“You’re a soldier?!” Nandi queried.
“In a way!” The man gave an impatient wave. “No time to get acquainted! You help us, yes?! We know your DiCenzo!”
Liam and the others exchanged more quick looks, then nodded. They’d known guns before they could walk.
“Come!” The soldier ordered. “Carefully!” He added hotly as they all crouch-walked to the flatbed of Nandi’s truck.
One of the trunks was already open on the ground. Inside, were rifles and boxes of shells.
“Arm yourselves and fight!” The soldier commanded. “Wound as many as you can.”
Liam looked over to where one of the bandits lay dead ten feet away. He jumped, feeling a hand come down on his shoulder. It was the soldier.
“We’ll handle the killing. You and your friends, wound!”
Liam and the others wasted no more time. They loaded the weapons and joined the fighting. It didn’t escape Liam’s notice that he was firing on men he had no quarrel with. He reasoned that the men who ordered them knew DiCenzo so their allegiance should be to that side. Another part reasoned that he owed it to himself to get rid of the frustration which had mounted steadily since Athena Cavalese ran into his life.
Whatever the reasons, the fact remained that he was unloading iron into living flesh. Another part of him-a hidden, darker part, entirely reasoned that he was doing this because he enjoyed it. The skirmish went on for the better part of 10 minutes. When it was done, several lay dead or injured on both sides. Liam and his crew emerged victorious and had given DiCenzo’s contacts 6 men to question.
“What did they do?” Beniton Calabrese asked later as he and his friends watched one of the injured combatants being interrogated.
Liam winced, watching as the bullet wound he’d put in the man’s thigh was probed with a stick. The torturous move forced a curdled scream past the man’s throat.
Claudius Alfonsi, the soldier, used a worn brown cap to mop at the sweat shining his high brow. “My team and I were hired over a month ago by Don Sante Alma- you fellows know him?”
Awe shone on Tonelo’s and Nandi’s faces.
“He owns half of Trento,” Nandi said.
Alfonsi nodded. “His daughter was being escorted by his men to meet her cousins. A holiday-
girl’s thing. They were set upon by bandits. The guards were found beaten, shot. No sign of the girls.” Alfonsi glanced toward the interrogation. “We’ve learned from the guard who survived that the bandits took the daughter and her lady escorts. He said the ladies were...defiled while he and his men lay dying mere feet away. He died before we could get him to hospital.”
“Sons of whores!” Marco raged while Beniton pounded his fist to palm. Both men were from loving families where each was outnumbered by girls. Marco could claim five sisters, Beniton seven.
“In light of this, we were happy to help,” Liam said.
“The Don will not forget your kindness,” Alfonsi said. “We couldn’t risk the polizia getting their hands on this stock,” he gestured toward the trunks. “These weapons will be valuable for our hunt.”
Liam frowned. “But aren’t these the men?”
“Known associates,” Alfonsi explained. “The men we are after specialize in this kind of... brutality- taking young women to sell to the brothels. The daughter of a powerful don could fetch a high price,” he stood. “My men and I must move. The gunfire might keep some away, others would be drawn to it. I will tell DiCenzo of your bravery- the Don as well. What is your business? You all have exceptional talent with shooting.”
“We ship fabrics for DiCenzo,” Nandi said.
Alfonsi nodded. “Shipping, uh? DiCenzo couldn’t have trusted the Don’s merchandise to better men. Does shipping pay well?”
Nandi shrugged. “We get by.”
The soldier grinned. “Well if you ever tire of getting by, contact me. DiCenzo will know how. We could use men as good in a fight as you five.”
“Do you expect this to work?” Liam looked toward the injured men. “Torture for information?”
Alfonsi winked. “It works better than you think, kid.”
“It’s expensive, dangerous.”
“Yes,” Alfonsi acknowledged Liam’s point with another wink. “Yet such is the case when laying traps for bandits.”
“There could be an easier trap to lay.”
Alfonsi laughed. “Is that right?”
Nandi was next to laugh. He clapped a hard hand to Liam’s shoulder, grinning when his friend grunted and winced. “You should take note of my friend. A true visionary, he is.”
“Is that a fact? Alright then,” Alfonsi sat on the tailgate and spread his hands. “Let’s hear it, then.”
Liam’s smile was tight, but his words flowed cooly. “You and your men, you talk, walk, dress like soldiers. If you were to walk, talk, dress like bandits...” he let the suggestion fade.
“Ah...” Alfonsi rolled his eyes. “We’ve already considered this, fellow. The scheme would require us to act like bandits, no? At some point we might be suspected of trickery if we never raped and murdered. Besides that, none of us could stand by and allow those cowards to commit their crimes with impunity.”
“That may not be an issue if your men divide-half in with the bandits, half in...the white hats, no?”
“I see,” Alfonsi’s expression brightened. “I see, half make nice with the cocksuckers, the others out of sight yet close enough to keep them from bringing trouble to the innocents.”
“If you’ve got enough men to make it work,” Liam cautioned.
Alfonsi stroked his stubbled jaw, nodding while murmuring words of agreement. “Not a bad plan...”
