I know enough about Ettore to know there is no swaying him once he has his mind made up. “Start the clock, Ettore.”
Chapter 20
Dace
The problem isn’t getting into Michael’s system and changing all his accounts and information over to Ettore, and the issue isn’t getting back out before he catches me. The problem is doing all that and getting out of town with Austin and still making sure Ettore never realizes that it isn’t Michael that has the key. John is giving me time to think it through, but his patience is wearing thin on the matter.
“I can only protect you for so long before the family will want an answer. The whole idea of me taking over was because you or Antony were supposed to be handed the key when the time was right.”
“So give it to Antony. I don’t want it!”
“Dace, you need it. Austin needs for you to have it. If you have the key, then doing Michael in will be no problem.”
“It’s too much to ask, John. Austin would never forgive me if I made her life like that of my mother’s.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. It won’t be that way. You are not … Dominic.”
“Then who am I? You?” I rush out the door of his cabin and down the pathway to think.
There is little satisfaction helping Ettore, even if it does destroy Michael. If Austin and I get away from Michael, Ettore will hunt us down. There is no doubt about that, and that makes Austin exactly like my mother—forever trying to run and forever hiding from the truth. Being a Colletto will haunt you forever, blood or not. I have little time to come up with a plan before Ettore’s men surround me and make it impossible to communicate with my few trusted allies. I have nearly no options, but I do have a box and a key. I have yet to open it. I guess I thought the box was really nothing more than a lure to get me to my father, but there is clearly something in it. The security code on it means it is something important enough that Dominic didn’t want anyone but me to see. Of course, there is no explanation to what the code is to break into this thing, so after staring at it upside-down and sideways for nearly an hour, I recall an idea of a number, a code that just may work. Six numbered dials lock this heavy metal box down, and I begin to move each one to the memory of a single day—the month, the day, and the year. Hesitating briefly, I hold out my hand before pressing the release, and sure enough, it opens. It should be no surprise that the day my mother died would be the code to open a box containing a letter from her and him.
To Dace:
My son,
It is with great sadness that I had to leave you. I had hoped I would get a chance to get away with you and your brother, but clearly, I ran out of time. I held out hope that I could save all my children, but I was foolish, and that cost me, but hopefully my mistakes can save you. You are such a strong boy, intelligent and a sure leader. The first moment I saw you, I was in love. Yet my proudest moments were watching you play with your brother. You two became instantly attached, rarely could we separate you from each other. You would read to him, and he would always reach for your hand before anyone else’s. The big chair in your play room is where I would find my escape. I would curl up with a cup of tea, close my eyes, and cherish the laughter of my boys learning and growing together, letting their innocence fill the room and my heart too. I pray that you find the same love that I did. Don’t try and change what is already broken, stay close to those who love you, and never waste time chasing the past. It will only bring heartache. Live my son. Live a full life for me.
All my love,
Your mother - Raya
My mother’s letter brings tears to my eyes enough that I don’t bother reading Anthony’s letter. I pocket it and save it for him to read privately. I can only imagine what her youngest son’s letter would be like. Staring at Dominic’s letter, my hand shakes holding it. How could he leave me this way? Why would he refuse his own blood to hand me the key? I am so afraid that the letter will not answer my questions that I am scared to read it. My only option for understanding a dead man’s thoughts is this letter, so I dive in with hope.
Dace,
I have never been good at goodbyes, I certainly was never good at saying goodbye to you and Antony. Guilt, I would say, is a powerful thing. It’s a life crutch that allows you to continue on but keeps you from speaking. Where to begin, but maybe with the beginning? The key and how it came to be so important. I knew my family’s power. What I didn’t know was how powerful my heritage, your heritage, really is. Whether you accept it as yours or not. Since the beginning of this country, there has been a bond between family, and with the growth of that family so is the growth of its power. It is a silent and underground power, and that is how it has had to remain to keep the control and the peace. There is a leader selected from each branch of the family. With new branches that grow, a new leader will be added as the family sees fit; however, since the beginning, there has been but one to lead them all, and that is our branch of the family. There can be no deviation from the family. Once the power has been taken on, one cannot resign without accepting his own death. The one in power makes the final decisions upon all family issues, business issues, and how a leader might need to pay for their acts of wrong. Leaders will be held accountable for their own and will answer to the rest. The final judgement can only come from the one. No leader can commit a crime of any sort and be prosecuted by legal means nor jailed by contemporary prisons. The family must, and always will, act first. The family cannot put any of their secrets into danger of being known, so they must act before outsiders can. The family protects each other, respects each other, and at all costs, keeps each other’s secrets. I can’t caution you enough about the role you would play if you agree to it. Once you take on the role, you will be given authority to give judgement upon your relatives and make demands of the family, but only at the sake for your own safety or the family’s safety. The one with the key must consider the good of the family whole more than his personal family. This is why I denied your older brothers the key. The greater good of the family is to have you as their leader, Dace. You are my son. Blood or not, you are a Colletto. This may make no sense to you, but all I can say is that I have never been more proud of you and Antony. Watching you grow and letting you play in my office while I worked was a joy beyond words. You two, especially you, gave me a reason to step back and remind myself what love feels like. It has always been in your eyes when you looked at me. You gave it, and it scared me to give it back after your mother’s death. I was afraid to love again and have my heartbroken. Honestly, I am not sure my heart ever recovered. I should have never let her go. I should have stayed focused and humble, but then I guess I would have never had you or your brother. Mistakes can sometimes bring a blessing, just like the worst of storms can bring a rainbow.
My instincts have always served me well. They kept me alive against my own father, and I think that same instinct is going to protect the family from unnecessary abuse. The family suffered greatly under my father, and I couldn’t let it happen again. I tell you this so you understand I didn’t make this decision lightly. You’re the best of what I have to offer the family, and your older brothers are the worst. I beg you to consider this role and protect your family. I gave up my protection so that the family would focus all of their protection on you and your brother.
In order to take on the role, you have to be given the key by the current leader. In this case, I have appointed a temporary until you are of age to handle the role. Take that key with its attached instructions and follow them to your destiny. If you decide not to take on the role, let it be known you and your brother are being watched over by the current leader, but your safety cannot be guaranteed after his death. Your immediate family’s life cannot be guaranteed until you take over the role. Your wife, your children, will all be protected if you so choose as the new leader. It is not as bad as you believe, Dace. Stop punishing me by missing out on an opportunity.
I cannot force you. I cannot beg you. All I can do is sa
y that I love you enough to give you the best of what I have to give—my family.
With all my love, your father,
Dominic
John walks up on me as I finish and wipe away my tears. He sits down beside me and looks out away from me. “For some reason, Dominic assumed Michael would be overthrown by Ettore. His faith in Michael was slim. I remember him saying, ‘Michael is too consumed by his sexual desires and his need for the spotlight to pay attention. Ettore will use that against him, and eventually, he will win’. He wasn’t wrong, you know? His instincts were spot on actually. Michael won’t last long with his sexual addictions. They will eventually catch up to him one way or another. Ettore will see to it. Yes, Dominic knew what he was doing. Smart man, too smart not to listen to him.” John pats me on the shoulder and leaves me alone once again.
I have never wanted any power. I only wanted a decent life, a normal life with Austin, one were we don’t have to run anymore. I don’t need wealth or the perfect world. I only need my family, and anything outside their happiness means nothing to me. I have to laugh. I remember hearing Dominic say something similar once. “My family’s happiness, that’s all that matters to me.” Now, I wonder which family he was referring to.
Chapter 21
Austin
Ettore, has been kind enough to keep me well fed and warm while I stay in his house. He has also been kind enough to threaten me with telling Michael that Dace is alive. That’s all we need is Dace to have a target on his back while he is trying to restore our lives. If I run, then our plans are ruined. In the meantime, Dace is supposed to complete what we started, and hopefully, he has a plan for breaking me out of here. I don’t know how long Ettore expects me to stay here, but I am willing to bet that his kindness will only last until he no longer needs me. While I’m here, I am making notes of his home and his guards’ routines. I do anything and everything possible to keep my time filled with something that seems helpful. When the door to my room opens unexpectedly, I jump up, ready to defend myself.
“Calm down. You are just going to get yourself all excited for nothing. You are about to lose your legs anyway,” the guard says just before my legs give out from underneath me. He is kind enough to catch me before I fall face forward into the floor. Lifting me up, he carries me out of the room and down the stairs to a room full of people, and for an instant, I wonder what is happening. The crowd parts, and I see Michael’s smug smile form.
“Ettore, when you said you had a surprise for me, I thought you meant something simple like a book or a car, but this, well it’s not my birthday. Why such a sweet surprise?” he says, looking over me as if I am a prized piece of meat being offered up to him for review before slaughter.
“I found her for you. Don’t get too excited as I expect something in return.”
“Of course you do,” Michael groans, licking his lips. “Whatever it is, I am sure I will be willing to trade.”
“That’s what I was hoping to hear. I want the ban lifted off of me and my supply routes. I can’t keep up with the competitors at the rate I am going. I need to be able to bring in more supplies, and I can’t do that without my original routes into the city.” Michael is silent as he stares at me, clearly contemplating what I am worth to him. “You know if you take her, her lover will follow.” Michael snaps his head back in Ettore’s direction. “Yes, he is still alive too.”
“Motherfucker. I should have known who was up to all this bullshit. That son of a bitch! Do you know where he is?”
“I know he is nearby, but exact locations with him are never easy. You know this. It’s much easier to lure him into your web than track him.” Michael is nearly dancing around the room, mumbling under his breath. “So do we have a deal or not? Otherwise, I am going to just shoot her and throw her body into my pet alligator pit. They haven’t eaten all day, so she won’t last long.”
“As fun as that might be to watch, let’s save that entertainment for Dace and maybe Antony, if he keeps campaigning during my prime speeches.”
“It’s going to be difficult to get him until the celebrity wears off. I’m not sure if that is ever going to happen at this point.”
“Oh it will. I have plans for my baby brother. One little accident is all it takes. Thanks to the Aksakovs, I have retained some rather unsettling people that do not care much for the gay bastard.”
“I can’t believe you are still dealing with them.” Ettore’s lip curls as he growls at the mention of the name.
“Settle down. They are still no threat to you. Besides, if anything, they have helped us.”
“Helped you!”
Michael turns to him and puts his politician smile on as he places a hand on Ettore’s shoulders. “My dear brother, you sound jealous. Don’t be that way. Everything that is good for me is also good for you. Can we let this argument go for now?” Ettore nods reluctantly. “Good.” Michael rubs his hands together, looking me over again. “Alright, all you want is your routes back, right?” Ettore nods. “What if I give you one of your old routes, and since I am in such a good mood and appreciate so much what you have done for me here, I will give you one of the Aksakovs’ routes? That will cut their business down and allow you to raise yours at the same time.” Michael looks back at Ettore and waits until Ettore nods in agreement. “Wonderful. Well, I would stay for dinner EC, but I am anxious to get home and play with my gift.”
I beg for a quick death as they load me into Michael’s car, but no one cares to even respond. Michael’s anxiousness to get me to his house is evident all over his face, making me sick to my stomach. I vomit near him, and he pushes my head away to another place. He doesn’t speak to me, and he doesn’t attempt to even touch me outside of making sure I don’t get sick near him. By the time we get to his house, there are several people waiting to greet him and me, including his best sidekick, Rowen.
“Look what I found, Rowen. Maybe when I am done with her, I will let you have her,” Michael says.
“Will there be anything left to enjoy?” Rowen asks sickly.
“Probably not, but who knows? I am not as young as I used to be, I may get tired of her before her end comes.”
I am helped inside and towards the back of the house. My eyes drift upward and meet another pair of tiny, precious eyes focused on me. Sage. Oh no. Please Sage, go to your room. Please don’t say a word. I plead with her silently to stay quiet, but the tears in her eyes worry me. Thankfully, we are to the back of the house and through the door that leads down to hell before she speaks. Michael’s sexual torture chamber is worse than I could have imagined. My wrists are cuffed in chains before I am left alone. I search for various ways out while I wait for Michael. I can only imagine what he is doing to get ready to see me. Maybe he hopes to let the drug inside me wear off so he can get the most out of my screaming.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting my lovely wife. I wanted to make this special for both of us, I brought some extra tools to have fun with. Michael lays some things out on a table and turns to me as his eyes slowly turn—solid black. Once we are alone, he strips down completely, his nude body gleaming from the thrill lights he has strategically placed in the room. Camera lights turn on. He would hate to not be able to relive every second of this.
I manage to lift my head up straight and stare into his psychotic eyes. “Fuck you,” I breathe to his instant laughter.
Michael grabs the back of my head, fisting my hair between his fingers. Feeling his hot breath against my cheek, I cringe. “I think this moment is even sweeter than any I could have imagined before your supposed death. Now, I can do whatever I want to you, for however long I wish, and no one will care. No one will ever know because you’re dead. I am going to hurt you and fuck you every which way I can, and then I am going to hurt you again and again until I am ready to fuck you again, and this is going to happen over and over until I grow tired of you. Until your pussy and your ass are so raw and worn out that there is nothing left to pleasure me anymore. Then, then my sweet
wife, I am going to beat you to death.” Michael takes hold of the collar of my shirt and rips my shirt off. He forces my bra open and fondles me with excitement in his eyes. He rushes to a table and comes back at me with intent. I close my eyes and wait for the pain. Maybe it’s the pain or maybe it’s the fear of it, I am not sure why or even how I am able to work up the strength, but I scream, and I scream so loud that my ear drums crack and the world around me goes dark.
Chapter 22
Dace
I decide to make one last attempt to change my options and call Ettore force him into agreement. “Ettore, I have considered your offer, and I want to renegotiate. Release Austin, and I will do whatever you want. I will surrender myself to you and will work with your man to do whatever is needed to get you into Michael’s accounts.” I can hear him breathing heavily on the other end of the phone.
“Seems reasonable, but unfortunately for you, the stakes have changed since we last talked. Michael is making a move to make me his next big political target. He thinks I’m stupid enough to not have my own spies. Fucking piece of shit.”
“Why does that change our arrangement?” I ask, feeling my body begin to shake with fear.
“Because now I am willing to do whatever it takes to not only steal from him but destroy his precious limelight. Your idea was a good one, use his own obsessions against him, so I have my own spies inside his house. Enough that I feel good about giving him Austin to do his damage and then get caught with her blood on his hands.”
“He’ll kill her!”
“Probably, but that just helps me out all the more. No one will care about me once he is put on trial for murder. Plus, murder keeps him from getting bail. Hell, they will probably kill him once they find out about all the other sick, twisted shit he has done. A simple torture could be misconstrued and allow him to get bail and run. We’ve seen that happen already. Yes, this is much better.”