Bon Appétit! :D
Elizabeth's POV
His lips pressed together to form the thinnest line.
Rafael gave me no time to figure things out as he entered my line of vision. My eyes widened as he raised the handgun at us but my mouth was too slow to warn. Luckily, Angelo understood me and rolled us to the side just in time.
The bullet was now latched onto the floor where my head was seconds ago. My heart thudded at the near-death experience that the Valentine prince did not hesitate to give me. Snatching away the small knife, I pushed the Mietitore prince to safety as Rafael took aim again.
The small knife nicked the Valentine prince's cheek and momentarily killed his intent to shoot me. Taking this chance, I ran to Jessica Gold. With her head in her trembling hands, Jessica had turned her back to us. When she realised I was running towards her, my arm was already locked around her neck.
Under pressure, Jessica whimpered as her windpipe gets squeezed. "Rafael, save me." She begged, a tear making its way down her cheeks. The Valentine prince growled as he approached me. He's going to send me to Death. I bit down on my lips at his attitude. It was repetitive of the one he had on the night at the White Coffin. In a short amount of time, Jessica Gold had taken advantage of my distraction.
Rafael slowly closed the gap between us, strolling towards me. The sense of urgency is missing as he knows that there is no need for a bargain. Guns are much faster than suffocation. The Valentine prince stood tall as he paused ten steps from us.
Jessica Gold let out a soft whimper, her fingernails clawing at my arm. "Don't you remember why you are here? We are here to bring Angelo back, Raf." There was only a cold stare from him, analysing and calculating the perfect moment to take me down.
My palm felt the warmth trapped by the leather jacket as I patted down her torso. Other than her body heat, there was nothing else in the outerwear. I clicked my tongue and tightened my hold on her neck, regretting my choice to lend her my pocket pistol carrying blanks.
"I must protect Jessica." He mumbled.
"Fall out of it, Raf! You're under her spell!" I urged. However, there is no recognition in his eyes. The world is split into two, Jessica Gold and the rest. "Kill her, sweet Rafael." She commanded weakly as the Valentine prince stared at her.
Heavy footsteps sounded off as Angelo charged towards Rafael, tackling him down to the ground. But no matter how Angelo punched or kicked, Rafael kept his eyes on Jessica. A blur of legs and arms, it was difficult to see who was getting the upper-hand. All too soon, Rafael has Angelo trapped under him. The latter's knuckles were coloured red as he swiped his nose. Heavy gasps of breaths filled the room as the Mietitore prince looked up at his best friend.
When Rafael pointed the handgun to Angelo's heart, my legs moved on its own. However, Jessica Gold pulled me back and locked me in her hold. A maniacal laughter escaped her as she gripped my chin, forcing me to look at the two princes. "Look at that, Elizabeth. Wonder why I love red?" Her jasmine perfume flooded my nose, taking me back to Emily and the filthy, blood-soaked kitchen.
"The sweet metallic tang of blood." Rafael's index finger slides into place as Angelo stared, given up. I shook my head at him, he cannot let go now. "Angelo, fight him." A plead, a command, a prayer.
I wanted to close my eyes as Rafael squeezed the trigger, but my eyes refused to listen and drank up the scene in front of me. "The melodious cries and precious tears." Jessica said as she leaned on my face. Face on face, I felt the wide grin stretching her cheeks.
"The taste of misery." Another devilish laughter broke out from her. The light seared my eyes even though it was just a quick flash, the pungent smell of burnt gunpowder filling up the air. Rafael kicked Angelo and the dead prince fell on his side. My arms lost the will to struggle against Jessica Gold and my body slumped against her.
Men ran about as they prepared to leave the hills near Spargimento Di Sangue as the amber smoke clouded the air. I couldn't care about any of that because Angelo had wrapped his arms around me, carrying me to the car. "Close your eyes and rest, Elizabeth." I tried to follow his words. But overnighting in the hills had proven to be a nightmare, haunting me even when I'm not asleep.
I forced my eyes closed to overcome the fear, pushing at the gates of my heart. "I'll always be here." His voice smooth and rich as velvet, assuring me that I am no longer in danger, with him around.. My eyes fluttered open to gentle icy blue eyes, that reminded me of a cloudless sky perfect for a day at the beach or for a picnic. I thought to myself that if Angelo gave me a genuine smile, that would be the most valuable thing I'll ever have.
The unspoken promise was broken as Angelo Mietitore laid dead on the floor.
So cold. My body shook hard as I gathered my knees together, hugging them. I rubbed my freezing calves but they remained stubbornly cold. They only grow colder, the longer I stared at Angelo's back.
Rafael kept the gun in his jacket and turned to Jessica. A wide grin decorated his face and the excitement in his voice disgusted me. "He's gone, Jessica. It's just me and you now." The Mietitore prince cannot just die like that, at the hands of a scheming girl. "Simon!" I screamed, summoning the Castello captain into the room. He entered the room with a long cylinder in his hand. "You?" Jessica scoffed.
The Valentine prince was not startled by his appearance and only questioned without any interest, "What are you doing here?" Simon answered upon receiving a nod from me,"Sir Rafael, this girl is the governor's captain." Rumbling laughters littered the room and Rafael grinned widely at Simon Collins. "You're talking nonsense." The prince pushed past the Castello captain and tried to leave with Jessica Gold. However, Simon blocked their way, earning a glare from the prince.
"Let him prove it to you, Rafael. Today, she will die at your hands or mine." I promised. Jessica Gold walking out of the motel alive is not an option for me or for the Mietitore family. Their slogan says, an eye for an eye. A life for a life, she will pay for Angelo's death with her own.
The Valentine prince did not heed my words and insisted on dragging his lover out of the room. I was about to stop them when Simon pounced on me, crushing me to the floor. Without warning, bullets rained upon the room, putting holes into the walls, floors and furniture.
While Simon covered his head and neck, I only had one thought in mind. Shoving the Castello captain aside, I ran towards the dead prince, not afraid of the bullets. Angelo was dead and I did not want him to suffer anymore when he has passed on from this world. I gripped his muscular arm and lunged for cover. But he was as heavy as an elephant, refusing to budge from his original spot. Even when I throw my entire body weight forward, we only moved an inch.
Ammunition was still coming in from the only window in the room and I could not bear to leave him in the open. Knowing that the Yilian brothers and the rest of the Mietitore family will destroy the mastermind behind all this racket, I threw myself over him. I scooped his head into my chest, hating to see any bullet holes on his chiseled face and shielded as much as I can with my five-foot-three body.
Peace returned after dotting the entire room was holes. My eyes were squeezed shut even after the bullets have stopped, terrified of having round two. Soon, footsteps thudded on the stairs and flooded the too-quiet hallway. Peeking with one eye, Yosef strided into the room and bowed to the dead Angelo.
Two red dots appeared on the foreheads of Rafael and Jessica the moment the businessman brother entered the room. Yosef turned on the audacious couple, knuckles clenched tight. He summoned Simon forward with two fingers, gesturing for him to carry on.
"Sweet Rafael, do something," Jessica Gold pleaded but surprisingly, Rafael knew better than to fight a sniper and machine guns. None of his past hypnotised behaviours were present as the Valentine prince stepped away from his girlfriend. Shrieks and claws, Jessica hid her neck from Simon.
However, Yosef had no patience for her clownery and backhanded her. Jessica Gold blocked the fall to the ground with her hands and knees but her left cheek has instantly reddened. Tears flooded her eyes as she turned to glare at Yosef, the scarlet wig lopsided from the strong impact.
The businessman brother yanked the governor's captain to her feet and pressed down on her head for a clear view of her neck. Simon drew out the glow stick from the cylinder and broke it, black light filling it up. I got up from Angelo and padded towards the group. Simon Collins looked from Yosef to Rafael and then to me. His eyes stayed on me, "Ready?"
"Ever ready, Collins." A confirmative whisper that made him hold the glow stick against Jessica's neck. True to his words, the black light illuminated the invisible tattoo. A fox head surrounded by six tails, the three eyes shining under the light. Seeing the symbol is equivalent to seeing the governor, both inspiring awe and fear.
The two men stood still, not daring to believe their eyes. Jessica Gold has acted very well as a vulnerable girl who understood and gave everyone what they needed to hear or feel. For someone so wonderful to be a spy for the governor, it was unthinkable.
Yosef recovered faster than Rafael and strengthened his grip on her neck. Cold anger gleamed in his black orbs, her infiltration into the Mietitores not sitting well with him. After all, the governor has been on good terms with all the royal families and there were no reasons for him to break that good relationship.
"Hypnotising a royal prince, instigating the killing of a royal prince and shaking the foundations of the Mafia world. These are enough to send you to hell a thousand times, Jessica Gold." Yosef stated, eyeing the quiet girl.
Simon Collins glided to my side as we watch Yosef, Jessica and Rafael. The last of the trio denied her true identity with a shake of his head. An anguish smile crawling across his lips, "Tell them, Jessica. You are not who they say you to be." She tried to move towards Rafael but Yosef held her back like she was a rabid animal, out to bite someone.
Beautiful streams of tears washed down her face as she cried injustice. "Please, I am innocent!" She sobbed, her nose redder than Rudolph's. My eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets as she dirtied my ears with her lies, and from the expression on Yosef's and Simon's face, they were fed up too.
Idiots can tell that she was lying but Rafael proved himself to be dumber than an idiot. "We have to help her get across the customs and let her go. She's a victim!" I gaped at him, my mouth opened like a fish gasping for water.
"Do you think you can knock him out?" I shuffled to Yosef and asked on behalf of everyone. Rafael was a dear friend of mine but this is one of those moments, where I just want to beat the fuck out of him. He was being the biggest idiot in the entire Hollow and I was so close to losing my last bit of tolerance for him. The businessman brother replied cooly,"Love to but he's the one holding back Gold from destroying us. Yul can't find her men." He tapped the transparent earpiece in his ear, still evaluating the situation.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. There are two things to be done now. First, to get her to confess to her crimes. Second, to lure the governor's men into the open. I ransacked my brain to find a solution but the prince was still rambling on about protecting Jessica Gold, giving me a headache.
How do we make her talk? I have nothing on her. "Simon, let her sit and hold down Rafael, please." I requested and sat down in front of her. "You know we are outnumbered, what are you waiting for?" Jessica gave a silvery laugh. Her smile a certain shape, not once did I saw her laugh wider or smaller than that. She crossed her legs and placed her hands together, interlocking them. "I don't want to dirty my hands." Leaning back, she looked like a model in a photoshoot.
A trained beauty, she is. Every angle was analysed and adjusted, for her to be the most elegant and versatile beauty who is to the taste of all people. I stood up and took a good look at her for the first time. My despise for her cost me to be careless with her in the past, choosing to ignore all about her. That is my fatal mistake, but I will correct it today.
Turning back, Simon had already tied Rafael to the bedpost, with no chances of escaping. Meanwhile, Yosef was squatting down beside Angelo's body, staring at him. Biting down on my emotions, my focus returned to Jessica Gold. Clinking the handcuffs tighter to the chair, it was my turn to grin. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"
The first punch did not do much damage. Spit sprayed across the air and Jessica blinked several times but she was no longer relaxed. Her demeanour has changed to a tensed one. Patting her cheeks, I aimed for it again. "Stop!" Jessica yelled, her eyes widening but not out of pain.
I paused and chuckled. "Sure." My fist connected with her face again, causing Rafael to thrash on the bed, with the hotel towel in his mouth. But I couldn't care less. Pulling her head back, I forced her to look at me. "You don't look so pretty anymore, Jess. I think..." My finger slid down her cheeks, feeling the deformity underneath the skin. "Your cheek implants have shifted."
She harshly shook off my hand and gnashed her teeth together. "Fuck you." Laughing, I rubbed off the make up from her face, "No, thank you." I frowned, not at her attitude but at her cheeks. It looked the same as before, no signs of any injuries. I knew how hard I punched, enough to bruise up the face of a man. Yet, Jessica Gold still have beautiful rosy cheeks, unaffected by the punches.
"A face mask." Yosef called out, coming to my side. "There are rumours about a special engineering technique that can make face masks as authentic as human skin. Interesting." Yosef reached out to touch the false layer of skin also known as Jessica's face, a slight glimmer of delight showing on his face.
"Your brain amazes me, Yosef Yilian." She sounded calm and even more relaxed, looking at us lazily. But the dramatic change of expression was too fake. Playing along, I started discussing with Yosef about tearing off the layer of skin. "How should we tear it off? By hand or by equipment?" I probed, staring down at her. Her smile was menacing but there was no real damage she could inflict on us.
The businessman brother only went to pick up the small knife on the floor. "Where do we start from?" I posed, pressing her scalp for any opening or deformities. "Just stab her on the cheeks. That's a guarantee." He replied, utterly brute. Jessica pressed against the chair, creating as much distance between us. While she could manipulate me with Rafael's life, she was only the killer of Angelo in Yosef's eyes. He would do as he says.
However, just as we approached her, Jessica lost focus. Her eyes stared into a faraway space as if she was seeing something that only she could see. When she shifted her eyes to us, a smirk appeared. "They are here."
"Who's here?" There was no answer from Jessica. The handcuffs dropped to the ground with a loud clank and she got up, rubbing her wrists. "Brandon Mietitore and Marco Valentine." Yosef pressed a finger to the earpiece and announced, shock colouring his voice at the unexpected guests.
Before he could recapture her, Jessica wiggled out of her black outfit, not intending to run away. With distaste, she threw the outfit at my feet. The combat boots was the last to go as she sat down on the floor to loosen the laces. With only her undergarments on, Jessica huffed and made her way to me when she saw that I remained rooted to the ground. She pulled me roughly to her and without a word, the red trench coat was removed.
"What the fuck are you-?" I winced at her sharp fingernails leaving scratches on my arms as she forcefully stripped me of the red dress. Like her, I was nearly naked within seconds. Embarrassment caused me to quickly put on the clothes at my feet as the three men looked between me and Jessica Gold.
Differently, Jessica Gold took her time to put on the red outfit. When I was done, she was just halfway through zipping the satin dress. The open dress revealed a long, diagonal scar cut across her elegant back, jolting a gasp from me.
The governor's captain turned to me, smirking at my expression. "You know, this scar was not from long ago." She explained, throwing the red trench coat on. Jessica whipped out a compact mirror and adjusted the scarlet wig, her whole appearance looking the reddest.
But there was no time to clarify the unsettling question in my head. The two familial heads have entered the room, accompanied by the remaining Yilian brothers and Tedious Galavar.
Yul could not find the governor's men because there were no governor's men. Jessica Gold had only dragged out the time, awaiting the esteemed arrival of the blood brothers. "Sirs," Yosef and Simon lowered their hands as a form of formal greetings, as the two familial heads approached their respective sons. Their solemn faces revealed that they have watched the recording and witnessed Rafael killing Angelo.
The Yilian brothers guarded Jessica Gold who did not resist. A proud grin decorated her face as she observed the rest of us. She was already victorious and death was no longer a worry.
While Brandon Mietitore bent down to see his deceased son, Marco Valentine has untied his son and hauled him to the ground. Rafael hung his head low, not meeting the eyes of his incensed father. This time, I am sure Marco Valentine will put a bullet through his own son's head.
The Mietitore head gasped at the sight and shook his head at his blood brother. Marco Valentine did not whipped out a firearm but rather, held his hand out to Tedious. The advisor drew out a long serrated dagger and handed it over to him.
I swallowed the bitter bile, as I watched the Valentine head raised the dagger above his head. For the second time in a day, I am going to lose another friend. That thought made me sick and weak but gratefully, Yves came to support my wobbling knees."Close your eyes if you can't take it." He suggested but I fought against it. I will add this to my memory and give this all back to the governor when I kill him with my bare hands.
"You are no son of the Valentine family. Be gone." Marco growled, driving the dagger straight towards Rafael's heart. Jessica Gold split into a ecstatic grin, finally getting what she came for. I focused on her expression instead, not cold-blooded enough to see the breakup of the Valentine family.
The girl lost her happiness and the horrible grin was cut off as she took in the father and son. Her reaction made me curious and I looked back at the father and son. The tip of the serrated weapon was stopped right on the surface of the chest.
A small drop of blood dotted Rafael's white shirt and then he sneered at the girl, "Do you really think you are that alluring to make us lose our minds for you, Jessica?" Marco Valentine threw the dagger to his advisor and pulled up his son from the ground.
My eyes were popping from the twist of events and as Yves has said it for me, "What kind of fuckery is this?" The party boy slung an arm around my waist and stepped closer to me, staring at me in puzzlement. I was too shocked to even fend him off, giving him the same expression.
Quick as wind, she took out a small bell from the pocket and rang it at Rafael. Using the same techniques as Dr. Greene, Jessica Gold tried to put him into a hypnotic state. The Valentine prince shuddered as he set his eyes on the bell, his eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head. Smirking, Jessica commanded, "Take out all of them, sweet Rafael."
The audience watched in terror as Rafael grabbed the dagger from Tedious and raised it up, his eyes wide and diluted. The prince ran towards father, the dagger out for blood. However, Rafael threw it in Jessica Gold's direction at the last second. His laughter bounced off the wall as the girl clutched onto the dagger impaled in her thigh, wincing.
"I must say, I am born to be an actor. Don't you agree?" The open question tilted my world as Rafael grinned with glee.
"Oscar-winning performance, brother." Someone has rudely pulled on Yves's shoulder and the Yilian brother nearly lost his balance. Due to the sudden movement, Yves has failed to pull away his hand on my waist and I went down with him. Sticking out my arms just in time, I assumed a girl's push up position on top of Yves, our lips nearly touching. If we were filming a romance drama, there would be fireworks in the background as we made out. But wait. Yves is not even any of the two main male leads.
A long arm scooped me up from my position and pulled me into a hard chest. The light lavender scent waffled into my nose as Yves pointed at me with a shaky finger. "Ghost!" He cried out, face full of terror and looking like his soul just got sucked out. After a sharp inhale, the party-goer fainted with a small sigh.
The hair of my neck stood up as I stared down at the arm holding me in place, Angelo's arm. Trembling, I refused to turn back and look at its dead owner and ran with all my might. However the arm lifted me up and then, I was just running in mid-air, my legs swinging wildly.
Catching the expressions on the other people in the room, I felt confused. Other than Jessica Gold, who folded her brows and set her eyes ablaze with angry flames, the other people in the room were smiling or staring in wonder. Madness has descended upon them and I am not one to play with such things. "Please, I will burn offerings for you and ensure that you live a good afterlife." I slapped the steel-like arm, hoping that the supernatural can free me.
"So eager for me to die, Elizabeth. Sorry to disappoint but that won't happen before you clear your debt." A murmur, the warm breath tickling my ear. The arm set me down and turned me around gently.
His platinum blonde hair was sticking up in all angles, face swollen and bruised. The top he wore was tattered, revealing a bulletproof vest underneath. I was taken aback by the blood-red colour, mistaking it for blood, until I noticed the lack of metallic smell. A bullet was lodged in the vest where his heart was. Upon inspection, it was a blank bullet. "You guys knew she was a fraud?" Angelo met Rafael's eye and nodded his head.
Tedious Galavar propped up two chairs against the wall. The two familial heads took their seats and made themselves comfortable for the show that is about to begin. Meanwhile, Rafael and Simon carried Yves up to the bed. The formal moved to stand beside Angelo and the latter took up the space near the door, watching the whole scene unravel.
Pushing me behind him, the Mietitore prince gestured for the Yilian brothers to bring Jessica Gold forward. Yosef and Yan pressed her down to the ground and made her kneel in front of Angelo. Yul held his rifle to the back of her head, ensuring that she has no way of getting away. Even if she did, she will leave as a dead man.
Jessica shifted her eyes to the security camera and then, to the open window. "We have hacked into the cameras and your men have abandoned their posts ten minutes ago." Yosef revealed.
Never once did Jessica looked scared or panicked in all the times I have crossed paths with her. She had control over her expressions and looked sure of herself. However, Yosef's words drained all the colour from her face. Abandoned by the governor, Jessica Gold was all on her own now.
The Mietitore prince squatted down and clenched her face. "Tell us why the governor is doing this." The girl laughed heartily as if Angelo had told her a funny joke.
Smirking, she regained her confidence and put on the facade we were used to. "Tell me how you knew of my identity and I'll share with you, a big secret." Jessica winked at me, a twinkle in her eyes.
Finally! Angelo and Rafael are not as dumb as they made themselves to be :D
Thank you for reading and see you in the next chapter! :)