Alessio
The past That day had been a real fuck-up. Losing two men to those fucking bikers was bad enough. Losing them because we had a rat was worse. I wasn’t sure who it was, not for sure. Many things made Andrea think. He hadn’t been at Christmas dinner two days before, but he was supposed to be watching Gaia today. It was almost midnight when I entered the house, expecting everyone to be in bed as usual. Light was coming into the hall from the living room. Following it, I found Daniel on the sofa playing on a small tablet, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. I walked over to him.
“Why are you still awake?”
“I can’t sleep. Uncle Andrea gave it to me.”
“Where is he?”
“Upstairs with Mom. They’re playing.”
He didn’t even look up, completely mesmerized by the colorful screen. That was exactly why I didn’t want him to have one of these things. “Are you playing?” Daniel nodded distractedly.
“Yes. Uncle Andrea also gave me this to play with.” “Stay here and keep playing,” I said firmly and headed for the stairs, drawing my gun. I crawled up the stairs, making sure not to make a sound. In front of Gaia’s bedroom door, I paused, listening. Behind the door, someone grunted and a woman screamed. They were not sounds of torture. I pushed open the door. It crashed against the wall behind him. Fury coursed through my veins at the sight before me. Gaia, my pregnant wife, straddled her half-brother, both of them naked. My wife was fucking her half-brother. For a moment neither of us moved.
Gaia let out a cry, covering her breasts as if I had less right to see them than her fucking half-brother. A glance passed between them, and I realized that this had been going on for a long time, perhaps longer than when she and I were married. The bitter taste of betrayal blossomed in my mouth, followed by the irresistible thirst for revenge. I closed the door. Andrea pushed Gaia away from herself and threw herself toward the gun on the bedside table. I pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his palm, causing it to explode. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere. He roared in agony. “No!” Gaia shrieked, staggering to her feet and moving toward the gun. I was at her side in two wide steps, wrapped my arms around her ribcage above her belly. “No!” she cried, struggling in my grip. I covered her mouth with the palm of my hand and dragged her toward the bathroom.
“Stop screaming,” I growled. “Daniel doesn’t need to hear this.”
Her muffled screams did not cease. She didn’t care if our son heard. I pushed her into the bathroom and locked the door before turning back to Andrea who was coming out of her pain-induced daze. Gaia banged against the door. Andrea reached for the gun again. I shot him with my other hand as well, feeling a sickening satisfaction at his cry of agony. He fell backward with a stifled cry, holding his ruined hands in front of him. “Don’t hurt Andrea! Don’t, Alessio, or I swear I will kill the baby in my womb.” I froze, my eyes tilted toward the door, unable to believe what Gaia had said. I snuck into the walk-in closet and grabbed duct tape and handcuffs before returning to the bedroom. Andrea was no danger to me in her current state. I opened the door and Gaia almost fell toward me. The moment she saw what I had in my hand, she stumbled backward and grabbed my cutting razor, pressing it on her lower belly. “Don’t hurt him, or I’ll cut Simona off my belly.”
“Would you hurt your daughter for that man?” “You wouldn’t understand!” she croaked.
“I have loved him all my life. He is the only thing that matters.” “Put down the razor, Gaia, and we can talk.”
“You will never let him live. I know you. It’s him or you.” “And you want me dead.”
“Yes.” There was not a hint of hesitation in the word.
“I’ve wanted you gone for so long. I don’t want anything else.”
I launched myself, grabbing her wrist before she could hurt herself and the baby. Despite her struggles, I managed to tie her feet and hands and carefully place her on a set of towels. I covered her mouth with tape so that her screams would not alert Daniel.
“I can’t let you kill our son.” Her eyes were frantic as I straightened up and left the room. I closed the door with a soft click. Andrea had stumbled to his feet, but I reached him before he could escape. I chained him to the stove with handcuffs, then taped his mouth shut as well. We would talk about this later.
Taking a deep breath, I checked my clothes for blood, then changed my shirt before going down the stairs. On the way, I sent a message to Faro telling him that he needed to come with a doctor who could treat Gaia. I ignored his subsequent questions. Daniel hovered in the center of the living room, the tablet still in his hand. His small face showed confusion. I smiled despite the darkness swirling in my gut. “You were right. Your mom and Uncle Andrea were playing.”
“I heard screams.” I giggled, even as my throat tightened.
“Yes. They were chasing each other and Mom got scared.” Heading to his side, I stroked his head. “I’m going to take you to bed now. You can keep playing if you want.”
He nodded. I lifted Daniel and carried him upstairs, savoring the feel of his warm body. He called the good part of me, a part that Andrea would not be able to see today. After putting Daniele to bed, I left and locked his door. I returned to Gaia’s bedroom. Before taking care of Andrea, I checked Gaia again. She was still lying where I had left her. Her eyes begged me to spare Andrea, the man who had been fucking behind my back for eight years. I turned my back on her, unable to bear her gaze, and went to Andrea. After undoing the handcuffs, I grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him behind me, enjoying the sound of his muffled cries. He was struggling like a madman. I dragged him down the stairs as Faro entered the lobby with the keys, our most trusted doctor behind him.