Page 24 of Second in Command
“Ah,” he tsks, “Let me explain. Every time I came to your bakery, I picked up and left a bug, every time you spoke to me, I was wired. I had hidden cameras all over your place, and thankfully, when your buddy over here pulled the gun on me it was enough to get a bug on him too. The night of the supposed attack was the perfect night to plant a bug on you as well. You were my moles.”
My mouth hangs open.
“As if I didn’t know that I’d be followed, or looked into. The three of you just fell right into my trap.”
“Michael,” I let out an incredulous laugh, “you’ve been a regular for almost an entire year.”
“Commitment,” he shrugs, “and my name isn’t Michael, it's Benzino Ricci.”
“Of the Ricci family,” my father elaborates, and I place my gun on my side before joining my hands whilst clapping.
“That was impressive. This entire thing, the plan, fucking brilliant,” I tell him, all the while walking towards him.
“Francesca!” Enzo yells, but I ignore him.
Benzino raises his gun to my head, “Stop.”
But I continue walking towards him until my head was pressed against the heavy metal.
“Why are you here, Benzino?”
I search his eyes, and he gulps, “I’m here to do what no other man has done, take over the Montagna Mafia.”
A laugh escapes my lips before I could stop it.
“You know Francesca, you love to act as if you’re better than everyone else as if no one could harm you.”
“Do I?”
“You stand there, on your high horse, pitifully, might I add. I’m going to take everything from you.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
The atmosphere is tense, as the two of us stare into each other’s eyes. Michael — Benzino surprised me. Enzo was actually right. I hadn’t seen it coming, hell, I couldn’t. I challenged Benzino, but the truth is I was scared out of my mind. There were men upon men at his side, and our guards didn’t remain stationed at our house, so there weren’t as many. We hadn’t been preparing for this, our guards down, so we were left outnumbered.
Benzino cocks his gun. I take a step back, but he only pushes it further. I quickly raise the gun in my hand to his stomach. We were both paused. I could see his heart beat out of his chest.
“Uccidi il giovane!”He screams, his spit flying on my face. I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a single gunshot erupts in the air, and a loud thud. My eyes widen as my Papa screams. I was afraid to turn around. Benzino wore a single smirk, his gun dropping from my head. “I’ll leave you with this warning instead, Francesca. You are not better than anyone, and you should remain humble for the remainder of your life. You never know when darkness may come.”
Despite his said initial plans, Benzino rounds up his group and retreats. Papa called out for help, and I felt my stomach lurch. He wasn’t calling for help for himself.
I stared straight ahead at the open gates, the sinking feeling crowding my body once again. My body felt weak, and my throat was dry. If I turned around now, I wasn’t sure that I’d have the strength to do anything else. But I had to.
Slowly, I turned to face Enzo, who lay with his eyes wide open, a single bullet wound in his head. My father cried. Like a baby. A lifeless Enzo in his arms.
Then I heard the loudest wail … then realized it wasme. All I could see was my mother’s face, as I dropped to my knees, just a few inches away.
Again.
My heart broke into a million tiny pieces. There was nothing I could do to stop the tears, except facing the realization that everyone I loved, turned to dust.
twelve
Two Months Later
Francesca satin the doctor’s office with her head low. Sitting across from the gynecologist, she stared at the paper with her blood results.
Pregnant = positive
