DON JULIO
The car drove speedily until we got to the hideout. I was quite sure that journalists could have flocked to the burning clubhouse.The silence in the hiding place was piercing as if nobody lived there. We were just back from the clubhouse and I needed to sort some very important things out. I was supposed to feel victorious but anger surged through me and I kept clenching and unclenching my fist as I walked into the hideout. I knew already but I kept it to myself. I knew that someone had told The Blood Vultures about our plans, and knew it even before we got to the club. The Blood Vultures were prepared but my men moved quickly and cleanly, they were too prepared. How could a rat have given them that information and I also hated rats and the worst part was that it was one of the family. I caught a glimpse of him. Pablo. Younger than most and more muscular. I had taken him in when he lost his family and when the flames iDON JULIO Sarian had broken down in tears and ran out immediately she saw my men dragged Pablo's body away. She was crying but not too loud, she was the exact opposite of Allegra who made a big deal out of everything. Sarian wept quietly and her tears, like they were embarrassed to be seen, slid down her cheeks as if they had no right to be there. However I did see them. I always see what I need to see. Her eyes were red but defiant and she sat on the far end of the couch with her fingers twisted in her lap. Throughout the execution she didn't flinch. Even though I didn't touch or speak to her,the aftershocks were now making her tremble. If Sarian had cried, I wondered what Allegra would do. I pulled my black shirt over my head as soon as I entered the bedroom. There was blood on the sleeve. Not all of it had even dried yet. “He’s the reason you're crying?” I asked as I approached where she sat. “You are just wasting your tear
DON JULIO We set out shortly before dawn. The strange drowsy blue that hung over Calcutta's skies gave the impression that everything we could find would be the opposite of what I expected but I had gone through Federico's journal and just wanted to be sure. In slow motion, the town was beginning to wake and the roads continued to stretch before us.My SUV was like a blade slicing through the fog. Spreading my legs and flicking the edge of my silver lighter with my thumb I sat in the back. Fire. A snap. Fire. I had the silver lighter since I was sixteen .I was steadied by the rhythm. Sarian sat across from me looking out the window as if she wanted to punch it open and jump out but I knew she couldn't date, her hand was bruised and covered in bandages. Once in a while she had steal hateful glances at me and I had smirked back.“It isn't very gentlemanly to force injured women to your expeditions.” she said without turning, her voice dry.
SARIAN It wasn’t just the shock of Allegra’s body never being found or the fact that she had betrayed Don Julio, she and Pablo, It wasn’t even the way Don Julio acted as if it were just another day. No. It was the fact that I didn't even know who this man is and I might never know who he is. He'd looked me in the eye after ordering his men to find her, and even though he claimed to be indifferent, I could see the flicker of something. Guilt? remorse? I couldn’t tell. And I hated that I couldn’t. The days that followed were a blur. After we left Calcutta, returning to Italy felt like stepping into a different world. Calcutta had been suffocating — sticky, dirty, full of the echoes of death and fear. I woke up every morning, thinking I heard a shot or something. Italy was cold, clinical and just a little better. The walls of his villa , the pristine marble bottoms, the silent hallways. It felt
SARIAN I had always hated casinos and that was the reason I had defied my boss back then and chose to dance in the club. Too many kinds of evil happened there, it was the place of bad decisions and reckless spending, where people met their doom. The flashing lights, the clinking of coins, the endless ocean of faces lost in their pursuit of luck. But tonight, I had no choice. Don Julio had asked me to come with them, his business dealings taking us to this high- end casino in the heart of the megacity. He looked like he belonged there, handsome, calm, untouchable, his sharp suit adding power to his spare, muscular frame, eyes calculating as he surveyed the room. But his presence didn’t just demand attention. It took it. And it made me feel like a normal onlooker in a world I wasn’t meant to belong to. I hated the feeling. I had chosen a midnight blue dress with a slit at the left, long and wide enough for my laps.
DON JULIO The sun had slightly risen when I stepped out onto the balcony of my villa, trying to shake off the weight of the former night. The night was suppose to be peaceful but it had happened the way I hadn't expected The attack at the casino was still fresh in my mind: the chaos, the gunfire, and, most importantly, the image of Sarian, pushing me aside. Twice. She had saved my life. The Crows wanted something too and I couldn't help but blame her stupid father for dragging the poor girl into what she knew nothing of. The doctor had just finished attending to her, and though he comforted me that her injuries weren’t fatal, the fate of that night was something neither of us could ignore. I had to admit, I was angry. Not at her, never at her, but at the situation. At myself. I had failed to protect her in time, and I could see the consequences of that failure playing out right before my eyes.
SARIAN “ I beg your pardon! ” I coughed, blinking at him like he’d lost his mind. “ Plastic surgery? ” My heart was beating louder than necessary. Don Julio stood there, calm as a marble statue, arms folded over his chest like the mafia lord who he is and not even blinking and I guess he was enjoying my shock. “ Yes. I’m serious. ” I stared at him incredibly not believing that a day like this could come and he could say something as dumb, crazy as what he just said. “ You want to change my face and change how I look just like that? ” “ It’s for your safety. ” “ You said that before and over and over again, ” I snapped, the disbelief in my voice climbing and I was just so frustrated. “ But plastic surgery? That’s too much. I’m not a criminal, I didn't kill anyone. I haven’t done anything wrong! ”
SARIAN I didn't know what to think about it. Just wanted to accept it all, that it was part of the sacrifice I had to make, that I had to be ruthless if I wanted to survive in this world.Later that day, the room was dim, the curtains drawn and it was raining outside.A soft knock came on the door." Come in," I said immediately and quickly wiped the tears on my face.Don Julio stepped in, holding a small file. He looked tired, but his eyes held that same stubborn determination I was beginning to hate and respect all at the same time." The surgeon is trusted. He flies in tonight. You’ll be in recovery for a while. But I’ll be there the entire time."I stared at the file for a very long time. I didn’t touch it." You sure this is the only way?"He sighed and gave a small nod." It’s not just that . Just until we destroy the Blood Vultures, you have to follow my orders. Or go back to who you were and die. If tha
SARIAN He didn't say anything to me again, he just stared at me for a while then left. Two maids came to clean my room and change my sheets and then served me dinner.That night, I sat in front of a mirror, studying every inch of my face, staring at the face I was going to miss. The angles, the scars, the small patch near my right brow. This face had cried, laughed, fought, and loved. The face in all of my documents. Would I miss it?Yes.But I wanted to live. I didn't want to be plunge into what I knew nothing about and when this is over, I would vanish forever and forget this ever happened, that I ever met Don Julio.But deep inside, I wanted vengeance. I wanted to walk back into this city one day, unrecognizable, and tear down every single one of them.Perhaps red would suit that fire. It would be perfect.The door creaked open, and Don Julio entered again. I almost rolled my eyes and wondered why he was ba
DON JULIO The smell of blood was thick in the air briskly, metallic, suffocating. The last echo of gunfire had faded, but the chaos still fire my thoughts. It was freaking unexpected. I had had enough already and I swore to myself as I watched Valentina go down that when I find whoever is doing this, I would erase the names of his whole family from the earth. “ Valentina’s down! ” someone cried. My heart sank. I turned around immediately. Valentina was lying lifeless on the ground and Sarian was beside her, shaking her and begging her to wake up. Her dress and hands covered in Valentina's blood. Shit. This wasn't supposed to happen. My instincts had told me to tell Valentina to stay back at the hotel. Everything inside me snapped. My men redressed with fury. Shots erupted again, lighting up the night. Tires screamed. The masked men tried to escape, but they weren’t fast enough. We shot almost everyone of them down, no mercy. One tried to run into the alley — I refocused on hi
SARIAN I could feel the pressure in the air the moment Valentina walked into the hotel room. I had woken up to find myself all alone and breakfast set and then a janitor in the hallway. I came out and there he was still moping out non existent dirt and I immediately knew who he was.Don Julio was back with her and Matteo and he had introduced us before, but I couldn't help but wonder what kind of woman she was. She was different — older than me and very friendly, but there was something about her that made me think she’d seen a lot, perhaps too much and had really suffered too. It wasn’t just her calmness, there was this confidence in her that made you believe she could handle anything. Over dinner, the atmosphere was reserved Don Julio was calm one minute and then, his usual sharp, calculating presence absent the next . It was as if he'd something on his mind that he wasn’t really focused on. Valentina, still sounded comfortable in her own skin, laughing loudly at times, m
DON JULIO Matteo arrived the next morning, in his usual stoic tone. He didn’t need to tell me of his presence. I saw him on the security footage before the door even opened. Always effective. Always quiet. He was one of the few in my gang that I could manage to trust if the word trust existed to me in the first place.He hadn't come with us because of personal reasons and things I had to do.Matteo was a professional; he never let his guard down, and he understood the assignment very well that when he came, he didn't let anyone follow him into the suite.I glanced over to where Sarian lay, a soft breath escaping her lips as she slept. My heart tensed with a strange emotion I didn’t want to show, let her enjoy a moment of peace for once. She was still recovering from everything, her body weak, her mind disoriented. But her spirit that was a different matter. And it was something I couldn’t help but respect. She was resilient and I loved women like that.I stood up immediately, makin
DON JULIO The wind in Sicily was warm, filled with the scent of citrus blooms.We had just arrived minutes ago and as I turned to look at Sarian, her eyes looked empty and she felt like she was lost in the crowd , like she had no place in the world. Maybe she was scared that we might get attacked again.The pilot gave me a nod as we stepped off the jet. “ safe-deposit box wharf. ”I returned it with a small cock of my head. “Grazie. ”But Sarian’s emotions were as unsteady as the weather's. Her eyes danced as they landed on me. I knew the look before she said a word. She folded her arms, her lips curving into a small smile. “ You don’t look like yourself today.”I raised a brow but said nothing.She glanced over my plain black shirt, sleeves rolled to my forearms, my tats flashing in the early morning sun and simple trousers. No tie. No cufflinks. No intimidating suits draped over my shoulders. They looked simple but if only she knew how much they cost.“ You look like someone who
SARIAN I felt it again — that unnoticeable prick on my skin, like it was very cold that morning but obviously it wasn't because I knew I wasn't alone.I had that feeling like eyes crawling over me.Watching. Waiting to strike and I didn't know what it was. My hand hung mid air as I reached for my coffee, and I glanced toward the hallway. Nothing. Just the soft, the family silence of the villa that I had grown used to.But I knew what I felt.Someone was here. I could feel it Or had been.“ Don Julio? ” I called out, forcing my voice to sound steady but it was shaky and laced with fear.His voice came from the room opposite, low and tensed, maybe he had also noticed it too.. “ Stay where you are. I’ll be there in a nanosecond. ” he said and I forced myself to take a sip of coffee that now felt like acid on my tongue.But I didn’t hear. I was stubborn , I was supposed to do as he said and stayed in the room and finished up my breakfast.My feet moved on their own as I crept toward the ha
SIMEON I couldn't breathe.I couldn't think that I had done it. Ended his life like it was that of a puppy.Damn. Some men had come in and dragged the bloodied body of Marco out and I couldn't watch. I turned to go, hoping he wouldn't nsg until I heard his voice again and I froze.“ Gabriela is off the table. The marriage plans with The Crows are no longer an option. It's now abolished.” Abraham said, his voice calm, measured. But his words. they were a slap to the face. “ It’s a misplaced cause. You’re not ready for that kind of responsibility. And I have come to.the conclusion that you are madly in love to concentrate.”His eyes were cold as he spoke, his eyes fluttering over to me like I was an abomination, like I didn't even count to be in the gang, like I was a castaway.For a moment, I stood there, glued to a spot. Rage surged through me and I felt this was really unnecessary. I gripped my fists so hard my knuckles turned so white, but I didn't say a word. His opinion of me wa
SIMEON I could feel the weight of my father’s eyes as he listed off every mistake I had made. He was even smiling as he did so. I didn't know why but maybe because he got satisfaction from seeing me on my toes.One by one, his words sliced through the air, cutting me down until I was nothing further than a pile of failure in front of him." Federico's escape," he began, his voice low, cold. "That was your fault. You couldn't even keep an eye on him. And Don Julio? You suppose that injury was enough to prove yourself? Please." He waved his hand like he was fed up with my mere existence already. Everyone knew that Federico's escape wasn't my fault, I had given a suggestion which he had dismissed and the bastard had absconded.I stood there, still as gravestone, refusing to show him how harsh and cold those words hurt. He could say whatever he wanted. But, soon I would prove myself to him.Giuseppe was sitting in the corner, watching, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. I hated
SIMEON I had angrily walked out, to think about all that had happened and how to take over the gang after my father's death. I had been called back to the meeting hall.My father’s cold eyes were still burned into my memory, the slap still felt scratchy and painful on my face, the embarrassment I had suffered in front of the entire family hanging heavy on my shoulders.It wasn’t just that he looked at me like I was an orphaned rabbit. It was the look in his eyes when he did it. The disgust. The disappointment. Like I was nothing more than an embarrassment to him. I knew I was far from his perfect son, but damn it, I had worked hard for this moment. I’d given up everything, put in times of trust, learned every dark corner of this life just to prove to him I could handle it. But that wasn’t enough, was it? No, not for Abraham Moretti.He was a freaking perfectionist and wanted everything to be done following his freaking orders and hated suggestions from others, most especially me.
SIMEON Bang!I knew it was him even turning around to see him. The door shook on its hinges as the noise echoed around the roomSomething had happened and I knew that what was coming was just the usual. I shot my eyes, the weight of his presence alone suffocated the air.“ Simeon! ” The voice, cold, harsh and smelt of poison as it cut through the silence like a blade. There was no tenderness, no affection, just raw wrath and filled with huge disappointment.I remained still, not lifting my eyes, my arms folded across my broad chest not out of fear but preparing myself for what he was about to say because it won't be nice at all, but I could feel his gaze burning into me. I moved aside and let my hands fall as my fists gripped at my sides, nails digging into my palms almost drawing out blood. He'd that effect on me. He always did.“ Look at me when I’m speaking to you! ” he said, limping to the front, his fingers gripping his stick that I feared it might break.I did, reluctantly, my