48
Rubik's Cube
Yuri
I watched Irene as she undressed to the rhythm of "Ready for It?" by Taylor Swift.
I had no desire to sleep with her; I just wanted information, and that's why I brought her home. But as soon as I entered my bedroom, the sex mode switched on.
I looked at Irene without really seeing her, my mind replaying everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours.
The previous day started with an electrical failure that drove me nuts. My phone had very little battery left, and I had a busy day ahead. I asked the maid to call the power company immediately and to request someone competent.
One of my men informed me that the few drops of rain from the night before were enough to dampen some part and cause everything to short out. A beautiful house, but lousy insulation.
Early in the morning, I had a meeting with Cheng, which I couldn't miss. The Chinese woman was getting increasingly nervous and demanded that I finish off the Italians so she could prove to Daddy Jing that she was capable of running the business line in the Costa del Sol.
What Cheng didn’t know were my intentions for her.
I demanded that she calm down, appeasing her irritability by discussing the latest developments. Cheng was aware that for the Italians to fall and the plan to work, some of her own people would also need to fall.
The advantage she thought she had lay in choosing the pawns to sacrifice. Her main objective was to defeat her father's men who had betrayed her, aligning themselves with her father. Everyone was looking for her; no one knew that I had her hidden in a warehouse at the port. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was set up to be comfortable for a while.
I couldn't afford her distrust, the end was near and I needed her quiet. I was exceptional at multi-board chess games. My father had trained me to handle multiple moves simultaneously. Back then, I didn’t understand, but now I knew the goal was to sharpen my senses and make me capable of managing several fronts without losing focus.
My leader didn’t want an open confrontation with the Chinese mafia. Russia bought a lot of arms from the neighboring country and couldn’t afford bad relations. However, he wanted the European drug route, and to get it we needed to weaken Jing's mafia. The simplest way was to kill Cheng and pin the blame on the Capulets.
I had everything calculated, the pieces ready to be moved so that each face of the Rubik's cube would have its complete color.
With Cheng out of the way and Jing eager for Italian blood, we’d offer the Chinese man a deal he couldn’t refuse. We’d take over the area, and he’d get a small part, the brothels and gambling dens. The drug route would be ours, in exchange for a good sum and the head of his daughter’s killer on a platter.
Huang would play the role of intermediary. I had been watching the restaurant owner who organized poker games in his basement for some time, he was my best asset. Greed was his downfall, and he hated Cheng for belittling him and wanting to push him out of the business instead of handing over the position and returning to China.
This very afternoon, I had gone to his place and sealed a collaboration pact. I helped him, and he helped me. We all won.
Irene kept swaying lasciviously. She was wearing less and less clothing, and I was growing weary. I no longer wanted her; I was tired of the redhead. The only reason she was still alive was that she was my link to R.
She swayed her full breasts and crawled towards my crotch. Her perfectly manicured hand crawled up my thighs, still in dress pants. She scratched the zipper with her nails and unbuttoned the waistband.
"Stay still," I growled, pulling her hair back. Her neck twisted into an awkward position.
"I thought you wanted me to suck you off," she pouted.
"If I wanted a blowjob, I would have asked for one, and remember, thinking isn't your strong suit. I have too much on my mind to fuck you."
"That's because you need a release," she insisted. "Let me drain all those thoughts out of you through your cock," she laughed mockingly, pressing against my crotch.
I couldn't even get hard anymore.
"I told you no." I shoved her hard, and she fell on her ass. "Why don't you go suck off Romeo? He won't let you either?"
Irene glared at me. I liked making her feel like the piece of shit she was.
"You know he prefers your sister for those duties. He made it very clear at Dante's funeral." She got up and went to find her shirt. I didn't stop her. Her tits offended me.
"Have you seen him?" I asked, controlling the revulsion I felt.
"Since the funeral?" she questioned. I nodded, and she shook her head.
"What about R's dog?"
"I haven't had time to go to the hospital today," she confirmed, pulling the garment over her head. "Yesterday I went as you asked, he was still in the ICU, and when I asked about his condition, the nurse said that if he improved, they would take him off the ventilator and move him to a regular room."
"That won't happen. Tonight, that filthy rat will die."
"Have you sent someone to take care of Aleksa?"
"What do you think? During the shift change, he'll have a little accident." In the boiler room, someone swore and ran out of the house without being seen. "I want you to go see Romeo."
"Now? He'll be with your sister."
"Then call him." Irene hesitated.
"Nikita made it very clear that she didn't want me around him."
"Forget my sister, she had to play the jealous wife, and she doesn't know you're one of ours."
"I didn't get the impression she was acting." I stood up, offended, and walked over to her.
"What are you insinuating?" I asked, grabbing her chin between my fingertips.
"Well, women have a sixth sense about love, and I guarantee you, your sister likes her husband. If I were you, I'd watch her." I let out a laugh. I released her chin and slapped her hard across the face.
She screamed in surprise. I didn't give her time to recover before grabbing her face again.
"You say that because you like him, because you always wanted to be in her place, for Romeo to fuck you and make you his." She shook her head. I bit her lower lip viciously. She screamed again.
"No, I swear. You know it's you I like," she said, cowering.
"Yeah, sure."
I knew she was lying, that the pleasure between us had run out long ago, that she fucked me because she was terrified I might kill her if she refused my special needs.
I had seen how her face and cunt lit up in Romeo's presence. She couldn't help but desire him, just as I couldn't control that the Capulet made me hard.
I traced her lower lip with my thumb.
"You disgust me." I spat in her face, and she closed her eyes. "Eat my spit," I ordered.
She ran her fingers over the saliva splattered on her face and licked them. She was so predictable, so fearful, that she disgusted me.
She would have swallowed anything I put in front of her. She was nothing like my sister, no wonder R preferred Nikita over her, they couldn't compare. The redhead was a damn whore. Her only purpose was to inform me about the Capulets and do some extra work, like making sure one of my men blew up the Hell's Angels' bikes at the funeral.
"Tell me something. Didn't R ask if you were the one who blew up the bikes?"
"No one suspects a woman who looks like a Playboy bunny with perfect manicure." That was true, which is why I wanted her to push the button. "And why do you want me to call Romeo?"
"You could tell him you're very sad and scared, that you need him. That my sister doesn't have to find out, and you can get some information from him. You're good at getting information; that's how I found out Romeo was in Santorini when you got it out of Dante."
"Yes, I'm good at getting people to trust me."
"Call R."
The redhead went to her phone and made a call.
"He's not answering."
"Keep trying."
No need, as she was about to redial, Irene's phone rang, and she showed me the screen. Seeing R's name made my heart skip a beat. He was there, on the other side.
I nodded for her to answer.
"Hi, sorry for calling so late. I just wasn't feeling well and needed to hear your voice after what happened the other day. I know I said I wouldn't come near you again, but I miss my friend. Are you okay?" She went silent.
"At the hospital? Did something happen to Aleksa?" My eyes questioned, wanting more information. "Uh, yeah, one of the guys told me. I stopped by to see him yesterday. Hey, Romeo, I keep going over everything, and it's really getting to me. Dante dead, what happened at the funeral, Aleksa shot... What if something happens to me?" She paused. "No, don't worry, don't put a guard on me, it's more the feeling of unease and, to be honest, it sucks that our friendship got ruined over a silly kiss and now I can only see you from afar. Your wife was right; I shouldn't have crossed the line. It's not easy for me to understand that you're not going to be in my life anymore even though I need you."
Irene whimpered and sniffed as if she were crying.
"So, is she okay?... What?! What happened to your wife?" I stared at Irene, realizing something had happened to my sister. "But is she okay?" Irene motioned for me to calm down when she saw my agitated expression. "An infection from a poorly treated wound, my God, what a scare... Okay, so they'll move her to a room and keep her in the same hospital as Aleksa until the fever goes down... Well, better, so she's monitored. And you'll stay there tonight, I imagine... Do you mind if I come by and chat for a while? Just as friends, I guarantee it'll just be a coffee or a tea, I really need to make things right with you... No, it's no trouble. I insist." Irene held her breath and signaled for me to stay calm. "From your voice, I sense you need someone to talk to, with Dante dead and Aleksa in the ICU, the options are limited... I swear I can just listen. Come on, say yes... Yes? Great, give me half an hour, I won't take long." She hung up the phone and gave me a conspiratorial look.
"You heard him."
"Let's go, I'll accompany you. While you take him to the cafeteria, I'll go check on my sister."
"I'm not sure that's safe."
"You don't decide, let's go."
Irene nodded, and I grabbed her arm and pulled her along.