XXXIX

Bella found herself confused and conflicted with what she found out the next day. Enrique had informed her of the men following her around every time she left the Camorra premises. And the fact that they seemed to be protecting her more than being after her was what she couldn't understand. For why was Luka still taking care of her despite his engagement to another. She thought that perhaps it was all out of pity and she hated the thought.

Only for her to receive a batch of sunflowers with a note,

|*You'll always be my sunshine, Piccola*| as if he knew of her inner turmoil

And although she had half a mind to crush the note and throw it away, a part of her couldn't. For she had to be missing something and she was getting frustrated with not being able to figure it out. Why else would he accept the engagement if he didn't want it? Did he know it was his uncle that was behind his accident, behind his father's death, if so, why was he yet to do something. Then again, she knew the man to be smart, and perhaps all was part of a plan she was unaware of somehow.

She wore her black hooded cloak as she walked before the Camorra men, for the Order's week had arrived and they were catching a private plane headed for New York. She thought it luck that this year it would be held in the city rather than anywhere else, for it would make it easier for her to execute her plan. She felt antsy, like a billion ants rushed through her bloody veins with anticipation.

Angelo's surprise had been both her black and yellow hooded cloaks, knowing that she had lost her old yellow one in the fire back in Alaska. She had planned to get one in the city, however, the grown man had beat her to it and she couldn't be more glad. She loved them, simply for the installed customisations. She had straps for her daggers as well as four guns along with magazine compartments, all on the insides of the cloaks.

She also loved the pockets on the outside, and the fact that they didn't have sleeves, simply slits for her hands to fit through. They were a two of a kind and a sunflower with a skeleton in the middle was a crest embroidered on the top left right above her breast on the cloak. It was black embroidery on the yellow cloak and yellow embroidery on the black one. And it was safe to say, Angelo was ranking first in the favourite uncle department and he was loving it.

She found herself seated on a plane seat with young 14 year old Maximo on the seat next to her and his six year old sister Maxine was in her lap snoozing away, all peaceful and ignorant to the world. Both were Enrique's children and Angelo's son Lorenzo Jr ever the mature and absolute replica of his grandfather sat next to the old man opposite to her seat. She found amusement in how the young boy tried to imitate the old man as if trying to live up to his name. She hoped he would find his own path someday, and should it turn out to be alike to Lorenzo Snr, then it wouldn't be too bad at all either.

She felt ready for what may come and she had her family to thank for that. The thought had her mind dosing back to when she had had a breakdown she hadn't anticipated. For she had thought she was over it.

|Flashback.|

Her nonno had taken it too far minute he had her chained in the basement, and a gun was held pointed at Lorenzo Jr, and although Bella knew that the old man wouldn't really harm the young boy, she broke. It became too much that she became a mess of wrecking sobs as she sat on the ground shaking her head furiously muttering a 'stop' over and over again. Yet the old man kept antagonizing and taunting her and the old images kept flashing before her eyes, and it became her breaking point, she scram

"I said stop! Dammit. Please nonno stop" perhaps it was the heart wrenching tone of her voice or the flood of tears drowning her cheeks that made him realise that something else was wrong. He put the gun down and told the young boy to leave, and that left the two of them alone in the room, though the uncles looked on from the audio camera in the other room. Enrique found himself clutching the edge of the wooden table and Angelo was confused as to what was really wrong. For they knew Bella to be tougher than that.

The old man approached the sobbing young woman that leaned against the wall. He carefully gathered her in his arms as he carefully sat against the wall. She wept into his shoulder as his hand caressed her head until she calmed down.

"He killed her nonno. He let that man torture her right infront of me." she said pained by her memories. Clutching her ears

"And her screams. They were so loud, so pained" she croaked out. Detaching herself from the old man, she looked at him right in the eye and said

"He had me chained, just like this, for his own twisted reasons. I would have been fine with that until he brought Him in. I thought he had died but he hadn't. He's still alive nonno. And then he brought my friend in, she was innocent and so full of life you know, she had spunk too, just like Laura." she had a far off look then, as if lost in the image, she sneered at her next words

"I want him to suffer. I'll rip everything he ever cared about into pieces and shove it down his throat. I want his blood nonno, and I'm gonna get it. Along with Giovanni's, I may have promised mama and Papa that I wouldn't avenge them, but I can't keep that promise, nonno. He took too much from me, they all did and I'm gonna make them pay. They're gonna pay real bad" she promised with such conviction he knew nothing could ever change her mind. And he didn't care for that for he was as furious as she.

He cradled her face and kissed her forehead, giving her a nod, he unshackled her wrists and said.

"You do what you must, neonata" and should he loose her too... only he got rid of that thought, for he would never let that happen. He might have said they can't help, but he was certain should things come down to it, he would back her up all the way. He found that he saw a glimpse of his son in her fiery spirit and determination, and he would treasure it to the end.

......................................

She blinked back to the present when the plane shook from turbulence and a little hand clutched hers. She looked at Maximo and offered him s reassuring smile, before her stomach growled causing the bundle in her lap to giggle against her.

"And just when did you wake up?" she asked rhetorically before adding. "I need food. Let's take you to momma, sì?" the little girl nodded with a tight-lipped smile, holding onto her as she stood up. She carefully walked down the isle until she reached the couple's chairs. Only to find Maxine's mother, Laura, fast asleep

"Here, I'll take her" Enrique offered, placing his laptop aside so he could carry his daughter.

"Food. Does this plane have some?" she asked him and he chuckled

"Yeah. Ma packed some for us." he motioned torwards the plane's kitchen and she said

"Great" before walking towards where she found some ravioli and some arancini, the smell and look of it just about made her salivate as she dished out some for herself.

"Can I have some too, per favore"(please) it was young Lorenzo that asked and she nodded and made to dish out some for him as well and she figured she might as well make an extra for Maximo. The rest of the plan ride went on without a hitch, the same applied when they arrived in New York, only to ride different cars using different routes that led to one destination, the Camorra safe house, simply for precaution.

However, It was on their second day of their arrival in city that Bella finally set everything into place. It was nearing midnight as she rode her Harley, a duffel bag secured on the back of her. having made certain that no one knew of the Camorra's location, she was now more at ease to leave them alone as she went on one of her midnight randevous she hadn't been on in a long time.

It took her about three hours to arrive at her destination, her target for the night. And if everything went on according to her calculations from the information she had received from a certain IT man, she had about an hour before the trucks she was targeting would leave the area.

Parking outside the fence that surrounded the large ground filled with company trucks to no end, along with a warehouse belonging to Colin enterprises, she retrieved a few of her ,"toys" along. Taking one last glance at the list of number plantings, she creeped through the shadows.

With a brief word over the earpiece she had in her left ear, she began her climb over the wired fence after a minute. All her goodies strapped securely around her waist, she stayed in the dark a she watched security march about the place making sure there were no intruders.

It didn't take long for her to find her targeted trucks, having little problem picking their locks, she cringed when the first roll up door of the truck groaned in protest, as if to alert their security of the trespasser that was her. Waiting a second to make sure that no one had heard the noise before proceeding, she made quick to get through the small opened potion and inside the back of the tuck, where she was confronted with wooden crates upon crates.

Not caring to take in the inventory, she unstrapped a bomb and made sure to shove it way deep into one of the crates, where they wouldn't find it should they open the wooden box.

And that became a routine repeated six times before she mounted her bike and tore through the night again, satisfied with the fact that it had only taken her about thirty minute to complete her task. And although it became easier the more targets she bugged, it would seem the Torres fortress would prove more a challenge, then again, she had never been one to fear being challenged and so when the fourth day and the day before the Order would take place.

She left same time as every night and every time she left, no one dared to question her, even though her nonno made certain to have at least two men tail her should things not go her way. Men she wasn't too oblivious to, she simply let them tail her rather than loose them, she had far bigger fish to fry and besides, this way the old man wouldn't lose any sleep over her whereabouts.

The Torres mansion was as great as the Genovese, if not bigger and she couldn't help but scoff at that, for of course it would be. It was surrounded by trees and lush green lands that were well groomed and here she thought she would find it nothing but barren lands as barren as their souls seemed to be.

There weren't any more houses for at least a mile, and she was most glad for that, for she wouldn't have been able to carry her plan out if it meant she would be placing innocent lives in danger.

The territory was lined with guards to the max and she understood, after all this time of year did nothing but place every one of them in a vulnerable spot. Being that she wouldn't be able to enter the premises undetected, as much a great assassin that she was, she was neither invincible nor invisible.

Therefore, she decided to settle for surrounding the premises instead, she would have the same results anyways. And so, despite the men that worked around the clock, around the Torres premises, and despite a few close calls of nearly being caught, she succeeded in digging enough graves that would make a great impact. She would come to blow everything Deacon Torres ever valued, to smithereens and she would laugh in his face while he watches it all burn.