Mountains of Dawn

"The boy has no shoes," Ugo said to the other kidnapers. "He threw them out the window while we drove up the hills. He can't walk any distance."

Gianci smirked. Though blindfolded, he had managed to toss his shoes and anything else he could lay his hands on out the window of the car in an attempt to attract attention. In any case, he wanted to leave some kind of trail for the police. He had no doubt his grandfather would find him, and quickly.

"Well," Aldo, the nominal leader, said. "He can walk on his bare feet. He'll learn."

"I don't think that's wise. He'll slow us down," Ugo said, glancing at the soft, tender soles of Gianci's feet.

Aldo frowned. "Well, we have one more delivery of supplies coming. Order a pair of shoes for him."

"I wear only 'Tacchini Super Affinity' shoes. They cost two hundred dollars a pair." Gianci threaded his fingers together behind his head and rocked back on his chair. Aldo slapped him across the mouth and caused his chair to fall over backwards, dumping Gianci on the floor.

"Tell the driver to add a pair of mountain shoes," Aldo lifted one of Gianci's feet and examined it. "Tell him size eight, and we'll add the heavy socks to make them fit. Put the tape back on his mouth, he pisses me off." Aldo spat, then stormed out the door of the tiny cabin.

Ugo yanked Gianci from the floor, wrapped his mouth with tape and tied his hands together behind him. He tossed the boy onto the upper bunk against the far wall of the small alpine shed. "Kid, you gotta learn to shut up. Aldo doesn't have the patience I have," he said with an ugly smile. "Do as you're told and you'll survive." He reached over and pinched a small piece of hair beside Gianci's left ear in his fingers, then yanked up, hard enough to make the boy scream. "Yes. Do as you're told, and you'll survive." He chuckled, twisted the hair in cruel fingers once more, then turned away.

* * *

Gina Olfrandi's first reaction upon learning of her son's disappearance was to become hysterical. She knew her father-in-law, the great Don Alfonso Olfrandi, would blame her, even though it was hardly her fault. Gina threw a vase at the wall and watched it shatter. Silly twit of a child, she couldn't imagine how he could be related to her. She paced, then gave in and called the local police. Her father-in-law would wait.