Post by silent.lullaby on Jul 25, 2010 10:15:39 GMT -5
//We Run This Town//Chapter 028// Stays In Italy (Part Two)
“I don’t know what has gotten into that crazy bitch,” Gemma complained to Lucia and Blaire as they sprawled out in the Walker’s living room.
Lucia bit her inner cheek, should she tell the girls what she knew? What if while Lilianna was trying to handle things alone, she got hurt? Or worse. She chewed on her nails.
Blaire shrugged casually leaning back and pulling her short shorts down before lying back completely on the floor her stomach showing from her cut off old t-shirt which showed off her smooth slender abdomen. “Maybe she’s just...” Blaire bit her lip, “I don’t know, I got nothing.”
“She tackled Ivan like a damned footballer!” Gemma complained.
“You like Ivan? Don’t you?” Blaire asked rolling onto her stomach with her big eyes focussing on Gemma. “You do, I know it!”
“Please, he’s... a computer nerd.”
“He’d be good for you, you know a little sane stability! Like what I have with Linden,” Blaire smiled and sighed.
“Gosh she’s love struck,” Faith said walking in and sitting next to her little sister phone in hand. “Lili’s not here?”
Gemma sighed, but Blaire answered, “Naw, ain’t seen her since the football game.”
Faith put her phone to her ear, “no sorry Max, she isn’t here. Did you try calling her cell phone?” There was a pause and Lucia watched Faith with her big bright eyes. “Well I’m sure the batteries just dead, that’s all.”
Lucia couldn’t take it anymore. “Something is wrong with Lilianna!”
“One second,” Faith covered the bottom part of her cell, “no Luce, she just didn’t go straight home after the game.”
“No, she was really weird, she freaked after she got a series of text messages, I thought they were from Gem, but she said no, and that it was from the wrong number and...” Lucia took a deep breath and continued, “and she told me to go and get Preston, she was really worried, the tone of her voice, I knew something was wrong and then she tackled Ivan," another breath. "And then she told me she’d tell me what was going on if she could, but she said she can’t, I’m thinking it’s some form of blackmail or something someone has got over her and we’re just sitting here and not helping,” Lucia took another breath. “We have to help her, but I don’t know what’s wrong or,” tears welled up in her eyes and Blaire was sitting up and had Lucia in her arms in a second.
Blaire’s jaw set angrily, her lips in a tight line as she looked meaningfully to her sister. Faith, for a fair, pretty girl who got weekly manicures, enjoyed shopping sprees and loved flowers she looked ready to trade her nail polish for a Desert Eagle at that moment. Uncovering the mouth piece she relayed the message to Maximo.
***
Maximo’s grip on the phone tightened, “son of a fucking bitch,” he cursed.
“What do you want us to do?” Faith asked.
“Send over Adam, he’s there right?”
“No, he’s at his apartment, but I can get a hold of him.”
“Do it,” Maximo hung up. There was no time for sentiment, or ‘I love you’s’ His baby sister was in danger. He knew it in his bones when she didn’t show up at home, and he even knew something was up when he heard about her tackling a kid for no reason. Lilianna just didn’t do that stuff.
He took the stairs two at a time and ran into the kitchen.
***
Contessa smiled up at her husband, such hansom features, he kissed her lightly drew back and looked deep into her eyes, she could feel her knees go to jello, with him, she was forever a love struck teenager. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
Antonio kissed her deeper pressing his wife against the kitchen counter and entangling his strong hands in her hair when they heard what sounded like a stampede of elephants coming down the staircase. He took a slow step back and leaned against the opposite counter, never taking his eyes from his wife. She smiled wickedly, “remember before we had kids and we could have all the sex we wanted wherever and whenever we wanted.”
He laughed lightly, “those were the days.”
The mood soured when Antonio saw the expression on Maximo’s face. Had something happened to Sergio, no, the doctors would have called him or Contessa, not Maximo. Was it one of the DeLuca’s? Walkers? Was it Preston?
“What’s wrong?” He asked quickly.
“I think something has happened to Lilianna!”
Antonio looked to his wife who already looked close to tears. Contessa wasn’t a woman to cry, she was a woman built to be a mafia queen, intelligen,t strong mentally and physically, and not to mention gorgeous. But when it came to her children, that was her weak spot, and if Antonio was honest with himself, it was his too.
“Call Ceasario, Adam and Preston.”
“Faith is already getting Adam here, and I already called Ceasar and Pres myself.”
Antonio nodded, grabbed the phone and dialled, “Jane, send Charlie over immediately.” The doorbell rang and Max went to get it.
“No,” Contessa grabbed her son’s arm before opening one of the kitchen cabnets and pulling out a sawed off shotgun Maximo didn’t even know was there. “Stay here,” she went to answer the door herself.
Antonio dialled another number, “Enrico, I need you and Serena over here, now.”
“Lucia called us bawling, we know, we’re already on our way.” Enrico responded, Antonio hung up and turned to see Zarah, Enzo and Contessa enter.
“Gemma phoned,” Enzo explained. “Lilianna is missing?”
“From the sounds of it, more like taken,” Zarah argued. “Blackmail seems likely.”
“Who would have something to blackmail my fifteen year old daughter with!” Antonio nearly screamed at her.
Enzo stepped between his brother and his wife. He set his hands down on Antonio’s shoulders with a tight grasp. “Do not scream at my wife brother, she has a point. You’re a mafia boss, that’s enough arsenal to blackmail Lilianna with.”
Adam came in with Charlie and the girls, a furious Gemma, a cold calculating Blaire, calm Faith and a weeping Lucia. “Figured we didn’t want them to be at the house alone,” Charlie said. Faith went directly to Maximo and wrapped her arms around his neck and he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist taking comfort in her.
Preston came in with Enrico, Serena and Matteo. “What is going on?” Enrico asked.
Matteo went over and tried comforting his sister, Lucia. She gripped onto his shirt as her tears soaked through it. “She said she had to do it alone,” she looked up at her brother, “she’s going to be okay right?... Right Matt!” She shook him but he didn’t answer her body shook and he pulled her close to him.
Antonio got everyone sitting around the kitchen table, even the younger ones he usually didn’t allow. He heard everyone talk, heard Lucia blubber her way through everything she knew. He felt for the girl, she didn’t have the heart for this job, but she did have the loyalty for it. Contessa got up and put a box of kleenex in front of her.
“Blackmail?” Zarah asked.
“I doubt it would be loan sharking.” Enzo said with a sigh.
“Revenge?” Serena asked.
“She’s fifteen,” Preston scoffed.
“I remember you being enough of a hellion at thirteen to warrant revenge,” Antonio recalled and Preston gave a shrug before brushing back his shaggy blond waves.
“Could it be it’s whoever targeted Sergio?” Gemma asked cracking her knuckles.
“Possibly,” Antonio admitted after a few moments, “we can’t rule out anything.”
“Maybe we need to get some extra help on this,” Contessa looked to Antonio meaningfully.
“What kind of help brother?” Enzo asked, “I didn’t know we hired anyone new.”
“We didn't.” Antonio replied sharply. “I did.”
“Who? Why?”
“Detective Trevor Burke, how do you think the evidence got screwed up in our case brother?”