CHAPTER 9.
Aldo Raine opened his eyes slowly as Donny nudged his leg with his bat before walking away and collapsing next to Utivich. Aldo muttered something but stretched slowly anyways, grabbing his gun and strapping it around his neck and shoulder. He surveyed his men, satisfied to see them all still here and breathing…though they were down in numbers.
Aldo sighed and popped his neck as he got to his feet; two a.m. already, he was getting way to old for this, thirty-nine years ols and he was in the middle of bumfuck nowhere hunting god damned Nazi's. Aldo's eyes wandered over to the tree where Hugo and Wicki were stationed at to guard Rhiannon.
Rhiannon and Hugo were missing.
Aldo's heart sped up as his eyes darted around the camp frantically. Surely Hugo couldn't be taken down by some fifteen year old? No wait, a new year had passed…she had to be at least sixteen or seventeen by now right? He took a step forward and stopped as his boot made a wet noise. Looking down he saw a wet shirt, one of his old ones that he had meant to burn some time ago…he follwed the wet trail of clothing and smirked to himself as he watched Hugo and Rhiannon sleep. Hugo was bent over Rhiannon protectively with his arms wrapped around her, she was leaning against him in between his legs with her sun kissed face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. Her arms were loosely wrapped around his waist…well damn if Aldo still had that Kraut camera he'd have taken a picture.
She looked so peaceful in his arms and Hugo looked like he could breathe again. Aldo watched them for a moment longer as his heart twisted funny.
Aldo has seen men lose their minds and sanity when he first enlisted, hell he's lost his temper more times than he could count but he has never seen someone lose his mind silently. When Rhia ran off those months ago Aldo could see his boys were suffering in hell. Utivich and Omar fought more over absolutely nothing. Kagan stopped humming those ridiculous Jewish church songs whenever they were going away from Kraut killin'. Hugo had closed himself off completely not even bothering to eat some days and instead just sharpened that damned knife. Wicki stopped being friendly with everyone and his jokes had faded away eventually. Then there was Donny…Donny had been a complete mess. Aldo knew that Hugo, in his own German-non-emotional or committed-way- claimed Rhiannon as his, and Donny hated that. Aldo had seen the private glares the Bear Jew had thrown Hugo's way when the ex-Gestapo wasn't looking. Donny was one of those Boston guys that got what they wanted when they called it.
Aldo shook his head at the sleeping pair as he walked off to watch the rest of the perimeter.
Donny was the one who found her in the first place, Aldo could remember that day so clearly. Hugo had followed shortly after but it was Donny who carried the bloodied and beaten girl out of that barn house with the gun she had held been holding. His face had been splattered in German blood as Hugo dragged the German bodies out of the barn and shoved them into the creek behind it. Rhiannon had stuck to Hugo and Wicki because they spoke Gernan and Aldo knew how much Donny fell in love with the girl when she opened her mouth to speak, even if it was in a foreign language. She was beautiful for being a fake half-German half-Jew. She was soft yet hard around the edges…Aldo knew she wasn't German though.
She was American.
Rhiannon's mother had been Italian, French and a lovely Hispanic with that good Jewish side mixed in. She had inherited her mother's deep brown eyes while she got the body structure from her father. Him.
Aldo ducked underneath a tree as he continued walking around carefully. Rhiannon was his daughter and by freakin' god when Aldo figured that out he nearly put a gun to his head in sad happiness.
It had been two or three days after Rhiannon was captured when Aldo was going through his pack for water when he had pulled out a picture of his wife and their sweet baby before she was taken, it had hit him like a sack of Nazi scalps. He couldn't exactly remember how he knew but he just did. It was the first time he had shed tears in ten years. He knew exactly who had been travelling with them then like how he knew a German by his scent.
She had his accent when she talked too fast, something he always passed off as British but they was she hung onto some words like he did when he talked slow…it really killed him. She even stood the same way as he did at times when everyone was just standing around. All those years he worked his way to the top, ready to fight whoever had stolen his daughter only to have her dropped into his hands without his knowledge…and he had let her go again.
Aldo stopped and watched his men continue sleeping again, keeping an extra eye on Hugo and Rhia. Call it his father instincts kicking in suddenly but that protectiveness swelled up inside him and he felt like ripping her away from Hugo, away from all the men in the world and shelter her with love. Hugo was a killer, he could snap anyone's neck then go right back to sleeping without a care in the world. If there had to be one man in his Operation he'd trust her with…it's be Utivich. The kid was smart, well-mannered and respected everyone he met…Hell no to Donny unfortunately, he loved the brute like a son but that Bostonian was a monster when he wanted to be. Aldo continued on his way circling the perimeter.
His shoulders felt lighter.