Scorpia

They arrive at Mamma's house just as Ciro and Dino get out of the car in the driveway. 

"Get inside! Lock all the doors! Now!", Bruno yells.

Scorpia runs passed her brothers and flies through the front door. She locks the door behind her, runs into the kitchen, and locks that door too. As she turns around, she finds her mom staring at her with a bewildered look. Her eyes rest on Mamma for a second before they search for the smallest family member.

"Enzo is sleeping upstairs."

Scorpia lets out a sigh of relief. "Ciro and Dino are here. Bruno is outside with them."

Mamma gets up, opens the little cupboard above the extractor hood, and pulls a revolver from it. She checks if it's loaded and takes big strides towards the front door.

Scorpia is so shocked that she just follows her mother in silence. Mamma unlocks the front door and steps outside. Bruno is about to punch Ciro in the face when Mamma yells. "No, Bruno! I need them conscious!"

Bruno, startled by the tone of his mother's voice, takes a step back.

His brothers stare at their mom, both turning ghostly pale.

Mamma's anger fills the air. "Get over here! And look at me!" She waits for them to look her in the eye and points her gun at her two youngest sons. 

Ciro's face shows disbelief and his mouth pulls into a mocking grin.

"Left foot, pinky toe." She pulls the trigger and shoots Ciro in his left foot without blinking.

Ciro curses and whines as he falls on his knee.

"Get up! You're the one who wants to work for Salvatore, which means you will need to grow a lot more balls, boy. Because he is capable of so much worse! Do I have your attention now? I'm only going to say this once, so look at me and listen carefully!"

Ciro avoids his mother's piercing eyes and Dino looks at her with a sad expression on his face. Bruno stares at his mom with his mouth open, his arm around the equally stunned Scorpia.

"Right foot, big toe."

Ciro's eyes quickly shoot up to hers, knowing she's serious. He has faced the biggest criminals imaginable, but he has never been as scared as he is now, facing his mother.

She starts to talk. "I don't want to see you as long as you still work for Salvatore. Once you have severed all ties with Salvatore, you can start communication by calling me. You stay away from Scorpia and Enzo. Forever. If you happen to run into them, you turn around and walk away."

She takes a step towards her sons and spits out: "What you have done to your sister is unforgivable. And now that I know about it, it has resulted in a loss of trust towards you two. I don't trust you with Scorpia or Enzo. All holidays and Sundays are going to be spent with Enzo, Scorpia, and Bruno. So last Sunday was the last time you were here. I wish you the best. Make your own choices and live with them. We all have to. And now get the hell out of here!"

Mamma watches Dino support his brother towards the car with her arms crossed. She stays there, staring in the distance until the car can't be seen anymore.

She turns around, goes inside, and puts the revolver back in the little cupboard. Bruno and Scorpia walk back in, both still shaken by the whole scene. 

Mamma grabs a bottle of wine, three glasses, and opens the bottle to fill them.  "Salute!" She downs her glass in one go and sits down at the table.

Bruno and Scorpia sit down at the table too and Bruno takes a big swig from the wine. 

Scorpia chuckles. "Holy shit mamma! If I had known that..." 

Bruno runs a hand across his face and stares at his mother in shock.

Mamma makes eye contact with Scorpia. "Yes, maybe I should have shown you sooner that I am not just a sweet mamma. But I wanted this to be a haven for you guys. And now I am scared that that's why you didn't tell me about it ten years ago."

She looks at Bruno."Don't stare at me like that boy. You should know about the kind of family we come from. And the kind of friends your papa had."

Bruno asks: "When did you learn to shoot, Mamma?"

She laughs. "I've always been able to. My father taught me. He believed it was important that women knew how to defend themselves, especially when the men weren't around. And your papa was happy that I knew how to use a gun."

Scorpia laughs. "I feel safe here again. You're amazing mamma!"

Mamma sighs. "No, I failed you as a mother. Something happened here ten years ago when Bruno and I were gone. I never should have left you alone with those two idiots. And what's worse, you never dared to tell me about it. And as a result of that, they sat at this table every Sunday, for ten years, sometimes even with that bastard of a Salvatore. I'm so grateful to you Bruno. At least one boy turned out the man I raised him to be."

They hear a little voice yell from upstairs and Scorpia gets up. "Let me go to him. I desperately need a dose of Enzo." Bruno registers how emotional she is. He knows she needs a moment, before talking to Mamma.

Scorpia runs upstairs, reaches the door that says Enzo on it in big letters and opens it. The little boy is standing in his bed, smiling at her so wide, that she immediately feels better.

"Soppia! Kisses!"

She chuckles and leans over to him for a kiss or two. She picks him up and lies him down on the changing table to take his sleeping bag off. 

He sticks his bare feet up in the air happily. "Soppia! Ti amo!"

She tickles him. "I love you too Enzo. So much!" She gets him dressed and is about to put him on his feet.

"Carry!"

She holds him against her shoulder. "Okay, I will carry you. And then we'll look for Papa and Nonna together." 

She walks down the stairs with his warm little body against her chest and feels completely relaxed. As they enter the kitchen, Bruno gets up to take Enzo from her. 

But Enzo clings to her neck. "No! Kisses!"

Bruno chuckles. "That's going to be interesting when he gets older."

Mamma adds: "Enjoy it while it lasts because they end up pretending they don't know you before you know it." 

Bruno feels a bit guilty as he witnesses Enzo giving Scorpia the loudest kisses possible. Scorpia laughs and looks so relaxed that his worries about her fade a little.

Enzo looks at his dad. "Soppia sweet."

"Yes, my dear boy. Scorpia is very sweet." He bends over to them and kisses them both on their cheek.

"Papa sweet."

Scorpia says: "Yes, papa is very sweet too. Show me how sweet he is." She hands Enzo to Bruno and the little boy repeats his loud kisses ritual.

They eat together and afterward, Bruno and Enzo go out in Mamma's car. 

Mamma sits down at the table and Scorpia takes a seat across from her. She takes the time to tell her mother everything. From the rape to the incident in the hallway the next morning. About the years living with Bruno, studying to become a teacher, Mister Gentile, Pia, and her revenge on Salvatore's organization. The only thing she keeps to herself is her boxing.

Her mother leans back in her chair and looks deep into Scorpia's eyes. "I'm so proud of you. Proud that you managed to go for what you wanted. And I understand that you have to see Pia as a different part of yourself. To protect yourself and to be able to give those kids the best of you. You are so strong Scorpia, like the name I gave you."

She looks at Mamma and notices how she is desperately trying to keep her emotions under control. She gets up and kisses her mom on top of her head. "I'm going to go for a ride. I'll see you in a bit."

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Logan

Logan looks at the customers in the cafe absentmindedly, tired of his day with Lucas. He loves babysitting, but when it's unexpected it always costs him more energy than the regular Saturdays.

The two Italian brothers are sitting at a table in the corner and didn't even greet him when they came in. He brought them the bottle of Puni Alba and got back behind the bar. The oldest seems to be in pain and has trouble walking. He must admit that that amuses him a little.

And then he sees her. 

Striding in confidently, with her helmet under her arm. She stops in her tracks and looks at the table in the corner, making eye contact with the brothers. The youngest jumps up, pulls the oldest from his chair, and drags him towards the door. She steps aside and stares at them with a condescending look until they are outside.

She walks over to the bar and Logan grabs the bottle of Scorpion Vodka and pours a double for her. "Good evening Logan." She pulls some money from her pocket and places it on the bar. "For the Puni Alba."

"Erm... Good evening... Thanks."

She takes her gloves off and holds her hand out to him. "Scorpia."

She emphasizes the last part of her name. He stares at her hand in his, until she retracts it and takes a seat.

He must look like an idiot, staring at her with his mouth open but he has no idea what to say or if she even wants him to say anything. On top of that, he can't believe what his brain is telling him right now.

She sits there totally relaxed and takes a sip of the vodka, her eyes taking in every detail of his face in silence. The vodka is drunk slowly this time before she starts to put her gloves back on. She gets up, grabs her helmet, and starts walking towards the exit.

Halfway down the cafe, she turns around. "Thanks for the mandarins and the drawing."

She walks out of the door and before he can blink, he hears her drive off on her Harley. What just happened? Could it be true? Miss Pia and the mystery woman are the same person? But why? And if she has two extremely different personalities, why would she reveal herself this way?

He's totally confused and as soon as the last customer leaves, he locks the door and counts the money in the cash register. He looks at the bottle of Scorpion Vodka and pours a little in a glass for himself. He takes a sip and has to admit that for vodka, it could be worse. There's a soft woody taste to it. 

He takes another sip and lets his thoughts flow.

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Scorpia

She arrives at Mamma's house again and Enzo comes running out already. She switches the engine off and takes her helmet off. The little boy tries to climb onto the bike himself and she lifts him onto it. "Soppia!" He makes the sound of a bike and she laughs softly. She puts an arm around his waist and starts the Harley. She opens the gas and Enzo screams happily. "Yes! Vroomvroooooom!"

Bruno stands in the doorway, watching the two with a smile on his face. Enzo fell in love with Scorpia from the moment his eyes saw her and it's mutual. They have a special bond together. Scorpia switches the bike off and carries Enzo on her hip as she walks over to the door. Enzo looks up at her with a loving look and ignores his dad completely.

Scorpia kisses Bruno on his cheek and walks inside. She puts Enzo down to take her jacket off and the boy runs over to his grandma. "Nonna! Soppia's here!"

Scorpia chuckles. "He's like a puppy. Even if you've only been gone for a little while, he's extremely excited when you get back."

Bruno wraps his arm around her. "He has missed you a lot, sorellina. You haven't been here much in the past two years. He just can't believe you keep coming back." 

She looks at Bruno and reads in his eyes how happy it makes him that they're spending more time with Enzo together.

They walk into the living room, where Enzo is drawing at the coffee table and mamma is on the couch watching TV. She always watches cooking shows and comments on them loudly. Scorpia sits down next to her and enjoys listening to her mom's complaints. Bruno chuckles and mamma gets into it so much, that she forgets they are right there with her.

Enzo has finished his drawing and walks up to Scorpia. "Soppia! For you!" She accepts the drawing and looks at it. Enzo has filled the entire page with a big red heart. She looks at the little boy and he says: "When sad. Think of Enzo. Ti amo."

She bites on her lip and closes her eyes to hide her tears. Bruno clears his throat, lifts Enzo onto his lap, and hugs him. "You're such a sweet boy. I don't know who you got that from."

Mamma turns her head to the boys. "From his pappa. He was the same way. We used to think you were a medium or an angel or something. You always knew exactly what to do or say. And everyone felt better with you around."

Bruno stares at his mom in shock and she says: "Yes, Bruno. I've known for a while now that you are his dad. He is a mini Bruno. And that warms my heart. It reminds me of the time when you were little and your pappa was still with us."

They all stay silent, even Enzo, who has laid his head on his dad's shoulder and looks at his aunt. Scorpia wipes the tears from her eyes and runs her fingers through Enzo's hair. His eyes close slowly and she looks lovingly at the little boy that stole her heart.

Bruno shoots her a look and she softly says: "Yes, he's sleeping." He gets up to put his son to bed and Scorpia listens to her mother's comments on Jamie Oliver with her eyes closed.

At some point, mamma turns the TV off and faces Scorpia. "Scorpia? Where have you been?"

She opens her eyes. "My regular cafe."

Bruno walks back in. "Logan?"

She nods and Mamma repeats the name. "Who is Logan? And what happened?"

Bruno raises his eyebrow when he hears the second question. "Did something happen, sorellina?"

She sighs. "Ciro and Dino were sitting at a table there."

Mamma swears. "And?"

"And I looked at them with the most condescending look I could muster until they left."

Bruno and Mamma share the same scary smile. "Well done."

Bruno sits down next to her. "And?"

Scorpia looks up at the ceiling. "And nothing. Drank something and went home." Bruno and Mamma exchange looks and Scorpia rolls her eyes. "I might have talked a little and maybe I introduced myself as Scor-pia."

Bruno is intrigued. "Oh really? Maybe you say?"

She blushes and looks down at her feet as she mumbles. "I also might have thanked him for the mandarins."

Bruno laughs softly. "You better be careful that Enzo doesn't hear about you chasing after other guys. Because that will break his little heart."

"I am not chasing after other guys! I don't even know why I said that to him. So stupid. And he was in shock. I must have lost my mind."

Mamma asks: "Have you been to that cafe before, Bruno?"

Bruno shakes his head. "No. Why?"

"Maybe you could go there together tomorrow. To discuss some things." 

They both look at their mother, wondering what she is thinking. 

But mamma gets up. "I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

──

The next day is spent looking at all the evidence that Scorpia has gathered through the years. And Bruno is even more impressed by his little sister than he already was. She has documented everything and kept it in folders in the right order.

"Does this mean you intend to let him live?"

"No. I held onto all this evidence for the girls that were involved in this. Girls who have a family and whose disappearance never got solved. And to make sure no one will continue his awful business."

"So now what, sorellina?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "No matter how many men I kill, there's always a new one willing to abduct young girls and 'train' them. I have seen so much from the shadows but when they rape these girls, they're never alone. The opposite really, they're heavily guarded. I can't save those girls. And I was naive to think that killing the man that abducted them would keep the girls safe." She sighs and runs her hand across her face.

"You have more than enough evidence to take down this entire ring. So the only thing left is to get Salvatore alone. But how?"

"I have no clue. But we shouldn't wait too long. Because that bastard now knows that you and mamma know about it. I wonder if they still hold those illegal fighting tournaments."

Bruno gets a bit lost in his mind before speaking. "I should be able to find out about that. I will let you know when I've found something. But I have a different question first. Is Logan's cafe open yet?"

Scorpia's face shows amusement when she looks at him and checks the time on her phone.

"Yes, it's open."

"Good! Follow me!"

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