Page 3 of The Rescuer

“This way, Signore.” The voice of Don Giovanni Sforza’s firstborn pulled Brian out of his thoughts. “It’s not my regretted parents’ residence, but for the moment, it’s exactly what I need.” The young man gestured to a doorway.

“Thank you for the invitation.” Brian stepped into a luxuriously and tastefully decorated salon. “I have to admit I was looking forward to this meeting; I was, and am, very curious to get to know you and find out what made you do what you did.”

“Do sit down,” Ottavio politely spoke, indicating a large, comfortable armchair. “I was also curious to see how the Wisdom Keeper looked. Well, in fact, I want to know what hides behind the name of Brian Cavallieri because in all honesty, in the era of internet and performance computers, your position in The Council is a little… outdated.” The man sat on a small couch facing the librarian.

“I don’t agree. You see, even in our times, there is knowledge the internet hasn’t found about yet, and that’s because someone humble and insignificant like me keeps it from being spread. Sometimes, it’s because this knowledge is reserved only to a selected few; in other cases, it is too dangerous, and…”

“So, a Wisdom Keeper’s role is to stop the progress.” Ottavio waved his hand. “Whatever, I didn’t bring you here for philosophical discussions on the utility of your position. I want to bare my soul to you. Let’s make peace and restore things to their former state.”

“That’s all me, Don Calogero, and all the others want!” Brian exclaimed, losing his cool for a few moments. “We didn’t kidnap, threaten, blackmail, or kill anyone; all the horrible things that have happened were your and your allies’ doing.” The librarian stopped to catch his breath. “What I don’t and won’t understand is the hatred against your brother, your own flesh and blood. You ordered Martino’s death and were there when—”

“Stop it!” The intensity of Ottavio’s burst of anger took the other man by surprise. “Mypoor little brother, the sweet angel… I’m sick of that brat and should have given him to Il Burattinaio or his men to use him until there was nothing left to use. The goddamn pest with his poison-green eyes stole the heart of the only man I ever loved. Luca Rinaldi was supposed to bemyhusband,nothis.”

Brian stared at his conversation partner in disbelief, then slowly shook his head. “No. That union was your father’s wish; I saw the letter Don Giovanni left to Luca, and the Educator confirmed its authenticity.”

“My father never liked me very much, so when the Vergara family showed him the blood contract, I thought that even if I was the firstborn, he was going to marry the youngest off to Giorgio. I was even more convinced of that when he asked Tomassi for a fake contract. When I found out he wanted to protect the brat by uniting his destiny with Luca’s, my world fell apart.”

“You know, there is something I don’t understand.” Brian gave Ottavio a piercing look. “According to a very reliable source, you always treated Luca poorly and called him bad names when he lived in your father’s house, yet you claim you love him. Can you please explain me—”

“Yes, I admit I did those things, and I’m not sorry; it was the only way to drive all the other possible candidates at his hand away,” Ottavio cut Brian short, then, after pausing a bit, continued on a slightly arrogant note. “Your so-calledreliablesource forgot to tell you that it was me who asked my father to take Luca under his wing, bring him to live with us, and include him in Don Calogero’s study group.”

“What you call love is nothing more than a very unhealthy obsession.” Brian realized his voice was harsher than he intended, so he softened it a bit. “Look, there is still time for you to find a man to fall in love with and who would reciprocate and appreciate your qualities. Why don’t you show Luca how much you love him by allowing him to be happy with the one he cares about?”

“Offer him on a silver platter to that spoiled brat?” Ottavio’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “When hell freezes over, how you Americans used to say. I thought he would hate the one who took his virginity by force before his dying father, but no; Luca tricked me and was tender with that stupid, useless boy his first time.”

He is starting to lose control of his emotions, Brian said to himself,so he will be less careful with what he says. The librarian decided to take advantage of that situation and turned the discussion in another direction. He discreetly shifted, and when Ottavio was staring blankly ahead, he quickly pulled his phone out from the jacket’s inside pocket, tapped the record button, then put the device back.

Brian asked his conversation partner why he killed his father in cold blood and had him watch Martino being assaulted in his final moments, and the answer he got shocked him to the core. It was an act of mercy, Ottavio claimed; Don Giovanni Sforza loved his younger children, two girls and a boy, who were also slaughtered before his eyes, and couldn’t have survived them longer than a few days.

By ordering Il Burattinaio’s men to shoot his father, he spared the name Sforza of the shame and disgrace that would have covered it had Don Giovanni took his own life, Ottavio continued in a detached voice. Besides, Il Burattinaio owed him a favor after he took out his teenage nephews, making him his younger brother’s sole heir.

Brian asked his host how he took the boys out, but Ottavio ignored the question, going back to his favorite subject: Luca and the great love he claimed to have for the man. He went on and on about how good he would treat his brother’s fiancé and how no one would have the courage to remind him of his low birth.

Hoping he would get new information about the fate of the still missing heirs, Brian listened to Ottavio without interrupting him for a good while, but then, tired of his nonsense rambling, he stood and asked if he were free to leave. With the same politeness he harbored at the beginning of the meeting, Don Giovanni Sforza’s firstborn led his guest to the main exit, asking him to consider talking to Luca and opening his mind and eyes, making him see who truly loved him.

Brian nodded and mumbled some unintelligible words, then headed to his vehicle, almost running. There was bitter cold inside, the telltale sign of Don Giovanni’s presence, but the librarian didn’t care; he let out a long sigh of relief and took off, listening to the silence inside the car and feeling the vibrations of worry and anger coming from the ghost.

No, the Sicilian nobleman was saying,Ottavio is not a coward, or better said not only a coward, but also a madman with an unhealthy obsession, and that made him dangerous. Luca should never find out about that conversation, the spirit suggested to the librarian; otherwise, he would offer himself as a sacrificial lamb in exchange of the heirs who were still in Ottavio’s custody.

That one is my son, but he has no honor and no word; he would continue to keep the heirs, or at least a part of them, under his control, and make Luca his prisoner. If that happens, all the strategies, the sacrifices, everything Brian himself and his family were put through would be in vain, Don Giovanni warned.

The librarian silently approved of the spirit’s thoughts or whatever that form of communication was. He intended to spend a quiet afternoon in the company of Bart and their children but changed his plans although his heart ached. Messaging his husband, Brian told him to take the kids to either his parents or Edward and Julien’s, then go back to The Base and wait for him there.

The librarian left his car outside the gates separating the sanctuary and annex buildings from the rest of the town, walking the distance to the administrative building where Ardan had given him an office. As if they would have read his mind, Malaspina, Dominic, Luca, and Tanner were hanging out in the corridor that led to his office.

“I’m happy to see you’re alive and kicking.” Eugene Brentano-Fenelli, Elyan’s father and the nephew of the powerful Giuseppe Fenelli from Detroit, came to the librarian, hand extended. “I won’t keep you very long. I only wanted to thank you for bringing my son and Baldassare Van Necker together.”

“They found each other, sir.” Brian smiled softly. “I'm glad they are happy. I'm fond of both of them.”

“Please, call me by my name.” Eugene brought his hands together. “I'm the one who should call you sir for everything you've done for my son.”

“Okay… Eugene.” Brian hesitated a bit when he said the mafioso’s name. “How is Elyan? I was working on a book club for all of us, but it will have to wait a while.”

“He's great. Baldassare is good for him, so Don Calogero included him in the regular study group.” Eugene’s eyes were shining with a mix of paternal affection and pride.

“I know.” Brian nodded and offered the other man a friendly smile. “I hope Elyan is enjoying it. He’s such a smart kid. If you tell me what he's reading, I'll read it, and he can always come to our house so we can talk about it. Doc said I can only be at the library four hours a day, so I have time off.”

“Currently, he's studying the history of the Grand Families, so a lot of history books. I'll get the full list from Baldassare and send it to you.” Eugene glanced at his wristwatch. “I have to go now, but I hope you know you can count on me for anything, anytime.”

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