Chapter 67: Moral dilemmas
Point of view: Nicco
I hear Elena scream on the other end of the line and Vicente accelerates the car.
Vitório opens the tablet's security cameras and we see a man pulling Elena into the house by her hair.
We monitor movement using cameras, we count the number of men inside and outside the house, as well as where our family members are.
Elena is taken to the kitchen away from the others and I realize the intention of the man leading the invasion. Elena is a guarantee.
The cameras in the house have no audio which prevents me from knowing what they are still trying to obtain.
If the invasion was ordered by the Sinclairs, I imagine we would already have at least a few dead and the house would be empty.
But delivering the boys to the entrance away from the others and using Elena as collateral is not the style of an extermination.
They want something.
We're almost there when something changes in the house, I see Matteo fighting with one of the invaders and soon the leader answers the phone.
“Switch to the kitchen camera” I ask Vitório.
I get furious when I see the man throw Elena on the table and take out something I can't identify.
The car stops near the underground tunnel that connects the employee entrance to the kitchen, the boys get out of the car and we all run to help Elena.
Vicente tells our uncles that we are already in the tunnel and that they have to wait five minutes before the first smoke bomb explodes.
I hear Elena crying as soon as I enter the kitchen, blood dripping down the edge of the table as she shakes.
I realize she is holding back screams of pain and it breaks my heart.
I aim directly at the man's head and shoot as soon as he puts a knife to the skin of my sorella.
She's confused until she sees me, her eyes shining with relief.
“Sorella, I need you to scream, as if the man were still alive” I ask softly.
I see that she understands, I move away along with Bruno and Vicente who are already positioning themselves.
Elena screams as soon as I give the signal, I know her scream isn't just an act.
From what I know she has a broken nose and the cuts will need stitches soon.
Vitório takes her out of the kitchen and goes to the pantry where he can communicate with us without running the risk of being overheard.
“Now” Vicente tells me and I hear the first bomb.
We enter the room and are guided by Vitório who tells us where the targets are.
Our uncles clear the entrance, forcing the invaders to come straight towards us.
Bruno and Ângelo enter the room and kill the men before they can defend themselves.
We release the women and Matteo soon gets up to help Antoni who has a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
“Elena” Nonna warns worriedly.
“She's safe” I say before leaving the room.
My uncles appear at the entrance followed by my cousins who have some bruises and cuts on their faces.
Lorenzo takes one of the weapons as does Leonardo and they leave, I know they are going after the leader.
Point of view: Leonardo
I climb the stairs with Elena's scream still echoing in my ear.
My blood is boiling, I don't care at all about my injuries and the pain I'm feeling. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch.
I follow the trail of blood I see heading straight to the music room.
The leader of the invaders was shot just before hitting Dante in the leg, who dodged a shot.
He's almost dead, but I'll make sure he gets treatment; he won't have an easy death.
Lorenzo signals that he can proceed.
He forcefully opens the door and hides near the wall, just as several bullets hit the door.
We wait until the bastard tires and only then, when we hear the gun's safety lock, do we enter.
"You should have saved the ammunition to shoot yourself in the head," I say, finding the idiot lying on the floor, clutching his abdomen.
He laughs, but I see fear in his eyes.
"I'll make sure you survive; we still have a lot to talk about," I say, approaching him.
Lorenzo remains silent, still on guard, expecting an attack.
"You fell too easily today," the man says weakly. "Next time there won't be any survivors, but I'll be happy to know I'll take at least two of you with me."
I hear this and then notice the grenade pin in his hand.
Lorenzo reacted faster than I could and pulled me away; we managed to reach the hallway before the room exploded, throwing us to the ground.
I coughed, dazed, and looked around; part of the floor had given way.
Lorenzo was a little further ahead, equally disoriented, but thankfully alright.
I helped him to his feet and we walked slowly to the main staircase.
"Thank you," I said sincerely.
"Don't thank me yet, we need to see how the others are," he said, and I knew his concern was the same as mine.
The explosion destroyed part of the kitchen that was connected to the pool area.
We entered the living room where the others were, and my heart filled with relief at seeing Elena.
She was covered in dust, as was Vittorio; I realized they must have been in the kitchen when the explosion occurred.
I crossed the distance between us and stopped in front of Elena.
She's analyzing me, and I'm doing the same. I notice she has a cloth tied around her arm and a deep cut on her shoulder; her nose is broken, and I see some bruises.
"Are you okay?" she asks calmly.
"I should be asking you that," I say, placing my hand on her cheek.
She winces in pain and curses me for it; she should be safe.
"I'll be fine, I've been through worse," she says with a soft smile.
"I know we have a lot to deal with, but I want Elena, Dante, Antoni, and Vittorio in the car now," Matteo orders.
Elena rolls her eyes but obeys without saying anything.
When they leave, our men arrive. They collect the bodies and take care of those still alive for questioning.
Another cleanup team takes care of the bloodstains and rubble.
While the women are responsible for ensuring nothing is out of place and that no evidence is found, I join the men in the office. "Well, Elena told us how they got in," Lorenzo says after Nicco relays what Elena said.
"We still need to find out why they wanted access to Edgar's interrogation," I say, wearily. "There's something that son of a bitch knows and isn't telling us."
Giorgio smiles and snaps his fingers.
"So, I guess we can finally skip some moral dilemmas in this case," he says maliciously.
We all know that means going beyond torture; we're going to mess with the most precious thing anyone can have. Family.