ROSE’s POV
It’s been less than two hours since Lily’s been gone but to me, it feels like an eternity has passed. I wonder if she will be able to find any medication for father, but more importantly, I have to wonder if the medication will work at all given the condition that he is in right now.
I look at Thomas who is sleeping soundly next to me on my bed. He has kicked off his blanket in his sleep and is drooling all over our pink worn-out mattress. I love my little brother, but I hate his drools. They stink. In the next room, it sounds like father has woken from his sleep and is talking to mother, but I cannot be sure. All I can hear are incoherent sounds coming through the paper-thin wall between our rooms.
I stand up from the torn and tattered bed and walk towards the only window in my bedroom, wishing for some fresh air. The room is too stuffy. But as I open the creaky wings of the window, I am not greeted by the cool morning air, instead, I am greeted by piercing screams.
“They’re here! They’re here! Run!” someone shrieks. It sounds like Samuel, father’s friend. He runs past our house like a crazed man, alerting everyone as he makes a mad dash back home to warn his family.
More screams follow and I smell smoke.
Damn, the mafia is here. Quickly I shut my window and run towards mother and father’s room. They already know even before I stumble through their door.
Father shakes his head in despair and mother’s eyes are everywhere. She is obviously panicking.
“Bunker…need to hide,” father croaks. Many years ago, father made a little wooden bunker behind our house to store our goods and given his condition now, it might be the best place to go. Surely we can’t leave father behind.
Or can we?
“Yes, yes…” mother stands up, placing a trembling hand across her chest.
Father moans even as he tries to sit up holding onto his wounds, and mother helps him to his wobbly feet but he slumps onto his knees as soon as his feet touch the ground. He has no strength left.
Mother starts to cry but she tries to help him up again, not giving up.
“Just go, leave me…” father pushes mother away with all his might. “Get Thomas..”
Mother’s eyes shoot up and meet my gaze. I nod, understanding what she means. I will bring the little one to safety first. I run out of the room and scoop Thomas up in my arms, jolting the little one awake. He blinks at the sudden avalanche of actions but does not cry. Perhaps even at the tender age of two, he already understands the gravity of our situation. Without a word, he wraps his arms tightly around my neck and hides his face in my hair as I run for the bunker.
But it is too late. One foot out of our house and I am faced with a gun pointed at my head.
***
LILY’s POV
I lose a shoe on the climb back up the hill, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters now is giving father his medication. The sun is almost up and I am nearly home. A tiny smile plays on my lips and I feel a surge of hope swell within my heart.
Everything’s going to be alright, I tell myself. Even the pharmacist’s assistant was kind enough to give the medication for free. That in itself was a miracle. Mother used to say that a rainbow will always come after a storm, and perhaps this elusive rainbow has finally appeared for us. We’ll give father his medicine and when he gets better, maybe we can move somewhere else before the mafia …… comes.
Something’s wrong.
I sniff the air as I approach our village. There is smoke, it is not the aromatic smell from someone’s kitchen but rather the suffocating stench of massive burning.
A house is on fire!
Shit!
I sprint up the hill, running as fast as my two feet can carry me and ignoring the twigs and branches that scrape my barefoot. But as I approach the village that I grew up in, I am greeted by not one, but three houses that are on fire and billows of dark grey smoke that consume the morning sky.
Oh no…..
Quickly I crouch behind the thick bushes a few feet away from the entrance to our little village. I am lucky no one spots me.
I see the mafia. They are everywhere! I don’t even know how many of these spineless evil men have infiltrated our sanctuary! I see them rounding up the villagers near the entrance of the village, laughing and mocking at them.
Where are my family? I peek through the leafy greens trying to get a better view and then, I see them. And my heart breaks.
Father is lying in mother’s arms within the group of villagers, half-dead as little Thomas whimpers holding onto mother’s skirt. And Rose…oh no…the men have Rose!
She is held by the collar of her light blue cotton dress, struggling, as one of the men breathes in the scent of her hair. Another stands nearby, his eyes undressing my sister in his mind. I see them laughing as they make derogatory remarks about my sister.
How dare they touch my sister! My breathing labours as I try to think of a way to save them. What can I do?
Then I see another man come forward to where Rose is struggling and he barks, “You know our orders. Sergio wants one woman from every family. We don’t take more than that, otherwise, there’ll be nothing left for us later on.”
What does that mean? Are they here for tributes? My heart races in both fear and rage. How dare they touch my little sister! How dare they come and lay waste to our village! We have worked so hard for everything that we own. How dare they come and destroy everything?!
Rage courses through my veins and I sink my fingers into my palm, shredding them in frustration and anger. Through the leaves, I can see Samuel pleading with the men as they grab his wife from the group.
Why are they taking her? She is already a mother of two boys! From where I hide, I see Samuel trying to stop them, pulling at the leg of one of the men and begging for them to let her go. His wife, Maria, screams for her husband as she trashes wildly in the grasp of one of the men. Samuel is slapped across the face and gutted in his stomach by the man but still, he clings onto the man’s leg, desperately pleading for his wife’s freedom.
Then suddenly, BANG! A shot is fired and for a moment, everything becomes deathly quiet. I blink, not understanding what has just happened.
“SAMUEL!” a high pitched shrill tears through the silence and realization stabs at me like a knife through the heart. The mafia shot Samuel in the head. He slumps onto the ground like a sack of potatoes, blood pooling the muddy soil and Maria cries in despair, kicking and flapping her hands in the air even as one of the men restrain her. Beside them, Rose stops moving, as does everyone else in the village.
I clasp a hand to my mouth and father’s medicine bag rolls onto the ground, forgotten.
Oh God…they killed Samuel. They KILLED uncle Samuel!
“See this man? Defy us and you will end up like him!” the one who fired the shot declares, his voice cutting through Maria’s screams. Irritated, he turns and backhands her across her face, sending both she and his man staggering back. He is clearly their leader. Maria’s screams scale back to a heart-wrenching whimper as her children stare unblinking at their father’s lifeless body, both utterly in shock. The events of today will surely scar them for life.
“We are here on Lord Sergio’s orders!” the man continues, holding everyone’s fearful attention. He lifts a finger, “One, for your goods and two..” He gives a leering look at Rose who avoids his gaze, “For one tribute from each family.”
I inhale sharply…. A tribute. So they really are here for the women. I see the look of terror frozen on Rose’s face and the despair in mother’s eyes as well every one of the villagers’. We are outnumbered and simply cannot fight back. Every family will be losing a loved one today. Or two, in Samuel’s case.
A part of me wants to run away. If I do, I will be safe and no one would know. But I cannot. This is my family. How can I abandon them?
I know what I must do. I stand up from my hiding place and walk calmly towards the village. One step. No one sees me. I can still run away and pretend this all never happened.
Two steps. Father opens his eyes and both our hazel our eyes lock. He shakes his head weakly in protest. He knows what I am about to do. I am petrified but I keep going.
Three steps, I step on a dried twig and it snaps. Oh shit. The sound catches the leader's attention and he turns his head around and sees me.
Four steps, I raise my trembling hands in an act of surrender. I have never been this scared before. Five steps…I stop and force myself to say, “Take me. I volunteer as tribute for my family.”
LILY’s POV When I was young, probably around three or four, father would perch me on his broad shoulders and run around our little wooden house as I flapped my hands in the air. I’d imagine myself a bird, soaring free and high in the sky. I remember how happy I had been then. My lips would curl up so high they would reach the corners of my eyes. Such was the joy of our simple game. I’d always ask for ‘just one more time’ and though father was weary from work, he never failed to indulge in me. Father worked hard for all of us, and now the time has come for me to take the burden from him. “You?” the leader cocks his head with a quizzical look. An eyebrow arches high as he looks me up and down, not sure what to make of my offer. I guess volunteering is not a common thing. “Yes, take me. Leave my sister alone,” I say with resolute, trying to hide the fear in my voice. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Rose’s dainty little mouth drop to an ‘O’
KANE’s POV “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War I stand atop the balcony of my late father’s mansion overlooking the city. There is a gentle breeze that plays with my hair as I look at the world that lays before me. I lift a hand with an outstretched arm and curl my fingers in, seemingly swallowing the city whole. It is only a matter of time before I claim back what rightfully belongs to the Ibraco family. My family. My father was the most powerful mafia leader of his time. He was ruthless and his name evoked fear throughout the land. If he asked you to down a bucket of shit, you would do it with a smile, otherwise, not only would you lose your head, your parents and children would lose theirs too and everyone else who is even remotely linked to your name would end up facing the guillotine. But my fat
*Kindly note that this chapter contains trigger warnings. Please read at your own discretion.LILY’s POVI don’t think this is Sergio’s room. It certainly doesn’t look like a gang leader’s room, it’s more like a holding cell of some sort. There is a lone window that has been heavily barred with timber planks leaving just enough space for you to peer out and catch a glimpse of the starry night, but not enough for you to stick a hand out to signal for help.Help.That is something I desperately need right now, but who would come? Who would step into this hellhole and free us all? No one. There will be no help.There is only one piece of furniture in this cold and unforgiving room. The four poster bed, but it gives me no solace for I know the crimes that have been committed on these beautiful white linen. I can hear the ghostly echoes of those who came here before me as their ho
KANE’s POV “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War A cool gust of wind caresses my skin as we finally reach our destination. Sergio’s haven looms over us as we crouch hidden in the tall grass. The place is dark, save for a few torched flames that Sergio’s guards carry as they patrol the premise. Russo, who is the stealthiest amongst us raises his hand ever so slightly, forming the number seven with his fingers. Seven. Seven men patrol this dilapidated factory. That is strange. Sergio doesn’t have that many men with him left, probably thirty left at best. So why would he send seven out here to guard the area? I wonder. Unless there is something valuable inside the building that he needs to guard. No matter, I will find out soon enough. I give the signal to Russo and he leads our men
KANE’s POVQuietly I make my way down the long dark and smokey hallway of the topmost floor. I know Sergio is nearby for he was not on the ground floor.Guess I am right. Two dark figures run across the hallway and I smile. Time for a little game of cat and mouse.I draw my gun and chase after the men who lurk in the shadows only to come face to face with two giants and one of them is none other than Sergio. He holds a strange little bag in his hand. Is that what he is protecting? Could that be the SEAL that he stole from father?Whoever holds the SEAL controls the mafia and if that is what is in Sergio’s hand then I must have it back. By hook or by crook.“Hello Kane, we meet again,” his lips curl up with a smile that never reaches his scarred eyes. He thinks he has the upper hand with that trembling lowlife who cowers beside him.“Give it up Sergio,” I cock the gun and aim it betwe
KANE’s POV "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." —Friedrich Nietzsche “Doctor, how is she?” I ask the moment the elderly man in a white coat steps out from behind the dark mahogany door. He looks at me and pushes the round rimless glass up to the bridge of his crooked nose, silently shaking his wintry white head. I feel my gut clench. Why is he shaking his head? Behind the doctor, I see his nurse tucking in the girl under a thick white comforter. The rays of the breaking dawn stream into the room through the stained glass windows and cast a pale haunting glow on her. Believe me when I say she looks like sleeping beauty. But I am no prince, and no amount of true love’s kiss can wake her up from the poison that Sergio cursed her with. “I’ve administered the antidote into her and treated her wounds. She’s lucky to still be alive,” the doctor says. The nurse steps out of the ro
KANE’s POV “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” ―Lao Tzu It is the second day and sleeping beauty has still not awaken. In fact, she has contracted a fever and that is never a good sign. It means her body is waging war against an infection, and it is a war I hope she will win. The elderly doctor, Doctor Antonia came by again this morning but left saying the same thing, that he has administered the antidote and that it is up to her will to survive now. I sit in my favourite armchair by her bedside with hands clasped and elbows propped on my knees as I watch her. Her brows crease in her sleep and she murmurs incoherently. Is she having a nightmare? “What will it take to wake you up?” I ask. But of course, she does not answer. I lean forward and brush a strand of damp hair from her glistening forehead wondering when I will get to see those beautiful acorn ey
LILY’s POV Ibraco? Kane Ibraco? I frown. Why does the name sound so familiar? This man, Kane, releases his hold on me and allows me to take in my surroundings. Every move I make is painful, it is as if my body burns with invisible fire but I strain to move anyway. I am on a bed, a feathery comfy bed and there is a great wide window that has been opened to let in the gentle sunlight. The room is magnificently huge, bigger than my family house even, and every piece of furniture that inhabits this mahogany themed room oozes style and quality. My eyes return from the ogling of the room and I look down at my body only to realize that I am wearing a clean white cotton dress. From the corner of my eye, I notice a movement and my head jerks back up to see a big, tall man with light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and recognition flashes across my face. “You…” I whisper, ignoring the scratchy dryness in my throat. Isn't thi