Chapter 7

Stefano

"Logan, could you try that frequency again? " I said to the man turning the transmitting radio. The lines were unstable as he turned it. I waited with hope as he did it again. He stopped at a frequency but I shook my head. It wasn't the one I wanted, the voice didn't sound like what I wanted to hear. He tuned it again for a while but to no avail. The network jammed into several radio stations and he stopped.

"What exactly are you hoping to hear?" He asked but I said nothing. He could sense my apprehension and so he began searching again. It was better for him to not question my instructions.

"Ready in 0300 hours...will take about an hour" came in a voice. Logan raised up his hands to make another round of turning but I stopped him. It was the voice of Arseni. The very one I've been waiting for.

For a while, he's been trying to stretch his wings in the water of Italy but I've tried to prevent him. Although he's young, he's a veteran in all that has to do with drugs and arm dealing. After trying to stop him from expanding his territory, I decided to let him be. If he wasn't going to accept that the Niccolians don't beg fro their cuts, we'll make sure to show him how things were done.

Intels had shown that he communicates over radio frequency as opposed to phone call. Therefore, I got ready for him. For months, I've made sure Logan listens to information being transmitted all across the world. The technology which made this easier was one that was quite difficult to get but I got it anyways. That's one of the benefits of being a Niccolo.

"Dock 13" the voice cackled over the radio again. "Merchandise includes dynamite, Aks and RPGs. Also, a box of multi-purpose containers."

Bingo! Arseni, that bastard. Didn't they say the food of revenge is best served cold? If he won't listen to me, then I'd deal with him. Since he has denied us our respect, now it's time to deny him his entire ship.

I rang Vittorio on the land phone in my desk. At the send ring , he picked. From the noises at the background I could tell he was at work. Only God knows the reason why he does the boring job. The meager amount he earns is nothing compared to his spendings in a week. But I can't prevent him anyways. So far he's efficient in both his cover up and the mafia business, I have no problem with it.

"I got Arseni on the radio. He couldn't have pulled this alone without Massimo's input. They have a deal coming over tonight and we have to be ready. Tell Salvatore to get ready to do his thing.

"Should I wear my favourite shirt?" He said playfully.

"No please, I can't guarantee this won't end in a bloodbath."

*************

The air around the dock was thick with stench, oil and water. Not only was the night dark but the air surrounding us also. Arseni's men had changed plans at the last minute but we were able to get the info on time. Salvatore had hacked into Arseni's satellite.

Yeah, I know it's difficult to believe that he could do something like that but he can. Getting into people's deepest secrets has always been his thing. So, when he showed interest in hacking, we all supported him. I'm glad we did because those skills come in handy on several occasions.

One of my men looked into the telescope in his hand from afar. We waited for him to do the ground checking and get back to us.

"There are more than a dozen of them," he reported. Vittorio had made sure to show up with two dozen men in the SUVs. It was going to be nothing to handle them all.

"By my count, each of you can take down one of them and we'll be good. Do not forget how important this is. These men want to take over our territory. We have to show them that we are no piece of shit. We won't allow anyone to encroach onto our land. The mission his simple. We take them down and take whatever we see there because they belong to us." Vittorio finished. By the grunts from the men . I could tell that their morales were up in the sky. Vittorio has always been the one with many words, so we left things like that to him.

Quietly and with precision, my men surrounded the dick heads from all sides. As I thought , I could see a couple of Massimo's men too. Arseni's men weren't expecting any surprises, so our appearance took them unaware. By the time they realized what had hit them, the odds were already against them. My men not only had guns, they were equipped with sharp blades of different sizes. Blades so sharp that I'd cut through any skin, no matter how thick.

The atmosphere became filled with gunshots and shouts from every corner of the dock. After a while, the shouting died down.

"That was easy," Sal said and I smirked. The three of us got out of the car. Salvatore led the way and we trudged to the scene. While Vittorio and I checked out the surrounding to be sure that we were safe, Salvatore and the rest of the men checked the boxes in the containers.

The men screamed with excitement as they saw the boxes and what it contained. One of them signalled to the driver in a container that has the Niccolo logo on it to drive over. The driver got to us and they began work in earnest.

The last of the box had gotten stacked when Vittorio took a walk beyond the dock.

"Time to go, Sal. We don't want to get caught," I said but I saw him standing transfixed on the spot. He took terrifying steps backwards, causing me and Vittorio to gaze at each other. We ran towards him and stopped on our tracks too when we saw what had him petrified.

This was the box of multi-purpose he was referring to earlier? Who in their right senses calls humans that? It had sounded unimportant but it was a way of coding it.

In dock 99 sat hundreds of children. Their mouth were sealed and they looked malnourished and tired. My heart lurched with emotions as I saw them. Human trafficking was something I had vowed to never do. Before us, our ancestors did it but we had promised one another to remove it from our mode of operation.It felt wrong to deny young children the joy of growing up with their family members and love ones.

Wait until I get hold of Arseni!

Salvatore and the rest of the men began to help the kids down and remove the tape on their mouth. Vittorio on the other hand made call to a NGO from where he worked. Apparently, he feared that calling the government ministry might pose bigger problem because some of them work cordially with Arseni.

"Are you going to sell us too?" One of the children said as I walked past him

"No, kiddo. I'm going to get you back home."

Chapter 8

Salvatore

The backyard of our home buzzed with excitement as we all rejoiced on the success of the operation. Every corner had men pouring whisky into their glasses and drinking it. Others drank beer directly from the bottle while some others recounted the event. Our storage house is full of armed supplies that'd fetch us cool money. We were also able to save hundreds of kids from being sold into slavery.

Even though I seldom get astonished by things, I was dumbfounded when I saw those kids. Although I enjoyed the privilege of lifes as a child, I hate to see kids maltreated and even worse, sold off.

The outside world is cold enough and kids like that shouldn't face such at that early stage of their lives.

I was sure that Arseni would have gotten the message loud and clear. We don't cut corners in our territory, nor do we allow any form of child trafficking.Both him and Massimo would be out for our blood very soon.

Although the air within us was full of victory, I had plenty on my mind.

Ziyana

The whole of me was twitching to see her and play with her. It's been hours since I last saw her. I couldn't wait to touch her and hold her fiery red hair.

I smirked as I remembered the fire in her eyes every time I do something she doesn't want. The sight was a beauty to behold. Every time that happens, I think of a hundred and one ways to get her to yield and give in to whatever I wanted.

I shifted a bit closer to my brothers where they sat and cleared my throat to get their attention

"Since we are all in the celebratory mood. I think now is the time to present this." I began

Oh please, I don't want to hear any of your impulsive cravings and wants. The night has been rough already, don't add drama to it. Tonight is for basking in our victory.

"I can guarantee you that you'll love this. It's about the plaything I bought."

"I told you I don't want to hear or see her until she's cleared." Stefano chipped in.

"That's why I requested Amir's help and as always, he delivered." I said as I produced a file from where I had kept it. I slipped it on Vittorio's laps gently. As expected, he took it as if it was delicate and opened it. He took out the papers in the envelope and perused it.

He hadn't read up to two lines when the lines on his head creased with worry.

"Casimiro?" He said with surprise. "The name rings a bell, don't you think?" He asked us both.

"I'm sure they're more than a million Casimiro in the world. You don't need to think too much of it. Anyways, you'll notice that...."

"Wait, could she be Dario's daughter?" Vittorio asked, cutting me off.

"Dario as in the one we used to know?" I asked. I took a closer look at the papers in his hands and then I saw it. Dario Casimiro in Sicily. My goodness, what a small world! Dario used to work under us but he got entangled in drinking and gambling, so we laid him off. After that, we got news that he became independent and created a fearless gangster. Surprisingly, he still paid his homage, so we let him be. None of knew he had died and I didn't even bother to check things out well.

"If she's Dario's daughter, that changes everything. I say we adopt her as our sister and take care of her." Stefano burst out.

"You can't be serious, Stefano." Vittorio said.

"I am. She's an orphan , yeah? She was sold by her own blood. She's practically a lone wolf, taking her in would be a service to humanity." He added.

"Take her in, yes. But as our sister? No. Have you seen her? I asked, rolling my eyes. "There's no way I'd take her in as my sister after things I've done to her" I declare

"Things like?" Vittorio asked, smirking.

"You don't want to know bro." I said, rubbing my jaw in deep thought. Hours ago, I was saving a bunch of kids like a hero, and now I'm torn about my decision to keep her captive. Isn't that a reverse of what I did hours ago?

"I'm with Sal on this. I haven't stopped thinking about her tits since I saw them at Arena. Besides, we could make her useful for us in several other ways." Vittorio said with all seriousness.

"Such as?" Stefano asked, not convinced.

"We could make her our slave. We've been combing for one for a long time" I said.

"I bet that won't be easy. I'm sure you see how she's been difficult to tame. She's Dario's daughter afterall."

"We've never found it difficult to tame anyone and she won't be any different. The only thing I want is to fuck her bad and after how far I've gone with her, I want more, not some philanthropist shit""

"Me too, I'd love to explore many things with her, so I don't think I'll have your back on this Stef."

"What happens when she finds out that her father used to be one of us?" Stefano queried. "It would break her"

"And who's going to tell her that, you ? Because I'm damn sure it can't be me," I said in a raised tone. I was already getting angry. I bought and brought her to the house, I won't have him change the plans I have for her.

"You think she's going to just fall into the position you want her to? Have you seen how stubborn she is. Plus, she's a kid. Viola was old enough to decide for herself, but this one? I'm sure she's still mourning from losing her father and being betrayed by her blood" Stefano argued.

"What are you now? A freedom fighter? I don't need her confirmation to do anything, I bought her,so technically, I own her." I stated with authority.

"Hey,hey. You both should relax. There's no point in getting under each other's skin. Stefano's point is valid but like Sal said, we don't have to tell her anything. We'll take care of her like you want but not as our sister. You can't tell me you felt nothing when you saw her. She is fire man, it's like she lit the room with her personality, drawing us all together. She'll make a good Sub and if she proves difficult,we'll teach her one or two." Vittorio explained, l

It took Stefano a lot of time to say anything after Vittorio spoke. Maybe because he is a lecturer, he has a more understanding and calculative way of speaking that compels you to listen to him. Stefano, fixed me a long stare that I returned back without backing down. He looked from me to Vittorio a couple of times before surrender.

"Fine," he surrendered finally. "We'll take her as our Sub but not forcefully. You'll speak to her about it, possibly find something to hold her down because I'm damn sure she'll put up a fight."

"You won't be there?" Vittorio asked

"I will, I'd love to see her spirited personality" Stefano said and we all stood up, walking back to the house, to our soon-to-be sub.

Chapter 9

Ziyana

It's been two days.

Two days of silence from the three brothers. Since that event with the eldest, Stefano, the house has been silent as a graveyard. Don't get me wrong, I love how cool everything is. I could do whatever I want and walked to any length of the house but that was it.

I wasn't allowed to leave the house though, not a single step outside. The one time I tried it, the stern expressions of the men stationed outside the house was enough to tell me to stay in the house.

The only person who has ever came around was that cook. An elderly woman who I believe to be a mute because she has never uttered any word to me. She was like a ghost. No matter how hard I tried getting her to talk she never replied to any of my small talks. I don't know where and how she cooks but she never misses the time for the meals.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All delivered as at well due. Even though I had everything at my disposal, I was restless. Even though I hated their guts, it'll still be an advantage to see them around and know what further plans they had for me. Not knowing what was going to happen to me is making me fidgety.

It was already dark now, I muttered as I went to the window to check, hoping that they'd show up miraculously.

Hours earlier I had heard some noise coming from another part of the house. The one time I got out, I saw a door connecting the main building to another. From the extreme of my window, I could see shining lights which was enough to tell me that there was something worth celebrating this evening. Not to mention shouts and music.

Only God knows what they were up to. I didn't know what exactly they did for a living but with where I had seen Salvatore the first time, they had their hands deep in dirty business.

'Like your father,' a voice said in my head.

"It's not a lie though," I muttered into the empty room, my eyes still on the metal gate. Even if it's just a glimpse I wanted to see the men. It wasn't long before the door opened and men began to trudged out.

I counted about fifteen of them but I never saw any of the devilish men. I was about to hop back into the bed when the door creaked open again. First was the spoiled brat and the jovial one, followed by the icy one. Except for Stephano, who seemed to be in deep thought, the other two were engaged in something interesting. Their eyes were bright and warm. The both vanished into the house, making it difficult to see what they were up to.

I slipped on my footwear and made my way outside. By then their voices could be heard from the hallway where I stood but I couldn't make our any meaningful words. They were arguing about something and it seemed serious. I tiptoed towards the entrance ready to listen more.

"Shall we now?" I heard a voice that sounded like that of Salvatore.

Seconds later,the sounds of their footsteps became clear enough.

They were coming up. I looked around for the nearest place to hide but there was none. I don't want them to find me in the hallways, they'll figure that I was as trying to listen to their conversation

I have to think fast!

The only option I had left was to return to the room. As fast as my legs could take me, I raced back in. I quickly lifted the bedcover and got under it. I turned my back to the entrance and closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. The time they took to get to tre room was enough for me to steady the rapid beating of my heart. They opened the door slowly and in that time, I almost died of fear.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," I heard before, I felt the cover being removed from my body. As expected, it is as the spoiled brat

"What now? You guys ready for another round of assault?" I asked with sass.

"Assault?" Ice asked in what looked like surprise.

"What? Doesn't how you wrestled me to the floor the next time count as that?" I asked the icy one-Stefano.

"Well, I wasn't the creepy one in a stranger's kitchen at midnight," he retorted. He took the chair in the room , scraping it on the floor before sitting on it.

Vittorio sat in the bed,a bit far from me while Sal stood by the window, his hands in his pocket. After what Stefano said, none of them said anything for a while. They all kept mute as if they were waiting for one of them to start first. The silence was palpable and it makes me even more uncomfortable, my heart pounding like the beat of a drum.

I looked from one to the other, wondering what suddenly got their tongues.

"So, have you all made your decision?" I asked, starting the conversation since they won't. I had sat upright on the bed, folding my hands across my chest.

"About?" asked Sal, lazily. His hairs were covering his eyes partially, making it difficult to see his eyes clearly.

"When I can leave? You can't hold me against my will. If you do that, you'd be trampling on my fundamental rights. Return me to where you picked me up and we all can forget about this nightmare as if it never happened." I said.

"What gave you the impression that you'd be leaving this house, kitty?" Vittorio said. If I didn't know too well. I'd think he was trying to sound sexy.

"Well, I'd love to believe that you guys aren't brutes. It's the twenty-first century, who buys off an orphan at some auction. I'm not some piece of jewellery for your info. And stop calling me these names, first it was Red and now kitty?" I said with frustration

At the mention of being an orphan, I noticed Stefano's eyes clouded with some sort of emotions but it went off as soon as I saw it.

"Newsflash, Red. You aren't leaving this house. As of today, you've been grounded in this house until further noticed." He said to my horror and the looks on his face confirms that he's serious.