Adele was sitting worriedly on her bed looking at the clock. It was past midnight and Francesco hadn’t returned to his room. After dinner, As Paulo, Francesco’s father had demanded, he had kept behind his sons to speak to them but not before Francesco had pleaded with his father to take Adele back to her room. She had never seen Francesco so nervous before. His father had brought out a different side in him completely.

Minutes past and at last some footsteps were heard outside her door. She held her breath in her chest as the key turned in the lock and Francesco entered and closed the door behind him. He looked terrible. Adele gasped at the sight of him. He seemed pale and his face was badly bruised. It was obvious his father had beaten him. She rushed to him and embraced him “Francesco .... what happened to you ...... what did he do to you ..... he is evil ...... Your father is evil....“.

Francesco rubbed his hands up and down Adele’s waist trying to calm her down and comfort her “Shh, its ok. Its alright. Don’t worry about me. I am used to my father beating me up. This is nothing compared to what I have suffered in the past.”

Adele looked up “Why did he attack you this way. What was this about?”

Francesco spoke sadly “My father wants to send Costanzo and I to a high profile boarding school in Nevada where its senior year graduates go to the best law schools in the country. The school is a place that ..... people like us attend...... You know kids with rich and powerful parents who have obtained their wealth from illegitimate businesses. He wants us to go there and continue our studies from next year. It is where you don’t have to hide who you are. They even teach you gun handling and how to shoot targets as well as the art of cheating the legal system. I said no of course. I don’t want to be separated from you. I told him I want to stay with my uncle Piero in here. He didn’t like my resistance at all.”

Adele asked “So what’s going to happen now?”

Francesco sighed “I don’t know. He didn’t change his mind. I tried to reason with him. At first I was telling him that Costanzo and I would be in danger out in the open but that argument was dismissed quickly. Apparently that school is guarded heavily and right next to a military base that the mobs sending their kids there control. Besides my father laughed off my concerns since he said he has eliminated almost all the threats and he has hardly any enemies left now so us staying with uncle Piero would be baseless. i wont give in reasoning with him though. Tomorrow I will try to convince him somehow.”

Adele looked distressed “I cant believe any father can be this cruel to their son. He just beat you because you didn’t agree with him. Why cant he respect your wishes and let you attend school where you want.”

Francesco stated “That’s my father for you. He has his son’s lives all figured out.”

Adele spoke “What does Costanzo think of all this. Did he protest against your father’s proposal?”

Francesco sighed “What do you think? I got this beating because of him actually. He was the one who started protesting and of course I followed him in the argument to show that we have a united front. If it was upto me I would not have told my father how I felt and would have found another way to get my father to change his mind. But its all Costanzo’s fault to underestimate our father and tried to talk to him as though he is a normal father.”

Adele stuttered “Is Costanzo alright? or your father beat him too.”

Francesco nodded “He is fine. When my father hit Costanzo, .....I did what I always did in this situation.... I hit my father back. Well.... when I always do something like this, it always works.......my father forgets all about Costanzo and I become my father’s punch bag to save Costanzo’s backside by getting all the attention from my father myself.”

Adele shook her head “I hate what is happening to you. Why don’t you run away from home. You could always come live with my family. I am sure my father would not mind.”

Francesco sounded serious “Don’t ever say that. I cant leave. My father would find me somehow and there will be grave consequences. So no. That’s out of question.” He then looked away “Don’t you think I have already tried this and have failed.”

Adele’s eyes widened “What are you saying? You mean you ran away from home before and you failed. Are you saying that ..... your father caught you.”

Francesco pulled away from Adele’s embrace “Don’t ask me about this.” He then turned off the lights and walked to his bed “I don’t think its something I want to talk about right now.”

Adele turned around “Tell me. What happened the last time you ran away from home.”

Francesco took off his shirt and started changing his trousers into pyjama pants “Adele. Its not something I like to recall.”

Francesco then laid down on the couch “Maybe I will tell you later one day. But lets say what my father did changed me forever. Now get back to bed. Forget this conversation. I want to forget about everything else except my mother right now. My schooling, my traumatising childhood, my beatings at my fathers hands are all irrelevant since they are all in the past now. What matters is saving my mother. That is in the present. My focus should be in helping my uncle and Costanzo to convince my father to stay here longer allowing my uncle to plan and carry out a descent rescue mission. We all will find out tomorrow at breakfast if my father decides to leave or stay.”

Adele was now lying on her own bed starring at Francesco’s form on the couch with concern “What if..... you know .... your father decides to leave? What would happen?”

Francesco shrugged “I don’t know. Its my uncle who has a plan. Not me. Then I assume my uncle would have to send his men to attack my father’s mansion while he is in there. That’s a horrific thought but what else is there to do. My mother would be hurt badly when my father returns.”

Adele spoke “Do you think ...... Your uncle would succeed in rescuing your mother?”

Francesco spoke “I trust my uncle to find a way to get my mother out of my father’s clutches. He never fails when he wants something done. But ....... I don’t trust his intentions. I am really worried about what he wants to get out of all this. What is in this for him to gain? He wont ever do anything for the sake of helping anyone or out of the goodness in his heart. He wants something from my mother and I don’t know what it might be. Otherwise why would he risk my father finding out his own brother is attacking his own base. The stakes are high. Regardless of the success or the failure of my uncle, there is a high chance my father would find out that my uncle has had something to do with all this.”

Adele whispered “Francesco ....... I want you to be reunited with your mother. I want you to attend school where you want and I don’t want you to be beaten up by anyone. I want you to live like a normal teenager. Why can’t your uncle and father allow you and costanzo be normal kids. I hate your father and uncle so much.”

Francesco surprised Adele by laughing ” You are so innocent and caring. Lets say I don’t deserve your sympathy. I may be a kid but ..... the day my mother was forced to leave, I started growing up much faster. I became determined to be so powerful that my word would be the law and no one can force my loved ones to be separated from me. My fathers cruelty made me stronger. Thanks to him i am more determined now to treat the rest of the world like he does and be untouchable. Only then I can keep my loved ones safe. My father and uncle are my idols. I want to be like them. I don’t despise them. I just despise what they do ..... when people I care about are involved. As long as they leave you, Costanzo and my mother in peace, i have no complaints.”

Adele spoke “Don’t ever say that. You don’t want to become so cold and cruel. Francesco. You are much better than your uncle or your father. You have to be good ....”

Francesco growled “Enough Adele. Go to sleep now. I don’t want to hear any more. You don’t know much about me. You don’t know about half the things I have done in New York. One day you will see my true side. Good night sweetheart.”

Adele sighed “Good night.”

Adele opened her eyes and woke up as she heard someone knocking on the door. She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping but it was definitely not the time for waking up. It was still dark.

Francesco shouted “Who the hell is knocking on the door. Its three in the morning for heavens sake.”

It was a voice that most likely belonged to a guard “I am so sorry to disturb. Please open the door. there has been an incident. I was sent by your father to wake you up. If you don’t unlock the door, I have orders to break down the door and accompany you downstairs.”

Francesco shouted “No need for breaking the door. I am coming. Let me change my clothes.” After he got changed he then walked to the door and unlocked the door “Tell me what are your instructions? Do I have to bring Adele too?”

The guard spoke “No. Just you and your brother must be present. Costanzo is woken up by another guard. Now follow me please.”

Francesco spoke “Tell me what this is about?” He then walked out the door shouting at the guard “tell me what’s going on.” And his footsteps distanced themselves from the room.

Adele noticed how Francesco had forgotten to lock the door so she tiptoed out of the room and followed the direction she could hear Francesco and could hear foot steps. The corridors had many twists and turns. Adele had no idea how massive this mansion was. She was sure she couldnt find her way back if she decided to return so she continued. Suddenly she lost track and she couldnt hear Francesco any more. She knew she was lost. She then reached a door where there were guards standing at each side of it. She paled. She turned to make a run for it but a voice stopped her. “Would you like one of us to take you to Francesco?”

She then turned and smiled weakly “Yes please.”

The younger looking guard turned to the other one “I will take her and will return in a few minutes. Don’t report me for abandoning my post.” The other responded by chuckling and nodding.

The young guard smiled and Adele and gestured for her to follow “This way.” As they walked the guard spoke “I am Fabio by the way. I work night shifts only. Tonight has been eventful so you don’t see many guards in this mansion. Most of the night shift guards are in the hospital right now guarding our boss. So that’s why you haven’t seen anyone to help you find your way. You looked so lost. I am surprised Francesco has let you walk around so freely though.”

Adele’s attention was on the word hospital “You mentioned that the guards are in the hospital. Why is that?”

The guard sighed “Its our boss. He drank so much alcohol last night when he went to bed, then he left his room to get more alcohol. The guards outside his room told him they could get him the alcohol but he refused. He fell down stairs as he was walking and hit his head. He is in a coma now because of his head injuries. Our boss is very careful with his wine and whiskey. He doesn’t normally drink too much. Older guards say the last time the saw him drink this much was the night his wife left him. I guess maybe something has triggered his memories of her since he had his old albums with her pictures scattered across his room when the guards went in to get him some clothes for hospital.”

Adele was speechless. She was shocked. “That sounds terrible.”

The guard smiled “That door over there opens to a corridor to the cellar. I am not allowed in there. Only certain old guards can go in. That is where Costanzo and Francesco are in the cellar with their father. Since our boss is in a coma, his brother will be controlling everything and he thinks we should all move to New York until our boss recovers. Now before we move he wants to make sure all prisoners held in this mansion are dealt with. Since Costanzo and Francesco are the most trusted residents by our boss and happen to know all about who is down there and why, our boss’s brother asked them to help identify the prisoners that need to be killed and those that .... need to be tortured and killed. Francesco would be down there for a while so he wont mind you being late. Go down there now.”

Adele’s eyes widened. She started trembling standing frozen in her spot “Why?.... I don’t believe this. This is unreal. This is not fair. this is cruel. I don’t want this to happen.”

The guard spoke “I know. Why we need to move to new york is something the boss’s brother can answer. I guess its safer to operate and control the businesses from there. The hospitals are better in new york than in this small town. They are transferring our boss to one of the hospitals there too near where our boss’s brother lives so it would be easy for us to leave the mansion we are supposed to reside in and guard our boss in turns. We are lucky our boss’s brother was here to help sort everything out. But i wish we could stay here while our boss recovered in this town. This is where our boss met his wife. That is why he insists on living here no matter how big his empire becomes and that church was built by his wife after the old one got demolished so our boss woes to never walk into another church but the one run by father Rwan. I am sure boss would bring us back here again instantly when he wakes up from his coma.”

The guard had totally missed the point of Adele’s distraught state. She was sobbing now as it was sinking in for her was what happening in that cellar. Francesco was involved in killing and torturing prisoners. She knew already what he did in the hours when he was away from his room but being close to the entrance to the cellar made everything seem even more real and horrific. A few meters from her down under the floor she was standing on some people were being tortured and killed. She was even crying harder.

The guard panicked “Francesco would kill me for sure if he sees you crying while I am standing next to you. He wont even ask why you are crying and would shoot me on sight. I am sure of it. That’s what he does to anyone who makes mistakes. Please I beg you to let me return you to your room now. Just tell Francesco you were feeling too unwell to go to him for whatever reason he has asked you to leave your bed at this time of night. I beg you to return to your room now. I have a wife and she is pregnant. Don’t make my child fatherless. Let me take you to your room.”

Adele nodded weakly while shivering from fear “Lead the way. I think you are right. I wish to return to my room too.” And she followed the guard who enthusiastically and quickly lead her back to her room.