Sophia

"Come" he said and dragged me from there holding my hand. I didn't understand what he meant she didn't come back but something else did. I wonder what happened and why he stopped the story. We reached in our room. Is he not going to tell me further? My question was answered as he opened the closet door and we entered. I still had no clue of what's happening. We went inside to the farthest left of the closet. I never opened that drawer because he generally keeps his bullets and standby guns there. He sat on the floor with his back leaning at the closet wall and I sat in front of him.

He opened the last drawer of the chest and took out a wooden box. I saw how much he was struggling to open it. His hands were shivering and a teardrop fell on the lid. I put my hand on his. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want to babe." I said to him. "No I have to" he said and opened the box and my hands flew to my eyes as I saw a tore down lime green dress drenched in blood. But to my surprise it wasn't the thing that Don took out from the box. It was an audio cassette that he took out with a media player. "This is what came in her place." He said waving the cassette then he set it up in the media player and pressed play. He leaned back to the wall with his knees closer to his chest and head resting at the wall. He closed his eyes as the tape played.

"Brother help me!!!" That's the first thing I heard. It was a scream of a girl. She continued to whimper and cry loudly. I couldn't hear after five minutes it felt like someone is ripping my body parts. My hand went to stop the tape but Don held it before I could press stop. His eyes were still closed. "Listen till the end" he said and left my hand. The tape went on for twenty minutes and she kept on crying, wailing, screaming, shouting the words "NO", "please I beg you", "leave me" calling out for help, for mercy, for her brother. The cries has so much pain it felt like someone was burning. I have never heard such painful screams. It made me feel like a thousand spiders crawling up my skin and I couldn't get rid of them. Thats how scary it was. As she cried out "Brother!" So loudly, my hands instantly reached my ears. I shut my ears with both hands I didn't realize I was crying loudly and I was literally shivering. Then the cries turned to whimpers and whimpers to sobs and the again she said in broken words "Brother please save me" and then there was quite. Nothing. Totally blank.

I couldn't take my hands down. I was still shivering. I felt every cry every scream like I am there, like its me. It shook me to core. I thought the tape is over but it wasn't. There was laughter. A man laughing. Seems drunk yet maniac laughter.

"Heard that Caprio? That was me banging the life out of your sister. And I stick to my words "nice rack nice ass. Now I shouldn't take the credit alone. I mean my whole cartel took the pleasure. All 22 of us. I mean how can I leave my men deprived of such ripe cherry. You should join us too. We are here at the warehouse. Hey girly why don't you call out for your brother. Hey! Hey! Wake up! Well I guess I literally banged the life out of her. Oopsie. Well if any consolation she screamed for you while getting fucked. Anyways see you around, toodles" that man said with click of his tongue and the tape ended.

I can't believe what I just heard. How can someone be this degenerate? Do these people do not have any souls. 22 men raped a 16 year old girl and not one had the humanity to stop. "The monster who burned 21 people alive just to gain some power" I remembered Chuck's words. Damon wasn't the monster who burned 21 people alive. He burned 21 soulless ghouls.

He opened his eyes and I literally have nothing to ease his pain. He picked up that torn blood stained dress. "This was all that was left of her when I reached the warehouse. I saw her tied up on an old table with this on and with no part of her body that was not bleeding. There she laid lifeless with her eyes open and tears were dried at her cheeks. 22 men raped my sister and she died yet they didn't stop. He didn't even realize that she was dead already."

"I untied her and put my jacket on her. I picked her in my arms and brought her home. There in the gardens. The spot which she loved. I took her there. I kept her in my arms like she used to sleep when she was younger." Ric and Dad came as they got the news. Ric's anger was beyond control and Dad was silent looking at her. Dad left for his room and-and never came out. "I don't understand " I asked him. "Dad died of heart attack that night" I can't believe they lost their sister and dad on the same day.

"It was their funeral. The whole mafia came because dad holds quite the important position in Giovanni's cartel Russo came too. Ric was about to punch him when I stopped. "Lasciami fratello, lo ucciderò cazzo " Ric said trying to struggle out of my hold. [Leave me brother, I will fucking kill him ]

"Non farai niente. Capisci?" [You will not do anything. Do you understand?"] I told him in warning. "But brother, how can you let him go?" He asked in irritation. "Ricardo" my voice was stern enough to quiet him. "Listen to your brother junior or he will be left alone to give three eulogy." Russo said with a smirk and left. "You made good decision Caprio. I know what happened shouldn't have happened but sometimes fun go out of control. You are young blood yourself, you understand how you couldnt control sometimes. Moreover he is the Don that's how it goes. I am sorry about your father. He was a great man and I really looked up to him" Giovanni said and I nodded. We burried them in our family crypt in Rome. With our mom and grandparents.

Ric and Enzo both were angry with me because I let them go at the funeral. "How could you let them leave unscathed?" Enzo's voice bellowed as we reach home. I didn't reply to him instead I took Alysia to the living room and sat her on the couch. I sat with her "Alysia, you okay sugar?" I asked her. She was quite the whole trip to Rome and back. I have heard her sniffles when she pretended to sleep. As I asked she broke into tears as she hugged me tightly. She lost everyone that was close to her. Her mom, my mom and now Laeila even my Dad. She too lost her whole family and at what age she was just thirteen. She was so young to deal with this. She didn't even know what happened to Laeila how she died and I couldn't answer her questions. Her cries made Enzo to mellow down and he understood that this is not the time. Ric too sat near Alysia and held her. "Rose" I called for Rose. "Si Signore" "Voglio che tu la porti a casa tua per qualche giorno". [ I want you to take her home for a few days] I told Rose to take Alysia back to their home for a while. "No!" Alysia kind of scream on listening this. " I don't want to go Signore please I want to stay here. This is my home" she said between her sobs. "Is it no longer my home?" I can't believe she took that out of what I said "Yes, yes Sugar this is your home. This will always be your home Alysia. You are our family and will always be. Don't ever say that ok". I kissed her forehead "Then why do you want me to go? I know you think because I am not old enough so I will be a lot to handle but I won't be a problem. I promise. Please Fratello let me live here." I took her in my lap and cradled her "How could you even think that sugar. You are our little sister. This will always be your home kiddo. Don't think like that. But this is important right now. It will be better for you if you live with your nanna and pops right now kiddo." I tried to explain her how serious it is for her to leave. "But if I will go and Nanna will go the who will take care of you and Fratello Ricardo. I want to stay. I will take care of you both like Elif mamma" I looked at Ric and we kind of laughed. She is so young and she is thinking about taking care of us. I kissed her forehead and said "and you will kiddo. But right now it will be safer for you and for your nanna too. Right now you take care of your nanna and pops and I promise you I will bring you back very soon and then you can take care of us, huh." I tried to explain her that I can't risk her life right now. "Promise?" "Yes Sugar I promise". "We promise" Ric said. She kind of jumped hugging him. "Thank you. I will wait for you" she said as she broke her hug and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled at her she was so little and so innocent. She reminded me of Laeila so much. I know how much she wanted to stay. I wanted her to stay too but it was safer this way. I know what's coming and she is my weakness. She needs to be kept safe and hidden. I gave Rose money and keys to our barn. I asked Enzo to dropped them off themselves so that they can reach there safely.

I know Ric had thousands questions but I didn't have response for him. So I sent him to his room before he could ask. I know he is angry at me for stopping him at the funeral but it was my father's and sister's funeral. How can I let it ruin their peace? It wouldn't be right. But that doesn't mean they will get away with what they did. Russo wrote the darkness in his fate himself when he touched my sister.

Ric came to me in the study that night when I was drinking and listening to this tape. "What are you doing here kiddo? Go sleep and start school from tomorrow" I told him. "Are you kidding me?" He said as he hit pause to the tape. "Tell me you are not letting him go. Brother will you forgive him. You brought Laeila yourself. You saw her condition, still-" "When did I say I will let him go" I interrupted him. "Then why are you asking me to resume school when we should be out there killing him" he said irritated, annoyed. I know what he must be going through. He is way younger than me and he is going through the same pain. How difficult it would be for him to take it. "And he will be killed but you need to build your future so you will go back to school and get graduated" "I am not going. I will kill him" he said banging the table. I pulled him with his collar "No you will not kill him. I WILL KILL HIM. You will have a safe and happy life with the girl you choose. A proper career which will not include Mafia. Do you understand me? So go back to your room and prepare to join school back." I left his collar and I saw his tears. I hugged him "I promise you buddy I will avenge every tear Laeila has cried I will crush them. Crush them all. Those who hurt her, those who supported those monsters, those who had fun watching her suffer. Those who killed her. I will crush them all. Everyone last one of them." I not only promised him, I promised myself, I promised my parents and I promised Laeila. "I want to avenge her with you. She was my sister too, you can't take that from me." He said to me. I know he is right he deserve to fight for his sister too but he was just sixteen and I tried so much to keep him away from this darkness, this violence, now I am not dragging him in this. "No kiddo you won't. There is no way you are getting into this mess" I said to him and sat back on my desk with my drink. "Why, she was my sister too." He retorted "But this is my failure. My fault." I told him gulping my drink and refilled it. "Why you said so?" He said as he came closer to me "I am the reason Russo laid eyes on her. I should have killed him that day when he commented on her. And I am not letting you get trapped in this dark world. You are all I got bud. And no one in this fucking world is going to hurt my brother. So kiddo go and live your life, your girl must be missing you, huh" I said winking. He got shocked and just couldn't say anything when I mentioned Caprice. "You really think I am that stupid that I don't know where my baby brother is spending his weekends" I said stroking his hair. "Its getting late, go sleep kiddo" he nodded and left. "Play the tape Ric" I said as he was leaving. "But why are you listening this brother? How can yo-" "Just play it" I cut him off. He played and left.

All of a sudden the door opened of our room and Ricardo barged in the closet since the door was ajar so he could see that we are inside. We looked at him but he didn't come inside. He stood at the door. I could see him shiver and his eyes were filled with anger and tears too. "I heard the tape. I-I am sorry, I will just go. I-". He said and started to leave. I looked at Don he didn't make a move. What would he say, anyway?

"Ric wait" I said and got up and moved towards him slowly. I reached him and I hugged him. "I am sorry Ric. I am so sorry that you have to go through this." We stood still for a moment and then he cried hard. We both cried. I don't have anything to say to console him. What to say to a 16year old boy who had seen his 16year old sister in such tattered condition. I can't believe how they have move past that. How much strength he had pulled together to be the Ricardo I know. I didn't even know that girl and I couldn't take it, so how they would have taken it and still taking it.

"I will leave you both to talk" Ric said breaking the hug. "We don't need to talk it out now. You can stay. We can talk." I said thinking its not better to leave him alone at the moment. "No, No its ok. I will just leave." He said moving towards the door. "Sister in law" he called me as he reached out room's door.

"Yeah Ric" I said reaching to him. "Thank you." He said with half a smile and hugged me again. "Be with him Sophia. He needs you right now more than ever. Its not his fault. He has punished himself enough for this. Take care of my brother" he whispered to me. I nodded and said "I will." He gave me a smile as he patted my head a little and left.