Chapter 8

We had all the windows open for the breeze to come in, but there was nothing tonight, just the stripping heat stuck to the altitude. A couple of angry dogs chased a cat up the alley, and after a while, silence settled in our neighborhood as well. 

I closed the drapes and started getting undressed. 

I pushed my skirt down and suddenly, a strange feeling burst through my core. My chest tightened and my breathing turned shallow as this dreading feeling twisted in my gut. 

He knew where my room was... What if he's watching me? I turned around slowly and scoped every inch of my room thoroughly. The walls and the furniture were off-white and classy, with a sixties vibe. Exactly when Nonna had moved into the apartment. She kept everything retro and squeaky clean. So spotting anything dark was easy. 

Nothing out of the ordinary. Hmm, maybe I'm just being paranoid. 

"Twenty to eleven," I sighed, taking off my wristwatch, then everything else. 

I must get up early to pack a few things, I thought as I slipped into my bathrobe, grabbed the purple pouch, and headed to the bathroom. 

We had a pretty large shower. Nonna had its base made of the leftover tiles, looking like a Renaissance mosaic. I quickly exfoliated my skin with a Scandinavian rub-on clay sponge, then soaped my body up well to get rid of the smell. When done, I reached out from behind the shower curtain, searching for the razor, only to find the sink empty. 

"Great. I left it in my room," I grumbled. 

Thank God I brought the damn dildo in...  and not the razor. 

I washed the soap off and dried my feet to prevent slipping, then wrapped the towel around me. I figured, I'd be in and out in seconds and I wouldn't need anything else. 

I tip-toed out of the bathroom, hoping I wouldn't disturb Nonna. But when I opened my bedroom door I found myself face to face with a hooded man. My heart leaped into my throat and my body froze. 

He was coming straight towards me. And just when I snapped out of my shock to scream for help, someone grabbed me from behind and put his hand over my mouth. 

"You make one noise and the old woman dies, capisci (do you understand)?," he said in a deep grating tone, his breath touching my left ear. "Go, stand outside." He ordered the hooded guy after I nodded in compliance. 

I couldn't see his face. He kept his head low as he left me alone with him. 

My silencer loosened his grip, then pushed me away from the door. I was shaking. My limbs felt ice-cold, yet my palms were damp from sweat. I reached out and pulled the blanket after me as I passed in front of my bed. I threw it over my shoulders and sought refuge in the right corner of my room. 

Huh, that's so cold, I thought hitting the hardwood floor with my bare ass.  

He came closer and crouched down. But all I could think of was the bug screen from the window laying on the floor next to me. 

I buried my face in the cover, hoping he'd disappear. 

"We heard the ledger is missing." His voice came from up-close. "And that you're some kind of an investigator..." 

I mustered some courage to look up and face him. 

"You want me to back out, is that it?" I asked. 

He let out a quick chuckle, barely audible. 

"My boss wants you to plant a couple of false leads."

“Who the hell are you?" I asked in a tremulous tone. "Did Cosimo send you?" 

The man scratched his temple with a smirk on his face. He had short dark hair on the sides with matching sideburns, and a wavy fringe combed to the right. 

"Have you heard of the Syndicate?" he asked. 

The echo of that last word swooshed through my brain like an arrow. 

The Syndicate... as in the SBS secret society?! No way this is true. 

"Why should I believe you're one of them?" I dared to ask. 

Without hesitation, the man pulled up his sleeve and shoved his right forearm in my face. He had the tattoo of an anchor drawn on twice, but with different ink. 

"You get a bronze tattoo when you join the Syndicate as a foot-soldier," he explained. "This silver tattoo makes me second in command. And only one person has the gold one... for life." 

"This is bullshit. The Syndicate doesn't exist," I babbled. 

"I assure you, we are very real... And have been existing for dozens of generations, opposing the Maggio tyranny since the middle ages." 

Oh, God, Almighty... He's still fighting his forefather's war. There's no more tyranny. Now we have democracy and F******k for rants.

I could not believe my eyes nor my ears. It's been a long and trying day. First, I almost drowned, and now, this guy breaks into the apartment and mentions a secret society that I thought was a myth. It feels as if he popped out of nowhere and with no valid reason other than making my life miserable. 

"But what could you possibly want with the ledger?" I asked after finally snapping back to my senses. 

"That is not your concern. Just send them on a couple of wild goose chases." 

"I don't even understand what's going on. How will I be able to do that?" I asked. 

"Figure out a way, or else..." 

Suddenly, the door opened and the hooded guy sneaked back inside. 

"Psst. The old woman is on the move," he whispered, going straight to the window, then climbed out. 

"Don't you dare to hurt her," I clung onto the arm of the tattooed man as he stood up. 

He shook me off and lunged to the window. 

"We're not known for hurting innocents," he replied, climbing after the other guy. "But we get things done one way or the other... We'll be watching you." 

Watching me? I already heard that today. Maybe Cosimo's men have fallen asleep on duty. 

Only now I've realized there was a thick rope hanging outside. I quickly grabbed the bug screen and by the time Nonna twisted the doorknob, they were up on the roof. 

"Tutto bene (everything alright)?" She popped her head in. "I heard voices." 

"Si, certo (yes, of course)," I replied, struggling to put that screen back up. "That's probably the neighbor watching some old movies again... 

"What are you doing with that?" 

"Oh, umm... There was a mosquito stuck on the outside. I swear, it was big as a bean. It probably feasted on a drunk man or something..." 

"You're rambling, cara mia (my dear). Just go to bed." She said and closed the door. 

This was Nonna's way of saying I don't care, shut up. 

I probably looked very pathetic too, with the towel wrapped around me and being unable to quietly put that bloody screen back up. 

I listened to her dragging footsteps till she got back into her room, then pulled over the chair from my dressing table. But the towel got stuck in a clamp and as I stood up, it yanked the cloth off of me. And at that moment, I noticed a couple of flashing lights coming from the cars parked across the street. I dropped the screen to cover my disposed parts, as I sprung into hiding.  

Brilliant. You're awake to take pictures of me like this but not while two men climbed up like spider monkeys?! Oh, I want to disappear.