5. Kief
CHAPTER FIVE
KIEF
The flames in the grand, opulent fireplace danced to the nostalgic Cuban song playing on the record player. I listened to a woman's voice, a mix of both nostalgia and heartache churning with me.
“Ay-ay-ay-ay. Canta y no llores. Porque cantando se alegran. Cielito lindo, los corazones.” The song continued as a distant memory played in my mind, stealing my focus as I sipped the bourbon.
“Sir.”
I flicked my fingers, the gold signet ring reflecting the light of the flames. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt someone deep in thought?” I turned my gaze toward the man who was holding a dead, bloodied rat in a torn piece of clothing. “Oh? And what might that be?”
He looked at the item before handing it to me. “We found it with a body—”
“Ahh, yes.” I finished my drink, slamming the glass down before popping to my feet.
“I wondered how long it would take for my dear cousin to find out I had eyes in his little web.” The smell of the dead rat hit my nostrils and made me gag.
“Oh, fuck—get that thing out of here!” He nodded, then handed the carcass off to someone else.
I pinched my nose, flustered by how disgusting Felix could be.
“You know, I’m really beginning to grow tired of this game with the Osvaldo siblings…
they’re always messing with my shit. But they’re nearly untouchable.
” I sucked my teeth. “Haze and Indi are one of the most tragic pairings I’ve ever seen.
They’re inseparable. Showing promising qualities both individually and combined.
But without finding a way to pull them apart, I have no chance of getting to them.
But Felix…” I grinned, thinking of my cousin.
“I just know he’s hiding something…always so paranoid and protective.
I won’t lie, the man is skilled. He’s one of the few people on the godforsaken Earth gifted with such a gravitational pull to violence, especially after his brain injury.
Now, he’s an unstoppable killing machine.
One you can never see coming.” I turned back toward the man.
“If only I could pinpoint his Achilles’ heel.
Maybe then, I could kick him off his little pedestal and clear the path straight to Charlotte’s Web. ”
The man made a face, fidgeting with his hands. “About that…I think we found something.”
My brow raised. “Oh?”
The man nodded then cleared his throat, pulling a phone from his jacket pocket. He turned it to face me, revealing a poor quality photo of a woman. She was turned away, her unusual white hair standing out amongst the crowd.
“And who might this be?” I asked, trying to zoom into the picture.
“I’m not sure.”
I rolled my eyes, tossing the phone back to him. “Don’t waste my fucking time. Out.”
“But—”
“I said out!” Such rage bubbled to the surface as I tried to immediately compose myself.
The man remained still. “Sir…she seems to know him.”
I froze. “What did you say?”
“From what we can gather, she knows him. The two have been spotted at The Red Eye on multiple occasions—”
I groaned. “That could mean anything. I’ve been into that run-down club with him before—”
“Charlotte’s Web keeps losing him.”
I blinked. “What do you mean they keep losing him?”
“Every night, going back months, Felix has gone completely off-grid, and Charlotte’s Web doesn’t even know where he’s been. Word is, they’re clueless on how to handle the situation, fearing the outcome if they try to ground him.”
Oh…now that is interesting.
I scoffed, entertained by this new information.
“Well, of course they won’t intervene…the Web can’t afford to piss off their deadliest player, especially at a time like this.
” I wandered around the room thinking to myself before stopping in front of the fire.
“Pull your men from the Web and its locations. I want all eyes on this. On her.” I pointed to the image of the white-haired woman.
The man nodded again, then rushed from my sight to carry out my demands.
I returned to my leather chair and stared into the flames. “What are you up to, cousin?” The music continued as I began to sing along. “Ay-ay-ay-ay. Canta y no llores. Porque cantando se alegran. Cielito lindo, los corazones…”