Brahim's Rolls Royce stopped on the sand that rose, leaving a thick mist of dust in the air. He got out of the vehicle and put on his sunglasses. Then, he entered the factory that was constantly active; that day there seemed to be more work than on average. Brahim continued to the small room that served as a storage room, at the end of a large room that seemed smaller than it really was because it was occupied by the machines and other devices used to manufacture the substances. Once inside, he sat down on the only chair there and was attended to by a woman with oriental features who served him a cognac on the rocks.-Tell Marcela that I need to speak to her as soon as possible. - Brahim ordered with a disturbing calm, it was the calm before the storm. The maid nodded and left immediately. It was not long after her departure that Marcela arrived; a woman with a disheveled appearance, although with attractive features, she was the oldest worker in the factories, therefore the
The drops of water fell, warmer and warmer until they had cooled completely. Anne did not want to feel that icy sensation that was trying to erase from her skin the soft caresses of the hot water that had filled the bathroom with steam until it seemed like a sauna. She opened the sliding door and covered herself with a towel. She went from the bathroom to the bedroom, without noticing anything out of place, she couldn't do that, Brahim had left everything as it was. She passed the towel along her silhouette, drying every last trace of moisture. She approached the closet and took out a velvet tracksuit, comfortable and warm, and a black sweatshirt. As for footwear, she opted for some sneakers for sports. She would go for a run, although she would not go too far and for that she had two bodyguards designated by Ciro, who followed her all the time keeping a comfortable distance. She needed to clear her mind and calm her anxiety. She hadn't yet managed to get back in touch with the feds
In no time, Dr. Lamberti improvised an obstetrics room in one of the guest rooms, after having healed Brahim's wounds with alcohol and covered them with adhesive bandages, he had them everywhere, including his face, which, far from losing attractiveness, gave him an alpha appearance.She applied gel to his abdomen under the watchful eye of Brahim who wanted to verify with his own eyes the supposed child that was being conceived inside her."Is Ciro dead?" Anne asked, breaking the overwhelming silence that had enveloped the moment. She did not take her eyes off the ultrasound screen.-No, I just hit him really hard. - Brahim answered calmly. He had to send Lamberti to inspect his brother, the bodyguards had picked him up from the office floor and carried him to the main room; Anne's, she still hadn't regained consciousness.Dr. Lamberti, his hand shaking, pointed at a small dot on the screen. He cleared his throat before saying:-Indeed, Mr. Tonali,
For the rest of the day, Anne was very attentive to Ciro's needs: she brought him food, juices and water, and from time to time she stayed in the room just to keep him company, even though they didn't talk much. Ciro, naturally, appreciated it, he felt her close as he hadn't felt for a long time, but there was a disturbing feeling in him that worried him. He still didn't understand why Brahim hadn't touched a single hair on his head. Perhaps it was an absurd doubt to resolve, but until he understood what had made his brother change his mind, he wouldn't be calm. In the meantime, he would remain alert, succumbing to what seemed to him to be the calm before the storm.Dr. Lamberti had prescribed him rest and some aspirin because, although the blow to the head had not been very severe, it did not mean that it was a minor issue. For the moment, dizziness and headaches were bothering him, so Ciro slowly sat up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed."Do you want help?"
That night, husband and wife rested on the same bed, respecting the limits of their bodies, much to the chagrin of Ciro, who was dying to sleep with her in his arms, just that, without any passionate pretensions. He only wanted to have her on his chest and feel her heartbeat up close, and to believe naively that she still belonged to him, even if it was an illusion. His soul needed it as much as a bird needs its wings to keep from falling. But he restrained himself. He looked at her slender back, which was slightly exposed by the strapless shirt of her pajamas, and in a daring act he decided to trace her skin with the tip of his finger. They were soft touches that ran from one side to the other, descending and then rising again and repeating the process.He didn't mean to wake her. There was no point in waking her up, though. She was already awake. It had been a long time, ever since she discovered who she really was, that she had been unable to sleep. She slept for short int
Early in the morning, when mothers were getting their children ready to take them to school or men were heading to their offices, a heavy-duty truck was parked at the Tonali mansion with kilos and kilos of narcotics disguised as baby formula. The young driver Brahim was talking to the other day obeyed his orders and showed up early, before leaving for North America, so that his boss could check the quality of his product. Brahim took out a small knife and filled the tip with white powder, which he then tasted. He smiled, pleased at its pure taste; none of his competitors would sell anything similar. He gave the OK and the young driver got ready to return to his truck.-Alvaro, - the driver heard. He turned towards the mansion where his master's wife was leaving. Anne approached him and handed him a white, sealed envelope. -Brahim says that you should give this to the first American policeman who stops you to inspect the truck. It is very important that he receives it sealed,
The letter.The sealed envelope that Anne had given to the young driver was in the glove compartment of the truck, along with a box of cigarettes and another of matches, being watched by Alvaro who would occasionally open the glove compartment just to make sure that the letter was with him, although he had no way of losing it, he still hadn't taken it out of there. He was already crossing the gallant Milanese city halfway through the day, and he still had a long way to go. But Alvaro didn't complain about his job, he was rewarded with ten thousand euros just for driving a cargo truck two or three times a month. He wasn't stupid either, he knew what he was transporting on each trip, why it was the best-rewarded job of all the others he had worked as a driver, but for him the risk was worth it (he naively believed it because he had never been imprisoned by the authorities). The letter clearly sensed that his luck would soon reverse.After an hour or so,
Ciro, feeling better, stood in front of the many different bottles of liquor he kept in his cellar, unable to choose one. He picked up a small, almost square-shaped bottle and looked at it. It was an Absolut vodka. He thought for a moment and then returned it to its place. In his opinion, it was a drink that would be had to have a good time, and this was not the occasion."You're calling me, sir?" One of the housemaids appeared. Ciro barely took his eyes off the shelves.-Yes. Bring me Brahim, we have business to discuss. - he ordered expressionlessly.He walked around the round table in the center and stood in front of another shelf. He saw wines and cocktails, liquors that were also of no merit at the meeting of brothers, they were very soft drinks, to numb their senses and Ciro needed to have the five lively ones. Among the soft liquors there was a long and narrower bottle than usual that was out of harmony with the rest of the category, it was a
Once again, Bethany woke up in a bland, cold hospital bed, but this time it wasn't in Florence, and her name wasn't Bethany either, but Anne. As soon as she arrived on American soil, she felt immense relief; she would finally stop fighting for her life. She was taken to a hospital that offered exclusive services to law enforcement officers, veterans, and their families. They subjected her to different tests, from blood tests to a psychological study. Finally, she was alone, lying on her back looking out the window at a moon that was a couple of nights away from being full; it was just as beautiful as in Italy. She thought about Brahim, if she had gotten to a hospital in time or if he would have died in the helicopter. And she also thought about Ciro, about that last promise he had made her. She didn't want to obsess, but it was almost impossible. If she had learned anything from Ciro Tonali, it was that he was stubborn; he would do everything possible to keep his word. "Bethany"
The vastness of the forest was reduced to Ciro's feet, he knew it like the back of his hand, and that was no exaggeration. He had grown up there, he had played hide and seek with Brahim many times, he had also walked there with his father looking for wildlife to hunt. He would never have imagined that in the future he would hunt his wife. It was when he understood that he was not the master of his destiny, which was what scared him the most.- Where are you taking me? - Anne asked, finally calming her tears. She walked ahead of Ciro, one of his hands holding her thin neck, while in her free hand she held the gun in the area of her lower back.-Brahim is waiting for us. – was all he said. He felt his heart squeezing, resisting this act of cruelty towards his wife, the woman of his life. He had found her hiding behind the rock long before the agent did and he stood frozen, watching her in ter
Anne found herself facing a wooded area of more than fourteen thousand two hundred hectares, she had already crossed them on her own foot, although this time it was different, because she had a pair of criminal brothers following her. She couldn't go down the main road, the only path free of weeds and leaves, where the vehicles moved, it would be too obvious. She advanced along the right furrow, clearing her path of branches and leaves, watching the ground carefully to jump over puddles or stones that she could trip over. She wasn't sure if there were snakes or spiders hiding in the undergrowth, she had no room to think about it, the real danger was the Tonali brothers. Her heart leapt into her chest when she became aware of the echoing footsteps following hers. She quickly hid behind the thick trunk of a tree, hoping not to be seen. She heard the static typical of radio communicators, followed by the booming
It was 2:13 in Italy. Ciro's sleepless nights had already become a habit, as had his taste for liquor. He was in the cellar of his house drinking Sicilian anise, the bitter taste of which was accompanied by equally bitter memories that revived the moment when his own brother, blood of his blood, told him that he had impregnated his wife, the woman of his life. If he got drunk it was not to forget, he never understood people who drank to forget their sorrows, he kept them fresh in his mind, he did it to be able to fall asleep. He used liquor as a soporific substance. The silence of his solitude was broken by the ringing of his cell phone. He took the device with his free hand, without letting go of the glass of anise, and glanced at the caller ID, noticing a call from one of his lackeys. He pressed the green button and brought the cell phone to his ear, while bringing the glass to his mouth.-Sir, I have
Around nine o'clock at night, Michael, handcuffed and guarded as if he were a high-ranking leader of some South American Carter gang, returned to his native country, the United States. The autumn breeze that blew, carrying with it the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and tacos, the English accent resonating on every corner and the delirious people walking the streets talking to nothing, welcomed him to a land to which he never thought he would return. SWAT convoy he was transported from the helipad to the operations headquarters. Once there, lower-ranking officers processed him, offered him a more comfortable coat, and fed him. Michael was not averse to any deal, and when he had to be cooperative, he was. However, he did not ignore the failure to read his rights. He was not wrong in assuming that this was no small oversight. The feds were running roughshod over legislation. They called law only
With two hundred thousand euros in his pocket, Michael had lived the last few months like a celebrity: traveling, going to and from parties, drinking alcohol in abundance and consuming other substances, and in addition to all this he had the pleasant female company of some women who would do anything in exchange for money. But he was not stupid, he knew that in the shadow of his gloating there were consequences. He had sold valuable information to the Italian mafia with an FBI agent in danger. That is why he was not surprised when he saw a BND patrol. (Federal Intelligence Service in German) parking outside the five-star hotel where he was staying for more than seven days. He swore and quickly packed a couple of wads of cash and some gold and silver items, anything of considerable value, into a small gym bag. His days of jubilation were over, and he now had to answer to higher-ups. Although i
They left the mansion aboard the already familiar Mustang bound for Florence. The city was invaded by the artificial lights of billboards, street lamps and shops stealing the spotlight from the moon that shone in its maximum splendor. Anne watched her through the window, following her as if she were trying to protect her from the man who was driving beside her. Ciro had not said a single word since they left the mansion. Not even when he saw her back wearing the dress he himself had chosen for her. He had only made sure that she was wearing the wedding ring on the right finger.“Where are we going?” Anne asked, choking on the silence. She was ignored. Ciro ignored her question as if she hadn’t said anything. The journey had seemed long for Anne, perhaps it was the distance from one point to the other or the silence. But they finally arrived. The restaurant was familiar to Anne, she had
A second ultrasound revealed healthy fetal development, in harmony with the mother who had followed Dr. Lamberti's instructions to the letter. The pregnancy was already beginning to be an external reflection, her flat abdomen was growing, forming a small, though noticeable, belly. They left the consulting room (or rather, Lamberti's house). Anne had an inconceivable feeling. A second look at her son left her strangely moved. She couldn't say if it was like this the first time, with her firstborn, or if it was a new sensation, either way it wasn't right, the situation she was in didn't allow her to think of sleeping teddy bears or color palettes. As much as it hurt her, the fate of that child was still in doubt.-Hey Anne… - Brahim suddenly said, staying a couple of steps behind, she had already opened the door of the Roll Royce - I feel like I owe you an apology for everything I've said
Although he would have liked to say nothing to James about the letter, Jonas saw no other alternative, so he traveled to the journalist's house and explained the situation SWAT was in, that blind spot from which it was not moving forward, and the solution he had approved as effective.-The private detective you hired would probably have found the house of these two criminals. - Jonas said. - If you give me the information he collected, maybe we can find an address.-That damn detective turned out to be a con man.-That!-As you hear. He was asking for more, much more than what was agreed in exchange for what he had discovered. I lost track of him weeks ago, I haven't heard from him again. - Jonas listened attentively, thoughtfully. It was not an option that was ruled out.-Give me his details and everything you know, or think you know about him, we will find it somehow. -And so James did. Michael was not a hidden or mysterious character, on the con