Chapter 4

Ariana

I was still in shock, the pain radiating from my cheek did not seem to reduce. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn't stay focused on that at the moment.

The whole house is three times what my dad's house was, that is, before those cruel men broke in and trashed the place. There was so much blood everywhere.

I can't even understand how this became my reality. My mum, dad and brother, they're all gone.

Andy was just lying there, lifeless. I screamed so loudly when I saw him. I stayed in cellar, but I couldn't act like I wasn't hearing the gunshots, or the screams. My little brother whom I hadn't seen in over ten years, was gone. Yes, we were two years apart, but he was still my little brother.

The only time we ever talked was on the phone. Video calls, voice calls... Even if we weren't in the same city, or country, it was fine. As far as I could see his face, I was fine.

Today, I turned twenty. I just couldn't stand being apart from my family, even if daddy had told me never to come back home except he sent for me. He said the whole family was moving to Switzerland so we could be together, but I couldn't wait.

I thought he'd be happy to see me, to see his Principessa (Princess). He was so upset when he saw me. I felt like I wasn't wanted. Maybe he sent me away all those years ago, and hid me from the public because he hated me.

Or maybe this way the reason he didn't want me here, he knew this was going to happen. No wonder Jenkins took me to the secret room behind the wine cellar. That used to be my room before he sent me abroad.

The room had changed a lot. It looked like a panic room built for criminals. The walls were lined with arms and different ammunition. The place was sound proof like some sort of war bunker.

When the shooting began, I did as Daddy had told me when I was younger. “Principessa, if you hear anything, anything at all, run to the cellar.” As if he knew one day something like this would happen.

Right now, I know no one is trust worthy. With the air of authority Lucky walks with, I think he's the leader of this gang. What I can't figure out is what they want with me. I don't know what to do. All I'm certain of is that he needs to die, and it has to be by my hands.

He needs to trust me, if I want to get close to him. Close enough to put a bullet in his skull. I started gun lessons when I was only five years old. It was obvious daddy was into shady stuff. That was the only reason a twelve year old could be a certified black belt.

After sitting in the room for a while, I walk to the window where is see armed men pacing the whole estate. There's no way I'm leaving this place with my body parts intact.

But I have to escape. To give my parents a proper burial at least. There was no way those bad men had cleared out all those bodies. My parents should be there, Andy should be there...

I felt helpless. Fear crept over me as I realized I could meet the same fate as them. Maybe I should have stayed quiet, hidden in the vault like daddy had said.

While I tried to organize my thoughts, I heard a knock at the door.

Behind the door, I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever laid my eyes on. She was stunning with sparkling emerald eyes like precious gems. She had the most luscious lashes and the face of an angel.

She smiled, revealing such perfect dentition, "My name is Camilla. You must me Aria."

I nodded absently.

Her eyes scanned my body slowly. She was accessing me. My cheeks heated up a little. Before I could open my mouth to ask anything, she closed the door behind her.

“You have to look presentable. Aria, the Don can't see you covered in blood.”

Shoot! I've been covered in blood for hours. After I left the vault, I spent some time flipping the bodies outside over trying to find my brother. When I got into the house, I caught that bastard taking a picture of him.

"Ariana, I'm so sorry. I brought you an ice pack." She gently handed me the cold compress, wrapped in a soft cloth.

I took it, pressing it against my throbbing cheek. The chill of the ice provided some relief, but the pain lingered.

“I'll get you anything you need! Name it! You need to take a shower and change into some clean clothes.” Camilla said with a fake squeaky voice. It seemed like she was trying to cheer me up. Her voice tinged with sincerity. Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Anything?” I asked her?

“Anything.” She affirmed, looking at me with such pitiful eyes that I started to feel bad for myself.

“Can you get me my Andy back? My parents too. Can you bring them back please?” My voice broke as I made such an impossible request. Just then, reality had started to hit.

Yesterday, I was a college student with friends and a family. A family I never saw, but still, a family. Now, I was an orphan at the mercy of my parent's killer.

Camilla enveloped me in a warm hug. “I'm sorry,” she said, "I lied to you mama. Ask for anything else. I promise, I'll give it to you!" She broke into a sob.

As she held me, tears began to fall, mingling with the water droplets from the ice pack that dripped onto the floor.

I just stood there with this stranger, crying my eyes out. She seemed to understand what I was feeling. Or at least, she felt something.

But no one could be trusted. Daddy was right, the world was a bad place filled with really bad, and horrible people. But for now, I want to hug this stranger, I want to feel the warmth I could never get. Even just for a moment.

We stood there for over thirty minutes. Camilla held my shoulders softly, pulling me away from her body.

“Sorry.” I apologized, knowing I put her in an uncomfortable position.

“It's fine Ari, just take a shower quickly. Don Castello would want to see you when he comes back.” She wiped the tears off my face, leaving the one on her cheeks to drip down.

I nodded. She left the room for a moment. It took her some time to return with the hygiene stuff she went to get. I took the opportunity to carefully place the knife I had swiped from my parent's house under the mattress.

She returned then walked me to the bathroom, like I needed help showering. Maybe she thought I'd kill myself if she left me alone. In as much as that was an option I was considering, I couldn't do that till my family's murderer was deeper than six feet. Don Castello will feel my wrath.

Camilla opened the shower as I lowered myself into the tub. The blood flowed into the drain and I couldn't help but think about my next move. Right now, there can be no room for weakness.

I wiped the tears that threatened to roll down my cheek. Camilla poured soap on my body and scrubbed me, inch by inch. This was the first time anyone was showing me love this way. It felt nice, but there no way I'd let myself be comfortable in this hell hole.

When she was done, she brought me an immaculate towel. I wrapped myself up and entered into the bedroom. She had set some clothes aside for me. There was also a tray of food on the night stand. The sight seemed to make me nauseous.

Right after I put the clothes on, I heard a soft knock on the door. It was the rude guy that took my pistol.

He asked Camilla how I was doing in Italian. I scoffed softly. The idiot didn't know that was my fucking first language. I was going to use that to my advantage, somehow. They think I'm a stupid little girl, that's where they're wrong. ‘Your savoir’ my ass.

“The don wants her.”

Camilla looked down at me, pity filling her eyes. She walked me in front of a tall maple door I assumed led to the bastard's office. She knocked first then led me inside. In a flash, she was gone.

The room was poorly lit. How can such an influential man not afford light bulb?

“Come closer!” His voice was chilling. Goosebumps spread across my body. My legs moved themselves to the front of his huge table.

“Open it!” There was something unhinged about the look in his eyes. Those were the eyes of a man who had seen blood one too many times to be fazed. He was dangerous, and so was I.

He folded his sleeves up, squaring his shoulders. He had a full sleeve of tattoos on both hands. I did as he said and opened the mini heirloom chest that sat on the desk. What I saw left me in shock. A severed hand covered in blood. I felt nauseous. Immediately, I shut the chest.

He cleared his throat. “That, was the gift I received this evening.”

Why did he show me that? How was I connected to his ‘gift’.

“Guess who it was from?” He asked like I was supposed to know.

When I thought it couldn't get worse, his expression became more grimaced. “Wait that's not all, there was fucking note attached.” He had the worst smile on his face, the kind of smile only a deranged person would wear.

He opened his drawer and revealed a note. After scanning my expression, he read the note out loud, "Release Ariana by tomorrow, if not, that will be you. You know I don't bluff. Love AL."

I know those initials all too well. How the fuck is this happening right now? Why?

“Now I want to know Ariana, what the fuck do you and Arturo Lopez have?”

In that moment, my mouth couldn't move. It was as if I was frozen in time.