Chapter 45 Enzo
ENZO
I grip the gun tightly in my hand as I imagine the bloodshed—a river of blood to paint the entire house red.
They went for the only thing that mattered in my life, and just like my mother’s, their deaths will not be swift. No, I will make sure they suffer for days in inconsolable torture, bleeding but not dying.
Just like I am now.
Alive, but slowly dying on the inside, Luca being the only reason I don't end it all here and now in what would end up as an iconic murder-suicide.
But I can't do that to my little boy. Not when he's the only link I have left with Allegra.
I walk slowly, with measured steps, all the while imagining the worst possible deaths for those pieces of shit.
Should I skin them alive?
Cut their limbs one at a time?
Or maybe I should just chemically preserve Chiara so I can still look upon my Allegra's face…
But it wouldn't be her.
I felt it before I knew it, so it would never work. She could never replace my heart, even on the most physical level where they're identical.
And so, torture it is.
Pure agony.
I bottle up the grief for a moment, needing my wits about me to beat them at their own game. They're probably fucking even now.
Ah, but wouldn't it be nice if Chiara would choke on Father's dick—after it's been severed from his body, of course? I'd like to see her face then, when I make them eat each other's entrails and choke on putrid bile, regurgitating only to ingest again.
My mouth curls up in sinful delight.
I'm at the top of the stairs, my resolve firm, my fingers itching to draw blood.
Until my phone rings, and one reluctant glance tells me it's Lia.
Does she know?
I'm torn between ignoring her call and continuing on the path of destruction, but the other side of me tells me to answer it, find out exactly what these people have done, and mete out an even worse punishment.
"Yes," I answer, my tone curt and clipped.
"Signor Enzo," Lia says, her voice breathy and scared.
"What is it?" I bark out, a little too harsh.
"I… can we meet? There's something you need to know," she sounds uncertain enough to make me intrigued.
"Aren't you in Italy?" I ask dryly, already anticipating the answer.
"What? No, of course not," she replies immediately, and her confirmation is enough to stop me—to put a momentary stop to my murderous plans. Because I need the full picture.
I need to know what happened to my little tigress, so I know exactly how much I'll punish those fucking bastards.
"Fine," I tell her where to meet me—the only secure location at this point—maman's place.
With a longing stare of disappointment, I leave some of my weapons at home before I take Luca with me and head to maman's.
Knowing what I know, I can't let my son stay unsupervised under this roof.
When I reach maman's apartment, I'm met with a sobbing Lia taking comfort in maman's arms.
"Shh, dear, let it all out," maman coos, and Lia cries even harder.
My own tears have dried up, but as I look at her face, ravaged by tears, I feel my eyes getting moist anew.
"Lia," I address her, and her eyes widen when she sees me with Luca strapped to my front.
"Signor Enzo, and baby Luca," she rises to rush toward me, her eyes greedily moving over Luca's sleeping form.
"He's fine?" she asks, her voice breathless but also full of relief.
"He is." I nod toward the seats. "I gather you know something."
She sits down, her hands fidgeting in her lap, her expression full of worry and grief.
"You too?" she asks slowly, and I wonder how much I can reveal. But I remember how much Allegra had trusted her and how much she'd loved her as a mother figure.
"I've recently found out," I admit, and her hand flies to her mouth, muffling a cry.
"Would someone please tell me what's happening?" Maman interjects, and I motion for Lia to continue, since she probably has more information than I do.
"I don't even know where to start, Signor," she sighs deeply.
"What happened at the hospital?" I ask, feeling a lump form in my throat. I don't want to hear about my Allegra's death, but I need to steel myself. It's ironic that for someone used to the harshness of life—to killing without a care—this small detail could make me unravel.
"It was the day you left, Signor. She was behaving a little strangely, so I was worried about her.
I kept trying to pamper her, thinking maybe she was feeling a little overwhelmed.
But then she asked me to go buy her some sweets.
She was very specific in her demand and asked for something that she knew I wouldn't find easily. " She wipes at her eye.
"Luckily, I did, and I returned within the hour. Right in time to see Miss Chiara walk into her salon."
"She never mentioned that she and Chiara are twins," I interject.
"Of course she wouldn't," Lia's expression sours, "when all their lives they've been more like strangers than sisters who shared a womb.
And their parents played a large part in that, always pitting the girls against one another, making them compete for their affections.
But Chiara wasn't quite like my Miss Allegra.
She lacked her warmth and kindness, and she never played fair.
It was hard enough that Signora Marchesi blamed Allegra for the complications at her birth, but as the girls grew, it became clear their parents favored one over the other. "
"But they're twins," I add, almost outraged. I'd known Allegra's childhood hadn't been a happy one, but for her to be ostracized by everyone is a hard pill to swallow. I'd had my sisters, and even though there was an age difference, we'd all been close.
"It didn't really matter to them," Lia continues, taking a deep breath. "As the favoritism increased, so did the scheming. They eventually realized that they were lucky to have twins—one girl to keep and one to sell."
"Franzè."
She nods. "He was the perfect target, with his wealth and connections throughout Europe.
They decided early that Franzè would be the perfect son-in-law, so they contrived to turn Allegra into the perfect bride.
Most of which, as you well know, involved starving her and keeping her in a bubble.
While my Miss was having hunger pangs, her sister was traveling in luxury all around the world.
She was loved and celebrated by her parents, and they never denied her anything.
" More tears make their way down her cheeks, and maman offers her a napkin.
"I've always known Miss Chiara hated Miss Allegra, mostly because for all her evil machinations to always be the best, she knew she could never hold a candle to her sister. She always tried to bully my Miss, but you know Allegra," she smiles fondly, "she doesn't back down without a fight."
I nod along, trying to keep my head in the game and not succumb to my grief.
But Lia is right. That is exactly the beauty of Allegra. No matter how many times she gets knocked down, she always rises up stronger.
My little tigress…
"You can imagine my surprise seeing her at the hospital. Knowing how much they hate each other, I didn't think Miss Chiara would care about Miss Allegra's birth. So I waited around, suspicious of her visit."
My muscles are tense as I wait for her to continue.
"She was in there for too long. And at some point, another man came in. But it was when he left that I knew something was up," she sniffles, her voice getting clogged up.
"He was carrying one of those portable hospital beds, and even from a distance, I could see there was a body on it, covered only by a sheet," she pauses, and my heart drops.
Because I can imagine what follows. My hands automatically go to Luca's ears, hoping he won't hear the gruesome details of his mother's murder.
"I followed him to the hospital morgue, where he dropped the body. When he left, I went in. My…" her voice breaks, "my Miss was lying there, bloodied and unmoving… Half her face had been smashed to pieces, and I could barely recognize her."
I look away, that detail threatening to break the tight control I have over my anger.
"I didn't know what to do. I started crying and wailing over her body. But then I noticed something. She was still breathing—barely, but it was there."
I whip my head around faster than a projectile, my hands falling from Luca's ears.
"You mean… she's alive?" I barely trust myself to speak, feeling like a whole Pandora's box of emotions has opened within me.
Lia nods.
"Where? Where is she?" I stand up, ready to go to wherever my little tigress is.
"She's not… well."
"What do you mean?"
"I managed to get her out of there and get her some medical help by lying that she was my daughter, but… the Marchesis have been looking for me. They sent someone to where I was staying, and I'm sure they won't rest until I'm dead."
"Don't worry about that. Nothing will happen to you," I assure her, a little impatient. "Allegra. Where is Allegra?"
"She's in a coma, Signor. I moved her to a nursing home and they have her hooked up to machines, but... they don't know how much longer..."
"No," I whisper. "She can't die. Not now that I have her back. Let's go to her, and we can discuss a plan later."
Lia seems unsure as she looks between me and maman.
"That's exactly why I didn't come until now, Signor. I don't know if I can trust you. I know my Miss needs better care, and it's imperative she gets moved to a better facility, but... will you save her or kill her?"
She looks me straight in the eye as I do the only thing I can think of.
I fall to my knees in front of her.
"Please," I start, my voice shaky, "I love her more than anything in this world. Please... let me save her." I implore her, using all my emotions to imbue my words and hoping it will be enough.
"I was right in my initial assessment of you, Enzo Agosti," she finally says, standing up.
"Let's go get your wife."
We switch cars twice before we reach the location, the goal being to keep anyone from following us.