Page 30

Leo

The date is set for this weekend. A little sooner than I had anticipated, but the sooner, the better.

All the plans have been pushed forward; the day will go ahead just as arranged.

While Katie and my mother have final dress fittings and whatever else brides and the mothers of grooms do before a wedding, Marco and I have some business to attend to.

Damien has informed me a delivery is to arrive at one of my warehouses in thirty minutes. Hoping it is what I expect, Marco and I pack up the car with the necessary equipment and head over there. We arrive before the delivery. My phone rings as we enter the warehouse. Damien.

“Guerra, your container should be with you shortly.”

“I trust it is what I expect.”

“That depends on your expectations, but I doubt you will be disappointed. As you are aware, the Graves were working under new leadership. Jay, or Jaxon Adams, is a highly intelligent computer expert. It seems he was hacking into organisations’ systems and blackmailing them into working alongside him, Martelé being the most recent, with you as next on his list, given the trouble you have been experiencing lately.

Thankfully we have managed to get the true heir to the Graves to come forward, resulting in the organisation turning Jay in to us.

The issues, unfortunately, don’t end there, but for now, we trust you will tie up this loose end in a, let's say, more deserving way than mine or Josh’s morals would let us. ”

“I am grateful for your generosity in this, Damien. Your hard work will be repaid. I am in your debt.”

“There is no debt to be paid, Guerra.”

“Maybe we shall work together again in the future.”

“Let’s hope not.” Damien ends the call just as the lorry carrying our delivery rounds the corner.

Marco and I watch as the forklift carefully lifts the container off the back.

“Don’t be so careful; it’s not fragile.” I groan impatiently.

The driver takes the hint, releasing his fork midair and allowing the metal container to crash to the floor, then tip over onto its side with a loud boom.

Once it’s inside the warehouse, Marco unlocks the door to the container.

It opens with a loud screech. The stench that flows out is putrid.

Human excrement and god knows what else.

Jaxon is crouched in a corner, his arms shielding his eyes from the sudden light.

He’s been in there for over forty-eight hours, apparently.

After a moment he stands up and walks towards the door, inspecting who has just released him from his prison.

“Guerra!” Lunging forward when he sees it's me, he’s soon put on his knees by a crowbar to the shins, courtesy of Marco.

“You will pay for this, Guerra.”

“No, Jay, I won’t.”

His eyes widen when he realises I have called him the name he uses when working for the Graves. “Your time as a Graves is over; your time, in general, is over. How do you think we found you so easily?”

The penny starts to drop, his expression changing as he realises, he has been thrown to the wolves by his own men.

“How’s Katie?” Jaxon changes the subject to annoy me.

“Don’t mention her name.”

“She tastes good, doesn’t she? And that little moan she does when—”

Crack . My fist breaks his cheekbone .

He doesn’t fight back. Instead, he laughs and continues. “She likes it hard, you know. Slap her about a bit, if you know what I mean.”

Anger consumes me; my body reacts on impulse, and I beat him over and over. I must stop myself. He’s not getting away with it this easily. He’s taunting me. Forcing my mind elsewhere, I calm myself.

Jaxon coughs and splutters; he spits out teeth with blood as he picks himself up from the floor.

“You’ve seen that scar on the back of her shoulder? I put that there, biting down as I pounded her from behind.” He loses his balance as he thrusts his hips for more effect.

It doesn’t work, however.

The scar he speaks of I know very well. I also know he did not put that there.

Katie acquired that scar one night after falling from the hotel wall when we were teenagers.

We were running away from security. Katie thought I didn’t want to be seen as I would get thrown out.

Really it was the fact the guards would recognise me; I didn’t want Katie to know who I really was.

Katie and her mother would have been treated very differently the minute anyone found out they were friends with a Guerra.

I enjoyed being treated as a normal person.

Knowing that she was being nice to me because she liked me for who I was, not because she feared what would happen to her if she wasn’t.

Surprisingly, though, she still treats me as if I were any regular guy.

She’s not scared of speaking her mind or putting me in my place.

I love that about her. She makes me feel loved, normal and happy.

I’m myself when I’m around her, a self I haven’t been for many years.

Unlike many of the women I have been with, Katie doesn’t want to be with me because of my reputation. She wants to be with me despite it.

Jaxon continues to goad me; Marco clearly has heard too much.

“ENOUGH!” With one flick of his knife, Jaxon loses his tongue, thus ending his provocations.

We manage to keep him alive for another six hours.

By the end of it, I’m exhausted, relieved it's done. Marco could have continued, I’m sure.

The body and each piece of flesh we have removed are thrown back into the container to be sent to the Graves.

A reminder that anyone who dares to cross the Guerras will not live to tell the tale.

Once we have cleaned ourselves up, we visit my father. He wants to know the plans for the wedding in detail. He’s a shell of the man he used to be. Frail and yellow in colour, he sits in his wheelchair. Once a dangerous, powerful man who haunted my nightmares, he could now drop dead at any moment .

While Marco runs through the schedule of the wedding day, I find my mother in the kitchen.

She’s standing at the island, mixing some kind of cake batter.

My parents have staff to cook, so I know when she’s in here, it's to take her mind off something.

Her eyes are visibly red and swollen. To know you are about to lose the person you love must be incredibly hard. The pain is too hard to imagine.

“Mamma.”

“Leonardo. It’s so good to see you.” After kissing both my cheeks, she holds my face in her hands. “You look so tired. Sit; let me get you a drink.”

After getting a glass out of the cupboard, she pours me some wine from the bottle she is drinking.

“How is Papà?”

“He is looking forward to your wedding.”

We make small talk while she continues to beat the batter. We live in such a life of luxury. Anything we desire, we can have without limit, apart from the two things we need most—health and life. Two things which we all take for granted. Things which I now plan to cherish.

Marco appears at the door, notifying me that my father wants my attention.

I go to him .

“Leonardo, Marco has everything under control. He is a true Guerra.”

“He is one of the best,” I agree.

My father then holds out his arms. A gesture I have never seen from him before. He flaps his fingers, encouraging me to get closer. Assuming he must be trying to give me one last crack while he still can, I do as instructed.

To my surprise, he pulls me into him, slapping me on the back. He whispers, “You’ve done me proud, son.” Then he releases me.

A nod is all I can give in return. Since the day my brother died, my father has only ever treated me like the monster I have become. By his hand, I have endured beatings and torture. All to prepare me for the life that I now lead.

He made me a demon.

It wasn’t always like that, though. Before the death of my brother, my father and I were close. I worked with him in the vineyards, and he taught me everything I know and love about viticulture. That is the father I remember; I have already mourned his death.

“A package has arrived for you, sir,” Sergio informs me as soon as I arrive home.

“Excellent; where is it? ”

“On your desk, sir.”

Pleased to find the package is exactly what I have been waiting for, I immediately go to find Katie. She’s in our bedroom getting ready for bed.

“Oh Leo, you're home. I’ve missed you.” She flings her arms around my neck, and I breathe her in, instantly feeling relaxed.

“Hey, what do you have there?” She tugs at the package in my hand.

“It’s a surprise for you.”

“You know I don’t like surprises.”

“I think you will like this one.” I tease.

Apprehensively, she takes it from me, then slowly tears open the box. The reaction she gives once she takes out what’s inside isn’t what I expected. Tears flood her face, and she sobs hard.

“Hey, hey.” I sit beside her on the bed. I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me. Seeing her upset makes me crazy. “I’m sorry. Is it bad? I’ll send it back now.”

“No, it’s perfect.” More crying. “How did you do this?”

“I arranged for someone to collect all the parts and had it sent off to a teddy bear specialist. Does he look okay?”

“My Snuggly is even more special now. Thank you, Leo. ”

“You’re welcome.” I hold her for a minute while she holds the bear, counting my blessings and shutting out the thoughts of what might have been.

“Talking of surprises, you still haven’t told me where we are going on our honeymoon!”

“That’s the whole point of a surprise.”

“Please, Leo—I need to know what clothes to pack?”

“Ahh, you won’t be needing any clothes.” I kiss her.

She pulls away. “Seriously, Leo, I need to know.”

Using distraction techniques, I take off my shirt and pants before heading to the bathroom. As I’m turning on the taps to the bath, I feel her behind me. “You want to join me?”

Her hands come around my waist. “I know what you’re doing, you know.”

“Good, then you’ll also know you won't win. You may as well get undressed too.”

When she lifts her nightdress, I see she is delightfully naked underneath. Together we wash away my horror of a day, a day I will never think of again.

Well, maybe the bath part, I will.