Debt To The Mafia King

Chapter 21

I turned to look at Nico who was standing with his arms folded. He was clearly not a fan of my idea but he’s just going to have to deal with it. If Rickie really is as bad as everyone keeps telling me then we are going to have to try to raise an army. This is our only option because a lot of the other clans are working with him. 

“Don’t look at me like that” I slumped my shoulders. 

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He raised his brow.

“Just wait here” I said with a slight hint of frustration. 

I headed down the steps and entered the room Ezio was being kept in. A gasp escaped my lips when I set my eyes on the wilted body that was hunched up against the wall. Ezio was in a bruised and battered state, his limbs were drooped along the floor and his expression was full of defeat. I didn’t like the way he treated me and he deserved the karma he has received. However I couldn’t shift the gut wrenching guilt I felt for him.

He lifted his head and a flicker of relief wiped across his face when he realised it was me standing there and not someone who wanted to inflict more pain on him. He stumbled to his feet, holding his ribs with one arm and stumbled towards the cell mesh. I crept forward until I was inches away from him and pressed my lips together. I had a speech all planned out in my head but after looking at the sad state he was in, I suddenly forgot every word. I didn’t know how to start.

“Pleased with your man?” He mocked as he used the cage to hold himself up. I scrunched up my nose.

“Of course I’m not!” I snapped.

“I suppose I’ve had this coming for a while aye” he sniggered. 

“Michele has told me about what he was planning on doing with me in New York” I stated ignoring his pathetic comment. He raised his head in shock and narrowed his gaze.

“But you’re still here?” He asked. I scoffed and shook my head.

“Where else am I supposed to go Ezio? He told me the truth and explained what your little deal was whilst I was in the toilet at dinner” I sharply said. He let out a sigh and bowed his head. There was a long pause before he finally replied. 

“At least I get now why he changed his mind”

“What do you mean?” 

“Rickie wanted him to hand you over but the longer he took to do so the more he doubted he ever would. I was going to do it because Michele was too much of a f*****g p***y to follow through with his word. When I finally got a hold of you, I had started to make arrangements to give you over to Rickie but I wanted my fun first” he confessed. 

I felt physically sick at how venomous Ezio actually is. Maybe I have made a mistake getting him to help us, by the sounds of it he’s still on Rickie’s side.

“When I saw what my brother was doing to you in the pool room, I had a rage inside of me that was difficult to control. It was a rage that I haven’t felt for a long time”. Ezio placed his free hand onto the mesh beside the other and made eye contact.

“The thought of someone hurting you made me angry and I wanted to protect you. It was at that moment that I had decided against handing you over” he admitted. 

It was hard to believe him considering the pain he had caused me when I was there. He didn’t mind hurting me himself but couldn’t stand watching others lay a hand on me. I think it’s more possession than protection.

“So what about this contract with my dad?” I asked in disbelief.

“He owed more money to Rickie and I knew he would end up getting into more trouble. The more impatient Rickie gets the more he interferes. If I gave him the money then Rickie wouldn’t be so desperate to find you and use you to torture Allan”.

“Do you really expect me to believe you? After everything you have put me through, all of the punishments and the way you have treated me!” I exploded. 

“No” he bluntly replied. I breathed deeply and shook my head as I paced around the room.

“Why did you come to my bar?” I asked in a dull tone.

“To explain” 

“Explain what?” I countered.

“Everything” he said breaking into a whisper.

“Your dad’s involvement with Rickie, Michele’s plan, Rickie’s reasons for wanting you to himself, all of it!” I headed over to the chair in the corner and slid it over to sit down. 

“Go ahead” I gestured using my hands for him to start. 

For the last 20 minutes, Ezio explained everything he knew about Rickie and this feud between him and the Rossi’s. He told me that he has only just found out about his brothers betrayal and that he wants to help Michele take revenge. The one thing that is important in this kind of lifestyle and the one thing everyone mutually agrees on is respect. If one of the Don’s are disrespected then they have every right to teach the traitor a lesson, it’s the law in this world. 

He also told me about Marcelo’s part in all of this and that he’s been spying on the both of them for Rickie this whole time. He told me about the death of Isabella and then the death of Michele’s father. Marcelo has been causing problems since I landed in Italy which sent a shiver down my spine. I knew he was involved with both Ezio and Michele but I didn’t understand why. 

“Is… is Samuel okay?” He stuttered, gaining my attention. 

“Samuel?” I scoffed.

“Why do you care about him?”

“He’s like a brother to me” he lowered his gaze. 

“A brother?!” I barked and shook my head with disgust. 

“My parents brought him up” he said regaining my attention.

He continued to tell me about his past with Samuel and explained what had actually happened to his mum and dad. Rickie had put out a hit on them because they were his lawyers. They had information on Rickie which could destroy his businesses and put him away for a long time - if he wasn’t killed by then. The person that killed his parents made the mistake of thinking the car would blow up killing Samuel inside. 

Lucky for him it didn’t and when Rickie found out he was furious. Before he could put out a search for Samuel, Ezio’s parents explained that they had taken him from the car, saving him from the flames. They told Rickie that if Samuel was found alive then he was old enough to identify the killers and would be manipulated by others. So they brought him back to theirs and paid the corrupt police officer to alter their report. Ezio’s parents said that they could raise him to be loyal and obedient and made a deal with him through Ray. If he showed any disloyalty then they would kill him themselves. 

“But how did your parents know about the hit on them?”

“One of our men was with Rickie and the hitman on the day of the murder. He overheard them talking and told my parents. My parents were good friends with Samuel’s and didn’t want them to die but they were far away and all of their guys were further than them on business. By the time they got there, they were both dead and the car was on fire. They heard Samuel crying and banging against the door from inside the car and managed to pull him out before it exploded”

“Mum and dad died a few years ago in a plane crash on their way back from America which left me in charge everything. They put it in their will and my brother was devastated. His devastation turned into anger so I guess he was attempting to frame me to get me out of power so that he could take over” he explained. 

There was an awkward silence that didn’t seem to end. I was distracted by my own thoughts and feelings towards this whole situation and everything seemed to be a mess. Franco is dead, Marcelo has betrayed him, he has worked everything out and Michele knows exactly what had happened to his parents. It’s no wonder Rickie is planning to attack at any moment; he must be panicking.

“I need to ask you something” I began nervously. 

“Anything”

“Would you back us if Rickie attempts to attack?” I bluntly asked, clearly catching him off guard. I leant forwards on my chair and balanced my chin in my hands as I waited for his reply anxiously…