Chapter 19 Breach
Nineteen
Breach
Eros
The next step is to bring Livio in without causing a stir. If word gets out that these men have talked, he’ll make a run for it. It won’t stop me from tracking the fucker down, but it would be much easier if we could do this quietly.
I’m just washing up and changing my shirt when there’s a pounding on the door. “Eros, hurry! It’s an emergency!” I wrench open the door to see Luciano standing there with a murderous expression. “Your house has been breached. Danilo and Vincenzo aren’t answering. We gotta go!”
I blast past him, grabbing my gun off the counter. Luciano is right behind me, hopping into the passenger side. I race out of the parking lot. My only thought is to get to Serafina before Livio does.
“Nero’s en route and bringing backup.” I can barely hear him with my heart thudding in my ears.
“If he touches her—” I growl.
“He won’t,” Luciano says defiantly.
Serafina
“Move, Serafina. We’ve got to go,” Danilo says, grabbing my arm, making me drop the dish I was putting away. It smashes to the floor, but Danilo has me running through the hall. Vincenzo drags my mother with him.
“They’ve blocked the front,” Vincenzo says. “The best hope is to make it to the forest at the back.”
“You have to leave me. I won’t make it. Take my Fi and go,” my mother says, pleading with Vincenzo.
“No! I won’t leave without you,” I cry out. I grab my mother’s hand. “We go together.”
“Figlia mia, I will slow you down,” she says.
“Stop! We don’t have time for this,” Danilo shouts. He looks to Vincenzo. “Out the side, around to the shed, then we make a run for the tree line.”
Vincenzo agrees.
Danilo takes hold of my hand and leads me to the side of the house.
I hear gunshots, and they’re getting closer to the house.
We have to get out of here. First, it’s Danilo and me, while Vincenzo covers us, then Mom and Vincenzo follow much more slowly behind us.
This gives us cover, but the shouting voices are getting closer, and that means we need to make a run for it.
Danilo and I hit the edge of the trees when bullets come flying in our direction. We’ve been spotted. I’m shouting and urging Mom to hurry when I see her fall. Without a thought, Vincenzo hauls her over his shoulder and continues to run while Danilo holds them off.
Danilo leads us deep into the trees until we reach a rustic cabin that I didn’t even know was on the property.
We go inside, and Vincenzo lays my mother down on the rug.
The cabin is so small that we huddle together while Danilo and Vincenzo barricade us in with the few pieces of furniture.
I sit by my mother and see that she didn’t trip. She’s been shot.
“Oh my God!” I gasp. “Mom!”
Danilo grasps me by the shoulders and whips me around. “You need to stay quiet. They can’t find us. If they do, we’re all dead.”
“Mom—”
“Vincenzo will do all he can, and we’ll get her help as soon as possible,” he responds. “Go help him. But be quiet. Okay?”
“Okay.” I need to get ahold of myself.
“Hold this right here, Serafina,” Vincenza says in a suppressed voice. He places my hands on Mom’s stomach as he moves around, opening drawers and coming back with a blanket to put over her. He takes off his light jacket and rolls it to put under her head.
Mom covers my hand with her own. “It’s fine, Fi. It’s going to be all right,” she whispers. “I’m tired of being here without my Egidio. I miss him so much.”
“Don’t say that. I need you with me. I can’t do this alone,” I say. “You’re going to be okay. Help is coming.”
“You’re not alone, cara. You have Eros. He loves you. He may not say it in words, but I feel it in my heart,” Mom says, her voice fading, her breathing becoming shallower.
“Please, Mom. Please,” I beg her.
“They’re coming,” Danilo exclaims, raising his gun and taking aim out of the small window to one side, while Vincenzo does the same on the other side. The air is so thick, and then suddenly, everything is quiet.
It all happens at once. Mom’s hand drops, letting me go, her eyes close, and she breathes her last breath. Meanwhile, Eros calls my name from outside. Danilo begins to move the obstacles barricading us in while Vincenzo helps us.
I’m caught between wanting to run into Eros’s arms and not wanting to let go of my mother. Eros makes the decision. His arms envelop me as he sits on the floor and pulls me onto his lap.
I bury my face in his neck. “She’s gone. Mom’s gone.”
Eros
I’ve lost three men. Families have lost their sons, husbands, and fathers.
I’m used to enduring the pain of loss. I mourned the death of my sister.
Men I grew close to in battle have died beside me, and it gutted me to see it all happen before my eyes.
But nothing compares to the pain I’m feeling in this moment, listening to the agonizing tears that Serafina is shedding for her mother.
While I carry Serafina back to the house, Danilo picks up Vera and carries her body behind us.
Along the way, we pass the bodies of the enemy that have been gunned down.
Nero has already started the cleanup, and when he sees Vera limp in Danilo’s arms, he knows that she’s gone.
Serafina is too far gone with grief to notice what’s happening around us.
“Call my mother,” I say as we walk past Nero, then continue on to the house. I take Serafina to our room and sit in the armchair near the window, keeping her on my lap. Her tears seem endless. They could fill an ocean.
“Sh-she’s gone. Mom’s gone. What am I going to do?” she sputters through her crying.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I murmur in her ear. She slowly starts to calm down and lifts her head. Her eyes are red and swollen.
“Mom said she missed Dad and was ready to go. I didn’t want her to leave me,” she whispers.
“She loved Dad so much. Mom dealt with so much pain after Dad died. Giusto was horrible to her. He treated Mom like a servant. Then her heart condition happened, and he had no use for her at all. Mom said it was because Giusto didn’t know how to deal with illness and made excuses for him, but inside, she knew her son was a monster. ”
“It’s no consolation, babe, because I know how much you loved your mother.
I did too. She was a good woman. But now, she’s with your father.
They’re together again. She wanted to see you married, and she did.
She knows you’re safe with me. She also knows that I love you,” I tell her, palming her cheek.
She leans into my hand and closes her eyes.
“I love you too,” she replies. Her lower lip quivers. “She’ll never know her grandchildren. They’ll never know her.”
“We’ll tell them. Every night we’ll tell them a story of their Nonna Vera and Nonno Egidio.”
Suddenly, my mother appears at the door.
“Serafina, cara,” she calls, her arms outstretched, and Serafina leaves my lap and runs into her arms. “It’s all right, my dove, we’ll take care of you.
” My mother sees her pain and does what a mother does, giving her the love she needs.
Mom looks at me, “Eros, they need you downstairs,” she says quietly.
“Serafina and I will be down in a little while.”
As I move past them, I kiss Serafina’s temple and my mother’s cheek. “Thanks, Mom.” The words don’t seem like enough, but they’re all I have at the moment.
Downstairs, I see more than Nero and Luciano. Marco and my father are with them. Vincenzo is sitting in the corner with his head in his hands, looking haggard and visibly upset. I know that Marco is our don, but I think I need a word with Vincenzo first.
When he sees me approaching, he gets to his feet. “I let you down. I should have—”
“Stop,” I state firmly. “You did all you could. Vera was an older woman. She couldn’t run nearly as fast, and they took advantage of that. You could have left her behind the minute she was hit, but you didn’t. You can’t blame yourself.”
“Mrs. Palloma is devastated,” Vincenzo replies with a heavy sigh.
“She loved her mother, as a child should. Her loss is going to hurt; however, Serafina is a strong woman, and although the pain may never go away, time heals.”
“I don’t want Mrs. Palloma to hate me,” he says.
“I’m not sure Serafina is capable of hate.” I give him a small grin. We talk for a few more minutes, and when I send him to collect Danilo, he seems better.
When I turn, I see the others standing close. Marco speaks up. “I’m sorry, Eros. Vera was a good woman,” he says, then adds, “You’re a good leader. Vincenzo needed you, and you gave him time, even though there’s much to be done.”
Nero jumps in next. “The bodies are gone. Everyone in La Famiglia has been informed that Livio is to be delivered to me. He’s been spotted, so it’s only a matter of time.”
“Felicia and Grazia are on their way,” Luciano says. “They want to be here to support Serafina. Thank God, Bianca got tied up at school. We got word to her. She’s on her way back. We thought it best to leave the girls at school until you decide how you want to break the news to them.”
“Thank you. All of you. I don’t want the girls coming back to blood on the walls,” I reply.
“Come home with your mother and me,” my father interjects. “Serafina and the others need family. We’re family. Your mother will enjoy doting on Alia and Anita. It will give you time to get the house back in order and allow things to settle.”
“I’ll check with Serafina,” I begin, then I notice Serafina standing in the doorway with my mother.
“I’d like that,” she says, directing her gaze to my father. Dad goes straight to her, kisses her cheek, and gives her a hug.
“You’re not alone, Serafina,” Dad says.
Marco then moves to Serafina. “La Famiglia is forever your family. Gloria and I are but a phone call away. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us.”
While Serafina is occupied, Nero catches my attention. “The breach means that one of the guards let them in and is working with Livio. I’ve called in a favor with Dante Viale. He’s going to find out who disabled the security at the gate. He’ll pay for his part in this,” he states with conviction.
Serafina agrees to go stay with my parents. The women are busy packing what they need. It’s good to keep Serafina’s mind busy. I don’t delude myself into believing the tears are over, but I will be there when they start all over again.