I didn’t protect her.
The Snowmobiles pull up and the paramedics lift the first of the body bags into the back of the ambulance.
Valentino watches on with a calm detachment, I’ve never seen him like this.
Broken.
He loved her.
He walks over and talks to the paramedic and then runs his hand over where the head would be in the body bag.
My eyes well with tears.
The paramedics count to three and then lift her into the back of the ambulance and close the doors; Val watches on in silence as it drives away.
He takes out his phone. “I have to call her parents.”
I close my eyes in regret, it doesn’t get any worse than this.
Alex and I wait beside him in silence as he holds the phone to his ear. “Hello, Mrs. Morelli?”
He listens for a moment.
“This is Valentino.”
He drops his head.
How do you tell someone that their daughter has just been murdered?
“There’s been an accident….”
1 a.m., Valbella Forest, Switzerland.
Enrico
We drive in darkness, creeping along at a snail’s pace.
The snow is coming down hard and the conditions are treacherous. Fog appears from our mouths as we breathe.
It’s fucking freezing.
I watch my phone like a hawk, the little red heartbeat is close. “Stop here.” I say. “We’ll walk in. Park the car out of sight.”
“It’s too far. We’ll freeze to death.”
“If we drive in, we’re dead anyway,” I mutter.
Henry pulls the car into a slipway off the road and we get out and drag branches over the back of it so that it can’t be seen from the road.
We are in full white snow gear, camouflaged to perfection. I pull my white beanie down over my head and pull the white gloves on. “It must be fucking minus twenty.”
“And the rest,” someone mutters.
We fill our backpacks with ammunition and put the silencers onto the guns. Henry passes us the night goggles and we pull them on.
“Let’s do this.” I point over the hill. “It’s about seven kilometers in.”
“Fucking hell. Seven kilometers in these conditions?” He looks back at me, “We have better chances of survival driving in.”
“Go,” I snap.
We begin walking, the night goggles lighting our path. Our snow boots grip to the earth beneath us. Our guns held tightly in our hands.
I’m coming, Francesca, hold on.
Two hours later, we lie in the bushes as we survey the cabin in the distance up ahead. It’s lit up, smoke billowing from its chimney, and I stare at the beating red heart on my app.
“She’s in there.”
“What now?” Henry whispers.
“We spread out.” I grip my gun. “Shoot to kill.”
My men nod, the mission crystal clear.
“Keep the silencers on, they can’t know what’s going on out here.”
I see a flicker of a light and realize someone is up ahead, lighting his cigarette as he makes his patrols.
“Mine,” I whisper as I take aim.
I line him up in the scope and hold steady as I pull the trigger, he drops to the ground in silence.
“One down,” I whisper.
My three men all get low to the ground and commando crawl to spread out.
I crawl to the man I’ve just shot and I fire again at close range, I drag his body out of the way to hide it. The longer we go undiscovered the better off we are.
We all lie waiting, guns aimed.
Now, it’s a waiting game, we tick them off…one at a time.
Five of their men are dead.
As far as I can see we have three more to go, they just need to get out here and walk around so I can get a clear shot.
Another man comes out, I see him look around and then call out a name.
I put my eye to the scope and feel the sharp sting of a blade to my neck.
My head is pulled back by the hair and a razor-sharp knife is held to my throat from behind.
Fuck.
“Well, well, well…look what the cat dragged in.” He digs the knife into my throat. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Giuliano
I pace in my bedroom, back and forth.
Intel are trying to track the phones from the tower, but no word yet.
We’re searching for Lombardi’s phone number. If he took her alive,
he wants something.
Happy to exchange my life for hers.
We’ve just got to find her.
Please be alive.
My phone rings and the name Carlo lights up the screen, I scramble to answer it.
“Carlo.”
“Giuliano, help me,” he moans.
“Where are you?” I snap.
“I just woke up, I’m in the snow.” His teeth are chattering. “I must have been knocked out. I have no idea where I am.” His teeth chatter harder. “I’m freezing to death. Help, help me.”
“Look around you,” I stammer. “What do you see? I need a landmark.”
“I’m at the top of a hill.” He sounds disorientated. “There’s a ski lift to the left, and a….” His voice trails off.
“And a what?”
“I can see the resort down below.” He goes silent. “Where’s Francesca?”
“He’s near where they were today,” I yell. “Go, go.”
Everyone runs from the room, and I do too. “Hold on, Carlo, we’re coming.” We run to the elevator and all pile in. “Hold on, we’re coming.”
We get to the ground floor where we have skimobiles on standby, Alex and Marko climb on one and Val and I get onto the back of the other. “To the top of the hill.”
We take off at speed, going straight up. It seems to take forever and when we get up there, I look down at the hotel to try to get my bearings to his directions. “Carlo,” I call as I jump off the skimobile.
“Carlo.”
“Carlo.” Our voices echo across the canyon.
We all listen as the wind howls around us.
Silence.
“Carlo.”
We run left and we run right.
“Over here,” someone calls.
We all run to see Marko hunched over a figure on the ground and I run up and drop my knees.
Carlo’s eyes flutter open and he smiles in relief. “Thank God, you found me.”
I press my gun to his temple. “Where the fuck is she?”
28
Francesca
I struggle with the ties on my hands, I have to get out of here and warn Giuliano about Carlo. Panic is running through my veins and I know that I don’t have long.
What if he’s already back there?
I get a lump in my throat as I imagine my Giuliano being shot in cold blood by his best friend.
No.
I struggle harder, I need to break free.
Now!
As Lombardi talks to the two other men in the room, he keeps breaking into a deep cough, barely able to speak at times. Wheezing and gasping as if there is no air in his lungs.
I wish there wasn’t.
I look around the room, what do I do? How can I get out of here?