The Twelve Zenati

Authors note: Hello everyone.

Well, my friends, the journey is almost over. It's been nearly nine years and over 100 chapters about these tables and the women they love. Again, I am so grateful to MsSensualiT for her continued help to be my second set of eyes in my friend David's absence with whom I started this journey. You will forever be in my mind, my friend, and I hope you are smiling down on me now. I hope those of you who enjoy this series continue to do so.

~ellie.

12 Zenati Pt. 39

"Together, Marcie. Whatever we decide to do, we do it together," he said, holding her tightly against his chest as the plane began to make its descent into Darwin's airport.

"Okay," she nodded without expression, and Noah wished she would fight with him just to see something, anything from her. "I am barely holding onto sanity right now, Noah, and if you keep looking at me like that, you are not going to like what happens," she threatened in a dull steady voice.

Noah wrapped his arms around her tighter, holding back his smile of relief. He had worried that the news of her mother and sister's death had been too much and finally broken her. The threat she made was music to his ears, and he wouldn't dismiss it by laughing out loud in his relief.

"Whatever you need, Kitten," he murmured, infusing it with as much determination as he could. "We will find Olivia and Genesis, and then we will check on Gideon before deciding anything else. Agreed?" he asked.

"Yes, but, the boys. You told Paulo?" she asked as if she wasn't there for the conversation they had about bringing the boys to live with them rather than leaving them with the Farnese leaders or the family of the man who, while being their father, had never shown much interest in them and had mistreated their mother.

Paulo Farnese had returned home to ensure his family's safety. Of the other biker's only Benji Papillo accompanied them from Alice Springs to Darwin and flew as the co-pilot to Valdemar. The others who had ridden with them had each decided to stay in Alice Springs a few extra days in case the groups travelling there held Konrad among them. So, they all checked in with their families, content that all was right in their worlds, then hunkered down in the casino to wait to be called into action.

"I told Paulo, and once this mess is sorted out, he said he would deliver the boys to us himself if we wanted," Noah soothed. "His family thinks Konrad was just after your sister. Your mother was collateral damage in the end. Konrad might have been lashing out at you as a threat to return to him before he did something else. So, I doubt he has gone after Olivia as well. They are probably just enjoying the romance of sailing in the gulf and keeping their communications to a minimum."

"Maybe," she whispered. The closer she came to Darwin, the more anxious she became, she turned to Noah with the one question that had plagued her thoughts since earlier that day when they returned to camp. "Noah, if I lose her as well, then what was all of this fighting for?"

"Fuck!" he swore, not hiding the discomfort her words gave him. "We will not lose her. Gen is with her, and he will fight tooth and nail to protect her and keep her safe," he said with certainty. "They are both fine and will be waiting for us in Darwin."

*****

"Vivienne, from what you have told me, those girls can outwit, outlast and outplay to be the ultimate survivor in anyone's reality or television show." Lydia grinned. "So, let's concentrate on Gideon. He called you, so he's awake and aware if a little banged up. He has his family and the best medical care available. What do you think you will do there that someone isn't already doing? You will only be putting yourself in the middle of the danger and making him worry more, and force his way out of that hospital before he is ready. Don't blame Leighton for making you stay. It isn't his decision any more than it is mine. Gideon wants you here where he knows you are safe."

"You don't understand," Vivienne hissed in exasperation. "It's the curse or the link between us, I don't know, but he is slipping away from me, and I need to at least say goodbye to the man I love," tears ran freely down her face. She could feel it deep within her that he was slipping slowly from her grasp and conscious mind. "It's different for them. I can't even explain it. It's like there is an invisible tether linking us, and it's stretching to the breaking point and fraying at the edges. If he dies, will you or Leighton ever forgive yourselves for keeping me here?"

"I won't," Rick said with a sigh as he came into the room. "We have to let her go. It's important for them both. He won't survive without her energy and that of the baby beside him." He smiled gently at his sister. While not as close as Vivienne and Leighton had always been, Rick shared his own special bond with his sister, and he had stepped in on her behalf this time when his brother had seemed unmoveable. "Teddy and I will take you back to Darwin to see your husband as soon as you are packed and pick-up Benji while we are there. His is co-piloting Marcella and Noah home to Darwin as well," Rick explained.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Vivienne leapt into his arms, her tears falling to the shoulder of his shirt.

"Finish packing. We need to go," he murmured. "It seems I made my nephew happy too. Rick looked down at the belly between them. "He will be fine, Viv. You will have the family you deserve," he promised as only an oracle could.

"Okay, change of plans. What can I do to help?" Lydia started pulling a few of Vivienne's belongings she had hidden out of small places with a look of chagrin.

*****

The water police had picked up Genesis and Olivia's limping, damaged ship not too far from the Tiwi Islands. After getting treatment for the superficial graze on Olivia's shoulder, they were deposited back on the mainland, where Tullo and Quinto met them with separate cars to ensure enough room for everyone who travelled with them.

"Noah's still in the air, but they will be happy to hear from the two of you after... oh shit, sorry. You don't know, do you?" Tullo looked at Olivia's calm, peaceful face.

"Know what?" Olivia asked, her voice rising. "Did something happen to Marcie?"

"No! She and Noah are flying in right now but, your older sister, Jessa, and your mother didn't make it. I'm sorry. I should have handled that so differently," he apologised as she froze.

"Can we fight the Farnese for the boys?" she asked Genesis. Of course, she was sad, but she wasn't devastated by the news. They didn't exactly have a loving or heart-felt relationship which is why she had glommed onto the attention her father showed her when she was young, she realised now.

"I am sure Marcella is already doing that, but we will back her demands with those of our own," he agreed. "Let's head to the airport then, so you and Marcella can see for yourselves that each other is alive."

"But Gideon, he's hurt." Olivia gasped, having thought that was the best place to be right now.

"And he will still be there in an hour. That big pain in my butt wouldn't leave without forcing some big brother advice and a bad joke on me before he left," Genesis chuckled. He had been doing more of that lately as his little one started to show her true personality as last. He no longer had to be the serious hard ass with her all the time as she knew the rules now and the consequences of moving outside them. She was eating and exercising and even had a passion project with her princess stories. She was an accomplished young woman in her own right, and he was just the lucky man to stand beside her as she came into her own.

"Thank you," she said and gave a girlish giggle of appreciation of his understanding that she needed Marcella now.

"How's the shoulder?" he asked.

"It's only a small ache. It's manageable," she shrugged. "I will probably feel it more tonight when I try to sleep," she admitted.

"We can check in with Helena or Hector and get you some meds to help with that," he suggested, "We will be at the hospital anyway to see Gideon."

"Okay," Olivia agreed. She didn't want to cause him any more worry than he already had on his plate regarding his brothers.

Genesis smiled down at her bending his head to kiss her. The pain must be worse than she was letting on for her to have given in so easily, but he was glad not to have to make it a command. She was exactly the woman he had been waiting for his whole life, and he was going to spend the rest of his life making sure she was happy and content in her world.

*****

It was darker than lighter now, and Armando could see very little from his perch high up in the tower, where he sat with his brother, Gianni and the white woman, Imelda, who had caused his son so much grief with her divided loyalties. Now however, they were choosing to believe her predictions as Gianni's internal radar agreed with hers. With Gideon confined to the hospital and all reports listing him as stable, Armando had his other two sons and the sisters to watch for now. His daughter-in-law should be arriving within minutes of his middle child's plane and the information he had, said the Gen and Olivia had already landed in Darwin. So at least they were all back in one place where he knew they would be monitored and looked after.

Hopefully, Konrad was sure to make his last stand well before then. He looked around the airport. No matter what runway or hangar they were directed to, Armando and his brothers had eyes on them from somewhere and a sharpshooter at the ready. He breathed and turned to look at Imelda.

"Why have you continued to meddle in my son's life. What is he to you?" Armando demanded, feeling his anger over the whole situation rise to the boil again as she sat beside him, relaxed and at peace with herself.

"He will be a great leader one day. Not of the Zenati as such, although that may still come to pass. It is he who would build bridges and form alliances where there were none, and it is her who will become the hope and inspiration for the lost and abandoned, the mistreated and maligned. They are needed by this world and must be guided and protected until they reach their potential," Imelda said cryptically.

"In every generation, there are those that will rattle the establishment and those that will see it fall. However, we live in a momentous time, brother," Gianni added to her reasoning. "We always have if you consider who our peers are," he smiled wistfully." May he rest in peace, Christo Donati predicted this mad man and paid for it with his life, but he left the strongest men to lead his tables. Who else but Joshua could have rebuilt as fast from the ashes their family was left drowning in?"

"Peri and our own princess Catriona have done their parts to reshape traditions and outdated thinking, but it is Marcella they have been waiting for, not Emma, which is why we are here and not there," she sighed.

"Gianni!" Armando barked as the man pulled out his phone and turned it on.

"We are precisely where we need to be, caring for who we need to be. If you push that alert, the younger generation will only run toward the danger rather than from it. It is meant to be this way, my friend. So let the pieces fall where they may.

*****

"Speed bird 116 you are cleared to land on Bravo, repeating Speed bird 116 you are cleared to land on Bravo," the disembodies voice spoke to Val and Benji.

"Roger that tower, Speed bird 116 coming in from one o'clock," Valdemar answered quickly but pursed his lips. It was rare for them to land on one of the bigger runways, generally held open for the larger airlines.

"Noah, can you come up to the cockpit for a minute?" Val said over the intercom. Noah appeared less than a moment later. "I don't recognise the tower voice, and they are asking us to come in on Bravo. Idea's?"

"That we need to land this bird but being cautious is always the best especially given the circumstances. Talk to the tower again?" Noah asked.

"Speed bird 116, final check, in line for landing, Bravo?" Valdemar asked.

"Speed Bird 116, you are cleared to land," was the abrupt reply as if unwilling to speak to the pilots or that they were interrupting them rather than asking them to do their job.

"Something isn't right, but I can't say what either," Noah admitted.

"Alright, be ready for anything," Benji said with a sigh. "No one can be stupid enough to stage another scene at an airport after what happened to the Vitali's, can they?"

"You wouldn't think so," Val agreed. Noah grimaced and went back to the cabin to take his seat beside Marcella and looked at the men accompanying them on this flight.

"Something is a bit off with the tower instructions, so be ready for anything when we land, even for everything to go right for a change," Noah chuckled. He clasped Marcella's hand and looked across at Whipper, AJ and Dougy, who accompanied them to ensure their safety until the danger was under control.

"Since when does everything go alright for us when you're around, Trouble," AJ teased. "Don't worry, me and Douggy will get this shit show sorted out now that you have tagged us in."

"Ya gotta be gamin," Whipper grumbled. "You two asshats, just stay out of the way and let the big boys handles it." There was a murmur of assent from the other two elders who had joined them on the trip to Darwin.

The landing was smooth, and they were directed by ground crew to a hanger at the edge of the private airfield.

"What's happening?" Noah said in a low voice reappearing in the doorway of the cockpit.

"Speed bird 116; ground crew, this is not our designated hanger allow us to proceed or be run over," Valdemar said tersely. He could see the dark cars awaiting their arrival further up the row of hangers.

"Speedbird 116, the safety and protection of everyone using this airfield is my responsibility, and you will use the hangar we have directed you to or be in breach of the air traffic safety laws of this air space.

Valdemar said nothing choosing to power down the plane where it stood and allowed it to roll to its eventual stop. If they wanted the plane to move now, they would have to move it themselves, which would buy them time to decide on a plan of action. It was true this strange arrival procedure could all be innocuous, but he had a bad feeling, and the longer he could keep them out in the open, the better as far as he could see.

"Speedbird 116, prepare to disembark. We will hanger your plane as you exit the airfield." the ground crew said after acknowledging the plane was no longer moving at more than a snail's pace. Several small airport tugs raced toward them to assist, and behind them, Benji silently pointed out several of the vehicles from further up the row of hangers beginning to move towards them as well.

"I suggest we sit tight until someone we know shows up and sorts out this shit. Can you get a hold of anyone?" Valdemar asked, indicating the phone in Noah's hand.

"No response from anyone yet. It's like some weird twilight zone," Noah eyed the dark cars travelling towards them. "Are they ours?"

"I can't be sure from up here, but," he shrugged his shoulders, "It's a fifty-fifty bet."

Marcella came up and stood close by Noah as he straddled the space between the cockpit and the cabin so they could all hear what was happening. He'd been speaking loudly enough that she didn't have to ask for him to repeat himself.

"I say we get off," AJ said into the silence. There are seven of us, all well-armed and capable. What can they do here in public? We aren't at home where no one would see, and the plane is in the open, not hidden in a hanger. If we stay like this, it's a guarantee they will tow us into that hanger and then we will be well and truly fucked."

"Never thought I'd agree with him, but he's got a point," Dougy mumbled. "Better out there than in here."

"I think he's right," Marcella finally said after murmurs of assent from the men around her. "Better to face what's going on out there than just sitting here doing nothing and not being able to get hold of anyone who could help us."

"Sometimes you have to trust there is a bigger plan," Benji agreed. Then he held up his phone. "It's my brother Rick bogarting your hangar up there with Vivienne, who wants to see her husband. They arrived just before us."

"Vivienne's here?" Marcella asked incredulously. There had been some comfort in knowing she was safe with her family rather than being dragged into all this drama with her. She knew rationally the drama was not her fault, but she certainly felt it was despite Noah's reassurances. Nevertheless, she would be happy to see her friend regardless of the circumstances. She drew a deep breath as the men around her formulated a plan to be safe from the ground crew they were still wary because of everything about them screamed wrong to the pilots and Noah. Marcella listened and agreed to the plan, but in the end, she would do what she thought was right plan or no plan.

The stairs from the small jet were narrow and could only be travelled single file, but Marcella found herself wedged so tightly between Valdemar as the tallest of the men who walked ahead of her and Noah behind her. She had never felt so diminutive in her life. Of course, being short was nothing new, but these giants of men dwarfed her. Sauntering, the men let Valdemar and Benji lead the conversations.

"Where are the cars we ordered?" Valdemar asked.

"On the other side of the hanger where there is a road rather than the tarmac. If you will follow me?" the woman who seemed to be in charge asked.

"I think we will wait for my brother," he indicated the black cars moving toward them. "He didn't seem to have any problem with his cars getting onto the tarmac."

"Move now," the woman commanded, resting her hand on her belt as if she might have a gun despite them being highly illegal at airports except when carried by the AFP.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Benji shrugged as if unconcerned by her threat.

"Look, Sistah girl, just get out the way and let us do our thing," AJ moved forward, stepping up to her and putting his hand over hers before she could react enough to draw whatever she had in her pocket.

"Fuck," Dougy said and pulled the rifle he had slung over his shoulder forward and stepped in front of the men who had been talking to stop any further show of force by the small crew on the ground.

"Ah, Sistah girl, you all that and a bag of chips with your Bruddah's here, but you ain't nothin' to us, so how about you get out da way 'fore they run ya flat," AJ warned and lifted his hand from her hip taking the Taser she had threatened to use with him. He leaned forward, dropping his broad Kriol accent, "You know most people think I'm just a clown, but trust me, if you or buddies lay one hand on my friends, I will show you what a Bruddah can do with one of these. While my beautiful assistant cleans up the mess," he indicated Dougy, who stood stock-still with his rifle in hand. Whipper and Henry primed their weapons at the same time, making sure these people knew they were outmatched.

As the cars holding Vivienne and the Papillo approached from further up the tarmac, the sound of a rolling door slowly opening came from the hangar they stood before. A moment later, two cars began to race away from the hanger, leaving from the rear where the road led to the highway beyond the airport. A crack sounded in the air, and the lead car careened out of control catching the one behind it as it spun, and the vehicles skidded to a halt in a tangle of bent metal and broken glass.

As if from thin air, men in black appeared. Not necessarily suits but pants and shirts and, in some cases, hats. Ambrose made a bee-line for Marcella, not wanting to use his medical skills to save her when he could help Noah do it with brute strength. It was vital that she not be hurt in the ensuing battle, no matter how small. He didn't know the why or how, but the woman was going to be critical to the future of the tables. Gian hadn't needed the Tartar to assure his brothers of that. They all felt it. However, there would be one hero today, and it wouldn't be anyone here at the airport though they would all do their part.