully, making sure she doesn’t act out or draw attention, for the fear of death casts out any doubt. They told her where to follow and every turn she had to cut into. Some of the roads were new to her but she continued to drive as instructed by them. She thought to ask where they were going but it would pointless. So she continued to drive all the way. She would make attempts to look at them through the mirrors but they cautioned her to focus on the road. Sweaty palms and scared to her marrow, Carmela could only think of the worst. They instructed on where to turn and what part to follow to avoid street cameras. She drove slowly and so the journey seemed very long.
Suddenly she was told to park by the roadside in the middle of nowhere she could identify as it was dark.
“Get down!” they instructed and she did. Then she heard a beep sound. There was another car by the road. A black saloon vehicle. Carmela and her father were brought out of the car both helpless, unable to do anything. The men went on to cover their eyes with a piece of black fabric. Then they shoved them into the other car at the back seat. They knew not where they were going all through the journey of the night. But Carmela was able to get a glimpse through the loosely woven dark fabric. She could see light trails of a streetlight. She could tell they were no longer on the empty road but in an actual city, town or neighbourhood perhaps. Between being scared and terrified of the unknown, Carmela could not tell how long they had been on the road. Suddenly, the car began to slow down till it came to a stop.
There was silence but only the slight vibration and sound of the car engine as it was still running. The next sound was a squeaking sound and it was like that of metal clanks and she could tell that a gate was opening up. The car was put back into gear with a little jerk moment and soon it began to move slowly into the compound till it came to a stop. The engine was turned off and the doors in the car were opened. Carmela and her father were both dragged out of the car. The men went ahead to remove their blindfolds and for a moment they squint their eyes as there was a bright light coming from the giant building up ahead. They began to see clearly as their pupils adjusted to the suddenly bright light rushing into their eyes. It was a large two-story home and the remaining surrounding was in pitch darkness except for the spot they were. There were security cameras that could be seen at each angle. The house seemed to be heavily fortified with state of the art security and equipment. The men pushed them forward to indicate they start moving and they were both escorted into the building. The entry way was spacious with marble finishing and high ceilings with decorative embellishment and there were huge paintings on each sides of the wall with golden ornamental frame. There were artefacts and scented flowers that could easily be seen in th
e large and spacious hall. They took them down the hallway and into a corner before stopping at a black door. They were taken into this room which had dimmed lights and no windows. The room smelled of death, hell and something more unspeakable. The walls and floors were made of metal. The room seemed like a torture chamber where the mafia used to extract the truth or kill anyone that crossed them. Carmela could not tell what the room was used for but her instincts told her it was bad. It was really bad. They were screwed. She was scared and her heart as though it was almost ripping itself out of her body as it continued to beat faster.
Carmela began to think of the many different ways it would end terribly. She thought of the ways it would end that would not hurt much but no matter how much she thought about it, it was going to hurt very much.
“Oh god!” she sighed silently. “Oh! God,” she cried silently. All she thought about was her end. The men tied her to a chair and also her father. They tied them so tightly they could not move any part of their body. They were completely restrained like animals. They were gagged as well as unable to speak but could only mumble words. They were placed across the room to face each other. The men then left them alone as they stepped out. They could only think of the worst that would happen next when the men would return to the room. Pasquale looked into the eyes of his daughter who was terrified. His face was emotionless but he felt some pain as he had failed to protect her from this life. He felt he had failed her and it broke him much more. Carmela’s expression was full of worry and fear. It would seem they will die together. She was sure of this,
They were sure of this. They got sweaty and their clothes was gradually getting soaked in those sweat areas. Moments later, three walked into the room one after the other. The first man terrified Carmela as she could remember he pointed a gun at her earlier at the house. Then another man followed who was carrying a baseball bat and a black suitcase.
Arranged Marriage Mafia: A Dark Italian Novel (Mafia Romance Book 1) Page 2