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“I have no idea what you are talking about, Petran, but I have not laid a hand on any of your clan. I wouldn’t dare. I admit that I am disappointed that I cannot be with Mariana anymore. She is a beautiful woman, but I know better than to take it to a fight, especially in your territory. So, why don’t you put that thing down and let’s talk.”
I sat down slowly, setting the gun in front of me on the table just in case. I wasn’t going to be left vulnerable. “Relax, Petran. I am here alone. What kind of threat is it that you got, and why do you think I did it?” Dalca asked.
I pulled the bloody note out of my pocket and threw it to him. He picked it up, and I watched him read it, trying to catch him in a lie. “This was not me Ion, but this is serious. I-
“Why are you here Dalca? I told you to never come back” I gritted out.
“I’m afraid it wasn’t a social visit, but business. Although, it seems you’re a tad busy at the moment. The threat against Mariana is more demanding than my business venture.”
“I thought the threats against us were diminished and with the fact that I had Mariana now. Why would anyone other than you be after me like this? She dated some of you. She found you lacking. End of story,” I said, making it clear she was mine in case he decided to make any more moves.
I wasn’t happy that Dalca was here, but I knew that I’d have to see him again at some point. The heads of the different clans work together on multiple issues, especially the shipments of guns, drugs, and women. Without working together, we would either be caught and turned into the Feds, or the entire mob would be doomed.
Dalca began laughing manically at that moment, confusing me even farther. “I wanted to date Mariana because she is beautiful and it would be good for my clan, but I was never part of this mess that’s been going on ever since her parents were killed and she went missing. And Jonas was a nobody. He could not have done all of that hiding and scheming for eight years without help. The clan leaders, the originals, are pissed. They think they deserve this more than you do. They are older. They are more experienced, and they are coming for you. I do not know which one did this, but I promise you it wasn’t me and they will make good on their promise.” Dalca passed the letter back to me, and I wanted to shoot myself in the foot for not realizing this before. He was right about Jonas. I should have known that.
Dalca stood up to leave. “Now, if you don’t mind, I am getting the hell out of here. I don’t want any part of this.”
“If you’re not going to help, then see that you stay way out of the way, Dalca. I will not have mercy on you if you don’t.” Dalca nodded at my words and disappeared, leaving me to decide what my next move would be. One of the original families was betraying the clans, was betraying myself and the Vasile name. I had to get to the bottom of it, but I needed to be careful. I would not give what they wanted, but I wasn’t going to let Mariana and Bianca out of the sight of myself or my guards until the mystery was solved. Mariana needed to learn to defend herself. It was time for her to act like a Petran whether she was ready or not.
***
“So, tell me again, what is the difference between an automatic and a revolver?” I demanded, pointing to the guns I had sitting in front of Mariana. After finding out that she was yet again in some kind of danger, I knew she had to learn how to do this. I placed Bianca under lock and key at the house and brought Mariana to a shooting range, giving her two guns of her very own. She had no reluctance in learning, though the idea of holding a small killing machine did seem to give her a few jitters, as it should. Guns required a level of knowledge and responsibility not everyone can handle.
“The revolver is the one where you load the bullets one by one into that metals piece in the middle like Russian Roulette,” Mariana said, pointing to the small silver gun to the left. “The black one is an automatic and has a loaded magazine in it where the bullets go in and out. It is faster to load in the middle of a fight.”
I smiled and nodded, glad she was picking it up. I didn’t know what the future held for us, and I needed to know she could pick up and shoot if the situation called for it. She could easily save more than her own life in that instance, and I hoped it would give her an added comfort that I w
anted to let her protect herself. She wouldn’t be a sitting duck anymore.
“Now, pick up the automatic,” I ordered her, pointing to the very one she was just referring to. She reached for it. “Don’t ever hesitate. These weapons can save your life, but only if you take charge. Otherwise, they become something that another person can use against you.” She jumped at my harsh words, but it was the truth. If she couldn’t use it, someone else could and would.
I got behind her and helped her properly position the gun, placing her dominant hand at the back with her thumb up. "There will be a kickback. They don’t show you this in the movies. You have to have the solid grip to keep control and keep from getting hurt or losing the gun entirely," I explained, breathing down against her neck. I could see the goosebumps forming. I didn’t know teaching someone to shoot a gun could be so hot.
Then, I placed her other hand wrapped around that one at the bottom to make sure again that she could handle the kickback and aim precisely.
"Look down the top of the gun, straight at your target. Make sure you have the sights lined up. Then, you fire." Mariana pulled the trigger, as I held her shoulders straight for her, making sure she could weather her very first kickback. She hit the target with perfection.
"Not bad for your first try," I complimented.
"Thank you for thinking of this for me," Mariana told me, turning so that her lips were almost on mine. "But I wish you would tell me the extent of the danger we are in."
I shook my head before taking her lips to mine for just a moment. "Let me worry about that, Ana."
Chapter 17
Ion
I’d thought long and hard about bringing Mariana to where my men had Jonas held up, but it was time. We didn’t know who was behind the threats and after my chat with Dalca, I’d realized that whoever must’ve had a lot of help. He was the one after all who kept Mariana Vasile captive for eight years, without one lead to her whereabouts until a few short weeks ago.
I took Mariana’s hand in mine as my men opened the metal door to the abandoned factory just outside of the city where they had kept Jonas. She squeezed a little harder as we walked through the doors, she had every right to be nervous. I don’t know what she was expecting, but I will tell her that her pre-conceived ideas are nothing but wrong. This will be brutal, it will be nasty, and she will remember it for the rest of her days. “It’s okay to be nervous my love, but do not let him see this from you. You need to be fearless. You are a Vasile after all; it shouldn’t be too hard.” I gave her a small smile at the end of my statement, she returned it and nodded at me.
I pressed a soft kiss to her temple, “Come, my draga, let’s go deal with Jonas.”
She walked with me through the factory. I looked over to Gene, one of my best men who nodded to the left, telling me that’s where he had Jonas locked up. “Got a little mouthy this morning, had to rectify that,” Gene told me, by that I knew he meant they beat him – Jonas deserved much worse and would get no sympathy from me. I opened the door to the small room where Jonas was; he was tied with rope and handcuffed to a metal chair. His cuffs were so tight that blood was dripping. I did not care.
“My, my, Ion Petran himself.” Jonas coughed, glaring at me until he saw my Ana. His eyes lit up with excitement when he saw her, like looking at his most prized possession.
“Jonas,” She said, looking up and down his frail frame. I was worried she would be sickened by the brutality that we had to enforce amongst him, but she was not. She looked at the cuts, the swelling surrounding his face and the bruises – not once giving any indication she was afraid, or disgusted. My Ana dressed the part, she wore a long tight fitting black pencil skirt with a white blouse, jewelry hung from around her neck, and her earrings were something I had gifted her a few days before. She looked exactly like a mob boss, a mob queen.
