In the Closed Arm of the Don

Chapter 4

*** The feud between the Conte family and the Rossi family has been going on for almost five decades. Multiple people from both sides had died over the years so my Grandfather, Lorenzo Rossi and the leader of the Conte family proposed a truce just before I was born. Both sides promised to stay out of each other's businesses and it continued that way until Federico Conte took over. He murdered my parents in cold blood and it was a memory etched deeply into my memory. I was just nine at that time and my little sister, Sofia was two years old. My father could've protected our family but he wanted nothing to do with the family business so he took up the profession of being a doctor. His softhearted became his witness, and it made me lose both my parents at an early stage in my life. My grandfather didn't seek revenge though, he was determined to keep his decade-old promise to the previous leader of the Conte family. A Rossi should never go back on his word, he always said. “ We're almost there, Boss,” Massimo said as we approached the gates to the Conte estate. I nodded as I rubbed the obsidian ring on my fourth finger with my thumb. “ What's our line of action?” He asked again. “ Kill on sight, they have to realize that the Rossi family's silence isn't a sign of weakness. Let's remind them what fear truly is.” I spat coldly. Massimo nodded and he relayed the message to the rest of my men. About twenty minutes later, my hands were shaking from the burst of adrenaline I got from killing the Conte family guards. Those wimps thought they could take me on. Big mistake…. As I cleaned the tip of my Mark XIX pistol, I caught sight of a guy posing as a corpse amidst others. A smirk made its way to my face as I approached him step by step. He noticed my actions and the poor thing tried to scramble for his life. The fear in his eyes excited me and I set my gun aside. Reaching out for my dagger, I threw it at his knee before he could get far. He came crashing down miserably as he fell flat on his face. “ Wh…Who are you?? Do you know where you are?? This is the Conte estate, the.. there's no way you're making it out alive. Our boss won't spare you.” He rambled on hoping I'd be intimidated by that bastard's name. I grabbed his right hand and I toyed with his fingers. “ Where's my son?? “ What do you …”

“Wrong answer,” I muttered and the piercing sound of his pathetic scream filled the atmosphere as I broke his wrist. “ I'll ask again. Where's my son?” “ You bast…” His eyes widened as I slit his throat in a swift motion. He tried covering the cut with his hands as he coughed out blood. ‘ what a complete waste of my time.’ I thought inwardly. “ Boss, I have news.” Massimo hurried over to me. “ Go on.*” “ I looked through the cameras at the first post. The men who took Alessio passed about fifteen minutes ago.” “ We can still catch up then. Move it.” I rushed back into my car in the direction Massimo mentioned. Moments later, I came across a black SUV parked in the middle of the road with the doors wide open. Oddly, there were no occupants in the vehicle. “ Spread out and find them. They couldn't have gotten very far.” Massimo hollered. One of my men soon returned. “ What?” I growled impatiently. He gulped fearfully as he replied. “ I …I found this there. He pointed in the direction northeast of our current location as he gave me a shoe, Alessio's shoe precisely. Without hesitation, I ran in that direction and then we ran into that bastard's men. Dead bodies fell one after the other as I shot bullets into their heads and shoved my dagger into their throats. One lethal stroke each and they all dropped dead like flies. “ You stupid b***h, how dare you?” I heard from a distance. Before I could say the word, Massimo rushed there along with five of my men. I followed suit as I dealt a lethal blow to my victim. My heart thumped loudly and I took a sigh of relief as my eyes landed on Alessio. I rushed to him and I lifted him in my arms. My eyes stung with unshed tears as I apologized frantically. “ I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, this should never have happened again. Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” However, he didn't respond to any of my questions. Instead, he was looking in another direction. It was then my eyes came upon a small figure in a white dress groaning in pain as one of my men kicked her. “ Argh!!!” She screamed and my heartbeat rate slowed down. Staring at me straight in the face was the woman I was once ready to leave everything I had for, my enemy's wife, Noemi Colombo. My shock soon transformed into intense rage as her previous actions flooded my memories. It never occurred to

Me that I'd come across her in the Conte estate.

Alessio hugged my neck tighter as she cried out in pain again as my men continued to hit her and it

Clicked. She posed as Teresa and kidnapped my son. How could she?? I gave Alessio to Massimo and I

I motioned my men to stop their assault. As I moved closer to her, memories of how she walked away

From me, eight years ago today, played in front of me.

I was seething with anger and hatred. I grabbed her frail little neck and I pressed my pistol against her

Cheek. Her innocent brown eyes widened in surprise and they turned glassy with tears.

“ How…dare you??? I wanted nothing more but to break her neck in half but that was too much of an

Easy punishment for a traitor like her.

“ Erminio…” she tried to speak, but I increased the strength of my grip around her neck.

“ Don't you dare!”

What did she want to say exactly?? Try to convince me that she didn't just kidnap my son. No way

Am I going to believe anything that comes out of her foul mouth?

My anger heightened as she uttered the words …I promise. They struck a chord in my heart and it took

A lot of effort not to kill her right then and there. She passed out from lack of air and I let her go. Her

llimping body hit the floor with a soft thud.

“ You won't die so easily, trust me,” I said as I scooped Alessio back in my arms. He was crying but he

Still didn't utter a single word.

“ Don't worry my boy, I'll avenge you.” I kissed his forehead.

“ Boss, what do we do about her??” Massimo asked.

“ We're bringing her back with us,” I said and I could see expressions of protest on my men's faces but

None of them dared to speak up.

“ But…are you sure it's a good idea boss?” Only Massimo voiced out his thoughts.

“ I don't care. We're taking her back with us and that's it.” I half yelled. I rarely lost my temper

But today had been a rollercoaster of emotions.

As I watched Massimo carrying Noemi's limp body, ways in which I could make her suffer fit her

Actions made their way to my mind and I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Let me see how

Much torture she can take