11. The Alligator Don
Chapter eleven
The Alligator Don
Kazimir
This better not take too long.
With a deep breath, Rafael led us through the gateway, stepping into the shadowy expanse of the Alligator Don’s den.
Inside, the compound was an unsettling blend of rustic charm and lethal functionality. Nature fought to consume the man-made structures. Patches of moss clung stubbornly to the wooden beams. Vines sprouted from the thatched roof and dangled like bizarre green chandeliers. Well-worn furniture stood scattered, revealing hints of the Don’s eccentricities.
We continued forward, passing a wall adorned with tons of hunting rifles. The scent of gunpowder and stale alcohol lingered in the air.
Down the hall, a huge door stood flanked by two men holding machine guns.
I glanced at Valentina. “What do you think?”
“If things go bad, we will have to fight our way out of here.” She frowned. “I hope the rifles on that one wall are loaded.”
I smiled. “Smart.”
“But I do have two small knives under my breasts. Men never check well in that area.”
“You are thinking like a number one.”
She parted her lips and kept my pace.
“Oh.” Rafael came closer to us. “I forgot to add that when we enter, the Don will be silent for a while so you can drink the sight of him in. It’s his thing. Remember. Lots of theater. Just wait for him to speak first.”
I rolled my eyes.
He better not take too long.
As we approached the door, Rafael held up his hand, signaling for us to stop.
One of the guards stepped forward and pierced me with an icy stare. “I will need to check you again for weapons.”
I held out my hands. “And where would I keep this gun, in my ass?”
Silent, the man came over, patted me down, and then checked the others. Once he was satisfied, he signaled to the other guy.
The door creaked open, revealing a massive dimly lit cavernous space.
What is this place?
Never had I entered a huge room like this.
We crossed the threshold and took in the eerie sight.
Around thirty feet before us, set upon a raised dais, a man sat on a wooden throne. He must have been in his early thirties which surprised me. All this time, I thought he would have been much older.
I further studied him. Tall, muscular, and draped in shadows, he was a hulking figure with eyes that glittered like shards of green glass. He had on jeans and wore no shirt. Of course, alligators were tattooed all over his muscular arms and chest.
I returned my view to the throne. It was a monstrous construction, probably hewn from solid oak, weathered and scarred. Time had darkened its once light wood, and the etchings and carved reptilian symbols gave it a chilling air of ancient power.
It was just as imposing as the man who sat upon it.
However, as unnerving as the throne and he were, that was not what gripped my attention or caused my pulse to quicken.
My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the disturbing view in the center of the space.
He is a mad man.
A massive pit lay between us and him. It was a yawning chasm that stretched across the cavernous room.
A horrific gap.
And inside of that pit, crawled at least forty enormous alligators, each one easily capable of turning a person into a memory. Their scales glistened. Their jaws snapped.
The sight was enough to make the bravest man piss himself.
Some glided in the liquid that must have been barely a foot high. Others lounged on pockets of mud or logs of rotting wood. All of their eyes glowed with a cold, predatory intelligence.
I assessed the dark, rippling water. In some places, discarded bones twirled and twisted on the surface. I spotted several broken femurs and a few humeri. A cracked pelvis bone lay upside down on a muddy hill in the pit.
Definitely human.
Our bones had distinct shapes that were unique to human anatomy. Our thigh bones were longer and straighter than animals as well as our upper arm bones.
Several skulls lay next to this monstrous alligator in the center of the pit. If there was a king in the pit, I would have pointed to him. I assessed the skull, spotting the large cranial area and forward-facing eye sockets.
Yes. Definitely all human bones.
On the right, an alligator raised its snout and hissed, and it was a chilling sound that echoed off the damp stone walls of the pit.
I frowned.
And Emily will not let me have three lions at the wedding? Meanwhile this idiot has a whole pit of alligators.
At least, I understood why there were no other men in this space with him. Who needed more men with guns when one had many alligators.
I glared at Rafael.
He whispered, “What?”
“With all the warnings, you could have mentioned the pit of alligators.”
He widened his eyes. “I thought that part would be obvious.”
Idiot!
I turned back around.
The Don continued to size us up in silence.
I studied more of the space and realized that there would be no way to get to the Don unless I went through the pit.
But, how did he get over there?
I checked the black wall behind him and thought I made out a small outline of a door but wasn’t sure if it was really there.
That must be an exit. Right?
Then, my gaze strayed to the jar perched next to the Don’s throne.
Is that it?
I leaned forward and squinted my eyes, trying to get a better view.
The liquid inside the jar shimmered.
Yes. That’s the Eye.
Suspended within the liquid was an iridescent orb with a slit pupil.
But, how do I get it from him?
And now I knew without a doubt that this would be no ordinary negotiation. I was in New Orleans, in the heart of the swamp, about to bargain with a man who’d made a kingdom in the wilderness. Power, money, and land would not be enough for him.
Tired of waiting in further silence, I stepped several feet forward.
In the pit, the eyes of several alligators followed me with laser precision. Those slit pupils radiated a deadly intelligence.
With a rushing sound, a few slithered to the side of the pit that I was closest to.
I glared at them.
Trust me, little ones. I will eat you, before you eat me.
Tisha and Valentina followed me.
Meanwhile, Rafael remained by the door.
I directed my view back to the Alligator Don.
Come on. You’ve shown me how much of a tough guy you are. Let us get on with it.
Finally, he spoke—his accent a peculiar drawl of twisting words, “Evening, Mr. Lion. Long way from Russia.”
Good. He knows who I am.
“Heard y’all been searchin’ for ol’ Don, out here in the bayou.”
I forced myself to be nice. “I thought it would be a good idea to meet the person in charge of this area.”
The Don leaned back on his throne and drummed his fingers lightly on the alligator carved armrest. “That’s good and all, but we don’ get much visitation out here in the swampland. What brings a big shot like y’self to ma part of the woods?”
I could see the sharp glint in his eyes, like a predator sizing up its prey.
“I came to pay my respects.” I gestured to the two gifts in Valentina’s hands. “These are for you.”
The Don turned to Valentina and whistled. “I do like my three gifts indeed. Give those boxes to Henri, cher, he’s outside. He will take them and then direct ya to the door to come on over to sit on my lap.”
The line of my jaw twitched. “My sister is not a gift.”
He snickered. “Now that’s a damn shame.”
Meanwhile, Valentina wore a bored expression.
“Payin your respects.” The Don bobbed his head. “Must be here for somethin’ else too.”
I studied him.
“Perhaps, ya here for ma famous gumbo too. Or is there somethin’ else you got in mind?”
I met his stare, returning his casual tone. “I would love to try that gumbo.”
The Don chuckled, a low, gravelly sound that seemed to blend with the alligator’s hisses and grunts in the pit. “Well now, ain’t y’all jus’ full of surprises? Too bad y’all didn’t let me know y’all was coming.”
“Are you busy this evening?”
The door creaked open behind him, confirming where the exit was on the platform.
The Don glanced over his shoulder at the door before turning back to me. “Lucky for you, Mr. Lion. Ole Don is good for multitasking.”
A naked woman stepped onto his platform. She had long black hair. Her shoulders were drawn back and her head held high even though it was obvious she was terrified.
I quirked my brows.
She stopped in front of him, glanced at the pit, and then shivered. Tears spilled from her eyes.
I turned to Rafael.
What the fuck is this?
The pansy simply shook his head and whispered, “Theater.”
I put my view back on the platform.
The door closed behind her.
A heavy, almost oppressive sensation hung like a cloud over the space.
Some of the alligators slithered in that direction.
“Had I known y’all was coming.” The Don rose from his throne. “I would have handled this here situation, much earlier.”
The woman spoke, “I-I’m so sorry, Thibaut.”
“Oh, cher.” The Don gestured for her to come closer. “I know. Now don’ you start cryin.”
“I-I swear.” She sobbed. “I-I won’t do it again.”
I glanced at Valentina, knowing how much she hated witnessing any violence against women.
Frowning, she leaned my way and kept her voice low. “I know he is protected by the Cartel, but. . ?”
The unspoken question ran between us.
You want to kill him.
I gritted my teeth and glanced at him. “Maybe.”
The Don frowned at the naked woman. “Get on your knees, cher.”
The woman dropped to her knees. Terror decorated her face.
The Don stepped forward and unzipped his jeans.
Tension gathered in my shoulders.
No. Do not do it.
Soon, his cock flopped out—hard and pulsing.
Tisha gazed at his watch and leaned my way. “Do we signal Wassily? The time will be up in five minutes.”
I pursed my lips together and watched the platform.
The Don grabbed the woman’s hair, pushing her head back and forcing her to look up at him. “Are you ready, cher?”
She nodded, probably too scared to speak. Instead, she opened her mouth. Her lips quivered.
Rage radiated off Valentina. She made a quick movement digging her hand into her shirt and then putting it by her side.
She has the knife. It will be all downhill from here.
Tisha grabbed my attention. “Kazimir?”
The Don slipped his cock between the woman’s gaping lips and slammed his hips forward, pushing himself deep into her mouth. She gagged and sobbed, her body trembling as he pounded into her.
I sneered, ready to end this so called, Don .
It was bad enough that I had to humble myself to talk to him, and even provide gifts, when he should be giving me something. Now I was to stand around like some idiot while he got off torturing some woman?
In my world, there was theater and then there was just egotistical violence for no reason.
I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to Tisha. “Do not signal. Let our people storm this compound. Be ready for the men outside of this door.”
When Wassily came, somebody would signal the Don’s guards and come in. Therefore, we had to act quick.
Tisha nodded and went over to Valentina. They whispered between each other.
I took another step forward.
The Don increased his pace, pushing himself further and further into the woman’s mouth. But I was sure he knew I had inched closer. He pulled out of her, his cock slick and wet.
I deepened my frown.
“I sure wish I could finish on that pretty face of yours.” He stepped back and zipped up his jeans. He looked down at her, his face expressionless. “Ya mouth should get a trophy. Always thought that.”
The woman looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears.
Then, he kicked her in the stomach.
I tensed.
Flying backward, she crashed to the edge of the platform and shrieked in terror.
A bigger horde of alligators swarmed that way, growling and hissing.
“But, you couldn’t keep that mouth just for the Don, cher.” He stormed over to her. “Had to let others get their fill.”
“I-I’m so sorry—”
“Too late for that.” He kicked her hard in the stomach, causing her to roll backward and fall over the pit’s edge.
Her screams pierced the air.
She splashed into the tainted water. Her body created ripples as she thrashed and fought to get back on her feet, but the alligators had already been waiting to pounce. One reached for her fast, opened his jaw, and revealed rows of jagged, yellow teeth. The next second, a sickening crunch drowned out her screams. Blood spurted.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Rafael, Tisha, and Valentina were no longer behind me.
Then, let the bullshit begin.