Shackles of the Past

"Hello?"

"Luca Bianchi?"

"Speaking." There was a long pause, unintentionally long. She nearly thought she had forgotten his number, and even in her current state it seemed like a betrayal to him and herself. "Hello?"

"Luca-" she didn't want to cry, even with lump lodged in her throat, and tears ready to burst free just about any second now. She won't cry...

"Amato?"

"Lu-ca, he's dead-"

"Meera, what did you say, amorina?" The voice around him quieted down.

"He is dead." She iterated clearly, "I killed him, Lu, they'll all be back in a few hours. I-" she felt the frustration bubble up, his body was right here, in front of her because she was sure he would just to rise from dead. Evil always does.

"I killed him. He is dead, I stabbed - they will all be here. What am I going to do?"

"Amorina, sshh,quiet. Sit down, Meera, sit. Let's breathe, then talk, sí?"

She did as was asked, sitting down beside his body full of holes, one hand holding the bloody knife, the other her phone. He was dead, she reminded herself. He was dead dead this time. Gone. To the satan. She was the one to send him too.

The final realisation had her relaxing entirely, her body refusing to hold her weight and falling back to floor with a loud thud. Even with the rug, she felt it ring through her head and back - the shot of pain jarring enough to loose the haze in her head.

"Luca, they are going to kill me because I killed him. I am a traitor, a rat. The Bratva."

"Amato, I can get there in 2 hours, max, amorina." She knew, probably why she chose to call him and not just run.

She could run, hell she should have run. Luca didn't exactly save her when he could have. But Luca was also willing to save her now, when he was drowing in his own murky shit.

There were orders barked about, sounds in background that had her melting into the rug. He asked no questions, made no attempts to tell her to step away, to drag out past bullshit, to dismiss her, he was still very...Luca.

He was Luca and he was her greatest ally in this world, and his one mistake of not being able to help was not going to keep her from asking him again. She was not that dumb, or that independent, or that unwilling to look past things. She was just so, so glad he picked up even after a whole year of no contact.

So glad

"Can you stay on call and do something for me?"

She hummed, still laying on the rug soaked in his blood, eyes closed, breathing regulated. The smell of copper was enough to make her wretch but she ignored everything in favor of Luca's words.

Luca could tell her to stay in this house and welcome her executioners and she would do it. Only because she trusted him with her whole being. She opened her eyes, staring at the fancy chandelier with a sardonic smile. Trusting him so much, hmm, even after everything? Maybe, that needed to change. She was going to change it. Just not now, not right now. She was so exhausted

"Can you find some petroleum? Or any kind of flammable oil?" He was funny like that - petroleum!? Italy did not leave him completely even if he has left Italy.

"I can extract it from the cars outside."

"Get up and do it, Amato."

She hummed again. She needed a minute. His drugs were potent, and while she could manage to outrun him and his drugs because of the adrenaline, it was going to run out of system at some point and let drugs do their job.

"Amato- get up."

"I am so sleepy. I am- he fed me something."

"I know, you're slurring, Amato. I know. Per favor, get up, now."

It still took her a long minute to do so, the world twisting around her as she did. Maybe what they show in movies was true after all. The drugs make your vision go round faster than earth does. Huh.

Finding the keys proved a difficult task, she was never exactly allowed to know about them, but she found them. Extracting the oil left such a disgusting feeling in her mouth, the taste so horrid, but she did it.

She filled up the empty can with the gas coming out of the car through that thin pipe. She filled two more from 2 different cars.

"I want it in every nook and cranny of his house, Meera."

"Okay."

Sluggish, with a pounding head, she had the neo-classic, 3 story mansion doused in gas, especially him .And then with a sigh, she grabbed her duffel with the inportant things. Always packed, this duffel was the only thing ready to leave with her at a moment's notice, not that that chance came about more than once or twice. She was a captive at the end of the day

On Luca's orders, she drank some cold water, ate something greasy - a task in itself because she was not allowed the food of her choice in this house, much like everything else, and sat on the couch in front of his deadbody.

Deadbody, heh, it was a such a funny thing, more so in their field. She had seen so many, dealt with a couple, too, but this one, his body that was dead, yeah, it gave her a pleasure she could never have believed. So long, for so long she had just this one wish - to have him sent to his makers, to have him die a horrible death, to see him suffer.

She couldn't make him suffer, but his death was still something she would celebrate. She was happy he was dead, even happier she was the one to kill him.

"Meera." She looked to Luca who took such deep breath having looked at her. Torn clothes, bleeding head, split lip, blood soaked hair, bruised arms, ankles covered in badages - was she a discharge from hospital or did she need to go to hospital.

"Hey, Lu."

"Come, amorina, let's go."

She couldn't get up, and having seen Luca in front of her she was even more compliant to her failing body. Luca gathered her up, trying to take away the knife that she refused to leave.

"Are we going burn it down?"

"My men will-"

"I want to. Please, let me finish this." Luca stopped walking, just a few steps out the main house was his car. He wasn't one to have his words questioned, or descisions swayed.

But it was her...

He turned back to the house for her, supported her so she could stand. He asked for the lighter from someone by his side and handed it to her so she would fulfil this one wish before the long dreadful days ahead. Because he was her Luca, always there for her.

He had noticed the smell of petrol all the way to the first stair entry to this hellhole. He was just glad his car was in the driveway.

She lit the lighter, enjoying the glow of the flame in this eerie night. Then closed it off.

On, off, on, off. So beautiful.

Did she spill gas on herself when she poured it around him and his house? She had to have, no? A little, maybe on hands and her bare feet? A slight glance down had her snapping her head back up because fuck, that made her feel like she would fall down right about now.

Hmm. Maybe there was some drops of it on her, maybe if she directed the lighter just the right way...she wished for this one second to finish it all.

A hand came up to wrap around her nape, startling her from admiring the lighter. "Throw that at the house, amorina."

He couldn't have read her her mind, could he? Pff, of course not. He wasn't a fancy mind reader, she titled her head a little, as much as she could with his tight, warning hold on her neck,

"Now, Meera Amato"

Maybe he was. Oh well, She threw the lit lighter at the oiled, wooden door.

Maybe her death was much worse than this? It had to be, if she had to deal with the real hell on earth just for being Arlo's sister, she had to have done something seriously fucking sinister, and obviously deserved that horrid of a death, too.

"I wish i was burning it just a day in and not a year."

She watched the house burn, the cracking of fire so loud, so burning, too. Turning to Luca, she smiled.

"I think I am going to pass out, now."

She promptly did..

Translations:

amorina- darling

Si-yes

per favor-please