42. Carina
CHAPTER 42
Carina
N iall was right.
One wouldn’t believe Savio and Luca would lower themselves to live in such “primitive” conditions.
Gone is the luxurious but tacky mansion that was dripped in tasteless wealth and behold the small two bedroom cabin with barely the necessities.
I’m surprised their egos have allowed them to live here for this long.
They must be stewing inside there. Counting the days until their faces can be shown again.
All the lights are off except the one in the living room. I can see slivers of life through the drabby blinds.
The anticipation of killing in general shouldn’t taste this sweet, nor should it feel this good, but it’s hard to not feel this way.
There’s an undercurrent of electricity running through my veins sparking me with excitement. A sinister smile hasn’t left my lips.
The day of ruination has come.
“I’ll step in when needed, but this is your moment, Carina. Own it,” Constantine encouragingly reminds me.
I rise up on the ball of my feet and place a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
The gun in my hand should feel foreign. At the very least it should trigger unwarranted memories. And yet it feels like an extension of my own hand.
Violence agrees with me.
Constantine nods his head to Gino and he begins to breach the door with a few hard shoves. The wooden door gives way, splintering and breaking into fragments before us.
The sound is enough to alert them. But I never wanted the element of surprise. No, I want them to know I’m coming. I want them to choke on their own fear.
Gino enters the cabin first. With a nod of his head it’s safe for myself to enter.
Constantine enters before me, checking the space himself. Outstretching his hand towards me I take it. Finally, I cross the threshold.
And there they are. I’ve never seen the two of them look as unkempt and disheveled. Even for mamma’s and Elio’s funeral they were dressed to the nines. Hair perfectly gelled. Not a wrinkle in sight. Eyes bright and fresh.
Yet here they are as everything they loathe.
My heels click across the original hardwood floor of the cabin. The wood creaks beneath me. It creates an eerie sound as it softly echoes through the room.
“Look at you two,” I snicker as I come to a stop. “Starting to look as filthy as your souls.”
Luca’s temper, which has always been hot and uncontrolled, flares as he goes to make a move around the cruddy sofa.
I raise the gun, poising it perfectly at his head. I then tsk at him. “I wouldn’t take another step, fratello. If you recall, I'm quite good with a gun.” I then cock my head to the side as I eye Savio. He stands next to Luca. One hand propped on his shoulder for support, his other hand resting protectively over his side. And it fills me with a great amount of joy to know Savio didn’t make it out of the church unscathed. “Ask papa . My first kill was a headshot, wasn’t it?”
Savio’s lips curl with distaste as Luca eyes burn with malice.
I wave my gun around in a circular motion as I say, “Cozy little place you have here. Very homey. I must say I love the down to earth vibe you have going on. But it’s missing one thing.” Before either one of them can open their mouths I fire a round. The bullet lands in Luca’s arm. He howls in pain and immediately begins to storm in my direction. I stop him by firing another shot to his leg. He falls to the ground in a helpless heap. Savio rushes to his precious son. “Red,” I say and they both look at me like I’m the one who has gone mad. “Your place needed some color.”
“You’ve lost your damn mind!” Savio roars. So uncharacteristically like him. It seems as if he’s become unraveled.
“The only thing I’ve lost is your strings.” My voice sharpens.
“You think you can just kill us and get away with it?”
“You thought you could kill mamma and my papa and get away with it?” The pain seeps through my voice. There will never be a time their deaths won’t cause a flare in my heart.
“Viola killed herself,” he says with conviction. But the curtains behind Oz have long been lifted.
“No, you destroyed her! You broke her heart. Snuffed her light. Drowned her spirit. You killed her long before you ordered Elio to strangle her.” My voice vibrates with fury. And I can feel it pulsating in my body. There’s a volcano within me. It’s only a matter of time before it erupts.
He turns his nose. “I did no such thing.”
“Stop lying or so help me god I will place this bullet between your eyes right now!” His lips curl as his nostrils flare.
“What do you want me to say, Carina? You want me to say I ordered the kill of my wife? I did!” His voice rises and so does he. “Do you want me to say I killed her because of the affair she had with the damn pathetic excuse of a butler? I did! Do you want me to admit the only reason I kept you alive is so Giuseppe could live a life worse than death itself? I admit it! I admit to all of it! And I sleep fucking good every night!”
“And when I sleep I’m haunted by the visions of them. But rest assured, Savio, after tonight when my head hits that pillow and sleep calls for me I will not be losing any by killing you.”
His laugh is boisterous and full of mockery. My finger on the trigger twitches, just begging to be pulled.
As his laughter continues to ring in the air I realize my grander plan for his death is for naught.
All the plans I have for torturing him and making him beg are no longer enticing. They’re no longer a need.
It almost seems anticlimactic how his demise will come to be.
But sometimes in life death isn’t about the theatrics or the flair.
This time there is no apology. There is no hope that God will forgive me.
This time as I pull the trigger I keep my eyes open.
The bang doesn’t reverberate long after it’s done.
My mouth doesn’t fall open in a silent scream at the sight of Savio’s head blown wide open. No, quite the contrary. A smile splits across my face from ear to ear.
Glee bubbles up inside me. Endorphins flood through my bloodstream. There’s a giddiness.
“Fuck!” Luca screams as he scrambles away from Savio but ends up tripping on his blood.
With a signal of my hand Constantine, Gino, Pietro and Rico follow my lead as we corner Luca. He’s backed against the wall now. I’ve never seen him so terrified before.
“Tell me, Luca. Who’s the master of the chess board now?” I revel in his fear. It’s like a hit of cocaine. Addicting. Fills you with a rush that goes straight to your head and makes you feel as if you own the world.
“Carina, please-”
“In all those years you abused me I never once pleaded with you. I wish I would’ve known then how strong I was. Because the truth, Luca? The truth is you’ve always been weaker than me.”
He clasps his hands in prayer and begs before me as if I’m his God. “I’ll leave town. The country! I swear it. Just don’t do this. Please. Have mercy.” It’s a feeble attempt. One he shouldn’t have wasted his breath on.
“Have you ever shown mercy?” I ask coolly.
He closes his eyes in defeat. His face crumples as his clasped hands tremble.
Placing the gun in his mouth I say chillingly, “Smile for me, Luca. It’s always so much more pleasing when a man smiles.”
As his lips smile around the gun I pull the trigger.