War of the Sun

Nine

Vincent was now on his knees pleading for my forgiveness. The fearless man that had been threatening my life was now begging for me to spare his own. From the moment I stepped into this room, I could feel someone’s eyes on me. Eyes that belonged to the man from the club. I could feel them glued to the side of my head without even having to look at him. My father and Zach were still tied up with shocked expressions visible on their face. Probably trying to fit the pieces together. Diego pulled out a revolver and started to take a step in the direction of Vincent. My arm shot out to grab his shirt to stop him.

“He’s mine. Get everyone out of here.” I spoke sternly. Never letting my eyes roam off Vincent.

“NO!” The three men in binds shouted out.

“Then shut up and you all can stay.” I spat out coldly without breaking my eye contact with him. As soon as the words left my mouth, I started to walk towards the crouching Vincent.

“Do you know what we do to traitors in Sicily, Vincent?” I let my finger linger on the edge of the blade that I had pulled out from my halter.

“N- “. He began to tremble in fear as I got closer. His body was viciously shaking.

“I’m going to take that as a no.” I stated coldly. My voice remained emotionless the entire time. I knew my father and Zach were probably in utter shock. This is not how I planned on meeting them again. The thought alone brought the rage back within me. If it weren’t for the Guajardo’s I could’ve just had a day to feel a bit normal for a change. A luxury I could never have. I signed my soul to the devil the day that I got the mark of the mafia.

“I’ll send your regards to your family.”

I flung the knife that was resting in my palm straight into his head. The big bad man dropped in the matter of seconds. I turned to Diego, and his face reflected my own.

Emotionless and cold.

“Call everyone. The Guajardo’s will burn for what they’ve done.” I commanded. I looked around to the men sitting on the floor. Their shocked faces brought me back to reality. I would forever be a monster. Maybe even worse than my father. A sad reality that I was now living.

“Oh and untie them.” I added to my list of commands for Diego. I was about to walk away when the sound of my father’s voice yelled out.

“AURORA!”

As I turned to face him, his binds had come undone, and he was now standing right in front of me. The look on his face was something I couldn’t decipher. The one emotion I could figure out was regret. It was hidden in the fake facade he was trying to put on. As quick as it came, it was covered up even faster. It happened so fast. I would have missed it if I would’ve turned a second later.

“What the f**k was that all about? What happened to the little girl that followed the rules? What are all these tattoos? I sent you over there to study not to get involved with crimin- “. He uttered out, but the words triggered all my pain and suffering in a matter of seconds.

Before I knew it, I snatched the gun from my holster and held it to his forehead. The rage I had been feeling for the last eleven years was finally coming up to the surface after years of burying it deep within me. The nights I cried begging for someone to come get me. For my dad to finally end my torture and bring me back to the states. The lives I had taken to get into this position that I am today. The innocence that I lost on the streets of Sicily. The suffering I was going through, and there wasn’t a soul to help me. As much as I wish I could act like his betrayal didn’t absolutely crush me, I was devastated, and it was flooding my mind.

“SHE DIED! SHE DIED THE SECOND YOU LEFT HER ON THAT ISLAND! YOU SIGNED MY FATE THE SECOND YOU DECIDED TO SHIP ME OFF! I WAS AS GOOD AS DEAD!” I cried out in agony.

The look in my father’s face was clear that I had hurt him, but it was the truth. The pain in my voice had brought down his guard, and I could see the sadness and confusion in his eyes. In the corner of my eye, I could see that Diego had cut loose the man from the club and Zach from their binds. Zach had tears in his eyes by my confession. He was the only one that had contact with me all these years, and he couldn’t even see what I had been going through behind closed doors. Im sure he is holding himself partially responsible for my despair.

My erratic breathing was making it hard to concentrate on what I had wanted to say. Diego’s comforting hand started rubbing circles on my back. Helping me rein in and control myself before I escalated. “Eleven years. You took eleven years from me.” I finally whispered out.

“We shouldn’t talk here. It isn’t safe.” Diego’s voice echoed throughout the room. Breaking the tension that was slowly forming.

“Let’s go to my place. It is safe there.” I uttered.

I turned on my heels and started for the elevator. Not waiting for anyone else in the room to catch up. I needed. No, I wanted to put distance between all of us. My anger was slowly subsiding, but I knew that wasn’t going to be the case for long. Especially because he’s going to want answers.

As I approached the elevator, I pushed the switch, and I waited patiently for it to arrive on the top floor. Luckily, I had walked at a fast pace, and nobody had caught up to me yet. To be fair, I was practically running. I needed to be alone on this ride down, or I was going to start killing people.

The elevator bell rang which signaled that the elevator had finally arrived. I quickly entered and hoped I wouldn’t have any company on this ride down. It was already closing when I heard voices coming from my father and Zach. Because of how loud the elevator music was, their voices were inaudible. Luckily, it shut just in time which meant they had to wait for the next one.

The ride down was a roller coaster of emotions. I didn’t know how I was going to go about anything. For once, I didn’t have a plan which scared me. If I went about this in a wrong way, I was going to get too riled up, and lives were going to be lost. Might not be a bad thing since I will be heading to fight the Guajardo’s. I had been lost in my own little world that I hadn’t realized I was approaching the first floor quicker than I had thought. When the elevator opened up, I began walking to the same exit we had entered from, and the van was still parked there waiting for our return. I jumped in and waited for the rest to join us. Thankfully, the driver wasn’t asking any questions.

Five minutes had passed when they finally exited out the hidden entrance. “Bring us all to my house.” I commanded. I looked through the window. Hoping it would distract me from the men that were about to enter this vehicle. Diego slid the side door open, and the rest of the men quickly found a seat. The second that Diego entered the van and shut the door, the driver was off. The whole ride had been exceptionally quiet. My thoughts and feelings at constant war of what action to take next. Lost in my own little world that I hadn’t realized we had already gotten into the subdivision, and we were parked outside of my house. I jumped out of the vehicle in one quick motion and headed inside. I went straight to the kitchen, and I took all of the weapons I still had strapped to me off and placed them on the counter as I waited for the rest of them to join in.

My father was the first to come into view. A determined look was plastered all over his face.

“How could you be so stupid?” His accusatory tone was starting to set me off.

Zach, the man from the club and Diego were the next people to enter the room. The look in my father’s eyes I knew he needed to get something off of his chest before I respond.

“You could have died. You could have been murdered. You’re playing a very dangerous game.” He started to pace around the room. I looked over to see Diego was fuming. He was on the edge of ripping my father a new one, and I knew the only reason he didn’t was because of me.

“How- What happened? How much of an i***t can you be to get sucked into a life like mine?”

My eyes drifted to the man from the club who was trembling in anger. I wasn’t sure who it was for, and I didn’t entirely know why he had to join us in this family intervention. Before I could ask, my father’s voice began to fill the room once again.

“I SENT YOU THERE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT LIFE!” My father shouted into my face.

“YOU THINK I ASKED FOR THIS?” The control I had on my temper was getting thin. I inhaled a deep breath in before I continues on.

“You left me there, and you didn’t even have the balls to drop me off yourself. Coward.” I chucked at the memory of Zach being the one to do it.

“I didn’t raise you to be this- this person.” My father scolded.

“You didn’t raise me at all.” I spat out viciously. I was losing the edge I had on my temper. By the looks of it, Diego was too. Zach looked too distraught to even barge in, and the man from the club looked like he was about to go off any second.

“You don’t get it, and you never will. You dropped me off there, and it sealed my fate. Santini found me, and it was either refuse and die or join and live. I needed to live for mom.” The last part hit him like a ton of bricks. Zach grabbed onto the forearm of the man from the club as he was starting to step forward. By the look in his eyes, I could tell the bomb within him was about to go off.

“Zander don’t. This doesn’t concern you.” Zach stated.

Zander?

As in Zander Evans? My best friend that I had to leave behind on that dreadful day without a single word.

“The f**k it doesn’t. He told me. He told the whole world she died. I grieved her. f**k. I went to her funeral, and you are telling me that she has been alive this whole f*****g time? Neither of you said a f*****g word. You saw me in pain, and you let me believe she was dead?” His words confirming my thoughts. The man from the club was indeed the little boy I had been inseparable with since birth. The boy I thought I had lost forever was now a man. I had so many questions, but it wasn’t the time.

I turned back to my father and finally gave him a piece of my mind.

“Mom isn’t dead. She reached out to me in Sicily. She told me everything.” The shock that he was displaying wasn’t expected. I had thought after all this time she might have told him the truth, or he had don’t his own research. It was time to get that off my chest. I hadn’t told a soul, and I needed it out in the open.

“I’m a killer. A murder. The leader of the Sicilian Mafia, and I will make no apologies for what I had to do to survive. To get the power to fight for our family. To hunt down the man that drove mom away.” The recollection of the letter was slowly playing in the back of my mind. Making the anger seep out of me.

“I saved your f*****g life, and I don’t even get a thank you.” I scoffed. How typical.

I walked closer, so my dad could get a good look into my eyes. “The girl you left is dead. I have these tattoos to cover up all the times I’ve been shot or stabbed working my way up the gang. Every f*****g mission till I finally got fed up and killed Ricardo Santini with my own bare hands. I took the leadership role, and I had a whole new set of people counting on me. I was done letting everyone control my f*****g life without a say, so you need to get out of my house. I have to go clean up your problems in Sicily before you have the whole f*****g underworld breathing down your f*****g neck.” I turned my back on them and started walking out the entrance of the kitchen.

“I’m coming with you”

Well for f**k’s sake.

I really can’t catch a break.