A Positive Attitude Part 1
I have always had a positive attitude in my life, it has helped me through some very low times and I have learned to roll with the punches. I have not been a very good person lately, and have been running with a few bad lads. I am, to be frank, a good get-away driver and pretty handy with a knife, if needed.
It wasn’t always so, I had been a good student and had moved on to a good job with a racing stable. I had graduated to being a track rider and then to riding in country meetings. My fall from grace was that I rode a ringer which was picked up by the stewards. They said that I must have known that I was riding a different horse and pulled my licence. Being a jockey you can assume that I was small and light. I grew up near Manchester, England, and my parents were second generation Italian so I was probably more fluent in Italian than I was in English. I had an appreciation of Italian food from home cooking and also the fact that we had a pizza shop.
The crowd I now hung with were just naughty boys, usually doing break & entry jobs in country houses and I was not looking for real work just yet. Although I was good at throwing a knife, it was mainly for fun and I had considered joining a circus. I suppose I had better introduce myself now; I am Arturo Alonzo Albanese, sometimes known as AAA. The unfortunate thing here was that my best friend was a middle European called Zack Desodiamavich, whose nickname was Salt. When we formed a team some called us A Salt and Battery but not to our faces.
We were cruising along when we started getting some interest from the local plod and it was a good thing when Zack told us that he had been contacted by a go-between about a job we could do in Italy. He said that we were wanted to rob a safe in a remote house and that the location of the safe would be supplied. It seemed like a good idea to get out of town for a while so we got hold of a couple of the other guys and got on a train to London, then on Eurostar to Paris where we stole a nice old Citroen and drove towards Italy, dumping it in Nice and picking up an old Fiat. We were to meet an agent of our customer in Rome to get our final instructions.
As it was now February it was good to be in a sunny country and able to use my Italian skills. What was odd was driving on the wrong side of the road but we made sure we were careful and got to Rome without any problems, although passing barriers at turnings saying the road was closed due to a virus was a worry. The further south we went the easier it was. We got ourselves into a cheap hostel in Rome and went to the café where we were to meet our contact. He had been sent Zacks’ picture and the meeting went well. He gave us an address south of Naples, the easiest way into the grounds, the location of the safe and even the combination as well as the description of the particular item the customer wanted us to steal. We were told that anything else was ours to keep. This sounded like an inside job where the customer was going to be a long way away at the time. He also told us the evening we were to do the deed as the owner of the house had an important meeting in Milan, every month like clockwork, on that particular weekend.
We dumped the Fiat and picked up an old Alfa. It is always better to steal older cars as they do not have GPS tracking. We drove to Naples and found an out of the way place to stay while we planned our heist. We drove out to the target house and saw, as we passed the spot where we were to enter, that we would have to park under a big tree out of sight of the main gate. Back in Naples we just relaxed before the Saturday evening of the heist. That day we bundled up all of our papers and personal items and put them in large envelopes we had brought with us. We then drove to the main railway station, paid for a locker with a combination and put all of our envelopes in it. We had paid for two weeks so there was a window if we needed to hide out before picking them up again.
Saturday evening we were all wearing dark clothing and had our jemmies with us when we drove to the house, passing once to make sure that there was no activity and then coming back with our lights off to park under the tree. The place was just outside of Salerno and had a great view towards the ocean but we didn’t stop to admire the view as we went over the wall, leaving Jim as a look-out. We had been given a route which would take us to a window which we had been told would be left off the latch. I opened it quietly while Zack and Ken kept lookout.
As I was easing my way into the house there was a shout from near the front door and some shots rang out. I dropped into the room as I saw Zack and Ken stagger back with blood erupting from their chests. Thinking quickly I rushed to the door and saw that I was near the stairway to the second floor and raced up it, thinking that I may be able to get out of a back window and back to the car. I ran down a corridor to what I thought would be a likely room, opened the door and dashed inside. I closed the door quietly and stood there panting as I heard more shots from outside.
Just then a light went on in the room and I turned to see a beautiful woman sitting up in bed with a rather large gun in her hand which was pointing at my head. “Who are you, why are you here?” she said firmly in Italian. I knew it was no time to lie so said “I am here because I was sent to rob the safe in this house, my name is Arturo Albanese.” She thought for a second before saying “If you were sent, you would have been told where the safe is”. I told her that it was supposed to be in the study, on the ground floor, and hidden behind a signed picture of Mario Lanza. She thought for a moment longer and asked “Do you want to live?” “With all my heart and soul” I said, so, as I heard shouting coming from the corridor outside, she said “Get under my bed and make yourself very small. Don’t even breathe or you will be shot.”
I dashed to her bedside and dived under it to lie as close to the wall as I could. Just then I heard a knock on her door and she called out for her visitor to come in. He said “Are you all right Francesca? Have you seen or heard anyone up here a moment ago?” She said that she had heard nothing except for some shooting outside and the reply was that a trio of ruffians thought that they could rob the Don and had now been consigned to fish feed with the next boat going out. He said that there could have been a fourth but they had now checked the whole house and he thought that they had only just opened the window when they were seen. All of my friends were dead!
He left and she told me quietly to keep silent and stay where I was. A few minutes later there was another knock on the door and when she called ‘enter’ an older male voice said “I am just checking that you are all right, my daughter. We had a little excitement there but everything is under control, now. By the way, did you get that replacement maid for Sophia yet, it doesn’t look like she will be able to come south again for a while so will be stuck up north with her family.” The woman said that she had and that the girl would probably be cowering in her room, wondering what was going on. “Don’t worry, I will tell her it was just some of the boys having fun. She knows who she is working for.”
After the man had left she told me to stay where I was and then proceeded to ask me questions about how I was recruited, how we got into the garden and which window we were told to open. After I had explained the events she allowed me to come out from under the bed and told me to sit in the chair next to her. She then said “What you have told me has me to believe that this was set up by my brother, Luigi. The window and the route through the garden was his favourite way out of the house when he wanted to go out without father knowing. I suppose you were not told who it was you were to rob?” I said we hadn’t but had been told that he would be out tonight. She then informed me that I was in the house of Don Carlione, the biggest mafia boss in the area and the reason he was home was because the meeting he normally went north for had been cancelled due to the virus.
I asked why she had hidden me and she told me that as soon as I said that I had been told where the safe was she knew she had to know more. “My father would have just dragged you out of the house where you would have been shot; somewhere they could hose the blood away. He has no time for the finer points of intrigue, his first thought is always to kill and be done with the problem.”
She then asked me if I would do anything to live and I told her that I would. She then said that she really had not got a replacement for her maid, Sophia, but that she thought I may fit the bill and that I had better be good at it or both our lives would be forfeit.
She got out of bed and put on a dressing gown and told me to come with her. We went to a door and, when she opened it and put on the light, I saw that it was a small bedroom with an open door to a closet and another to an ensuite bathroom. She said “This is where my maid sleeps. Sophia went north to visit some sick relatives and I fear she may not be coming home for a long while, yet. I think that you and she are about the same size, you being so small, and that her wardrobe will fit you. The first thing you should do, though, is have a good shower after using this lotion all over your body. Leave it on for ten minutes. When you shower, make sure you wash your hair twice, with both the shampoo and the conditioner, and by morning, I think that I will have my new maid. You will be called Adeline and you will be very good at it or we both die.
She watched, the gun hanging loosely at her side, while I undressed. She made note of the throwing knives that were strapped to my thighs and I told her that they had never been used on a living person, just on targets. She just commented that it would be easier, in future, for me to access them when I was wearing a skirt. When I was naked she helped me slather the lotion on and then I went into the shower. When I got out, all of my clothing had been taken away and a nightie had been laid across the bed. “I am leaving you the knives” she said “as I think that you will be safe with them. You need to sleep now and forget about your past, from now on you are Adeline and, over the next few days, we will make you perfect and you will live to a ripe old age. After I had dried I put on the nightie, which fitted well, and got into bed. She put the light out as she closed the door and I lay there wondering about my future. I will certainly be different but at least I had one.
Marianne G 2020
Part 2
I woke up in the morning to the sound of a womans’ voice telling me to get out of bed and into the shower. I thought that I had been in the shower last night but obviously I was not clean enough. She told me to make sure I sat when I went to the toilet and to make sure I shaved my face twice while I was in the shower.
What slowed me down was that I was wrapped in a nightie and had to swing my legs out before I could move. I could see that it was still dark outside and asked her why so early. I was told that, as it is Sunday, we must go to church and would have to look good. She left me to my own devices while she went for her own shower.
I made sure that I followed orders and was smooth as a baby’s bottom when I dried myself. I thought ahead and checked my arms and legs to see if I had missed any hairs last night and used the razor on the few I found. She came in while I was doing this and complimented me on being careful. She had put on her underwear and had a loose robe over it and I was feeling some movement in my loins when she put her hand there. She had ice cubes in her hand and I retreated very rapidly. “Just so you don’t get any ideas” she said “I do not consort with the staff and there will be no more for you in the foreseeable future.”
She then pulled open a couple of drawers and pulled out a pair of very small briefs and a bra. “These are control briefs” she told me “pull them on and make sure you tuck yourself into the gap between your legs or we may have an unsightly bulge.” She then went back into her bedroom and came back with a couple of shaped things. “I thought I hadn’t thrown these away, you never know when something is needed.” So saying she helped me put the bra on and pushed the forms into the cups. I now sported a pair of breasts.
“This being Sunday you will not need to wear the maids uniform until after lunch but we do need you looking like Adeline” she said and handed me some tights and a slip. I put these on, very carefully, and then she rummaged in the wardrobe and came out with a pink dress with a flared skirt which came to just above my knees when I put it on. “Perfect” she cried as she looked at me “Now come into my room and I will put my dress on and then we shall be made up together and I will try to get your hair looking good as well.”
Back in her room she sat me at her vanity and I watched her get dressed. It was hard not to get aroused but I reminded myself that I was, to all intents and purposes, the same as her now. She teased my hair around and put a couple of clips in it for effect and then proceeded to trim any loose hairs from my nose and ears, then pulling out half my eyebrows, before smearing foundation and then finishing off with all the other things she thought I needed. As she was doing all this I was looking in the mirror in wonder as AAA disappeared and Adeline came into view. When she stepped back I told her she was a magician and she laughed. She told me to look in the wardrobe in my room for shoes and a handbag that matched while she did her own make up. I thought that I had done quite well when I found a black bag and a pair of pumps that just about fitted me.
Before we left her room she added some bracelets to my arms, a couple of rings and a necklace and told me that from now on I was only to speak when spoken to and to keep my answers to yes or no. I practised my ‘Si signora’ until she said I sounded like a country girl rather than a man. We went downstairs and through to the dining room where there were hot dishes already set out for us to choose from. “Remember, not too much and eat slowly” she whispered. When the cook came in with hot coffee she introduced me to her as ‘Adeline, my new maid from the country. Poor girl had all her luggage stolen in Rome station and we are outfitting her in some of Sophia’s clothes until we can get her own.’
Eventually the Don walked in and I gave a little bob when I was introduced. It was obviously enough as he became instantly interested in his own breakfast. Lastly, a big guy, who was obviously packing a weapon, came in and smiled when he was introduced as Mario and he held my hand and raised it to his lips. “I like country girls” he said “they always seem to know how to please a man without question.” Oh boy, this was getting deep. Francesca told him that I was going to be taken to the salon during the week and may not appear quite so country after that.
Having been early, we were able to leave the dining room to freshen up before church. We went back to the bedroom and I managed to pull the tights and pants down so I could have a pee. When I got them back into place I strapped my knives to my thighs and had a couple of practise draws. I was certainly quicker by only having put my hand under my skirt. I had the thought that I would have a problem if I wore one that was a bit tighter. With fresh lipstick and spritz of perfume we joined the others at the front door. The car was a BMW 7 series long wheel base and the Don sat in the back with Francesca alongside. I was relegated to a pull-down behind the passenger seat and Mario was up front next to the driver who, I was told, was Ludo.
I really was being very careful to make ladylike movements and, being Italian descent, could already talk with my hands. Nothing was said about last night and I wondered at the type of people this family was. I found out as we got closer to town as we passed a group of police cars clustered at the site of an old Alfa that had been totally burnt out and there were three human sized lumps laid on the roadside with sheets over them. “Terrible” the Don said, shaking his head “they do not seem to be able to teach people to drive properly these days.” I wondered how they hid the bullet holes and then realised that they didn’t have to, the police would mark it down as a road accident and the bodies would be conveniently incinerated, yet again. Such is the power I was with today.
At the church we had our own pew with comfy cushions and I sang quietly as I knew my place in the scheme of things. Afterwards the Don put a healthy wad of money on the collection plate and we were outside again, in the sun. Francesca said “Adeline, fetch my umbrella from the car” and I went to the car where Ludo was leaning against it. “Ludo” I said “the signora wants her umbrella, where is it, please”. He opened the boot and gave it to me with a smile. I thanked him politely and took it back to Francesca, opening it as I went and she took it from me with another smile. She and the Don stood chatting with various town dignitaries while Mario and I stood at one side.
Funnily enough, we were both keeping our eyes open and it was me that noticed a couple of guys acting strange, over near the church doors. I pointed them out to him and he called “Don, down, quick” and he rushed towards the two guys who both produced pistols. He had already drawn his and shot them both as he ran. I was just behind him and he turned to me and said “Well spotted, little one. You had better get your mistress and her father back to the house, I will clear up here.”
I went back to where the Don and Francesca had dived behind a tree and, together, we went to the car and Ludo took us home, me in the front with him. On the way he said quietly “The Don never forgets someone who stops an assassination attempt, you have only been here a couple of days and you will be well looked after.” Back at the house I helped Francesca out of the car and straight up to her room where I helped her take off her dress and she laid on her bed for some time with the blinds drawn. I went into my room and changed out of my church dress and put on a maids’ outfit that I found in the wardrobe. I looked at my reflection and wondered what my friend Zack would have said if he saw me now, probably “Hot Babe, come over here and suck my cock.”
I left the room and found my way to the kitchen where I asked the cook if I could put together a tray for Francesca when she sat up. The cook showed me where everything was and I made Francesca a pot of tea and took the tray up to her room. When I went in I put the tray on the table in the room and went to her side, saying “Signora, I have made you some tea. It will help you recover from this morning.” She got off the bed and I helped her put a gown on over her slip and led her to a chair. As I poured her a cup of tea there was a knock on the door and she called ‘enter’. The Don came in and immediately took both my hands and said “I thank you, Adeline; you may have saved our lives this morning. Mario has told me it was you who noticed those ruffians at the church, without that he would have never been able to get the jump on them. How can I ever repay you?”
At this, Francesca, who had been quiet up to now said “Father, this poor girl had all of her luggage stolen in Rome on the way here and we need to get her a new wardrobe, especially some shoes that fit. Perhaps, tomorrow, I can take her into Naples and we can do a little shopping on your credit card?” “Of course” he replied “that is easy. See me before you leave and I will give you a card.” Francesca then said “Father, who on earth would be silly enough to try and kill you, surely everything is running smoothly?” “That’s the trouble” he said “there is no bad blood among the families at the moment, I cannot think of anyone who wants me dead. Especially trying to shoot me in front of the family church; the notion is just too far out there to be work of any other family, they have much more respect for the sanctity of the holy day. ”
After he left, Francesca told me to sit on the other chair and told me that tomorrow we would turn me into a true woman that no-one would question. She then thanked me for saving them today and said “For this alone, I am glad I saved you last night. However, I still see the hand of my brother in all of this. He is a convert to the modern methods of criminality and has no respect at all for the family values. I am sure he wants to take over from Father, well before Father is prepared to pass the leadership on. I am worried that today will not be the first attempt and we need to be extra vigilant from now on.”
I told her that after Mario had shot the two assassins, I thought that one of them may have been the guy we saw in Rome. Perhaps they moved too quickly, thinking that the package we were supposed to steal would be delivered to them soon.
Marianne G 2020
Part 3
The next day was much less eventful for Francesca. It was me that was the brunt of a salon work-over, coming out with long nails, a new look and earrings. I must say that when I looked at myself in the mirror I thought I made a good looking girl. My height, or lack of it, was certainly a factor in my favour.
We spent hours at dress shops, underwear shops and shoe shops and we both had bags of goodies that the patient Ludo put in the boot of the BMW as we came out of each shop. Back at the house we cleared the clothes from the wardrobe and drawers that were definitely not my style as well as all of her shoes. Everything was put in the shopping bags and I was shown where a store room was and we put them there. After clipping the labels and putting my things away I could tell that Francesca intended to keep me around for a while.
She told me that she did not need for me to put on the maid outfit unless there was a social event and that I should wear my new clothes as a usual thing. She showed me her diary and we noted the times that I would need to be official and I wrote all of these down in the diary that we had bought for me. I then told her about the railway locker in Naples and the fact that the contents would identify the four of us, especially me. We decided that, one day this week, we would take her car and go to collect it so that the contents could be destroyed. We picked one of the days that we knew that her father would be out with Ludo and Mario.
Tuesday and Wednesday was spent with me looking after Francesca and her teaching me some finer points of womanhood. On Wednesday evening I had a crash course in one particular aspect when, after dinner, Mario invited me to take a walk in the garden with him. As we strolled, he linked his arm in mine and we spoke quietly about the attempt on Sunday. When we got to a remote spot he turned to me and held my head while he kissed me. I almost panicked and he said “I just had to do that, Adeline, I don’t know why I did that as I am not normally interested in girls but I seem to be attracted to you.” I told him that it was all right as I did not have much of an experience with boys but I could tell that he was basically a gentle soul, even if he killed for a living. At that he smiled and moved to kiss me again so I lifted my arms so I could hold his head while he put his arms around my body and gave me the most toe-curling kiss. If I had been a girl I would have dropped to the floor and pulled my panties down for him.
As it was I could feel his manhood against my stomach so, as he pulled back, I put my hand down there and gave it a stroke, saying “I will not give myself until I marry but perhaps I can take care of this now.” He moved us to a garden bench and I sat down while he stood in front of me. I pulled down his zip and pulled out his, now rampant, dick. I kissed it and started licking it while he put his hands on my shoulders. I worked on it as well as I remembered girls working on mine and he gave a shudder as he came in my mouth.
I swallowed it all and felt quite proud at my obvious skills that I had just demonstrated. I pulled a tissue out of my bag and wiped him clean and then helped him put it away. After he had zipped he sat beside me and put his arm around my shoulder. We sat like that for a while and then he said “You were really the fourth guy on Saturday night, weren’t you?” I had to admit I was and waited to die. He didn’t move and then said “I’m glad you really are a guy, my friends would have made me a laughing stock if I had fallen for a girl. Now you can tell me how you got to this point and we can plan, together, how we keep the family safe.”
I told him about the set-up and how Francesca had saved my life. I told him that one of the guys he shot on Sunday may have been the one who gave us the final details in Rome. When I told him that Francesca thought it was her own brother who was organising it he nodded and said “Yes, Luigi has made friends with some very bad people who make him think he is a star. If he took over the family he would be dead in days and the whole business would go into wholesale drug pushing and human trafficking. It would be a terrible thing. The problem is that the Don cannot see it. Luigi is the son and that’s all there is.” I said that I thought that Luigi would not make another move until Francesca had been taken care of and that we had planned to go to Naples to pick up the envelopes so he told me that he would take us there tomorrow, while Ludo and a few more guards looked after the house.
Back in Francescas’ bedroom I told her that Mario now knew everything and was good with it and that he shared her worry about Luigi. She was relieved that there was another friend in the house as it would be now easier to keep it from her father. The next day Mario took us to the station where I retrieved the envelopes. The only thing I took out of mine was my money and my old rosary. We took all of the money out of the others. Mario said he would destroy the rest of the contents and we made a detour to a blacksmiths shop where he was known, throwing everything into the hot coals and watching while they burned.
Of course, I was now unable to leave the country and Mario put his arm around my shoulder and told me he would organise new papers for the ‘pretty country girl’. He took us both to lunch before we returned to the house and the two of them discussed Luigi and his bad habits while I listened. I could not understand why the Don was so forgiving and, when I made that comment, was told that it was the way the ‘families’ had always operated and change would be very slow coming.
Friday evening there was a gathering of the Dons’ business friends and I was dressed in my maid uniform. Francesca had made me up to look very pretty and I had to endure a few pinches on my bum from these macho men. It was hard enough balancing a drinks tray without that sort of action, but I did manage to get through the night.
Saturday Francesca had to visit some people in Potenza in regard to her charitable works. We went in the 7 Series with Ludo at the wheel. On the way back I was sitting in the front with him when we heard the sound of a police siren behind us. He said “Stupid rookies, no-one pulls over the Dons’ cars.” He slowed down and the police car stopped a little way behind. I looked through the back window as three officers got out, one walking towards our car. I opened the glove box and pulled out the 9 millimetre that was there, quickly jacking a round and flicking off the safety. Ludo said “What are you doing, girl?” as he powered his window down to talk to the policeman who had just reached us. He turned to talk and the policeman brought a silenced gun from behind his back and shot him in the eye. It must have been a small calibre as it did not exit his head and he slumped in his seat.
I lifted the pistol and shot the policeman in the throat and nearly took his head off. I quickly clambered onto Ludos’ lap and put the car into gear, burning rubber as we left the scene. I barely heard the chatter of a machine gun and the thumping of bullets on the back of our car as I hung on to the wheel for dear life. I used all of my skills as we blasted down the road towards Eboli. It was hard enough steering but very hard reaching the pedals while sitting on Ludos’ knees. On a twisty bit of road alongside a mountain I saw a flash in the sunlight and realised that we did stand a chance.
It was a side road to a mountain hut and the flash I saw was off the mirror that was mounted so that you could see what was coming. Luckily we were out of sight of pursuit for the few seconds it took me to hit the brakes and turn left into the track. Because of the rock outcrop we were now out of sight and I watched the mirror to see when the police car would arrive. I put the limo in reverse and raised the revs with my foot on the brake and, just as the pursuit arrived at the junction, we shot backwards, hitting the other car in the drivers’ door with a crunch. The impact sent it flying off the road and down an embankment into some trees, where it exploded with a whooshing sound. I grabbed drive again and drove us to the house as fast as I was able with the boot flapping open.
When we arrived I tooted the horn so that the guard on the gate could open it for us and saw his mouth drop open as I drove through. He must have called on his two-way because men were pouring out of the house as I pulled up. I just sat there with my head against the steering wheel. I heard the Don shouting as he pulled the back door open and pulling Francesca out to hold her close. Mario opened the drivers’ door and gently prised my hands off the steering wheel and lifted me off Ludos’ body to hold me to him saying “It’s all right, little one, you are safe now.”
When I was able to stand we looked at the back of the limo to see the collision damage as well as all of the places where we had been hit by machine gun fire. The Don was almost beside himself with rage as Francesca related our experience as far as she could tell from her cocoon in the back. We all cried as the body of Ludo was taken out of the car and laid on the ground. After Francesca had taken me upstairs to change out of my dress with blood stains from Ludo as well as more where I sat in the piss he had done as he died, we gathered in the main drawing room and the Don asked me to relate exactly what I saw and did. He had the gun I had fired and had made it safe. I had just dropped it in the footwell as I clambered over the centre console.
As I told the way it happened he got very serious and then said that there was obviously a vendetta against the family but that he had no idea who was behind it. He left to call up his business partners to see if they had any idea. Mario looked at me and said “You have done it again, little Adeline. You have saved both you and Francesca from death as I am sure it was an assassination attempt. If the shooter had used a bigger gun it may well have passed through Ludos’ head and hit you as well. I am sure that they intended to shoot you both in the eye and then organise a ‘little accident’ to the limo, perhaps having it burn.” I hate to say it but I rushed to him and he held me while I cried my eyes out.
Marianne G 2020
Part 4
I was being held by Mario as I blubbed and then felt the weight of Francesca against my back. There I was, being sandwiched between two people who both had the opportunity to kill me but had refrained. As I sobbed I felt a sense of being someone who meant something to these people.
When I finally stopped, Mario kissed the top of my head. “That was your first kill, wasn’t it? He asked. I nodded and said “Will I go to hell now?” He shook his head and said that hell was only for bad people, not for those who put their own life on the line to protect others. I suppose that I had better follow that line or else go mad. Francesca helped me dry my eyes and then thanked me for saving her life, yet again, and asked me if I had any other skills she had not seen yet.
I think that the Don had rung a friend in the police and told them what had happened as a Commissario Capo arrived later in the afternoon and I had to go through the events again, this time with Francesca and Mario sitting either side of me to give me strength. The Commissario was very patient with me and I was able to tell everything without blubbing again. At the end of my tale he told us that his officers had gone to the site of the murder and had found the body of the man I had shot as well as enough spent brass to cast a small icon. They had also been called to the site of the car crash by the fire service and have retrieved two bodies from the wreck, as well as an arsenal of weapons that police cars do not normally carry. Much of the ammunition had exploded in the fire so there was not a lot left of the car. They had, however, been able to track the VIN Number to an ex-police car that had been sold at auction in Turin, some months before.
He then told us that the man I shot, as well as the two that Mario had killed on that Sunday, had all been identified as members of a criminal gang from Turin who were known to mix with Russian gangsters. I could sense both of my companions turning that information over in their minds. So that’s who Luigi was mixing with, he had certainly put his foot in some serious shit there. The Commissario thanked us for our assistance and left, along with a van from the morgue carrying poor Ludo and a truck with the bullet-ridden BMW. The Don again thanked me for saving his daughters’ life and placed a kiss on my forehead before he left. When he had left the room, Mario told me that the kiss was one of loyalty and that I was now a part of the family. Not even he had been granted that honour, yet.
Dinner that night was a subdued affair with all of us keeping our thoughts to ourselves. I commented that I had eaten the dish we were having at home and that it tasted different. Francesca said that it was a version of Pappa al Pomodoro and that the Tuscan region made it differently. I realised that it was one of the dishes I could do at home and I said that it was because there was not enough olive oil in this version. She asked me if I could cook and I said that my family had originated in Tuscany and that there were a number of Tuscan meals I was able to cook. She was happy at that and said “I love Tuscan cooking when we go north. I think you may be able to convince the cook to let you produce a few over the next few days. Now, how many more skills are there you have not told me about?” That broke the spell and we were all smiling and feeling much happier by the time the meal ended.
Over the next couple of weeks we stayed close to home. Mario and I took the odd walk in the garden in the evening and were getting on famously; I created some Tuscan dishes that everyone was gracious enough to say they liked, and a new Seven Series was delivered. We had a number of guards about the place but I knew that the tension was starting to weigh on the family. The next time we went to church was to bury Ludo and there was a police team in place as well as our own security which made the priest happy to have a full church.
It all came to a head during the third week. I was in the kitchen working on a Tuscan cake called castagnaccio, a chestnut cake which may, or may not, be accepted by the diners as it was a bit of an acquired taste. I heard a shot which sounded like it came from the study area. I told the cook to stay quiet and then surprised her by drawing one of my two throwing knives from under my skirt. I went to the door and opened it slowly and went towards the front of the house. When I peeped into the hall I saw a man I did not recognise with a silenced pistol at his side. He was keeping watch outside and I crept towards him, knife at the ready. I didn’t make a sound but it may have been my perfume that alerted him as he turned around in perfect time to take my upthrust knife in his throat. By the way it went in I was sure it had reached his brain. He dropped to the floor and I retrieved the knife and his pistol. I looked and saw our usual guard just outside with a hole in his head.
I could hear shouting from the study so went towards the noise. As I got near I peeked around the corner and saw a man standing guard at the door. I checked the pistol in my hand was ready to fire and stepped out in the hallway and shot him in the head, rushing forward to drag him away from the door before he hit the floor. I then quietly pushed the study door open and looked in. The Don was behind his desk and looking very angry, Francesca was on a chair beside him and Mario was on his back with a hole in his chest that bubbled as he breathed. Standing in front of them was the one family member I had not met, the mad and bad Luigi. He was ranting on to his father that he was now in charge and the family was his once the Don had died. He raved how he would have his way with his ‘stuck-up’ sister before he killed her and that she should have been dead already. He shouted that she would have wished she had died by the time he had finished with her.
I stepped into the room and he must have seen me out of the corner of his eye. He swung the pistol towards Francesca and shouted for me to drop the gun or else he would shoot her. I crouched down and put the gun on the floor, then reaching under my skirt I pulled out a knife and threw it as his gun was swinging around to finish me off. The knife took him straight in the throat and he fired the gun. I felt the bullet graze my side and was spun around and fell to the floor myself.
At that, the Don sprang into action, phoning for police and ambulance, while Francesca rushed to me. I told her it was just a graze but the bastard had ruined another dress. I said to look to Mario. She was a little unsure so, as soon as I could, I went and helped her roll Mario onto the side where the wound was so he didn’t fill up his good lung. I retrieved my knife from Luigis’ throat and used it to cut strips from his shirt which we used to stem the blood coming from Mario. I also put a pad against my own side as it was starting to throb. I told the Don that I had killed one outside the room and one by the front door but I didn’t know how many others may be on the grounds. He made another call to the police to tell them to come into the estate as if there may be armed men waiting for them.
It was because of this we had to wait for the police to deal with a couple of thugs at the front gate. We could hear the gunfire and it wasn’t long before their bodies joined those of our own guards on the ground. Soon, the room filled with armed officers and finally the paramedics turned up to see to Mario. It was only after they had stemmed the blood flow and got him out on a stretcher I sat down heavily on the floor and they could see my own blood. I was then treated and found out that it was a bit more than a graze. It seemed that I had both and entry and an exit wound in my side so I joined Mario in the ambulance on a second stretcher. Francesca came with us.
On the way she held my hand and wept. I told her that I was sorry for killing her brother and she told me it was not him that she was weeping for, it was me being hurt. I asked her how Mario was and she said that he seemed to be breathing better after we had rolled him on his side. The doctor who was riding with us told us that we had probably saved his life. At the hospital we were quickly seen to and I went into one operating room while Mario went into another.
I came around to see the Don sitting by my side with my old rosary in his hand. I waited until he got to the end and said ‘Amen’ along with him. His head jerked up and I could see relief in his eyes. He then said “Thank God you are back with us, Adeline, or whatever your name was. You have saved my family too many times for me to have any animosity towards you. Francesca had told me everything and I owe the three of you a debt of gratitude I will never be able to repay.”
I told him I needed only to know that Mario had pulled through and he told me that Mario was doing very well, the bullet had missed his heart. “My son was always a bad shot” he said ruefully “I should have seen him going off the rails a long time ago but was so sure that the blood would come good that I refused to see how bad he was.” He took hold of my hand and I told him I was sorry I had to kill Luigi but he had threatened Francesca with rape, and worse, and that was something I could never allow to happen. He nodded and told me that the police had cleaned up at the house and took away the bodies of the four gang members. He said that Luigi would be buried with all the pomp that the Carlione family required, no matter what he had done, and that the attempted overthrow would be kept quiet so as not to undermine the family influence.
We chatted like old friends for a while before he had to leave. Before he went he said “Adeline, my house is your house as long as you want to stay. Please do not go too quickly as I have come to respect your strong character and unswerving loyalty to me and Francesca.” When he had gone I pressed the call button and a nurse came into the room. I asked her if I was able to be moved so I could go and see Mario so she got a wheelchair and set up my drip. We set off along the corridors until we reached another room, in which Mario lay on a bed, hooked up to more machines that seemed possible. I was able to stand and took his hand, saying “Oh, Mario, if only I had been there for you earlier.” One of his eyes opened and he said, in a whisper “You did get there in time to save my life, again, little one. I hope that you don’t have to do it again.”
Marianne G
Part 5
The nurse took me back to my room where I was put back into bed and given a shot to allow me to sleep. The next day Francesca came to see me and she told me that I was no longer her maid but would now be classed as family, as will Mario when he recovers.
She said that the Don was a changed man who had been shown his own shortcomings and had survived due to the sacrifices of others. She told me that she was being consulted more than before about the business and that she was pushing to promote the legal side of it that created genuine employment for normal people. There would always be the illegal side but she was sure it would reduce over time.
When I was released there was the new car waiting to take me home to my new room down the corridor from Francesca. They were still redecorating the old room that Luigi had so that Mario could move in when he got out of hospital. I was introduced to six new security guys who all greeted me with a respectful bow and kissed my hand. I suppose that having six kills in the service of the Don gave me some standing among the staff, especially as I had killed his son and lived to tell the tale. Down in the kitchen I asked the cook if she had finished the cake we were making and she told me it had been thrown out as she knew that she did not have the skills to get it right without me. We had a hug and we then got started on it again. That afternoon we got the usual raised eyebrows at the first taste and then an ‘interesting’ followed by ‘more please’ so it must have gone well.
Mario came home and moved into the new bedroom and, after a few days for him to settle in we resumed our walks in the garden. I told him that my secret did not survive the operating theatre and that the Don knew everything as well. He said that the Don had told him that I was one of the bravest people he had ever met and that for me to be on his side was far more important than any silly peccadillo in the past. The fact that the peccadillo was orchestrated by Luigi was far more reason for me to be absolved of all blame.
Eventually we had the funeral for Luigi after the police had finalised the case and cleared me of any charges in my protection of the Don. It was a low-key affair and many of the other families only sent a single representative to appease the Don but also to show the depth of disgust at what Luigi had tried to do. I never did find out exactly what it was we were sent to steal but I suspected that it could have been a payment list of high ranking police and government people or, perhaps, a list of bank details.
On one of our walks Mario asked me if was still certain I would not give myself until I married and I laughed and told him I was only trying to deflect him but he said that he took it as the truth and that we would need to be married before I lost my virginity. I asked him if he was serious and he gave me one of those toe-curling kisses that told me he was.
I held on to him and told him that I would love to be his wife but would like to be one who could take him in more than one way. He thought a bit and said that the church would be a lot happier if I was a woman. We discussed it with Francesca and she thought that it would be a wonderful project for her to make me into a genuine woman. She had the contacts to get me all the drugs I needed to start my transition and the journey began that week.
Over the next two months my skin became smoother naturally and my body shape began to define itself into a new outline. Mario and I still had the occasional oral sexual encounter but I was starting to think that he was looking forward to a feminine me more than I was. After three months I was taken back to the hospital to get implants and was now well on the way to the true Adeline. One odd thing that happened during this time was that Francesca and the young surgeon treating me became very friendly. Even after I had come home and had completely healed he made the excuse of my on-going treatment to come to the house to see her. I told her that they made a beautiful couple and one day she gave in to her basic desires and took him up to her room. Coming back down an hour later they both had silly smiles on their faces when they told us that they were now engaged.
He wanted to get married as soon as possible but Francesca put her foot down, saying that she wanted a double wedding and that my part in that was not possible until I was made into a proper wife. Of course, that put the poor man into a frenzy of activity and, within a week, I was being checked over with a view to a full SRS within the next month. True to his word, I was back in hospital the following month for my operation. I was sent to a villa by the sea to convalesce and go through all of the things that one needs to after that surgery.
When I got back to the house there was an air of expectation and even the Don was caught up in it. I think that having the opportunity to give away two daughters in the one wedding touched his sense of grandeur. Of course, everything had to be done with the proper family trappings. The reception was booked at the biggest venue we could find as there was no way that any of the other families would be left off the list. The weddings were to be at the Cathedral in Naples and the weeks up to it were a real eye-opener to me with visits to the dressmaker, and evenings with Francescas’ friends. In all of this, Mario and the surgeon became good friends and spent many an evening having chats over a quiet drink.
Finally the day of the weddings came about. Mario had moved into Naples for a couple of days to get thoroughly drunk with his gay friends. The surgeon had a much more dignified time with his peers. Francesca was taken in to Naples in the family car with the Don beside her and I followed in another Seven Series with one of our guards in attendance. Behind us were two cars with Francescas friends in their bridesmaid dresses. One had volunteered to be my Maid of Honour.
At the Cathedral the Don helped Francesca out of the car and then waited until I had been helped out of mine. We then waited until all of the bridesmaids were in their places before he took the arm of Francesca on his left and me on his right. It must have been quite a sight as we walked into the Cathedral, my retinue behind me and Francescas behind her. Our men were waiting for us at the end of the aisle and we were taken to our places beside them.
The wedding was really beautiful and I had a hard time with tears in my eyes. When Mario was told to lift my veil and kiss me it was hard not to pull him towards me and kiss for ever. I could see that Francesca was in a similar state. At the reception it was amazing, everyone deferred to Francesca as the next head of the family and both Mario and I were given a lot of respect in light of our saving the Don. He, himself was a very happy person and a great time was had by all.
Mario and I left for Brindisi for our honeymoon and Francesca was taken by her husband to Monaco, now that the borders were open again. In Brindisi I gave myself to my man and he revelled in the way we merged, no matter which way we coupled. Back at the house we moved into his room and we started our life as a married couple. When Francesca came home from a much longer honeymoon we became their personal guards. The surgeon was somewhat taken aback by the need of guards but was man enough to realise the reasons for it. He settled into life with the family and still was able to carry out his profession in Naples.
He was home the night the Don had his heart attack and, while doing all he could, was unable to save him. Francesca then became the head of the family but needed us all to help, seeing that she was now four months pregnant. She streamlined the family business and kept it as legal as she could but there was always the undercurrent of illegal activities.
And so we lived our lives in peace and harmony. I do, however, wear my throwing knives under my dress, just in case!
Marianne G 2020