11. Chapter 11
11
In seconds, both doors were consumed by an impenetrable, red-hot blaze. The roaring fire was soon followed by the screams of those trapped inside. With a pale, shaken face, Elyse watched the horror unfold. Every breath felt like it might be her last.
She winced as Tara Trevisano shrieked, "Non voglio morire con il cadavere di Vincenzo!" I do not want to die with Vincenzo's corpse!
Gaspare De León sniveled in despair, "Saremo bruciati vivi!" We will be burned alive!
Next to her, Elyse heard Valentina mutter, "Puttane inutili." Useless bitches.
The blonde seemed unruffled. Calmer than she should be. Suspicions arose in Elyse. Did her stepsister-in-law have a hand in starting this fire? But, then, why would Valentina lock herself inside with her victims?
Elyse heard muffled voices outside. Alessandro’s men seemed to be shouting at someone, and they didn’t sound happy at all. What the hell was going on? No matter . She needed to focus on getting out of here alive first.
Elyse set her jaw. There was no time to contemplate these anomalies in depth. She was forced to shift her attention once more. Several men were trying to ram their shoulders into the side door. It strained against the force of their onslaught. Each time on impact, the door budged enough to reveal a cracked sliver of freedom, but they couldn’t seem to break through the barrier.
The Svizzi's bodyguard, Franco, cried out, "La porta non è chiusa a chiave! Qualcosa la blocca dall'altro lato!” The door is not locked! Something is blocking it from the other side!
Dismay sank in. Mierda . They needed to find another way out. Elyse's gaze swept around the church. The walls were constructed from stone. Stone didn't burn, of course, which might buy them some time to escape. However, the roof and doors were made of wood, and the entire interior was filled with woven textiles and mahogany and maple furniture. All highly flammable materials. Every second mattered. Every decision from this moment on would either bring them closer to life. Or death.
It didn’t take long for the side door to catch fire, too.
Elyse’s pulse buzzed with adrenaline. Echoes of gunshots could be heard outside of the church. Were they under attack? Her mind became a wreck. There was too much happening all at once for her to process. More yelling ensued. Was that a woman's voice? It was so familiar. Elyse frowned as she tried to pinpoint it. Definitely not Mariposa. It wasn’t Carmen, either. The name was on the tip of her tongue, but it kept dancing beyond her reach. Fuck! Who the hell was—
Elyse caught herself spiraling. Right away, she willed herself to focus, reminding herself that nothing could be done about what the outside right now. She needed to escape the inside first.
Her eyes landed on the row of stained glass windows along the far wall. They stood about eight feet above ground level, too tall to scale without a ladder, but the opening was big enough for a man to fit through. These windows looked like their best chance of getting out alive.
Offering a silent apology to God for the sacrilege she was about to commit, Elyse grabbed a heavy bronze chalice and crucifix from a nearby table, scrambled over to the wall of windows, and chucked both of the hefty projectiles, one after another, with all her might at the closest target.
Elyse's aim was spot on, and the stained glass shattered to pieces. The opening revealed a patch of blue. She felt like crying. Never had the sky looked so beautiful. Escape was possible. Jagged shards lined the window frame, their hands, arms, and legs were going to get shredded, but, at least, there was a way out. Death no longer felt imminent.
Elyse turned to Alessandro while gesturing at the broken window. "Help me stack some furniture beneath that opening so we can climb out!"
Her husband immediately jumped on board with her plan. He shouted orders in Italian. Like the king and queen of the underworld, Elyse and Alessandro took full command of the room, and their subjects quickly fell in line. With Aberto, Domenico, and Carlo dead and gone, the bad blood between the De Leóns and Berlusconis disappeared as they worked side by side for mutual survival .
The men hauled over two of the pews to serve as the base. Elyse and Valentina stacked the sturdiest table they could find on top of it.
"Grab those curtains and tapestries for me," Elyse ordered Antonia Svizzi.
Elyse intended to drape the textiles over the serrated window ledge and use them as a protective buffer between their flesh and the leftover glass. Antonia complied right away, nearly tripping over her stilettos to bring Elyse the materials she had requested.
Once everything was set up, Elyse and Alessandro helped Benedetto and the other women climb out first. Samuele Trevisano, Paolo Svizzi, and Gaspare De León jumped out next. Several of their bodyguards leaped out the window. Alessandro tried to force Elyse to go with them. Their work wasn't done, though.
"Don’t forget the priest," she reminded him.
"You go first," Alessandro replied, "my men and I will retrieve him."
"I'm not going anywhere without you," she growled.
She spoke calmly, but her sanity was seconds away from shattering to pieces. The deaths of five men weighed on her conscience. Elyse wanted to believe there could be honor in the gray. Perhaps, this was why she was risking her neck to save everyone. She might very well die because of it. Would such a sacrifice be enough to redeem her soul?
Alessandro barked, "Do not be stubborn."
His words fell deaf on her ears. She insisted, "Let me help!”
"No, cuore mio ," he argued, anger and fear sparking in his eyes, "it is too dangerous! You must go now ."
“I’m not going anywhere,” Elyse growled, "We stay together no matter what."
Alessandro grumbled and grimaced, but he didn't force her to leave his side.
Together, they dragged the priest's body to the window. Flames at both entrances were spreading into the church. The fire was licking at their heels. Smoke blackened and thickened the air. Elyse coughed and choked on her breaths, but she persisted with their task.
With Alessandro's help, their bodyguard hoisted the priest over his shoulder and dropped him over the window's edge. Samuele and Paolo caught the priest from the other side. The bodyguard exited through the window.
Alessandro and Elyse were the last ones out.
Two of Alessandro's men had been standing in place, catching everyone who jumped from the ledge. It was an eight-foot drop. Even with their assistance, Benedetto still suffered a broken arm and ankle during the drop, Elyse sprained her wrist, Tara cut up her hands on some broken glass, and others experienced injuries as well, but no one else died. They all made it out alive.
As Elyse's senses slowly recovered from her state of shock and panic, the church burned brighter than ever. The roof was completely engulfed in flames. Billows of blackened smoke filled the skies. The sight was humbling and magnificent and terrifying all at once. Men had died. She’d almost died as well.
Green eyes danced around as she took in the damage. More dead bodies lay on the ground. It looked as though Alessandro's men had their hands full out here. Unquestionably, an exchange of gunfire had taken place. Who’d attacked them?
Her mind took another dreadful turn. They were too far away from the neighboring villages for gunshots to be heard. However, the smoke could likely be seen from miles all around. What if a local had alerted authorities about the fire? How would they explain the carnage once the police and fire brigade showed up?
With a dazed expression, Elyse's gaze continued to drift around the premises. One car was blocking the main entrance to the church. It was on fire. Another car was barricading the side door. It was also on fire.
She glanced away. To Elyse's surprise, she saw one of her grandfather's men holding a woman captive in his arms. The barrel of his gun was digging into her temple. Elyse's face grew pale as she recognized the redhead.
Cara Berlusconi .
A range of scenarios ran through Elyse's head. Had Cara crashed the funeral on her own accord? Or had she been sent by Domenico to ambush them?
She felt a stab of suspicion against Benedetto and his men. Her grandfather's man, Leo, was detaining Cara as one would expect from an ally, but Elyse also couldn't help noticing that one of the dead bodies on the ground was their man, Aldo. Elyse had met him on the first day she arrived at the palazzo. Aldo had yet to turn thirty. Too young to die. His death felt so fucking wrong. Had Aldo been shot by a friend or foe? Could her grandfather and his men be trusted?
"What happened out here," she addressed Leo, "when we were inside?"
Elyse intended to compare his answers with their men’s responses later. If a discrepancy was found, she’d know that someone was lying.
Without removing the barrel of his gun from Cara's head, Leo responded curtly, "This coked-out bitch led a dozen of her brother's men to ambush us. "
His insult made Cara smirk like the Cheshire cat. The older woman said nothing to confirm or deny Leo's claim. Her pupils were large, round, and so very, very black. The woman looked high as a kite.
Benedetto said something to Alessandro. Her husband and her grandfather seemed to be conspiring over something important. Elyse couldn't hear them. A minute later, Alessandro called over one of their other men, Rocco. Her husband's features tightened with a scowl as Rocco muttered something into his ear. As Alessandro and Rocco conversed quietly to themselves, Leo proceeded to give Elyse a rundown of everything that’d taken place outside the church, "They came armed and ready to kill..."
According to her grandfather's burliest bodyguard, shortly after Vincenzo's service kicked off, Cara and her entourage arrived in two separate cars. They blocked off the entrances right away with their vehicles and set the two doors and the two cars on fire while engaging everyone in a fatal shootout.
"All of Berlusconi's men died alongside Aldo."
Such sad, senseless deaths. Her gaze swept over the corpses once more before pressing him, "Anything else I should know?"
"I have told you everything I remember and everything I saw, Signora Vitale ."
Leo's story covered everything except for one detail. Who’d set fire to the roof before Cara arrived? Elyse's list of suspects felt too long at this point. Benedetto, Valentina, and Gaspare were definite contenders. For all she knew, however, the guilty party might be dead by now. Aberto, Domenico, or Carlo could've done it as well.
Elyse fretted over the identity of the culprit. She might never find the asshole. Dead bodies couldn't speak, and the living loved to lie.
From the corner of her eye, Elyse noticed that her grandfather had picked up his phone to make a call. It was hard to concentrate. Her attention was being yanked in three different directions. She struggled to focus on her conversation with Leo. She wanted to know what Alessandro and Rocco were discussing. She also wished to know who the hell was on the phone with her grandfather.
When Benedetto finally ended his call, Elyse demanded, "Who were you talking to?"
The old fox pretended not to understand her. Without missing a beat, Alessandro stepped in to translate for them, keen to keep up their charade.
Her grandfather smiled and replied, "Stavo parlando con la polizia." I was talking to the police .
Was her grandfather about to turn them over to the cops? Green eyes popped as she gasped, "What!"
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Benedetto gestured to the burning church and the dozen or so dead bodies surrounding it and muttered, "Questo disastro è troppo grande per essere nascosto da soli. Avremo bisogno dell'assistenza delle autorità." This disaster is too big to cover up on our own. We will require assistance from the authorities.
With an arched eyebrow, Alessandro asked in low tones, "Hai chiesto qualche... favore?" Did you call in some... favors?
"Ma certo." But of course.
"Dovremo fornire loro una buona storia." We will need to supply them with a good story.
Benedetto grunted again, "Ma certo." But of course.
Alessandro's eyes flitted over to Cara for a moment, glowering at her, before casting a hard, penetrating glare at the small crowd of survivors.
He declared, "I Berlusconi ci hanno aggrediti durante i funerali di mio padre. Sono colpevoli di tutte le morti e dell'incendio. Chiunque dica il contrario..." The Berlusconis attacked us during my father's funeral. They are guilty of all the deaths and the fire. Anyone who says otherwise...
Elyse shivered as her husband's voice trailed off in a threat. Armed and on standby, his men had them all surrounded. What Alessandro left unsaid was clear. Anyone who refused their rendition of truth wouldn't live to tell another tale.
The Trevisanos, the Svizzis, the Gravianos, and their men stayed silent and complicit. They seemed to accept Alessandro as their leader at last. Valentina grinned in an unreadable manner. Gaspare's face clenched with anger, but he didn't fight back. He kept quiet, too.
The only dissenter was Cara. She rebuked Alessandro's warning, spitting back loudly, "Vai all'inferno, amore mio." Go to hell, my love.
Alessandro smiled back at her, but his eyes remained stony. "Non sono il tuo amore, Cara. Sono il tuo capo." I am not your love, Cara. I am your capo.
On edge, Elyse watched her husband rally back and forth with his old lover. Their exchange brimmed with malice.
Cara asked with a sullen expression, "Domenico è morto?" Is Domenico dead?
"Sì."
Cara wailed in despair, "Il mio clan è allo sfascio." My clan is in shambles.
Alessandro's face didn't soften. His steely tone didn't waver when he confirmed once more, "Sì."
The auburn-haired woman asked, seemingly more to herself than to Alessandro, "Che ne sarà di me?" What will become of me?
"Confesserai i tuoi crimini alle autorità." You will confess your crimes to the authorities.
This wasn't a request. It was a fucking order. Elyse's eyes widened with understanding. Her husband intended to let Cara take the fall for her whole clan. The woman wouldn't die, but she’d spend the rest of her days behind bars.
Desperate watered in her eyes as Cara tried to play on Alessandro's sympathies, "Domenico me l'ha fatto fare, amore mio! Lo giuro, non potevo rifiutarlo!" Domenico made me do it, my love! I swear, I was helpless to refuse him!
Alessandro remained unmoved. "Avresti dovuto provare di più." You should have tried harder.
Elyse watched the hysteria set in as Cara realized her fate was sealed. Tears streamed down the older woman's cheeks. Cara began to weep, "No, no, sono troppo carina per andare in prigione!" No, no, no, I am too pretty to go to prison!
"Allora," Alessandro replied calmly, "non saresti dovuto venire per mia moglie con quella tua piccola pistola, non avresti dovuto attraversarmi oggi, e non avresti dovuto scegliere tuo fratello al posto del tuo capo. Le azioni hanno conseguenze." Then, you should not have come for my wife with that little gun of yours, you should not have crossed me today, and you should not have chosen your brother over your capo. Actions have consequences.
Alessandro's glare remained on Cara, his words were directed at her as well, but Elyse sensed that he was also speaking to the other clans. She listened carefully to everything he said and even more carefully to the shit he left unsaid.
Everything began to click.
There was a reason why Domenico, Carlo, and Aberto were no longer alive. They'd failed to stay in their lanes. When every man wished to be king, executions became inevitable. They'd gotten lucky with Domenico and Carlo. The two assholes were taken out rather quickly. Aberto had been trickier. Even though putting a bullet in him hadn’t been a part of their strategy, the kill was necessary. Aberto was too strong of a rival. As long as he stayed alive, they'd never know peace. Now that Alessandro had turned Aberto into a corpse, the greatest threat to his reign as capo was gone.
But this blessing was also a curse.
Dealing with enraged members of the De León clan wasn't going to be pretty. Gaspare would likely come for their throats once he rallied enough troops. Mariposa might hate them, too. But, now, at least, the De León snake was headless, and the playing field was now skewed in their favor. Change never came without sacrifice.
This was what Elyse told herself to calm the buzzing anxiety within her chest. Today was the first time her husband had unveiled his true self to allies and enemies alike. Alessandro had shown them that he was no longer a playboy, a fuckboy, or a princeling.
Alessandro proved that he was ready to be king by spilling blood then saving lives.
When the police and the firefighters showed up a while later, Alessandro and Benedetto went to receive them. Elyse kept her eyes on them. Her husband seemed to be familiar with the fire chief, and her grandfather appeared to know the police chief quite well. She kept her ears on their conversation, too. Alessandro fed a narrative that would acquit their men of guilt, citing self-defense, while placing all of the blame on the Berlusconi clan. The police chief didn't question Alessandro's recounting of events. The stern-faced man processed the case without resistance.
Her grandfather's influence was proving to be invaluable in helping them avoid arrest and indictment. Instead of filling Elyse with relief, however, she wondered what kind of hold her grandfather had on the police chief to warrant such blind cooperation. It must have been some truly valuable blackmail. Elyse’s mood soured. Knowing Benedetto, he’d probably ask her for an arm and a leg as compensation for helping them.
As the men from both sides of the law hashed things out, the chaos from earlier settled into a controlled, steady calm. The gruesome crime scene became almost serene. It was such a contrast from the inferno they’d narrowly escaped that Elyse couldn't shake the feeling she somehow cheated death. She felt shaken. For sanity's sake, her consciousness distanced itself from reality, willing herself to become a spectator in the moment.
Elyse watched in a stupor as the police arrested Cara and took her away. She watched as the firemen fought the fires. She watched as more uniformed men and women began to tend to the injured and the dead. Elyse made no move to help them. Her nerves and energy were shot. Drained to the marrow, she felt empty. There was nothing left to give .
Alessandro came to Elyse's side. His hand reached for her hand. She gripped him tight. No words were shared between husband and wife, but they both sensed the shift in the air. For better or worse, a new era had risen, and a new king and queen were ascending to power. But how long until the crowns fell from their heads? Danger and betrayal lurked at every turn.
Elyse could feel Gaspare's eyes digging into them.
Valentina wouldn't stop smiling.
Benedetto acted like an ally today, but she didn't trust her grandfather at all.
By the time matters were settled with the authorities, the sun was setting over the mountains. Harried guests climbed back into their shiny black cars and left the premises as though nothing had gone awry.
Elyse sat with Alessandro in the backseat of their car. Their hands found each other once more. The journey back to the palazzo felt disturbingly normal. As though they hadn't nearly died in a gunfight against dozens of rival mafiosi . As though they hadn't come close to being burned alive inside the church. It didn't take long for the emotions from the day to wash over her like a tidal wave. Elyse thought she would die. At one point, she believed her soul was going to hell. She glanced over. Her husband seemed to be in a similarly abysmal state.
"I almost lost you today," Alessandro muttered in low, heavy tones.
"We almost lost each other," Elyse whispered back.
Her heart felt lodged in her throat. Alessandro turned to kiss her fully on the mouth. Elyse could taste the fear and desperation in his kiss. Their survival had demanded the deaths of others, and the grayness of it spoke volumes about who they had become.
When they pulled apart, she admitted in a shaky voice, “Th-There were a few moments when I was so scared that I couldn’t think straight. Dios , after a day like today, I wonder if your father’s crown is worth fighting for…”
More than ever, Elyse wanted to run away with Alessandro.
Holding her gaze, he said quietly, “You know, for years, I never wanted the crown. It always seemed too fucking heavy to bear. But then came you, and now the only thing I desire is to fight. I am ready to kill and slaughter until the world bleeds red. For the first time, I know hunger. A hunger for power . Because only a king can keep you safe.”
And only a queen could shield him from harm. His words spoke directly to her fears. She’d need to become stronger, too. Elyse vowed to use her life to protect his. Eyes glistening, she looked back at him. “Terrifying, isn’t it? To finally have someone worth losing.”
Brown and blue-gray eyes flickered with emotion. “I would follow you even in death.”
“Spoken like a true devil," she sighed. "I guess I'm lucky that I didn't marry a hero. Only the good die young.”
He laughed readily. “You are right. I have always been more of a diavolo . God willing, I might live forever.”
Elyse offered him a small smile. “Then I’ll love you forever, Alessio.”
“I will hold you to it, cuore mio .” Alessandro’s gaze fell on her smile, lingering on her lips. Then, as though unable to resist, he dipped his head and kissed her again. It was slow, deep, and intense. Elyse felt breathless and dizzy by the time he pulled away. Her heart had never felt fuller. But peace kept eluding her.
Too much of their love had been touched by sin. Nineteen others were dead because of them. Grimly, Elyse wondered how Mariposa might react to the news of Aberto's death. Would the girl feel relieved to be free of her father? Or would she seek vengeance for his death?
Concern prompted Elyse to inquire, "Do you regret taking Aberto’s life?”
Her husband gave a pause. "I knew you would ask about him."
"You went off script."
"I did."
"Why?"
"I did not intend to remove Aberto so soon," Alessandro admitted, "but the opportunity came up today, so I took it. Instinct drove me to pull the trigger. I believe it was the right move, though, because I do not regret putting that bullet in him. He deserved to die, anyway, for what he did to Mariposa."
"I’m glad you killed him, too," Elyse agreed, "but I can’t help but worry about the repercussions."
Gaspare must hate Alessandro now. Hell, he was probably plotting their murders already. Elyse suspected that it wouldn’t take too much convincing for Valentina to join forces with him.
Alessandro shrugged. "We will have to put out the fires as they come. There is no going back now."
The day’s events replayed themselves in Elyse's mind. From the moment Gaspare shot Ronaldo, their plans had gone to shit. Yet, luck stayed on their side. Against the odds, they managed to stay alive and turn the tide in their favor. Untrustworthy allies and treachery still surrounded them, but it’d be easier to consolidate power from the other coscas now that three of the leaders were dead.
He probed, "What about you?”
She blinked. “What about me?”
“Do you regret anything?"
Elyse realized that, as of today, she’d become a true criminal, an accessory to murder, and a damned soul. Did she feel remorse? A faint smile ghosted over her lips. "No."
Because change never came without sacrifice.