19 Chapter 18

"Who let them in?" Antonio asked

My thoughts exactly.

"They-forced-their-way-in-and-are-pulling-into-the-driveway-as-we-speak."

All this just meant one thing, war!

I walked over to the painting hanging on Antonio's wall and tilted it, causing a side of the wall to open, revealing a small armoury of different specifications and calibers of guns in different shapes and sizes.

My semi automatics were tucked in my dress pants, I only picked an Uzi submachine gun.

Antonio walked over and armed himself too but not as much as I would have wanted him to. At least he armoured up, he would have been foolish not to do so.

Raymond led the way. As we walked downstairs the sound of loading and assembling of guns could be heard, everyone knew what was about to go down.

James Baddo parked in front of the mansion, he was leaning against his car, his men armed to the tooth were behind him.

"What do you want?" Antonio asked. He was standing in front but not too close to Baddo, two other mob members were standing besides him to receive any stray bullet.

"Very simple Antonio, I came to get my property. I gave you a week to bring her out from wherever she was hiding, remember? Well time's up. Today, we were supposed to meet in a church to make things official but you refused to show up. So, I'm here to collect what is rightfully mine."

How dare he? He talked about Ophelia like she was an object. So what if his cartel was ranked first in the organised crime society? We were second and we could beat him anytime, anyplace, I wondered why Antonio was so scared of him.

Daniel looked at me like he wanted to stab me in the gut. The feeling was mutual because it would make my day to put a bullet in his head.

Somebody walked out of the corner, everyone turned to see who it was. Tory was coming from the garden, a flower in her hand. When she noticed the scene in front of her, she dropped the flower and blood drained out of her face.

She wasn't the only one who was surprised, James and his son looked at her in shock. The reason being that she had the same complexion and body build as Ophelia, so they were surprised to see a pregnant Ophelia, especially James, something unrecognisable passed in his features. Some men moved to grab her but Baddo waved them off when he realized it wasn't Ophelia. At this point, Tory recovered from her shock and scurried off, she found me and I put her behind my back protectively. She started sobbing.

"I did not come here to shed blood, a little birdie told me your daughter is nowhere to be found at the moment..."

Little birdie my foot, they were three birds, very big birds. I looked over to where Simon, Robert and Jack were standing. Bloody infiltrators.

"...I came here to tell you I've taken matters into my own hands. I'm going to look for your daughter and when I finally find her..." He let the statement hang. It wasn't a threat this time. He would do it, whatever he had planned.

What kind of trouble did I get Ophelia into by helping her?

Baddo and his men got into their cars and left the premises.

Everyone looked to Antonio for instructions. He just stood, staring into space. After a while, he walked back into the mansion.

Everybody turned to me.

"The Sanctuary Cartel has declared war. I want everybody to be on high alert and on the lookout, I don't care if we have to build a watchtower to know when they're coming. Some of you should man the gates, I don't want a repeat of what just happened. We fight till the end to protect Antonio and the Empire."

I pulled Tory inside. When we got to my room, I packed her things in her suitcase. "I'm sorry Tory, I can't keep you here, it's too dangerous."

"I understand, what about Ophelia?"

I stopped packing. "I have to make sure she's safe too."

"Any idea why she doesn't want to marry Baddo's son?"

"I don't know, Tory. I'm very confused. She has done everything her father has told her to do but this one thing."

I locked the case and held a hand out. "Come on Tory, we don't have much time."

I went downstairs to where I knew I would find Nicholas. "Take her home and find that girl that was attending to her, take her with you."

Tory made a face and opened her mouth to argue but I cut her off. "There is no way I'm leaving you on your own in this condition. When you give birth, you can send her back."

"Its called pregnancy, Luke and not a condition! I'm pregnant, I'm not sick!" She shouted, as Nicholas helped her into the car.

"Yeah, whatever. Call me, okay?"

I waved her goodbye and ran upstairs, I had something important to do.

I knocked on Antonio's office door and opened it. He was standing behind his huge desk, looking out his window. He was thinking.

I scratched my head. "Boss, I need to go back to the country house."

"Why?"

"I left my things and some important documents there, I need to pack up and bring them here." It was a flimsy excuse but it was the only thing I could think of on short notice.

When he turned around I knew, he knew I was lying. "How many days are you going to spend there?"

Trick question. Spending days meant someone was there.

"Not days boss, just a couple of hours. I'll be back by sunrise."

He seemed satisfied with my answer because he gave me a brisk nod, a sign he wanted me to go.

I left the office and closed the door very calmly, then I ran as fast as I could to the underground parking lot and got in my BMW. I called Ophelia.

She picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Listen princess, I'll be over in a couple of hours.

"Why, is something wrong?"

"I'll explain when I get there." I disconnected the call.

I stepped on the gas, I didn't care what traffic rules I'd be breaking, I had to get there fast.

______________

After three hours of driving, I entered the code into the garage keypad, the garage door opened and I drove my car inside. Ophelia was already there, the motion sensors must have alerted her.

As soon as I got out of the car, she threw herself on me and plastered my face with kisses.

I remember when we were younger, I was sixteen, she was eleven, I just got back from my first Mafia related outing when Ophelia ran out of the house and jumped expecting me to catch her. I caught her and lost balance, what saved me were the other mob members who got me before I could fall back. She didn't jump this time but I had to lean on my car for support.

"I missed you too, princess." I could get used to this type of welcome.

"You must be hungry, I just finished preparing dinner." She dragged me inside. A part of me wanted to tell her about what happened today but I couldn't bring myself to do it, at least not now.

She placed a plate in front of me. I didn't know what it was, I didn't care either, it simply looked delicious. My stomach growled, I had only a plate of vegetable salad for breakfast and that was hardly any food at all.

Halfway through the meal, I noticed Ophelia was smiling at me.

"What?" I used my napkin to wipe my face thinking I had food all over it.

"You eat like you've been starved for days."

I just shrugged. After eating, she washed the dishes and cleared the table. Now that I noticed, the house looked cleaner than it was, one week ago.

Tell her.

I opened my mouth to speak but Ophelia cut me off. "Do you want to play a round on the PS?"

I nodded. I'd tell her after the game, at least I could come up with something to tell her.

We walked to the living room and she plugged the pads in, gave me one and picked a game. It was the gladiator game. Piece of cake, I could beat her with my eyes closed. I hit the start button.

After the first round it was not as easy as I predicted, I didn't even get the chance to touch her avatar before she killed my mine. She had mysteriously gotten better.

Time to pull out the big guns.

In the next round I decided to use cheat codes. I was able to slash her life until it was half the meter. She looked at me knowingly, then she dished out some combos I didn't even know existed and killed my avatar in 10seconds.

No way!

Subsequent games were all the same, she beat me hands down she even played a round with a hand behind her back and still beat me.

I dropped my pad, angrily.

"Oh the sweet smell of victory, how does defeat smell like?" She ruffled my hair.

"I'm just tired, that's why you were able to beat me." That was a full fledge lie, even I knew it.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her, maybe after a good night's sleep I could think of something. I yawned. "I'm going to hit the sack princess, do me a favour and lock up."

After taking a shower and changing into my PJs, I lay on the bed thinking. What would I say? How would I make her understand that she needed to come out of hiding before things got worse?

She opened the door and I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. She sat on the bed and stroked my hair for a while before she moved to the other side of the bed to sleep.

I couldn't think of anything. We had come all this way for nothing. When I was sure she was asleep, I got up from the bed and snuck away. I went to the kitchen and picked a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard and a glass to drink my sorrows away.

I'd gone through half of the bottle when I smelt the familiar fragrance of Jasmine.

"Ophelia, I know you're there."

She walked out and stood in front of me, frowning. "How can you tell? You and dad can always tell when I'm in a room or if I've been in a room no matter how stealthy I am, I want to know how?"

I gave her a sly smile. "If I tell you, then I won't be able to know anymore."

"I'm serious Luke, if you don't tell me then someone else can use it against me."

She had a point. "Its your perfume. I know you're in a room because I can smell your perfume.

She sniffed herself and gave me a look. Even though she was using my body wash, she still had that unique Jasmine fragrance. Its like she didn't need to use her cosmetic products anymore to smell like Jasmine.

She took the whiskey bottle and cup from me, then she sat down. "What's the matter Luke?"

I looked away. I didn't want to talk about it, especially now, I was a little bit intoxicated.

She turned my face so I could look at her. "Come on, talk to me." Her honey coloured eyes pleaded.

I stood up from the table. "Its Baddo, he came over today and things were not pretty at all." He thrashed our security systems and killed 5 of our men, to put it lightly.

I turned to face her. "Why don't you surface Ophelia? Come out of hiding." I pleaded.

"I can't." She looked away, then looked back at me helplessly "I cannot come out hiding."

"Well a lot of things have happened Ophelia, power has changed hands and trust me James Baddo is not someone to play with. If you don't want to come out of hiding, where else can you go? My house isn't safe anymore."

She kept quiet for a while, no doubt thinking. "Take me to the piacere house."

For a moment I thought I had misheard.

What the fuck? Hell no!

"Dio mio! Why don't you say it out so the world can hear, huh? I should take you to a brothel, a freaking brothel?!"

"Calm down Luke, you're shouting."

"Oh I don't think I've started shouting Ophelia. Listen to me taking risks has a limit, once you pass that limit, its called foolishness. I expect you to do better than this."

She stood up from the table. "If what you're saying is true then we don't have a choice. James Baddo won't stop until he finds me and that place isn't a brothel, dad just keeps the girls there. The place is off the radar, its the last place he'll think of looking for me. Besides not many mob members know me..."

I cut her off. "Listen to yourself, don't you see how pathetic this sounds! If you want to go there then you're free, go on your own! I'm not helping you anymore!"

Her hands balled into fists. "Luke Cristiano Valentino! Are you calling out on this!?"

We were shouting at the top of our voices now.

"Yes! I want out! This is foolishness don't you see. Just come out Ophelia, marry Daniel, have kids and live y-"

She slapped me so hard I had a whiplash.

"I should marry Daniel!? I should be manipulated, broken, raped, probably have kids in misery, live my life in misery?! I hope you know you won't be able to see me again. Why should I be the sacrificial lamb? Why should I be sad for others to be happy?" Tears were streaming down her face. ''You're my friend! You're supposed to protect me!" She hit my chest until my back was against a wall.

"Ophelia, Ophelia I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said that. I deserve a slap for ever thinking of it..."

She slapped me again. This time I was sure she left her palm prints on my face.

I held my face, tears welled up in my eyes but I didn't let them fall. This was the first time she'd ever raised her hand on me.

When she calmed down a little and realised what she had done, she hugged me and cried some more. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Luke."

I couldn't say anything. I didn't even hug her back. We just collapsed on the floor, the only audible sound was Ophelia's sobbing.

After a long time, I finally spoke. "Go and pack up, we're leaving."

She cleaned her tears but I'm sure she noticed the ice in my voice. I just didn't care anymore.

"I don't have my clothes here."

"Pack a few of my things, take a bath, change were going to get some things for you. I'm going to make some calls."

_____________

She dragged my suitcase and put it in the boot. I didn't help her, I didn't even open her car door for her. She was dressed in a hoodie and cargo shorts.

When we got into the car she opened her mouth to say something.

I held a hand up. "Don't. Just don't."

I saw the hurt in her eyes.

First of all, I drove us to a dress shop. It was the middle of the night but I called in a favour from the administrator earlier to pack up some things Ophelia, shoes, clothes, cosmetic products, and a few other things. By the time we got there, everything was ready, I paid, took the box out and put it in the car and drove off.

----------------------------

February 7th, 2016.

The piacere house was two hours away from my country side house. By the time we arrived it was already 7 in the morning because I had to take back roads to ensure we weren't being followed. I parked in front of a modern three storey house, got out, took Ophelia's box out of the boot and walked away without bothering to make sure Ophelia was following.

At the front door, I grabbed her roughly, pulled her inside the house and pushed her away with so much force, she fell to the ground. I threw her box on the floor. Desmonda, the woman who ran the house was watching everything with keen interest. "Get her a room, I'll be waiting in your office."

Tears poured out of Ophelia's eyes. I had hurt her beyond measure. I walked past her without sparing a glance.

Desmonda walked into her office five minutes later.

"Want something to drink?"

Oh god, yes. I nodded.

She poured three fingers of very strong brandy into a glass and handed it to me. I swallowed everything in one gulp.

"Wow, you must be really worked up this morning." She said in her scratchy voice that always made me wince, she traced shapes on my chest.

Desmonda Gruweruo manager of the piacere house, twice my age and she was always making advances at me. I wrenched her hand away.

"Remember what we talked about on the phone?"

"Yes, she's a very pretty girl, the boys will like her."

"That's what I'm here to talk about. I need a favour from you."

"Anything you want." She crossed and uncrossed her legs seductively. I felt like throwing up.

"I need that girl to be untouched. I don't want anybody to go look at her, I don't anybody to make passes at her, I don't want anybody to touch her. She solely belongs to me."

"You don't like sharing your toys, do you? I like a man like you." She pinched my cheek. This place was starting to disgust me.

"That's bad for business, Luke. And its a really big favour..."

"I'm aware and that's why I'm going to compensate you." I slapped a fat wad of cash on her table.

She looked at the money and smiled, crows feet visible at the corners of her eyes. "I think we have ourselves a deal, though I can't guarantee she won't be touched, the men want what they like."

"Desmonda." Warning.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do."

I got up. "Can I see her before I leave?"

"Come with me."

She took me up the stairs and stop at a door. "She's in here."

I opened the door and saw Ophelia on the bed. When I got closer I noticed she wasn't moving. I went into panic mode but on a closer look, I noticed she was asleep, she had cried herself to sleep.

I bent over her and moved her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, princess." I kissed her cheek and dropped an envelope close to her.

I walked out and closed the door.

In my car, I was having a mental debate. One part of me wanted to drag her out of this place, the other part wanted to leave her here until she learnt her lesson.

In the end, I started the car and drove away.

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