Crucified (7 page)

“Tell me who you
are first,” an American man said.

“I’m not telling
you anything, until I know who you are and what this is all about?”

“Looks like we
have a standoff then, so put Sarah back on so I can talk to her.”

“No, you talk to
me. Are you her husband?”

“Her husband’s in
jail—where you and your family will soon be too.” Someone said something behind
the man, then he resumed talking. “We have enough now; we’ll be seeing you shortly.”
The line went dead.

I turned to Honey.
“Who was that?”

“Dan. What did he
say?”

“Nothing, other
than your husband’s in jail and that my family will soon be too.”

“He thinks you’re
a D’Angelo.”

“Just tell me who
he is, Honey,” I snapped, losing my patience with her. “Or is it Sarah?”

“
It’s not what you think, Alessandro; he’s FBI and is forcing
me to be here.”

“
What the fuck? Why?”

“I can’t tell
you!”

“You will, or I’ll
go straight to the Don and tell him you work for the FBI. Do you understand
what will happen if I do that?”

“He’ll kill me!”

“Which is why you
need to tell me everything,
so I
can figure out what’s going on and if it’s worth helping you.”

She started
sobbing. “None of this is my fault, it’s my husband’s. He deserves to be where
he is, but I don’t.”

I took a hold of
her shoulders and steered her back into the bedroom, sitting her down next to
me on the bed. “What did your husband do?”

She wiped her eyes.
“He works for the Italian Mafia. I had no idea, he never told me; I just
thought his employers were Italian, I didn’t know they were criminals.”

“Is your husband
Italian?”

She shook her
head. “No, Irish-American. He launders money for them. About three months back,
the FBI raided our house and took him away. They told me if I didn’t want him
to go to jail for a very long time, I had to allow myself to be captured by
Jagger, then they would put me and my husband into witness protection after they
got me out. They said an FBI agent would look after me while I was here, but
Federico couldn’t stop Alberto from raping me, then I found out the Donatelli
murdered Federico.” She burst into a fresh bout of tears.

I put my arm
around her. “Alberto’s gone now, he can’t hurt you anymore.”

She laid her head
on my shoulder. “I’m so scared, Alessandro.”

“I know and I’ll
help you the best I can, but I still don’t understand why they would send you
into danger like this?”

“They can’t touch
the D’Angelos unless they are caught trafficking Americans. They were supposed
to raid this place not long after I got here, but the Russian guards showed up.
Federico told me I had to wait a bit longer, because plans had changed, that the
target was now the Russians. They were going to arrange someone else to come in
to help, but the woman turned out to be mafia.”

“Who?”

“Rita, although she
told Camila her name was Sophia and that she met Frano seven years ago. I think
she might be a double agent working for him, which was why she didn’t help me.
But I’m not sure of anything. I don’t know what’s up or down, nothing makes
sense.”

“Okay, I’ll go
talk to Frano to see if he can help.”

“No! He’ll kill
me.”

“I think he’ll be
more interested in getting information than hurting you,” I said, hoping that
was true. I reached past her and opened the bedside cabinet, pulling out cuffs
from it.

Honey’s eyes
widened. “What are you doing?”

I grabbed her
wrist and clicked one on.

She started
struggling against me. “You lied to me!”

I pushed her onto
the bed and attached the other cuff to the bedrail. “I’m not lying; I just need
to make sure you don’t try to run or use my phone again.”

“I won’t!” she yelled,
yanking at the bedrail. “So, let me go.”

I grabbed another
cuff and secured her other wrist to the bedrail as she struggled uselessly
against me.

“Please don’t do
this to me!” she cried.

“Just calm down,
Honey, I’ll remove them when I get back.”

I went to leave,
but turned around as hollering started up outside my window. I walked over to it
and looked out, finding Pedro Landi heading for the entrance with a troop of
soldiers, the man yelling at the one guarding the door to get behind him.

He stopped and
looked up my window. “Santini,” he mouthed, then pointed two fingers at me and
cocked them like a gun.

Shouts
came from the front of the house, making me push to my feet, along with the
Donatelli sisters, who I was having breakfast with. Seconds later, Pedro Landi stormed
into the dining-room surrounded by soldiers. His eyes were red and his face was
twisted in agony. His gaze shot to Camila’s sisters. “Take them!” he yelled,
pointing to the women.

The soldiers
rushed forward, grabbing Ghita and Andriena, while Camila shot out of her
chair, screaming at them not to touch her sisters. She jolted as Pedro yelled
for her to taken too. Two soldiers headed around the table to where Camila and
I were sitting.

I pushed Camila
behind me, yelling: “Back down!”

The soldiers
hesitated, their gazes moving to Pedro.

“Step out of the
way, Frano,” Pedro said, his voice low and dangerous. “The Donatelli will pay
for their crimes.”

“These women have
committed no crime.”

“All Donatelli
belong in graves after Christo murdered my youngest girls!” he yelled.

I froze, what he
had just said making my stomach drop. “What?”

Pedro covered his
face, then flung his hand out, his anguish beyond even my own living nightmare.
“I found them hanging on crosses!” he yelled, a sob breaking free. “That
monster had slit their throats.” His body began to shake, his voice growing
softer, grief choking him. “They were my
bambine
; my everything.”

I moved around the
table to embrace him.

He stepped out of
my reach. “The only way you can comfort me is to hand over all Donatelli.”

I indicated to the
sisters. “These women have got nothing to do with what’s happened. Ghita and
Andriena have only just been released by the Santini, while Camila’s helping me
hunt down her uncles and Matteo.”

“I don’t care!
They are Donatelli and all of them will die for what was done to my
bambine
!”

Andriena started
crying, while Ghita yelled and screamed, trying to get away from the soldier
who was holding her.

“You cannot allow
more women to die for what their men have done,” I replied.

“The men will suffer
as I suffer,” Pedro spat. He lifted a gun and pointed it at Ghita.

“No!” I yelled,
raising my hands, my heart now pounding. “Don’t do this, Pedro. You will be no
better than the
bastardo
who killed your daughters.”

Pedro’s head
turned to me. “I
am
no better.” He fired off a shot.

Ghita collapsed in
the soldier’s arms. He let her go, allowing her dead body to fall to the floor.
Andriena and Camila screamed, chaos erupting. Camila ran around the table to
her fallen sister, her wailing now filling the house.

A flash of color shot
down the staircase, Alessandro launching himself at the man holding Andriena. They
all went down. Alessandro scrambled over Andriena, shielding her body with his,
which was half naked, my trainer only wearing track pants, his colorful tattoos
showing the depths of Hell. The soldier he’d knocked down put him into a
stranglehold, demanding that Alessandro let go of Andriena, but my trainer held
onto her strong even though the soldier was choking him.

“Let him go!” I
yelled, making the soldier loosen his grip. He was the scarred man who I had
ordered to follow Camila around. He looked at Pedro, no doubt waiting for instructions.

As Pedro opened
his mouth, Camila jumped up and went to attack him. I lunged at her, grabbing
her before the soldiers could. Camila cried out, struggling against me.

“Stop, Camila!”

“He killed my
sister!”

I looked at Pedro.
“Call your soldiers off! There’s to be no more killing under my roof.”

“Then I’ll take
them outside and do it there,” Pedro said, his features harder than granite.

“No! You will not
kill any more women.”

“How about I kill
your trainer as well then!” Pedro hollered.

“He is Santini. You
will start a war if you shoot him. Both the Santini and Rossos will come after
you in full force.”

Pedro’s lip
twitched. “I am already at war with the Rossos.”

“What? Why?”

“They set up my girls.
I have soldiers at their house now, fighting against them and the Santini.” He
turned his head to Alessandro. “Your
famiglia
have no part in my
daughters’ deaths, so call them off and I will spare them. I only want the
Rossos’ heads.”

“My
famiglia
won’t
back down,” Alessandro said. “The Rossos are relatives. My sister and her
children are Rossos.”

“Then they will
die.”

“You
bastardo
!”
Alessandro let go of Andriena and went for Pedro. Soldiers shot in front him,
shoving Alessandro back, creating a barrier of muscle to protect their don.

“You have started
a war!” Alessandro yelled. “My
famiglia
will kill you all!”

Guns were raised
and pointed at him.

“If you kill
Alessandro,” I said. “You might as well kill me.”

Pedro’s glare
moved to me. “He said it: I am at war with his
famiglia
, and now, Frano,
you will return the favor I have done for you. You must support me.”

“I can’t stand
against the Santini, they are my cousins. You have to think this through first;
think about what you’re doing, because you will bring down an innocent
famiglia
.
This is what the Donatelli want: to fracture our alliances. Maybe they set the
Rossos up for this sole purpose. Please, contact your men, tell them to back
down, then bring the heads of the families to my table so we can find out what
really happened.”

“What happened is
my two youngest were murdered! No amount of talk can bring them back or stop
this war.” Pedro squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, only the sobs of Camila
and Andriena breaking the silence. Their sister’s blood was now discoloring the
floor only a few feet away from where Alberto had died. I was beginning to hate
this house, where nothing but death and sorrow filled the walls, tears for the
dead constantly being shed.

“Then think about
your other daughter,” I said. “You need to be with her and your wife now.”

“I can’t until I
kill the bastards who took my
bambine
from me!”

“Exactly: the ones
who killed them, not the innocent who had no part in their deaths.”

“My daughters were
ambushed at a Rosso party. Those bastards left my children with Christo
Donatelli, knowing what a monster he is.”

“Then allow
Alessandro to talk to his
famiglia
. They will find out which Rossos had
a hand in your daughters’ deaths.”

“If they were your
children you’d be storming in there, shooting every last Rosso without a second
thought.”

“I would only kill
the ones responsible. I have proven this with the Donatelli after my father was
murdered.” I indicated to Andriena and Camila. “That is why they are not dead.
We cannot take the lives of innocent women and children; it will only lead to
more pain and suffering.”

“You know what I’ve
told you in the past,” Pedro spat. “That I wipe out whole families if they dare
hurt mine. I leave
no
survivors! The Rossos and Donatelli knew this;
they have seen what my vengeance entails. They have written their own fates,
not me!”

“And what about
the Santini? You will be attacking a
famiglia
who had no hand in your
daughters’ deaths, yet you are threatening them too.”

“They have chosen
their side, they have chosen their fate.”

“No! They are my
blood! You cannot cut my blood down.”

“They were the
ones who took up arms against my soldiers. This is their choosing.”

“Because you are
attacking their
famiglia
. As Alessandro said, the Rossos and Santini are
intermarried. We’re all fucking related on this island!”

“Not the
Donatelli! They are not related to anyone but their own selfish desires to
destroy everything in their paths. And the Rossos chose to betray everyone by
backing them.” He pointed at Andriena and Camila. “And you will betray me if
you do not hand the Donatelli scourge over!”

Alessandro backed
Andriena up with his body. “This woman is not a Donatelli, she has my name.”

“You are not married
to her,” Pedro spat. “I’ve heard about you. You’re the island whore.”

“I married her two
days ago,” Alessandro growled. “And if you take my wife’s life, I will take
yours—that is a promise.” He pointed at Camila. “And she is Frano’s fiancée,
which means she is all but a D’Angelo now. If you take her life, you will paint
your hands with D’Angelo blood.”

Pedro looked over
at me. “Is this true?”

I nodded to everything
Alessandro said, although I knew without a doubt he hadn’t married Andriena. His
madre
was the type of person who would’ve insisted on the world knowing
about her children marrying, especially Alessandro, who was her favorite. But I
was going to back him up regardless. “Andriena is a Santini, and Camila is
pregnant with my child,” I said, knowing an engagement wouldn’t stop Pedro from
killing her. “You take her life, and you will be killing my child.”

“You’re lying to
save her,” Pedro snapped.

“You know I was
with her for a long time. That is not a lie as her pregnancy isn’t, and if you
take my child from me I will take up arms against you.”

Pedro’s eyes
flashed. “I will spare her, but only if you give me proof. And you and everyone
else here are not to leave your house, Frano, until this war is over.”

“You cannot tell
me what to do; I am the head of the island.”

“This is a coup. I
have now taken over until this land is cleansed of Donatelli and Rossos, and I
will fight every last Santini if they choose to stand against me.” Pedro turned
to Alessandro. “Tell your
famiglia
if they back down, I will spare your
sister and her children, but only them. Also, tell them that even combined with
the Rossos they cannot win against me. And, Santini, I want proof of your
marriage.” His gaze shifted to me. “And, Frano, if that woman is indeed pregnant
with your child you will be married to her by the end of this week.”

I nodded, knowing
I needed to bribe a few people.

“Also,” Pedro
frowned. “The Donatelli have Thierry, in particular the
Padre
does.”

My heart sank, the
yell at the top of the staircase telling me that Jagger had heard. I looked up
as he rushed down the staircase, his face wracked with fear.

Pedro turned his
attention to Jagger. “Irene said he is still alive, so take comfort in that.”

“The
Padre
will
rape and torture him,” Jagger said, his voice cracking. “We have to get him
back.”

“This is your don’s
duty, not mine. My obligation to this
famiglia
died with my daughters.” He
turned and signaled for his men to follow, a few staying behind to join the soldiers
that were already here.

I pointed at the
soldier with the scar. “You are not to touch the women.”

“I will not do anything
to them unless I’m ordered to,” he replied.

“Both myself and
Alessandro will keep them at our sides. You are no longer guarding them.”

He nodded, then
turned and headed for the front door, taking up position with another guard,
while others walked past us, going to block the other exits. I was now a
prisoner in my own home.

I let go of
Camila, Alessandro doing the same with Andriena. Both of the women went to
their fallen sister, their wails filling the house once more.

“I will take care
of her,” Jagger said, pushing between the women.

I grabbed Camila
as she tried to stop him from picking her sister up. “He’s helping,” I said to
her, the woman’s grief blinding her.

Jagger rose to his
feet with the dead woman in his arms. “I will arrange for her burial. Where do
you wish it to be?” he asked, focusing on Camila.

“My
famiglia’s
plot on our land,” she sobbed.

He nodded, then
turned to me. “When Matteo contacts me in regards to Teodora, I will offer
myself up in exchange for Thierry.”

“No, that’s a bad
idea,” I said.

“Don’t worry about
me, Frano, because I will be sending the
Padre
to Hell.” He turned to
leave, disappearing into the passageway that led to my office.

I shifted my
attention to Alessandro. “Take Andriena to your room; don’t let her out of your
sight. The guards can no longer to be trusted. Contact your
famiglia
, and
get updates on what’s happening. Tell them about our situation and what was
said; also tell them that you are surrounded by Pedro’s soldiers so they can’t
attack the Landi.”

“They won’t
listen; they will protect the Rossos with their lives.”

“I understand that,
but there are other ways they can protect them without endangering yours and
their own lives.” I stepped closer to him, weary of the guards overhearing my
words. “Tell them to get the Rossos off the island. Pedro’s soldiers are too
skilled, they will eventually win, even with your
famiglia
and the
Rossos combined. It is not wise to fight them. Once they are safe and Pedro has
calmed down, we can attempt to make him see reason. I believe the Rossos have
been set up. Pedro is only getting the version that Christo wants him to hear. We
need to make him understand that this is Christo’s doing, and his brother’s, especially
with the crosses being used.” I turned to Camila, taking her face in my hands.
“I will stand between you and Pedro, but you also need to help by contacting
your uncles. You need to trick them into giving themselves up, because I cannot
allow Jagger to go through even more hell than he already has.”