A man dressed in a gardener-style shirt was seen walking alone on the right side of a deserted street. Beninzo Mussoliti told his driver to pull over so he could be with the man.
"Ask him where the cemetery is in this place," Beninzo ordered his driver.
The man stopped as well as the driver pulled up the dark green Cadillac beside him. The man's face was unresponsive, but his eyes were full of suspicion.
"—hey, sir, do you know where the closest graveyard in this area is?" asked the driver with his head sticking out of the car window.
The man thought for a moment, then he answered:
"There are two grave complexes here. However, if you mean a special cemetery for the Luigi family, you can go straight ahead, then turn before you find a bridge. You can find it right there," the man concluded that the two men his foreigner must be a colleague of the Luigi family.
"Oh, you're right, thanks for the explanation," said the driver, while Beninzo gave the man a momentary nod as he lifted his fedora.
A moment later, the car was in front of a cemetery complex that looked clean and well-maintained. The cemetery has a kind of gate with two statues of angels guarding on the left and right sides.
"Wait here," said Beninzo.
"Okay sir," said the driver as he opened the car door for his master.
Beninzo immediately entered the burial area. His steps seem heavy because of his old age. He even uses a cane to help him walk.
It wasn't hard to find the grave he was looking for. He could jump to conclusions by looking at a grave with fresh ground in the first row.
Beninzo is now staring at the tombstone with the owner's name Antonio Luigi. He stayed there for a few minutes, then took off his hat.
"Oh, poor Antonio—" Beninzo didn't know how to react in front of the tomb, all that came out of his mouth was a grunt as one hand gripped the head of his wand tightly.
"I'll bring him here, Antonio. I promise. I'll make that filthy dog kneel in front of you," Beninzo put his fedora on top of Antonio's grave, then turned, leaving the cemetery.
Three days ago, the Calabrian mafia family was shocked by the news of the death of one of the top leaders of the Aquila Rossa (Red Eagle) mafia organization, Antonio Luigi, who was reported by local media to have died in what they described as an 'inevitable silent attack.'
Antonio was shot in his own car after he attended a relative's wedding. The situation heated up, the top structure of the mafia organization in the southern region began to hold underground meetings, guessing who was behind Antonio's death.
Small mafia units in the area also began to comb each of its members. Who was the person who had leaked Antonio's whereabouts that night, even though every move of the higher-ups was only known to the closest people, including the private driver—who was already included in the core count.
Meanwhile, in a small alley in the center of Calabria, two people were having a wary conversation, even though no one else was passing by. One of them turned out to be a spy who was on the task of infiltrating in Aquila Rossa.
"You know, boss, this situation will actually drag me into the big wave that is about to happen in Calabria," said the man who was the spy.
The person who was called boss by him earlier seemed to look around, then pushed the spy man slightly to the corner of the alley. The faces of the two men were hidden by the darkness of the alley.
"—you have a little patience, idiot!" he said, in a suppressed, afraid that his voice would be heard by others.
"But—, my movements are starting to look suspicious to some people in Aquila Rossa. I can see that," replied the spy in an annoyed voice.
"—please, Joe, you have a little more patience, I'm trying to talk about this situation to the division head," said another man.
The spy removed the hand of the person he called the boss from his shoulder.
"—I don't know, Frank. I just hope that someday you will take responsibility for the life of my wife and child. And by the way, my name is now Luca. Here Calabria Frank, you can reveal my identity if you call my real name," the man named Luca left his friend, walked to the end of the alley.
"—please be patient a little longer," said the man called Frank, who also turned around, walking in the opposite direction.
"Where are we going, sir?" said the driver.
A dark green Cadillac walked through the cold darkness of the night, heading east of the city of Calabria. Behind the car were two black Lincoln cars.
"To Luigi's funeral," said Beninzo, in an even tone.
"—to the cemetery?" the driver looked doubtful.
"Stay with your duties. I hired you for it," Beninzo spoke in an annoyed tone, but still sounded level.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Beninzo," said the driver.
About fifteen minutes later, the Cadillac began to enter the empty street. Soon, they would arrive at the Luigi family cemetery.
"Please remind me what's your name, kid?" suddenly Beninzo asked.
The driver seemed to have been struck by lightning.
Why did Beninzo suddenly ask that question? Didn't he already know his name?
"Why do you look so doubtful?" Beninzo sounded urgent.
"—sorry—, sir, I just thought your question sounded a bit odd. I'm sorry if it upset you," replied the driver.
"I'm asking for your name, not your explanation," Beninzo thumped the tip of his wand on the driver's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, sir. Luca, my name is Luca, sir," the driver replied. Her lips actually looked pale, but because it was dark, no one would be able to see that.
"All right, Luca, pull over, we're here," said Beninzo.
Luca immediately got out of the car and opened the door for his master. The two Lincoln cars that had been following behind also stopped.
"Come on, Luca, you should come too," said Beninzo, "hey—, get that bastard out of the luggage," at the same time, Beninzo ordered his men who had just gotten off the lincon car earlier to take out someone who had been they were kept in the trunk of the car.
Even though his mind was confused, Luca immediately opened the umbrella for Beninzo because it was drizzling, then started walking beside with his master. Meanwhile, two of Beninzo's men led a man whose head was covered by a sack. The man looked battered. The white shirt he was wearing was stained with blood, while his hands were tied behind his back.
Luca glanced at the man they were leading. He tried to get rid of all the bad thoughts in his head.
They were in front of Antonio's grave. Beninzo stood in the middle, as if leading a prayer. He then ordered his men to dump the dying man in front of Antonio's grave. Meanwhile, the intensity of the raindrops was getting more and more intense, so it could be seen that the man whose head was covered with a sack was covered in mud. The little sack seemed to swell with his breath.
"Antonio, look. I have fulfilled my promise to you," said Beninzo, as if he was talking to the tombstone in front of him.
"Take off!" ordered Beninzo.
When the sack was opened, everything seemed frozen to Luca. He knew exactly who it was.
"Damn! Stupid Frank!" he cursed in his heart.
Luca wanted to do something, but he was completely powerless.
"Lucas!" Beninzo suddenly broke his thoughts.
"—yes, Mr Beninzo?" Luca sounded stammered.
"This—" Beninzo handed him a gun.
"Mr. Beninzo?—" Luca was confused.
"Shoot that dirty dog—" said Beninzo.
"Sorry—?" Luca pretended not to understand.
"You know what, kid? He's the cop who shot Antonio. This bastard doesn't know that I have a lot of connections in the police department. You filthy animal, you can't hide, even to the ends of the world," Beninzo said with a spit.
"Shoot him for me," Beninzo ordered.
"—but, I've never shot anyone, Mr. Beninzo," Luca hoped, even if he couldn't save his boss, at least he wouldn't be the one to kill him.
Meanwhile, under the rain that grew stronger, Frank looked into Luca's eyes, which were full of meaning. He seemed to say, go with his words, or you too will end up like me.
"Shoot!"
"Pew, pew, pew!" everything just happened.
Luca was still frozen in front of Frank, with the gun's mouth looking smoky. He wanted to scream, but that was impossible.
On the night that Antonio Luigi died, Luca was the one who leaked his whereabouts. Previously, Antonio was on the police wanted list because he was proven to be involved in an attack in the northern city of Calabria.
For some reason, the siege that should have been carried out by the team turned into a solo operation. It's true that Frank was the one who shot Antonio, but Luca aka Joe was involved though not directly.
Five months after the incident at the Luigi family graveyard, it turns out that Frank is still Beninzo's personal chauffeur. However, the master who is also one of the leaders of Aquila Rossa is now in his final moments. He had been bedridden for three weeks because his pain was getting worse. One night he called Luca, the driver, to his room.
"Come closer, kid," said Beninzo.
Luca came closer. In his heart, he had thought to immediately end the dying old man's life before the angel of death descended and preceded him. He had even prepared everything, so that his death seemed normal and natural. However, Beninzo said something that took him by surprise.
"Joe—" Beninzo called.
Hearing that name, Luca alias Joe was shocked. He immediately stepped back, intending to make a move, especially since there were only the two of them in the room. But suddenly Beninzo laughed, though his voice was muffled and low, seeing Joe stuttering and panicking like that.
"Hey, calm down, Joe. You don't need to panic. Remember, if I wanted to, I'd killed you and your family from the start. Didn't I say that we have people in the police force who work for Aquila Rossa under oath of allegiance? Calm down Joe, I won't hurt you," said Beninzo.
Beninzo's words sounded quite reassuring to Joe. He slowly moved closer to her, but still filled with suspicion. He remained in a standby position, prepared for any eventuality that would occur.
"Do you still feel resentful that I told you to shoot your boss, Frank?" asked Beninzo, coughing.
Joe didn't answer, but his eyes were fixed on Beninzo.
"You know, Joe, that Frank of yours, is actually one of the guys working for Aquila Rossa," Beninzo said.
Joe flinched, but it wasn't easy for him to believe what Beninzo said.
"Calm down, Joe. Listen to my story first." Beninzo could read the look of disbelief on Joe's face.
"Don't you realize why Frank attacked Antonio alone that night? he asked.
Joe didn't react. He listened.
"It wasn't an operation to arrest Joe. Frank came 20 minutes earlier than the police scheduled operation time. The greedy Frank wanted to blackmail my friend Antonio, that bastard—" said Beninzo.
"Joe—, even the one who leaked your identity from the start was also Frank, ha-ha-ha. Don't you realize that? You're very innocent, but that's what makes me like you, Joe," Beninzo was provoked to laugh even though his chest felt heavy.
Joe fell silent. He didn't know how to react. On the one hand, he also believed that Beninzo had no ill will towards him. The old man was right, if he wanted to, he would have been killed from the start. Beninzo could do that as easily as turning the palm of his hand. Even today.
"Come on, get back to work, Joe. I want to rest," Beninzo ordered.
Hesitantly, Joe walked towards the door. However, before reaching the door, Beninzo suddenly called him back.
"Luca—" Beninzo called Joe by his mafia name.
Luca turned around.
"Don't you ever say that you never shot someone again. Everyone can see that callus on your hand gunny," Beninzo smiled.
Luca was silent for a moment. He could see that Beninzo's smile was friendly.
"Okay, sir," replied Luca with the same smile.
A few days later, Luca is seen at Beninzo's funeral. This time he brought his wife, Viona, and their young child, Aurora. They stood among the Mussoliti family. Luca is now a part of Aquila Rossa completely, even though everyone in the Calabrian mafia organization knows that Luca is Joe Perizo, an undercover cop | This short story inspired by The Ink Well Prompt #36.
© 2021 Hive/Mosin-Nagant
Illustration is copyrighted petikadlec and OpenClipart-Vectors, the author has edited it via Logopit Plus.
Seorang laki-laki berpakaian kemeja ala pekebun tampak berjalan seorang diri di sisi kanan sebuah jalanan sepi. Beninzo Mussoliti menyuruh sopirnya menepi, agar bisa bersisian dengan laki-laki itu.
"Tanyakan kepadanya, di mana pemakaman yang ada di tempat ini," perintah Beninzo kepada sopir pribadinya.
Laki-laki itu ikut berhenti ketika sang sopir memberhentikan Cadillac hijau tua tersebut di sampingnya. Wajah laki-laki itu terlihat tanpa reaksi, namun matanya penuh kecurigaan.
"—hei, tuan, tahukah kau di mana kompleks kuburan yang paling dekat di daerah ini," tanya si sopir dengan kepala yang mencuat dari balik jendela.
Laki-laki itu berpikir sejenak, kemudian menjawab.
"Ada dua kompleks kuburan di sini. Akan tetapi, jika yang kalian maksud pemakaman khusus untuk keluarga Luigi, kalian bisa lurus ke depan, lalu berbelok sebelum mendapati jembatan. Kalian bisa langsung menemukannya di sana," laki-laki itu mengambil kesimpulan bahwa dua orang asing ini pasti sejawat dari keluarga Luigi.
"Oh, kau, benar, terima kasih atas penjelasannya," ucap sang sopir, sementara Beninzo mengangguk sesaat kepada laki-laki tersebut sambil mengangkat topi fedoranya.
Sesaat kemudian, mobil tersebut telah berada di depan sebuah kompleks pemakaman yang tampak bersih dan terawat. Pemakaman itu memiliki semacam pintu gerbang dengan dua buah patung malaikat yang menjaga di sisi kiri dan kanannya.
"Tunggu di sini," ujar Beninzo.
"Baik tuan," kata sopir tersebut sembari membukakan pintu mobil untuk tuannya.
Beninzo segera memasuki area pemakaman. Langkahnya terkesan berat disebabkan karena umurnya yang sudah tua. Ia bahkan menggunakan tongkat untuk membantunya berjalan.
Tidak sulit untuk menemukan kuburan yang sedang dicarinya. Ia bisa langsung mengambil kesimpulan dengan melihat sebuah kuburan yang permukaan tanahnya masih segar di barisan pertama.
Beninzo kini menatap batu nisan dengan nama pemilik Antonio Luigi. Ia berdiam di sana sampai beberapa menit, kemudian membuka topinya.
"Oh, Antonio yang malang—" Beninzo merasa tidak tahu harus menunjukkan reaksi yang seperti apa di depan makam tersebut, yang keluar dari mulutnya hanya gumanan, sementara satu tangannya mengenggam kepala tongkatnya erat-erat.
"Aku akan membawanya ke sini, Antonio. Aku berjanji. Aku akan menyuruh anjing kotor itu melutut di depanmu," Beninzo meletakkan topi fedoranya di atas makam Antonio, lalu berbalik, meninggalkan kompleks pemakaman tersebut.
Tiga hari yang lalu, keluarga besar mafia Calabria dikejutkan oleh kabar kematian salah satu petinggi organisasi mafia Aquila Rossa, Antonio Luigi, yang dikabarkan oleh media setempat meninggal dalam peristiwa yang mereka tulis sebagai 'serangan sunyi tidak terelakkan.'
Antonio ditembak di dalam mobilnya sendiri setelah ia menghadiri pesta pernikahan salah seorang kerabatnya. Situasi memanas, struktur petinggi organisasi mafia yang ada di kawasan selatan mulai mengadakan pertemuan bawah tanah, menerka-nerka siapa orang yang berada di balik kematian Antonio.
Unit-unit kecil mafia yang ada di wilayah itu juga mulai menyisir setiap anggotanya. Siapa orang yang telah membocorkan keberadaan Antonio pada malam itu, padahal setiap gerakan para petinggi hanya diketahui oleh orang terdekat saja, termasuk sopir pribadi—yang memang sudah masuk dalam hitungan inti.
Sementara itu, di sebuah gang kecil di tengah kota Calabria, dua orang sedang bercakap-cakap dengan penuh kewaspadaan, sekalipun di tempat itu tidak ada orang yang lalu-lalang. Salah seorang dari mereka ternyata adalah mata-mata yang sedang dalam tugas menyusup ke tubuh Aquila Rossa.
"Kau tahu, bos, situasi ini malah akan menyeret aku ke dalam gelombang besar yang sebentar akan terjadi Calabria," ucap lelaki yang menjadi mata-mata itu.
Orang yang dipanggil bos olehnya tadi tampak melihat ke sekeliling, lalu mendorong lelaki mata-mata agak ke sudut gang. Wajah kedua laki-laki itu disembunyikan oleh kegelapan gang tersebut.
"—kau sabar sedikit, tolol!" ucapnya, dengan suara yang ditahan, takut suaranya kedengaran oleh orang lain.
"Tapi—, gerakanku mulai terlihat mencurigakan bagi beberapa orang. Aku bisa melihat itu," jawab mata-mata itu dengan suara kesal.
"—tolonglah, Joe, kau bersabarlah sedikit lagi, aku sedang mengusahakan untuk membicarakan mengenai situasi ini kepada kepala divisi," ujar laki-laki yang satu lagi.
Mata-mata itu melepaskan tangan orang yang ia panggil bos itu dari bahunya.
"—Entahlah, Frank. Aku hanya berharap, kelak kau mau bertanggung atas kehidupan istri dan anakku. Ngomong-ngomong, namaku kini Luca. Di sini Calabria Frank, kau bisa membongkar identitasku jika memanggil nama asliku," pria bernama Luca itu meninggalkan temannya, berjalan menuju ujung gang.
"—tolong bersabarlah sedikit lagi," ucap laki-laki yang dipanggil Frank, yang juga ikut berbalik badan, berjalan menuju ke arah yang berlawanan.
"Mau ke mana kita, tuan?" ucap sang sopir.
Sebuah cadillac hijau tua berjalan membelah kegelapan malam yang dingin, menuju ke sebelah timur kota Calabria. Di belakang mobil tersebut ikut serta dua buah mobil lincoln hitam.
"Ke pemakaman Antonio," jawab Beninzo, dengan nada yang datar.
"—ke pemakaman?" sopir itu tampak ragu.
"Tetaplah pada tugasmu. Aku mempekerjakam untuk itu," Beninzo berbicara dengan nada kesal, namun tetap terdengar datar.
"Maafkan aku, tuan Beninzo," ucap sopir tersebut.
Sekitar lima belas menit kemudian, cadillac tersebut mulai memasuki jalanan yang lengang. Tidak lama lagi mereka akan tiba di kompleks pemakaman keluarga Luigi.
"Tolong ingatkan aku siapa namamu, nak?" tiba-tiba Beninzo bertanya.
Sopir itu seperti disambar oleh petir.
Mengapa Beninzo tiba-tiba mengajukan pertanyaan tersebut? Bukankah selama ini dia sudah tahu siapa namanya.
"Mengapa kau tampak ragu begitu?" Beninzo terdengar mendesak.
"—maaf—, tuan, tadi aku hanya berpikir bahwa pertanyaan anda agak terdengar ganjil. Maafkan aku jika itu membuat anda marah," jawab sopir tersebut.
"Yang aku tanyakan namamu, bukan penjelasanmu," Beninzo memukul-mukulkan ujung tongkatnya ke bahu sang sopir, namun tidak dengan tenaga yang kuat.
"Maafkan saya, tuan. Luca, nama saya Luca, tuan," sang sopir menjawab. Bibirnya sebenarnya terlihat memucat, namun karena suasana gelap, maka tidak akan ada yang bisa melihat itu.
"Baiklah, Luca, menepilah, kita sudah sampai," kata Beninzo.
Luca segera keluar dari mobil lalu membukakan pintu untuk tuannya. Dua mobil lincoln yang tadi mengekor di belakang juga ikut berhenti.
"Ayo, Luca, kau juga harus ikut," kata Beninzo, "hei—, segera keluarkan si bangsat itu dari bagasi," di saat yang sama, Beninzo memerintahkan anak buahnya yang baru saja turun dari mobil lincon tadi untuk mengeluarkan seseorang yang sejak tadi mereka sekap di dalam bagasi mobil.
Kendati pikirannya kacau balau, Luca segera membukakan payung untuk Beninzo karena saat itu sedang gerimis, kemudian mulai berjalan di samping dengan tuannya itu. Sementara itu, dua orang anak buah Beninzo menggiring seorang laki-laki yang kepalanya ditutupi oleh karung. Lelaki itu tampaknya babak belur. Kemeja putih yang dikenakannya penuh bercak darah, sementara tangannya diikat ke belakang.
Luca sempat melirik laki-laki yang tengah mereka giring itu. Ia mencoba menepis semua pikiran buruk yang ada di dalam kepalanya.
Mereka telah berada di depan kuburan Antonio. Beninzo berdiri di tengah, seakan sedang memimpin doa. Ia kemudian memerintahkan anak buahnya untuk mencampakkan laki-laki yang sekarat tadi ke depan kuburan Antonio. Sementara itu, intensitas rintik hujan terasa semakin banyak, sehingga dapat dilihat bahwa laki-laki yang kepalanya ditutup dengan karung itu bergelimangan lumpur. Karung kecil itu tampak kembang-kembing karena napasnya.
"Antonio, lihatlah. Aku telah memenuhi janjiku kepadamua," ucap Beninzo, seakan ia tengah berbicara dengan batu nisan yang ada di depannya.
"Buka penutup kepalanya," perintah Beninzo.
Saat karung dibuka, segalanya terasa membeku bagi Luca. Ia tahu betul siapa orang itu.
"Frank tolol!" ia memaki di dalam hatinya.
Luca ingin berbuat sesuatu, tetapi dirinya tidak berdaya sama sekali.
"Luca!" tiba-tiba Beninzo memecah lamunannya.
"—ya, tuan Beninzo?" Luca terdengar terbata-bata.
"Ini—" Beninzo menyerahkan sebuah pistol kepadanya.
"Tuan?—" Luca kebingungan.
"Tembak anjing kotor itu," ujar Beninzo.
"Maaf, tuan—?" Luca berpura-pura belum mengerti.
"Kau tahu, nak? Dia adalah polisi yang telah menembak Antonio. Si bangsat ini tidak tahu bahwa aku memiliki banyak relasi di instansi kepolisian. Dasar hewan kotor, kau tidak akan bisa sembunyi, bahkan ke ujung dunia sekalipun," kata Beninzo sambil meludah.
"Tembak dia untukku," perintah Beninzo.
"—tetapi, aku belum pernah menembak orang, tuan Beninzo," Luca berharap, sekalipun ia tidak bisa menyelamatkan atasannya itu, setidaknya ia bukanlah orang yang akan membunuhnya.
Sementara itu, di bawah rintik hujan yang semakin kuat, Frank menatap mata Luca dengan tajam, yang sarat akan makna. Ia seakan berkata, ikut kata-katanya, atau kau juga akan berakhir sama sepertiku.
"Tembak kataku!"
"Pew, pew, pew!" semua terjadi begitu saja.
Luca masih mematung di depan Frank, dengan mulut pistol yang terlihat berasap. Ia ingin sekali berteriak, tetapi itu tidak mungkin.
Pada malam di mana Antonio Luigi mati, Luca adalah orang yang membocorkan keberadaanya. Sebelumnya, Antonio masuk dalam daftar buruan kepolisian karena terbukti terlibat dalam sebuah peristiwa serangan di sebelah utara kota Calabria.
Entah karena alasan apa, pengepungan yang seharusnya dilakukan oleh tim itu malah berubah menjadi operasi solo. Memang benar bahwa Frank adalah orang yang telah menembak Antonio, tetapi Luca alias Joe ikut serta terlibat meski tidak secara langsung.
Lima bulan setelah kejadian di kuburan keluarga Luigi, ternyata Frank masih menjadi sopir pribadi Beninzo. Akan tetapi, sang tuan yang juga merupakan salah satu pemimpin Aquila Rossa itu kini telah berada di waktu-waktu terakhirnya. Ia sudah tiga minggu terbaring di atas tempat tidur karena sakitnya semakin parah. Suatu malam ia memanggil Luca, sang sopir, ke kamarnya.
"Mendekatlah, nak," kata Beninzo.
Luca pun mendekat. Di dalam hatinya, sempat terbesit untuk segera mengakhiri hidup orang tua yang sedang sekarat itu sebelum malaikat maut turun dan mendahuluinya. Ia bahkan telah mempersiapkan segalanya, agar kematiannya tampak normal dan wajar. Akan tetapi, Beninzo mengatakan sesuatu yang membuatnya terperanjat.
"Joe—" panggil Beninzo.
Mendengar nama itu, Luca alias Joe terperanjat. Ia segera melangkah mundur, berniat mengambil gerakan, apalagi di ruangan itu cuma ada mereka berdua. Namun, tiba-tiba Beninzo tertawa, walaupun suaranya tertahan dan pelan, karena melihat Joe gelagapan dan panik seperti itu.
"Hei, tenanglah, Joe. Kau tidak perlu panik. Ingat, kalau aku mau, aku sudah menghabisi kau dan keluargamu sejak awal. Bukankah aku pernah berkata bahwa kami memiliki orang-orang di kepolisian yang bekerja untuk Aquila Rossadi bawah sumpah setia? Tenanglah Joe, aku tidak akan menyakitimu," ujar Beninzo.
Kata-kata Beninzo terdengar cukup menenangkan bagi Joe. Secara perlahan ia pun bergerak mendekatinya, tetapi tetap dipenuhi dengan rasa kecurigaan. Ia tetap memasang posisi siaga, bersiap dengan segala kemungkinan yang akan terjadi.
"Apakah kau masih merasa dendam karena aku menyuruhmu menembak atasanmu, Frank?" tanya Beninzo, sambil terbatuk-batuk.
Joe tidak menjawab, tetapi matanya memandang Beninzo dengan sangat tajam.
"Kau tahu, Joe, Frank atasanmu itu, sebenarnya juga salah satu orang yang bekerja untuk Aquila Rossa," ujar Beninzo.
Joe tersentak, namun tidak semudah itu ia akan percaya dengan apa yang dikatakan oleh Beninzo.
"Tenang, Joe. Dengarkan dulu ceritaku," Beninzo bisa membaca rona tidak percaya di wajah Joe.
"Apakah kau tidak sadar mengapa Frank menyerang Antonio secara sendirian pada malam itu? tanyanya.
Joe tidak bereaksi. Ia mendengarkan.
"Itu bukan sebuah operasi penangkapan Joe. Frank datang 20 menit lebih awal dari waktu operasi yang telah diagendakan oleh polisi. Frank yang tamak itu ingin memeras temanku, Antonio. Kau tahu, satu koper uang milik Antonio yang selalu disimpannya di dalam bagasi ikut diambil oleh si bangsat itu," tutur Beninzo.
"Joe—, bahkan orang yang membocorkan identitasmu sejak awal juga Frank, ha-ha-ha. Apakah kau tidak sadar? Kau sangat lugu, tetapi itulah yang membuat aku suka padamu," Beninzo terpancing untuk tertawa meski dadanya terasa berat.
Joe terdiam. Ia tidak tahu harus bereaksi seperti apa. Di satu sisi, ia juga yakin bahwa Beninzo memang tidak punya niat buruk terhadapnya. Orang tua itu benar, kalau dia mau, sejak awal dia sudah dibunuh. Beninzo bisa melakukan itu semudah membalikkan telapak tangan. Bahkan saat ini.
"Sudahlah, kembalilah bekerja, Joe. Aku mau beristirahat," perintah Beninzo.
Dengan ragu-ragu, Joe berjalan menuju ke pintu. Akan tetapi, sebelum mencapai pintu, tiba-tiba Beninzo memanggilnya kembali.
"Luca—" Beninzo memanggil Joe dengan nama mafia-nya.
Luca membalikkan badannya.
"Kau jangan pernah lagi mengatakan bahwa kau tidak pernah menembak seseorang. Semua orang bisa melihat kapalan di tanganmu itu gunny," Beninzo tersenyum.
Luca terdiam sesaat. Dia bisa melihat bahwa senyuman Beninzo penuh persahabatan.
"Baik, tuan," balas Luca dengan senyuman yang sama.
Beberapa hari kemudian, Luca terlihat berada di pemakaman Beninzo. Kali ini ia membawa istrinya, Viona, dan anaknya yang masih kecil, Aurora. Mereka berdiri di antara deretan keluarga inti Mussoliti. Luca kini benar-benar menjadi bagian dari Aquila Rossa sepenuhnya, kendati semua orang di tubuh organisasi mafia Calabria itu tahu bahwa Luca adalah Joe Perizo, seorang polisi yang menyamar | Cerita pendek ini terinspirasi oleh The Ink Well Prompt #36.
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