“How do you even know where my basement is?” Sol asked as we made our way towards his basement.
“You know I know everything, fratello.” I smirked mischievously at him.
He stopped walking and turned to me, making me stop as well. “What are you up to, sorella? What is this that you want to talk about?”
My smirk immediately fell, replaced with solemnity. “You’ll see.” I replied as I started walking again and he followed suit until we finally arrived in his basement.
The room was dark and I did not intend to switch the light on. I let the moonlight do its work. Franco stood at the corner, waiting for my orders. And in the middle of the room, Dylan Ross sat on the chair with his hands finally tied behind his back. His head bent to his front. He was consciously on and off from all the beatings I did to him back at his apartment.
“Sorella…” Sol began. “Explain.” He spoke calmly but there was curiosity and hint of firmness behind it as he watched the man in question in the center of the room with a straight face.
“A few nights ago, my shipment which was on its way to its destination, suddenly disappeared from our radar. Lost and undetected. It appears that someone hacked into our system and deliberately redirected the vessel filled with weaponries and drugs worth millions of dollars. Let me rephrase that- billion, fratello.”
Sol’s face darkened at my revelation. “And exactly why am I put into this picture? Is this why you called after so long?”
I knew he was thinking about my mentioning to him about something that was stolen.
I chuckled. “I inquired about the same thing, fratello mio.” He frowned inquisitively at me. “Lo and behold, this man here is called Link, the hacker himself, the one who redirected the vessel’s destination and pulled it out of our radar.” His frown deepened. “A man like him wouldn’t dare solely steal from a renowned mafia, don’t you think?”
“Let me guess…” He said, already getting the idea of the turn of events after the hint of my phone call.
“Your guess is right, fratello.” I sauntered towards our star of the night. I stood to his side as I looked at my cousin. “He said the one who ordered him to do it… was Sol.”
“Oh?” He asked with a threatening smile. He was amused that this man would even dare.
“Oh, my cugino, I hope you will enjoy my small gift. You’re a family man now but I know deep inside, you’re still itching for that action.”
Sol resisted widening his smirk before walking towards us and stopped in front of the man. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced him to look at the former don of the Di Angelo family.
“Open your eyes and take a good fucking look, Dylan Ross.” I whispered in his ear. He winced at the pain my hand brought to his scalp. “You are in front of the man who owned the name you uttered. My cousin. My brother. The King of the Mafia.”
He gasped as my grip tightened. His eyes watered, fear plastered all over his once attractive face and eyes.
“You still dare lie to me? I will give him the pleasure of ripping your soul out of your body.” He groaned before I withdrew my grip. “Franco.”
Franco immediately walked towards us with a knife in his hand. He handed it to Sol and went back to his post. Sol gladly accepted the knife.
“His face is off limits, fratello.” He raised a brow inquisitively. I smirked in response. “I have plans.”
I leaned down again and pressed my mouth against his ear. “You will know how my favorite color is white.” He then screamed in pain as Sol stabbed the knife to his thigh. Tears finally fell down his closed eyes.
“Come on, tesoro. Speak. It will help you escape my fratello’s wrath.” I chuckled despite the gravity of my words.
“I…” He grunted and screamed as I drove the knife deeper.
“I what?” My lips, still on his ear. He screamed again as Sol punched his gut. I chuckled. “What makes you not speak, tesoro mio?”
“You’ve beaten him up before coming here. Of course, he’d be exhausted.” Sol answered, resisting a smile.
I then let him go and stood straight. “Well, then… I guess the floor is all yours, Sol.”
“I admit though. I feel as if I’m losing my touch. I find this not as enjoyable as before.” A small smile leaked from my lips. “I suggest you speak now, ragazzo. Torture is Cara’s most favorite sport. You’ll regret not talking.”
He then pulled the knife out of his thigh… slowly. Dylan Ross groaned again in pain.
“I’m impressed. He holds omerta very well.”
Sol scoffs. “Look at him. It’s obvious he doesn’t belong to the mafia.”
“And yet he knows your name, fratello. It’s such a wonder.” I spoke calmly. I stepped to his front as I looked at him trying to lift his head to look at us. “You know the guy standing in the corner of this room.” His eyes weakly traveled to Franco. “His name is Franco as you have heard me speak his name many times. He's the best tracker. The best of the best. He finds anything and everything I want him to find.”
I leaned down to level his sight. “But I’d rather enjoy this moment torturing you.”
I grabbed his wounded thigh and pressed my thumb on his bleeding wound. He screamed and shivered in pain and agony. “Speak!”
“Who ordered you to do it?” Sol asked, grabbing his chin to lift his head up, forcing him to look at him while my thumb steady on his wound. “Who taught you about my name?” He growled.
Dylan Ross was tougher than we thought. He endured every pain and tortured we’ve given him. Though I love to torture him physically until he’d rather choose death, I still got plans up my sleeve. It would be a waste not to use it.
“Would you do the honor, fratello?” We both let go and stood.
“I’m a changed man now, sorella.” His smile was playful as he handed me the knife that still had the guy’s blood.
“Suit yourself.” I stabbed the previous wound again and dragged it to extend the slit. He grunted before falling to his consciousness.
“So much for the extraction of information.” He paused while staring at me for a while. He noticed my tiny smirk. “You know something, don’t you?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you, would it?”
“You have not changed a single bit, Cara Luna.” He shook his head in amusement.
We didn’t stay long in the basement after that. I left Franco in charge of the guy.Surprisingly, Sol wanted me to stay for a bit before leaving. His wife and I talked, catching up on three years worth of information since I was never really physically here for them and though I already knew most of the things, I let her talk. I appreciated that she wasn’t all shy and closed off around me and she was most definitely eager to tell me about her experiences with the twins and of course, my ever nice cousin. She and the twins retired for the night after our long ass conversation. It was pretty late and I can see the exhaustion on her face. Taking care of the two boys really made her tired, nonetheless the exhaustion doesn’t mean she’s not happy.I played with the twins and the puppy I gifted them which they named Alpha. Sol snorted at the thought because my middle name was Luna. The twins treated me as their very close aunt right away probably because they were so happy with Alpha. Ther
“No, please. No.” I begged, shaking my head in misery. “Come along now.” She spoke with a hint of impatience.She was standing outside by the door of the car, waiting for me to step out. But I didn’t want to step out. I knew what awaits beyond the door. I don’t want anything bad to happen to my family. No, not like this.I regretted complying to that bastard’s demands, at the same time not. I had no choice. Right now, I don’t know what to do. They’re going to be in danger again because of me.Tears pooled my eyes as I begged for her mercy.“If you don’t step out of the damn car, tesoro, I will visit them myself.” She snapped.“No, no, no! I…” I stopped her as she almost turned around to leave. I gulped. “Please… I’ll tell you who’s behind it. Please just leave my family alone.” She stared at me blankly. I know she’s waiting for me to speak what she wants to hear. My mouth opened ready to spill it to her but I couldn’t. I choked.My eyes were wide in alarm when she slammed the door s
I was in a daze the whole day as I watched my family bond with her. A mafia leader. The thought made me feel dizzy and nauseous. I was in mixed emotions the whole time. I don’t know when she’ll blow up and pull a gun to kill each one of us. She’s a walking time bomb.My mom introduced her to my grandma who was bedridden yet talks too much. She’s the reason my mom couldn’t leave the house to work. She had to watch over Damian and my grandma. I was the only provider of the family. That’s why I have to work hard. It’s the reason why I have to do what I had to do. Mortgage, bills, my grandma’s meds, they’re budget for the month- the list goes on. My dad died when I was just sixteen. He had an accident at their construction site. Although the company paid for compensation, it wasn’t enough for us. I was seventeen when I started working part time. I did a lot of odd jobs until I found a steady one at a diner. The owner was a friend and took me in willingly, understanding my predicament.I
I instinctively swallowed down my own saliva, throat bobbed up and down at the sight before me. Her beauty is that of a goddess and a body to match. She’s perfect and beyond.She grins when she sees my stunned state. “Ciao, tesoro.”Her voice pulled me out of my reverie. I remembered that despite being carved to perfection, she’s actually a witch. The nickname managed to put a frown on my face. I still have to find out what the heck that means.“I… I’m ready to talk.”There was a huge burden on my shoulders weighing me down. I don’t know if telling her the truth is right. It’s not like I have a choice. But she’s right here with my family and if I do something wrong, I don’t know if I can ever forgive myself for letting her harm them when I have the power to avoid it.Cara sat on the edge of my bed, discarding the towel that once caressed her dark hair. She pats the bed, gesturing to me to sit beside her. I followed defeatedly like a dog.She was silent and I knew she wanted me to star
“Good morning, dear.” Mom greeted Cara and somehow managed to ignore my presence in the dining room as we both emerged. “Buon gior-” She stops and realizes that she was responding in her language. “Good morning, Violet.” She replied with a smile. Mom convinced her yesterday to call her name rather than calling her with honorifics. She tilted her head to the side and looked at her questioningly. “You’re not really American, are you?”Cara looked at my mom with mirth. “I am a full blooded Italian.”Her eyes sparkled in interest and excitement… again. I sighed, letting myself sit on the chair. Breakfast was already laid on the table. It looked like a feast with all that she prepared. “No wonder you have this accent. It’s not that obvious but it’s there. You are so beautiful, too. And goodness! You are so tall.”Mom was 5’2 so she admires women who’re gifted with height. I roll my eyes. “You already said that countless times yesterday.” I muttered lowly but she heard me anyway and ga
“Dylan Ross…” She reached out and wrapped her hand from the nape of my neck. She pulls me to her, our faces inches closer to each other.“Swear your loyalty to me.”I couldn’t hold back my surprise. Her piercing eyes steady in mine, meaningful with a threat and warning.“I… you… you promised me.” Reminding her of her promise about my family. “I don’t break promises… unless you betray me.”I shook my head vehemently. “Never.”“Good. I’ll give you whatever you need, even whatever you want as long as you swear it.”“I swear it!” I said rather enthusiastically. I cleared my throat in embarrassment. “I mean yes.”For my family. Everything for them.She released a playful grin. Her fingers from the nape of my neck started stroking my hair. Warmth started to build from my belly.“Good boy.”---A few hours later, we arrived but it wasn’t in my apartment. I couldn’t ask Cara since she hastily stepped out of the car and immediately went inside the building. I stopped short, jaw dropping whe
DylanWhen I came back after a whole week of being AWOL, everyone in my department bombarded me with questions on where I had gone and what happened. As said in my medical certificate, I told them I had an accident and brushed off any further details. I told them I didn’t want to talk about it. Miles and Aiden, on the other hand, weren't having any of it. They wanted to know every little detail of what happened. I made a more believable explanation instead. It wasn’t exactly a lie since it really did happen. I told them that I visited my family and the medical certificate was fake.It didn’t take much of my convincing powers since I do have the capability to produce a fake certificate and they knew I hadn't really visited them for a very long time so it was only reasonable. Honestly, the certificate was anything but fake. It was real, authentic, legit. I knew she could easily obtain things like that but it never ceased to amaze me. Imagine having power and money like her. I don’t ha
He was surprised that someone, and a woman at that, interrupted him. He slowly put down his gun and turned to Cara who was still pointing a gun at him. The two matched their height.He scoffs. “I’m indeed surprised. A woman dared to point a gun at me. Who might you be?”Cara showed him one of her wicked smiles. “You should know. I mean you did steal from me.”He laughs in mockery when he realizes what she meant. “You? A woman in the mafia? Do not make me laugh, darling.”She grins. I see the glint of mischief in her eyes that pass by like a blur. “I figured.” She drawled.The movements were so quick that I almost didn’t see it. He waved his arm with an intention to swat her arm away that was holding the gun. He knew he failed when Cara shot him in his shoulder.Her smile widens. “Ah, ah, ah.” She looked down at him who was screaming and groaning in agony. Blood spurted towards the floor of my apartment as he hugged his deep wound.I knew her to be cruel but I never expected that she’d