La Cafe Cosa Nostra

Chapter 6

Annalisa felt a pit form inside her chest. "You're lying."

"Oh, am I? How can you prove it?" Costello snarled. "You must have known it. The way that your mother looks at you as though you were vermin. The way that you were nothing more than a servant to them. You were never a part of their family, and you never shall be."

"No!" She screamed and felt the hot stream of tears down her cheeks as they clouded her vision. She fought against his grip, but he was holding her too tightly. His long fingernails were beginning to tear into her skin, and she could feel hot blood dripping down her arm.

"Now Antony, my precious little brother, will destroy the very thing that he is trying to save. Little does he know that all of his hard work is within this very building. And before the end of the night, there will be nothing left of this store." He leaned back in his chair and reached within his pocket, and pulled out a gun. "I'd really hate to do this, you know? It would spoil my reputation." There was a click, and he pointed the barrel at Annalisa.

She could feel her heart pounding so hard that she forgot to breathe. Costello gently let go of her arm, allowing her to back up.

"You could do two things here," Costello said, holding the gun absentmindedly in his wrinkled hand that was decorated in rings. "One, which is to stay here as I leave, convincing Tony that you are the culprit for the collapse of his business. Or two, you can come with me. We can start an empire founded on the efforts of my father and your uncle. You wouldn't have to work another day of your life."

Annalisa stopped, and an image of her days wasted away at Cosa Nostra came to the forefront of her mind. It was her prison. And she could be free of it. But then, the events of her time spent at Elm Street's and of her time spent with Stephen and the wonderful things he showed her, even if it was all a lie.

"Tick tock." He grumbled, pointing the gun higher.

Annalisa lifted her chin and stood her ground. "No."

Costello sighed. "I was hoping you'd be cooperative."

Suddenly, the door to the office opened behind them. And whose head would appear, but Dawn's.

Annalisa almost let out a cheer, but her smile soon fell. The goofy grin that usually accompanied the girl's expression was gone. Instead, a gun was held at her side as she glared at Annalisa and stood next to Stephen.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, you weren't the only one being deceived." Costello laughed.

Her was another click, and her gun was pointed at Annalisa's head.

"Dawn..." Annalisa muttered. Her throat began to hitch as she saw the stone-cold emptiness in her eyes. She looked at Stephen and saw brokenness in his eyes. Suddenly, he pivoted his body and knocked Dawn on the side of her head with the but of his gun. She immediately crumpled to the ground. Stephen, with a snarl, spun around to face Costello, but the deafening explosion from a gun sounded before he could lift his weapon.

"Stephen!" Annalisa moved to help him as he collapsed to the floor.

But then there was a soft, "Tsk, tsk." and a click from Costello's gun. Annalisa froze. "Ah, young love. Maybe I was wrong about him, but I guess we will never know the end of this story. Do you know what the saying is for our family, Annalisa?" Costello asked her.

She didn't bother responding.

"It is, L'oro del Nostro Sangue. It means 'The Gold of our Blood'. The Marzoccos were founded on the principle of value in coffee, the gold of the Earth; without that, there is no purpose for us. This family forsook me and my ideas, and now, they will finally pay. Now I will ask you again, would you like to burn?"