Repaying the Mafia’s Dept

TRISTAN I gaze out the kitchen window feeling like a lost soul.

We just got back to the house.

Nick was taken to the hospital before we arrived.

We discovered our security systems had been screwed with since last night.

Screwed by Alfonse, a man I trusted. A man we all trusted. He betrayed us.

He betrayed me.

This whole crock of shit is my fault. It was me who told him I took Isabella, me who told him that we planned to eliminate Mortimer, and like a love sick fool I asked him to take Isabella back to Rhode Island. I asked him because I trusted him with her care, all the while not knowing he was a fucking spy.

That man has been in our lives for as long as I can remember.

No one questioned anything when Alfonse came in the house. The men on site didn’t know what Mortimer or Dmitri looked like so they all came in and took Isabella easily. The only man who would have been able to do anything was shot with the intention to kill. And, if Nick hadn’t survived and told me it was Alfonse who took her I would be none the wiser. I’d even contemplate the possibility of her escaping, although I would have thought it impossible because she wouldn’t have been able to pull it off with the place so heavily guarded.

Heavily guarded and look what happened.

What’s the point?

Alfonse did the very same thing Andreas did. He used his face to fool everybody. Just like Andreas, he walk in plain sight on the right hand of the devil without a soul raising any alarms because of who he was.

I can’t even be mad anymore because if I do I’ll go on some rampant rage and destroy everything in my path including myself.

Massimo and Dominic walk in and I turn to face them. We hardly got to spend time with Candace when she woke up.

“Came to talk. It’s time,” Massimo says. His face is stern.

I don’t know what he has planned to say to me but he’s right. It is time to talk.

I have one thing to say but they won’t like it. The fucking plan to get Mortimer is a bust and we now have nothing to hold over him. He has his daughter back and I know he’s going to kill her because she helped us.

Alfonse is the only person who could tell him that. Mortimer will kill her for betraying him. I can’t let that happen to her. I promised her I’d take care of her. It was a promise made to be kept.

I kept saying I was the brother with nothing left to lose. I was wrong. When they took Isabella they took the last thing from me. When I decided to let her go it was different. It was so she could have a life. Freedom. Freedom is the only thing I would allow to have her over me.

Not bondage. Not death.

“I’m going to get her back,” I begin and Massimo tenses. Dominic stares back at me and I wonder what he’s thinking. The things he said about Isabella last night still don’t sit well with me. “Mortimer will know she helped us I’m going to get her back and I’m not asking you to come with me. The element of surprise is gone so if I go in I know I might not make it back out, but I’m going.”

That’s all I have to say. I’m just going to head to the airport and get on the first plane out. I won’t even be as bold as to ask for the jet or anything.

“Tristan-” Massimo says but I cut him off.

“No. You said to me not just a few days ago that I could be the one to give her, her dreams back.

My version of doing that was not this. I don’t want her to be any part of it. so I’m going.”

I move past them and head to the door.

“I’m going with you,” Dominic calls out and I stop midstride.

I turn around and stare at him, thrown by the offer to help. “No, you shouldn’t.”

“You gonna tell me I can’t come too?” Massimo challenges. “Let’s all go. I wanted to talk about what we’re doing but it looks like we know what we want to do.”

“I still think we have the element of surprise,” Dominic states.

“How so?”

“Mortimer won’t expect you to come for his daughter. He’s got the leverage now so he won’t think we’ll do this and since he’s already in the States I see no reason to wait. We should leave tonight. That’s assuming they’re in Rhode Island. They might not be.”

“I’m checking there first. Nikoli’s house.”

“Rhode Island it is.”

“You’re sure. I know you have strong feelings toward her and I understand why, but if anyone should have feelings for better or worse toward her it’s me and I’m past it.”

“I shouldn’t have talked about her like that. I didn’t mean it,” Dominic replies. “I think this could still work. I have the plan ready to go. If we leave in the next hour we could be in Rhode Island by eight at the latest. Then we can gather the men together and head out by morning.”

“We’re gonna need to go in guns blazing. I want this finished. I want this guy out of the picture,” Massimo states.

“Then let’s do this,” I reply and the three of us head out.

It’s time for the real war.

TRISTAN We made it to Rhode Island before midnight.

We went straight back to the house we left. The second we put our bags down we started gathering our support teams.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.

Our guys arrived earlier and we have strength from Chicago.

It’s ten o’clock in the morning and in the living room we currently have two of the most ruthless bosses I know of. Claudius Morientz and Vincent Giordano arrived with the main guys in their crew.

Vincent has his three brothers and his cousin. Claudius has his men who make up The Four. Add them together with us and I feel we have a chance.

Dominic has been looking at the plans for Nickoli’s house. He’s managed to track Mortimer the way he did last time and he’s actually there. Thank God I had the good sense to hold my tongue when I was talking to Alfonse. I never explained How it was we found Mortimer. That part would have been a mystery to him.

“We’ll have to use the underground pass to get on to the grounds of the property,” Dominic explains. This is the final run through of what we’re doing. “I’ve set a virus to lock down their surveillance. That means we can’t see inside either. Once we get in that’s it. He’s got the place surrounded. There will be guards everywhere, even more so now that Mortimer is there.”

“I get to kill him,” I say before anyone else can talk. “I want the chance.”

“It’s all yours,” Massimo replies.

I tip my head in appreciation.

After a few more minutes of brainstorming we head out.

The underground path is the sewers that cover the whole area. As it’s dark we carry flashlights.

To me this is the part that will shock the shit out of them the most.

Us, vicious creatures emerging from the sewers like we’re pouring in from hell.

I’m going in packing some serious weapons. My guns for taking out the vermin and my knives for Mortimer’s head.

It takes about an hour for us to get through the passage. There are two entrances. One to the front of the house and another at the back near the lake. We’ve got our men heading to the front while we take the back.

The men at the front will be keeping the bulk of the guards distracted so we can get the chance to get in the house.

“Ready boys?” Massimo says into his communicator. “On three let’s go in and get this motherfucker.”

I pull my revolvers from my back pocket. I’m killing anything that moves.

“One. Two. Three. Let’s go.”

We kick out the railed metal entrance and file out. We’re just near the garden so we don’t see the first guard until we get closer to the house. I end him before he can process what he’s seeing.

Dominic takes down the next guard but by then we’ve got company. There are twenty of us with the skin of triple the amount of us.

We wipe out most of the men shooting at us within minutes.

Moving forward we shoot up the floor to ceiling glass windows of what looks like the living room and get in through there.

It’s a massive house but I’m sure they must know that trouble is here and they must know we’re only people who can bring it to them.

I keep moving forward. with the guys. Massimo and I are at the head while we have our support line backing us up.

I pass a room with someone shouting inside for help. I recognize the voice as Sacha’s and stop.

Fuck, I didn’t even contemplate that they would have him too. I told Alfonse where he’d be because I wanted Isabella to have Sacha’s protection.

“You guys keep going. I need to get him out,” I say.

“I’ll come with you to back you up,” Dominic offers.

“Be quick,” Massimo orders and he and the others leave us.

Sacha continues to scream for help with an urgency that makes me think he’s being tortured.

We kick the door in and see he is. his hands and legs are bound by rope and he’s being stretched.

There’s a guy operating a mechanical device that’s pulling his body apart. I’ve seen this shit before.

it’s literally designed to rip your limbs from your body slow and torturous.

These fuckers never cease to amaze me.

Before the guy can talk I shoot him in the head and blood splatters everywhere.

Sacha’s in a bad way.

I’ve never met the man before, but he looks fucking happy to see us.

I help him out of the device and he’s breathing so heavy he looks like he’s going to pass out. I thought we messed him up bad, but his face is so badly beaten all I can see are his two puffy eyes starting back at me.

“You have to get her quickly. At noon he plans to kill her,” he blurts in one go.

“What? Why would he do that?” I gasp.

“She’s pregnant,” he answers and I swear time just freezes.

It feels like I’m stuck in a dream and can’t move.

I’ve had several shockers come for me over the past years, but this one is… this one changes everything.

“She’s pregnant?” I ask and Sacha nods.

“He’s going to burn her alive. They’re in the basement. The senior Shadow members are all here for the punishment.”

Dominic grabs my arm and I snap out of the trance of shock.

“Come Tristan. It’s noon now.”

I rush out ahead of him and he catches up.

“The basement is this way,” Dominic points toward a set of stairs leading down.

I’m grateful he’s here. I’d be running around trying my best to find the entrance and I’d be too late.

As we descend down the stairs I grab my communicator and alert everyone to round back this way with the men.

When we run down the stairs and I see why this place is called The Ring.

This isn’t a basement. It’s an arena style room. We’ve just got on to the first floor where we’re met by a group of what I’d class as the real Shadow members. Their all men dressed in black, all have their guns trained on us.

Down at the bottom is Isabella tied to a gurney and that motherfucker Dmitri is standing over her with a broad smile on his face.

We’re about thirty feet away. Far away from each other but our eyes lock and I see that spark of hope in them.

I steal a few seconds to look at her. She’s carrying my child and both of them are in danger. In those seconds I love her even more and I realize I can’t be without her. I was a fool to think I could. if I make it out of this I’ll do everything I can to be the man she deserves. I’ll do what I must to be the man I wanted for her. the best version of myself that I can be for her and my child.

All I can spare are those few seconds because Mortimer just walked in front of us with a smug expression like he’s already won.

Seeing him face to face now I remember the glimpse I’d seen of him all those years ago.

Now I stand before the bastard.

“Well look at this, classic case of Romeo and Juliette,” he says looking me over with disgust.

“Not with my daughter I’m afraid. I’d tell you to find someone else but you won’t make it out of here alive.”

“No?” I challenge.

“No.” he answers and as his men ready their guns I do wonder how the fuck we will make it.

I don’t know where Massimo and the other’s got to but it would have been to the other side of the house because they were heading toward the front.

I’m about to say more but the words fade from my mind when I see Alfonse standing in the corner next to Nickoli.

I look at Alfonse and the sight of him churns my stomach. The fucker doesn’t even look remorseful.

God… trust really is a thing to be careful with. He was the hand that rocked the cradle all this time. The fucking fox in the hen house that had become part of the furniture. This is the result of letting the devil in.

I find my voice.

“You don’t know the power of the D’Agostinos. Then again maybe you do if you’re trying so hard to get rid of us,” I say and it’s clear he doesn’t like that answer.

“Tristan and Dominic, we’re behind you,” Massimo says in the communicator. His voice buzzes in my ear. “On two duck, we’ll clear the path.”

Thank fuck.

“One, two.”

Dominic and I both drop to our knees allowing Massimo and the others to fire a course of bullets taking down a good amount of the men in front of us. the surprise attack got them good.

Massimo and the others pour in and shoot. We’re equally matched in men and the people we have give blow for blow and bullet for bullet in a way that can only come from raw- assed gangster skill of la costar nosa.

I right myself to get in the fight and find Mortimer backing away down the path with blood pouring down his arm. I get up to follow him but there’s one thing I need to do first.

I whip around and catch Alfonse trying to get away with Nickoli. Without any hesitation I fire two bullets. One that gets Alfonse in the back of his head and the other gets Nickoli in the back of his neck. Both drop to the ground. Dead.

I turn back to Mortimer and follow him. Ahead of him there’s a door he’s trying to get to.

I run but two shadow members flank me and I get stuck fighting them. the thing about these guys is that they’re skill to fight and the fight dirty. One throws a punch at me, hitting me in the face. I dodge the next and stab him to the heart.

The other guy has a knife too and he knows how to use it.

The motherfucker comes at me in a flying kick with the knife aimed at my throat.

I know how to use my knife too, and I have two.

I whip the other knife out from the sheath on my left leg, tuck and roll so the he flies right over me, and by the time the fucker rights himself I whip around and plunge both knives into his back. I know one gets his heart because I hear that sucking gurgling sound of blood pooling and flowing the wrong way.

I pull my knives out and continue my pursuit to Mortimer. Damnit he’s at the door and it’s practically on the other side of the room.

Seeing that the only chance I have of getting him is if I shoot him from her, I stop in my tracks and aim my revolver at him. I fire one bullet and it hits his back. he falls to the ground giving me the chance to get to him.

I run up to him and find him crawling in his resilience. Still trying to get away. Fucking worm.

Blood drips from his back and his mouth. He stops trying to move himself when he sees me and looks up at me with that smug expression on his face.

“Mortimer Viggo, I am definitely going to take pleasure in killing your ass,” I say.

“Listen to you talk big.”

“This is retribution for Allyssa and my father. You will die this day for your crimes against my family.”

He’s knocking at deaths door but the man starts to laugh. People like this infuriate me. Fuckers who think death is nothing to them.

“You think this will be over with my death?” he snarls.

“No, I don’t but it will be a good start.”

“No, it won’t Tristan D’Agostino. I am just the beginning. More will take my place and come for you. You thought I was a big threat? No. Even I can accept when I’m just the pawn. The stronger pieces on the chess board haven’t started playing yet. Wait until they do. When The King himself comes, you’ll all be fucked.”

“Who are these people?” I demand.

“As if I’m going to tell you,” he answers and more laughter rumbles from his body.

Motherfucker. He starts coughing blood. Coughing and sputtering.

I give him credit for managing to get himself to his knees. But that just places him in the position I want. When I swing the long reach knife, the blade slices through his skin and cuts through bone and sinew effortlessly.

Blood sprays from his body as his head comes off and both crumple to the ground. I think he was gearing up to say more shit to me.

He can save it.

I don’t get to savor this moment I’ve waited so long for. A scream rips into the sounds of battle around us and my gaze snaps to Isabella.

Dmitri has a can of gasoline and is pouring it all over her. I’m already rushing to the balcony and as he takes out a lighter to set my girl on fire I jump.