Chapter 2: Trapped

Nickolai’s Pov

It’s been three years since I took over the Lucardo’s family business. After coming back from the States, my father sees this as an opportunity to retire earlier and hand over the family business to me to oversee every fraction of our business. He wants to spend a long-time vacation with my mother. To a layman, the Lucado owns most of the top hotels, clubs, bars, and Classic restaurants across every city in Italy, but these businesses are merely cover-ups for our mafia business.

The Lucado mafia businesses are involved in arms and drug dealings, treasure and gold trades, arts and artifacts auctions, and money laundering. Over the year, we have held a great reputation as the most powerful, feared and richest mafia family to ever exist in Italy. No one has ever been able to beat our business connections. Occasionally, there are rivals and sworn enemies but they are just too scared to attack because they can never escape our watchful eyes. Everything about us instills fear in them

The Italians have a common saying which goes: ‘To mess with the Lucados is to walk into a den where demons fear to tread’. This expresses the power and leadership we possess in the underworld. Our businesses go far and across every continent. I control every business transaction across Europe and North America. My sister Rosa handles the business transactions in South America and Oceania with a follow-up base in New Zealand while my closest cousin Vince controls the business transactions within and across Africa and Asia continent from his base in Vietnam.

 Being the Don of the Lucado family is a big responsibility and protecting the family’s legacy is my duty even if I have to kill for it. In the past three years, many people have lost their lives in my hands either traitors or foes. I get so much adrenaline from watching their blood drip from my hands. Their blood serves as a brickstone to build the power of my family. Along the processes of the business transactions, my family has  developed long-term feuds and bad blood with different gangs and drug lords in the mafia world.

This feud could either be over territorial leadership and ownership or a dispute over business clients. As a result of the vast territory and large connection owned by the Lucado family in the underworld, this made us an easy target for robbery, hijacking of goods, and assassination. It’s why a living member of this family has been subdued to hard and terrifying training, to suffer situations like assassinations and kidnaps.

The first time I got kidnapped was when I was ten, at a young age I was been held hostage by a man whom I had never met before but he introduced himself as my father’s greatest rival. I stayed locked up in a dark room with no access to sunlight, deprived of food and water for days. Once, he allowed me to speak to my father on a telephone call to prove that he held me hostage to make my father surrender to him. This was the first time I have ever been caught in a feud among mafias.

After spending days without food and water, when my kidnappers noticed I was on the verge of dying. He sent his underling to deliver some crappy food that did nothing but gave me nausea. At this point, I had lost every hope that my family would ever see me again and the only way to get out of here is to escape by myself. I can’t wait around till the day they finally decide to get rid of me so I began to plot my escape.

As for the guard in charge of delivering my food, he noticed my gentle nature and this caused him to let down his guard around. On the night of my escape, the guard had delivered the food as usual. I had my meal and hid a piece of the cutlery. After pretending to fall asleep, the guard opened the door to my cell and came in to clear up the dish. His posture backing me was so relaxed and insensitive to notice my footsteps. Attacking him was easy and stress-free, I covered his mouth and stabbed his throat countless times before he fell lifeless to the ground. I searched his body for the keys, I found the key, took his gun, and opened the door which led me to a large corridor. I take hurried steps towards the end of the corridor covered in blood and holding a knife and a gun in alert mode prepared to strike anybody on sight.

Just when I was about to turn at the end of the corridor, I heard hurried footsteps and gunshots loud in the air. I heard someone cry out “The Lucados are here, we are under attack. Fuck! We never going to make it out of here. We are surrounded”. From the terror expression on his face and his shivering body, looks like my father is here.

I came out from where I hid and raised the gun to his face “Take me to my dad” I said. The blood on my face and body increased his fears, he tried to run but he couldn’t escape my shot. I shot his arm and the overwhelming pain caused him to scream. He held his shot arm and pleaded to spare his life after which he led the way to my father’s presence in front of the building. After I told my father to spare the young man’s life. He swore his loyalty to the Lucado family and till today he is one of the major couriers of my family business.

After that day, watching the blood of the guard I had murdered during my kidnap sparked an exciting feeling in me. Soon I begin to engage in street fight and underground boxing tournaments. Occasionally, I have had arguments with my dad about the lifestyle I led  at a tender age.  My father’s failed attempts to control my violent temper and wild lifestyle becomes news in the underworld. Occasionally, I get the urge to burn things down. To the underworld, I was a maniac on the loose. A maniac who was beyond the control of his father. Eventually, I got into a fight with the son of a famous drug lord whom I nearly killed during the fight. This led to a big feud among the mafias. My father (the Don) finally decided to send me to my mother in the States. This is the only way to prevent me from being killed. Mum being an ex-assassin decided to create a new identity for me to enable me live an easy and smooth life in the states.

Under the name Nickolai Martins, I started schooling in the States. I had to lay low in New York City with Mum. School life was meant to be peaceful and smooth, till I started gaining the attention of girls in the school. Boys begin to see me as a competition. Things got worse when Shelley – the captain of the cheerleading team begins to hit on me. I went along with the flow and this got me on the bad side of Marc - the captain of the football team who happens to be her boyfriend.

 Enraged by the jealousy and rejection from his girlfriend, he gathered the football team members to attack me. At that moment, the monster in me that I had kept in check took over. Three students were sent to the ICU. Angry uproars and clamoring arose from the victim's parents. After several lawsuits and court proceedings, the only solution that mum’s lawyer could was that I am to be sent to a correctional institute for teenagers for three years. Looking back at everything, I have no regrets. After all, I got to meet the love of my life in juvenile. A smile plays on my face as  I watch the screen where I see my prey searching the room for a loophole to escape.

Andre walks into the office holding a report “Boss, the last batch of the delivery has been successfully delivered” he spoke. “These are the lists of goods to be delivered to Vietnam. They need to be shipped before the end of the week. Some clients are in urgent need of it”.  I took the report to check through the list. “Any word from the intruder? Did he reveal the identity of the one who sent him?” I asked

“Sire, he refuses to disclose the person’s identity. Every attempt to make him speak has failed. But we found something in his pocket.” Andre replied taking out a piece of necklace that happened to be a locket. I opened it and found a small picture of Jace and the intruder locked in a tight embrace. Is he Jace’s boyfriend? No, Jace is mine. He belongs to me. I will just have to find out what relationship he has with my Jace. I held the necklace in my hand and left for the door. “Have them load up the cargo, the ship must leave by tomorrow,” I said heading towards the elevator. “Hold on, deliver some healthy meals to our guest. And note, no cucumbers”. I said entering the elevator. Getting to the third floor, I walk to the guarded room of the large corridor, then open the door that leads to a dungeon. Inside the torture room is the intruder who tried to sneak into my territory two days ago.

My men took turns hitting and torturing him. But he seems to be stubborn and relentless. Despite his disfigured face and wounded body, he refused to confess. After several minutes of torture, I ordered my men to stop. I stand tall staring down at him, he returns the gaze with glaring eyes. I open my hand to show the necklace, and suddenly his glaring eyes dilate. He reaches out to grab the necklace, but the rope tying him restricts him. “Give it back, it’s mine” he yelled, glaring furiously at me.

“Wow, looks like this is so precious to you. Who is the man in the picture? Your boyfriend? Your lover?” I asked searching his face for any expression. “Great, since you aren’t much of a talker. How about getting rid of this precious necklace.”

I shifted my gaze to focus on the hammer lying on the table, his eyes followed through. I turn towards the table and reach for the hammer. Before I could touch the hammer.  He screamed “No, please, don’t do it! Please I am begging you! he is all I have! He is missing and I have been searching for him for days. He is my life savior! Please don’t do it.” He pleads in resignation.  

“Fine, I won’t destroy it. You'd better start talking. So, is he your boyfriend? I questioned. “No, he is not. He is a precious friend to me and I have been searching for him for the past four days. Your mansion is the last one that I am yet to search.”

“Who sent you? What gave you the audacity to try and infiltrate my territory?” I held his chin to make eye contact with me. “Sire, I didn’t mean to trespass, no one sent me. I am just trying to find my brother. Can I have the necklace back now?” he asked desperately.  “No, this will be with me till our investigation confirms your identity,” I said and with that I left the room, ignoring the curses and swears from the torture room.               

Back in my office, I opened the computer screen to monitor Jace, the meal served hadn’t been touched. He stood banging the door continuously for minutes before he gave up and decided to go back to bed disregarding the food on the table. After hours of lying in bed and doing nothing. He decided to eat the food. It’s probably cold now. I have been maintaining the same routine of watching him from the CCTV.

Leaving behind the business trip in Sicily, after finding Jace, I had hurriedly taken a flight back to Milan. This is to stop the Balsamo from finding out Jace’s identity after stealing the blueprint. I had made sure that my men covered and cleared every trace of him like he was dead to avoid the Balsamo’s attention. it’s been five days since we arrived in Milan – my city. By now, the Balsamo should have given up the search for him, they will probably blame a business rival for the theft and start up a war. Well, that’s fine. As long as Jace is safe. Based on the background check, I noticed he is working for the Keegans who have been in hiding for years. They will probably abandon after realizing the death of their agents.

I smiled at his confused expression in the closet. He doesn’t know the outfit to wear. After picking up about five different outfits. I finally opted for a black pant and a crop top. From his expression, they are not his style which in my opinion suits him the best. The wound from the shot is perfectly bandaged. On arriving my mansion, I had made sure that the family doctors attended to him and admitted drip when he was unconscious. Since he woke up two days ago, he has tried every possible attempt to escape and every trial has failed. it's quite amusing watching him struggle and throw tantrums. Then, he will resign to bed, after accepting his failed attempt.  I ordered the maids to deliver his meals on time, I also instructed the doctors to give adequate treatment to his wounds. At night, he finally focuses on the TV he always ignores. The series must have caught his attention. He watches the series quietly till he drifts to sleep. I watch him sleep quietly and gently, the complete opposite of his tantrums in the daytime.  Sweet dreams Amore. we have plenty of time to catch up. I look forward to the memories ahead.

Oh, sweet Jace