45. Killian
“Where’s Aunt Fairy?” Connie asks as Kai tries to trace Maricela’s call. We won’t be able to, and we all suspected that, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.
“She had to run some errands. It might take her a while to get home.” Connie puts her thumb in her mouth, and Hero, the protector, comes to her side immediately.
“I’ll go get her. I promise.”
Connie nods and hugs Hero, who licks her face.
“Come on, Mate. This isn’t going to be easy. Fucking Alec, of all people,” Liam mumbles to himself.
I kiss Connie’s cheek, and we go into my personal office while Isabella distracts the children with a game.
When I built the office, I thought I would spend most of my days here. I never thought about children and family, but the truth is that I haven’t entered this office in months.
“What have you found, Kai?”
For the first time in—fuck, I think this is the first time ever I’ve seen my friend show true emotions or his version of them. His deep honey-colored eyes look detached, and his usually perfectly styled hair is unruly.
“The son of a bitch has been under our noses all this time,” Maddox grumbles.
“The boss of the Irish mob adopted him. He’s the son of the Irish athair and the heir to the Irish mob. Kai’s cousin, of all people.”
“It can’t be,” Kai argues. “He wouldn’t betray my father like that. It’s Alec.”
“Kai, look. He’s not even trying to hide,” Liam says, showing us a picture.
It’s a picture of a handsome man with white hair and huge brown eyes that are hard to forget, looking toward a camera with a sly smile on his lips and pure evil in his eyes.
Raven doesn’t seem happy with the situation, but the man beside her wears a grin full of teeth. Alec is alive, and not only is he alive, but he’s holding my woman, my sister, and the woman whose life determines the state of my business in his armed hands.
“Where did you get that?” I ask.
“He just tweeted his location, the fucker. Kai, I’m going to kill him. He touched Raven, and he’s dead meat,” Liam announces, twisting his pinky ring, and Kai nods, agreeing to the sentiment without a shadow of a doubt. Alec may be his cousin, but we’re his true brothers.
“Look!” Kai shouts not a minute later. He holds his phone out, and a GPS map signals the location of Ronen’s restaurant. Alec is holding them not far from there.
Unknown number: The road to the magic palace starts here. The clue is with the fish. It’s the same fish that Raven hates the most.
“That fucker. He’s trying to show that he knows her.”
“Doesn’t Raven hate any kind of seafood?” Maddox asks.
“She does,” Liam answers.
“She was force-fed mackerel once, and since then, she loathes it. She says the smell makes her want to vomit. Does Ronen sell this fish in his restaurant?”
We all look at Liam, surprised by his knowledge.
“What? She’s my fiancée. I know these things.” Since fucking when I want to ask, but I don’t.
“Call Ronen. Does he sell fish?”
Kai nods. “One of his most popular dishes is grilled mackerel with French mashed potatoes. We were there with my brothers last summer.”
“A table for four? You’ll have to wait. We’re full. It’s rush hour.”
“We need to speak to Ronen,” I bark at the hostess. “He knows me. Tell him it’s about Maricela and Raven. It’s urgent.”
The woman runs to do my bidding. We don’t wait and enter the restaurant, following her in the direction of the kitchen.
Ronen’s restaurant is indeed full of people, with every table occupied. As I scan the space, I see that many business people I interact with are here. Ronen comes out of the kitchen as soon as he sees us.
“What’s happened? Is Maricela okay? Is it Raven?”
I motion for him to move back into the kitchen, and we follow him. It’s an open style, and we can see what’s happening in the restaurant, just as the diners can see us. I pull him into a corner and lower my voice.
“An enemy has kidnapped Maricela, Raven, and Lila,” I say without preamble, and I see fear and panic flash in Ronen’s eyes, emotions I don’t let myself feel. If I allowed fear to take over, I wouldn’t get them out.
“But...they were here just today. Together, the three of them, and they were talking about...” Ronen stops himself at the last moment, and I know. I know what they are talking about.
“Franco has paid for what he did to her, and we’ll talk about that later. This is not the time.” I get a warm grin in return. Ronen and I were never friends.
Yes, I helped him with his little sister, but that was because of Maricela. I didn’t stop doing it even after she was gone, and he was still faithful to her.
While another man would hate him for hiding the truth or even be angry with him for it, I’m glad to know my little girl has people who would walk through fire for her.
“This is Alec,” Maddox says, showing Ronen the picture he found on the internet.
“He was part of us once. Of them, I want in the picture then. He is dangerous and he gave us some stupid game to follow. I don’t know him well... Something about fish.” Maddox takes the time to explain a little, and Ronen listens.
“I don’t understand how I can help. I make a lot of fish dishes.” Ronen takes us to his fish container. He looks at it and says, “Raven doesn’t really eat any kind of seafood, but she can’t stand—”
“Mackerel,” Liam says, completing Ronen’s sentence.
I can’t help but notice the way Ronen is looking at Liam. He also thinks Liam is not worthy of my cousin. I wish I could have given my sister a choice, but I can’t. Not in our world.
“She does. Something about her mom force-feeding her.”
Liam grasps the ring on his pinky, squeezing it hard. In the meantime, Ronen looks at the fish as if looking for his friends there.
“Wait, did you say his name is Alec?” Ronen asks after Maddox finishes telling him everything we know.
“Yes, why?” Liam demands.
“Because the man who delivered the fish that came today was called Alec. I remember him because of his appearance. I don’t recall seeing him before, but he wore a hat and was dressed like the others who have made the fish deliveries. I remember he had a beautiful body and eyes you don’t forget easily. He had a low voice, and he seemed kind.”
“Did he tell you anything?” Kai’s voice causes Ronen to jump.
“Well, I tried to flirt with him, and nothing stands out— Wait. I remember thinking that the last thing he said was weird. ‘All roads lead to Mother Russia.’”
“The roads to Mother Russia,” Liam says, and Maddox scratches his head as if trying to get into Liam’s strategic mind.
“Alec feels betrayed, and we don’t even know who attacked him or where he’s been all these years.”
Liam snaps his fingers. “It’s about the Baratva, Kai. Call Nikolai. He needs to know Alec’s alive anyway.”
Nikolai gives us the name of a small Russian restaurant that sells salted mackerel. From there, Alec leads us to a British restaurant and then to Franco’s favorite Italian restaurant. It’s a gourmet restaurant that serves expensive seafood and mackerel served on a plate of greens. We find a table waiting for us at the Italian restaurant, and at the table, they serve us a hundred-and-fifty-year-old Sauvignon, along with a letter that contains a phone number.
“It only took you four hours. Bravo. That’s much faster than I thought. Let me guess: Liam was the mastermind who solved everything. He must be worried that Raven might want to stay with her real groom. She does belong to me, after all.”
Liam takes the phone from my hands. “Where are you? This game is starting to bore me. You don’t want Killian, and you know it. You love him. The only one you’ve ever been jealous of was me. Let the women go and take me. We’ll take care of this problem like the two psychopaths we are.”
“Oh, Liam,” Alec says with mocking laughter. “Such a beast. People call you the Joker, don’t they? The madman who knows everything. The clown with the quick tongue.”
“She won’t stay with you by choice.”
“Like she chose you? Women like Raven don’t have a choice. They’re an asset. In this case, she’s a wonderful asset. A rare bird that smells great. I’ll sink my teeth into her in a minute. Her friend Lila is also beautiful. I must admit that you surround yourself with beautiful women. Not like the whores of the Irish.”
“Let me guess. You sit on the throne of the Irish. You let the man who lost his children at the hands of Franco and Nicolai adopt you because you promised him revenge, you crazy twat,” Liam mocks.
“Somebody did their homework.”
“I’m crazy, not stupid, git.”
“And are you willing to give yourself up for Raven?”
“Yes. As you said, she’s property, and I’m ready to come to my death for a prestigious property like her.”
“How romantic. Too bad she didn’t hear that. Maybe I should have stayed in her new room. She’s not happy with the lack of windows. The cage you gave her allowed her to believe she was free and, with her own business, no less. She’s a dangerous woman, Liam. You should have seen her. Her rage. It’s like looking at the most beautiful painting, much more beautiful than anything she has ever painted herself.”
“Stop the bullshit, Alec. It doesn’t suit you. I remember who you are. Killian may have liked you, and Kai loved you as a brother. But you know I’m not easily fooled. You’ve always been worse than the rest of us. Every hair that falls from the head of Raven, Maricela, or even Lila will cost you dearly, you son of a bitch.”
“Now. Now. That’s not proper language for someone of royal blood. Come to Arboni Straights, but just the four of you, or Raven, Maricela and the other will go bang.”
“I can’t believe he gave up so quickly,” Maddox says as Kai tells Pedro where to go.
“He didn’t give up. He wanted us to know he’s alive and well. We don’t know how many men he has there. It’s probably a trap.”
“Why didn’t I think of that,” Madd mocks out loud.
“Because you think with your dick, mate. Now let’s go.”
The location that Alec gave us is an abandoned warehouse. As we enter, classical music plays on all sides, but the place appears to be empty until I see them. Alec stands on a stage wearing all white, emphasizing his pale skin. Maricela, Raven, and Lila are tied to a round-target board.
“Alec!” I call and run to them.
“I have to say it was a high-speed game,” Alec calls out from a megaphone that distorts his voice, making it sound like that of a dangerous animal. Not at all like his smooth, elegant tone. “And now the price increases. Who’s going to win? Me or you? The alliance of the families or the elites who murdered those who didn’t suit them without even checking to see if the little children survived?”
“It’s not my fault, and you know it. It’s not their fault either,” I remind him, almost begging, showing him my every weakness.
Every step I take toward him brings the scene into a clearer light. The girls are unable to speak because their mouths are gagged. He’s dressed them up. Maricela looks like a broken angel. The wings painted on the target board behind her are broken, and blue spots have been painted on her skin. They’re so bright that you can see them from a distance.
Raven is disguised as her name indicates. The wings behind her are painted half black and half white, and the white is stained with a deep, dark red, the same red that coats her skin. Lila is also bound and gagged. Her wings are orange, and her exposed skin is covered with black splotches.
“I won’t let them go, Kill. Do you remember the games we played as children?” I know exactly what he’s referring to. The target shooting. When we were little, and our parents decided we needed to become friends, they gave us tasks, and anyone who answered a question from our parents correctly could try to hit the target and get a gift they wanted.
“If you answer correctly, you can shoot at the target and try to free the girls. If you don’t answer correctly, I will shoot, but at the girls themselves. What do you think?”
I take the gun from its holster beneath my jacket and point it at him, and out of nowhere, several dozen people surround us with guns pointed at our heads.
“We’ll start with you, Killer Fierro. What are the four states of water in nature?”
I look toward this madman and reply steadily, “The waters of our oceans, lakes, and rivers are liquid, as snow is a soft solid, as ice is a hard solid, and as clouds are a gas or water vapor.”
“Well done. Now, who will you choose to free? Your lost twin sister, your lover, or maybe your ex-lover? Choices. Choices. You have X’s you can shoot at on the target. Choose the X in the color of the woman you want to free.
“Killian, leave me, Raven!” Liam yells, and I nod.
“I’ll shoot for Lila,” Maddox says, and as I step closer to the target, I see the anger in Alec’s brown eyes.
He hates this brotherhood. He wants the women to think that I love them less if I don’t choose them, or on the contrary, that I love them less because I could miss the target.
I take the time to study each X on the target. I know that Maricela is right-handed and that she will be able to free her legs and arms in a situation where we have to run, so I aim for the X that binds her right hand and hit it dead on.
The first thing Maricela does is remove her gag and curse Alec in Spanish in every possible way.
Alec raises a brow. “I imagine those were not nice words.” He grasps the left side of his chest dramatically and flicks his long hair to the side. “The questions are not done. You have three more points to hit. How many kings were there in Sparta at any given time, Killian?”
“Two. One stays at home while the other fights with his people.”
“Just like you and Santino. You like to get your hands dirty. Shoot!”
I fire toward the X binding Maricela’s second hand, and she quickly lowers it.
“How many moons does Saturn have?”
“Sixty-two.”
“So knowledgeable. Shoot away.”
I do and hit the X, releasing Maricela’s right leg. She kicks the air and curses again.
“Last question. What will you do for this woman?”
“Die, live, crawl on my knees. Whatever she tells me,” I say honestly, and Alec laughs dramatically.
“Correct answer. She is free to go. Go to your man.”
“Release my friends, maldito rey de hielo.” I chuckle at her nickname for him. Alec is no ice king.
“This fucker is no ice king, Rotten One. He is Snegurachka,” Liam shouts. He gave him the nickname of the Russian daughter of Father Snow, the Russian version of Santa Claus.
“Go, or they will die,” Alec orders my woman, and she reluctantly starts down the stairs.
“Maricela, come here,” I call to her the moment she’s off the stage. I pull her into my arms and feel her trembling and her fear.
“You’re safe now. You’re fine,” I assure her and kiss her forehead.
“How exciting,” Alec chimes.
“Isn’t this exciting, girls? I’m sure you also want your black knight to save you. Who do we start with, my lovable Raven or the bird I don’t know that well? Raven, I believe we’ll leave you for last.”
Maddox puts a hand on Maricela’s shoulder and steps to the same spot where I stood. I show him the red X on the floor, and he stands on it.
“Crazy son of a bitch,” Maddox almost whispers to himself and waits for Alec’s questions.
“I don’t know you,” Alec admits as if he doesn’t know what to do with him.
I don’t think he planned to kidnap Lila. And more than that, I don’t think he intended to kidnap Maricela, either. His target was the woman he believes belongs to him. Raven.
“I don’t know you either, although I think I saw you once. I’m Franco’s illegitimate spawn.”
“Maddox,” Alec says as if tasting the name.
“Alec,” Maddox says the same way.
“Now that we both know each other, let’s get on with this shit. Ask away. I’m in a hurry, even though I admit I might well fuck you before this is over. You look like an iceberg I’d like to lick. Let’s change the rules of this game, shall we? Free the women, and let me break you down properly.”
My sick brother’s words seem to have put Alec in a state of shock as it takes him several moments to continue his presentation.
“I’m not into men, but things have changed in the mafia. Do the Italians get baguettes now?”
“No wonder you’re not part of the group. A bigot like you doesn’t belong with us. Too bad. I would have made you see stars. Ask me if the Barbie doll is too spoiled to be in that position. Try making the questions easier. It’s not Lila you want, and we all know it.”
“Why does sunlight darken our skin but lighten our hair?”
“Something to do with the melanin in our skin, although in your case, it doesn’t seem like anything could give you color, and you need it more than you think.”
Alec scoffs. “That was the weirdest correct answer I’ve ever heard.”
“Okay, well...” Maddox says and shoots toward Lila’s right leg. She yelps and pulls her leg into her chest protectively.
“I told you, ask simpler questions.”
“Who sings the Grinch song?”
“The original singer? It’s Thurl Ravenscroft. My jail mate liked old movies. He told me a lot about them. He also murdered his neighbors for some crazy reason. A strange man he was.”
Maddox doesn’t wait for confirmation and shoots toward Lila’s right hand while barely looking in her direction.
Another stifled yelp rings out, but he hits the X accurately, and her hand comes free. She pulls the gag from her mouth and screams again, this one echoing throughout the warehouse.
“So, you were in jail, were you? Alec asks.
Maddox chuckles. “That’s a question, isn’t it? I was in jail for protecting your cousin and Newt. You know, that little boy we’re all hiding.”
“I know about Newt. So you were in jail because of him?”
“Not because of him, you fuck. For him. Franco and his bullshit are what sent me to jail,” Maddox says and shoots toward Lila’s other hand, again hitting the target right on. After all, he is the best sniper out of us four.
Alec studies the target for a long moment. “I see. Are you willing to come work with me? With such abilities, you would be useful to me.”
“Was that a question?”
Alec raises his hands, and Maddox doesn’t wait. He shoots again, this time aiming for Lila’s leg, releasing her and saying, “My brother is the most important person in my life. Your cousin is my best friend after my brother. So, listen to me, and listen to me well, you piece of shit. I don’t know why you want Raven, but leave our sunshine alone and get off the stage. This is no place for you.”
“A strange bird you are, aren’t you?”
After grasping Lila’s hand and yanking her to him, but without checking to see if she’s okay, Maddox says, “Liam, go kill that son of a bitch.”
Alec moves to stand closer to Raven.
“Ah, Liam, my worst enemy.”
He kisses the tape covering Raven’s mouth before obliterating it. Liam narrows his eyes, and I can see that the abrupt action caused Raven pain. She curses Alec, but we can’t hear what she says from where we’re standing.
Alec says, “On the phone, we agreed that Raven is the mafia’s biggest and most significant asset. An innocent light born to the sickest man the Italian mafia ever spawned. So much so that he threw her to his brother, and she grew up next to her biological mother and next to her twin brother without even knowing it most of her life.”
“Great history lesson. What’s next?” Liam asks with a gun in his hand.
“She already knew the truth.”
“Your point Snegurachka. Get to it.”
“Liam, Liam. The one who stole my future wife, my cousin, and my best friend.”
“I didn’t choose to be Raven’s fiancé. And I didn’t steal your cousin. He became my best friend, and if you think you can call Killer your best friend after today, you need to cut your long hair. It must be weighing on your brain, git. You could have been smarter. If so, maybe you would have even won the little bird.” Liam aims his weapon directly at Alec’s balls.
“Some beautiful words, Liam. I can understand why a rare bird like Raven fell in love with you,” Alec says, dropping the bomb.
Deep down, I knew she’d be safe by Liam’s side even if she wasn’t pleased because I knew she’d found love with him.
Liam never saw the looks she gave him, but I did. It’s what helped me sleep soundly at night, knowing that with her light, she could soften the heart of the Joker.
“It’s just too bad this game is starting to bore me,” Alec adds.
A giant smoke bomb explodes and prevents us from seeing what’s happening around us. Seconds later, all of Alec’s men, along with Alec and Raven, are gone—disappearing from the place as if they were never here.
“Raven!” Liam shouts and starts running, looking everywhere for her.
I run after him, and so does Maddox, Kai, Maricela, and even Lila, but no matter how long we look for them, they are gone.
My twin sister is gone, and the world will catch on fire.