Chapter One
Chapter One
Information
This book is set for the most part in Sicily and Italy, the home of the Mafia, so some of the script is therefore written in Italian with the English translation in brackets,
It does not distract from the story, if you cannot read Italian, read the English!
Enjoy!!
‘Alessandro, stop, please I must rest’
The young woman fell to her knees clutching her swollen stomach her face grey as another pain racked her body,
‘A little further Gabriella, come please just a little further’
The young man’s handsome face was creased with worry and fear as he tried to get his pretty wife to stand and move on,
‘No Alessandro, no, he will be born here’
Her legs gave way and she leaned back against him they both knew there was nothing they could do as nature took its course and an hour later Gabriella pushed her son silently into the world. Alessandro cleaned them both up as best as he could, cutting off the baby’s first startled cries by latching him instantly onto his mother’s breast. He handed her the bottle of water he had carried and stroked a finger down her cheek before kissing his son’s downy head,
‘Ti Amo’ [I love you]
Handing her a small bag with their documents he kissed her lips brushing away her tears he placed his finger on them silencing her unsaid protests,
‘Non dimenticare mai che ti amo’ [Never forget that I love you]
He disappeared out of the barn they had been hiding in while she gave birth and Gabriella drank some of the water and rested. A couple of hours later she rummaged in the large bag they had brought with them and ate a little of the bread and cheese then fed their son Alexis Lucian and strapped him to her slipping out of the barn the other way. They had planned for this and she knew what she had to do. She walked for hours until she came into the small village and made her way to the tiny picturesque cottage on the outskirts. The elderly woman dressed all in black said nothing as the young Mother crept from the shadows into the back of the cottage and laid the little boy in the delicate crib. She bent her head and kissed his soft cheek,
‘Dio ti protegga mio Figlio’ [God protect you my Son]
Then turning on her heel she looked into the eyes of the old lady,
‘Grazie Nonna’ [Thank you Grandmother]
She whispered tears stinging her eyes as she left as silently as she had come walking painfully forward without looking back,
‘Dio sia con voi, figli miei’ [God be with you my children]
The elderly woman made the sign of the cross,
‘Vi terrò nelle mie preghiere’ [I will keep you in my prayers]
She knew the outcome of this story, it had happened many times before and while these stupid feuds existed it would happen again in the future. She looked down at the beautiful baby boy and was surprised to see him
watching her solemnly with his milky blue eyes as if he knew what his life held for him. She crossed herself and shook her head,
‘Caro Dio, mi sto spaventando un neonato, che ridicolo’ [Dear God, I am getting spooked by a newborn, how ridiculous]
Alexis Lucian never saw either of his parents again but he would learn of them just as the Mafia would learn of him.
‘Don Santini, we have a gift for you’
The pretty teenage girl was thrown on the floor in front of the Don, she kept her head down staring at the floor, The Don barely glanced at her,
‘Where did you take this one from?’
She is the only daughter of Marconi, Don Santini’
Now the Don looked at the young girl, standing up swiftly he grabbed her thick golden hair and pulled her to her feet, she was beautiful. Her deep blue eyes regarded him with hate, her figure was perfect just ripening into full womanhood, and desire pooled in his groin,
‘Get out, all of you’
The men left instantly knowing better than to disobey and when the door closed he turned to her,
‘Your age?’
He questioned and she snapped back,
‘Seventeen’
Don Santini was in his late thirties, very good-looking, tall, and athletic, he kept himself fit and in shape, his jet-black hair hung down to his shoulders but it was his eyes that people noticed first. They were such a deep shade of brown they were virtually black, just like his heart, he was the most feared Don for a reason. He was ruthless and merciless, Anna Marconi knew it, she had known when her family was brutally murdered and she alone was spared and taken captive. She held her head high and refused to be afraid of him, he stood in front of her letting his gaze roam over her body. Without a word, he moved quickly and with a sharp tug ripped her dress from her shoulders, still she defied him refusing to lower her head she stared straight at him. It unnerved him he was used to them cowering and begging for mercy so he backhanded her knocking her to the floor. Calmly she got to her feet wiped the blood from her mouth and stood proudly. Santini lost it he could not believe that a seventeen-year-old girl could defy him so openly, it angered and aroused him equally. She saw the lust in his eyes and knew what was coming, he dragged her into his bedroom and raped her repeatedly in every way he could. Not just that night but for a whole week she did not fight him, she lay still and unresisting. It drove him wild as he tried to get a response from her only to see the raw hate in those big blue eyes. By the end of the week, he had beaten and raped her so badly she was close to death and he told his men to dispose of her body. They threw her into their van and drove her out to the woods near an isolated little village no one had ever heard of. Working quickly as night fell they left her naked hidden by the tree line thinking she would die quickly from her wounds and the exposure. None of them checked to see if she was still alive, instead, they jumped back into the van and sped off back to their barracks and the wine that was waiting for them.
Anna was not dead, she lay still until his men had left then used her remaining strength to drag herself into the soft undergrowth to hide and wait. An elderly lady walking her five-year-old Grandson found her two days later, when she realized the young woman was still alive she gave her water and with a lot of help they somehow got her into the tiny cottage. The elderly woman helped her heal, she had herbs and potions handed down from the previous generations that worked on her dreadful injuries. She knew the girl had been raped and she knew by who but kept it to herself saying it out loud would only bring more problems and this child did not need that. Anna said nothing as her body healed and the baby grew in her belly, she watched silently and still as the old woman fussed around her making sure she ate enough. The little boy watched her too with his huge blue eyes, he was incredibly beautiful and he seemed to know not to bother her but his quiet company reassured her. When she cried he would sit holding her hand and stroking her face.
‘Va bene, ora sei al sicuro, la nonna ti proteggerà. Per favore non piangere, ti prometto che sei al sicuro.’ [It’s okay, you are safe now, Grandmother will protect you. Please do not cry, I promise you are safe.]
His little voice was so reassuring she would give him a watery smile,
‘Grazie piccolo angelo con i bellissimi occhi azzurri’ [Thank you, little angel with the beautiful blue eyes]
