"Don’t worry. Knowing you, what they are going to see here will be enough," he said simply and looked at Inéz. Curiosity flashed in his eyes. "You’re still standing. Haven’t had the desire to throw up or cry yet?"
It was clear that Flavio had been expecting precisely that. And Inéz should play her part, be the meek, terrified girl and hide her demons. But that wasn’t something that had occurred to her when she’d seen the bodies. She lowered her head unsure of how to answer the question. Whether she even should at all. She heard Noah’s growl. It was aimed at his younger brother.
Next thing they knew the man opened the door with one easy shove and entered the room without hesitation.
There were three people inside. One of them was Falcone’s soldier, Cristian, who Inéz easily recognized from today. He was standing by the wall, two knives clutched in his hands. He looked almost too eager to use them. But he kept his posture, nodding his head at the boss when he came in. Besides him, there was a young girl sitting on the chair and an older man beside her. Both of them were tied up and a little beaten-up. The man much more so than the girl.
Noah’s lips twisted in a sinister smile.
"I would say that it’s nice to see you again, Cesarino. But judging by the show you have put on upstairs that would be a terrible lie," he said, darkness flashing in his voice.
His calmness was almost terrifying.
The man, that Noah had called Cesarino, looked shaken upon seeing the Capo. As if he hadn’t expected him to show up in person.
"This is Cesarino Costello," began explaining Falcone. "He is a soldier for the New York Famiglia. Not so important for his Capo apparently, since he sent him here. What was it you were looking for? Trouble? Or perhaps something else?"
He pulled out his knife, the man’s eyes widening in pure terror. He must have witnessed what Noah could do with such weapon, and knew it was just about to happen to him. He pursed his lips, showing that there was nothing that would make him talk. He swallowed his fear and thought of omertà.
Noah looked pleased with Cesarino’s behavior. He liked games and this one had the potential to be a good one. He went behind the man, cutting him free. Inéz instantly backed towards the boys, knowing that this would end badly. She just wasn’t sure for who exactly.
Before the man was able to take a single step, Noah kicked him to the floor and tackled his body as if it was the easiest thing to do. He was taller and stronger than Cesarino. Capo took one of his arms and forcibly stretched it out. At this moment, Flavio appeared near his brother and stepped on the man’s arm to stop it from moving.
The girl sitting on the chair screamed, seeing the blade closing in, turning her head as to not watch what was coming.
Noah looked back at her curiously then stopped, clearly thinking about something. Realization burned in his eyes.
"So you thought you could distract everyone’s attention with your daughter? How sick are you to take her on a mission?" he spat out.
"She’s not my daughter. She’s just a whore."
Falcone knew better than to take his words literally. He was certain that the girl was his daughter. She simply must have angered him tremendously. His eyes held no feelings towards her. She was no-one to him for some reason, and it made Noah curious. He wanted to see how far this hate went.
"Really? So you won’t mind if I get to know her better before taking care of you, right?"
He pushed back, getting up at once. Flavio yanked Cesarino up by the collar and shoved him to the chair once again, keeping a close eye on him, but not tying him up again. The man looked at Inéz instead of worrying about his own daughter.
It made the brunette sick to the stomach, seeing his filthy desire, but she glared right back, not wanting to show any weakness. The staring contest was hers to win.
"Pretty face like that shouldn’t see you screwing the whore. Unless she’s next in line."
Inéz thought that Cesarino had a death wish speaking to Noah like that. There was nothing left of the fear towards the Capo. He’d apparently made peace with death rather quickly.
Noah rose, stabbing the man in the leg, pushing the jagged edge of the blade until the tip of the knife’s handle hit the skin. A piercing scream cut through the room. Agony shone, but Noah still wasn’t satisfied. He twisted the knife, dragging it lower until it reached the man’s knee, a trail of crimson in the blade’s wake.
"Is there something else you want to add?" Noah asked but heard nothing in return. He smirked, seeing the pain Cesarino was in. "Now, let’s go back to your daughter, shall we?"
He viciously pulled out the knife, earning a pitiful, weak whimper in return. He squatted in front of the girl. She had long light brown hair and big puppy eyes pointed at Falcone. It didn’t do anything for him. There were no emotions stirring deep within him in spite of her begging. And she did beg like never before, like her life depended on it. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He slid the same blood-soaked knife down her cheek, her father’s still warm life-giving liquid leaving a thin trail, but he didn’t push hard enough to pierce the skin. Not yet anyway.
"What’s your name, sweetheart?" he asked.
The girl shook her head, looking down, only succeeding to annoy Noah even more. He placed the knife under her chin and lifted it so she would look him in the eyes.
"Anastasia," she finally sobbed out.
She was frightened to no end and it made Inéz want to take her far away from the Falcone brothers. Protect her somehow. The whole
