him by that evil name. He was born
an angel and he will stay one until I deem it is time to send him
back to God.”
“ No, you do not understand. I am the don of this
household and will not be dictated to in my own home!”
The priest laughed. “Maybe you do have a
little of your father in you after all, but still, my men outnumber
yours.”
“ Sasha! In here.
N ow!”
A man rounded the corner, five other
men following after him.
The priest turned to look at them. “Why do
you have Russians here?”
“ Jagger is wanted by the Black Russian, and
because I will not hand him over to him, he will not allow anyone
else to take him. So, if you attack me and my own, you will be
attacking the Russians as well.”
The priest’s jaw clenched. “I
have underestimated you, godson, but I hope you understand that
my famiglia will continue to interfere with your business until you
right the wrong that was done unto me. Or are you going to cut
us down in
cold blood?” He gestured to the Russians, who were pointing their
guns at the Donatelli. “Because if you are, you will start a war
that you cannot win. My family’s allies will come after you twice
as strong, which will end in your death. So, will you give up your
pawn to save your king?”
“ Jagger is not a pawn, he
is my cousin.”
“ As I am your
godfather.”
“ Give him the whipping, then
leave, I don’t wish for you to be in my household any longer, since
you can’t abide by my rules.”
“ Only God makes the rules, but
regardless, I have another solution that might appease your
stubbornness.” The priest walked over to Jagger and placed a hand
on the back of his head, making Jagger jolt and yell curses.
“Contrary to what you believe, Gabriel,” the priest said, “I have
always loved you as one of my flock, but I see you are unwilling to
let go of the Devil’s tail.” He removed his hand and looked back at
Frano. “Every Sunday I will come to your house to teach Gabriel the
errors of his ways, but for my own safety, he must be restrained
down in your cells.”
“ Teach him how?” Frano
asked.
“ I will read him the scriptures and
so forth.”
“ As long as there’s a guard in
presence, I can agree to that.”
“ A guard is not necessary. If
Gabriel’s restrained he won’t be able to harm me.”
“ It’s you harming him that I’m
concerned about.”
“ If I wished to do that, I would
have accepted the whip.”
“ A guard being present is a
condition, not an option.”
The priest looked back at Jagger. “Okay, I
agree.”
Frano smiled, looking greatly
relieved. “ Buono , now let’s enjoy our meal.”
The priest shook his head. “I wish to
start teaching him now.”
“ But we have a feast prepared
for you and your famiglia. ”
“ The only thing I’m hungry for
is to teach Gabriel the word of the Lord.”
“ That can wait until after we
eat.”
“ No. I have waited for almost
seven years, so I will not be made to wait a minute longer. And
since it is Sunday, I wish to proceed now.”
Frano nodded. “Okay.” He indicated for
Federico to come over. “Take Jagger and Father Michael down to one
of the cells. Stay with them.”
“ No!” Jagger
y elled,
straining against his bonds.
“ You are getting off easy,
Jagger,” Frano said.
“ He raped me!”
“ Stop persisting with your
lies, Gabriel,” the priest said.
“ I’m not lying. Please, Frano,
please!”
Frano waved an arm at Federico. “Hurry
up!”
Federico undid Jagger’s bonds
then, with the help of the other guard, he lifted him off the
ground. Jagger started screaming for help as he was carried away,
the priest following close behind.
Once they had left, Frano smiled wide,
although it appeared fake, the expression not reaching his eyes. I
could tell he was upset, but putting on a brave face for the
Donatelli. “Let’s enjoy our meal,” he said.
I watched as
t he meal
went ahead with people tucking into their food, only Frano
appearing
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