CHAPTER 35: THE PUNISHMENT

Luciano was angry.

With a forehead wrinkled in concentration, he tied his hair into a man bun, and grabbed his boots from the closet.

He was wearing the boot, when the glass door slid open, and Daniela walked into the room.

"Babe, I brought breakfast!" She called out in a singsong voice.

He looked up briefly, to see her holding a tray.

"I’m not hungry, Daniela," he said.

"Well good morning to you too," She dropped the tray on the table, and straightened with her hands fitted on her waist. "Where are you headed in such haste?"

"To the field, why?"

"You tell me why. What’s so important that you’ll prefer to skip breakfast?"

"That’s none of your business, Daniela." He rose to his feet, and walked up to his safe to grab a gun from his many collections.

"You know, I’m getting sick and tired of your dismissiveness towards me. You won’t let me sleep in your room, ever. And recently, you won’t even talk to me. You do realize we’re getting married right?"

He fastened the gun in his belt pocket, before turning to face her.

"I don’t allow anyone to sleep in my room, first of all. Just you, Vittorio, Aurora, Salvatore, and Elio even have access to it. Isn’t that good enough for you? And as for talking to you, since when do you ever want to talk, if it’s not about wedding things? All of that you can discuss with Aurora. What else?"

"Valentina," she wasted no time in responding.

Luciano kissed his teeth. "What about her?"

"Don’t ask as if you don’t know. You refused to have sex with me last night because poor Valentina’s condition affected your mood. She’s a problem." She folded her hands across her body, and squeezed her lips brattily.

He scoffed. "I didn’t sleep with you because I wasn’t in the mood. Heck, I don’t think I need to explain myself to you. Take the food, and leave. You don’t have a problem. You’re just bored and creating drama out of nothing."

"Oh yeah? Then why are you carrying your anger from yesterday, to today? Why are you so upset, and raging? Imagine I’m the one so fixated on another man. How will you–"

"Mention another man in my presence again. Imaginary or not. You’ll see a side of me I promise you don’t want to see."

Daniela clamped her mouth shut, as a bit of warmth formed in her chest.

At least, he still got heated at her mentioning an imaginary man. That was enough for her at the moment.

"I can’t stay while you’re away doing whatever you’re doing?" She asked, already knowing the answer even before she did.

"No," he replied brusquely.

"Fine! It’s whatever!" She hissed, and picked up the tray.

Flinging her hair dramatically, she stomped out of the room.

Luciano took a deep breath, waiting for her to go far, before he walked to the door.

***

"Why do we need to be up so early?" Elio whined, as Salvatore led both him and Marcello to the fields.

"I told you already. We have a workshop today. Now be a man, and stop throwing tantrums!" Salvatore scolded.

"But it’s so early, and we barely had any sleep. We had to make sure Valentina was stable. We left her room four hours ago. How do we properly engage the day with four hours of sleep?" Marcello picked up where Elio left off.

"That’s your cross to carry. You’re both rich men now, so you think it’s beneath you to attend workshops, huh?"

"No!" They replied in sync.

"Good, then you better move. Keep it moving!" He forced them forward from behind, whilst chanting annoying songs.

"That damn song!" Marcello muttered under his breath to the hearing of Elio.

"I know right? Getting on my last nerve. What is this stupid workshop even about?"

"Perhaps, they’re going to train us on how to handle new weapons. With how exhausted I am, I might blow my brains off in the process of training."

"Me too fratello. Me too."

The golden light of the early sun brightened the otherwise dull morning, as the two sleepy boys ventured past the entrance door, into the field.

Elio, in the middle of a yawn, froze as he saw it first.

There was a lineup.

Marcello too stopped walking on seeing the table.

Two pistols, two blind folds. One coin. Not to mention the menacing faces of some of the other guys, staring at them.

This wasn’t any workshop. It was a set-up. And they were the lab rats.

Salvatore walked past the boys who had stopped moving, a grin on his face.

Their gazes met, and instantly, they knew they had to run.

They turned around, ready to flee from the field, only to meet the cold calculated glare of—Luciano.

"Luce." The name fell out of Elio’s lips loosely.

"Move."

The order came without any force. Just simple, but effective.

Both boys began to move to the table, not a single argument, or words of resistance dangling from their lips.

"Buongiorno!" Luciano said to all of the boys present.

They repeated the greeting. Half grudgingly for having to be out on the field on a morning this dull. And the other half, intrigued by the prospect of the day.

"Today, we’re gathered to play games. Carlo?!" He called out.

The older partially bald man stepped forward. "Carpo!" He saluted.

"You train the boys in Elio and Marcello’s set, right?"

"Sìcarpo."

"Have you taught them anything about hierarchy, ranks, orders and rules?"

"Sìcarpo."

"So they’re fully aware that for every careless action, whimsical or not, there is a punishment attached?"

"Fully aware, Luce."

"Good."

Carlo stepped back, understanding he had been dismissed.

Luciano exhaled, as he turned to the two boys with vivid fear in their eyes. "Since you love to play stupid games, let us play," he grabbed the coin from the table. "Pick a side," he ordered.

Elio trembled. "Luce—"

"Pick a side," he repeated, this time, through clenched teeth.

"Heads," Marcello quickly said.

"Tail." Elio conceded.

"Salvatore?!"

"Sicarpo." He walked over.

"Roll the dice. Winner shoots, loser runs. Both blindfolded."

Elio’s breath fastened, as he caught Marcelo’s panicking gaze.

"Say something Elio. Beg him. He listens to you," he pleaded, eyes bloodied with misery.

"One more word from either of you, and we’ll scrap the game. You don’t want to know what will follow after."

Their lips pinned shut immediately.

Salvatore continued to smile, as he picked up the coin. He did a little dance, causing the other boys to burst out laughing.

"Heads for Marcel, tails for Elio. Let’s roll!" He sang, as he rolled the dice.

Tension gripped the air, as everyone quietly watched to see which side it would fall on.

Clink!

The coin landed, and Salvatore quickly covered the result with his hand.

He peeped through the hole his hand formed, and burst out laughing.

"Carlo, blindfold both boys!" Luciano ordered, before the result would be revealed.

Elio looked at Luciano, in hopes he would look at him and have some mercy.

Luciano returned his gaze, without a single sympathy in his eyes.

He knew then and there there was no mercy to be gotten. He had messed up by taking Valentina out of Neravalle. This was the consequence.

Marcello’s breath became frantic as the blindfold covered his eyes. Elio prayed silently as his went around his eyes.

"Salvatore, reveal the answers."

"My pleasure. Elio, you run. Marcello, you shoot. But there’s a silver lining. If Marce’s gun shooting ability is anything like his woman shooting ability, just know he won’t score, Elio. Your brain might remain intact after all."

The guys burst out laughing, as if this wasn’t a life and death situation.

"When you hear me give the order, you run, Elio," Luciano, who had not cracked a smile yet, said. "And let this be a warning to every last one of you. Never cross me. This goes to the traditore amongst you. I know you. I’ve seen your faces, and I’m coming for you."

He paused, and took a deep breath, allowing the impact of his words settle in their heads.

"Run!"