Friday night! I heard Shantel call my name from the office, but I feigned deaf. I kept walking till I reached the lift. But before I could push the button, she stopped my hand by playfully putting her fingers on my shoulder. "There's someone here who's trying to escape, and you think I can't tell that!" cloaked with sarcasm in her words, I just raised my brows at her. "Why are you in a hurry this time, tesoro mio?" now, she's in front of me, her back facing the lift. Her lashes were flickering, and her pouted lips were an inch close to mine. "I've an appointment, what else?" as nonchalantly as it sounded, trying to convey the message that it's none of her business where I would go and who I would be with. "Hmm! Can I go with you? It's Friday night, and the weather is getting cold. I forgot to bring my coat with me. It's still hanging in the closet!" she used her pouty lips to point at the small wardrobe I had in my office. "Or much better if we both go back there and get it!"
"Martin, is this all your doing?" her question was simple, but her tone was more an interrogation. "D*mn it, Martin! Stop doing this!" I tried to grope her hand, but she kept swaying it away. The people inside the theater became rowdy, the women were screaming in fear, and the men tried to calm them. "Marti~" "It's not me, and keep quiet. Give me your hand. Let's get out of here!" I whisper-yelled while staring at the woman beside me. "No! I'm not going with you!" she yelled back. "Where's Paul!" her eyes rummaged through the darkness, worried and scared. "D*mn it, Dakota!" whether she would like it or not, I lifted her on my shoulder and focused my eyes on the scent of everything inside. The couple of couples I passed by earlier and their seats. It was a good thing my eyes were trained to see the dark; just memorize the smell of everything around me. When I saw the neon light flashing exit, amid the riotous crowd and the woman on my shoulder's ear-piercing scream, we manage
Unknown POV . . Less than an hour ago... I was beyond furious when I found out about his plan. I was trying my best to do this job, but it looked like the man I knew really changed. I paced back and forth while massaging my temples. What would I tell the big boss now? I almost jumped to my spot when my phone rang. It was the big boss, and he wanted updates. I heaved a sigh first before sliding the green icon. "Yes!" a short answer acknowledging his presence. "You're very lucky that you're my blood. I won't let you answer me like that again in the future!" his voice was stern. I was used to the tone of his voice since I was a kid. It was no longer new to me. "So, have you done something I could be proud of so far?" I always tried to do my best to please him, even going further than what I thought I couldn't do. However, for him, they were just not enough. "None yet!" he was about to yell at me when I hastily released my backup. "But I have a plan, and you're gonna love
"What the h*ll f*cking happened?" I threw the glass of brandy on the wall, shattering it into pieces. Now, all three of them were in my small office in our hideout. Lev, Maxim, and Roman were taking glances at each other, scowling, and waiting to spill the beans. "Lev!" I called out. "You told me you take charge!" he sat straight, eyes defiantly staring back at me. Lev was my friend since I went back to Russia. Among them, he's the one I trusted with my life. "I said I'd take care of everything, but you didn't tell me Marcini was there!" his abrupt answer got me zone out. What did he say again?! Martin Marcini was at the theater! Did Shantel fail to mention that, or did she also not know? "Marcini, you said!" both Maxim and Roman nodded with the same furious stare as Lev. "F*cking sh*t!" I strode to my desk and called Shantel's number. It took a couple of rings before she answered. Her background was loud and head-splitting. "Are you f*cking celebrating in advance, Zaborowski
High tide! The sea, with its ocean-blue glory, basked underneath the clear sky. The earth's wind passing with its coldness blew on my keyed-up look. I've been in this mansion for two days, and the only rooms where I toured so far were the dining room and the living room. Martin made sure my actions were limited. He had eyes for me everywhere. His being like this caused me to feel two different things. He either warmed my heart or caused my head to boil in anger. A deep sigh left my lips as I stared at the horizon. The sea wave was calm today. Martin's mansion was situated on top of a hill. Surrounding this vast extensive place were huge trees and wild plants. The road here wasn't also that wide, one lane was good enough to occupy cars. I bet Martin engineered everything for his safety. He could always escape this place with the helicopter he had parked on one of the rooftops of Casa Al Mare, just in case. A soft blow of the wind engulfed me, hugging myself for comfort. The beige
Martin POV . . Until now, when I was in my office, I was still chewing what Dakota told me this morning. She was right on some point. Where could she get money to pay gangsters to kill me? She was just a freaking simple woman who luckily received a vast inheritance from her dead parents. Aside from us, she had no connections to other gangsters at all. Aside from that, she shared the same opinion with my mom. I should look at the bottom of the issue and not just the top. I glanced at the sealed documents in my open drawer, pondering what was written inside. That was the agreement for the smuggled weapons on the shoot-out. For the second time, we lost millions of dollars in just a couple of hours. For the second time, the big godfathers all over the world would scrutinize how I handled my businesses in the state. I was now just waiting for the grand meeting. I was about to read it again when my door burst open. I slid the drawer closed and locked it with my pin, Dakota's birth
Shantel let out an annoying groan upon hearing the ring. She shot Luke's name on the caller ID, a scowl, reluctant to get off my desk. Her hands that were wrapped around my neck were still tangled like poisonous snakes. "I have to take that, bellissima!" I told her, my voice was clothed with sweetness, something I hadn't used to her for a long time. Yet, she insisted on staying this way, like a sloth hanging tightly on a tree branch. My phone's ringing non-stop, which only meant one thing. The call was very important. "Bellissima, why not get me a cup of coffee for a while? You know how much I like the way you make my coffee!" giving her a light kiss on her cheek if this still wouldn't work, boy, I might as well just forget I was just feigning and push her to the floor. "But tesoro mio!" she even swayed her shoulders while pouting her lips, acting cute but not even close to someone I knew. Shantel was always the serious business-type woman. Playing sweet and adorable didn't suit he
Dakota POV . . It's f*cking hurt! This mere sacrifice I made just to escape from that gigantic cage. D*mn, my arm's still in pain like b*tch. Purposely slipping on a wet bathroom floor was torture-suicide, I would not recommend it. However, at least I was now out, more than an hour away from his mansion. The nurse wrapped a bandage around my arm, making it hard to move, but it lessened the pain so far. Now, all I had to do was steal some time to stealthily leave this hospital. This was a private hospital in the countryside, and they were not exactly strict when it came to organizing, or the staff here were just too lazy to work. Their stuff is everywhere, including their uniforms and laboratory gowns. I got up from the bed and ambled to the door. Peeping through the slightly open entrance, I saw two nurses talking to each other while passing by. I gasped when one of the nurses took off her lab gown and tossed it in the bin while her companion was waiting. "Perfect!" I