Chapter Six
The car stops suddenly in the back entrance of the loud and colorful club, and I already want to leave.
When Allan said he’s organizing my bachelor party, I knew he would choose one of his nightclubs. He’s been begging me to go to one since we both turned eighteen, but this is just not my liking. I’ve been to many clubs before, but just for business meetings.
“Who is ready to party?” Allan starts to move in his seat, ready to get out of the car, but still waiting for me and Orion.
“Any word from Arius?” I ask the big hunter that is behind the steering wheel, ignoring Allan. Tonight, the man that Arius desperately wants, will meet his wrath. And tonight also, I will start digging to finally find out who killed Keres and how he dared to underestimate me.
“He’s already here, said that he’ll let us know when to go to him.” We all got out of the car and went in front of the trunk.
“And what are supposed to do now?” My voice shows how frustrated I am. I hate waiting, especially if I’m
doing nothing.
“We’re going to let our hips move to the music.” The dirty blond hair man starts dancing like he’s inside the club.
Orion and I are looking at him like he’s a toddler dancing at his first talent show. I go towards the car and open the door, grabbing my pack of cigarettes, when the light screaming noises are starting to appear.
I light a cigar, letting the smoke out trying to think about all the possibilities that can go wrong tonight. Arius is the only key I have to find out who kidnapped Keres’s body, and even killer. I feel this huge responsibility when it comes to finding her body, and not because she was going to be my wife, but because she never deserved this.
I’ve never loved Keres, not the way I thought I would after she saved me from dying, three years ago. I chose to marry her because a union between our families was the perfect way to grow our allies, and because I had this vision of a perfect life with the woman who saved me and intrigued me too much.
After the first year of relationship, I realized that Keres is everything kind and beautiful. Her aura was pure angelic, and while she would’ve been the perfect mafia wife, I was eager for more.
Eager for the woman who would drive me completely insane.
But now, I’m marring my ex-fiancé’s sister. The girl who destroyed Keres and made her more breakable than anyone.
I should hate her, and a part of me does, but the other part is completely fascinated by the woman she became.
And fuck I think I hate myself for that too.
How am I going to manage to live with her in the same house?
The screams are getting louder and louder and I move fast to the trunk, opening it hard, almost breaking the door.
The skinny brunette man is curled up in a way to fit in the small place of the trunk, hands tied and with a gag in his mouth. His clothes are dirty and ripped, but the thing that satisfy me the most, is his eyes.
The green eyes that are looking at me with so much terror. Terror with which I would feed myself daily.
I put the cigar in between my lips, and I bend over to his head level, wrapping my hand around his neck, squeezing hard.
“Your screams are starting to hurt my ears.” I whisper and I let a big smile take over my face when he stopped immediately. “See, we can understand each other.” And with my hand still around his neck, I drag him out of the trunk so he can stay on his own legs.
“P-Please,” He tries to say something, but the gag is stopping him.
“I love when people are begging me. You all sound the same you know? With the trembled voice and shaking legs. The look of terror in your eyes is feeding my beast.” I’m looking straight into his eyes and I feel my veins being doped with control.
Ruthless beast, they all call me.
“Remind me again, what have you done to my sister?” The desperate sound he made from his throat is making me smile again. “Oh, please forgive my manners,” I take out the gag out of his mouth. “Now it’s all better, isn’t it?”
The cigarette went out by itself, so I throw it on the ground. I look behind the man and see Orion’s big figure
that is trying to cover us, and Allan twisted smile, because he knows what will happen.
“Don’t make him repeat himself, Fred.” Allan says wickedly.
“I-I drugged her.” I squeeze his neck tighter.
“And?” Allan makes him continue.
“…and I got her naked, then I m-masturbated on her.” My mind is instantly going to the time when Emmeline’s bodyguard called me and told me the scene he found her in one of my clubs. This happened one year ago at my sister’s birthday.
And since then, me and my father have been torturing him in the worst way possible.
Because death would’ve been too easy.
“I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll give you two options. When we’ll go inside, you will choose option One or Two. Just the number. Are we clear?”
“What are the options?” Stupid motherfucker.
“That’s up to me, Freddie.” And with my free hand, I throw a punch to his face so hard that he fell on the hard ground and stood there.
Lifeless.
“Did you kill him?” Allan asks with uncertainty.
“He just passed out. Arius said to bring him alive, didn’t said in what stage.” I put on my leather jacket and head towards the entrance of the club. “Orion, can you bring him to the backrooms?”
Orion gives me a little nod and moves toward the limp body. He throws Fred on his shoulder like he weighs nothing, and goes first in the club.
“Why do you think Arius wants him?” Allan comes next to me as we both enter the club.
“I think Fred messed up with the wrong mafia and the wrong man.” Arius Novak will bring hell into Fred’s
life, and I’ll be there to intensify the fires of it.
Allan left me the second we entered the club. I want to say that this shocks me, but it really doesn't.
The nightclub is full. Way to full for my liking. People are more touching and jumping than dancing and there is a big cloud of smoke in the air.
I hardly move through the crowd until I arrive at the bar. Passed out people are on the chairs and I have no idea how Allan finds this 'fun'.
The bartender sees me and widen his eyes as he puts his whole focus on me.
"How can I help you, Sir?" He looks way too young to be a bartender. A bartender for one of the most popular mafia clubs in Italy.
"A vodka." He nods lightly and goes to prepare my drink. I look into the crow of drunk people trying to find Allan.
The music changes into a dirty song and the whole atmosphere gets unholy. Couples are starting to undress each other and make sex lookalike positions.
Again, how is this entertaining?
The boy brings me my drink and with his head bowed, he hands me a white piece of paper.
I open the little note and my eyes bore into the calligraphic letters.
The music doesn't stop and suddenly, two shadows are making their way through the moving bodies. My senses are alert as I believe that Arius is one of those shadows.
The two of them separate and in that moment a wave of red smoke fills the air.
Fuck.
I’m looking calmly around trying to eye the silhouettes that alarmed my senses. Even through the smoke I can see people rubbing against each other as if they were in an erotic movie. Some of them are inhaling drugs from each other’s body parts.
Where the hell did you bring me, Allan?
I feel a presence beside me and I turn my head just a little, and my vision takes in the feminine body that is dressed in black leather.
“Give me a good reason to not kill you.” I recognize Venus’s harsh voice. I never met her personally, but everyone knows her as Huntress.
A mafia bounty huntress.
She gets jobs from all the mafias to kill different people, but the way she does it really impresses me.
Before she starts hunting the people down, she sends them a polaroid photo with a big red X on their face with a red sigil on the back. She never backs down on a mission, and she always gets the work done.
I turn towards her fully and I analyze her strong built.
“I’m your best friend’s fiancée.”
“She can live without you. Give me a better reason.” Her English is immaculate.
“I’m the only chance she has to escape from her father’s house.” I say the words with a little smile. Orion
still didn’t inform me with what Hanibal told to Althea in the night of our engagement, and I for sure know he didn’t say that he loves her.
Another thing that Hanibal did with his daughters.
While he showed affection for Keres, he always bad-mouthed Althea.
She never listens.
She’s talking back.
She’s too messy.
But a thing I always admired at Althea is that she always stood her ground around her father or anyone else.
“She escapes from his house, but goes into yours.” Venus walks closer to me. I narrow my eyes at her, feeling how my hands are trembling.
"Are you suggesting something, Venus?" This time, I move closer to her until we look like two predators that are fighting for dominance.
"Am I suggesting something, Boss Keaton?" She snarls low.
"If you think for one second that I will mistreat Althea, you better change your mind. I would lay my life for her." The words are feeling weird on my tongue, but I know that in the moment Althea will be my wife, I would do anything in my power to protect her.
The way you protected Keres? My mind is reminding me again the mistake I did with Keres.
A mistake I will not repeat with Althea.
"Good," Venus looks at me with a pleased look. "Because if you don't-"
"You'll kill me?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"No, that'll be too easy. Do I need to remind you what I do for a living? I will skin you alive if I see one missing piece of hair in her pretty head."
"Are you done?" Her threats mean nothing to me.
"Sí." She says and looks behind me with a smirk.
I turn so that she sits beside me, but when my eyes lock with the glowing brownish skin and long dark hair, I feel my body freeze.
Althea's figure attracts every pair of eyes from this club with her mini leather skirt and the white, long sleeve top that makes her breast delicious.
I can't take my eyes of her, and I feel my body coming back to life as all my blood goes to my groin.
But my mood is gone when I see a blond haired boy approaching her with a cocktail in his hand.
He leans to whisper something in her ear but she looks bored.
Satisfactions fills my body, but it's not enough.
His breathing the same air with what's mine. He's breathing her scent like a dog in heat.
I move without thinking until I'm right behind him. The brown eyes like an old tree trunk are looking into mine and my mind shuts.
For the first time in my life, my mind is void.
My demons are not yelling in my ears causing me a headache.
One look in her eyes and I found the medicine I never thought I needed.
Still looking in her eyes, I grab the guy's neck and turn him to me.
"If I see you near my wife again, I will stuff that glass down your throat and you'll meet your casket much sooner." His eyes are showing the exact fear that
possessed Fred's eyes earlier.
"I-I didn't know she's married."
I took my eyes off Althea who looked intrigued in the situation.
One of the not so many emotions she's willing to show.
I grab her left hand where my ring is resting on her finger, and shoved it in his face.
"I'm sorry, man." He starts shaking and I let him go.
"Tell this entire club that she is taken. And if they ask by who, send them to me." He nods and leaves immediately.
I turn to look at her again, and she moves to leave.
I go in front of her and grab her chin making her look at me.
"Wife?" She says the word like it's poison.
"Aren't you?"
"We're not married yet, Keaton." The way she says my name makes me fall on my knees in front of her.
Her voice is like a harsh melody. The melodic line is gentle, sweet, but the lyrics are a reality you don't expect.
"And you just said the key word. Yet. In a week you'll be my wife, and then you'll be all mine."
"I belong to no one. Not to my father and definitely not to you." She spats.
"What are you doing here?" I spell each word so she can understand me because the music is still blasting, ignoring the fire in her eyes.
"It's my bachelor party." She simply responds.
"Who took care of your party?" I ask even if I think that I know the answer.
"Allan."
Of course he did.
"You're going home."
"Who says I am?"
"Me."
"And you think you have control over me?" This woman.
"I don't. But you don't like parties." She doesn't like people in general.
"I am here to celebrate my last days as a single woman. I can do whatever I want." And she leaves me standing alone on the dance floor.
I go after her and wrap my hand around her middle. She fits perfectly in my arms and yet I want to strangle her.
I feel her body stiffen at my touch and I press my finger deeper in her skin.
"Watch your words, uccellino. You know I'll love to shut your mouth, but you're not gonna like it." I whisper in her ear.
She turns quickly in my arms and suddenly I feel her hands on my chin and her fingers on my cheeks, digging her nails in them until they break into my skin.
"I don't know how many times I should repeat this to your little brain, but if you call me 'uccellino' one more time, I'll make sure you're a dead groom in the church." I see a flicker of hurt invading her eyes and that makes my arm let go of her waist.
We stare into each other's eyes and it feels like we're having an interior battle.
"Ah, the happy couple is here!" Allan's voice cut our eye contact. "It was such a great idea to combine your parties, wasn't it?"
"The greatest." Althea murmurs, rolling her eyes.
Before I have the chance to beat Allan up, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket.
Orion's name makes my mood change and Allan sees the text too with a simple:
Orion : Now.
"Don't you dare move from this place, Althea." I say in a serious tone.
She looks at me with a frown, but for the first time since I met her, she nods.
"If you want to go home talk with Ivan. He'll stay with the two of you." Althea nods again.
Allan and I turn and go to the door that separates the club from the mafia rooms, and I feel Althea's gaze watching me.
I open the door and I give her a wink before closing it.
Let the fun begin.