by S. J. Smith
She was the wife of the mafioso. She was a weapon of her own design. She had lost one baby and raised another and that baby grew up into a beautiful and strong young woman. She'd be damned if she let this ghost from her past destroy everything good in her life.
"What will it take for you to leave my family alone?"
"Oh, bargaining now are we? But you see my sweet, I already told you what I want. Your daughter's head on a platter."
"Pick something else. You're not getting Alexis."
There was silence on the line for a few moments, Carmen wondered if he'd hung up.
"You."
"What?"
"You. I want you to give yourself up to me. Tell your husband that you're leaving him and come to me. Do that and I won't touch your precious little family."
"Swear it."
"I swear."
◆◆◆
If there was one thing Carmen had learnt from her relationship with Stefan Marković, other than the fact that he was an abusive sociopath, it was that his word meant nothing. He couldn't be trusted.
When she agreed to leave her family for him, she knew that all she'd be doing was prolonging the inevitable.
Once she was in his grips again, he would kill everyone she loved. There was no doubt in her mind.
So no, she wasn't going to go gently into the night.
Chapter 35
Carmen was ready.
She was ready for all of this to end.
That's what she kept telling herself.
She wasn't ready to leave her freshly turned sixteen-year-old daughter, or her husband of twenty years.
She wasn't ready to miss her only child graduating from high school, going to university or becoming a member of the Family. Or both. Alexis was a high achiever after all. She wasn't ready to miss her daughter walking down the aisle or have children.
Carmen was not ready.
But she had to be.
She had been given a deadline and that deadline was approaching like a speeding train. She had the choice to get off the tracks or stand her ground and pray to whatever God there was that it stopped in time.
◆◆◆
Carmen had been waiting for Stefan to arrive for exactly twenty-three minutes. She'd arrived at the warehouse early and it had given her more than enough time to scout out the surrounding area. She'd picked this particular warehouse because it wasn't connected to anything that had her husband's name on it. Nor was it connected to anyone that was a member of her Family. In fact it was a warehouse that had been linked to a Filipino gang. They'd abandoned it until the heat died down. Unfortunately for them, if everything worked out in her favour, they were about to be thrown into a furnace.
The sound of car doors closing alerted her to the arrival of her oldest foe.
It was time.
The silence of the warehouse just made her heartbeat sound that much louder. It almost drowned out the sound of feet crunching on gravel. When she had picked this particular warehouse two weeks ago, there hadn't been gravel anywhere near it. She'd poured bags of it herself in the night. It was because of this forethought that she knew about the two thugs going around the back of the warehouse, probably to secure any exits and then ambush her if she tried to run.
Good thing she didn't plan on running today.
The roller door that she'd left unlocked clattered upwards. A square of light illuminated the wall furthest from her.
"My, my, my, if it isn't Carmen Esposito. It's been a long time but you're still as gorgeous as ever."
Carmen's skin crawled the second he started talking. His voice was like a thousand snakes hissing in unison.
She needed to focus on something other than the memories of what he did to her.
"Angelo." Her link to her husband and her daughter. Her link to her Family. In family there is strength.
"Excuse you?"
"My name, asshole, is Carmen Angelo. I got married, and you didn't send a wedding present," she mused as though they were old friends joking around.
"Why would I send a present to the bastard who stole the love of my life?" He was still quick to anger. When he got angry, he got sloppy and he made mistakes.
"Why would you ever think that what we had was love?"
For a moment, she thought that he might completely blow his top. His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. He looked ready to take a swing at her.
Wouldn't be the first time.
But then as quickly as the wind changes so did his expression. It was no longer one filled with rage, but regret.
She didn't trust it.
"I'm sorry dusho moja, I'm sorry that I hurt you so long ago."
My soul.
He used to call her that all the time. She'd thought it was sweet until she realised that he only used it as another way to keep her under his control.
"I was so lost without you, for so long. Everything I did, it was to get you back."
"So you put a target on my daughter's back as a way to get me back?"
"She's an obstacle to us being together. You have some false sense of maternal guilt to protect her. This can all be over if you just call off the guards. My men don't need long," he practically purred. He acted as though he was doing her a favour by killing her only child.
Her hands went to rest on her hips. Her fingers brushing the metal circles in her belt.
"You said if I gave myself up to you then you would leave my family alone."
And then there it was. The sinister smile she knew had been hiding under those sad, remorseful eyes. The true face of Stefan Marković.
She hooked a finger through one of the metal circles. Thanking God for custom made clothing.
"I lied. I know you better than that. Family is everything to you. You would never truly turn your back on family and they would never abandon you. So I'm going to give you one last chance to do what's best for them. Either you end them yourself or I will end them for you."
"How about I just end you?" Without missing a beat Carmen pulled on the metal circle, unsheathing a throwing knife with her left hand and letting it fly all in the same breathe. Her right hand went to the gun tucked into the back of her pants.
By the time Stefan yelled out, she was putting a bullet through the skull of the goon on his right.
It was time that she ended this.
◆◆◆
Carmen stumbled from the warehouse, a hand pressing against a slice in her abdomen. She could feel the poison taking effect. Her legs were starting to go numb and soon she wouldn't be able to walk at all. Her vision was starting to blur.
She'd failed.
Stefan was still alive. The knife had missed it’s mark, not by much but it had been enough. The bastard was still breathing.
And she was almost out of time.
Propping herself against the alleyway wall Carmen struggled with the zipped pocket of her top. Her fingers were starting to fail her too.
It took her too long to get her phone unlocked. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought about the last moments she'd had with Alexis.
Seconds felt like minutes as she hit the speed dial. Her breathes became more laboured. The world around her started to get darker.
But that didn't make sense.
It was only the middle of the afternoon.
Wasn't it?
Ringing. There was a ringing in her ear.
"Carmen, where are you?"
"Tony?"
Tony was here?
She was going to be okay.
"Carmen!"
"I love you."
"Where are you ciccina?" Tony begged.
There was a moment of clarity and she remembered. Alexis. She did this for Alexis.
"Tell Alexis I love her."
"Dammit drive faster. Carmen, we're coming, just hold on okay? I'm coming!"
I love you.
Chapter 36
Alexis was ready to go home. All day she'd had a pit in her stomach that she couldn't e
xplain and a nagging in the back of her mind as though she'd forgotten something important. She just couldn't find it in her to focus on anything her teachers were saying and even during recess Jess had called her out for being 'off with the faeries'. Lucas had suggested that if she wasn't feeling well then maybe she should go home, but it wasn't a feeling of being sick that had her distracted. Besides, she had a big project due next week in Media and needed all the time she could get on the computers.
Alexis was sitting next to Lucas at lunch, absentmindedly nibbling at her sandwich. If someone were to ask her what was in it she wouldn't be able to tell them without opening it up. Her friends must have realised that there was no hope for her attention span that day and just continued their conversations without her. She'd tell them what was wrong once she was feeling better.
It was almost the end of their lunch break when someone called her name. When she looked up to see who had called for her she saw that it was a middle-aged teacher that she'd never had before. Come to think of it she had never seen him at school before that moment.
Bodyguard.
"Alexis, your father is at the front office, you need to go now. I’ll bring your things." There was a calm urgency in his voice.
The nagging feeling that had been bothering her all day disappeared but it was replaced with a pressure that threatened to crush her skull.
She didn't waste another second. Lucas was hot on her heels as she made her way to the office. There was something about the way the bodyguard had looked at her, the urgency in his voice, there was something wrong and she needed to know what it was.
All she wanted to do was break out into a run but there were so many people. People walking, people sitting, people in big groups and small groups. Too many people.
Her heart started beating faster the closer she got to the office. She could see it now. One more corner and she could see the doors.
Fifty metres.
Forty.
Thirty.
The doors opened.
Twenty.
Her dad stepped out into the mid-afternoon sun.
Ten.
He turned to her.
Five.
She stopped.
His eyes.
The windows to the soul.
His soul was shattered.
Nononononono.
No.
"No."
"What's wrong?" Lucas grabbed her hand tugging it softly.
He didn't know.
Alexis gasped for air.
I love you so much baby girl.
Her hand went to the silver leaf hanging from her neck.
I am so proud of you.
Her legs couldn't hold her up anymore.
You will do whatever is right for you.
Someone was holding her.
Finish your breakfast and I'll drive you to school.
"Alexis, baby, breathe."
Have a good day, sweetie.
"I need to get her home, Lucas."
"I can help-"
"Lucas."
Alexis couldn't understand why her mum looked sad that morning, but she was running late to meet Em so she didn't stop and ask. She just hugged her mum goodbye and bolted from the car. Not even looking back.
"I'm so sorry Tony."
Alexis felt herself being moved but she couldn't do anything. She felt strong arms under her knees and back. Someone was carrying her.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
◆◆◆
When Alexis woke up she couldn't remember going to sleep. In fact she didn't remember coming home. Her head felt fuzzy. How did she get to her room? Looking around she saw that her dad was sitting in the armchair next to her window.
"Dad?" The last thing she remembered was... school. "What happ-"
The bodyguard.
The office.
Her dad.
His face.
"Lex, I-"
"Where's mum?"
It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Her dad had to be upset because of someone else. Someone else died but it wasn't her mum. It couldn't be her mum.
"Lex, I'm so sorry."
He got up from the chair and made his way to the bed. Sitting on the edge he turned to face her and she could see how bloodshot his eyes were. His hair was the most dishevelled she'd ever seen it. He'd discarded his tie completely.
"What happened?" Did they sneak up on her? How did they find her? How did they get past the guards? Questions swirled through her mind and she found it hard to breathe again.
"She knew... someone... long time ago... she went... wanted to... went to protect you... us... they cut her... poison... she called me..."
Alexis' eyes focused on her dad again, properly. She'd only registered half of what he'd been saying but those last words stuck with her.
"She called you?"
He just nodded.
"What did she say?" It felt like some invisible hand had reached through her chest and was holding her heart.
"She said that she loves us."
Everything from that morning came rushing back. The way her mum had held her a little bit longer than normal when she came down for breakfast. Driving her to school. The multiple 'I love you's'. They were an affectionate family but none of them said 'I love you' that much in one morning. She should've known.
That was what drove it home like a hammer. Her mum had known that it was the last time they'd see each other. And she had just jumped out of the car because she was late to meet her friend. Not even late to school. Just late to talk to Em. She should've realised there was something wrong with the way her mum was looking at her all morning.
"Lex? Come here baby."
When she didn't respond her dad moved further onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.
Her body wracked with sobs. If she were to look up she would've seen her dad's face mirroring her own. Tears like rivers on his cheeks. His body shaking with grief. His own heart in splinters on the floor. The only thing keeping him from screaming into the darkness of night was the girl in his arms.
She was just as fragile now as the first time he held her. He'd known how to protect her and take care of her back then. Even buried in his own agony, he wanted to protect her, but he couldn't. With all of his influence and all of his men, he couldn't put her broken heart back together. He was powerless.
As the two of them sat there for what must have been hours, holding each other and crying, until finally Alexis seemed to pass out from exhaustion. All Tony could think about was how Carmen would know how to fix this. She would know how to put the pieces back together.
Chapter 37
Alexis didn't remember much of the last few days since her dad had picked her up from school. Every night she cried herself to sleep rereading the letter her mum had left on her desk. Alexis always remembered the nightmare she had every time she fell asleep.
At first it was a whole lot of nothing. It wasn't light and it wasn't dark. It was just nothing. Then her mum's body appeared. It was in the centre of the nothing, lit up by a spotlight. Alexis was running to it as fast as she could, but she was getting nowhere.
Then suddenly she was standing over the body. When she knelt down, it looked as though her mum was just sleeping, so Alexis reached out to squeeze her arm, just enough to get her to wake up. But she didn't.
Her mum's body felt wet and sticky, and she pulled her hand away to see what it was, but her hand was clean. When she looked back at her mother's body it was covered in blood, but there were no wounds that she could've been bleeding from.
Alexis scrambled to check her mum's body, maybe if the blood wasn't hers, then that meant she wasn't hurt and if she wasn't hurt then she was alive.
That was when she woke up. There was no finding out one way or the other if her mum was truly alive or dead. And when she woke up gasping for air it was always to the same realisation.