THE MAFIA'S VENGEANCE

EPISODE 6

DANTE

My father had called a meeting of the lords of the clan because we were now officially at war and one that I had caused one way or the other.

Only Marco was aware of where I had been and with who and he was my most loyal soldier and best friend so I knew he wasn’t going to say anything about it.

My father sat at the head of the table while I took his left hand; my brother would have been at his right hand if he was still…

I took in a shaky breath, dispelling it as we waited for the last of the lords to take a seat so we could begin. The air was tense and cackling with restrained energy.

It would be the first time in years that a direct attack had been made on the clan and no less by the Guerra’s whom we had an unspoken rule with. We were enemies but we never attacked each other and whoever did so first will be incurring the wrath of the other.

“Welcome” My father’s voice bounded off the walls of the room.

It was deathly silent as they all acknowledged his greeting with a flick of their wrists and the turn of their eyes in his direction.

“We have by now heard about the abomination committed by our rivals so I am going to get to the point” He said.

His voice was clear but I could tell that he wanted to be anywhere but here. I mean it would have been better if I was the one who had been killed instead of my brother who had always been my father’s best.

“The Guerra’s have committed the unspeakable crime of killing one of our own” My father paused there, taking in a breath. “My son is dead… the heir to our empire and he died protecting his father. The bullet had been meant for me” He declared.

A murmur went round the table and I could feel eyes on me, accusing eyes… ones that asked where I had been when the whole thing had happened and if I had hidden again like the coward that I was.

“We are going to attack them and I want all hands on deck. There will be no one alive in the Guerra’s clan by the time we are done” My father bellowed, raising two fingers in the air.

Everyone around the table, raised theirs alongside him except for me.

“Do you have something you want to say, Dante?” I heard my father’s reproachful voice in my ear.

I turned to him, my green eyes showing every rage I felt before I stood to my feet.

“This is all my fault” I announced to everyone.

My father said nothing, only stared at me with those blank eyes… the ones that held neither hate or love.

“I want you all to leave this to me” I told them.

There was another round of murmurs, louder than the last this time and even more confused.

“Someone on this table knew exactly where my father and brother would be and leaked the information to the enemy and I have every plans to find out who the spione is.”

I turned to my father as I said this and I guess it was just me but I saw a look of admiration in his eyes, the same way he would always look at my brother.

“I am leaving you to whatever you want to do” He finally said. “But I want the enemies of my family brought to book”

“i will do as you ask” I told him.

Turning back to the clan, I said in a very calm voice.

“I honest to God, hope that you… whoever you are, pray that I do not catch you because when I do…” I stopped talking then, leaving the rest of my statement to their imagination.

My brother and I were feared for many things and one of them would be torture. I remembered us torturing a man who owed my father money as kids. It was the first time I ever felt truly alive and I always knew that was my calling.

Over the years, I was the clan’s most brutal torturer and everyone knew not to cross me.

The crowd around the table dispersed, leaving just my father and I

“You think someone among us in a traditore?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“I know so, father; think about it. No one knew where you both would be except for the people that were at this table with us and conveniently, the Guerra’s show up?”

My father closed his eyes, opening them after a second and pinning me with their angry glare. This time the anger wasn’t directed at me but whoever the person was that had betrayed our family.

“Bring him to me, Dante… bring me your brother’s killer” He said in vehemence.

“I promise that I will, father but you will have to allow me handle this in my own way” I told him.

“You are allowed to handle this however you see fit, Dante. I give you permission but you are to bring his killer to me; I want his f*****g head hanging on a pike in front of this compound”

“You have my word, father” I assured him.

Marco came over to my room after I had left with the file I had asked for in his hand.

“Here; she is a graduate of business law and of accounting and the only daughter of Domenico Guerra” He told me, handing over the file.

I opened it, my eyes settling on the girl on the front page with her name written in bold letters beside her picture.

She was exactly the woman I had met at the bar and although I had wanted Marco to be wrong about it, he wasn’t.

I had allowed myself be seduced by the enemy’s daughter and for all I knew, they had been in cohorts to keep me distracted.

She had the prettiest smile on her face on the next page and I smirked as I stared into those eyes.

I was going to wipe the smile off her face and then I was going to kill her, slowly.