Written in Ink

Fifty-seven | Alonzo

 Today we're heading to Turkey. The lead was weak, but it was just strong enough to look into. My body is so tired and exhausted. I'm really barelying getting through the days nowadays. I'm really just praying to just find her. I cannot wait any longer. I need to find her, I don't know how much longer I can hold on without her.

"Where is Matteo?" I question my group over coms.

"We have no eyes on him, Wasn't he flying in from the Romanian lead?" Marco questions.

"Damn, I thought he'd be back in time." I mutter.

"Are we still continuing forward?" Marco asks.

There have been no actual leads. We've been lead on for so long, but I can't help but hold onto the small hope that she is here. "Yes. On my signal." I pass by an empty intersection with a wrecked car on the side of the road.

As soon as my heap of cars shows up at this odd mansion/warehouse in the middle of nowhere. We all pull up in the front, jumping right out of the cars with guns and grenades, the whole sha-bang— as Reagan would say.

I crash through the front doors with my foot and they whip open violently. "Search the place." I command.

People go in all different directions. I go down a hall to the right, finding out they are all bedrooms. Each one I kick open and search every inch. I didn't find anyone, the place was so quiet, and clean. One of the doors I kick open, I immediately recognize the smell. She is here.

Reagan was here. I know that smell. The bed isn't made, it almost looks as though she fell off— or was pulled off. "She is here." I say over coms. "Find her, now!"

After searching the room, I ran out and down the hall. She won't be in any of these rooms, so she is either in a room with everyone else, or gone. When we find her, we will find everyone else. She isn't gone, she can't be.

"Cappo! We found them." Marco says over the coms. I was about to ask where he is but he answered for me. "Second floor, all windows." I run up the stairs immediately locking eyes with Reagan. I stop for a millisecond to take her in.

Her eyes are puffy, she looks strained of movement, injury in the collarbone, skin looks thin like they haven't been feeding her. God I am going to kill whoever is behind this.

The next person I see is my mother. She is the one behind all of this. She wears a victorious smile as she looks at me. Her eyes are crazy. She looks so different, so unwired.

"Mother, what is the point of all this?" I question her furiously.

"Alonzo, if you'd take a seat." She motions to the seat at the end of the table.

I look at her perplexed. When I look at Reagan, she just adverts her eyes. "Absolutely not." I spit. "Why would you kidnap my wife?" My voice rises along with my anger and hurt.

"Alonzo, we expected you here to discuss a very important matter." She signals between Reagan and her.

What does she mean by "we"?

Reagan still refuses to look at me. She is scared and almost looks like she had a pain of guilt holding her back. Is she a part of them? Did they somehow convince her to infiltrate me? To ruin me? "All we want to do is help you." My mother states.

There is that "we" again.

"When we kill you, all that pain you are inflicting is over." Mother explains.

"Kill?!" Reagan pops up. "That wasn't what was discussed." She gasps for air as if having an attack of some kind.

My mother wants to kill me? Reagan discussed it with her? How could I be more betrayed?

"Reagan, I don't care about your two-cents. This is my organization, my decision—"

I cut my mother off. "No no. I'd love to hear your 'two cents', Reagan." I spit. I'm only running off of anger right now.

Reagan looks up to me with teary eyes. "R-Remy said she c-could get you out of this life. Help you move on. She said she wanted to k-kill you but I couldn't agree to that!" Her voice breaks.

"But you agreed to something!" I shout, pushing my hands out, motioning between them.

"I had no choice!" She pleads. That's when I notice she is tied to the chair. "I-I've been so—"

"I have men on you right out, Alonzo." Mother threatens. "You have to sign off all the Napolitani earnings to me— to the organization, and come with us to die."

I snap. "Or else what. What are you going to do? Ground me? Mother, we are adults and I am your son! You took the only person I ever had and turned her against me."

This makes Reagan go into full on tears.

"Why would I sign everything else I have to you just to die. This is merde! I get you were pissed at father but why be pissed at me?" I bellow. "I didn't have a choice on who I became."

It's silent and I believed for a second I had reached her. "But you did." She says coldly. "You became just like your father. No one likes you. Reagan was always on my side."

My eyes snap to Reagan's. "No, no! Alonzo I wasn't! I'm not!" Her face is all red with a vein popping out of her temple as she sobs.

My mother stands in front of me and slides a laptop over to where I am sitting. "Transfer the money." She demands. "Or I'll kill Reagan's parents."

"What?!" Reagan cries out. "Remy you slimy little bitch!"

My mother slaps her hard across the face and I am left in shock. Mother would never put a hand on anyone, Reagan especially. She'd be so mad whenever my father hit her, but here we are. Reagan spoke up for herself and got punished for it.

"You know what? I don't care if you transfer the money. As soon as you die, it goes to Matteo."

Matteo? He betrayed me too?

"Where is that man? He'll share the money once we wed." Remy points a gun at my head.

A sudden shot rang out, but it wasn't at me. The next thing I see is my mother's dead body across the table with a bullet in the back of her head.

Absolutely discarding her, I lunge for Reagan, expecting more shots. "Matteo, it's Matteo." Her voice is shaky as I untie her from the chair. As soon as she is untied, more shots ring out. Without hesitation I guard her, shielding her from where the bullets are coming from. She sobs into my chest. "I'm sorry. I swear I wanted nothing to do with this." She is hysterical.

"Shh, shh." I coo, with my hand over her head, pushing her into my chest.

In a small break between gunfire, I grab her and signal the rest of my people out of the room and outside. I can't help but wonder if they are all against me too. How can I trust anyone anymore?

When we breech outside, Matteo is standing there with an army behind me. "Oh hey buddy." He casually waves with a gun loosely in his hand.

I stash Reagan behind me, with an arm behind me for her to stay behind. "What is this, Matteo?" I question with a cold tone.

"Revenge." He simply answers. "Your daddy killed my daddy so my plan was to kill Nico. But your mother beat me to it." He chuckles. "So I was just going to kill you instead. But playing you like a puppet, and playing your mom was that much more fun."

"Sounds like your revenge was already served. Why do we have conflict?" I question.

"I think it's because I'm such an ass." He shrugs and suddenly shoots his gun into my abdomen. Then again on my shoulder. "And that you're an even bigger ass."

Reagan grasps to my side, holding me before my legs give out. I try to push her away but it's too late. Matteo snatches her and runs with her. "Alonzo!" She screams as she kicks and screams.

Marco goes after them, getting caught himself. Get up you wimp.

I force myself off the ground and to go after them, but the butt of a gun is rammed into my skull, causing me to black out. 

Thoughts?