A small favor
“Elena, wake up!” Dante’s voice awakens me from a deep sleep.
“Is the world ending?” I ask, still sleepy.
“What? No,” he replies quickly.
“Then let me sleep, fratello,” I respond, throwing the blanket over my face.
The night was restless; I only managed to fall asleep after three in the morning, and even then with great difficulty.
“I know you’re not sleeping well, sorella, but we need you in the living room,” Dante says calmly.
I pull the blanket off my face, giving him a suspicious look.
“You can go wrapped in the blanket and, as soon as we finish talking, go back to sleep,” he says, and I agree.
Dante doesn’t even give me time to put on my slippers before picking me up and carrying me to the living room.
Everyone is there when we arrive; my uncles returned from their trip two days ago, and this time I notice that all the boys are home too.
Dante places me on the sofa between Sandro and Leonardo.
"Well, now that Elena is here, we can talk," says Aunt Andreia, and I give Sandro a confused look, which makes me smile nervously.
"What happened?" I ask, feeling more awake.
"Edgar has some useful information," says Uncle Carlo in a somber tone.
I'm grateful to be wrapped in the blanket, so no one sees the trembling that runs through my body when I hear that bastard's name.
"He knows about a Sinclair hideout in the city," informs Antoni, tablet in hand.
"And you intend to go there?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
I still don't understand the need for a meeting just to share this information.
"Yes, as soon as we have the coordinates, we'll raid the place and eliminate everyone there," informs Nicco. Okay, I'm definitely confused.
Vicente notices this and approaches me. My brother crouches down to my level, and I feel the tension in the air increase.
"We need a favor from you, Sorellina," Vicente asks calmly.
"I'll do what I can to help," I reply, and he doesn't take his eyes off me.
"Edgar asked me to talk to you," he says, and it would have been better if he had asked me to kill myself. "That was the condition for giving us the information."
I stare at him for a moment, absorbing his words.
Everyone in the room is silent, waiting for my answer.
"I-I…," I begin to speak, knowing they need my help. "Okay."
My mind screams that I'm going crazy.
I promised myself I would never look at that monster again; sometimes it hurts to look in the mirror, to remember that I have his name tattooed on my body.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Sandro protests, and I realize that some of them are against the idea. “Okay, I can do this,” I say more to myself than to them.
My hands are trembling under the covers, and I know they know it.
“When can we go?” I ask, wanting to get rid of this problem as quickly as possible.
“If possible, before dinner,” Lorenzo says, looking at his watch.
“I’ll be there with you, as will Giorgio and Giovanni,” Vicente states firmly.
“Okay, I need to shower and get ready,” I say, getting up.
For a moment, I think this might be a dream. I walk to the bedroom door, looking one last time to make sure I’m awake.
I go into my room and get ready quickly, putting on black jeans and a white tank top, tying my hair in a ponytail, and finally putting on black boots.
I grab my leather jacket in case it gets cold.
I stop for a moment, looking at myself in the mirror, take a deep breath, and repeat to myself:
“You are capable, you will talk to that idiot, get what you need, and leave,” I say firmly.
My heart races; my rational side curses me for exposing myself like this, for poking at a wound that stopped bleeding a few days ago.
It's noon when I join my family for lunch.
The atmosphere is tense; no one speaks, but I feel their eyes on me.
I try to eat, but anxiety steals all my appetite.
When lunch finally ends, I meet Lorenzo and Matteo at the entrance.
“Let's go ahead, they'll meet us at the storage room,” Lorenzo explains as we walk to the car. I sit in the back seat and let my mind wander over the landscape, trying to calm my nerves and take a deep breath.
None of the boys speak to me, and I know they're just as nervous as I am.
The car stops in front of the warehouse, and I take a deep breath before getting out.
Lorenzo drives me straight to his office; on the way, I see several armed men working.
I sit in Lorenzo's office, and Matteo sits next to me.
"You know you don't have to do this if you don't feel comfortable," he reminds me.
"I'm here and I'll do it; it'll just be a conversation," I say, knowing full well that it won't be just that.
Edgar is a sadistic psychopath who takes pleasure in the pain he inflicts on others, and he knows well the scar he left on my mind.
"We need him to tell you where the place is," Lorenzo explains.
I read between the lines what he doesn't tell me.
I know Edgar will want to talk before giving me what we need. "Okay," I say calmly.
Lorenzo receives a message confirming everyone's arrival.
They take me to the interrogation room, where Vicente, Giorgio, and Giovanni are already waiting for me.
"Leave her with us," Giovanni says, and the boys leave.
We're still outside, but I can see, through a glass, Edgar sitting with handcuffs that bind him to the table.
He has several injuries; his appearance is haggard and pale.
"We'll assess his conversation," Giorgio explains. "We'll only intervene if you ask or if he tries to stall and doesn't tell us where the hideout is."
"Okay," I say, unable to take my eyes off the monster on the other side.
"Last chance to back out," Vicente says seriously.
I see the boys putting on headphones and realize that Vicente has one too.
“This is my way of helping, and I’m going to do it. He can’t hurt me anymore,” I say, turning to look at Edgar.
Since when did lying become a way of self-deception?
“Then let’s go,” Giovanni says.
I see the boys’ faces darken; they are no longer my cousins, but the mafia interrogators.
Vicente enters first, then the twins, and then I enter.
I see Edgar’s eyes gleam; he licks his lips, causing me revulsion.
“Hello, doll,” he says with a maniacal smile.
The twins position themselves at opposite ends of the room. Vicente leans against the mirrored glass, and I sit facing Edgar.
“I was told you wanted to talk,” I say, keeping my voice neutral but firm. “Well, here I am.”
I see his gaze analyzing me; his hands move slightly, and I know he wants to touch me.
“How are you?” he asks calmly.
I give him a cold smile and lean back in my chair.
“Better than you,” I say, indicating his deplorable state.
I may seem confident, but my nerves are screaming, telling me to run.
“I thought about you every day,” Edgar admits. “I missed you, Elena, your screams, your tears.”
My hands tremble under the table.
I see the twins staring at Edgar; I can feel their anger from here.
“Tell me where the hideout is,” I ask impatiently.
Edgar laughs at me and clenches his fists.
“Calm down,” his tone is cold this time. “First we talk, and then I’ll give you the information.”
This irritates me; I want him to get to the point so I can get out of here.
“What do you want? Just tell me,” I let my anger show. Edgar leans forward and smiles.
"I want you to tell me exactly what it was like having that session with me," he asks, and I stare at him in fear.
That's what excites him, the terror he instills in people.
And at this moment, that's how he found a way to torture me.