Chapter 52

There was no sign of Basta when Dafne left the room. But she didn't need him to lead her to the source of the shouting. The man (whoever he was) was still yelling and all she had to do was follow the direction of the sound. It become clear to her as she moved along that he was in the main hallway, the hallway which started at the front door and ended at the bottom of the staircase. She was close enough now to be able to make out what he was saying.

"Come here and face me you coward! Stop hiding in your room! I've come for my kids! I know you have them! Come down here!"

Dafne's heart skipped a beat in recognition. She immediately knew who the shouter was. It was Giulio. Who else who be saying things like that? And it was obvious who he was calling out to.

You fool, was her first thought, do you really think it's a good idea to challenge Capricorn openly.

But at the same time her heart went out to him. Such an act, however rash, showed he was a loving father who cared deeply for his children. So much so that he was putting himself at risk to rescue them. Yes, a great risk, especially since Basta had flown off to engage him. Basta had a knife. As noble as Giulio's intentions were, Dafne could see no good coming out of this.

Maybe I can do something, she thought as she carried on, I might be able to talk Basta out of seriously harming him.

It pained her to automatically assume that was what he would do. Hurt him. But that was how Basta sorted out problems, with violence or the threat of violence.

"Get out of my way!" she heard Giulio snarl, "Don't think you can stop me!"

Dafne cringed. It sounded like Basta had already reached him.

"I am not going to turn around!" Giulio yelled a moment later. Obviously the person blocking his path had advised him to retreat, but their voice wasn't raised as much for Dafne to hear it, "My kids are up there and I'm not leaving until I have them! Stand aside Pietro, I'm warning you..."

Pietro? Up until this point Dafne had assumed he had been talking to Basta. If it was Pietro, where was Basta?

She was nearing the corner which turned onto the main hallway. That was where she found Basta. He was peering around the corner, knife in his hand. Dafne's eyes widened at the sight of it. She supposed he was intending to take Giulio by surprise the way he was hanging back, waiting for the right moment to strike.

But he wasn't so absorbed in what he was watching to fail to notice her approaching footsteps. He turned, took her in and his expression became one of furious exasperation. He waved her back harshly. She stood on the spot deliberating whether to comply. She took too long for Basta because he flew over to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"Why is it so hard to do what I say?" he hissed so quickly that she had trouble making out the words. The tone was clear enough though, "Why? I told you to stay there for your own good," he stabbed a finger towards the corner, "He has a gun, do you understand me. The stupid idiot has a gun."

Well how is your knife going to hold up against a gun, Dafne thought. She might have said it too if not for sound of Pietro's voice distracting her,

"The only way you're getting past me is if you can dodge my bullets," he was saying, "And there's not much chance of that, you are a big fellow Giulio."

So Giulio wasn't the only one with a gun. Pietro's lupara was probably drawn at ready.

"You can't shoot me if I shoot you first!" Giulio growled.

"You shoot, I shoot," Pietro sounded as calm as he had been the time Basta had pulled his knife on him, "It won't change the fact that Capricorn has your children upstairs at his mercy. You know he keeps his hunting gun in his room and Mortola is with him at the moment. She always has poisons on her. Even if you did manage to take me out, you wouldn't be able to reach them in time."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Giulio bellowed. Dafne could hear the distress in his voice amidst the fury.

"He's right," Dafne was surprised to hear Orlanda's voice, "Put down that gun you fool. Before it's too late."

"I won't put it down!" Giulio yelled despairingly, "I want my kids! Capricorn, do you hear me! I want my kids!"

Dafne heard the menacing sound of a gun being cocked. She wasn't sure if it was Giulio's or Pietro's.

That was Basta's cue.

"Stay!" he whispered to Dafne fiercely.

Stop, she cried in her head as he took off, you're going to get shot!

He disappeared around the corner which the quiet agility of a cat. Dafne held her breath. Suddenly a howl of rage rang out.

"Get off me!" Giulio shouted, "Get off me you bastard!"

"I won't get off!" Basta snarled, "And I won't take this knife away from your throat until you drop that gun!"

Dafne raced to thrust her head around the corner.

Basta was currently hanging off Giulio's massive back, his arms around the man's neck. Given Giulio's height, Basta's feet weren't even touching the floor. From where Dafne was positioned, it looked as if Giulio was giving Basta a piggyback ride because she couldn't see the knife at Giulio's throat. But she knew it was there and so did Giulio. His body was shaking, not with fear but with rage. He was still gripping his gun and the tremors of his body were making it vibrate.

"Drop it!" Basta repeated harshly, tightening his hold around Giulio's neck. Dafne imagined him pressing the knife further into his skin, "I said drop it you idiot! Drop it or I'll open your throat!"

Dafne flinched to hear such awful words coming out of Basta's mouth. He sounded deadly serious about it.

"Don't get him to drop it," Dafne looked past Giulio and Basta to see Pietro. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs with his lupara pointed in their direction. Beyond him was Orlanda, several stairs up, "It's loaded," Pietro went on, "It might go off."

"So come take it off him!" Basta snapped, sounding irritated that Pietro had corrected him, "I have my hands full."

"Alright then," Pietro said casually, lowering his lupara.

Dafne was amazed how unruffled he looked by what had just occurred. He acted as if a man storming in unexpectedly with a gun was no big deal to him.

Before he made his way over, he turned to Orlanda with a smile,

"Could you be a dear and go tell Capricorn that the fuss downstairs is over."

Orlanda nodded eagerly,

"Yes of course," she went to do so but glanced back with a look of admiration on her face, "You were very brave," she said to Pietro, "Just like a gunfighter in the movies."

"Brave?" Basta sneered, "More like stupid. If I hadn't showed up, Mr. Cowboy would have been splattered all over the place. All over you for that matter Orlanda."

Orlanda glowered at him,

"Pietro was in complete control of the situation. Giulio was about to surrender before you showed up and jumped on him like a feral cat."

Basta snorted,

"Yeah right. I heard him cock his gun. The gun he's still holding mind. So get over here Pietro and take it off him. My arms are getting sore."

"Are they?" Pietro said with mock concern, "Poor pumpkin. Don't worry I won't leave you dangling there like a Christmas ornament."

"Don't call me pumpkin!" Basta spat, "Call your new girlfriend pumpkin. She looks like one."

Pietro regarded him wearily,

"Girlfriend? What are you talking about?"

"Orlanda. She looks like a big old pumpkin."

Orlanda flushed angrily,

"How dare..." she began but Pietro cut her off,

"You shouldn't say that," he said to Basta, "Orlanda is a nice woman who doesn't look at all like a pumpkin. And I don't appreciate the allegation of infidelity. I'm a happily married man," he addressed this to Orlanda rather than Basta, "I wouldn't cheat on my wife with anyone no matter how lovely."

Dafne shook her head in amazement. Pietro had just rejected Orlanda in such skilfully flattering way that the woman blushed and smiled.

"I bet Orlanda is sorry to hear that," Basta jeered in spite of the fact she seemed outwardly happy.

Orlanda scowled,

"Shut up Basta!"

"Don't listen to him," Pietro said soothingly, "Just go upstairs and tell Capricorn we're bringing Giulio up to see him."

"Yes I will," Orlanda said breathily, giving him a blatantly adoring smile. But as she climbed the stairs, she hurled a glare back over her shoulder which was obviously meant for Basta.

Basta shook his head,

"I've never seen someone so happy about being turned down," he remarked.

"Never underestimate the power of flattery amico mio," Pietro said when Orlanda was out of earshot, "Words can be just as effective as knives and guns in sorting out a situation to your advantage."

Basta snorted,

"Words didn't work in this situation right here," he nodded at the man he was clinging onto, "My knife did."

"If you say so amico mio," Pietro said, sounding like a parent indulging a child. He was strolling leisurely over with his lupara hanging at his side.

"What do mean 'if you say so'?" Basta growled, "Why can't you just admit that I saved you?"

Pietro rolled his eyes,

"Saved me from what?"

"From being shot," Basta said frustratedly, "Though I'm regretting it now. I should have let him do it. If you're dead, you can't bother me anymore."

Pietro clucked his tongue at him,

"That's not very nice, saying you want your friend dead. Anyway you're going on the assumption that he would have taken me out instead of other way around. I don't appreciate you underestimating my skill with my weapon. I've been handling a gun since I was thirteen. I'm not like your friend Cockerell who has no idea how to use it."

"Yes yes alright," Basta said sounding bored, "But I doubt Capricorn wants Giulio dead, especially not splattered up his front hallway. He's more useful to him alive. Capricorn has his kids and once this idiot gets that through his thick skull, he's bound to do anything..."

Basta had been distracted by Pietro to keep watch on Giulio. He probably assumed he wouldn't try anything with a knife to his throat. He wasn't expecting Giulio to jerk the butt of his gun back intending to slam it into Basta's face.

"Basta look out!" Dafne cried, though the gun was already moving back mid-motion.

She saw the frozen look of surprise on Basta's face as he registered what was coming towards him. There no way he could move to avoid it in time. The collision would have occurred if not for Pietro launching a fist into Giulio's stomach with surprising speed. Giulio cried out, loosening his grip on the gun. Pietro nimbly grabbed hold of it with his free hand and sprang away as Giulio dropped to his knees, winded from the blow. Basta leapt off him as he did, shock changing to fury.

"You stupid fool! How dare you try something like that!" he snarled.

Breathing a little heavily from pain, Giulio smiled,

"A shame your friend came to your rescue. It would have given me at least some satisfaction to break your nose. I know you're the one who brought my kids here, you filthy piece of scum."

He lobbed a gob of spit which found its mark on Basta's boot. Basta looked down in slight amazement before his expression darkened,

"You spat on me!" he said in a voice quivering with disgust and rage, "You spat on me and called me filthy!"

He snatched the shotgun from Pietro,

"Wanted to break my nose did you?" he hissed, pointing the butt of the gun at Giulio's face, "How about I break yours?"

Oh God don't do it, Dafne pleaded as he raised the gun, don't do it, don't...

But he did, Basta brought the butt down on Giulio's face and the man grunted as blood spurted from his nose.

Dafne shook her head in disbelief and horror. How could this man be the same man who looked at her so tenderly? He was grinning with wild delight at the damage he'd inflicted.

"How does it feel?" he taunted Giulio, "Not good I bet. And you were going to do that to me. To me! But you know hitting someone in the face with a gun isn't really my style. Here," he passed the gun back to Pietro who took it without a word. Pietro didn't look horrified by what Basta had just done. He had a look of interest on his face like someone taking in a piece of artwork. Basta's artwork and the artist wasn't finished with Giulio, "You know I prefer my knife. So how about I add some scars to compliment that busted nose?"

Dafne couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stand idly by and watch Basta, the man she was supposed to be in love with, mutilate Giulio like he had mutilated Dustfinger.

"Basta stop! For God's sake stop!" she ran over and as she ran, tears were forming in her eyes.

She threw herself between Basta and Giulio as if to shield the latter. But Basta had already paused, regarding her uneasily. He had been so caught up in his anger that he had forgotten the presence of the person he least wanted to witness his violence. But it was too late. She had seen it and she didn't want to see anymore. She slapped the knife out of his hands and it hit the floor with a scraping sound. Basta's eyes travelled to his empty hand to the knife with slight surprise. Then he looked at Dafne,

"You didn't have to do that," he said quietly.

"Didn't I?" Dafne said, "I've just seen you break a man's nose without any hesitation. Do you expect me to believe you have the self-control to put down your knife?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, she turned pitying to Giulio. His bloody nose looked so much worse up close.

"I'm so sorry," she found herself saying to him, "I'm so sorry he..."

"Why are you apologising to him?" Basta said.

"Because you're not going to," she whirled back to face him, "You don't care what you've done. You're probably proud of it."

"I'm not proud of it," Basta insisted, "It was self-defence."

"Self-defence?" Dafne hissed. Did he really think she would buy that excuse? "He was on his knees with no weapon. It wasn't self-defence, it was retaliation. And don't tell me you didn't enjoy it. I saw you smiling. Smiling like..." she could feel the tears running down her cheeks now, "Like it was most fun in world to hurt someone like that."

Basta looked at her crying face regretfully,

"I'm sorry little mouse."

Dafne wiped away her tears angrily,

"Sorry for what? Breaking Giulio's nose or sorry that I saw it?"

"Both," he answered before reaching out to her, "Please Dafne..."

Dafne backed away,

"Don't," she said, "Don't touch me. I don't want you touching me right now. Not after what you've done."

"Why not?" Giulio's voice startled her, "This isn't the first time he's gotten his hands dirty. You know that," Dafne turned uneasily to see the look of repugnance on Giulio's face, repugnance that aimed at her, "You know he's no innocent but you're with him anyway. So spare me your sympathy. I don't want it from his little whore."

Dafne stared at him in shock. His words stung like a slap in the face.

She felt Basta push her aside,

"How dare you call her that!" he snarled. He had lost his knife but he had two fists that could cause damage.

"Stop!" Dafne took hold of Basta and wrenched him backwards with all her strength, "Don't hurt him anymore!"

Basta tried to push her away as gently as he could.

"Why shouldn't I? Did you hear what that bastard called you? I should cut his tongue out for calling you that. Where's my knife?"

Pietro came and put a firm hand on Basta's shoulder,

"I know you're upset amico mio. I would be too if Dafne was my girlfriend. But I think it's time we took Giulio up to Capricorn don't you."

Basta glared at him a moment then glanced at Dafne who was still clinging desperately on to him. He sighed.

"I suppose you're right. We don't want to keep Capricorn waiting. Hopefully he's already thought up a nice punishment for him."

Dafne pushed herself away from him. Though she was somewhat relieved that Basta wasn't going to inflict anymore harm on Giulio, she was still disgusted that he was looking forward to seeing him suffer at Capricorn's hands instead.

Didn't Basta feel any remorse for the pain he had caused this man? He had threatened his children with a knife as Giulio's farm had been burned down. He had just abducted these children and brought them to Capricorn. He had broken Giulio's nose with the butt of a gun. He had been ready to do more damage because Giulio had insulted her.

But so what if he had. They were just words, painful but insignificant as an ant bite compared to Giulio's suffering. She pitied him even though he hated her.

But Basta didn't pity him at all.

Why couldn't he show an inch of compassion towards this man he had wronged? How could he so kind to her yet so cruel to others?

Because he cares about you. He doesn't care about anyone else.

That answer didn't make her feel special. It made her feel sick. Sick that she cared about him in return. Sick that she wanted him. Sick that in her stupid heart she loved him even though all this time she had known, like Giulio had said, that Basta was a bad person. She kept hoping he would come good, become a truly good person, but incidents like this made her feel like she was just deluding herself. Maybe she was just a complete fool.

So she ran away, ran away from the subject of her foolishness, and didn't look back when he called after her,

"Dafne! Stop! Where are you going?"

To be continued...