Sunsets and Car Crashes

Francesca

Will was very child-like when he slept. He was pressed against me, his hands gripping the dark duvet as he dreamed. Sometimes he would mumble random words, but one kept reoccurring, and it never failed to make my heart stop – ‘Francesca’.

We hadn’t had sex. I was wearing one of his hoodies and a pair of his boxers, but we hadn’t had sex. It wasn’t that either of us hadn’t been up for it – believe me, I had never wanted anymore more in my life than I had when we were alone last night. But when it came to the act, and he was taking off my clothes...the bruises shouted out at him once more, in their ugly, purple language. I felt ashamed; ashamed because, once again, my ‘job’ had found a way to stop me from having a normal, happy life.

It was now seven am and I had to leave soon for work. The thought made me chuckle to myself. It was going to be my last time in that murderous building; I was going to stop Ermanno and his ‘family’ trample all over me. Being with Will had made me realise something that I had forgotten during the last four years – I was human, with a voice and free-will and the right to be treated as such. And I wasn’t about to take no for an answer.

I shuffled out from underneath the covers as carefully as I could, not wanting to disturb Will from his peaceful slumber. He murmured quietly, still dreaming.

“Where ya goin’?”

I smiled to myself. “I’m going to tell Ermanno where he can stick his job. Then I’m going to meet up with you again and we’re going to start this relationship properly.” I leaned over the bed and kissed his bare shoulder tenderly. He sighed in content and nestled back into the bed. I showered in his bathroom, changing as quickly as I could. I had to go home and put on some ‘work’ clothes, just so I could get into the building. As the seconds ticked over, I was getting more and more nervous, and the questions just kept multiplying. What would I say? What would I do? How would Ermanno react?

It was quarter to eight when I went to leave Will’s house. He had gone back to his original dreaming position, breathing in slow, deep sighs. I kissed his head, taking a moment to admire his natural state, free from the vices of his make-up and worry over me.

“See you later, Sleeping Beauty,” I giggled. His lips twitched into a faint smile. I left him then. I felt incredibly empty as I did – I didn’t want to be without him for a moment, but I had to be. I was the princess, fighting the dragon so that I could be with my Prince Charming.

Forty-five minutes later, I was on the bus to work. It was unusually empty. It felt as if the whole world was avoiding me...like I was bringing danger to anyone near me. It certainly seemed as if that was the truth, at any rate. No-one left this game because they wanted to. You left because you got killed. But I had to be the first to do otherwise – for Will’s sake, I had to get out.

I stepped off the bus and entered the building. Maria was sat behind the reception desk. I smiled at her fleetingly; she returned it with great enthusiasm. Poor kid – she was only eighteen. What was she doing here?

The staircase seemed longer than usual. I gripped the rail, feeling the acid in my stomach bubble with fear. I wouldn’t throw up – dammit, that was for losers. I had to be strong. I had to fight my way out, and I couldn’t give them any reason to think that they had power over me. I hoped that the fact I was facing them, even after what Roberto had done to me, would give me an advantage over them. Big scary Francesca? Well, it was always worth a try.

I knocked on the door as soon as I reached it. My heart was going ten to the dozen, as they’d say back in England. I heard footsteps thump across the carpeted floor and the door swung open. Robert was revealed, grinning at me evilly.

“We’ve been waitin’ for ya,” he mocked. His eyes stared at me with a cruel shine in them. It made me feel sick, as flashbacks burned in my mind. I stepped past him into the room, trying not to let any atom of his body touch me. Ermanno was stood at his window again, watching his subjects scurry around with their daily life. One of his other henchmen – Milan – was stood to the right of him. His face was contorted unnaturally into the same expression as Roberto – cold. Ermanno turned around.

“Bonjourno,” he greeted me. His voice was flat – it sent shivers up my spine. I recognised this tone – he was angry, but he didn’t want to lose his temper. Not yet, at least. Roberto pushed me roughly. I stumbled forward, trying not to wince in pain from his contact with my bruising.

“Bonjourno, Ermanno,” I said through gritted teeth, glaring at Roberto as I spoke. He walked around me and went to stand on Ermanno’s free side. There was a long pause, as the tension between the four of us in the room expanded, filling every empty space.

“Do you know why I chose you for your job, Francesca?” Ermanno asked me abruptly, leaning forward and intertwining his fingers. I shook my head. “It was because you were quiet. You did as you were told and did not ask questions.”

I frowned at him and asked, “Right, great. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because you are notdoing as you are told anymore!” Suddenly he was angry, on his feet, with his facial features angled and the white of his eyes becoming much more bloodshot. “You have deliberately disobeyed me by involving yourself with that William! You have put all of us in danger – and you even went to be with him after Roberto came to remind you of what your duties are, and where your loyalties must lie!”

I snarled viciously, like a wild animal. “Loyalties?! How can you expect me to be loyal when the only reward I get for it is to be abused every fucking night! All I wanted was to actually have a friend! I’ve cut myself off from the world for you and your fucking ‘duties’, but I just wanted to talkto him...”

“And by doing so, you got yourself attached! Roberto saw you and him kissing and go back to his home, despite your little disguise.” His voice suddenly became cruel and chilling, and he sat down again. “You doknow what the punishment for that is, don’t you...cara?”

I felt the colour drain from my cheeks. They’d seen me yesterday and now...now they were going to take him out. My Will – Will who had done nothing to hurt me, who had only wanted me to be with him, no matter whoI was...but now, becauseof who I was, he was going to meet his maker, sooner than he should. I fell onto my knees, as they gave way underneath me, and I stared at the wood of the desk.

“You can’t...” I whimpered, my voice sounding alien in my own ears. “You can’t kill him...”

Ermanno started to cackle. “Oh no, no, mia dolce...we will not kill him...” He let silence ring out for a long moment. “You will.”

I looked up sharply. My eyes burned as the salty moisture in them rose up and threatened to break loose. “No! No, I won’t do it!” My legs found a sudden strength and I was on my feet. I marched at my desk. Milan saw my aggression and moved to hold me back, encaging me in his arms and tugging me backwards.

“You willdo it, Francesca,” Ermanno commanded.

“I won’t, I won’t! I’ll neverhurt him! I fucking hate you!” I fought against my prison. “Let...me...GO!”

Milan released me like an old, worn-out rag doll, throwing me against the wall nearest to us. The impact shuddered through my ribcage and I screamed out in pain. The bruises on my back were alight, incinerating me, killing me. And yet, it was nothing compared to the shooting pains coming from my heart. I couldn’t kill him...I just couldn’t! Ermanno stood up and towered over me, the dark of his shadow making me shiver. He bobbed next to me, touching my face. I flinched at the contact.

“You willdo this, mia dolce. Because, if you don’t, then I will have your family damaged. It is very easy for me to do this. Marco is in the city right at this moment – he is wanting to see you. Ask you why you ran away.”

I sobbed again. I remembered the day I left home – Raul was sixteen and Marco was thirteen. He had been the most upset, though Raul had been crying too. Marco had held onto my arm, screaming and crying, begging me not to go. I’d have given anything to turn back, hug him, tell him that I wantedto stay. I missed him and Raul more and more every day; I didn’t miss my parents. It was their fault, in my opinion, that I was even in this mess. But now...I couldn’t give the wolves a reason to devour Marco. The decision was so difficult for me to make. Did I kill the first person I had ever had any serious feelings for, but whom I had only known for three days...or my little brother, who I hadn’t seen since I was eighteen?

But I knew who I had to choose. If I didn’t...I knew that they would both be slaughtered anyway.

“I’ll do it,” I whispered after a long moment. Ermanno smiled at me, so happy that it seemed he would burst into peals of laughter.

“Molto bene!” he beamed. “I like you so much more when you are doing as you are told.”

He drew himself back up to his full height, and went back to his desk. Milan helped me sit up carefully. Though he had been the one that had thrown me, his eyes were so much softer than Ermanno’s or Roberto’s. I smiled at him, my lip still trembling. He smiled back – poor guy. He’d never been as heavily involved with the mafia’s dealing as Roberto or me, seeing as he was Ermanno’s newest right-hand man. The other had been silenced a month ago. Dammit, I was the one that gave him the letter.

“You will invite William to your home this afternoon,” said Ermanno, addressing me from his office throne. “You will sedate him and then we will take him somewhere less...suspicious. When he wakes up, you will silence him.”

“Why not while he’s sleeping?” I asked, my voice cracking. Ermanno chuckled cruelly.

“Because I want you to watch him die, cara. That’s why.”

William

I woke up from a very blissful dream and smiled to myself. The pillow smelt of Francesca. I turned my face into the material and breathed in the scent. My heart raced in an automatic response. It had stopped surprising me now; it felt natural in fact.

I hauled myself up and out of the bedcovers, and went downstairs for some breakfast, putting on a tee that was lying on my bedroom floor as I did. My phone was on the kitchen worktop. I picked it up and turned it on. I also lit up a cigarette, and inhaled the fumes with pleasure. My phone beeped twice, telling me that I had received a text. I held the glowing cigarette between my lips and read it quickly. It was from Francesca.

‘Morning sleepyhead! Plenty to tell you – meet at mine at twelve? I miss you xxx’

I grinned to myself. This woman really did make me feel unbelievablyhappy. Even when she was just holding my hand as we drove home last night, or was doing something more exciting like straddling me on the bed, I could hear my heart singing out to her. I had known she was special since I had first laid eyes on her, through the dingy grey smoke that had been coming from our car engines. And now...well, now I knew I was in love with her. I wouldn’t tell her – not yet, but I would some day. I was going to keep her safe forever now, no matter who came after her, and I knew that one day I would put a ring on her finger and call her my own.

First though, I had to get ready. It was half eleven. Forever could wait.