PROLOGUE

Trigger warning

This book is not recommended for people under 18. It contains shocking and sensitive material, including:

Physical violence, psychological violence, sexual violence, swearing, explicit content, family drama, gore, sadism, masochism, torture, widespread crime, dangerous driving, gambling, drug use, drinking and children in vulnerable positions.

Red Cherry and her team at Beasts Sellers Corporations do not support the practice of these acts. This work is merely a work of fiction for entertainment purposes.

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Monaco

Dominique Le Blanc

I stare at the clock and it's 2:39 in the morning. I walk through the corridor of the maternity hospital, waiting for my nephew’s delivery. I don't know his name, because my sister wants to know what he's like before naming him. I'm tense about the delay, it's been 9 hours of labor, and nothing. It means that it is within Eve's core where he wants to remain. Fuck it, let that shit stay there. You already have one! What the hell. Why didn't she have a c-section? No, she wanted a fucking humanized birth… by the way, to me, waiting that long is far from being “human”. Whatever. I’m standing in front of the tall translucent glass, waiting for Jean to arrive at any moment, carrying the little brat. I’d like to see someone try to stop me from smoking in here. Facing the “no smoking” sign, I inhale the mint pod. It sucks, but it’s what I’ve got for now. I check the time again, and it’s 2:40. This kid has got to be taking me for a fucking fool. I’ve got so many things to do… Eva has no right to complain I don’t give her attention ever again. Look at how long I’ve been waiting! If we had a full family, I wouldn’t need to be here for hours, maybe just for a while. It’s just the two of us, so I know she’ll like to see me. I’m not as attendant as she’d like, but the concept of “family” bothers me enough to keep me away at special occasions.

“Sir, here’s your coffee”, the security guard hands me the cup.

“Finally, Vlad. I was guessing which would come first, the coffee or the child.”

“Glad I won, sir..”

“And I'm glad too. I wouldn't bear to see the child without a cup of coffee to help him get down... those shrill cries…”

I can't even finish the sentence and Jean shows up at the other side of the glass, carrying the child in his lap, wrapped in a navy blue blanket. He proudly shows me his youngest. I smile, looking at the newborn. I raise my thumb in affirmation, pretending that I think he's beautiful, when, really, I'm shocked by his ugliness. He looks like he was smashed.

“No joke, Berta bought a tomato that looks just like this kid.”

“Sir…”, Vlad coughs, trying not to laugh.

 Before going in, I face the maternity’s door. The tomato doesn’t even have a name yet, just bears with colorful balloons. Upon opening the door, I stumble upon Eva at the hospital bed, with the package on her arms. The long blond hairs are tied in a high bun, and she looks like she carries in her arms the most beautiful tomato on the market.

“Dom! You’re here!”, Eva says, radiant.

I get closer to Eva, stopping beside the bed, and my sister flashes a radiant smile.

“Isn’t he pretty?”, she asks;

“Yes”, I fake it.

“Here, hold him”, Eva flashes her grey gaze towards me, raising her arms to give me the baby.

“No, I’ll knock that shit down! If he breaks, there’s no fixing it. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Dominique!”

“When the body hardens, we’ll talk again”, I say, tapping my pocket and getting the small velvet box, opening it towards Eva.

My sister finds the diamond pendant in the shape of a boy. When Marie Cherie was born, I gave her a girl one, now she has the pair. I hope it stops at this one, or this necklace will be far too small.

“That’s so pretty!”, she says, emotional.

“Do you know the name yet?”

“We’re thinking. Maybe Charles…”

“Good name.”

“What about you? When will I be an auntie? I’m dying to see the house filled with children playing!”

I fail to suppress a frown and close the box, placing it by my side. These matters are a real pain. Goddamn pragmatic society, what's wrong with choosing to just evolve, evolve, evolve and die? With no need to build a family? Eva knows I think like that, yet she holds to it!

“You can't live off thrills for the rest of your life. There are things beyond adrenaline, drugs, and casinos, and you know exactly what I'm talking about”, Eva says, troubled.

“I'm happy for the kid’s deliver, but I gotta go now.”

“It's always like that, you can't say anything without dodging”, Eva whispers.

I turn to leave the room, raising my fingers in a brief gesture.

“Dom, come back!”

“I'm not going, no way.”

As I close the door, Vlad waits outside, and we head to the elevator. Inside, I press the garage button.

I glance at the TV news, distracted until Vlad says:

“You have a meeting at seven. Will you go straight to the casino or stop by home first?”

I really need a shower; those hours at the hospital were exhausting. Given the fact that I haven't slept for nearly 32 hours, since I came straight from work and my life is far from peaceful, I'll take a break.

I leave the elevator and walk to the black X6, opening the rear door and getting in.

“Let's go.”

The door opens again, and a frantic girl enters, looking terrified. She glances at me, then closes the door.

Her surgical attire reveals a stunning backside, telling me, “bonjour, monsieur”[1], and she moves over me. The door opens once more, and Vlad tries to pull her out, but she clings to the driver's seat. I intervene, pulling one of her legs while Vlad tries to remove her. A sharp kick hits my face.

“I don’t know who you are, I just need help getting out of here. There are guys chasing me…”, she cries.

“I don't care, that's a you problem!”

I manage to pull her off the upholstery, holding her against my chest.

“Sir!”, Vlad exclaims.

“What?”, my tone is irate.

The girl rebukes me with an elbow to the stomach and kicks Vlad with her left foot. Immediately, I grunt in pain.

“Madwoman!”

“Sir, the guys she mentioned are coming”, Vlad warns.

“What?”,  I look back.

Eight men with SMGs search among the cars, soon finding us. A shot hits the concrete pillar. Vlad starts the car, accelerating.

“Great, crossfire, damn it!”

“Oh, my God!”, the lunatic woman cries.

“Sir, are you crazy? We only have a pair of 38s[2]”, Vlad says.

“Damn it, Vlad!”

The engine roars, the sound mixing with the city's frenzy as we leave the hospital. Undoubtedly, this isn't my first pursuit, and I know it won't be the last. However, it's the first time I'm in one not knowing what the hell is happening.

“If I were you, I’d take the damn gun quickly. They’re approaching!”, she says, desperately, holding the seat.

“Shut your mouth, or I will”, I say, pointing the gun to her.

“That’s so uncalled for! You don’t even know me!”

“Nor do I want to. The little I witnessed makes me want to keep it that way”, I say, impatient.

The girl throws a snob smirk. I slip my gaze through her white with navy polka-dot hospital gown. At the end, after the not, the round and symmetrical prancing ass.

“How about you say that to my face, not my ass?”, she retorts, sharply.

“You should thank me for not throwing you off the car and leaving you to the guys out there yet, so keep quiet.”

“Sir, we've got problems”, Vlad says.

“What is it?”, I ask, glancing at the hazel eyes beside me.

“They're closing in”, Vlad warns.

Adrenaline rushes through my veins, mixed with gunfire and screeching tires. I roll down the window for a clear shot.

“Vlad, step on it! If we die, it'll be because you're a lousy driver!”, I yell.

I grip my gun firmly, feeling its familiar weight. Vlad accelerates, narrowly avoiding collisions.

“I just wanted a shower!”, I exclaim, frustrated.

“Sir, I'll lose them”, Vlad says.

The girl hands me another loaded gun. I cross fire with our pursuers.

“Son of a…”, I curse, as bullets ricochet around me.

Vlad takes a sharp left turn, speeding through a condo complex, losing our tail. Breathless, I glance at the girl, her eyes wide with fear.

“Where are you from? What's your name? What do you do?”, I demand.

She remains silent.

“Who do you work for?”, I push it.

Her shoulders slump.

“I...I think I don't work”, she stammers.

“You stole something, didn't you?”, I accuse.

Her eyes widen in denial.

“I don't know anything!”, she cries.

This girl seems utterly clueless.

“Don't lie to me! Tell the truth!”, I insist.

She gazes at me incredulously.

“I'm not lying! I don't know who I am or where I came from!”

“How'd you end up at the hospital?”, I ask.

“I don't know. I woke up in the hospital room, and the nurse was trying to suffocate me with the oxygen cord! I kicked her, managed to escape after beating her up a few times, you know? And when I left the room, there were some disguised guys coming after me and I ran like hell, until I got to the garage and was going to escape through there, but... I ended up finding you”, her voice is distressed

Holy shit! If she wasn't a bitch, they wouldn't try to kill her like that. Considering the possibility that this story is true.

“Here's the thing, Kiki. You’re going to change your clothes and leave, did I make myself clear? I don't wanna get involved with any of this. Whether it's true or not, that's your problem.”

“But…”

I gesture with my hand, indicating that I've heard enough, because I don't care.

“I don't wanna know”, I look back, checking if we're being followed “Vlad, go to the apartment.

I went to the meeting and returned to the apartment shortly after lunch. I won't deny that I'm feeling the weight of not sleeping for 36 hours. What can I do if everything decided to go downhill at the same time? Lolla Grace, a very famous singer, was going to perform at the casino event next month, then she said she wasn’t coming anymore because she was sad about her breakup. What the fuck does that have to do with it? She's just doing her job. And who needs a month to grieve? No one. Out of nowhere, Tomate decides to be born, crazy Kinder gets in my car, butt here, butt there, chase. Then I go to the meeting, three hours straight focused on improving the casino, so that there's no motherfucker in the world who's better than me. After the idea conference, then comes Lolla Grace in a second wave of existential crisis, then she beat up IT and then Henri didn't pay his debt and that's directly with me. I'm going to have to collect on this shit.”

Besides Vlad, I have two other versatile assistants who deal with the dirt when necessary. I don't expose myself daily, and after what happened at the hospital, I didn't send Vlad there to bring me intel about the girl, because it could be risky for him, since he was seen. I asked Tristan to check it out, and there's no on her there. There's no documentation, no record, not even the admittance date or what happened. Not even the cameras were able to detect it. It's as if they really wanted to erase her. And there you have it, another reason not to get involved with all of this. However, I could just be narrow-minded, and so I appealed to the government, and Théo was responsible for accessing the network and nothing. This girl is a ghost. She's neither in nor outlaw.

The only option I have at this point is to send her away on the first bus that comes along. It's the right thing to do. She may be trustworthy, her story may have some basis, but she's a problem. And as far as "problematic" goes, I'm already dealing with myself enough, and I'm not the type to do charity, and it's hard to face a situation like this without wanting to get involved. I know how hard it is to not have anyone to rely on, but even so, it's not my problem. And I'll stand my ground.

I open the apartment door and enter the spacious living room with modern, minimalist decor. I walk across the dark wood floor and hear my cell phone ring, I take it out of my pocket and answer it when I find Amelie's contact, the secretary.

“What's wrong now?”, I say, directly.

“There's no way around it, the media says she’s too upset to perform.”

“Listen, Amelie, I'm upset. I haven't slept in over 36 hours, and I have to deal with this girl's third wave of existential crisis. I won’t. She compromised, she confirmed she’d deliver the concert, I’ve already paid for this shit, so she’ll do it even if crying. You know what this girl needs? A lawyer. Tell Maurice to strip her husband naked, she'll be so happy she'll come and sing”, I turn to the couch.

I meet today’s girl, named Kiki by me, sitting in the couch, with her long lashes flapping, while she stares at me. This time, she’s way better dressed, in a gray sweatsuit. Yeah, there’s also this one to solve…

“Call me only with good news”, I say, before hanging, “Are you ready to leave?”, I’m incisive.

“I’ve been ready for two hours.”

“Done. Let’s go”, I point towards the door and head there.

We get to the garage in silence, and there we stay. I won’t be talking and I’m not even slightly touched. Whatever. Life’s like this. You do it, you pai for it, what am I supposed to do? Nothing but that, I’ve done far too much for this girl, and I don’t have enough time in my life to look after another one. The silence remains inside the car, and, upon checking on the corner of my eye, I see Kiki restless, biting the sides of her nails. She is, without a doubt, the quieter woman I’ve ever met. Her charisma is similar to a doorknob. I can’t help but to get intrigued. What the fuck happened to her? I quickly drop that thought, it doesn’t matter! I stop the care close to a bus stop, glancing at her.

“What is it?”, she asks.

I point outside.

“You just need to take whichever bus stops by. You may go to Italy, France… your choice. If I were you, I’d go to Italy, people are nice over there. Just be careful, kinda heavy stuff.”

She sighs, tired.

“Doesn’t matter where I go”, She says, losing her seatbelt and staring right at me before going out, “Whats your name?”

“Dominique.”

She nods.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome”, I wink at her.

When I see her open the door, I check my pockets, grabbing a roll of 100s, tied by a rubber band.

“Hey, Kiki”, I call her and she turns to me with a suspicious look.

I throw the roll and she catechism with a quick reflex, facing the bills and taking only one, then throwing the rest on the bench.

“I’ll only need one.”

She then closes the door. I frown. She’s really very oblivious to forget just how expensive Monaco may be. I see her sit by the stop and wait, minding every surrounding with a misplaced glance, no idea where she is, who she is, who she may or may not trust… but what to do? C’est la vie!

I accelerate, going into the right street and moving forward, bothered by my stubborn thoughts. What if someone tries to fool the oblivious one? What if she decides to enter someone else’s car? Not that it’s my problema, the only thing I can guarantee is that not everyone will be “nice” as I was. She must be in her 20’s, not older… and there’s the matter of the pursuers as well. I have absolutely nothing to do with that and nothing stops them from coming back, it would be as if I had taken her off the fight in vain… and my thoughts stop when I realize the sudden climate change, expected from the sea influence and the wet winter. The thin rain starts and intensifies soon. I tap the wheel and, without much thought, enter the returning point, going around quickly. I’ll sure regert it later, however, I won’t let her suffering. I’m just 99% a son of a bitch. If the rain is gone, she may leave tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be like that, so impulsive. See? To those who say I don’t think, there’s the proof that I do.

When I return to the bus stop, I find no one. I get out of the car, in the middle of the heavy rain, looking around and I can't find her.

“Damn…”, I hit the roof of the car, the blow and the word muffled by the rain.

“Dominique? Did you forget something?”, I hear Kiki's voice behind me and turn around.

I find her with a red umbrella and a can of peas in her hand, with a spoon inside and this scene is unacceptable. A mix of irritation and frustration runs through me, making me look at her in a shocking way and, why not say, admiration? She does very well with less than the minimum.

“Get in the car.”

Kiki shakes her head sideways

“I'm not getting in.”

Since I'm a guy who doesn't repeat things, I open the passenger door, grab Kiki and take the umbrella from her hand. I throw the can away and put her in the car without further ado.

“It was five euros!”, she says, irritably, “What are you doing?”

Still in the rain, I look inside the vehicle.

“I'm going to put a crazy person in the house, that means I'm crazier than you. Just know that if you try any trick, I'll make a big one.”

I slam the door hard, walk around the car and get in.