1: Into The Lion’s Den

~Ethan John~

I stepped out of the cab and the hum of early morning traffic faded as I made my way into the building, my shoes made sounds as they collided with the Polish floor, I took the elevator that took me to the lobby, and as soon as I stepped out I notice Lola, my assistant, she quickly stood up and walk towards me, I noticed her brows etched with worries and I wonder what is wrong with her.

“Morning, Lola,” I said, giving her a nod.

She looked up at me with a quick smile, but it was short-lived. “Morning, Mr. John. Your meeting with the big bosses is ready. They are all in the conference room expecting you and with the murmurs I have heard, I don’t think this will end well.”

I sighed. I had been expecting this. It was never good when they wanted to see me. My instincts were never wrong, and right now, they were telling me this was not going to be a pleasant meeting. “Thanks, Lola.” I made my way toward the conference room.

As I walked into the conference room, I noticed my co-workers all seated around the grand table and me. Vince my boss sitting at the head of the table, he had a scowl on his face, a grim look in his eyes that I was already used to.

“Take a seat, Ethan,” Mr. Vince said, his voice grumpy, a kind of tone that makes you think you are in trouble even when you haven’t done anything.

I sat down, rubbing my temples, waiting for him to speak, it’s obvious there would be a new mission, I had worked under Mr. Vince for a few years now and I knew when something important came up or not.

“Listen up,” Mr. Vince said, his eyes scanning the room. “We’ve got a new assignment for Ethan. This is a priority. The government has made it clear that we need to eliminate a major threat, Dante Santoro.”

I tried to remember where I heard the name from. Dante Santoro. I had heard rumors about him, but I knew better than to get involved in the mafia’s underworld, especially not the kind of mafia lord Santoro was. He was a well-known figure in Italy, a man who didn’t just control territory, he controlled fear. His reputation was so brutal that even the authorities had started to notice.

I leaned back in my chair, trying to mask the irritation in my voice. “Dante Santoro? You want me to go after him?”

Mr. Vince nodded, his eyes narrowed. “That’s right. The government wants him. He has been causing chaos, murders, extortion, and trafficking. You name it, he has done it. The government have done all possible ways to get him but they couldn’t and that’s why we have to step in.”

I rubbed my forehead. “I get it, Mr. Vince. But how do you want me to catch a man like him? I don’t exactly have a direct line to the mafia.”

The room fell silent as Mr. Vince leaned forward, his gaze intense. “I didn’t ask you to make a direct line to him, Ethan. I want you to get close in another way. We’ve got intel that he’s currently injured. He needs a doctor to treat him in his home. That’s where you come in.”

A frown tugged at my lips. “A doctor? Are you serious? I’m supposed to pretend to be a damn doctor and just waltz into his mansion?”

Mr. Vince didn’t flinch. “Exactly. Before you joined the agency, you were a medical practitioner. We’ve already made the arrangements. I’ve got you a job as his personal physician. You’ll get inside, and from there, you’ll gather intel. The rest is up to you.”

“Are you sure this is going to work, a man that dangerous, wouldn’t it seem like throwing a goat into the lion’s den?”

“I trust you, I know you are going to do this right, at most six months we should be done with Dante Santoro. This job is no different from others you have worked on and you always came victorious. You’re the best man for it.”

I couldn’t help but sigh, running a hand through my hair, I signed up for this and I should be able to do it. I was hoping for a promotion soon and this mission will help. “Thank you, I will do it.”

“Good,” Mr. Vince replied, his tone firm. “I’m sending over the documents with all the details. You’ll need to head to Italy in the next two days. We’ve arranged everything.”

“That will be the end of the meeting, everyone can return to their post now,” Mr. Vince added and worked out of the conference room.

*

It's been two days after the meeting and I found myself coming out of the plane, I had to travel all the way from Germany to Italy for this mission,  I pulled out my phone expecting a call from Mr. Vince but nothing, I put it back in my pocket remembering that I had gotten a message that I would be picked from the airport.

Suddenly I saw a black car stopping in front of me and a man who was built like a tank with a cold expression on his face walked over to meet me.

“You Ethan John?” The man asked in a thick Italian accent, his voice low and threatening.

I nodded, trying not to show any hesitation. “That’s me.”

The man didn’t say anything else. He just nodded and gestured toward the car. “Come with me.”

I didn’t have much of a choice, so I followed him. The drive to Dante’s mansion was silent. My mind raced as we passed the countryside and neared the massive estate that belonged to the Santoro family.

I had read up on Dante Santoro even though I hadn’t seen his picture, he was indeed a deadly man and I couldn’t believe I was walking into his den. I have never feared when I am on a mission but for some unknown reason, I feel so skeptical about this one.

We finally arrived at the mansion and the car came to a stop, I was awed at the building before, it was big, bigger than I thought, the place was like a fortress with massive stone walls surrounding the property, and there were guards stationed at every possible entrance.

Just as I opened the car door, I felt a sharp hit to my shoulder. I turned, only to see the same man who had driven me here now standing beside me. His expression still remained cold with fury.

“I’ll be watching you closely,” he snarled, his breath hot against my ear. “If you’re here to play games, you won’t make it out of this house alive. You understand?”

“I do,” I replied and I watched him walk ahead of me, I had no other option but to follow him.

As we stepped inside the mansion, I couldn’t help but look around, it was the most beautiful home I had ever stepped my legs on, I suddenly heard a scoff and I turned to see a maid dressed in her uniform. “Come with me,” she said and I nodded.

I followed her into the room and stopped when she paused in front of a door, she knocked and then opened the door, I followed her in and noticed a man on the bed, his back to us, but as soon as the door clicked shut, he turned. His eyes immediately locked onto mine.

“He is here boss,” the maid said, her head slightly bowed.

I wasn’t prepared for this.

Dante Santoro wasn’t the old, worn mafia lord I had imagined. He was my age, maybe a little older, with dark, intense eyes and a jawline sharp enough to cut glass. He had a rugged handsomeness, the kind that made my breath catch in my throat.

His gaze didn’t waver as he scanned me, his lips curling into a knowing smirk. “The doctor is here,” he said, his voice low, and controlled, sending an electric shock straight to my core.

I couldn’t look away, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. Dante wasn’t just powerful,he …he was magnetic.