Vows And Revenge

"I think I've had enough," Lena grumbled as she leaned back on her chair and patted her belly.

"Nonsense, figlia," her father scolded. "There's no such thing as having too much lasagna."

"I've found my limits, Papa," she answered. "If any more lasagna goes into me I might die."

"Don't say things like that, Lena," her mother snapped, her fork falling from her hand. "Think before you speak."

Lena lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mama."

Beside her, her elder brother, Adriano, gave her a sympathetic smile before he continued eating, not saying anything like he always did.

It was like every other evening in Santoro's mansion. The Santoro family had dinners like this every day without fail.

But for the past weeks, there haven't been any family talks. Lena's father has become tense lately. The smallest of things irritated him, the smallest noise caused him to flinch, and he left immediately after dinner.

Lena has never seen her father like this before and it bothered her to no end. She had tried to talk to him several times but he always dismissed her with a word so she had stopped trying.

Adriano was done with his food so he and his father were deep into a discussion.

Lena stared at the chandelier, lost in her head.

"Lena," her father called. Her father barely called her by her given name, so when he did, she knew it was serious.

Her eyes fell to him and he had a frown on his face as he watched her.

"There's something important we would like to discuss with you," he said.

She shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. She looked at her mother and brother and they both had the same look on their faces.

She swallowed. "I'm listening, Papa."

Her father nodded. "This wil–"

Her father's words were cut off by the sound of gunshots and their windows breaking.

"Get down!" Adriano shouted before he threw Lena down and covered her body with his.

The gunshots died down and the room fell silent. But not for long.

She couldn't see more than the ground but she saw black boots entering their house. She raised her head slightly but Adriano pushed her head back down. But not before she saw men in black masks with big guns. There were up to ten men.

A cold shiver passed through her.

"How dare you break into my home?" She had never heard her father's voice so cold like that.

"You've forced our hand, Santoro," a deep voice answered. "You do not betray the Mafia and walk away."

The Mafia. What was happening?

"Give us what we came here for," the man continued, "and we'll leave."

Her father laughed, the sound bitter. "Do you take me for a fool, Antoine? You have come to kill me. And whether I give you what you want or not you'll do what you've been sent here to do."

Antoine didn't deny it. How did her father know these people?

"Then let's not waste time here, Santoro," Antoine said. "Give us what we came here for."

"I would rather die."

"Alessio," Lena's mother called her father's name, her voice soft and trembling.

"Ssshh, Mio Amore. Nothing will happen to you."

"Don't give your wife false hope, Santoro," Antoine mocked.

Lena couldn't see what was happening but she knew her father's face was twisted with anger. His voice confirmed that. "You will not touch my family."

"Give us what we came here for. Your family will live."

Her father said nothing. Why was he keeping quiet?

There was a beat of silence before she heard her mother's voice. She was screaming, shouting at the men to leave her alone. Her father's voice joined, throwing threats to the men.

Lena tried to raise her head but her brother pushed her back down, his body still covering hers. "Stay still," he hissed.

"This is your last warning, Santoro. Give us what we came here for and prevent this."

Her father stopped shouting.

Her mother continued to scream and soon her screams turned to sobs. Lena heard a man's grunt and she knew. She knew what they were doing to her mother.

Tears rolled down her eyes and she had to bite her lips to keep the sounds in.

Her mother screamed her father's name but he remained silent.

Lena saw her mother on the floor where the man had pushed her. She clenched her teeth to keep the sob that wanted to burst out in. Blood was flowing down her mother's legs.

"Mio Amore," her father whispered as he crawled to his wife, tears rolling down his eyes.

He had no right to cry when he had let this happen.

"This is your last chance, Santoro," Antoine said, his voice hard.

Her father said nothing and just held his crying wife.

A gunshot sounded and Lena watched in horror as blood rolled down her father's temple, a hole in his forehead.

She screamed, the sound muffled by her brother's hand covering her mouth.

Her mother followed.

Lena buckled under her brother's weight but he held strong.

"Avenge us, Lena," he whispered into her ear. "Bring hell down on our enemies."

Another gunshot sounded and her brother jerked before he went still. Warm blood poured down on her as her brother's body remained on her.

She waited for another gunshot to sound but it never came.

"Search the house!" Antonie commanded. "Make sure there are no survivors."

"Yes, Sir!"

Soon Lena heard gunshots and screams as the men killed her household. She remained silent, her body trembling as she became soaked with her brother's blood.

The smell of gasoline filled her nose.

"Did you find anything?" Antoine asked.

"No, Sir."

"Light it up."

Lena felt the heat of the flame a moment later. She waited until she was sure the men was gone before she managed to move her brother's body from under her, tears rolling down her cheeks.

She stood and looked down at her brother with blurry eyes while the fire raged around her, her whole life crumpling together with the walls.

She bent down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before she walked to her parents and kneeled in front of them.

She took their hands into her trembling ones and kissed them. "I will get revenge for all of you," she whispered.

She tugged their wedding rings off, clenching her fist around the cold metal before she turned and walked towards the shattered window.

She screamed as the ceiling collapsed right where she was headed, a ball of flame soaring through the air and landing on her hand. The sound that escaped her was primal, as searing pain coursed through her hand.

She couldn't die here. No. She had to live and avenge her family.

And that was the reassurance she needed.

She took off her shirt and covered her burnt hand before she turned. Smoke filled her lungs and clouded her vision but she had to keep going.

She kept repeating her brother's last words as she crawled her way out of her burning home, coughing all the way with snot running down her nose.

She inhaled fresh air when she broke out of the burning. But she couldn't rest now.

She dragged her body up the hill where she stood and watched her life, her family, her identity burned.

Siren calls filled the air as police and firefighters arrived. But they were too late. Her life was gone.

She watched them, staying in the shadows until the sun broke out in the cloud. And as the sun rose her old self was left behind in the night.

She was no longer Lena Santoro. She was now someone else. Someone who was going to find her family's killer and bring hell down on them.

FIVE YEARS LATER

The sound of Lena's heels clicked on the tiles as she walked to the elevator that'll take her to her office, offering a tight smile as greetings to her colleagues as she passed.

Harrison & Blake LLP law firm was one of the biggest in the country, and Lena was working there as a paralegal. As a paralegal, she was in the heart of the firm's research operations-closer to the files, the secrets, than most people could imagine. It was the perfect place to dig. But Lena wasn't here for legal work.

If someone found out what she was doing every day behind her desk she would be arrested. Already, there were too many eyes watching her. She had to be more careful.

It has been hard for her to secure a job here but she had been motivated enough and she did it. A law firm would be resourceful for gathering the information she needed.

She now went by the name ‛Selene Costa' and had changed her full appearance. Her once-long blond hair had been chopped to a sleek bob and dyed black. She wore brown contact lenses to hide her blue eyes. She no longer smiled or laughed. She only wore long-sleeved clothes to hide the scar the fire had given her. It would attract attention if people saw it and attention was the last thing she needed.

There was nothing left of Lena Santoro except her parents' rings which were now worn as a necklace around her neck. She fingered the ring now, the familiar sting in her eyes returning.

No matter how much Lena changed her identity, her love for her family remained. These five years have been the hardest for her.

By day, she gathers information at the law firm, and by night, she seeks knowledge in the underworld. Yet, despite her efforts, she still hasn't gotten any closer to uncovering the identity of her family's killers, although she does have a suspect.

There was only one Mafia family in Naples.

Lena entered her office and immediately got to work.

She opened her laptop and quickly accessed the firm's internal case database. Her heart pounded as she entered the search term.

Santoro.

The search results came up almost instantly, but they were not what she was hoping for. The first file that appeared was labeled Santoro Family - Closed Case - 2019. Her breath caught in her throat. There it was, the file she had been searching for-her family's file.

She clicked it open.

The familiar names, the familiar faces, her parents' details, her brother's, and even hers, everything she'd known as a child, now a ghost on this screen. She scanned the first few lines, trying to steady herself.

The case had been officially marked as "closed." Her parents' deaths had been ruled a random act of violence. No leads, no suspects, no witnesses. The authorities had closed it. Just like that. They were definitely in the Mafia's pocket.

Her hands trembled as she scrolled down, desperate to find something-anything-that could offer her a clue. A hint. But the deeper she went into the file, the more she realized there was nothing.

No evidence that pointed to anyone, no motive, no explanation. Just sterile legal jargon and the cold, final stamp of closure.

She stopped at a section labeled "Investigative Notes." Maybe there would be something hidden in the comments, something the authorities had missed. But as she read the final line, her heart sank.

"All leads exhausted. Case closed due to lack of evidence."

Nothing.

Lena's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long moment, her pulse quickening. The file was sealed. No further action would be taken. The truth was locked away, and she had no way of breaking it open.

But she would continue digging for information. Her brother's last words passed through her mind like a mantra.

She was going to have to try harder.

***

Lena ordered a glass of wine as she sat on the stool, her suit jacket folded beside her, music loud in the air.

This was her favorite time of the day. A time where she could enjoy herself even though she was still working.

She was in one of the well-known bars in the underworld of crime. Every gossip here meant something. Every slip of a word.

She worked here as an informant. She gave her clients files she had stolen from the law firm and they gave her information in return.

She slowly sipped her wine as she waited for her client to arrive. They were always late. Always.

"Hello, love."

Finally. She turned to Marco and gave him a flat look.

"Yes, I know. I'm fine," he said as he sat. "You look beautiful as always."

"What do you have for me?" she said as she handed him a document.

Marco sighed. "Always straight to business. You should loosen up a little, Selene. Maybe go on a date with me."

Lena fought the urge to roll her eyes. Marco was persistent.

When she said nothing his expression turned serious. "There are talks that someone is digging up information on you."

Lena's heart sped up. "Who?"

Marco had a troubled look in his eyes. "Rafe Moretti."

Lena's breath caught in her throat.

Rafe Moretti. The ruthless mafia boss. The man at the top of her suspect list.

Lena had internationally drawn attention to herself to get the man's attention. She just didn't think it would work. It had been a wild risk. And now that she had his attention it was time for the next step.

"Be careful, Selene," Marco was saying. "Rafe Moretti is not a man you should fuck with."

She nodded and downed the rest of her wine before she picked up her jacket and stood up. "Thank you, Marco."

She left the bar and went home. Finally, she was getting somewhere.

***

Lena had been knuckled deep into her work when she got a call from her boss that she should come see him. Her heart had picked up.

You didn't go to Mr. Mancini's office expects if he wanted to promote or fire you. Lena knew she wasn't getting any promotions. And so she held her breath and walked to Mr. Mancini's office.

She knocked gently on the door and he ordered her in.

Mancini was seated behind his desk, his broad shoulders covering his chair.

He was just a few years older than Lena but she felt small in his presence. His presence was intimidating, and he wasn't the type of man you would feel comfortable with when he looked at you the way he was looking at Lena.

"Ms Costa," he greeted and pointed to the seat in front of him. "Please sit."

"I would go straight to the point so we don't waste our time here," he began, his voice calm. "I've been hearing things, Ms. Costa. Specifically, about your... extracurricular activities. Late nights, missing hours, certain files that have gone missing."

Lena's heart stopped. Her cover has been blown.

If Lena had learned anything over these past five years it was how to survive.

She had managed to trick the media five years ago that she died along with her family even though they had never found her body.

She had lived in the shadows since then and nobody knew who she was. So she knew how to survive because she knew how to get out of situations such as this.

She managed to keep her face impassive as she said, "Mr. Mancini, I apologize if my extracurricular activities,"- she made sure to empathize the word well-"has caused you any inconveniences. First of all, I spend late nights in the office simply because I'm dedicated to my job. I'm also deeply sorry about the missing hours, Sir. I make up for those missing hours with my late night at the office. But I'll do better. And as for the missing files, I can assure you, Sir, that I have nothing to do with that. If you want to investigate that matter I won't stop you."

That last part was a lie. She would try to stop the investigation because all roads would lead to her. But Mancini didn't need to know that. All he had to do was to believe you.

And she knew he had when she saw him hesitate. He quickly cleared his throat and he was back to the cold, composed boss. "There would be no need for an investigation," he said, his voice low and composed. "You're one of our best workers in this firm. I just wanted to hear what you have to say concerning the matter. You can go back to your work, Ms. Costa."

Lena fought hard not to smile as she rose from the chair. "Have a nice day, Sir."

As soon as she left the office, she released a breath and her shoulders came down, the tension leaving her body.

That was a narrow escape. She had known there were eyes on her but she hadn't known they were that focused on her.

She had to be more careful. One slip and all her five years of work will come crumbling down.

If she paused now with the missing files Mancini would know it was her. Because she had been called out he would expect her to act more carefully.

So she wouldn't stop. She would just have to be extra careful. It wasn't as if the files went missing forever. Lena made sure her clients returned the files the same way she had given them.

So Mancini will get his files back. She just needed them more than he did.

***

Lena needed an appointment with Rafe Moretti.

She had spent the past week researching and so far the arrows were pointing to Moretti. So she needed to be close to him if she wanted to get more information.

And so she planned to propose a business idea any businessman with the right head won't be able to resist. But she needed an appointment with him first.

And so here she sat in the bar, sipping her wine as she waited for Marco to arrive.

She didn't have to wait long today.

"Hello, beautiful," Marco greeted as he took the seat beside her.

"Evening, Marco," she greeted back. "I need a favor from you, Marco."

That got his attention because he sat up straight. "A favor?" he repeated and she nodded. "You know favors are not just granted like that in this world, Selene."

"I know that," she agreed. "So grant me this favor and I'll owe you a debt."

Debts in the underworld meant a lot. And so did grant favors. Someone granted you a favor and you refused to pay your debts when the time came they could kill you, and nobody would bat an eye.

After a while, Marco nodded. "Let's hear it."

"I need an appointment with Rafe Moretti."

Marco blinked at her. He stared as if she had gone mad. Maybe she had.

Rafe Moretti wasn't just any man you could book an appointment with. He was the most powerful man in Naples. Even more powerful than some who occupied the government seats.

Having an appointment with him was like having an appointment with the president. The chances that he would accept were very slim but not zero.

She had gained the man's attention so maybe he would approve the appointment. She just needed someone who could carry the message to him.

"You want an appointment with Rafe Moretti?" Marco asked, a dazed look in his eyes. "Have you gone mad, Selene?"

She clenched her fist around the wine glass, trying hard not to grate her teeth. "I'm desperate, Marco."

"What could make you so desperate that you'll want a one-on-one appointment with Moretti?"

She didn't answer and just stared at him.

Finally, he sighed.

"Fine," he agreed. "I'll try to get you an appointment with Moretti. But don't get your hopes up. That man is harder to reach than even the president himself."

Relief floods through Lena and a small smile curves her lips. "Thank you, Marco."

Marco looked at her like he was just seeing her for the first time before he shook his head and downed his shot. "So you do know how to smile," he said.

She shrugged and went back to her wine. She did know how to smile, it just felt like a foreign thing for her. It felt like something happy people did.

Lena's happiness had burned in that mansion five years ago. She didn't know what it felt like to be happy. She didn't know how her own laughter sounded again.

Her hand absentmindedly toyed with her necklace. She fought the urge to touch her scared hand under her sleeve.

She picked up her jacket before she rose from the chair. "Thank you once again, Marco. I'll be waiting for your message."

Marco nodded and bid her goodnight and she left the bar and entered the busy night streets, wondering if she'd ever know what happiness was again.

***

Lena tried not to fidget as she crossed the streets and walked towards the location of the appointment.

Marco had gotten her an appointment with Moretti. She hasn't doubted him for one second; she just hasn't expected it to be so soon.

It has only been four days since she told him.

She breathed deeply to calm her nerves as she entered the private club, one of the most popular in the city. As popular as it was it was hard to gain entry but she had. In times like this, it was good to be connected.

Marco had told her this was the place Moretti had chosen for their meeting and she didn't ask why. The club would offer privacy and protection for the Mafia boss.

She walked to the private dining room and waited.

He was late. Of course, he was.

Lena had to wait for another ten minutes before the door to the dining room finally opened.

She looked up and her heart skipped a beat as Rafe Moretti entered.