“I look forward to it.” With a wink, he exited the car and was soon replaced by Laurent.

“I saw you speaking to a couple of other people. Last-minute orders?”

Tara chuckled, “I was beginning to think this was planned by the lot of you… one at a time ambushing me in the final moments trying to make sure I don’t get too melancholy?”

Laurent shrugged. “If I ambushed you, you would know.” He gave Tara a small smile. “Ready?”

She nodded.  “I think so. As ready as I can be.  Don’t die if you can help it, Laurent.  I like you. I’d sure as hell hate to leave you in this fucking country.”

“I don’t make a habit of it, Miss Mastrosimone. You’ve done well. And you have a good team. You’ll be fine.” With a nod, he exited the car.

Tara looked at the door expectantly, waiting for someone else to come in. When Jo knocked on her window, Tara jumped.

“Sorry! Just looked like everyone else was like, saying goodbye and good luck and stuff. I didn’t want to be left out. 

“You all act like we aren’t going to the same place.”  She said with a smile. “Just the same, thank you Jo, for everything.  You’ve proven every bit as vital as the guys on the team - more so in some ways.  When this is done, if ever need a gal friday again, you're the top of my call list.”

“Well, I know we’ll be driving and hiking and stuff. But this doesn’t seem like it’ll be too chatty. And thanks, Tara. I didn’t really know what to do with myself when I got fired, but this seems… I dunno, like a good fit. Anyways, Doc is already packed up and ready to roll.” Jo waved at Crupi as he returned. “Mario said he’s ready, too. He’ll take three trucks to Cefalu, set them up there. We’ll peel off once we get close enough to hike. I’ll go climb in the back, sit in between those two new boys.”

“Sounds like a plan.  Keep a close eye on them.  I like to think everything is as it seems but I have to admit, their arrival is timely and I can’t shake the small bit of paranoia that tells me to be suspicious of that.  Bacchus keeps his power by not taking any other side but his own - it could be he liked me enough to do this kindness… or that Francesco has wronged him and he’s paying the man back… but I also don’t think any Byrne or Luciano lived so long without a healthy dose of watching their ass.”

Jo nodded. “Good thinking. I’ll sure keep an eye on their ass.” With a wink, she headed toward the back of the truck.

Tara waited for everyone to pile in and, once the team was finally ready, the group left the Luciano compound.  This time tomorrow she’d either be dead or Francesco would be. That was the way of it in her mind. There could be no other options.

***

The woods.  Home. It was easy to imagine the trees here weren’t in Sicily and that beyond or somewhere within them was death, but instead, home.  Tara never felt as comfortable in the city as she did among the trees and from the moment she and her team set foot in the forest doubt became nothing more than a tiny knot in the back of her mind.  

Here she could be confident, strong, fast and silent.  There was nothing and no one to prove herself to, no standard expectations she was failing to meet, or bar she had to obtain - just her body and the environment. It wasn’t a contest, but a dance.  Careful placement of feet, watching for the signs of life and movement that had gone on before. Like the tracks that indicated a path that the girls clearly took on training exercises, that was a direction to be avoided.  Also to be remembered. They might return that way.

Some of her companions were light on their feet and fast.  Observant too. Others took a little help. "Keep your eyes up."  She mouthed, barely letting sound come to her lips when she spoke to Jo.  "Helps with balance." They had spent their whole lives in cities and their sense of balance wasn't what it should be.  Here that could have proven deadly to them and the whole team.

Ren, god love him, had begun to veer off twice towards the west.  It was as if his body naturally was made for left turns, perhaps its a city thing?  Tara helped get him back on track quickly and without much fuss.  If they lived through this she made a mental note that she’d offer to teach the young man a few things about the woods in case he ever found himself in this sort of pickle again.

When the compound suddenly came into sight and no alarms had been raised Tara wanted to dance, she was so excited.  The thrill of watching the two women outside of Francesco’s home - seemingly unaware of her presence, was beyond words.  She understood it now, her mother’s writings about how much she loved what she used to do - about all that Grandpa Gavin had taught her.  Tara got it and she empathized.  

They could, she realized, take a shot at the two stationed outside Francesco’s home but the moment they pulled guns and began shooting it would become a fire fight.  And, as she stared longer, she realized that the two outside the house weren’t young like she had been told to expect… but older, closer to her mother’s age. Closer, she realized, to Olimpia Mattaranzi’s age.  Brigitte and Mom had said they wondered if the woman had been part of Francesco’s program and that this is how Mattaranzi had managed to pull in such aid… this might seem to confirm their suspicions. Oriana’s class might not have been the first.

For a moment she considered ending the threat, but the shot was a long one.  She’d never taken one quite so long and she was sure many on her team would feel uncertain as she did.  If they snuck in closer though… maybe to the dormitory building, yes!

Tara made a gesture with her hand, advancing the team into the compound.  She held her breath as they sped through the open area - exposed. This was the single most dangerous moment thus far.  If Francesco had people she hadn’t spotted, they would be shot at for sure!

She only exhaled once she reached the dorms.  Tara fell against the side of the building catching her breath a moment before peaking inside to see at least one girl.  From here she had a better view of all the building: the dormitories, Francesco's, the medical building, and the armory.

Tara smirked.

Now that was a way to cause a distraction.  Very likely there were explosives and incendiaries inside.  She bet that the building could be lit up like the night sky on the Fourth of July.  It would also deprive Francesco’s people of any additional weapons they weren’t already carrying with them.  

Of course, the bridge they’d seen on their way in was an equally large opportunity.  If that thing were to go up prematurely, Francesco might assume his people fucked up something and come out of whatever hiding spot he was in to dress some woman down for it.  Drawing out the monster might be far better than playing the shell game.

All these thoughts, however, might prove unnecessary if Francesco was sitting in his house.  And if he wasn’t, why bother guarding it? Tara motioned for the team to move towards the northeast corner of the dorms.  In a low whisper, “He’s got to be in his hut. Guards there. We take them. Advance and ideally end this.”

Scanning the camp, Tara took it in; it would be, perhaps, the last quiet moment she’d have to do so. The bridge out front seemed rigged to blow. The armory. The medical building- which she now saw had a truck parked next to it, facing out toward the road. Tire tracks next to it suggested a second truck had departed the compound earlier that morning. The dormitory right next to them seemingly had someone inside it as well, judging by the sounds inside. Taking a deep breath, she whispered her orders.

“We could use the truck.”  Tara said. “We need to set that bridge off.  If Mario brings his men up that way, they’re dead for sure.  Ren, Orlando, Jo - head down to the medical building. See if you can’t rig up that truck to drive into the trap and set it off once you hear the shooting start at Francesco’s place.  Ideally it will draw people away from what we’re doing. Jo, you’ll be near the medical supplies, try to stay low. Your knowledge may be what separates us from losing someone and not.  Provide cover fire and support.”

“Crupi, Laurent, Armando… you’re with me.  Let’s see if this fucker is home. Good luck guys, see you on the other side of this.”

Ren, Jo, and Orlando nodded and crept off toward the medical building and truck. Jo hushed the two men as they argued over who would take the truck: Tara gave them a minute’s head start. Tara took a moment to steady herself, remembering her lessons from Oriana. Then she stepped around the corner with her team and opened fire, listening as Crupi, Laurent, and Armando did the same. The two women, surprised, dropped under a hail of gunfire- both seemingly killed instantly.

Renato took this moment to start up the truck, swinging the wheel around and wedging the accelerator. He pointed the truck at the bridge, held it steady for as long as he dared, then jumped off. He landed hard, rolling against the grass before scrambling up and running towards the medical building. As the truck crossed the bridge, a loud explosion rang out, knocking Renato off his feet as he continued to scramble towards cover.

As Tara and her group approached Francesco’s building, gunfire rang out behind them from the dormitory. Tara could have sore she felt a bullet move her hair, and she glanced back to see two women hastily aiming at them from the dormitory. Laurent was hit and knocked off track, but Armando steadied him. 

The door of Francesco’s building loomed before Tara’s group, both as a source of cover and potential danger. Tara sprinted toward the door, unable to react as Crupi moved in front of her and threw his weight into it, blasting it open in a shower of splinters. His bulky form took the bullets meant for Tara, and he dropped to the floor as Tara raised her gun instinctually and aimed it at the shadowy figure in the corner, even as she saw two pistols pointed at her. They fired simultaneously.

Tara watched as her target crumpled at the same instant she felt her flesh giving way along her side.  It was a bee sting at first, but then, the pain seemed to explode and her knees gave way. She gasped, her body felt as if it had been plunged into an icy pool of water.  She’d never felt such a thing in all her life and it caused her to cry out in spite of herself. Her hand went to her side where blood was seeping out through her shirt. Only the fear of someone finishing the job allowed her to look across the room towards what she could only assume had been Francesco and then, seeing no movement, her gaze fell upon her friend. 

“Zetico?”  Tara managed through grit teeth, sliding up alongside the larger man, not sure if she had the courage or strength to get to her feet.  Tara began to look for signs of life, hopeful the man wasn’t yet dead.

Reaching out a hand she turned his face carefully to find empty eyes looking back at her.  Remembering how her mother had been mistaken about Grandpa Gavin, she put her ear to the large man’s bloody chest and listened for breath for a heartbeat - silence was the only reply.  Tears welled in Tara’s eyes. If she’d been first through the door, she would have died. He had saved her life, just as he meant to do. Gingerly she closed his eyelids with her fingers and kissed his brow, sobbing.  Zetico Crupi would never see her heaven on earth.

Outside, Armando and Laurent had whirled toward the two women charging them from the dormitory. They were good- and fast. Armando’s eyes widened as he saw one of the woman appear to dodge a bullet. It wasn’t possible- but had she seen the angle of the gun and-? Who the hell were these bitches, anyway? Focusing, he continued to pull the trigger as they closed the distance. Laurent grunted, and Armando saw the man drop to one knee. The Frenchman raised his gun and shot one of the women- just as he took to more shots to the chest. With a look of contempt, Laurent focused on the second woman and pulled the trigger, dropping her as well. Then he fell to the ground. Armando, not quite sure how dead the two women were, quickly ran up to both bodies and shot them in the head. As the echoes of the gunshots faded, Armando raced back inside Francesco’s building. It was dark inside, and his eyes struggled to adjust.

“Tara?”

Tara picked herself up off of Crupi’s body where she’d been crying.  “I’m shot.” she said softly, pain clear in her voice. “He got Crupi.”

Blinking, Armando looked over to the body in the corner. “Did you make sure he’s dead?”

Tara could hear her mother's voice still in her ears:  Keep your mind not on what could happen, or what has happened in the past, be present.  That is the best advice I can give you. And never, ever, give up. If you can breathe, you can fight.  Do you hear me?

Tara put her hands on her knees and tried to rise up to her feet, gritting her teeth tight and grunting as she felt the pain her in her side.  She had to see it for herself, had to know. Two shots. Always two. Her mother was clear on that in her journal. Grandpa Gavin had said two.  Gun in hand she told herself she’d get across the room and make sure it was done herself so she could look Ori in the eyes and confidently tell her, she’d never again have to be afraid.

Slowly, Tara crossed the room, one hand holding her gun, the other holding her bloody side.  Ori’s jacket would need to be cleaned after this, and who knew if the blood would ever fully come out.  After all, Mom’s jacket had forever carried the stains of her namesake’s blood on the cuffs.

Tara came up beside the man who had terrorized Oriana and she struggled not to think about the other woman’s nightmares, of the fear in her eyes when she’d woken holding a knife to her throat for the second time.  Here on the floor like he was, he didn’t seem all that terrifying, not at all the boogie man she’d come to imagine he was. Lifting her gun she pointed it at his head and after only a moment of looking at him, she pulled the trigger.  

It was done.  Tara allowed herself to grab the wall with her gun hand and only then turned to face Armando. “We should get to the others.  I may need your help. There’s still women out there.”

Armando offered his arm to Tara, leading her out where Laurent was laying on the grass. Tara’s gaze fell upon the Frenchman and then she looked to Armando, silently questioning if he was dead. Armando gently detached himself from Tara and went to check. “Weak pulse. Weak breath. He doesn’t have long.”

“They have to have a doctor in that fucking medical hut… I’ll stay with him, go find Jo and see if they got lucky and didn’t have to kill the doctor.  If we can save him, we will.” Tara lowered herself down beside Laurent, it felt good to sit. The bleeding was slower like this.

Inside the medical tent, Renato, Jo, and Orlando were surprised to find an old woman. She looked at them, then seemed to go back to cataloging her supplies. They glanced at each other, and had started a debate about what they wanted to do to her when she pulled a small gun; Jo, Ren, and Orlando all shot her, sending her sprawling back into one of the shelves.

“See?!” shouted Orlando, who’d wanted to kill her. The shout echoed, and they’d realized how quiet it was. Walking outside, they looked to see Armando walking toward them and Tara sitting next to Laurent. 

“Everyone inside the medical building!” shouted Jo. 

Tara, slowly pulled herself up to her feet again with the help of Renato.  The pain felt worse this time and dizziness certainly hadn’t abated any. Armando and Orlando lifted Laurent, carrying him quickly inside and placing him on one of the two tables.

“Jo… focus on Laurent.  We need him to live long enough to get to the doc.  I’ll rest here for a bit. I just need a moment to get my bearings and we’ll be good to go as soon as Laurent can move.”  As Tara spoke, Armando and Orlando helped lift her to the other table, laying her down as well.

“Where’s Zetico?” asked Renato, looking confused for a moment before the inevitable answer hit him. The young man seemed like he’d been punched in the gut. “Nevermind.”

Silent tears leaked out of the corners of Tara’s eyes as she relented to the men putting her on the table.  She was going to ask if anyone had seen a sign of Oriana but realized then, no one here had seen her before.  Crupi was the only one who might have gotten a glimpse of her and now he was gone. She prayed that Ori wasn’t dead outside somewhere and if she was, she prayed that she could at least see the sky.

Jo holstered her gun and began to work on Laurent, cutting the man’s shirt open to reveal a vest underneath. There were at least three or four bullet holes in the vest, as well as another in his shoulder, one in his side, and one in his leg. Jo stared at the damage for a moment. The last thing Tara saw before she lost consciousness was Renato looking at her with concern.

***

Mario Luciano held his cigarette in his bloody hand, shaking his head. They’d made a big show of rolling into the village in their trucks and renting Dr. Magnotti a building where he could set up his medical equipment. And then everything had gone to hell. 

They must be the assassins Tara had mentioned. If he had to guess, Mario would have said there were a dozen of them; as he risked a glance outside the window, though, he only saw three standing in the road in front of him.

The bodies of his men covered the road around the three women, who all seemed to be standing there watching the building. A trail of bodies led back toward the door. First, Mario and his men had tried to hold the road, but that was quickly abandoned. Then, they tried to hold the ground floor. But a blonde woman had emerged from the basement, tearing into his men with two knives and jumping outside under a hail of cover fire. At this point, Mario and the seven men he had still standing, most of them veterans, had pulled back to the second floor of the building. Most of the medical equipment had been set up here. Although nearly all of it was knocked over and covered in glass, it still seemed to be in good working condition. When the shooting started, Magnotti had grabbed a bottle of whiskey and hid in the closet. Mario assumed he was still in there. Some of his men outside were still alive, at least; he could hear the sounds of their pain. The rest of the street was deserted, so quiet that he could hear the women talking.

“Gli obiettivi prioritari non sono all'interno.”

“Sei sicuro?”

“Sono sicuro. Torniamo indietro. Gli altri potevano attaccare la base.”

It was quiet for a long, long time before Mario risked another look.

***

“God damn it!” shouted Jo as she slammed her fists down onto Laurent’s chest. “No! No! No!” Each shout was punctuated by another punch against Laurent’s chest- but the Frenchman didn’t move. “I was so fucking close!” 

Jo’s primal scream of frustration was the last thing Tara heard as she slipped back under.

***

“Tara. Tara. Wake up,” said Jo, lightly slapping her boss’s cheek. “Tara, please...” Jo’s voice seemed to break, but the woman seemed to pull herself together as soon as she saw Tara’s eyes flutter open. “Thank God. Okay. It’s been… fifteen minutes or so since you came in. I’m so sorry, but Laurent didn’t make it. I tried I was so close, but there was just too much damage…” Her voice trailed off. “You’ll be okay, though. You lost a lot of blood… just take it easy as much as you can. Don’t run or you could reopen the stitches. And you’ll be sore for a while… Doc might have done better, but...”

Tara nodded. “You did everything you could, Jo.  It’s not your fault.” Tara took hold of the other woman’s hand realizing then that she’d been smacked awake.  “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“Armando thought he heard a truck a little while ago. He and Orlando went to check it out. Renato is outside the door.”

Tara slid her feet away from Jo, allowing her legs to fall off the table and gravity to help her into a standing position.  “It could be Ori.” She said. Or more of the new team…

Tara checked her gun and steadied herself on the edge of the table.  “I’ll go …” She tried to talk, the words stuck in her throat.  

Suddenly, gunshots sounded from outside- not too close, but they were clearly in the area.

“Get your gun.”  Tara said softly, trying hard to stay focused.  

Tara could see Renato standing outside the door, firing his pistol southwest. She was watching as a panicked look entered the young man’s face, then a bullet struck his shoulder and he was knocked to the ground. He crawled back inside using his knees and his good arm. 

Tara dropped low to the floor calling out as loud as she could manage, “GET DOWN!”

A moment later, following another hail of gunfire, Orlando threw himself inside.

“Armando is dead. We killed one of them. Two of the women are left. They came up from a truck. Sent one woman as bait into the river; when we stepped out to shoot her, they were waiting for us.”

Tara winced, Where are you, Ori?

“We hold here then,”  she said softly. “Four of us, mostly… able to shoot.  We’ll hold as long as we can and hope like hell that Oriana is out there somewhere coming up behind them … or Luciano.  I can’t run. If it comes to that-” Tara’s thoughts trailed off.

“Tara Mastrosimone!”

Tara tensed at the sound of her name.  

“Where’s Francesco?” It was Serena’s voice, speaking confidently from the direction of the armory. “Send him out. We’ll exchange hostages.” Tara was quiet, long enough to hear another female voice scream, shortly followed by another round of gunfire. When that had died down, Tara heard two women emotionally conversing.

“IT’S OVER SERENA - YOU’RE A VICTIM HERE, STAND DOWN AND WE’LL LET YOU LIVE!”  It was a bluff, bluster, but if the poker gods were on her side they’d fall for it.

“And what? Join your little family? After I roasted your uncle?” Tara heard the armory door slam shut.

Tara breathed, “Fuck…”

Jo peeked around the corner. “She… has a grenade. Get down!” 

Tara went for cover as fast as she could make herself safely move.

The blast shook the medical building, but Serena had obviously missed. 

“YOU HIT ABOUT AS GOOD AS YOUR DEAD BOYFRIEND!”  She said holding her side.

“Quanti ne hai?” asked a cold voice outside, not speaking to the group but her partner.

“Un'intera scatola. Tieni la pistola sulla porta. Se escono, sparagli.”

“Jo…”  she whispered, “Alcohol.  I can make a molotov, find me some alcohol.”

Another hail of gunfire sounded outside, followed by another explosion that didn’t seem as close as the first one. As the sounds cleared, Tara could hear Serena’s laughter before the blonde assassin spoke.

“Look who’s late to the party. Seems like you should’ve been earlier. All your friends are dead. Or they will be- take one step closer and I’ll chuck this grenade into their building.”

“How do you suggest we finish this, then?” asked Oriana. 

Tara slid her eye just up to the window, looking past the broken glass. She could see Oriana standing in cover near the armory. Ori was bleeding; she had a wound in her thigh and another on her neck; both looked like knife wounds.

“You and me,” said Serena. “Walk into the dormitory. I’ll be in soon. Knives only?” 

Oriana nodded.

“Walk outside and you’re dead!” shouted Serena in Tara’s direction.

“Tara!” shouted Ori. “Are you alive?”

“He’s dead, Ori!  It’s over. Kill this bitch and let’s go home!”  Tara’s voice was tired, but playful with only a small hint of the fear she felt.

There was only silence from outside. Tara began to mutter a prayer, “St. Michael, Archangel, defend Ori in battle. Be her safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, I humbly pray; O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.  Bring her back to me, God. Please.”

Tara watched as Serena, now out of accurate pistol range, walked to within a few steps the dormitory building, where Oriana was presumably waiting inside. With a grin on her face, Serena opened the door and tossed in two grenades.

“ORI!!!!”  Tara screamed and began moving without thinking.

As Tara screamed and began to walk outside, Serena turned to look at her, but was distracted by the sound of breaking glass from above. Ori had thrown herself through the window, and her knife was in her hand as she fell to the ground, landing on Serena with the point of the knife embedding in the blonde girl’s skull. Although Serena somewhat broke her fall, Ori still landed hard. Then the building behind her exploded and collapsed, sending a cloud of dust and dirt upwards into the air.

Jo, Renato, and Orlando caught up with Tara as she walked toward Ori’s body, which was covered in blood and dirt- and now suddenly surrounded by four girls. Tara nearly shot them, but their faces showed concern for Ori that mirrored her own, and she dropped her gun.

Tara went to her knees beside her lover, trying to stop the bleeding from Oriana’s thigh.  Gently she rolled Ori over to look at her face and found her eyes shut. Tara sobbed. “Oh god please…”  Putting an ear near her mouth she sighed with relief.  

“She’s breathing.  JO!” The nurse was already rushing forward.  As Jo pushed Tara out of the way Tara got her first good look at Jo.  The woman was frazzled, her hair a mess, her blood, Laurent’s blood, and now Ori’s all over her.  She wasn’t sure if Jo herself had been hurt. With all the drying crimson on her it was hard to know what bit of blood was from whom.  All blood, no matter the source - friend or foe, it looked alike.

Tara turned then to Serena.  The woman was a sight. Ori’s knife in her skull as it was.  It was sad, that such a pretty girl had been so fucking corrupt at her core.  An apple with a lovely outside hiding rot and worms beneath. Tara’s eyes lingered on the knife and then after a moment she reached down and began extracting it from the skull of the woman, wiping it clean on the girl’s shirt before closing her eyes, which in Tara’s mind was more respect than she deserved.

Tara looked then to the girls who were standing around watching Oriana, waiting for some good word on her condition.  Children, not much older than Jack and Izzy.

Orlando wandered up beside Tara then.  “Armando, Laurent, and Crupi. Can you bring them together?  I don’t want to leave them where they are. They deserve better than to be food for birds and other animals.”

Orlando nodded and as he walked away she held out a hand to Ren.  “Sit with me.” She instructed.  

“I think we’re safe now.”  Tara picked up Ori’s hand and held it, gently rubbing the back of it with her thumb.  Silent she leaned her head on her friend. Numb and more tired than she could ever remember being in all her life.  

“Why would you say that out loud?” asked Renato, trying a half-hearted joke as he looked around, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment.

She sighed and smiled against him.  “I do have good news, lover-boy…” She paused a moment before finishing her thought, “Pretty sure this is good enough to get Brigitte’s attention… pretty sure.”  She chuckled.

“That’s the only reason I did the thing with the truck… although now I kind of wish we’d kept it around. We’ll have to wait until your friends in town come looking for us.”

Tara nodded.  “Jo’s good work.  She’s got this. We’ll be okay.  We’ve got God on our side too.” She smiled, thinking of her father.

“If you say so,” said Renato. But let’s get things settled first ourselves, just in case.”