Chapter Three

Don Santini, abbiamo un regalo per te.’ [ Don Santini, we have a gift for you.’

The pretty teenage girl was thrown to the floor in front of the Don, she kept her head down staring at the floor, The Don barely glanced at her then snapped,

‘Da dove l'hai preso?’  [Where did you take this one from?’’

‘E' l'unica figlia femmina di Marconi, Don Santini.’ [She is the only daughter of Marconi, Don Santini.]

Now the Don looked at the young girl, standing he grabbed her thick golden hair and pulled her to her feet, she was beautiful. Her deep blue eyes regarded him with hate, her figure was perfect just ripening into full womanhood and desire pooled in his groin,

‘Uscite, tutti voi.’ [Get out, all of you.]

The men left instantly knowing better than to disobey and when the door closed he turned to her,

‘La tua età ragazza.’ [Your age girl?]

He demanded and she snapped back,

‘Diciannove’ [Nineteen]

Don Santini was in his late thirties, very good looking, tall and athletic, he kept himself fit and in shape, his jet black hair hung down to his shoulders but it was his eyes that people noticed first. They were such a deep shade of brown they were virtually black, just like his heart, he was the most feared Don for a reason. He was ruthless and merciless, Anna Marconi knew it, she had known when her family was brutally murdered and she alone was spared and taken captive. She held her head high and refused to be afraid of him, he stood in front of her letting his gaze roam over her body. Without a word he moved quickly and with a sharp tug ripped her dress from her shoulders, still she defied him refusing to lower her head she stared straight at him. It unnerved him he was use to them cowering and begging for mercy so he backhanded her knocking her to the floor. Calmly she got to her feet wiped the blood from her mouth and stood proudly. Santini lost it he could not believe that a nineteen year old girl could defy him so openly, it angered and aroused him equally. She saw the lust in his eyes and knew what was coming, he dragged her into his bedroom and raped her repeatedly in every way he could. Not just that night but for a whole week, she did not fight him, there was no point it only aroused him further so she lay still and unresisting. It drove him wild as he tried to get a response from her only to see the raw hate in those big blue eyes.   By the end of the week he had beaten and raped her so badly she was close to death and he told his men to dispose of her body. They threw her into their van and drove her out to the woods near an isolated little village no one had ever heard of. Working quickly as night fell they left her naked and hidden by the tree line thinking she would die quickly from her wounds and the exposure. None of  them checked to see if she was still alive, instead they jumped back into the van and sped off back to their barracks and the wine and women that were waiting for them.  

Anna was not dead, she lay still until his men had left then used her remaining strength to drag herself into the soft undergrowth to hide and wait. An elderly lady walking her five year old Grandson found her two days later, when she realised the young woman was still alive she gave her water and with a lot of help they somehow got her into the tiny cottage. The elderly woman helped her heal, she had herbs and potions handed down from the previous generations that worked on her dreadful injuries. She knew the girl had been raped and she knew by who but kept it to herself saying it out loud would only bring more problems and this child did not need that. Anna said nothing as her body healed and the baby grew in her belly, she watched silent and still as the old woman fussed around her making sure she ate enough. The little boy watched her too with his huge blue eyes, he was incredibly beautiful and he seemed to know not to bother her but his quiet company reassured her. When she cried he would sit holding her hand and stroking her face.

‘Va bene, ora sei al sicuro, la nonna ti proteggerà. Per favore non piangere, ti prometto che sei al sicuro.’ [It's okay, you are safe now, Grandmother will protect you. Please do not cry, I promise you are safe.]

His little voice was so reassuring she would give him a watery smile,

‘Grazie piccolo angelo con i bellissimi occhi azzurri’ [Thank you, little angel with the beautiful blue eyes]

Her daughter was born on a wild March night the elderly woman helped deliver her into the world already to cruel for such a little one she smiled down at the little wild beauty in her arms. Waving her tiny fists at the world Juliette Anna screamed her anger at being removed from her warm safe place. Romero was fascinated by the tiny girl who watched him with her strange cat like eyes, he spent hours gazing at her in her crib talking softly to her.

‘Ti proteggerò bambina, sarai sempre al sicuro con me; [I will protect you baby girl, you will always be safe with me]

He stroked a finger along her downy cheek instincitvely knowing he had to be very gentle with her and her eyes would gaze into his as if she understood his words,

‘"Prometto che staremo sempre insieme, non ti abbandonerò mai come i nostri genitori hanno abbandonato noi" [I promise we will be together always, I will never abandon you like our parents abandoned us]

He kissed the top of her head and told her of his day, about school and his friends and about his beloved Grandmother. The two women would watch smiling indulgently as he chattered away to the tiny girl in her pink frilled crib,

‘È davvero il mio piccolo angelo dagli occhi azzurri’ [He is truly my little blue eyed angel’]