I sat down on the cushion in my office in the tense and deathly atmosphere. Father was sitting on the chair, Elijah leaned his hips on the table next to him, and Alex stood in the middle of the room with his arms crossed.
All of us were soaked in blood with the rage encasing us.
Each time I try to fool myself into thinking I had my composure, I can't stop myself from lashing out. A piece of anger went along with a dead body with the bullet from my handgun only grew tenfold in its void.
A river of blood and dead bodies had grown rapidly over the past forty-eight hours. We had just finally been logical enough to sit down, the darkness within us trapped behind our skins again, and dig into the answers. We needed the whole truth right now.
I had also fooled myself into thinking that my worst nightmare already passed. The reality punched us in the face. Repeatedly. Then another one was in its play, at this moment.
"What are we going to tell the others?" Elijah questioned quietly but firmly, breaking the tense silence.
I tilted my head to Father, allowing him to answer.
He drained a half-full glass of scotch. "I don't know." He said simply, making the anger come up to the surface again. I took a deep but discreet breath to calm myself down.
"Ariana was raped under our roof and that's all you have to say?" I spoke, void of emotion. I needed someone to blame when there was no blood to shed around me, after hours straight of pure killing and torturing.
I heard a few sharp intakes of breath from Elijah and Father from the blunt statement. Alex's features hardened even further.
"Last time I checked," Luca snarled as he defended himself. "you're the Don and therefore responsible for her. I was kept as a captive."
"Yes," I said, pushing down all the guilt that threatened to drown me whole. "I take the full responsibility for my purposeful ignorance. It is only because of you. I asked before all of this happened to mere speak to Ariana and you refused ."
"We still don't know if it's one of them," Luca said, shaking his head. "Step in my shoes, Ace. You're asking me to believe that the brothers that I grew up with, played with, fought, and make up with, raped my daughter. Anyone would have a hard time. Give me time to allow all of it to sink in, boy."
"Oh?" I marveled. "So you think it is a mere coincidence that the traitor is one of your brothers, under the same roof, Ariana was scared of them, you and uncles used to play in the tunnels, he just happened to be in the same wing where he was not allowed to be in —— it just adds up with every single fact. That man lying in a coma is your daughter's rapist."
I stood up and pointed a finger at him. "I told you if anything happened, it's on you."
He shot up on his feet, tipping his chair backward, and slammed a fist on the table. "I do not care about your new title, Ace. I'm still your father and I will not tolerate this disrespect."
"I am not disrespecting you. I am merely stating facts, Father."
"Are you what, fifteen?" Luca shook his head. "You're the Don and what happens to Ariana is on you. And we can't be going out with guns blazing. Only Ariana has the whole answers and we will speak of her to get the bottom of it."
"One could say you're five years old for being in this denial for so long." I retorted, knowing it wasn't the best comeback but it came out unfiltered through my anger.
The child inside me shrank a bit at my father's seething face directed at me.
Father angrily opened his mouth to speak but an unfamiliar voice cut in.
"And who allowed the traitor into the same roof? Ace did." A voice growled. "Who had refused to allow someone to mere ask if Ariana knew anything? Father did. Who had the stupidity to overlook the hidden tunnels when that aspect is their responsibility? I did. Who had let all of the guards go? Noah did."
All of our heads whipped to Alex who had just spoken up.
"You're speaking again?" Elijah gaped at him, the same way as we were too. Alex ignored him and continued.
"Yes, it's all of your faults. It's all of our damn faults. All of us had a part in this. We can cry over it when we lay alone at night in our beds but for now, we figure out what exactly happened. So we can drag the motherfucker down and make the satan look like an angel. Ariana is going to get hurt again and it's going to be our fault again if you keep up this pointless argument.
Last time I checked, Ariana is our priority, not your guilt-filled hearts and the childish need to blame one other."
Alex turned to me and pointed a finger at me. " You're a Don of the Italian Mafia, Ace. Act like it for fuck's sake! Because I'm not seeing any process."
I would normally belittle someone if they spoke to me like that but I had no heart to do so because I was aware that Alex was right. The more we keep this blaming game, the further the answers are away.
"Alex's right," Elijah said quietly. "We need to be civil for long enough to get to the bottom of all of this. We're not supposed to think of ourselves. Ariana is the one who was harmed, not us."
When we had arrived two days ago, rushing after finding out that our uncle had been pushed and my sorellina had harmed herself.
I and Father were informed that Ariana was greatly and rapidly improving. They told me her personality was beginning to seep through, talking a lot, and didn't hesitate to smile anymore.
Now we returned only to find her at what we started at - Ariana was lifeless and unresponsive. She has been in and out all day. When she was awake, she lay there on her hospital bed staring at the ceiling without any signs of awareness of her surroundings or reality.
There were no words to describe the wrath and rage I felt when the doctor who had examined Ariana had informed us she had been recently sexually assaulted. There was some damage in her vaginal canal, even more than the already damaged tissues from before. The doctor had, fortunately, noticed a trickle of blood from her area when she was stitching the cuts and asked us for permission to check. My stomach dropped when the doctor asked us and refused to consider that as a possibility. Until she confirmed it.
What was worst was that we would never had find out if she didn't go to the kitchen and had a complete mental breakdown.
The camera in the hallway was jammed by a device that was put in by the attacker.
Four of us in this office were the only ones who knew. The younger four were unaware of all of this, currently with Ariana at the hospital. I was aware they knew something was going on and we can't keep lying to them.
"Who you do you think pushed Uncle?"
"Ariana," I said immediately.
Elijah nodded slowly. "He hurt her so it makes sense that she hurt him back." He murmured. I gave a not-so-discreetly Father a pointed look at this.
Father shook his head. "Ariana is the size of a ten-year-old, cannot walk without a limp or even run, and she lacks muscles. My brother is the height of 6'5, made of pure muscles, and a trained mafia man. Even if she had the advantage of surprise, she wouldn't be able to budge him even an inch. It's impossible."
"They found bruises on Uncle's legs, the shape matches perfectly Ariana's wheelchair. I assume she ran him over." I said.
Their heads snapped up to me at this newly revealed information.
"And why was I not informed?" Father snapped as his angry gaze pierced into mine.
"I just got the text." I waved my phone slightly.
"Alex?" Elijah questioned. "Do you think Ariana was one pushed Uncle?"
"No." He replied, making us turn to them with a frown.
"May I remind you that Ariana's wheelchair is found to be matched to his bruises?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Ariana would have taken the chance to jump right after," Alex said simply, making me still in my place. He was also right. She wouldn't miss any opportunity to jump, with this strange obsession of falling of hers and she was under the suicide watch.
"So...someone's trying to blame her." Elijah figured it out.
"Exactly." Alex gave a sharp and firm nod.
"But what's the point?" Elijah furrowed his brows.
"I don't think the attacker had predicted that Ariana would have a mental breakdown and that we found out she's been raped. Think about it." I said. "If we had been clueless about it and Ariana pushed Uncle for no reason, what would we do?"
"I don't know," Elijah muttered.
"Your brothers are everything to you, Father," I told him. "The attacker probably assumed you would take their side if Uncle had died and shun out Ariana or something like that.
"I would never." Father snarled his hand curling into fists. "Even if she stabs each one of you in the heart."
"Well, this person didn't know this or is just plain stupid," Elijah said.
"My brothers know I would choose my daughter over anyone, even them. It cannot be one of them." Father said.
"I partly agree with you. I am still a firm believer that Uncle was the one who raped Ariana." I said.
"So what exactly are you saying?" Elijah questioned.
"There's someone else on the stage," I replied.
Alex nodded curtly. "Someone that Ariana knows about and they want to protect themselves. This person wanted to silence her by deeming her as someone who killed her own family for no apparent reason. I think in their eyes, it goes like this, Ariana would have denied killing Uncle and we would then label her as a liar and untrustworthy. When she tries to reveal vital information, we wouldn't believe her and this person gets away from it."
"And this person probably worked with Uncle, too," I added curtly. "Then betrayed him in the end. Took him by surprise."
"That still doesn't answer all of our questions." Father shook his head. "Why violate Ariana? They had the perfect opportunity to kill her, to silence her forever then all of this. To kidnap her. Or Noah and Apollo. There are still a lot of holes to be filled."
"I don't know about the other questions but I do know one thing. All of the rapists' same similar trait." Elijah spoke. "They all come off when their victims are unable to consent. It could just be for his pure satisfaction." Disgust laced his tone.
"It's possible," I said, trying to not move - to not show my yet again growing anger, ready to burn me from inside out.
We fell into silence, taking in Alex's theory and our assumptions. It all fit perfectly except for the holes - something we missed.
"When Ariana comes out of her state, we're going to talk to her," Father said.
"I can do it. I don't want anyone else to bombard her with endless questions. I'll ease it slowly." Elijah offered and I nodded in confirmation.
"No," Alex said.
"What?"
"I should be the one who talks to her."
Elijah's brows furrowed. "Why?"
"She trusts me more than any of you." Alex gave me a knowing look and I held back a grimace.
"And who says this?" Elijah scowled.
"Says me." He replied simply.
"Alex..." Elijah started gently. "You're intimidating and you're not exactly the one to comfort a scared little girl."
"Ariana is far from just a scared little girl." Alex rejoined. "You all underestimate her far too much."
I stood there in silence, studying Alex carefully. Something was different, other than the obvious. He was speaking again, to all of our surprises. He seemed to be gotten closer to Ariana while we were gone. He had that knowing gleam deep down in his eyes, which made my trained sixth sense inside blast in an alert. Somehow, I knew he knew more than all of us and hid it from us.
However, I trusted my second in command more than anyone in this world. If he hid something from us, I knew he wouldn't allow it to get out of control and it is for a good reason.
"Alex, you will speak to Ariana." I finalized, abruptly ending their argument.
Alex nodded in thanks. Elijah slumped his shoulder in a disappointed manner. I knew Elijah felt the need to comfort everyone and since our mother was always absent, in either sense - physically or emotionally - he took the responsibility for himself to make sure everyone was okay. I knew Ariana's condition pained her a lot and he was desperate to do anything to take her pain away.
We all did.
My phone vibrated silently in the pockets of my suit pants and I reached into it to take it out to find I'd gotten a text from Noah, who also was at the hospital with Ariana. My breath hitched slightly at what I read. I took a deep breath to gain my composure as I put my phone back away.
"Seems like we're going to speak to Ariana sooner than we think."
"She snapped out of it?" Dad asked hopefully. I nodded once.
"She doesn't remember."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She doesn't remember hurting herself."
"What about...the rape?" Elijah whispered.
"I don't know," I said. "We'll find out."
"We're going to the hospital right now," Father growled and briskly walked to the door.
"Don't forget to shower first!" Elijah shouted.
I looked down. Right. I was covered with blood from head to toe, and so was everyone else in this room.
P E R D I T A
On the drive to the hospital, dad kept tapping his shoes against the car floor repeatedly. He was nervous. It was his first time seeing Ariana in person - up close. He only had barely a glance at her from a glass wall, when the doctors recommended we leave her alone in silence for a while. We struggled but gave in in the end. If it would help Ariana, so be it.
Then the doctor brought the news that sent us on a killing spree ever since. The anger refused to let its claws in my skin go, no matter how much I tried. It was expected - my little sister had been violated because of me. Alex was right- right now, all it matters is Ariana and the increasing guilt pulling me down into a sinkhole can be held off until I'm alone.
When my uncle is out of the coma, I am going to get my hands on that bastard and make him woe the day my grandmother gave birth to him. He will beg for death but he won't get it until I say so.
Which is long years down the road - after he spent some time in Alex's mysterious cave of horror.
I pulled the car to a stop and I heard dad take a sharp intake of breath with my honed ears.
"Dad," I said sternly. "It's going to be fine."
He nodded and gave me a tight smile that didn't meet his eyes. He swung the car door open and leaped out. I followed suit. As my feet were on the ground, I fixed my cuffs and tightened my tie unnecessarily. I was also nervous. I tilted my head up at the sky painted with stars as Elijah and Alex arrived in another car.
Time went painstakingly slow when we briskly walked into the hospital and elevator to the floor where Ariana was on. We had cleared out an entire floor for our privacy. At first, our uncle had been placed on the same floor but when once we'd found Ariana was violated we immediately moved him to the last floor whilst Ariana was on the first floor of the tall building.
When we stepped off the elevator, we were immediately ambushed by my four younger brothers.
"Why were all of you on a killing spree for two days?!" Noah inquired.
"We watched the recording of the kitchen situation," Elijah said briskly. "It's horrific. Isn't that enough?"
"If it was only Alex and Ace on the spree, I would have believed you." Noah snapped. "But you and dad were on it too. If it was only the video that occurred, you two wouldn't be out here. You would be here with Ariana, trying to coax her out of the state she was in."
"Let it go," I ordered them.
"Just fucking tell us." Ares snapped from behind Noah. "For the fuck's sake."
A loud crunching sounded from the left and all of us looked to find Salvo chewing loudly, holding a party-sized bag of chips and a hand was inside the bag rummaging for a few pieces.
I shook my head and turned back to them, ignoring him.
"Watch the tone." Father snarled. "We will explain to you later when you're calm."
Noah and Ares' eyes looked ready to budge out of their eyes out of anger. Apollo stared at us with jaws clenched.
Salvo's chewing got louder as he listened to our conversation.
"When will be that?" Apollo questioned.
The chewing was increasing with each passing second.
"When Noah and Ares are calm," Father replied.
Salvo's loud eating was getting even worst.
Alex was, as always, getting more impatient and the ticking bomb went off.
Alex stomped towards him and his hand shot out to Salvo's chip and grabbed it. He turned it the opposite way so the chips fell out and scattered over the floor at Salvo's feet.
The empty plastic bag joined the ruined chips seconds later.
Salvo gaped at the food. Slowly he lifted his head to his older brother.
"This is the worst crime anyone can commit." He cried out. Alex just looked back at him with his arms crossed.
"I do not give a shit how many people you kill, how many organs you rip out, and how much blood you spill on the floor. I don't even give a shit if you a bullet in my future husband or wife's head on my future wedding. But this?" Salvo pointed at the scattered chips on the white shining floor for emphasis. "This is a violation."
Salvo's head popped out from Alex's behind to give us a 'do you understand' look with eyebrows raised and nodding continually. We all looked at him with a deadpan expression.
Alex scoffed and walked past Salvo, making sure to bump half of his side hard as he did it causing Salvo to stumble back slightly.
"Asshole!" Salvo shouted at Alex's shrinking frame.
"Jesus." Father sighed, pinching his nose. "I can't believe I raised this guy sometimes."
"You got to admit it, Father," Apollo chimed in. "That was a crime, wasting a tasty food like that."
"Shut it, boys." Luca boomed. "I want to see my daughter."
That's what we did next. We walked exactly eleven doors until we reached the twelfth door. Through the glass, I could see Ariana was propped up with her back leaning on the headboard of the hospital bed. The lights were super bright which concerned me if it would trigger her. But she seemed unfazed by the light, which in return fazed me, as she watched the TV with a remote lying on her limp and spread out palms, which were resting on the bed at her side.
She looked horrible, though. Far than how terrible she looked when she got out of the cell, but still. Her eyes were bloodshot with dark blue/purple bags underneath them. Her already pale skin seemed to be painted white like a ghost. Because of her now paler skin, her skin looked pulled over her bones which jutted out her cheekbones, collarbones, fingers, and wrist.
The anger was sparkled into a roaring fire again when I saw the fresh and old scars over her arms which was visible from her medium-sleeved hospital gown the hems stopping at her elbows.
Seeing her made the recording come to my mind again. What she did to herself and Eleanor deeply shocked me to the core. Nothing fazed me most of the time but it seemed there were a lot of sessions of it lately. Seeing her made me see the bloody footprints I've seen when I'd observed the kitchen. Seeing her made me see her pouring the boiling water on her body. Seeing her made me see her try to set herself on fire.
I took a deep breath as I heard someone open the door to Ariana's room. She whipped her head around to the person - Alex. I ripped my eyes away to enter the room.
She was silent as she scanned over us as all of us filed into the room.
"Hey," Elijah said gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Didn't you miss me?" Salvo said with a grin as he sat down on a couch.
Few others spoke but she didn't reply. She didn't give us a glance at all.
Because she was looking at her father.
"Hello," Luca said breathlessly at the doorway.
Ariana blinked at him.
Did I mention I failed to inform him I told her daughter that he died?
"He's going to kill you," Alex spoke quietly from behind so that only I could hear him. "After he makes fool out of herself."
I was aware of it. Yet I seem to can't bring lift a leg to move forward to tell father now before the chaos starts.
I glanced over my shoulder at Alex. Deep down in his eyes, I could see the hint of amusement. I resisted the urge to scowl.
"I liked you better when you didn't speak." I retorted, equally quiet as I turned back to them.
From the corner of my eyes, I could see Noah and Apollo glancing at each other nervously and shoving each other arms discreetly.
What did they do now?
"My name is Luca. I'm your father." He said, deciding to rip the band-aid off, which didn't aid in my favor.
My mind was rummaging with thousands of things to explain myself when Ariana realizes I had lied.
I stopped breathing, holding it in instead. Everyone in the room was deathly silent, watching with wide eyes and anticipation.
I watched Ariana carefully as she stared at him for a few moments - studying carefully and her eyes ran over Luca's features whose's expression was hopeful. After Ariana was done scanning over his face, her forest-green eyes met his matching ones and held them intensely.
Everyone seemed to lean in suddenly when Ariana parted her lips to speak.
And our shoulders slumped when she closed it.
Then she opened her mouth again to blurt out something that perplexed me completely.
"Aren't you a bit too old to sleep with Salvo?"
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