Chapter 50 Deaths
Arriving at the Ricci's house, I can only stare at the expansive Mediterranean house in awe. When I thought my house was already big enough, the Ricci's house truly broke that record. The walls are painted white. Some are covered with greyish-brown stones. Some parts of the walls are covered in lush vines. In the summertime, the vines would've been a nice, beautiful contrast to the bright blue sky, but with how dark the sky is now, they only give the house an eerie vibe, almost like it's haunted. It probably is haunted. I hope the inside looks better than the outside, because if not, it'll probably give me nightmares while I'm staying here.
The butler and the house staff immediately greet me once my foot lands on the paved road. They help us with our belongings, taking them into the house. I stare at the house once more, inhaling the chilly air as I brace myself for what awaits me inside. Dante, Carlo, and I give each other a look that only we understand. It's showtime.
As I get closer to the door, I can feel warmth radiating from inside the house. Walking further into the building, the temperature only becomes warmer. I take off my coat and take in the sight of the cosy living room. The woods in the fireplace crackle as the fire consumes them. I'm glad that this place is warm and cosy despite how the outside looks under the gloomy sky.
"Would you like to go to your room? Everyone is currently out of the house and will be back in an hour," Francesco, the butler of the Ricci's house, says.
An hour? That's quite a long time to wait. It's better for me to stay in my room and prepare myself before I deliver myself to the wolves. I'll need to gather all the courage I have in me to face the Ricci without trembling like a scared puppy with its tail between its legs.
"That would be wonderful. I will wait for everyone in my room if that's alright," I say.
"Sure. Please, follow me," Francesco says.
Francesco leads the way as Dante, Carlo, and I follow him. After going through one long hallway and a flight of stairs, we finally arrive at my room for the next three days. Francesco opens the door, and I immediately take a look inside the tidy bedroom. It's just like any other guestroom. There's a queen-size bed, a medium-sized flat-screen TV hanging on the wall across the bed, two chairs, a table, and a heater. From what it looks like, there's also a small balcony and a bathroom.
"This is your room. If you need anything, you can press 0 on the phone on the nightstand. Please make yourself at home and enjoy some of the snacks we've prepared for you," Francesco says.
"I will. Thank you, Francesco," I say. The man nods with a smile and then turns to Dante and Carlo, who are standing right next to me.
"As for your rooms, gentlemen, they're this one and that one," the butler says.
Dante and Carlo will be staying in the rooms close to mine? Oh shit. This will be harder for them to snoop around the house. I hope this won't cause them any serious trouble. I should've known they wouldn't let strangers get into the staff's headquarters. Great. I guess we need to think of another plan.
"Alright. Thank you," Dante says.
"You're welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need anything," Francesco says.
Once Francesco is out of our sight, I usher Dante and Carlo into my bedroom and close the door behind me. Once my eyes land on theirs, I can see they're confused, but not as worried as I am.
"So, about the-"
Dante and Carlo pop their eyes, and I immediately shut my mouth. Right. I can't say anything out loud in here. Who knows, Fabio could've bugged our bedroom and even the rest of the house. If we say anything about our plan, we're screwed, and death will come to us faster than we expected.
"Please stay with me for now. Just sit on the chairs or on the bed. Your choice," I say.
Dante and Carlo immediately sit down on the chairs, and I'm left with one option: the bed. Once I'm seated on the bed, I stare at them, unsure of what to say. What should we do now? Should I talk to them about something? I don't want things to be awkward while we wait for everyone else to come back. Now that I think about it, I should ask Carlo about what happened to my brothers while they were fighting with the Romanos. My father said they were killed because they got shot, but who knows, there might be something more to it.
"Carlo, I want to ask you something," I say.
"Shoot," Carlo says.
"So, about my brothers, is it true that they got killed because they got shot? My father won't say anything more to me other than that. Please don't hide anything about them. My father already keeps secrets for me, and I don't need that from you as well," I say.
"He's right. They died because they got shot. Marcello got shot in the chest near his heart, while Matteo got shot in the neck. We tried to save them, but the Romanos made it difficult for us to get them to survive by attacking us with their endless bullets. After a while, they ended up forfeiting because lots of their men died in the fight, but unfortunately, Matteo and Marcello didn't survive," Carlo explains.
So, they indeed got killed because of the shootings. I expected something a lot worse, like what happened with my mother, just so I could justify my hatred and revenge towards the Romanos even more. Their deaths are enough to make me hate the Romanos, but something more painful than a shot to the chest and neck would've fueled my anger towards the Romanos even more. I really need that kind of push right now because after what we've found out, I'm starting to doubt my ability to get the revenge for my brothers' and mother's deaths.
My father didn't even know his own partner had betrayed him. What makes me better than my own father? I barely know shits about our family business, moreover, how to take down the Ricci and the Romanos. How could I fight someone whom I barely have any knowledge about? All this time, I only knew about how cruel the Romanos are from my father's story and my mother's death. Other than that, I know nothing about them. Niente.
"How about my mother? My father wouldn't let me see her before the funeral. Did the Romanos do what they usually do to my mother?" I ask.
"Unfortunately, yes. I'm sorry about your mother. She's always been too kind and innocent for this world. She didn't deserve to go through what she went through with the Romanos," Carlo says apologetically.
Carlo has been working for my father for about 12 years now. We may barely talk with each other, but I still consider him family, an older brother, to be exact. I sometimes asked him for help when I was fighting with my brothers over petty stuff when I was younger, and he always helped me. Back to the time after my mother's funeral, I can see the bag under his eyes had gone darker, and his eyes were also puffy. He must've been sad over the death of my mother, too. I rarely see him get sad over something, but that time, I could see the sadness clearly on his face, even if he tried to hide it with a smile.
"She was. Until now, I still don't understand why my mother chose to be with my father. She knows the dangers and the threats that would come with him, but she stayed with him anyway," I say.
"Well, just as many people have said, love is blind. I think your mother loves your father too much to leave him, and vice versa," Carlo says with a shrug. I scoff at his statement and roll my eyes.
"If he really did love her, he should've protected her harder," I say.
"He tried. He really did, but he still failed in the end," Carlo says. I look up at Carlo, and his gaze is already fixed on his lap as he fiddles with his own hands. I glance at Dante, and he only deadpans me. Damn it. Now I make Carlo sad. I shouldn't have made him talk about my mother and brothers.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I even ask you about them. It's not like their deaths have anything to do with you," I say.
"It does. I work for your father to protect his family, including your brothers and mother, but I failed. I failed to keep them alive and away from danger," Carlo says.
"The Romanos are the ones at fault, not you," I say, frowning at him. Carlo stares at me and then gives me a sad smile.
"I get where you are coming from, but you won't truly understand it. Let's just stop talking about them, okay? I don't want you to be sad over their deaths again," Carlo says. He said that he's worried about me feeling sad, but I'm more worried about him. Just like what he said, we'd better not talk about my mother and brother anymore. At least not for now.
"Okay," I say.
That's it. I should be serious now and focus on one thing at a time. Right now, all I need to think about is the Ricci and how to deal with them later. I need to get them distracted real good later so Dante can get started with his job starting from today. We can't waste time. We must get all the information we can about the Ricci within three days, because after that, we won't have another chance like this.