CHAPTER TWO

TWO

MAXIMILIAN POV

“The Guns lands tonight boss, and The Red Hand cartels are planning on attacking us tonight and stealing from us, what do we do boss?” Marco my second in command turns to me, his eyes are filled with panic, despite the tattoos covering half of his face, he always looked up to me for advice

Are you really doubting the Boss tonight Marco” Javier said next to him with a charismatic smile, my late best friend's son, I had taken him up as a mentee as I was forty years old with no son or heir, I was going to pick him as my heir to the Black viper cartel when the time comes, but of course I wouldn't tell him that, I wanted to watch him first, see how he acted and adopted to the mafia world, it was not all fun and games, it was a dangerous world.

But the name Maximilian sent shivers down the spines of men, when they heard about the Black Viper cartel, men cowered in fear, it was thanks to my great-grandfather, he had started the cartel and my father was to take over but after my mother's death, I was trained to take over the cartel and so was my younger brother.

He was probably a better candidate than me, he was 39 with a full-grown son already, an heir and he had a wife and a family, the cartel respected family and that's one thing I didn't have since my ex-wife left me out of fear of the cartel.

“We attack at midnight, grab all the available men, and place them at all entrances of the shipping docks, I will be there to count the goods myself,” I say sipping my bourbon

My eyes move to behind them while they discuss between themselves, a woman walks through the doors, her eyes panicking, she looks young, maybe 25, she looks homeless and innocent, her black hair cascades down her back, her blue piercing eyes moving around the room, she spots the stripper on the pole dancing and moving audaciously, she shivers moving to the attention of the manager.

My eyes can't help but follow her curvy body, even in jeans they still moved something in me.

“Who are you staring at like a love-stricken puppy?” Javier says turning around to spot the woman

My hand lands on his shoulder in a hot slap, and he winches, “Who are you calling a puppy?” I raise a brow at him.

Marco laughs, mocking Javier, these were the only two people who saw this playful part of me, I trusted no one else.

“Let us go it is almost midnight,” I tell both men standing up, at the same time all around the room about ten other men dressed in black stand up, ready to follow me.

I catch the shocked look on the unknown woman's face, her eyes move around the room landing on my brown ones, and for the first time in decades, my heart pumps loudly at the site of her staring at me, her lips slightly parted, but she immediately looks away, following the manager into the back room.

I frown, feeling a type of way, I hope he doesn't plan on making her climb one of those poles, nobody should see her half-naked, and nobody should see her dancing.

“Except it's for you” My brain rings at me but I remove the thoughts walking out of the room with my men, a few SUVs park in front of us, and I easily slip inside.

My feet tap on the leather-covered floors nervously, not because of the gunfight we might have in a few minutes, I've done it a thousand times, shoot bullets into people, fight men, and even in fighting rings but at the thought of that unknown woman climbing a pole for men tonight.

I automatically felt possessive over her and I didn't like it, I haven't felt like this since-” I halt my thoughts grabbing my phone and pulling out the manager's number.

“The woman who you just took in, let her work the bar and not the poles” I send the message immediately.

It would confuse him but I didn't give a fuck, that woman was mine and I was going to get her one way or the other.

The car came to a stop in front of the docking yard, I pulled out my gun clicking on the revolver, we walked into the yard and it was quite void of anyone except two men near a large crate.

“Maximilian” the French man sends me a charming smile, “I didn't realize you would be coming to see this shipment yourself” he laughs but the night is silent.

“Open it,” I say my voice deep, my fingers gripping my gun tightly.

His eyes move nervously to my hands, “fine fine” he nods at the other man and they open the crate, before I can step forward to see the goods a whizzing sound moves past my ears landing in between the French man's forehead and he falls to the floor with a thud, shock coursing through me.