AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter two
Luca
Just when you thought this city couldn't get any worse, things get fucken worse.
I looked out over the city of Los Angeles, drumming my fingers against the leather armchair, my other hand slowly swirling a glass of cognac. Thoughts of the current attacks on our real estate were making me more on edge than I'd like to admit, and it was the last thing I needed right now. The destruction of our properties, the raids on our warehouses, the missing stock and money, and the constant disappearances of our members were all problems that needed to be extinguished like a flaming bag of shit to be stomped out on a front doorstep.
We had started that stomping tonight, but as I watched the small plume of smoke in the distance rise into the morning air, I felt no sense of satisfaction. I rubbed the side of my temple with my fingertips, willing away the tension in my head as I felt the first vestiges of a migraine start to throb. As if I wasn't dealing with enough already, another problem lay right beside me.
I looked down at the sleeping woman who had been in a coma for over two months. At first, I had thought she was a burden, taking up our valuable time, but the more time I spent with her, the more I realized she was just the respite I needed. She seemed so peaceful, so serene in her slumber, and I had come to find her silent breathing calming in a world that had so much chaos. Here was the only place I had time to think in complete silence, although sometimes I found myself distracted by her beauty. The more I looked upon her face, the more beautiful she had become.
I reached out a hand and ran it through the long black curly hair that framed her face. A face that had pale flawless skin and pink full lips that seemed to always have a hint of a smile. I brushed my thumb over them softly wondering if they would ever speak again, and what it would be like to kiss them.
Letting out a deep breath, I leaned back in my chair and admired her. How I wished that those long dark lashes of hers would flutter open. I wanted to see the color of her eyes, but I almost dreaded the day I would see them. No woman had ever captivated me so and I feared just one look from her, and I'd be in trouble.
"So does the doc say she'll wake up?"
I looked up, startled from my thoughts as Nico walked into the room and took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.
"Who knows. The doc says it could be anytime, or maybe never. His stance hasn't changed on that today I'm afraid." I frowned as I studied him, "You have a bit of something on your shoulder."
Nico looked down, disgust crossing his face. "Aww man, this is my favorite jacket. I told Atlas not to shoot the guy near me. Now I have brains on me."
I couldn't help chuckling, "Nico, for a man in your line of work, I would have thought blood would be second nature."
"It is," he grunted, "but I don't have to like it on me."
Laughing, I watched as Nico crossed the room to the ensuite and started dabbing at his jacket with a towel. He was like family. I'd known him most of my life and although not related, he was like a brother. Atlas too. I could trust them a hundred percent and we had no secrets from each other. We usually were on the same page, so leading our organization was easy. Between us, we handled all aspects of the business. Nico was our friendly hitman. I say friendly, as he always had that charm to talk people into anything, giving them a false sense of security… right before he blows their head off. Of course, despite if you cooperated or not, he'd still blow your head off. If he was sent for you, your fate was already sealed. You couldn't tell by looking at him, but he was as deadly as they came and he liked things taken care of quickly and cleanly.
He glared at me in the mirror as my chuckles subsided.
"Calm down, Nico. I take it all went well last night?" The destruction of one of our warehouses was near disastrous. Luckily we had found out it was no accident, and instead a bold attack by our rivals. A mafia that was led by someone called "The Phoenix". No one knew who this person was, but one thing was for sure, they were not on our side.
Nico, satisfied that his jacket wasn’t ruined, returned to his seat.
"Of course. All went according to plan. Their drugs and money have been redistributed, their accountant is no longer, and as you can see," he waved towards the window, "Their warehouse is now also destroyed."
"Good. Good." I idly wondered what retaliation we would endure next, even though we were only responding in kind. It was inevitable however, as the rivalry between the three mafias was fueled by years of grudges and betrayals, and it seemed that there would be no end in sight. Now with Mateo Rivera dead, the future was even more uncertain.
Nico sighed, staring at the unconscious woman. "Why are we even doing this?"
I rolled my eyes. We'd had this conversation many times already, and I was getting tired of repeating myself. For all our sakes I hoped she would wake up soon.
"Just follow orders, Nico." I stood up, stretching my tired limbs.
"Are you sure we can't hire someone for this. It feels so…. below my pay grade."
I raised a brow at him, scoffing. "Your pay grade? Last I checked you don't get paid. You've already got more money than you could ever want. No. This isn't about money. And no, only the three of us can watch her. We are the only ones who can be trusted until we know what happened."
"Okay, fine." He shrugged. "I just want to understand what we're doing here. I mean, what are we going to do when she wakes up?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we have to. For now, let's concentrate on the other issues at hand."
"What issues? I'll deal with ‘em". Atlas strode into the room, covered in blood. In his current state he looked like the devil himself. He was a huge guy, and just as well since he was the family muscle, so to speak. He was as brutal as they come. He may seem a bit unhinged, a little bit psycho, but deep down he was a sensitive soul. What people didn't know was that his traumatized childhood made him the way he was. Torturing or killing our enemies, bad people, was just his outlet as our enforcer. Unlike Nico who liked things taken care of quickly, efficiently, and as cleanly as possible, Atlas wasn't afraid to get up close and personal, and get his already bloodied hands even dirtier.
"Let's find out who we're dealing with first. Tell me you brought someone worthwhile who can shed light on this, Phoenix.
"Of course we did!" Atlas grinned. "Don't we always deliver?" He was right about that. Once Atlas had his sights on someone, he was as good as caught, no matter how fast or clever they seemed. He was like a hound with a bone. He nodded at Catalina. "How's our gal today?"
