Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Twenty Four:
"Ezekiel 25:17, pt. 2"
Chet, Heath, and Stefania (mainly Stefania) got into a tense discussion/back & forth with Paulie and company ranging from Heath not wanting to drop his gun despite being told to by Paulie to naming the names of those responsible for the murder of Emilio Mangano & the lynching of Santo Mangano plus the insinuating comparison of them (Jessica Ballinger, Matthew Sturgis, Jessica's father, Hiram, and their evil bunch), Seth McMahon, and his gang with Nick and his family & how insulting that was. Heath would recognize the names Stefania mentioned, especially the one of Jessica Ballinger, mention that she nearly destroyed the reputations of him & his brothers, and started to tell a story of how she nearly ruined the reputation of Jarrod, when the latter would soon join the discussion/back & forth just as he (Heath) was beginning to tell the story and refuse to drop his gun after being asked to do so. Stefania would ride off after getting nowhere with Paulie and company whereas Jarrod and Heath would explain their reason why they refused to do what they were told, the younger Barkley even making a peace offering of sorts that would involve Paulie and company telling Jarrod and him where Nick was, the two Barkleys handing their guns over, and everyone riding off to where the second Barkley son was being held & an explanation that would hopefully change the course of the situation. Paulie and company took some time to let Heath's words sink in and everything seemed hopeful until...enter Victoria Barkley and a voice that called out. Meawnhile, back with Nick, Italia was practically sucking the life out of him as she not only forecfully kissed him, but was shoving her tongue into his mouth, causing him to gag. Now, another woman has entered the mix and is standing over Nick and Italia. The questions that remain are as follows: Will the stand off between Paulie & company and the Barkleys plus Chet come to a neutral end?, Who is this woman standing over Nick and Italia?, Will we get more details about Jessica Ballinger, her father, and their evil bunch the stories of the despicable things they have done?, and Who has entered the mix on the bridge? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, and the Mangano family. This is the second and obviously, last of the two parter saga and as you can see by the title of the chapters in this two parter saga, I modeled it after the scene from the film "Pulp Fiction", though this chapter won't be quite as intense as that scene. "The Big Valley" & "Pulp Fiction" belong to their rightful owners.
WARNING/TRIGGER WARNING: There may be intense moments (possibly only verbal), a possible catfight, and the possibility of profanity in this chapter. If it makes you uncomfortable, I understand completely and urge you to skip this chapter. Also too, if there is some profanity, I know nobody in those days (the era "The Big Valley" is set in) would've normally talked like that, but considering the situation & what all has happened, you'd understand. Rated 'T' for a reason.
(Flashback to part 23)
"Zio Paulie! Zio Paulie!" Stefania called out as she was approaching the bridge.
"Stefania, cosa ci fai qui? Dovresti riposarti, tesoro. (Stefania, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be resting, sweetie.)" Paulie turned his attention to the oncoming Stefania.
"Zio Paulie, smettila! Smettila subito...per favore! (Uncle Paulie, stop this! Stop this right now...please!)" Stefania rode up to the bridge and got beside Heath.
"Cosa sto facendo, tesoro? Cosa dovrei fermare? (What am I doing, sweetie? What should I be stopping?)" Paulie sounded as if he was playing dumb.
"Zio Paulie, tu e io sappiamo entrambi cosa stai facendo e cosa dovresti fermare. Tu e papà per essere precisi. (Uncle Paulie, you and I both know what you're doing and what you should be stopping. You and dad to be exact.)" Stefania gave him a look.
"Stefania, tesoro, tuo padre, io e gli altri lo facciamo solo per te. (Stefania, sweet thing, your dad and I plus the others are only doing this for you. )" Paulie insisted.
"Oh, dai, zio Paulie! Tu e papà mi difendete nel modo sbagliato. Molto sbagliato. (Oh, come off of it, uncle Paulie! You and dad are going about defending me the wrong way. Very wrong.)" Stefania shook her head.
"Sbagliato? Sbagliato?! Stefania, come è sbagliato che tuo padre, Massimo, Arturo, Luca, Vito, Paulie e io difendiamo il tuo onore?! Hai dimenticato che sei stata aggredita e violentata da teste bianche guidate da Nick Barkley e dal suo amico McMahon. Al momento abbiamo McMahon in custodia. Tua cugina Italia si sta prendendo cura di McMahon mentre parliamo. Nick Barkley, d'altra parte, ce lo siamo fatto passare. (Wrong? Wrong?! Stefania, how is it wrong that your dad, Massimo, Arturo, Luca, Vito, Paulie, and me to defend your honor?! Have you forgotten that you were assaulted and raped by white heads led by Nick Barkley and his buddy McMahon. We currently have McMahon in our custody. Your cousin Italia is tending to McMahon as we speak. Nick Barkley, on the other hand, we worked him over.)" Enzo, who had apparently arrived, chimed in.
"Enzo, l'uomo che abbiamo in custodia non è Seth McMahon. (Enzo, the man we have in our custody is not Seth McMahon.)" Paulie turned to Enzo.
"I hate to interrupt, Stefania, but what are you all saying?" Heath turned to Stefania.
"Stefania, allontanati da quella testa bianca! Potrebbe provare a intrappolarti e fare quello che vuole! (Stefania, get away from that white head! He could try to trap you and have his way!)" Massimo raised his voice.
"Massimo, tu, gli altri, zio Paulie e papà avete sbagliato su Nick, Heath e tutti i bianchi. Non tutti sono malvagi come quelli che sono responsabili di quello che è successo a me, zio Santo e nonno Emilio. Infatti, paragonare Nick, Heath e forse tutta la famiglia Barkley a gente come Seth McMahon, la sua banda di delinquenti, Matthew Sturgis, Jack Clevenger, Jessica Ballinger, Stan Reardon e gli altri sarebbe il peggior insulto di sempre. (Massimo, you, the others, uncle Paulie, and dad have Nick, Heath, and all white people wrong. Not all of them are evil like the ones who are responsible for what happened to me, uncle Santo, and grandpa Emilio. In fact, to even compare Nick, Heath, and possibly the whole Barkley family to the likes of Seth McMahon, his gang of lowlives, Matthew Sturgis, Jack Clevenger, Jessica Ballinger, Stan Reardon, and the others would be the worst insult ever.)" Stefania told him, as she reached out and put her hand on top of the barrel of Massimo's gun.
"Stefania, togli le mani da quella dannata pistola! (Stefania, get your hand off of that damned gun!)" Luca's eyes got big when he saw her hand covering the gun barrel.
"Oh, Stefania, perché? Perché hai dovuto ripetere i nomi delle persone responsabili del linciaggio di Santo e della morte di tuo nonno per un colpo alla testa?! Perché hai ripetuto quei nomi?! (Oh, Stefania, why? Why did have to repeat the names of the people who are responsible for Santo's lynching and your grandpa dying of a hit on the head?! Why did you repeat those names?!)" Paulie shut his eyes very tightly, making a pained expression as hearing those names brought back the memories of the horrific ways Santo and Emilio died. If one looked closely, they would see a single tear streaming down Paulie's right cheek.
"Stefania, those names you mentioned, you and your family encountered those people, too?" Heath seemed as if he recognized the names of the people responsible for Emilio's murder and Santo's lynching.
"Yes. Why, Heath? Do you know them?" Stefania turned to Heath.
"Jessica Ballinger nearly destroyed three reputations. Nick's, Jarrod's, and my own. She made false charges against us." Heath nodded.
"She what?" Stefania gasped.
"Uh huh. She made false charges against Jarrod, claiming he grabbed her inappropriately. He didn't of course. Jarrod-" Heath was cut off.
"Jarrod what?" Jarrod asked upon arriving to the bridge.
"Un altro uomo bianco! (Another white man!)" Arturo shrieked.
"Uomo cattivo! Uomo cattivo! Il diavolo! Il diavolo! (Bad man! Bad man! The Devil! The devil!)" Enzo had a fearful look in his eyes after locking eyes with Jarrod.
"Calma, Enzo e Arturo. Non è il diavolo. È il fratello maggiore di Nick, Jarrod. Lui, Nick, Heath e la loro famiglia sono stati solo gentili con me. Sono persone meravigliose. (Calm down, Enzo and Arturo. He is not the devil. He is Nick's big brother Jarrod. He, Nick, Heath, and their family have been nothing, but nice to me. They are wonderful people.)" Stefania held her hand up in a "calm down" motion in the hopes that Enzo and Arturo would ease up before the situation could possibly get any more out of control than it already was.
"Persone meravigliose? Stefania, ti sei dimenticata di tutto quello che ci hanno fatto passare i loro simili?! Il linciaggio basato su una bugia e l'omicidio di tuo nonno! Le teste bianche hanno fatto questo e tu le chiami persone meravigliose. Stefania, perché?! (Wonderful people? Stefania, have you forgotten everything their kind has put us through?! The lynching based on a lie and the murder of your grandpa! The white heads did that and you call them wonderful people. Stefania, why?!)" Paulie asked while wiping away tears as the painful memories of Emilio's murder and Santo's lynching play out in his mind.
"Zio Paulie, Nick e la sua famiglia non sono per niente come Jessica Ballinger, Kevin Sinclair, il padre di Jessica, Hiram, Matthew Sturgis, Stan Reardon, Jack Clevenger, Tim Bodine, Robert T. McIntosh, Seth McMahon e la sua gang. Niente come loro! (Uncle Paulie, Nick and his family are nothing like Jessica Ballinger, Kevin Sinclair, Jessica's dad Hiram, Matthew Sturgis, Stan Reardon, Jack Clevenger, Tim Bodine, Robert T. McIntosh, Seth McMahon, and his gang. Nothing like them!)" Stefania tried to reason with her uncle before shaking her head and sighing, "Potrei girare in tondo con tutti voi tutto il giorno fino a crollare per la stanchezza, ma devo andare a trovare Nick... e papà prima che accada qualcos'altro. (I can go round and round with all of you all day until I collapse from exhaustion, but I need to go off and find Nick...and dad before something else happens.)"
"I hate to be a bug, but what is going on here? Stefania, Heath, Chet, who are these people?" Jarrod spoke up, sounding a cross between curious and like he was demanding a quick answer.
"Jarrod, this is my Zio Paulie and these others are his and my papa's friends Massimo, Arturo, Enzo, and Luca. Vito is usually with them, but he's probably running late as always. I'm trying to reason with them and hopefully at least make them understand that Nick did nothing wrong and that he is not friends with Seth McMahon and those other cruel beasts in the hopes that they will convince my papa that you guys, Nick, and your family are nothing like Seth and his awful bunch, Stan Reardon, Jessica Ballinger, Hiram Ballinger, Jack Clevenger, Tim Bodine, Matthew Sturgis, Kevin Sinclair, and Robert T. McIntosh. We know what Seth and those cruel beasts did to me, but you don't know what those others have done. Also too, Heath mentioned that Jessica tried to ruin your life, his own, and Nick's." Stefania explained to Jarrod in a nutshell.
"She sure did, but I'll delve into my story later on." Jarrod nodded while sporting a disgusted look on his face, clearly showing that his encounter with Jessica Ballinger still left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Then, I'll delve into mine. That's if you wouldn't mind such boring stories." Heath added.
"I don't mind at all and I understand, because right now, Nick is our priority and I need to go find him." Stefania grabbed the horse reins.
"Stefania, what about your father?" Heath asked.
"I'll take the heat from him later." Stefania replied before riding off.
"Stefania, where are you going?!" Paulie reverted to English and shouted the question after seeing her ride right by him and across the bridge.
"Stefania!" the others shouted.
The shouting fell upon deaf ears and became a background noise to Stefania as she continued to ride off. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to reach her, Paulie and the others turned their attention to Jarrod, Heath, and Chet.
"Alright, white boys. Drop your guns!" Paulie pointed his gun at Jarrod and Heath.
"Be good boys like your friend Cheese." Luca pointed at Chet, still calling him "Cheese".
"Cheese?" Jarrod had a perplexed look on his face.
"He calls me "Cheese". Go with it, Jarrod." Chet spoke up.
"Alright, Chet." Jarrod nodded before turning his attention back to Paulie and Luca, "I'm sorry, but I cannot drop my gun."
"What?!" Paulie growled.
"He's looking for trouble, Paulie. Be careful." Arturo spoke up.
"He may have a rope to help other white heads lynch us!" Massimo added.
"On the contrary, Massimo is it?" Jarrod asked.
"Yeah. What's it to you, you?!" Massimo snapped back.
"Nothing. I just wanted to get your name right. That's all. Anyways, the reason I cannot drop my gun is, because I want to know where Nick is and if he is alright and alive. Then, I'll respectfully ask to be let across the bridge so I along with Stefania can go to him." Jarrod explained in the most cool, calm, and collected way considering the situation.
"The same reason I will not drop my gun. If you inform us of where he is, my brother and I will drop our guns. Maybe even give them to you then we go across the bridge, ride off to where Nick is, and explain the whole situation. Nobody gets hurt and you all can tell us your story involving Jessica Ballinger and those others." Heath gently offered.
Paulie and company took a moment to let Heath's words sink in before exchanging glances with one another.
"This looks hopeful." Jarrod whispered to Heath, optimisim in his voice.
As Paulie and company murmured stuff to each other, hoof beats would be heard once again, causing them to stop whatever they were doing and get back in their combative position.
"Paulie, there's a white woman heading to the bridge!" Massimo raised his voice.
"A white haired white woman!" Enzo added.
"Mother?" Jarrod and Heath turned around and saw Victoria approaching from behind them.
"Jarrod, Heath, I was starting to get worried and I didn't want to wait too long. Do they know-" Victoria was cut off.
"Hey, woman with pale hair, state your name and business!" Paulie demanded.
"Wait a minute, Paulie. What about what I just said?" Heath asked.
"You have some nerve, you know!" a voice shouted.
"Who was that?" Chet asked.
*Meanwhile with Nick*
Italia went from rubbing his leg in an up and down motion with her hand & nuzzling his neck to a full blown forceful kiss on his lips that felt as if she was once again sucking the air let alone the life out of him. Normally, he wouldn't have stood for this, but seeing as he his hands were literally tied, he was helpless and all he could do was endure it. On the same token, in no way did it mean that he had to like every bit of it or force himself to like it.
Nick continued to protest, but they were muffled by Italia's constant forceful kissing on his mouth and now, her shoving her tongue inside his mouth. This was making Nick breathe heavily and gag at times.
"Oh, come on, baby. You know you love this." Italia briefly pulled back to look into her eyes.
"Italia..." Nick was trying to catch his breath, but before he could get a word in edgewise, Italia put her mouth over his and forecfully kissed him some more.
Then, as fate would have it, the door opened and in came another woman.
"Mmmmmm! Mmmmm! Mmmm!" Nick made more muffled noises as he looked up at and got bug eyed upon seeing the second woman.
(Now)
"What's wrong, baby? You shouldn't be frightened." Italia caressed Nick's face.
"St-Stefania." Nick's voice was very raspy due to the gasping he was doing while Italia was forcefully kissing him.
"You silly thing you. Stefania isn't here. She's at home resting. Besides, she'll never-" Italia leaned back and got wide eyed when she felt the leg of someone standing right behind her, "Oh no."
"On your feet." the person said, before lighting up more lanterns.
Once the room was lit up a little more, as soon as the person turned around, they were revealed to be Stefania.
"Ciao, Stefania." Italia turned around to face her cousin and tried to act all innocent.
"You're not fooling me, Italia. Get on your feet and get away him!" Stefania stomped her foot, showing that she meant business.
"You're jealous, because I got to kiss him first!" Italia taunted, as she stood up and walked away from Nick.
"Per uno che odia i bianchi tanto quanto zio Paulie, Vincent, Massimo e gli altri, e papà, sembra che ti stia divertendo ad attaccare il povero Nick! Ipocrita, vero? (For someone who hates white people as much as uncle Paulie, Vincent, Massimo and the others, and papa do, you seemed to be enjoying yourself by attacking poor Nick here! Hypocrite, much?)" Stefania shook her head in disgust at her cousin's obvious hypocrisy and assault on Nick.
"Per essere un uomo bianco è un bell'uomo. (For a white head, he is good looking.)" Italia smirked before getting a more serious look on her face, "Perché ti importa di questo uomo bianco?! Non hai dimenticato cosa la sua specie ha fatto alla nostra famiglia, alla nostra cultura e a te di recente?! Hai dimenticato che ha lasciato che i suoi amici ti attaccassero e ti violentassero?! (Why do you care for this white man anyways?! Haven't you forgotten what his kind has done to our family, our culture, and you as of recent?! Did you forget that he let his buddies attack and rape you?!)"
"Per l'ennesima volta, Nick non è amico di Seth McMahon e di quelle bestie crudeli. Anche solo accennare a una cosa del genere è offensivo e cattivo! Inoltre, non ha fatto niente di sbagliato! (For the umpteenth time, Nick is not friends with Seth McMahon and those cruel beasts. To even hint at such a thing is insulting and nasty! Plus, he didn't do anything wrong!)" Stefania slightly raised her voice.
"È un uomo bianco, Stefania! La sua specie è responsabile dell'omicidio del nonno Emilio e del linciaggio di mio padre, frutto di una sporca bugia! (He's a white man, Stefania! His kind is responsible for the murder of grandpa Emilio and the lynching of my dad which was the result of a filthy lie!)" Italia pointed out.
"La sua specie! La sua specie! Mi sto stufando di sentirlo. Tu, zio Paulie e mio padre lo dite sempre! (His kind! His kind! I'm getting sick and tired of hearing that. You, uncle Paulie, and my dad constantly say that!)" Stefania was clearly fed up with the use of the term "his kind" whenever someone referred to Nick. Who could blame her? She cared about and possibly even loved Nick & absolutely hated it when people such as Italia, Paulie, and her father would say such vile things about him. To her, it felt as if they were not only saying it about Nick, but about her as well.
"Bene, come lo chiami? (Well, what do you call him?)" Italia asked.
"I call him Nick and a human being. That's what." Stefania reverted back to English before walking over to Nick, "Oh, Nick! Nick, I'm so so sorry! I-"
"Stefania, you have no reason to be sorry. I can see why your family and their friends are angry. I understand their anger, because I'm angry, too. I just wish that they would join me in wanting to find McMahon and his buddies & make them pay...one by one." Nick gave a half smile to Stefania, feeling very relieved to see her and relieved that she didn't jump to conclusions upon seeing Italia doing what she did to him.
"I also wish they would, but they are so..." Stefania turned to Italia, "PIGHEADED and STUBBORN!"
"PIGHEADED and STUBBORN!" Italia, having also reverted to English, repeated what Stefania said in a very mocking way, before shaking her head and rolling her eyes, "Stefania, you know we're right about his kind! You know we are! Look, what his kind did to our nonno Emilio, my papa, your sorella Allegra, and now, you! How can you just shove all of that aside?!"
"Sorella and Nonno?" Nick was a little thrown off.
"Sorella is sister in Italian and Nonno is grandpa in Italian." Stefania explained, while looking Nick over and gasping when she saw the bruises after getting him in more better light as best as she could, "Nick, you're hurt!"
"Ah, it's just a few bruises from roughhousing." Nick lightly chuckled and fibbed a little, as he didn't want her to get too worried.
"Nick, I have siblings and when we gang up on each other or used to when we were kids, we never got bruises as awful as yours. Now, please tell me who did it." Stefania wasn't falling for the whole "roughhousing" ruse Nick was trying to put up. She knew he was badly bruised and wanted to know the perpetrators behind it.
"Stefania, it was all due to roughhousing. It really was." Nick insisted.
Stefania didn't say anything, only giving him a look that said: "You're not fooling me." and folding her arms.
"Zio Paulie, Massimo, Luca, Enzo, Arturo, and Vito all took turns roughing him up after capturing him. Before him, they got to his little brother Eugene, believing him to be this handsome devil." Italia was practically nonchalant while explaining the bruises and partly everything else that happened.
"Italia, if you hate white people so much, why do you think I'm handsome?" Nick was confused.
"For a white person, you are good looking. Usually white people are not that good looking, but you are and while I should hate you all the way, a part of me finds you...bello (handsome)." Italia looked him up and down before winking at him, walking over to him, and reaching her hand out to touch his chest.
"Italia, keep your hands and everything else to yourself!" Stefania stood in front of Nick and grabbed Italia's hand, stopping her.
"What's the matter, Stefania? You jealous?" Italia snarked.
"Jealous? Of what? I just know that you're up to your old tricks, again! You claim to hate men then whenever Serafina, Allegra, Francesca, or I have a special man in our lives, you move in and try to steal him." Stefania retorted.
"A "special man"? You call the white man a "special man in your life"?!" Italia raised her eyebrow.
"Yes, I do. Nick is a very special man to me." Stefania nodded.
"Blasphemy!" Italia raised her voice.
"Blasphemy?!" Stefania put her hands on her hips.
"Yes. White men aren't supposed to be special to us. The men who are special to us are men like Zio Paulie, Nonno Emilio, Zio Carmine, and my papa are the special men in our lives! Not the likes of him!" Italia pointed at Nick and spat on the ground.
"Italia, I agree that my papa, Zios Paulie and Santo, and Nonno Emilio among others are special men, but they are special in the familial way. Nick is special to me in another way and I absolutely detest how you, Zio Paulie, and my papa depict him as evil. He is not evil and neither is his familia! They are not like the cruel beasts McMahon, his friends, the Ballingers, Reardon, Clevenger, Leonard Barkley, Sturgis, Bodine, Sinclair, and McIntosh are! They aren't! Nick and his family are wonderful people. If you, Zio Paulie, and my papa would just give them a chance, you'd see it. Plus-" Stefania paused and got a weird look on her face, "Wait a minute! Why does it sound like I am pleading to you?! I'm older than you by a year! I don't need to plead a damn thing to you!"
"Why did you stop? I liked where this was heading." Italia smirked.
"Of course, you did. Damn you!" Stefania shook her head.
"Stefania, I wouldn't set foot near his family if my life depended on it!" Italia quickly got serious, before looking at Nick and getting a flirtatious look in her eye, "However, this handsome one, I just mi-"
"You just might get your own special man!" Stefania pushed her cousin away from Nick.
"Why? This one is so handsome!" Italia started to walk back to Nick.
"Not to you he isn't! He is only handsome to me and I'm not going to let you or anybody else assault him or say vile things about him or his family!" Stefania blocked Italia and pushed her, again.
"Oh come off of it, Stefania! You know we're right about him and his family plus he liked it when I kissed him and nuzzled his neck!" Italia poked Stefania in the chest with her finger.
"Oh, please! You kiss like a snake that's in the process of killing a mouse!" Stefania scoffed, "There's no way Nick would enjoy it let alone consent to it!"
"You're jealous, because I can kiss and do other things, if you get my drift. I can do the things that you can't!" Italia dismissed her with a hand gesture.
"Again I ask, jealous of what? I'm planning to keep myself pure. You show your ankle to every male you come across then you force yourself onto them!" Stefania added.
"You take that back!" Italia poked Stefania in the chest, before going over to Nick and forcefully kissing him, yet again.
"Get away from him!" Stefania grabbed Italia, yanked her away from Nick, and pushed her aside.
Italia got back up and slowly made her way to Stefania, putting her fists up. Stefania took the same stance and before the blink of an eye, the two Mangano women were circling each other like alley cats getting ready to fight over territory.
*Back out on the bridge*
After Heath had made his offer, a voice called out from afar, causing Chet and now, everyone else to wonder where that voice came from and who it belonged to.
"Who on Earth was that?" Victoria turned to Heath then to Jarrod.
"Whoever it was sounded very angry." Jarrod told her.
"Look!" Enzo looked behind himself and pointed at what appeared to be a man riding a white mule.
"Who is this now?" Jarrod whispered to nobody in particular.
The man on the white mule got on the bridge and rode past Paulie and the others, putting himself in the front. He then got off the mule, grabbed his shotgun, and looked up at Chet, Jarrod, and Heath. What followed was a long long moment of silence. Nothing except a couple of chirping birds was heard. It seemed as though nature knew there was a tense stand off on this bridge. The tension was felt in the air. It was so palpable that one could cut it with a knife.
After a few moments had passed, Jarrod and Heath exchanged glances before returning their attention to the man who just arrived at the scene.
"What's your name, mister?" Heath was the first one to speak up.
"Would you like to know?!" the man snarked.
"Carmine, it has happened. Nick's family is here." Paulie turned to the man.
"So, it is true, huh? A trap was set for us." Carmine slowly nodded, before turning his attention to Jarrod, Chet, and Heath, "I bet you three think you've got us trapped and will turn us over to the sheriff, huh?!"
"Not necessarily, mister. We just want to know where Nick is. That's all." Jarrod answered.
"That way we can go to him. All of us together and then, maybe just maybe we can sort everything out plus since my brothers and I also know of Jessica Ballinger and her bunch, we can share the stories." Heath offered, yet again.
"Why did you have to say her name? Why?!" Paulie shuddered.
"She's tried to ruin my reputation as well as Heath's and Nick's." Jarrod replied.
"Oh, please! Don't you tell us about reputations being ruined and lives being shattered. You and your people do not have an iota what it is like to have a life destroyed by tragedy and have your reputation ruined! You don't!" Carmine growled.
"How do you know that?" Heath asked.
"You're white and white people know nothing of tragedy and ruined reputations. Nothing!" Carmine shook his head, "Plus, you have a lot of nerve to make a negotiation where we let you across the bridge, you go to Nick, and we all talk like old friends. Thinking that your kind words will immediately change my mind. Some nerve you have."
"Listen uh...I'm sorry, we didn't get your name. What's your name?" Jarrod asked.
"What's it to ya?! You going to have your white friends hunt me down and hang me from the nearest tree?" Carmine sneered.
"What the he-No, not at all. The thought never once occurred to me or anybody here. I just want to know your name, because none of us have been properly introduced." Jarrod replied.
"My name's Carmine Mangano." Carmine reluctantly introduced himself, "In case you must know, I'm Stefania's papa."
Heath and Jarrod got bug eyed right at the same time just seconds apart, without saying a word. They couldn't believe it; the angry man Stefania talked and warned them about was right there, face-to-face with them. The vengeful father was there in person talking to two of Nick's siblings. After so long of hearing about him and how hard headed he was, there stood one Carmine Mangano in a stand off with the Barkleys or well, two of the Barkley siblings.
"What's the matter? You act as if you're surprised to see me!" Carmine snapped.
"Huh? What?" Heath snapped out of his thoughts.
"I'm sorry. My brother Heath and I must've-I'm sorry." Jarrod also snapped out of his thoughts.
"You act as if this is the first time seeing an Italian man! As if I am a strange species or something!" Carmine shook his head, again.
"We're sorry, Carmine. We just didn't-" Jarrod was cut off.
"Carmine?! You think you're on a first name basis with me?! Boy, you have some colossal gall, don't you?! My name isn't Carmine to you and your kind! It's Mr. Mangano! Plus, you probably didn't expect to finally see me, didn't you?! Your brother Nick acted the same way and like I told him, you couldn't hide from me for long either! None...of you...could!" Carmine held his shotgun up, pointing it at Jarrod and Heath, "Not after what has happened! Not only to my papa and brother, but to my precious Stefania as well! None of you could hide after my little girl was assaulted and violated, her innocence taken from her by Seth McMahon, his buddies, and your brother Nick!"
"Mr. Mangano, our brother Nick did no such thing to Stefania. He would never ever hurt her. Ever." Jarrod rebutted.
"Like Nick, you also have an answer, don't you, whatever your name is." Carmine looked Jarrod dead in the eye, his stare very intense. In fact, it was a stare that was another example of: "If looks could kill, we would all be dead".
"Oh, well, where are my manners? My name is Jar-" Jarrod was cut off.
"Your name doesn't mean a damn thing to us! Not...a...damn thing!" Paulie spoke up.
"Shut up, idiot!" Carmine slapped him on the back of the head, "Need I remind you once more that I will do the talking?!"
"I was just-" Paulie was cut off.
"You were just! You were just! Yeah, you were just...you were just keeping quiet unless I say otherwise! You got that?!" Carmine slightly raised his voice.
Paulie rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath.
"Anyways, what's your name?!" Carmine turned to Jarrod.
"Jarrod Barkley. This is my brother Heath. I'm sure you remember my brother Eugene. He's the one these other gentlemen worked over and you know our brother Nick, of course." Jarrod extended his hand for a handshake.
"What's the meaning of this?" Carmine pointed at Jarrod's hand.
"It's a handshake." Jarrod said with a smile.
"I don't shake the hand of the white man especially the brother of the white man who r*ped and attacked my daughter then let his buddies have their turn!" Carmine stomped his foot.
"Now, listen to me, Mr. Mangano, what happened to Stefania was wrong and what happened to Emilio and Santo was wrong, too but in the case of Stefania, Nick would never hurt her. He cares about her a lot and he wants what you and these other gentlemen want...to make Seth McMahon and his gang of cowards pay dearly. None of us blame you for being angry. I was in the same boat years ago when my wife Beth was murdered by Cass Hyatt and the whole family was when father was murdered by Cass Hyatt's father Pat. We know what it is like to have our world turned upside down. We know the pain you've experienced and we empathize with you and your family." Jarrod started.
"Oh, really?! You think by saying all of that is going to make you all get in my good graces and make everything okay?! Do you think your kind words are going to erase all that has happened and make us forget?! Do you, Jarrod Barkley?!" Carmine raised his voice.
"No, Mr. Mangano. Nothing can ever ever erase what happened nor make it okay, but you can at least realize that not all white people are bad people. Yes, there are bad apples, but don't let them ruin the whole bunch." Jarrod firmly told him.
"That's easy for you to say! It wasn't your daughter or sister who was r*ped and attacked by the white man!" Carmine gritted his teeth.
"Nick didn't attack and r*pe Stefania! Seth McMahon and his gang did! Nick cares about Stefania!" Jarrod raised his voice.
"BUT HE DIDN'T STOP THEM!" Carmine shouted.
"How the hell was Nick supposed to know that such ungodly things were going to happen?! He didn't! He doesn't have a crystal ball or the psychic ability of knowing something before it happens." Jarrod sighed, "If he did, trust me, he would've stopped it from happening."
"YOU LIE! IT'S ALL STRONZATE! (BULLS*T!)" Carmine shouted, again.
"No, he doesn't!" a woman's voice said.
"Who the hell said that?!" Carmine looked around.
"That was our mother and we'll kindly ask that you watch the tongue as there is a lady present." Heath moved aside, so Victoria could ride up to the front of them.
"Mr. Mangano, I presume." Victoria greeted with a smile after getting in front of Jarrod, Heath, and Chet & face-to-face with Carmine.
"You presume correct, Signora Barkley." Carmine nodded before sporting an unimpressed look on his face.
"Yes. My name's Victoria Barkley. I see you have met my sons. Anyways, we know and understand how upset you are at what happened to Stefania. We're upset, too. It was a-" Victoria was cut off.
"Upset?! You think upset cuts it?!" Carmine bitterly asked.
"No, I don't. Upset doesn't begin to cover it. It just doesn't. If it were my daughter Audra, I'd feel the way you are feeling now." Victoria told him in her usual gentle tone of voice.
"Yeah except you forgot one thing...It wasn't your daughter! It was my daughter!" Carmine started to raise his voice.
"Mr. Mangano, I'm trying to be civil here and not raise the temperature, if you will." Victoria gestured "take it easy" with her hands.
"You have some nerve, Signora Barkley. You expect me to be civil and all cool, calm, and collected after what happened to my little girl plus my brother Santo and my papa?! You expect me to be all nice and civil after what has happened?!" Carmine's face was starting to turn red.
"No, I don't. I don't expect you to be calm. You have every right in the world to be angry. Every right. None of us expect you to idly sit back and be calm, but we do wish you would direct your anger towards the ones who deserve it." Victoria calmly told him.
"Oh, I am directing my anger towards the ones who deserve it and your son Nick is one of them!" Carmine gritted his teeth, again.
"Mr. Mangano, Nick didn't do anything wrong. Why can't you realize that?" Victoria asked, her patience beginning to wear thin.
"He's white, isn't he?!" Carmine snarled.
"And being white makes him guilty? Mr. Mangano, you're better than that." Victoria shook her head, clearly not believing what she was hearing.
"White people have been cruel beasts to my family and me! Your kind has done nothing, but treat us like dirt!" Carmine fired back.
"Yeah, Seth McMahon, his gang, Matthew Sturgis, Jack Clevenger, Hiram Ballinger, Jessica Ballinger, Stan Reardon, Kevin Sinclair, Tim Bodine, and Robert T. McIntosh. Those are the ones who deserve your anger. Not Nick or any of us." Jarrod chimed in.
"How dare you repeat those horrible names?!" Carmine raised his voice, again.
"You and your family encountered Jessica and Hiram Ballinger, too?" Victoria got the "Oh no" look in her eyes as those two names were now echoing through her mind.
"Yeah. Why? Are they your friends?!" Paulie asked.
"No. They are no friends to us. You and Mr. Mangano may not believe it, but Jessica nearly destroyed the reputations of Jarrod, Heath, and Nick by making false charges that were later proven to be...well, false." Victoria shook her head, "What did she do to you?"
"That's none of your concern!" Paulie barked.
"Idiot!" Carmine slapped him on the back of the head, again, "What did I just get through telling you?!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you do the talking and I don't, but Carmine-" Paulie was cut off.
"No buts, Paulie! You don't speak unless you or the others are spoken to! Is that clear?!" Carmine threw his hand up before turning to Victoria, "You wanna know what that yellow-haired little she-devil did?! You really wanna know, Signora Barkley?!"
"Yes, I do, Mr. Mangano." Victoria nodded.
"It was a week after we first settled here in Stockton. My late brother Santo was out looking for a job. Any job to help bring in the dough, if you will. As he walked around and looked, he accidentally bumped into a yellow-haired woman, causing her to drop her purse. Being polite as he usually was, he bent down to pick it up and give it to her. What he didn't realize was that she went down at the same time and the moment she locked eyes with him, she screamed-she...she..." Carmine, due to feeling tears threatening to spill down his face, started to have a hard time continuing the story.
"Mr. Mangano, you don't need to say anymore. Those memories are bringing you-" Jarrod was cut off.
"No, I need to tell the story. I need to remind you all what your kind has done to us!" Carmine managed to hold the tears back.
"Mr. Mangano-" Heath was cut off.
"Your kind isn't as perfect as you all think!" Massimo chimed in.
"None of us ever said we were. In fact, none of us are perfect. We're all flawed in our own ways, of course. That being said, some of us still try to do good and stand up for what is right. Go against those who are wrong and in some cases, bring them to justice and hold them accountable for the wrongs they have done. It may not be much at times, but there is a good comfort in knowing that one day...one day, they will have to answer for everything when they meet their maker." Victoria replied.
"Lady, we didn't ask for a preacher!" Luca spoke up.
"Luca, Massimo, do you mind?!" Carmine slapped the both of them.
"Carm, we were-" Luca was cut off.
Carmine didn't say anything, just glared at him.
"Just being quiet." Massimo added, before putting his hand on his mouth, Luca following suit.
"Now, as I was saying before these two decided to flap their jaws, the moment this yellow-haired heathen saw Santo, she screamed and I unfortunately quote: "R*pe!" unquote. She screamed that before tearing her dress and putting dirt all over her face plus messing her hair up. Her screams got everyone riled up enough to come to the scene. Santo tried his best to clear himself by informing those idiots that he didn't attack her and was simply trying to return her purse. Of course, being that he was a beautiful Italian man and that yellow-haired heathen was ghost white, they all took her word over his. Upset and distressed, he ran back to my house. Paulie, my wife Andrea, and I asked him what had happened and what was the matter, because by the looks of it, his beautiful tan had drained out of him. He looked all white. White like a ghost! He told us everything and-I can't! I can't say anymore right now!" Carmine shook his head and stopped due to the pain of what happened to Santo coming back full force and being just as fresh now as when it happened.
Heath, Jarrod, Victoria, and Chet sported sympathetic looks on their faces and shook their heads. They couldn't begin to imagine how painful it had to be for Carmine to re-tell or start to re-tell the story of Santo and his lynching. Re-opening old wounds that were still not completely healed. Re-hashing a horrible memory that hadn't quite become a thing of the past as of yet.
One thing that was for sure, the Barkleys could very well empathize and relate to Carmine and his family when it came to losing a loved one so suddenly. Tom Barkley, husband of Victoria and love of her life plus father of the Barkley children, lost his life to a cold blooded murder & Beth Randall-Barkley, wife of Jarrod for a short time, lost her life in the same manner; murder. It was safe to say that the Barkleys felt the pain the Manganos had experienced. Whether Carmine believed it or not, that was entirely up to him.
"Mr. Mangano, whenever you're ready to divulge more details, if you choose to do so, feel free. There is no rush." Victoria tried to sound sympathetic.
"You telling me what to do?! You ordering me around?!" Carmine asked in a very snooty way.
"No, no, I'm just telling you that whenever you're ready, feel free to tell us more about Santo and the injustice that was done to him. You don't need to divulge it all at once and pick at the scab, if you will." Victoria held her hand up.
"You're damn right it was an injustice as was the murder of my papa, the assault on my other daughter Allegra & my other niece Serafina by Jack Clevenger and Matthew Sturgis, and what happened to Stefania! All of them are injustices and I have waited for too long! I stood on the side after the others happened, but the assault and r*pe of Stefania crossed the line! This time your kind went too far! Too damn far!" Carmine ranted then sighed, "Did you ever read the bible?"
"Yes. We do when we go to church and sometimes at home. Why?" Victoria seemed a little thrown off by this.
"Did you ever read the verse Ezekiel 25:17?" Carmine asked.
"We probably have at some point. Why? Is it your favorite verse?" Jarrod was curious.
"It sums up my feelings about the injustices and how I want to make those bad people pay dearly. I believe it goes and I quote: "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them." unquote." Carmine tightened his grip around his shotgun, "I shall get justice. Justice for what happened. Those heathens shall pay!"
"We understand, Mr. Mangano. In fact, Nick wants what you want." Heath gave a nod.
"To which I say what I said to Jarrod after Beth was killed which is what I had to say to myself when my husband Tom was killed...revenge is not the answer. I didn't know Beth too well, I didn't know Emilio or Santo plus I only know Stefania through Nick and I do not know Serafina or Allegra, but there's one thing that I do know and it is that Tom, Beth, Emilio, Santo, Serafina, Allegra, and Stefania wouldn't want revenge. They just wouldn't. Tom wouldn't have wanted my family and me to destroy the memory of his love by destroying ourselves, Beth wouldn't have wanted Jarrod to destroy the memory of her love by destroying himself, Emilio & Santo wouldn't want that, and neither do Allegra, Serafina, and Stefania. I also told Nick the same thing in regards to his father and Stefania. Revenge doesn't accomplish a thing." Victoria understood the quest for revenge, but knew that it wasn't the answer nor would it solve a thing. She knew it wouldn't have made her & her children any better than Pat Hyatt, Jarrod any better than Cass Hyatt, Carmine & Paulie among others any better than Jessica Ballinger, Seth McMahon, & their bunch, or Nick any better than McMahon and his gang. It would've made them equal to or possibly worse than the ones who did wrong and deep down inside, none of them would've wanted to be the same or worse than the wrongdoers. She knew that and so did they.
"Lady, we really don't need you to preach to us nor do we need to be told how to feel. Besides, you say revenge isn't the answer? Then, what is?! Tell us, because it's apparent that in your eyes, we just don't know how we should go on about the injustices." Paulie growled.
"Yeah, what's your suggestion even though we don't care nor will we listen." Enzo spoke up.
Victoria opened her mouth and started to say something, but stopped when the sound of hoofbeats was heard, yet again.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note 2.0: Okay, so nothing really intense happened except the anger of one character being displayed, there was profanity to a minimum, and the catfight didn't happen yet, but there will be more of each in the next chapter! Stay tuned!
Happy early Halloween, everybody!
Jarrod: Who's coming now?
Carmine: It's a trap!
Paulie: You Barkleys set up a trap for us!
Nick: Could somebody untie me?
Chet: When are we going to cross this bridge?
Eugene: Read and Review, everybody.
Nick: Eugene, what are you doing here?!
Eugene: I haven't been in any chapters for a while! It's not fair.
Vincent: Neither have I since the second Chapter, but you don't see me complaining!
Stefania: R&R, everybody.