Chapter 34
Damien
‘Scoring the End of the World’ – Motionless in White, Mick Gordon
Vernazza is a simple fishing village mostly surrounded by water and filled with tall, slender, attached homes.
The outside walls might be brightly colored, but in the middle of the night, they shockingly look all the same.
We couldn’t come out too early, and we have to make sure we don’t leave too late.
Because most of the people in this town are fishermen, they’re up earlier than most people are in the city, forcing us to adjust our timeline.
These people lead quiet lives, which means they want to keep it that way.
There may not be many in Vernazza that speak English, but those that could were very happy to show Zeke around during his recon yesterday.
He took all sorts of pictures, pretending to be an eager tourist, and he was sure to show excitement when they led him to all of the historic buildings and scenic views.
He was also sure to feign wariness with locations they warned him about, claiming they were occupied with ‘less-than-savory characters.’
That’s when we knew exactly where to go, and when he finally caught an image of Saconne hiding away in one of the flats, we put the rest of the plan in motion.
It wasn’t much, and it was hard to make out, but I knew it was him.
The voices in my head came back to life and told me everything I needed to know.
As I walk down the road mixed with pavement and cobblestone, I let my own blend of emotions stir to the surface.
I do want vengeance. I want retribution, but it doesn’t feel as heavy this time.
There’s a reprieve, knowing that I’m no longer playing a game of cat and mouse.
The purpose here isn’t to find him before he finds us.
It’s purely retaliatory. We’ve waited months for this, and something about that patience has made this even sweeter.
He has nothing. He is nothing—just as pathetic as he made me feel. He’ll feel the pain he forced me to inflict on others, and I’ll watch the fire in his eyes as he makes his descent into hell. There’s nothing in my way anymore, and victory already tries to race down my spine.
Now that I think about it, I’ve already won.
I have a beautiful family, men that trust and support me, and a life built on morality.
His empire, backed by a society just as vile as he is, crumbled the moment he fell and he was abandoned—left in the cold for me to slaughter.
He never had a chance, and I’ll prove that to him before he dies.
An old village such as this doesn’t have street surveillance, which means I’m most likely clear to proceed as I step up to the front door.
To the normal eye, this place would pass as abandoned.
The door is dry and looks dusty, like it hasn’t been opened in a long time, and the windows are boarded up from the inside.
Now that it’s dark, I can’t see anything through the spaces that aren’t covered, but I don’t need to.
My own darkness will guide me, and it’s time I let it out again.
I count down from ten in my head, following my father’s instructions.
Each second is one step closer to peace for us both.
My dad has waited even longer for this. Hell, he searched for years.
It was imperative that I brought him along.
All of the time Emma and I lost with him because of what Saconne did to our mother can never be replaced, but they can be avenged today.
Once I get to zero, I raise my hand and knock on the door.
The sound is barely loud enough to reach across the small road, but I know it boomed through the inside.
My heart rate picks up just at thought of his fear, of who he’ll believe is behind the door.
Images of his surprised, horrified face flash through my mind, and excitement rattles my bones.
I wait, just as my father suggested, and the moment I hear a small thud from inside, I stick my picklock into the keyhole and quickly force the door open.
As I step inside, Dad is already shoving Saconne back into the living room from what appears to be a kitchen—which leads to the door my father came through. All it takes is one look at him after I flip the light on, and I snarl in disgust.
He looks like shit.
No more fancy suits or combed back hair for this asshole.
He’s wearing tattered, filthy clothes that I can smell from a few feet away.
His beard has grown fully in wild, unkempt strands.
The same goes for his hair, and that looks like it hasn’t been tamed in at least a month.
The white sections of his hair now have a yellow tint, and he looks like he’s lost a few pounds—not in a healthy way.
“Did you really think you could hide from me?” I take a step forward, moving the chair in front of me so harshly that it flips over and smacks into the wall. “I told you I would be your end, mother fucker.”
His eyes widen even more than they already were, appearing like they could pop out at any moment.
“Merda…” Saconne whispers, jerking his head from side to side as he tries to keep me and my father in his line of sight.
“It looks like you have nowhere else to go, Alessio,” my father taunts and grabs a nearby chair, then yanks it over forcefully, causing it to scrape across the old floors. “Have a seat.”
I see the moment fire sparks in Saconne’s eyes, and it fuels me.
When he darts to the side, attempting to push his way through us, I lash out.
My hand snatches his throat before he can take two steps, and his pulse throbs against my fingertips.
He kicks and hits me with his fists, but the moment I bring his face to mine, he freezes in fear.
“Not today,” I seethe with my mouth only about three inches from his. I shove him back, and he fumbles into the chair like a newborn foul. “Give me your phone,” I demand through gritted teeth, trying to remember that there is still another objective besides killing him.
“It’s on the counter.” I rip my knife out from the sheath and hold it to his throat as my father moves to retrieve it.
Saconne stares up at me with a look he tries to portray as angry, but I feel the fright in it.
His pulse shakes my blade. It feels so good, like each erratic thump is building the anticipation.
My thoughts break when Dad walks back in, carrying a small flip phone in his hand. He tosses it over to me, but I don’t bother looking at it. I push the knife into his throat just a little harder, only to prove my position.
“Now give me the real one.”
He sinks into the chair.
“What?” he quivers.
“You’d never give it over that easily, and this hunk of junk isn’t capable of holding the information you and DeLuca kept.
” I slash upward with my knife, cutting him from his throat to his cheek.
“Where. Is. It?” I ask again. When he doesn’t answer, I look up at my father.
“Hey, Dad? Is there something in here you can play with?” I raise an eyebrow, knowing that Saconne is most likely more afraid of him than me.
“I’m sure I can find something, son.” He steps back into the kitchen, almost swinging his arms like Zeke does. That might be a bit concerning, but he’s been waiting for this. So, I’ll let it go.
“There isn’t a scenario where you let me live,” Saconne speaks up, curling his lip in his own revolting way. I hate the shivers it sends through my limbs. “Why would I give you what you want?” I bend down to shove my face near his another time.
“Because I can either make this quick, or I can make this really hurt. There is a bare minimum of what I can do to you tonight, or I can make this last forever. You could be my new test dummy, help me see what methods work and what don’t.
Hell, maybe I could recreate that mask you used on me—I could even modify it a little. ”
His breath catches in his throat.
“Just think about it,” I continue. “All of the things I could do to you. All of the things my father could do to you. And if you think we’re bad, just wait until my wife is healthy enough to torture you.
My queen is a vicious little thing, and she loves to bare her teeth—especially to those who have threatened us.
You will pay, Saconne, but your cooperation will influence how badly you’ll suffer.
If you don’t think I can sneak you back into the states, you’re sadly mistaken. ”
“Oh,” my father chimes in just as he returns from the kitchen. “If we get him back, we could always hand him over to the Society once we’re done.”
That gets him.
He stiffens despite the blood dripping down his face, and I barely notice the tremor in his hands.
“It’s in the mattress,” he reveals. I can only smirk.
“Dad, have your fun while I go dig that out.” I stand straight up and take a step back. By the time I take a second, my dad’s already holding Saconne in his grip, and a devilish smile graces his lips.
I make it out of the room, and that’s when I hear the first, now muffled, scream.
The moment it hits my ear drums, it’s as if something inside me calms. I sigh, and a weight I forgot I was holding lifts.
The ghosts that followed me from that place are slowly forgiving me, and I haven’t done any real damage yet.
It makes me wonder how I’ll feel when I finally forgive myself.
This place is trashed and was clearly neglected long before Saconne occupied it.
Honestly, it makes me feel a little better.
At least he hasn’t been sitting in luxury and enjoying life.
I hope the fear has tortured him as much as it did me.
I wonder if the voices have tried to destroy him in his sleep.
If they haven’t, I’m sure the paranoia has, and I’d love nothing more than to make his fears a reality.