Page 8 of Brighter Than Gold

“Aurelia,” he repeated, trying the name in his mouth. “That’s beautiful. How old are you sweet girl?”

“Don’t you dare—” the girl’s father growled.

“I really would watch my words if I were you, old man.” Lazio interrupted. He waited, the man did not speak again. “Wise choice. Now, how old are you, Aurelia?” he asked again.

“Eighteen,” the girl whispered.

“What a perfect, ripe age,” Lazio cooed. “And tell me, sweet girl, have you ever been with a man before?”

At this question, the girl’s mother began to weep.

“Oh, come now mummy, it was going to happen eventually.” The woman only wept louder.

“So, beautiful girl are you intact? There some sweet young boy who enticed you into his father’s barn for a roll in the hay, was there?” Lazio smiled as he wiped a tear from her cheek. The girl shook her head in answer. “Lovely,” he whispered. He stood and politely held out his hand for her. “Come.”

Lazio led her towards the hearth. “You’re in my chair,” he told a patron, who quickly scurried away. He sat, and gently pulled the trembling girl into his lap.

“Do you drink wine?” he asked. “Fuck it, I don’t care. You’ll have some with me.”

One of Lazio’s lackeys snatched a carafe from our table. He set it in front of his chief and placed two glasses beside it. Lazio tossed his hat and shrugged off his thick coat before leaning forward and pouring them each a cup. Aurelia’s hands trembled terribly as she accepted it.

“Cheers, darling,” he said. He touched his cup to hers and took a sip, never once looking away from her. The girl sipped her drink and began to lower the cup from her mouth when Lazio shook his head. “More, darling.” He placed his fingers on the bottom of her cup and tipped it up, forcing her to take down the wine. She choked slightly, but finished the glass, her tears mixing into the ruby drink. “Good girl.”

The old woman came out from the kitchen carrying trays of food and unloaded it onto the table in front of Lazio.

“More,” he demanded. The woman nodded and rushed off. “Make yourselves at home, boys!” Lazio said to his men. They casually dropped their guard and walked about the room snatching wine and food and women. No one resisted, until a short stocky man made his way over to me. He chuckled as he tried to pull me from Callan’s lap. Callan tightened his grip around me.

* * *

Callan

“No,” I said in a low growl, and gave the man a cautionary look. “Not this one.”

The man’s smile faded. “Are we going to have a problem?” he said menacingly through blackened teeth.

“That will depend on what you do next.”

Reyah looked between us as though she may get torn in two.

The man chuckled and reached down grabbing a handful of her hair, dragging her off of my lap. I whipped around and had a knife to his throat in a flash. All eyes in the room turned to the skirmish. Another of the enforcers launched himself towards me, I ducked below the attack, the man landing hard on the ground to find my boot pushing down into his neck.

“What the fuck is this racket?” Lazio yelled. He looked over to see two of his men held at bay. “Excuse me a moment, darling,” he said to the girl in his lap.

As he walked closer, I pushed the tip of the blade harder into the throat of the man I held captive, and a bright crimson line raced down his neck.

“What is your name?” Lazio asked me.

I took several long breaths before deciding to answer honestly. “Callan,” I uttered.

“I’ve already killed two of your young comrades because they seemed the type to do something stupid and heroic, and this one…” he walked behind Nevin, whose hand remained pierced to the table. In a brash move, Nevin pulled the blade free from his hand and thrust it out towards Lazio.

Lazio followed his momentum, turning and landing atop him while producing a twin dagger, jutting it up suddenly through the guards jaw. My body jerked to help, but I was already occupied holding the two other bruisers at bay, and besides, it was too late.

Lazio picked himself up from the ground, watching Nevin on the floor as his eye bulged in horror, feeling around the handle protruding from his neck. In desperation, he pulled the knife free and clamped his hand down over the wound. It made little difference, blood poured through his fingers like a sieve. Nevin began coughing, bloody mists spurting past his lips. It took only a minute for his body to collapse limply.

“Well, it would seem as though we’ve done away withallyour comrades,” Lazio said. His voice was so casual, it was alarming. “Are you as foolish as the rest of them were?”

The lackey under my foot began thrashing and gasping for air. In a show of good faith, I leaned back on my heel and released some of the pressure crushing the man’s windpipe.

---