– CHAPTER 8 –
Captured
True to her word, Natalia had not wasted any time in sending her men after her sad excuse for a husband and his oafish friend. However, she hadn't ordered a full-blown attack right away. Rather, she had sent a small group of men first, almost like a way to test the waters. She had figured that even six men would be enough to handle those two traitors, especially since one them was injured and a cowardly weakling.
She wasn't impressed at all when her men returned defeated. In fact, she almost killed them for their incompetence. Moreover, it seemed she had underestimated that coward's ability to run for his life – after all, that was a coward's speciality, was it not?
However, as soon as her spies informed her that Vargas was heading to the city of Terraverde, all by himself, Natalia was thrilled. This was her chance. She sent word for her men to capture him and bring him back to her. This time he wouldn't be so lucky.
She spent the time that took for them to go to Terraverde and return again planning how she would carry out her torturous revenge, devising all the ways to make him suffer, picking torture devices... She only hoped he would survive long enough for her to try every one of those on him.
"Milady, Mr. Vargas awaits you," announced her butler.
"Excellent!" she said, pleased with their efficiency, which certainly redeemed their early failure. That had been much faster than she had expected. Why, she hadn't even had time to decide how she should put an end to that man's miserable life once she got tired of torturing him. Oh, well, she was sure she would come up with something when the time came, anyway.
"He was quite careless, Milady," said the servant as she accompanied him. "I heard he was wandering aimlessly around the city, barely paying attention to where he was going, and when he saw your men closing in on him, he was so terrified that he didn't even put up a fight or try to escape."
"That's Vargas, all right. He's all bark and no bite," she said, feeling smug. She entered the room where Vargas was being held and tried to keep her face bare of any expression, but it was hard to hold back a predatory grin. "Mr. Vargas," she purred. "What a pleasure to see you again."
Her husband visibly gulped, his face pale and his whole body shaking, just like he had been when she had been about to pull the trigger to end his life once and for all. He hadn't changed at all.
"Wh-what—what are you g-going to do to—to m-me?" he stammered, his voice high-pitched from terror and his eyes darting back and forth between Natalia and the men around him.
"Do you really need to ask, Mr. Vargas? It is as I told you from the beginning. I am going to make you pay for what you did to me and my family." She pulled her trusty old knife out from her sleeve and stroked the blade, licking her lips. "I want to make you scream."
"Oh, God! Oh, God, no! No, no, please, I'm not into that kind of thing! That's sinful! Sinful, I say! Please don't hurt me! I can't stand pain! Oh, God, please don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Anything!" he begged in tears. Natalia was disappointed; she hadn't even done anything yet and already he had been reduced to a sobbing mess.
"I didn't think it was possible, Vargas, but you've become even more pathetic than before!" she spat.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please forgive me! Whatever it is I did to you, I'm soooorryyyyyyy! I didn't mean to!"
Natalia had wanted him to scream, yes, but this was getting ridiculous. And annoying beyond all reason.
"For God's sake, shut up!" she yelled. "And don't apologise when you don't mean it, you bastard! Not that I would show you any mercy even if your apologies were sincere!"
She had stomped closer to him to beat him into silence if needed be, but she froze in her tracks when she finally took a good look at his face for the first time since she entered this room. Now that she could see him from this up-close, she thought there was something decidedly different about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that he looked all... wrong.
"Vargas?" she tried.
He looked up, almost hopefully. "Y-yes?"
She narrowed her eyes and brought her face just a few inches from him, which made him quiver a little more again. He offered her a tentative, gentle smile, like he had always done when he had been trying to get on her good side before their marriage. Though, on second thought, the smile also looked a little different. A little more sincere, maybe, or more boyish. That semi-permanent frown was also suspiciously absent from his brows, and it just occurred to her that he had yet to utter a single curse.
With a low growl, she grabbed his chin with her claw-like fingers, making him yelp in alarm, and turned his head this way and that, then raised his chin a little so she could look at him straight in the eyes. She wasn't sure, for it could be easily be a trick of the light, but she thought they looked the wrong shade. She suddenly slammed her hand on his right shoulder. He flinched at the motion, but she could tell it had been more out of surprise than out of any lingering pain.
"You are not Vargas," she stated, sinking her nails into his shoulder.
"B-but I am! Please, don't hurt me, I swear I'm me!" he cried.
"You—when you were apologising, you said, 'whatever it is I did to you'! You don't even know why you're here, do you?"
"W-well," he sniffled, "I assumed it was because you and I were in a relationship at some point and then you caught me with another girl. Or something like that."
Natalia hesitated. In a way, that was why he had been brought here. Was he her husband after all?
He then opened his mouth again and removed all doubt:
"But I'm really sorry to say I don't remember you at all. I-I'm sorry! There are just so many girls, you know! I can't keep track of everyone I meet! And—and—I didn't want to offend you. I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" he began to sob again, his fingers clutching her sleeve pleadingly. She huffily tore it away from him.
"You are not my husband! You are not Lovino Vargas!" she shouted.
"Lovino?" The impostor's face lit up. "Th-that would be my brother! Wow, so you're Lovino's wife? He never told me he was married! Aww, I can't believe I missed his wedding!"
"Your brother?" she growled.
"Yes, my twin brother, although we don't look that alike," he said, rather happily, until his gaze fell on the blade in her hand again. "Um, ma'am, can you please point that thing the other way? You're looking sort of pretty scary right now!"
Ignoring him, she turned her wrathful glare on the men responsible for capturing her husband. "You caught the wrong person, you idiots!"
"Um, no offence, but... I'd think that Lovino's wife, at the very least, would be able to tell him apart from his brother!" Vargas' twin pointed out. "I mean, it's not like we're identical!" he added with a little giggle, which was cut off short when she backhanded him. He whimpered, nursing his cheek. "You know, I'd never have imagined that Lovino was into girls like you. I mean, you're pretty and all, but you're not very sweet," he lamented.
"God, you really don't know when to shut up, do you?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"
"I'm not going to kill you." Yet, she added mentally. She had to resist the urge to disprove her words as soon as they were out. "You may be stupid and annoying and not Lovino Vargas, but you can still be of some use to me."
"H-how?"
"I will make you my hostage to bait your brother."
The other Vargas heaved a sad sigh. "Why do you have a grudge against my brother?"
"That's none of your business," she hissed.
"Well, never mind. I can tell you that that plan of yours to bait him by holding me hostage is not going to work, for two simple reasons."
"Oh?"
"Firstly, there's Ludwig. He's my best friend as well as my bodyguard. He will come to rescue me as soon as he learns that I've been kidnapped."
Natalia scoffed. "I have a whole army at my disposal. You think one man is going to get even past the front gate?"
"And then there's the second reason," he went on, ignoring what she had just said. He sighed again, looking quite depressed. "My brother hates me. He wouldn't care that I'm being held hostage. Actually, he'd probably think it's great that I've been mistaken for him."
"You have failed to convince me, Mr. Vargas."
"No, really, I'm serious! He hates me! We finally saw each other after nearly fifteen years apart and he said he hates me! He said he doesn't want to see me ever again! He'll be happy when he hears I'm your hostage!"
"We'll see about that." She nodded at her men. "Tie him up, and don't take your eyes off him for a moment. If he's anything like his brother, he'll do anything to escape and run for his life."
oOo
Since Ludwig, Antonio, and Bella managed to get horses so quickly, they actually arrived in Terraverde soon enough. Although Antonio was reasonably certain that this was Lovino's destination, they had no idea how long he planned to stay here or where exactly he would be. This was a very big city, and if Lovino found them before they found him, it was quite possible he would do his best to avoid them, making their search even more difficult.
"First things first," Ludwig told them. "We should take a rest and get some money, just in case we need it in the future. Also, weapons. This city is very dangerous, so it is necessary to—Hey, are you two listening to me?" he suddenly yelled when he noticed that his two companions were gaping at their surroundings in awe.
"It's so beautiful!" said Bella.
"It's like heaven!" said Antonio.
"How can such a beautiful place be dangerous?"
"You two!" Ludwig thundered. "Stop acting like tourists and pay attention to what I'm saying! Don't let the beauty of this city fool you. This city is very dangerous! Do you understand? Stay close to me. Pay attention to where you are going. Do not let any stranger approach you. Let me know if you see anything suspicious. If someone bumps into you, don't let them get away, even if they apologise and act innocent. Never lower your guard. Understood?"
"Y-yes, sir!" the couple replied, more scared of Ludwig than of the criminals in this city.
"Good!" Satisfied, Ludwig proceeded to lead them to his master's manor.
Truth be told, Ludwig was a little nervous, almost reluctant to go home. He could only hope his master wasn't home. Ludwig had promised him that he would only return with his master's brother, and seeing him again at this point would mean he had failed in his mission.
"Mr. Ludwig, welcome back! Oh, I see you have brought guests. Good morning, sir, miss," one of the maids greeted them upon their arrival at the manor. "Mr. Ludwig, some gentlemen were here a few hours ago looking for you."
"Looking for me?" Ludwig was taken aback. "Not for Lord Vargas?"
"Lord Vargas?" Antonio repeated under his breath in confusion. Ludwig ignored him for the moment.
"No, they said they were looking for you. Lord Vargas left earlier today for a stroll and hasn't come back since."
"He went out on his own? Please tell me he at least took some kind of weapon with him..."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ludwig," said the maid, shaking her head. "I tried to tell him it wasn't safe to go out without protection, but he insisted he would be fine."
Ludwig massaged the bridge of his nose, already feeling a headache coming on. It was a feeling he had become well acquainted with ever since he had first met his master.
"That—that idiot! I've told him a million times—" he broke off with a cough to regain his composure. "Well, at any rate, who were those men looking for me and what did they want?"
"They had a request for you." She handed him a neatly sealed envelope. "They said you must deliver this letter to Mr. Lovino Vargas urgently. Lovino Vargas... Isn't that the Master's brother he keeps talking about?"
"I knew it!" Antonio burst out and pointed at Ludwig. "Your master—Is his name Feliciano? Feliciano Vargas?"
Ludwig sighed. "I suppose it is pointless to keep it a secret any longer. You are, of course, correct."
"No way!" exclaimed Antonio, awestruck and looking at Ludwig as if seeing him for the first time. "Feliciano is your master? Last time I heard from him, he'd been working as a servant to some rich foreign guy! How did he get so rich himself?"
"That is not my story to tell," said Ludwig in clipped tones. He looked down at the letter in his hands, wondering what was written in it. His moral code absolutely prevented him from even considering opening it. It wouldn't be right, since this letter was not addressed to him. He needed to find his master's nuisance of a brother again and deliver it to him. Urgently, it seemed. Could it be more urgent than making sure his master was all right, though?
"I wonder what that letter says," murmured Bella, eyeing it with both curiosity and concern. "Didn't those gentleman say what it is about?"
"No, miss," answered the maid. "They only said it had to be delivered as quickly as possible. A matter of life and death, they said."
"I don't like the sound of that," said Antonio, now quite worried as well. "We should find Lovino so we can know what this is all about soon. We were supposed to be looking for him, anyway. I'm sure he's somewhere in this city."
"But it could take us a very long time to find him," Bella pointed out.
"Well, the longer we stay here doing nothing, the longer it will take us to find him! Let's go, Ludwig!"
"Very well," said Ludwig, carefully putting the letter into a pocket. "I'll just get my weapons and the money and then we'll go after him."
oOo
It took them much less time than they could have ever hoped to get a clue about Lovino's whereabouts. They had a few good guesses, but the answer became clear when they reached the main square and Ludwig happened to meet an acquaintance, an old artist who spent most of his time at this square watching the people and painting them when he found inspiration.
"Ah, Ludwig, you look like you're looking for someone. Lord Vargas, is it? I saw him around here earlier today."
"Really?" Ludwig looked at him anxiously. "Was he alone? Was he all right?"
"Yes, he was alone. I couldn't see him too well – he was a little far away, you see – but he looked all right to me. Why? Has something happened?"
"I'm... not sure," Ludwig sighed.
"Hmm. I wonder what he's playing at. He was wearing some really strange clothes."
Ludwig felt a knot of dread in his stomach. It wasn't unusual for his master to wear strange clothes, and therein lay the problem. Feliciano Vargas was, first and foremost, an artist, and true to an artist's heart, he could be quite eccentric and would often experiment parading around the city wearing strange clothes or, even worse, nothing at all. If it weren't for the fact that he was otherwise a very friendly and well-liked figure, Ludwig was sure his master would have already been kicked out from this city.
"Well, he was wearing some really ugly peasant clothes. Not stylish at all, I say. He always showed so much concern over his wardrobe, one would think he wouldn't want to be caught dead in those clothes..."
"Peasant clothes..." whispered Bella. "D'you think it could be...?"
"Lovino Vargas," said Ludwig, with a nod. "It could be. Either way, it was one of the two Vargases. Where did he go?" he asked the artist.
"Well, he seemed to be heading towards the cathedral. But that was hours ago. I haven't seen him ever since."
"Lovino would go to the cathedral," remarked Antonio. "He's still on the run, after all. It's probably the safest place for him."
They thanked the artist for his help and hurried to the cathedral, Ludwig leading the way.
The cathedral was relatively empty at this time of the day, so they assumed it would be easy to spot Lovino. However, after splitting up and searching the entire ground floor, they had to admit that either Lovino was better at hiding himself than they'd thought, or he was not here at all. Eventually, they decided to ask the priest for help.
"Ah, so that young man is Feliciano's brother?" mused the priest after Ludwig described Lovino and mentioned his relation to his master. "I admit that when I was talking to him, for a moment I thought Feliciano must have hit his head. I never knew he had a brother, let alone one who looked exactly like him. His brother did not mention anything about it, either."
"Where can we find him, Father?" Ludwig asked. "We have a very urgent message for him."
"Ah... He did make it quite clear that he did not wish to see anyone who came here looking for him. Perhaps I can relay the message for him in your stead?"
"He didn't mean us," said Antonio, with his customary grin, even though it was quite possible that both he and Bella were included in Lovino's list of people he did not wish to see. "We're his friends! We came to help him."
The priest was a bit reluctant to go against Lovino's wishes, but he knew that Ludwig, at the very least, was a good, honest man. He decided that there couldn't possibly be any harm in letting him see Lovino, especially if he was only supposed to deliver an important message.
Fortunately, Lovino was still in the cathedral, upstairs. The group followed the priest's directions to the exact location. As they ascended the stairs, they began to hear a distant, singing voice.
"I wonder who's singing," whispered Bella. "I can't make out the words, but the melody sounds so sad and beautiful."
"I think I have an idea," Antonio whispered back, with a secretive smile, but did not elaborate.
The voice gradually became louder and clearer. The lyrics were words of prayer and spoke of regret and hope. The words weren't really important, though. Anyone could have sung this same song and it wouldn't have made much difference. What mattered in fact was the sentiment put into every word by the singer. Each note carried such feeling that even the normally stoic Ludwig found himself touched by them.
Sad and beautiful, that was how Bella had described it, and he could see now it was a perfect description. The singer sang not with his mouth, but with his soul. His voice swirled in the air around them and caressed their ears, echoed in their hearts and spread through their entire beings, baring their souls and making them lose themselves in the waves of music.
The trio stood before the door that separated them from the singer. Antonio held his finger before his curved lips in a request for silence and slowly, very slowly, opened the door just wide enough for them to peek in, taking great care not to make a noise.
Ludwig shouldn't have been surprised to see who the singer was, given that this was where the priest had directed them to, but it still came as a huge shock to him. Never in a million years would he have imagined that such a beautiful voice, so full of tender feelings, could belong to the foul-mouthed, bad-tempered Lovino Vargas. If Ludwig hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it at all.
His expression only made the scene even more incongruous. Even though he was facing the door, he did not notice their arrival, for he had his eyes closed, completely lost in his music. For a bizarre moment, Ludwig almost wondered if this was really Feliciano, because Lovino had certainly never looked like that. Gone was his omnipresent scowl, his features softened into an expression of melancholy that fitted the melody and the lyrics perfectly.
The urgency of the message was forgotten in favour of this wonderful display. All too soon, however, the notes trailed off into silence as the song reached its end and Lovino's eyes fluttered open. He immediately jumped three feet in the air, his overly loud, ungracious scream sounding like scraped metal to ears that had got too used to that smooth, velvety tenor voice from seconds before.
"What the hell are you doing here? Shit, you almost scared me to death, you bastards! How long have you been standing there? God damn it!" he yelled, panting and clutching at his chest.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you," said Antonio, with an easy grin. "We just couldn't help listening to your lovely singing."
"Lovino, that was so beautiful and touching!" said Bella, looking like she was about to swoon. "I never did get the chance to hear you sing at the choir!"
Lovino's entire face turned a bright red. One could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.
"I thought I was alone, damn it! You had no right to—to eavesdrop on me!"
"Aww, don't be shy!" said Antonio. "You did great—"
"Shut up! Why the hell are you here, anyway? Go away! I don't want to see you! Any of you!"
Antonio stepped closer, the smile still present but now quite anxious.
"Lovino, please listen to me! I want to apologise for what happened in Pontebianco. It was all a misunderstanding, you see! Let me explain—"
"No!" Lovino cut him off, holding out a hand in a stopping motion and making sure to keep the distance between. "I don't care what you have to say! I don't want to hear it! I just want to be left alone! God, is that really too much to ask for?"
Both Antonio and Bella lowered their heads sadly and did not try to approach him again, knowing that it would only upset Lovino further. Ludwig took a moment to watch this scene in contempt. There was the Lovino Vargas he knew... He was still barely able to believe that this same person had just sung the most heart-warming song Ludwig had ever heard. In fact, he still could barely believe that this—this jerk was his master's twin brother. They might look identical in appearance, but their personalities were as different as night and day. Why had Feliciano wanted to meet him again? If Ludwig were in his shoes, he would have been thrilled to be away from a brother like that.
Thinking about Feliciano reminded him that he had no time for this nonsense. He still needed to make sure that his vulnerable, inept, gullible master was all right, and the sooner he was done with this task, the sooner he could start looking for him.
"Mr. Vargas, I was requested to deliver this letter to you urgently. Just take it and I will gladly leave you alone if my presence is no longer required."
Lovino paused at the sight of the envelope that that been thrust in his direction, his brow knitting in confusion and wariness. With a brief dirty glare at Ludwig, he rudely snatched it from his hand and tore it open, his eyes quickly scanning the text. Ludwig noticed that there was something scrawled on the backside of the letter, but he could not see it clearly, so he went back to watching Lovino's expression, hoping to get a clue about the contents of this mysterious letter. The man's frown deepened and he looked even more confused than before. Once he was done reading, he read it again and again, then turned it over to read the strange scrawl on the backside. Then, he scoffed, half-crumpled the letter with one hand, and threw it in Ludwig's direction.
"This is for you," was all he said, sounding almost bored.
Now Ludwig was even more intrigued. For him? Wasn't the message meant for Lovino? Having caught the letter in his hands, Ludwig smoothed it out and read it. Antonio and Bella, no longer able to contain their curiosity, leant close on each of his side to read it as well.
Mr. Lovino Vargas,
We have your brother. If you do not surrender, he will
suffer as if he were the one who committed an offence
against this family, and then you will suffer a much
worse punishment.
If you know what is good for you and your brother,
you will do exactly as you are told and come "home".
Otherwise, you will be only delaying the unavoidable
and digging your own grave deeper and deeper.
I trust you will make the right decision.
Cordially yours,
N.R.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Ludwig wondered out loud and turned the letter over to read the scrawl. Although the handwriting was grotesquely oversized and shaky, he could still recognise it. Without a doubt, it belonged to his master. It read:
Dear Ludwig,
HEEEEEELP
MEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEE!
Love,
Feliciano Vargas
"That idiot," Ludwig muttered. This was what happened when Feliciano went out without any protection at all. Ludwig should have never left him alone; he should have tried harder to convince him that someone else could be entrusted with the job of finding his long-lost twin.
Ludwig turned to glare at said long-lost twin. Somehow, this was all his fault. Because of him Ludwig had been forced to leave Feliciano's side, and now it seemed that Feliciano had been kidnapped because someone had a grudge against Lovino.
"But, Lovino, you can't just surrender!" said a frantic Antonio.
"As if the thought had even occurred to me, idiot!" snapped Lovino.
"What are we going to do, then?" Bella asked, her eyes darting between her two friends. "We can't just leave poor Feliciano at the mercy of that awful woman! She'll kill him!"
"Of course we won't just leave him to that fate," Antonio reassured her. "We're going to rescue him. Right, Ludwig?"
"Naturally," said Ludwig, calmly folding the letter. He didn't feel as calm as he appeared to be, but in these kinds of situations, it was important not to let panic take over so that one could think straight and come up with an appropriate solution. "I am his bodyguard, after all." In reality, babysitter or nanny might have been more accurate terms, but they didn't need to know that.
"Oh, can I come with you?" asked Bella eagerly.
"Of course not! It's too dangerous!" said Antonio. "You've already risked your life too much. You'd better stay here."
"But I want to help!"
"I won't be able to concentrate on saving Feliciano if I'm worried about making sure you'll be all right. I'd feel much more at ease knowing that you're safe here."
"I won't be a burden to you! I can take care of myself!"
"If I may voice my opinion?" interjected Ludwig. "Miss, please be reasonable. This is too dangerous for a lady. There is nothing you could do, anyway. The three of us should be able to handle the situation."
"'The three of us?'" Lovino yelled. "Who said you could count on me to take part in this ridiculous plan of yours?"
"What are you saying, Lovino?" Antonio gave him a scandalized look. "He's your brother! Are you really just going to let Natalia torture him to death? Think about what you're saying!"
"You think about what you're saying! You're all out of your fucking minds if you think we stand a snowball's chance in hell! It doesn't matter if we're three or four or even ten, we'll still be severely outnumbered! This is a suicidal mission!"
"So you're just going to give up without even trying? You're really going to abandon your own brother and leave him to die for a mistake you made? Or do you have a better idea?"
Lovino looked like he wanted to say something, but for some reason, for once, he held his tongue and just glared daggers at Antonio, who was looking more unimpressed by the minute. After the staring contest between them went on for another minute, Antonio's features finally softened again into sympathy.
"Look, I understand that you're scared. You have good reasons to be. You—you don't have to come with us. Come to think of it, it'd be the same as if Bella came along. I'd worry and you wouldn't be able too—"
"God damn it, Antonio, I'm not completely useless!" Lovino shouted, his eyes suddenly a little too bright. "I just think that going against the Russo family head-first just to save that little idiot is a stupid, harebrained idea! So don't fucking count me in!"
A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Ludwig as to why Feliciano addressed him in a message that had only been intended for Lovino to read, sparing not a single word for his brother. Feliciano must have known from the beginning, somehow, that Lovino would do nothing to help him. And he had been absolutely correct in his assumption!
Ludwig was disgusted. He also had a brother. Well, an adopted older brother, which was close enough. They didn't always get along well. Like the Vargas twins, their personalities were just too mismatched. Ludwig despised his brother most of the time for being so wild and irresponsible, and his brother could barely stand Ludwig's tendency to take things seriously, often calling him a stick-in-the-mud. But one thing could be said about his brother; whenever Ludwig was in serious danger, he would do anything in his power to help him, even if it meant risking his own life. They weren't even blood brothers and he would do that much, yet Lovino couldn't bring himself to even consider doing the same for his own twin.
"As long as you don't get in my way, I don't care what you do," Ludwig told him curtly before addressing the other two, "Miss, please allow me to accompany you to my master's manor. Antonio, let's go."
"Oh... okay," said Bella forlornly.
Antonio lingered back for a while, looking at Lovino as if expecting him to change his mind, but Lovino pointedly avoided everyone's eyes. With a sad sigh, Antonio followed after Ludwig and Bella, quietly closing the door behind him.
oOo
Once Antonio, Bella, and Ludwig left him alone, Lovino dropped his mask of stubborn nonchalance and almost collapsed in despair. This nightmare never did end, did it? Feliciano, Natalia, everyone kept haunting him no matter how much he tried to get away.
Those three, especially that foreign bastard, probably thought he was a coward and didn't care about his brother at all. Only one of those two things was true. He had tried, really tried, to make himself not care about his brother, to forget that he even existed, but it was no use. He was also ready to admit – in the privacy of his mind only – that he felt an ungodly envy towards his twin. He dearly wished to hate him, from the bottom of his heart.
Yet, the mere thought of Feliciano at Natalia's mercy, suffering a punishment that had been meant for Lovino all along, was enough to make his blood run cold. No matter how resentful he felt towards Feliciano, it didn't sit right with him. He wouldn't have wished Natalia's wrath on his worst enemy, let alone his own brother.
However, he wasn't stupid enough to think that barging into the Russos' territory and fighting their little army was a remotely feasible idea. Now everyone he had once cared about was going to die and it was probably all his fault. Unless he did something about it. He hadn't been able to stop those two idiots from going to that suicidal mission – at least Bella was safe, thank God for small favours – but he could still savage the situation somewhat.
Unfortunately, he could only think of one thing, the only people who might be willing to help him without asking inconvenient questions. This wasn't a decision to be taken lightly, though. His companions wouldn't have approved, which was why he had not dared to bring it up in the conversation. He knew they would have been scandalized at the mere suggestion of such an idea and accuse him of insanity. They would never understand.
But desperate times called for desperate measures. There was no other way. This was something he needed to do, not only to save his brother and his friends, but also to save himself. He couldn't go on the rest of his life running away, living in fear, waiting to be caught and killed. He just wanted all this to be over, and if this was the only way to put an end to it, then so be it. And he needed to act quickly before Antonio and Feliciano got themselves killed.