Chapter six

C H A P T E R  S I X

“You’re certain that someone else is tracking him?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a copy of the data?”

“I can get it.”

“Does he trust you yet?”

“Not fully, but he will.”

“Great job agent.”

She got up and walked back towards the car, considering if this was the first time in her life that David Menendez had praised her. He knew her since she was eighteen, well actually before, but he introduced himself and brought her in to join the bureau at that age.

She knew that Mancini he had his goons watching her, so they both made sure to not look at each or give any sign of acknowledgment for each other once they sat on the park bench, but hiding her smile now was a slightly difficult task. That man never praised anyone, not even his own children.. she felt a sense of accomplishment that she had not felt in years.

It would be a lie however to say that this all did not feel like too much at times, she could get caught any moment, and god knows what would happen to her. She often wondered if they would find her decomposed body had she gotten caught..

From what she had seen and heard so far, she knew that the Mancini’s loved sending a message to their enemies, yet she wondered if Giovanni would kill her so quickly.. he would probably chose to hold her in some warehouse basement and break every bone in her body, letting them heal before breaking them all over again as he skinned her alive..

She tried her best not to think about her fate, but it was almost impossible to shut out the noise in her head that started talking to her whenever she was doing something that could get her killed in the moment had she been found. But Athena was well aware that she could not let the fear stop her from doing what she promised herself she would do.. she came far too long to turn around now, and she was not doing this for herself..

The elevator dinged when she arrived at the penthouse, Giovanni sat on the sofa with a glass of bourbon in his hand.. he did not look good..

“What happened to you?” she said casually as she threw her jacket at the sofa beside him and sat down, as Sage ran up to her, greeting her.

No answer.. he did not even look at her..

“Okay, I’ll be in my room..”

“Stay.”

“Why?”

His eyes shot up at her now.. he never could keep his eyes off of someone who had pissed him off. She noticed that he often tried to ignore her, but she always found a way to make those deadly stern eyes look at her with anything but approval.

“We’re going out for dinner.”

“Is it work?”

“No.”

“Then it is fine, I can just stay and eat at the house.”

“It was not a question Ms. Vaccarelli.”

“Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the concept of public dinners, but they usually involve conversation and a good time, and dare I say that I’m quite certain neither of us will have the desire to indulge in either of these in each other’s presence.”

“Does my presence intimidate you Ms. Vaccarelli?”

Yes.

“No.”

“Then get changed, we are leaving in an hour.”

He stood up and walked away, before she could protest much. Like always, Sage followed him.

It is true that she needed to get a hold of as much information as she possibly can while she is here, but she doubted that Giovanni had any knowledge of what had happened to her and her parents. As much as he made her blood boil, harming him was not her priority. Michalis Mancini was the one who had to pay for the death of her parents. Giovanni was the underboss who was here to take over his father’s empire someday. Killing him is crucial for insuring that the Mancini’s do not rise again after she brings them down, but in the end, Giovanni was once an innocent child, just like she was when everything happened. He may be a ruthless, cold blooded murderer now, but his fate was decided by his father before he was even born, and he was not the one who made her become a part of the bureau, it was all Michalis Mancini’s fault.

She was well aware that he would go down with his father, and so would Elvio, but she did not lose much sleep over it. They might have not harmed her, but how many mothers had cried at their sons graves because of them? How many wives, how many children had mourned the death of a loved one because of them? They were no Michalis, but they were Mancini’s and they needed to pay.

The thoughts had her blood pumping again, and hatred spread in her whole body for the Mancini’s and what they had done to her. Yet here they were, about to go out to god knows what restaurant and pay an amount of money for a single meal that could shelter a family for a whole month. She knew that she had to calm down before heading out, she walked over to that tray of alcohol that always had at least three different bottles of brown liquors and glasses that looked way to heavy. She poured herself a little just like she had always seen Giovanni do, but instead of the sofa, she sat on the floor beside the giant window and admired the city lights.

She heard the elevator doors open as it made the little sound it always does when the doors open.

“Well hello there,” spoke Elvio as he walked in, dressed sharply in a black suit that wrapped around his body so well. He looked quite handsome in it, there was no denying it. He made his way over to the tray and poured himself a drink as well before standing beside Athena and looking through the window at the sleepless city in front of them. “Tell me Ms. Vaccarelli, how was your day?”

“Good.” She answered, still pissed off because of the thoughts and memories of her childhood that stormed her brain earlier.

“Meet anyone?” he asked, and she knew exactly what he was aiming towards. Yet she replied confidently.

“No.”

He had nothing on her, and she knew it just as well as he did. She had made sure that no one was around to hear her speak to that man, and whoever was watching her did not see much more than two strangers sitting on the same bench in a park.

“Good, because it really would be annoying for me to have to kill someone if you cannot keep your mouth shut Ms. Vaccarelli.”

This time she looked at him.

“You think I talked?”

He did not look back at her, just listened and stared out the window.

“You have a gun Mr. Mancini, if you truly think that I talked then I am sure that it would not be too much trouble for you to shoot me right now, would it?”

He looked at her, admiring her courage. She was brave and he could not deny it, but he was also well aware that he courage would be her downfall.

“Did Gio not tell you that we’re going out?” he raised a brow, looking at the clothes she was wearing.

“He did.”

“Don’t you wanna change?”

“Not really, I mean it’s just dinner.”

“He did not tell you about the club did he..?”

“Apparently he did not, what did I miss?” she asked, sighing. Elvio however did not look amused, not at all.

“Go up to your room, there should be an outfit there. It is a business trip.”

She was a bit doubtful at first, but she knew better than to argue with Elvio as well. Giovanni could be challenged, and she had tested that, but after the stern look Elvio gave her when coming home, she dared not do it again, unless it is absolutely necessary.

She got up and walked towards her room, finding what could possibly be the shortest dress she had ever seen, and she immediately understood what kind of business trip it was that Elvio was talking about.

She turned back around, ready to ignore what she had recently decided about not challenging Elvio because she was not about to be whore for their business meeting in a club. There was one reason that they would ask her to dress like that and she knew that it was nothing she was going to do, no matter the consequences.  

“I am not fucking wearing that.” She spoke immediately, before noticing that Giovanni was sitting there now as well.

Giovanni’s eyes shot up to her. “Go to the car.” He spoke, instructing Elvio as Athena stood in her place, with radiant anger from her little body.

As soon as the elevator doors closed and Elvio was out of there, Gio removed his eyes off of Athena and looked out of the window, sipping his drink.

“Go change, Ms. Vaccarelli.” He commanded.

“I am not a whore you can use for whatever business you are conducting. You cannot force me to kiss some old man’s ass.”

“Oh trust me Ms. Vaccarelli, I can force you to do whatever I damn please. Some things you will gladly comply to as well..”

Fucking pervert..

“and if I don’t? What will you do about that Mr. Mancini?”

“I will be forced to exclude you from this job, and as code says it, you cannot walk away from this life alive…” he reached his hand to under his suit jacket, taking out the cold metal he always carries with him wherever he goes.

“You won’t shoot me.”

You know how they say that whenever something life threatening occurs, people there feel like it is going in slow motion at the moment, but later on when they try to recall it, it all goes so quickly, and they struggle? This was how Athena saw the past five minutes.

She saw him raising the gun and pull the trigger, she saw the gun go off as the force of the bullet slightly pushed his shoulder back.. she saw the rain drops running down the glass window.. she saw everything yet she saw nothing.

When her back touched the floor, she was unsure what had happened. She could not feel it on her body, not where it was. Yet she was paralyzed, she could not lift up her head and check.

She heard footsteps coming near, and felt herself being lifted up, carried in his arms.

“Do not assume you know what I will and won’t fucking do Ms. Vaccarelli.”