* * *
“I’m going to need a drink,” Nico mumbled.
* * *
He opened the hotel room’s bar and poured himself a straight glass of whiskey. From what Edoardo was saying, he’d known Luca was alive for longer than a year. Luca had been plotting and edging his way closer and closer for so long, that he had to be many many steps ahead of them.
* * *
Nico let the bitter whiskey burn its way down his throat and esophagus. The burn of the whiskey didn’t compare to the anxious burning in his chest when he thought about how much his brother could hurt him.
* * *
“When Luca came to me I didn’t know your story. He mentioned nothing of wanting revenge. He simply hinted that he would be very angry if I revealed his secret. I thought nothing of it, and he said nothing to me until after the Savelli trial.”
* * *
“Then what happened?”
* * *
“He appeared again. Threatening my life and threatening Martina. We got rid of him because he hadn’t anticipated Martina being such a spitfire. And we worried that he would come back, but all my sources pointed to him having left Italy. I figured that with him out of the way you would be safe. I figured there was no way he could have heard about the wedding. I mapped the security. Everything was supposed to be safe.”
* * *
“Maybe one of the wedding party gave us up?”
* * *
“Perhaps,” Edoardo shrugged, “But I’ll carry this guilt forever. I should have protected you. I should have protected Martina. Eve. The boy…”
* * *
“You did what you could,” Nico attempted to comfort him.
* * *
He was having a hard time assuaging Edoardo’s guilt when the far bigger problem of Luca being loose lingered.
* * *
“I know someone on the force who is investigating the case. His family had been murdered by the Savellis four years ago when he refused to participate in one of their trafficking schemes. He testified against them and in exchange I got him his position on the force back. He still feels a degree of indebtedness to me. I guarantee he may be of some assistance."
* * *
“Hmph…”
* * *
Edoardo detected Nico’s uncertainty.
* * *
Edoardo assured Nico that they could trust this officer Colombo. Nico had his doubts but Edoardo promised that he was a good Italian man with integrity. Nico had been betrayed by many good Italian men in the past; he was still skeptical.
* * *
But they had no choice. They plucked their weapons from the safe in the hotel room and pounded back shots of espresso before hitting the road. Edoardo drove and they spoke in Italian on the way to the police station. Nico enjoyed letting his mouth dance in his mother tongue. While there was nothing sweeter than conversing with Eve — regardless of what language they spoke in — there was something comforting about speaking in Italian that Nico missed.
* * *
It was the language of his childhood and he was in the country of his childhood, finishing up a battle that had started in his childhood.
* * *
Lush greenery surrounded the winding Italian roads, and as they drove towards the station, Nico found himself mesmerized with the beauteous architecture. He missed living in the countryside like this. And Eve had been right to think that possibility no longer existed. If they’d returned to Italy any earlier, perhaps this and worse would have happened.
* * *
Edoardo parked the car at the police station and then met Nico round his side of the car.
* * *
“Officer Colombo knows a lot about your family. But I’ve told him you don’t live according to their… lifestyle. Is there anything I should know about that he could have against you?”
* * *
Nico shook his head. “No.”
* * *
He pursed his lips and slid his sunglasses up onto his forehead. Brown hair moved out of his face and he rubbed his hand over the stubble on his beard as he stared at the white marble police station.
* * *
“I’m nervous about heading in there.”
* * *
“I promise these people will help.”
* * *
Nico hadn’t exactly built up trust with police officers over the span of his life. He knew that many were small-minded men who used the badge as an opportunity to power-trip. Nico was reluctant to let anyone get in the way of him getting to his brother. Luca had done enough to him and he wanted proper justice — not a jail cell that anyone with a few million dollars could weasel their way out of.
* * *
Edoardo started walking towards the police station and pushed the door open, allowing Nico room to pass. Nico noted that Edoardo hadn’t had a single cigarette since they’d entered the hotel room. Perhaps he’d quit for good. Perhaps for once, Edoardo was too nervous to think about his smokes.
* * *
“I’m here to see officer Colombo,” Edoardo said in Italian.
* * *
A sweet dark-haired receptionist with amber colored eyes nodded and stood up to fetch officer Colombo. She was a thin, Italian girl that reminded Nico of many of the women he’d lusted after as a young man. Now, he was pleased that his heart belonged to another. He was done chasing after other women…
* * *
The only woman he wanted was Eve. But Nico couldn’t help but feel guilt when he thought about her. They’d just been married and again she’d been thrust in the middle of the drama of his life.
* * *
Nico couldn’t help but think that perhaps Eve was too good for him. Too pure. He fondled the ring on his finger. It was too late for that now. If he was going to ruin Eve’s life, he’d already done it. Now if only the guilt would fade…
* * *
The receptionist returned with Officer Colombo in tow. The man looked far differently from how Nico had expected. He was both frightening and demure at the same time. He was over six feet tall, buff, but with exceedingly pale skin, strawberry blond hair and freckles peppering his tough, angular face.
* * *
He greeted them both in Italian and kissed their cheeks before pulling both men back into his office. Rosario Colombo eyed the two men standing across from him in his office and wondered if they might be brothers. Edoardo hadn’t disclosed the relationship between himself and the man he’d brought into the office.
* * *
Nico’s skin was far paler than Edoardo’s but they carried themselves in the same manner and kept their eyes fixed on Rosario with the same determined vision.
* * *
“As promised,” Rosario began clumsily, “I have news for you regarding the shooting. And Signor Riccardi… I’m very sorry for the great losses you have suffered.”
* * *
Nico nodded, and narrowed his eyes expectantly, waiting for the news that Rosario was to deliver.
* * *
Seeing Nico’s eagerness, Rosario continued, “We have captured one of the gunmen. He was discarded by Luca Riccardi… er… your brother… and left for dead. By some miracle he survived and we got word about what your brother plans next.”
* * *
“And what might that be?”
* * *
Rosario cast an uncomfortable glance towards Edoardo for guidance. Edoardo responded to his glance with a subtle nod.
* * *
“Please be seated, Signor Riccardi.”
* * *
Nico sat down, still keeping his stern gaze fixated upon Rosario. He wanted real answers, and a gunman wasn’t the same as getting to Luca. The more time they waited to pounce, the further along Luca could get with his next moves. Action needed to be swift.
* * *
“Luca plans to kill you and all in your family and your wife’s family. He has a list of names- according to the man we caught- and he seems to believ
e that your wife is in London. Is this the case?”
* * *
Nico’s face went pale when he heard Rosario say “London”. If what he was saying was true, Eve had gone straight into the lion’s den. This couldn’t be happening.
* * *
“Get me a glass of water,” Nico demanded to no one in particular.
* * *
Officer Colombo turned bright red and then stuck his face out of the room, demanding that someone bring in a glass of water. Nico received a glass of water with lemon juice and gulped the entire thing down.
* * *
“What’s our next move?”Officer Colombo could add nothing else to what he’d told them. Nico no longer had any desire to remain at the station. Rosario assured the two men that they were still searching for Luca and if he really had gone into London, they would know.
* * *
Nico doubted that the police could get a hold of his brother. Hell, Luca was an international criminal who had faked his own death for years, and Edoardo had been the only person who’d discovered that Luca was the furthest thing from dead.
* * *
Officer Colombo seemed to be trying his best and as he revealed his various sources and how they planned to track Luca. Nico nearly gained confidence in him. However, it was clear he’d have to go about finding Luca on his own. Whether or not Edoardo liked it, there was a certain way situations like this needed to be handled.
* * *
Meekly relying on the police would only put everyone in danger.
* * *
Edoardo thanked Officer Colombo for his help and assured him that they could see their way out. Edoardo noticed the look on Nico’s face and he was certain that Nico was sick with worry. If Luca knew that Martina and Eve were in London and unprotected, he’d certainly head there next.
* * *
Once they emerged from the station, Edoardo thrust his hands into his pocket and turned to his half-brother.
* * *
“Doing okay?”
* * *
"No. If the officer is correct, we’re in big trouble.”
* * *
“Don’t forget that Domenico is in London.”
* * *
“I know,” Nico replied, “But he’s just a boy. Involving him in this isn’t right. He’s soon to be married, soon to start his life. He deserves to be free of all of this."
* * *
Edoardo shrugged, “But he is family. And family protects family.”
* * *
Nico nodded. Edoardo had a point, but he still couldn’t allow Domenico to be responsible for both his wife and infant son.
* * *
“We need to leave tonight.”
* * *
“I agree. It isn’t good to stay one place for too long,” Edoardo cautioned.
* * *
“I’ll drive back,” Nico offered.
* * *
He got into the driver’s seat, suddenly missing the new car he’d bought back in America. Edoardo leaned back in the passenger seat and pulled out a cigarette.
* * *
“I’ve held out long enough,” He said, “Mind if I smoke?”
* * *
Nico shook his head. He didn’t care if Edoardo shot up heroin in the front seat. His mind was too preoccupied with his wife and son’s safety to give a damn. Edoardo pulled out the thin unfiltered cigarette and lit up. As a rush of tobacco entered his lungs, he closed his eyes. The smoke filled the car until Edoardo cracked a window, causing the pungent smoke to leak out into the air.
* * *
They approached their hotel and Nico started to feel uneasy. Everything about this process was going too slowly. If Luca had already left Italy, they’d be screwed. They took the back entrance to the hotel and walked up to their room. As he approached, Nico stopped sharply and thrust his hand out into the hallway to stop Edoardo from moving forward.
* * *
“What’s going on?” Edoardo whispered.
* * *
“Look,” Nico started, “The door’s open.”
* * *
“Shit.”
* * *
Edoardo pulled the gun out of the holster on his ankle and Nico did the same. Eyeing the hallway for other guests, they walked towards the door of their hotel room which had been swung wide open. Someone wanted them to know they’d been here.
* * *
“I’ll go first,” Nico stated and he pushed his way into the room, pointing his gun into each corner as he surveyed the room.”
* * *
Edoardo did the same and opened up all the cabinets and cupboards. There was no one there. Yet the room was ransacked. Someone had clearly been in there and their clothes and belongings were strewn all over the space.
* * *
Nico looked at the beds and saw a pool of red liquid congealing at the foot of one of them.
* * *
“Oh God…”
* * *
The smell of fresh blood had escaped them when they’d first entered the room. But as their fight or flight instincts began to calm down, it was clear they had company. Just not the kind of company they’d expected.
* * *
Edoardo flung back the sheet and felt his stomach turn. Nico stared at the dead animal that lay on the bed with a chilly gaze. Luca. It was the same thing Luca had done as a child. Back then, he’d stolen baby pigs from local farmers and performed bizarre butchering “experiments” on them.
* * *
Now, he’d done a similar thing. A baby pig lay on the bed with its throat slit and its organs removed. Blood gushed out of it and had soaked the white hotel room sheets with dark red blood that was quickly turning brown.
* * *
“Is it still warm?” Edoardo asked.
* * *
Nico stuck his hand out and touched a piece of the pig’s flesh that was untainted by blood.
* * *
“Slightly.”
* * *
“We need to get out of here,” Edoardo added.
* * *
“Fast.”
* * *
They had no time to pack or to check out. They threw what they could into their duffel bags and returned to the car that they’d just parked in the driveway. Nico’s head was swimming. He didn’t find himself feeling fearful when faced with his twin brother’s psychopathy.
* * *
He knew that he had to put a stop to this… soon. Luca had already sent two warnings. Nico had a feeling that next time, he’d kill.
* * *
In London, Martina struggled to keep Eve calm. The apartment that Domenico had helped arrange for them was large enough, and the Swedish couple that was renting the place out had it furnished with a stark Scandinavian style that had always appealed to Martina.
* * *
Matteo had taken to the new place too. Martina enjoyed having the little one tearing around the place. While she and Edoardo had no plans for children, she enjoyed Matteo’s cherubic grin and the way he babbled on and on about whatever sweet childish imaginations flooded his head.
* * *
After a couple days in London, Martina had cut Matteo’s hair short so the curls hugged his head. Eve was still beside herself with worry and finding it difficult to handle the time away from her husband. It had been a long time since Eve had to survive alone and what should have been routine for her became insurmountable.
* * *
Martina was willing to pick up the slack, realizing that Eve was a young mother and freshly in love. She hadn’t known the same life of pain that Martina had. Or that Edoardo and Nico had. She was fresh to all of this and Martina knew she had to try to do what was best for both of them.
* * *
Martina reassured Eve that all would be well and that London would just be a temporary stop before they all moved to safety. Eve had her doubts. And the longer they went without hearing from Edoardo or Nico, the more Martina worried.
Out of Bondage Page 6