ELIANO #5
Of course, each of my brothers received a substantial piece of forest land from our dad’s inheritance.
It was premarital property, so it never became a mafia asset.
Anzo couldn’t touch it the way he did with our bank accounts.
Of course I also have the land in my name there, but can’t do anything with it as of now.
"So you’re building only on this land you secretly bought?" I ask.
"Of course, only there. Our original plots are under surveillance. Rocco’s people have shown up there, Eliano. Asking around if anyone’s seen us. If I weren’t hiding out and keeping a low profile, it wouldn’t be pretty."
"Wait, what?"
A small wave of shock stiffens me. I swallow hard, my throat slightly constricting.
"Yeah. Rocco’s determined to make an example of us."
"Holy shit, Mauro… you’re serious? Soldati did really come?"
"Yes. Rocco won’t stop, Eliano. Be very careful."
The cold shivers keep running through me, my fingers clench hard on the phone.
So my decision to come to Calsing Island wasn’t paranoia after all!
Until now, Rocco’s threat of revenge felt distant. Real, yes, but pushed far into the future. After taking over as capo, I assumed he’d be busy consolidating power.
Instead, the bastard went looking for us almost immediately, burning with vengeance over our escape!
He must have felt it was a slap to his face. Knowing his way, the idea of what he could do makes me lose my breath a bit, and my stomach tightens.
"I need to go, Mauro. But let’s stay in touch. My situation here could turn bad. I might need a place to disappear."
"Of course. Be alert, Eliano. Your blog is well secured, but Rocco might still be watching it, tracking your activity, trying to figure out where you are."
He’s right.
After we say goodbye, I sit on the side of the bathtub for a while, rubbing my chin nervously, thinking. I’ve already posted two entries about Beta Activation. Maybe I should diversify, post about other topics, and draw attention away from my interest in the project.
As I brood, I already make drafts of unrelated posts in my head.
◆◆◆
When I head back to the living room, my thoughts are buzzing, but the moment I step through the door, I sense a shift in the atmosphere.
Salt is sitting on the couch. There’s a vertical crease between his brows, and something about him feels different. More determined.
"Everything okay with your brother?" he asks.
"Yes." I give him a brief rundown of Mauro’s news, but Salt seems distracted.
The only reaction he has comes when I mention that Rocco was looking for me on the plots we inherited from Dad. He sighs and mutters something about the obsession with revenge in the mafia, but we don’t go any further on the topic, because I can tell his mind is elsewhere.
I’m also pretty sure that, since he doesn’t know Rocco, he isn’t affected by the fear factor the way I am.
For many people, the mafia equals handsome mobsters, fast cars, cigars, and shootouts on street corners in junkie neighborhoods.
It’s probably hard for Salt to translate that into our situation.
He’s fidgeting with a fine-tip pen, the one he usually uses for sketches, rolling it absently between his fingers.
I move closer to him.
Salt’s eyes slowly trace my face, thoughtful.
"Listen, Eliano," he says, taking a breath. "There’s something that’s been hanging between us for a long time, and I want to finally resolve it. Strangely enough, now might be the best moment."
I sit down beside him slowly. I have a strange sense of where this conversation is headed, but I want to hear him out.
"I told you Senu’s story," he begins. "As you know, my brother’s murderer, the eldest of the Tanners, is still free and never faced any punishment. He got away with it. The police never found Senu’s body." He takes a deep breath. "Now it’s time for the truth, because you deserve it."
I stay silent, looking at him calmly.
"I joined the BA program for one reason only, Eliano. Unlike state prison, it gave me a chance, even if a slim one, to escape and put my plan of vengeance for Senu into motion."
I keep quiet, watching Salt, waiting for his conclusion.
He looks back at me, uncertain, then continues.
"At first I didn’t want to tell you. I tried to keep my distance, for both our sakes.
But the rules on this island, you know how they are, make that pretty hard, and everything between us started to…
" he gestures vaguely, "get more intense. In the end, it was a good thing. I got to know you better, and I know you’re… decent, someone I can trust. You don’t deserve me just disappearing one day without a word. "
I’m still waiting for his conclusion, because in some way I already figured out the part he’s shared so far on my own.
Salt takes a few deeper breaths, like he’s bracing himself before jumping into deep water, and finally he says it.
"If there’s chaos now because of everything with Drax, maybe this is the perfect moment to run. According to what Fred said, the ferry comes tomorrow. Do you really think anyone will bother keeping track of us with all this mess going on? I seriously doubt it."
Salt clenches his hands, then lifts them and folds them across his chest in a slightly awkward gesture.
"I want you to run away with me, Eliano. On my own, I’m not sure I could take out Daniel Tanner without too much risk, but with you, I know it would go smoothly. We could survive it, escape, and start a life somewhere else where no one would ever find us."
Damn it. So he said it.
His eyes are fixed on me, full of hope and something painfully vulnerable. I know exactly what he’s feeling right now. He put everything on the line, trusted me completely. I doubt that’s something he does often. It must have cost him a lot.
But unfortunately, I’m about to crush that hope. Still, it breaks my heart, as I firmly believe the path he’s chosen isn’t the right one.
I close my eyes for a moment, gathering the strength to be the bad guy here.
"Salt… thank you for telling me this. It really means a lot to me that you trusted me with it. Though I’d already guessed parts of it, the fact that you said it out loud is proof that something real happened between us."
"But?" Salt whispers, his voice weak, almost shaky. "There’s always a worse part after the ‘but’." He closes his eyes. I can hear his heartbeat picking up.
"But this plan is the worst possible one. And the outcome would only destroy us."
Salt jerks upright, swearing under his breath.
"Dammit! I knew it. Fucking knew it! My instincts told me to keep my mouth shut. Forget it."
He abruptly spins on his heel and rushes for the bathroom, probably to lock himself in, but I jump up and grab his hand to stop him. He struggles, trying to pull free, but I don’t let go.
"Wait, Salt. Please let me explain everything. I need you to understand my point of view too."
"Fuck off!" he shouts. "I don’t care about your point of view. You didn’t know my brother! You don’t know how much of an angel he was to me.
I’m alive because of him! You have no idea what he sacrificed, what he went through so I wouldn’t have to.
I won’t let his murderer walk free in this world, no fucking way! "
He yanks his arm again, but this time I grab him around the waist and throw him onto the bed.
I pin him down with my body and say calmly, "Okay. We’re going to talk like this, because I need to finish what I’m saying."
His face is flushed, and his eyes, maybe I’m imagining it, but they look a little wet. He tenses and struggles, but his breaths soon start to break, and he turns his head away.
I let out a huff. This isn’t easy for me either, but I have to say it.
"I know I’ve disappointed you, probably greatly. But I’m going to say this no matter what."
I lock my gaze on his face, still turned to the side.
"If we run, first of all, we both break the rules of this program. If we get caught, we’ll be separated, with very low chances of ever being together again."
I underline the last words with a light squeeze on his wrists, which I’m holding beneath me.
"Second, if we kill Daniel Tanner, we’ll both be guilty.
You’ll get another sentence, a repeat offense.
You’d be automatically excluded from any program meant for first-time offenders.
And me? I’d end up in a maximum-security alpha prison.
Far away from you. I’ve already lived in what was basically a prison.
Thanks, but I’m not going back there. Even for your brother. "
Salt looks at me again, fire burning in his eyes.
"No one has to catch us if we’re careful," he snarls, his body constantly straining under mine.
I snort softly. "You’re naive if you think no one will catch us.
Where would we run? To the other side of the world?
People get tracked everywhere. Facial recognition is so advanced that they’ll find us sooner or later.
We wouldn’t even notice some random camera in someone’s backyard.
There’s no way we could hide for years."
Salt squeezes his eyes shut. "Stop. Why are you telling me this? My original plan was to just go, do it, and get myself killed during the police chase—"
"If it even comes to that! Tanner is a rapist and a kidnapper. He knows his ways, and you don’t have easy access to a gun anymore. He may overpower you and hurt you in ways you can’t imagine… before the police ever enter the picture!"
"I’m not stupid! I will never confront him face to face!
And I will get a gun, don’t worry." He snorts angrily.
"I know there’s no clean way out of something like this.
But…" he curses under his breath and turns his face away again, "yeah, one thing you said is right.
I am a naive idiot. I let myself believe that maybe, with you, there was another way. "
"Maybe killing Tanner would be easier with two people, but at the same time, two people are far more noticeable targets. This is doomed, Salt, and you know it."