2. Sacrifice
TWO
Sacrifice
ZANO
“T ime for you to go,” I say through clenched teeth as I move Allegra firmly behind me, putting myself between her and the punk holding the gun.
“This isn’t your fight, asshole. This is between me and the bitch behind you,” the snarky hood responds, but I can see his hand shaking.
“Since your gun is aimed at me, I’d say this was between you and me.” Then I look behind me to see that Reno and Dante are at my back, with Raffaele and his men right by their sides. “Take a look around you. Not sure I like your odds, bud.”
“I’d still kill you,” he spits out.
“Spike, man. We’ll get her later,” says one of the other punk-ass fuckers in his crew.
Spike looks around and slowly lowers his gun. He looks around to catch Allegra’s eyes. “This is gonna cost you,” Spike threatens, his tone menacing. He backs away until he gets to his car, with his buddies, and pulls out, his tires squealing as he races down the street.
Once Spike’s gone, I turn and face Allegra. She trembling as she pulls her cell phone out of her purse. “Vic, don’t go home. Please. Don’t go home. Call me as soon as you get this message,” she pleads. She then looks up at me. “Thank you. I know you have no reason to help me, but I am grateful. I’ll get out of your way.”
Before she can take a step, Raffaele’s low, deep voice growls, “Don’t fucking move, Allegra.” All eyes face Raffaele, and he steps forward, closer to Allegra. “You brought a problem right to my door.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Allegra replies, her voice a mere whisper.
“Quiet!” Raffaele barks. Without taking his eyes off Allegra, he calls out to his best friend and most trusted second. “Ivo, find Victorio. Now!”
“You got it,” Ivo replies and gets on his phone.
“What do I do with you, Allegra?” Raffaele asks. He’s not looking for an answer, but he shakes his head like he wants to throttle her.
I step in to defend her. “She didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Zano!” Reno interjects. I meet his gaze, and he shakes his head, warning me to shut the fuck up. I glance at Dante, who is eyeing me curiously.
“Perhaps we should get out of the street,” Reno suggests. “We don’t need the entire block knowing our business.”
“I have to go find my brother,” Allegra says in a panic. “If they find him, they’ll?—”
“They’ll fucking use him to force you to comply,” Raffaele finishes for her. “Your brother is a pawn, and you are the prize.” He expels a frustrated sigh. “Your brother is an immature fool, and he’s going to get himself killed, and probably you too.”
“Nah, they’ll play with Allegra until they’re bored with her, then make her turn tricks, like the rest of the Skull whores,” Francesco adds.
“I have some money. I’m going to send Vic away,” she says quickly, her eyes flitting to each of us. “I need to find him before the Skulls do.”
Francesco looks to the sky like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. Reno snorts a sound of derision. Ivo’s still busy on the phone and is ignoring us, and I’m wondering how Allegra has survived this long being so naive.
Raffaele chooses to ignore Allegra and motions for his driver to pull up his car. He looks at Reno and Dante. “I can have you taken to your plane. It seems I have a situation to deal with.” He then turns to Allegra. “I should have let Spike take you with him. You’re not part of Ultimo Morte, and personally, I would have walked away. It seems, though, that Zano, here, cannot walk away from a lady in distress.” He nods in my direction.
At this point, Reno is staring directly at me, along with Dante. I meet their gazes, and Dante lets out a heavy sigh. “Shit,” he says, “I got a feeling this is going to get real.”
Reno doesn’t respond, but his eyes are glued to mine. “Our flight will wait,” Reno tells Raffaele. “Dante, call the pilot. Tell him he’s on standby. Raffaele, if you don’t mind, I think we want to see how this plays out.”
Raffaele watches him cautiously, then turns to me. “Fine.”
* * *
I vo rides in the front next to the driver, Reno and Raffaele sit across from me and Dante, with Allegra sandwiched between us in the back of the limousine. Allegra keeps texting on her phone, trying to get ahold of her brother. With every minute that passes, the Skulls could be getting closer and closer to finding Vic. Although, with Raffaele’s vast army of soldiers and connections, we have the upper hand.
We ride in silence, and when Ivo’s phone starts ringing, Allegro jolts in her seat, unconsciously gripping my arm.
“Yah,” Ivo says into the phone a moment later. “Where?” followed by, “How many?” There’s a pause before he replies, “Hold tight. It’s Raffaele’s decision. I’ll call you right back.”
Ivo twists in his seat and directs his attention to Raffaele. “The Skulls are closing in on Vic. He’s holed up in the basement of his apartment building. The Skulls are coming in hard. They’re armed and ready for a fight. Francesco’s got three with him. It’ll be enough to hold off the Skulls until we get there, or we let them have Vic and walk away.”
Allegra has a look of terror in her eyes, tears threatening to fall. Fuck! A woman crying has never affected me before. Well, except for Mom or my sister, Elena. But watching Allegra fall apart is like a knife to the gut. Her fingernails dig into my skin. She looks at Raffaele, silently pleading for his help.
“I’ll go,” I say. Reno is about to speak, but Dante leans in and whispers something in his ear.
“This isn’t our fight,” Reno finally says.
“The kid doesn’t stand a chance in hell alone,” I say.
“He’s not a child. He’s what, about seventeen? And he made the decision to keep bad company,” Reno responds. “At seventeen, you were already working for Nostra Casa and were training to be an excellent soldier.”
“Vic didn’t get the opportunity to prove his worth. His father wasn’t a positive role model.” I look at Raffaele. “I understand your decision to separate Allegra and her brother from the family. The idea was to let them live, though, and he won’t live out the day if the Skulls get to him first.”
“Why should I care?” Raffaele asks. “Vic is proving to be troublesome, and Ultimo Morte doesn’t need a teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder.”
“Then let me take them away from Philadelphia, and you’ll never have to see them again,” I say, then turn to Reno. “With your permission, of course, Capo.”
The fact that Reno isn’t pulling out his gun to shoot me is a good sign. Being Dante’s brother-in-law has bought me good faith, and the fact that I work harder than any other soldier to prove my worth to Dante, Reno, and their other brother, Sebastian, must count for something. But even with all that, Reno doesn’t like someone speaking out of turn, and I have. Twice now!
“Are you willing to take full responsibility for Allegra and her brother? Are you ready to make a sacrifice greater than any other you’ve ever had to make?” Reno asks, his voice cold and harsh.
I should say no. This isn’t my business or my problem. Then I glance down at Allegra, who is desperately trying to text and call her brother, physically shaking, and my mouth develops a mind of its own. “Yes. Capo.”
“The sacrifice is marriage, Zano. The only way that Raffaele will let them go is if there is a union. Vic is too young and unstable, which means that Allegra will have to make the same sacrifice to save her brother,” Reno states. “What are your thoughts on this, Raffaele?”
“What do I get in return?” Raffaele asks with a chuckle.
“Certainly, getting rid of a problem is sufficient enough,” Reno barters. Their negotiations are only eating up precious time, but keeping my mouth shut is the smartest thing I can do.
“Only Vic is a problem. Allegra has stayed out of my hair, well, until today,” Raffaele responds.
“Why not do the fair thing and let all markers be cleared? After all, with all the wonderful news of babies coming, it would be a good way of putting the past in the past,” Dante suggests.
Raffaele says, “Allegra, are you willing to marry Zano to save your brother? And not only marriage, but this means you are to abide by all laws and customs of Nostra Casa. Reno will be your new capo, and do not think he is any less ruthless than I am. If I even hear that you or your brother are causing problems, I will be glad to load the gun Reno will use to get rid of both you and Vic.”
Allegra looks up at me with huge eyes. “You would do this for me and Vic?”
“We’re running out of time. You need to make a decision, although I don’t see much choice in the matter,” I say, avoiding her question. Truly, I haven’t got a clue why I’m willing to give up my freedom for some woman and a kid I haven’t even met.
In our world, men marry for prestige and power. I won’t get that, but then again, many men marry to have heirs, and I will want a kid of my own. Besides, men in Nostra Casa aren’t expected to be faithful. Most have a mistress on the side, and their wives don’t seem to care. It’s not how I grew up. My father is devoted to my mother, but this is rare and unique.
“Yes. I’ll make any sacrifice to help Vic, and I swear to you, I’ll be the best wife I know how to be,” Allegra answers in a small voice.
I nod and feel relief wash over me. I push that aside and turn to Ivo, who gives his command over the phone, while the driver picks up his speed, swerving through traffic to the east side of the city.
Allegra’s hands are clenched tightly in her lap. I cover them with my own.
“You’ve both made the sacrifice to save Vic. This kid better appreciate it, or I’ll end him myself,” says Raffaele.