The taxi dropped her before the gate, steered the car back in the direction it had come, and sped down the asphalt. She walked into a frenzied atmosphere on the estate. SUVs lined the long cobbled stone driveway, with men of various sizes, mostly muscular with cruel, angry faces, milling around the vehicles, heavily armed with guns. It looked like they were preparing for war.
They froze at the sight of her, transfixed to the floor as she walked through their midst to the doorway, their confused eyes following every move she made.
"She is here, Capitan. The Signora is back" A small but immensely muscular man, also clutching a rifle tight in his arms, turned into the foyer, screaming at the top of his lungs. In less than a couple of moments later, Raphael and Luca were racing out of the mansion. Luca got to her first. His expression was hostile as he pretended to check her out.
"You shouldn't have returned, Signora. You shouldn't have" he said to her in a very low voice that only she could hear. He did nothing to hide the fury and murder in his cruel eyes. When he steered his gaze back to the others, and to Raphael, who had just reached her, a mask of placidity, with a measured mixture of confusion replaced the hostility in his eyes. "It really is signora Elena. She must have miraculously escaped from those Cuzellas hounds. I never could have believed Andrea Cuzellas, their boss, would let the Signora go."
Somehow, or perhaps, something about the way he said what he said, told Elena he was trying to give her a hint of what to say.
Raphael Mancini wore a stern look on his face as he approached her, yet there was no mistaking the underlying worry in his eyes. "What exactly happened, signora? I didn't understand a word Luca said. I want to hear your version of things" he ordered, arrogant as ever.
Elena picked up from Luca's hint. "We were ambushed by a couple of armed men who called themselves the Cuzellas. They shot Enzo and Nico and attempted to take me away, but fortunately, I was able to run away in the shootout, leaving Luca behind" Elena lied, speaking slowly to help her craft the lies in her head, working with the hint Luca provided.
Raphael's eyes probed her face, searching for her lies. "Quite fortunate for you to be able to run away from the scene, but I believe Luca said something like the Cuzellas took you in their trucks and drove off with you" Raphael said, his words came out as a bit sarcastic.
"He must have been confused during the shootout. I definitely was able to flee from the scene. How else would you explain how I was able to escape and find my way back here", Elena yelled aloud in defense.
"Well, I can't explain that, I wasn't present at the scene. I just thought it was unlikely, because Luca gave a rather vivid description of what had happened, especially about how the Cuzellas bundled you into their truck and drove off with you. He said they pushed you into the same car as Andrea Cuzella, who led the ambush. You should have seen him on the scene, he usually dyes his short curls white, as well as his goatee, and dresses like a playboy". Raphael said, his eyes probing her face. "You saw that playboy, right?" he asked.
Elena nodded. "Yes, I saw him. He was quite a guy. Quite a dangerous rival for you. I wish I had stayed behind and got to know him. He seems like a nice guy. Perhaps if I pleaded with him enough he might help get rid of you, and I would be free once again" she responded with the same sarcasm.
Raphael made a dry grin, arrogant and smug. "You won't be able to get rid of me so easily, signora. Andrea is not my rival, he is a man who is trying to be. I just haven't the time to waste dealing with such a Mafia wannabe. But I made a mistake calling him a playboy earlier. Andrea isn't a playboy, he has no time for women, and he is the simplest old-fashioned man I have ever known. Besides, last time we crossed paths at a bloodless social event, which was yesterday. He didn't wear a goatee as he had never worn one before, and his hair was very black", Raphael grinned.
Elena felt like she was backed to the wall, her heart taking a steady rise. His grin embarrassed her, she suddenly realized she had fallen right into his trap. His false description of Andrea was to force her to confirm the false description and use it against her. "Must have been one of his men, I couldn't tell. It was a bit of a tense moment, and besides, I don't know this man nor his men"
Raphael grinned sheepishly, bridging the little space between them. "Well, maybe signora, Andrea was actually a playboy, with white hair and a goatee. I remember I used to tease him about his white hair when we were teenagers. He was quite rebellious as a youngster, you see", he whispered in her ears, pulling back to witness the expression his words created on her face. He seemed satisfied with the confusion on her face, he smirked arrogantly.
Elena was tired of the mind games. She was never going to win this. Raphael would keep toying with her mind further until he found out the truth. There was only one way out of this. A trick she had picked up from her nursing classes. With a calculated press of her fingers to the side of their neck, just below the jawline, her carotid sinus, Elena made herself fall into a sudden dizziness. She wobbled on her feet for an indecisive moment, before dropping fast to the stones, everything going blank in an instant.