Rowland, The Senators Son

Chapter 23 Sacrifice

Alexia's mobile buzzed what the hell it should not have been even getting a signal. Alexia rolled over and connected the call.

"Hello My Domma," That's why she thought, Toku's program and Lance's special communications tech.

"Ok my lovely what is going on?" She answered.

"We need to make this quick. Ignazia is on her way; she landed in Sydney some eight hours ago and is on the way there, by car. Go to ground. Help is on the way." Alexia could not even respond as the phone went dead.

'Shit' she cursed to herself, there was not enough time to get Amanda and the girls to safety, and she would have to send them into hiding and pray the guys could get to them in time.

It was still dark when she went into her sister's room. "Amanda, you need to wake up," Alexia gently whispered to her sister and placed a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet as she woke, "trouble is coming and you need to get the girls out of here."

Amanda spoke softly "What's going on?"

"No questions get the girls up quietly, grab some supplies and go out to the back. Stick to the drainage gully until you get to the back paddock and then go south straight to our cave in the gorge." It almost looked like Amanda was about to argue until Alexia made her next statement. "Where we used to hide from daddy when we were kids," it was the cave they would hide in when their father would fly into a drunken rage.

Alexia knew she had used her big sister urgent voice, she hoped her voice had not betrayed how truly terrified she was. Terrified that Ignazia and her crew would get their hands on her sister and her beloved nieces, she would do anything to make sure that wouldn't happen. Even sacrificing herself as she was about to do.

"Stay there until I send someone for you, if it isn't Brody or Dale, the man will wear a gold pendant with a manor one side and a Celtic ruin the other, trust no one else. No one," Alexia demanded.

Amanda nodded got up and dressed quickly, "What are you going to do?"
Alexia whispered to her "Keep them busy until help gets here." She drew Amanda in for a quick hug and continued, "I love you. I'm sorry things weren't always easy between us."

Amanda brushed at her dampened cheeks as Alexia released her and grabbing a backpack she stuffed a few items in the bag and went to the girl's room.

Safe in the knowledge that Amanda would do what she asked, she walked to the front of the house and simply awaited Ignazia's imminent arrival. She would never allow the violence that had touched her life, seize hold of the ones she loved. Following in the footsteps of their mother she would stand between them and any danger.

***

Alexia sat in the old rocker on the front porch sipping scotch and smoking one of her favourite cigars. A habit she had inherited from her Scottish Sinn-Seanair (Grandfather). As the smoke wafted skywards, she could imagine the old man sitting in the chair.

"Would you like a wee dram lassie?" his thick accent rolling over her like a loving caress.

"I, Poppy I," she would answer and he would allow her a scant sip of the malty goodness. It would burn through her.

Right now he would have been calling her to arms, like the old Scottish Piper he was. He would have looked at her through his shaggy eyebrows "No lassie of my blood will ever stay down for long, stiffen that chin my Ban-ogha (Granddaughter), you will triumph."

"I hope so, my beloved Sinn-Seanair." She now raised a glass to the amazing man hoping he could stiffen her resolve from the great beyond.

Her musing was interrupted by the arrival of three black Hummer's, dark tinted windows disguising its occupants. The front doors of each vehicle opened in unison, the six men that emerged all wore tailored Italian suits, and they were armed with either rifles or machine guns.

The ones to emerge from the back had similar attire; there were obvious bulges of concealed weapons under their suit jackets, their uniform per say included massive sunglasses, greased back hair and big moustaches.

Alexia could have laughed; To her it was what would have happened if a bad '70s porno had crashed head long into a Milano Catwalk.

They spread out and then from the back door of the centre vehicle emerged Ignazia.

Alexia thought 'who the fuck wears a white tailored Versace pant suit to the outback of Australia? Oh yeah that's right the gun totting crazy mafia cunt here to kill you.'

"So nice to see you again Ignazia," Alexia called not rising from her seat they would come to her soon enough. She would be fucked getting up to greet the bitch that was obviously here to end her.

"buona giornata, signora Alexia," Ignazia called and walked forward.

Ok so the bitch was going to start off civil, "What do you want Ignazia?"

"The truth," Ignazia's face was hard.

"About what?" Alexia was going to make her say it.

Ignazia was now on the front porch looking hard at Alexia, "What happened to Nerio and why you killed him?"

Alexia drained her glass and took a long draw on the superb cigar, held the smoke and then blew it out slowly before she spoke.

"Ignazia, no answer I give will satisfy you."

"There is one, the one where you admit you killed him and faked the smut." Ignazia spat the words at her.

'This was going to be fucken fun,' Alexia thought.

"Find her family," Ignazia demanded.

"They are not here Ignazia they have gone south rounding up livestock. You will never find them." Alexia stated.

"Go north; Dig them out from whatever rock they have crawled under." Ignazia assumed that Alexia was lying about the direction.

"Your boys may want to change out of their Ferragamo's before they go traipsing off into the scrub." Alexia grinned. "I promise you Ignazia you will never get your hands on them."

"Then I will need to make you tell the truth the old-fashioned way." She gave a curt nod to two goons and they grabbed hold of Alexia. She then commanded. "Spread out, cover the out buildings. I don't want any surprises. We may be here for a while."

****