Alessandro’s POV~

The Russians were getting the wrong idea. They were taking my silence as my weakness. They were fools to think that, living in their imagination.

Today I burst their bubbles.

Vassilievs, the Russian mafia and we, the Italian mafia are not on good terms. Have not been for years now. They are continuously trying to take our position, and get on top by meddling with our shipments, secret attacks and whatever they can.

And in return we are helping the Ivanovs, the current enemies of the Vassilievs in Russia to take them down. All the deals from our side, that were to be made with the Vassilievs, Ivanovs are getting them.

Sergei, the head of the Ivanovs, is a considerate man. He will think a thousand times before getting on our bad side because he knows he has to keep his relation with us good if he wants to rule the Russian mafia.

On the other hand Stanislav Vassiliev, the current Don of the Russian mafia, is a reckless man. He is super ambitious. He will do anything to be on top. But he does not know the consequences of crossing us, and he will not know the impact until it hits him.

I am making the Ivanovs strong enough to stand against the Vassilievs, and then they will snatch the title from them.

I am killing two birds in this way. First, the Vassilievs will be removed from the Russian throne, and we will have one less enemy breathing down our neck. Second, if the Ivanovs get their position with our help, they will forever be indebted to us and I know how hard it is to have an ally in our business.

This is what is making Stanislav Vassiliev lose his mind. He is attacking us every time we are having a meeting with the Ivanovs and this one was not any different as well.

But what the hell did they think? That killing me would not be difficult? That it would be easier to get me if I am alone?

Tsk! Tsk!

I am more vicious when I am alone. When there is no one to protect. I can reveal my true self without having to look out for anyone.

I let them feed on their assumption because they were not intervening in my business.

I do not pounce on you until you tick me off.

But they fucking did it today. They sent their best assassins to murder me.

The moment I entered the building, I knew something was off. The staff looked anxious. Almost afraid. I did not say anything at that time because I did not want the meeting to wait. After the meeting, I got Ivanov and his men to leave first, then I came out. When I stepped foot outside the building, the attacks started.

They thought they could catch me in an unprepared moment. The thing they do not know is that, I am never unprepared. Even in sleep all my senses are on high alert.

I was born into this world. If I have to survive, and protect my family I have to be extra cautious. The word ‘relax’ does not exist in my dictionary.

They knew I would be going alone today, and thus, planned everything accordingly. They had their snipers hiding in nearby buildings too. Everything was going good until I noticed the staff’s behaviour and called my own snipers. By the moment I got out they had already killed theirs.

On my way to the underground garage, I could hear footsteps behind me. I let him come. When I turned the last corner he hurried with his gun aimed forward, looking for me.

Too slow.

I took out my silk tie and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him towards me harshly. The gun fell down from his hand, making a sound. He started gasping for breath, his hands coming up to mine on his neck. I tugged at the tie harder, making his eyes bulge out of their sockets.

“Vassiliev non ha abbastanza puttane per fargli compagnia? Che ora è dietro di me.” I said in his ear with a smirk.

(Vassiliev does not have enough whores to give him company? That he is behind me now.)

“I..I” he went to say but all that came out of his mouth was cough.

The fucker could not breathe.

Good. I did not plan to let him.

“Fucking speak.” I growled.

“Can not.”

I unwrapped the tie from around his neck amd he fell to the ground on his knees, holding his neck.

I came around him, kicking the gun that fell from his hands out of his reach, “Start”

All the colour drained out of his face the moment he saw me standing before him.

He stood up with the help of the wall behind him. Still coughing. But I did not miss the way his left hand went behind his ankle to search for a hidden weapon. A blade or a knife if I was not wrong. Which I never was.

“Boss wants you out. He thinks you are getting in his way.”

There was a knife in his left hand by then and he tried to transfer it to his right hand behind his back while trying to distract me by the conversation.

He looked at his hands from the corners of his eyes for a moment.

Big mistake.

And mistakes are not allowed in our world. It can cost you your life.

A second extra taken. A movement extra made. That was all I needed.

The moment he turned around with the knife in his right hand, I was in front of him. Not an inch between us.

My right hand wrapped around his neck and the other around his right wrist. He tried to stab the knife in my chest but my hold tightened on his wrist. The knife cut my left arm in the fight and it started bleeding. I turned his hand in the opposite direction forcefully, towards his chest and drove the knife straight through his heart to the hilt and kept it there. Blood gushed out of his chest instantly and he started screamed, trying to push at my hand.

Bad move.

I fisted his hand which was holding the knife in an iron like grip and rotated it in his heart, crushing his fingers in the process. More blood came out of the wound. The sound of bones cracking could be heard and he howled out in pain. The knife was almost all in his chest by then.

When I was sure I had broken all the five fingers in his right hand I took back mine and his hand fell limp by his side. I left him there and he slid down the wall to the floor.

I removed his blood from my right hand with the tie and started towards my car.

I knew it was not over yet. They would not send just one man behind me. So I started going through my cell phone standing before the car, seeming to be occupied. My right hand wrapped with the tie, on the handle of the car door, fingers tapping on it waiting for my next prey.

A barrel of a gun pressed against the side of my head, “Put down your gun.”

The audacity of them to give me orders!

I crouched down nonetheless and put the gun on the ground, without a fight.

I did not need guns. My bare hands were perfectly capable of ending him.

On my way up I hit him in his ribs with my elbow, taking him by surprise. He backed up holding his side, his gun still in his hand. I turned around and punched him across his face with my right fist, with the precision of an animal. The sharpness of the rings on my fingers cutting through his face, making the pain intensified.

He fell back to the ground and I started unwrapping the tie from my hand, looking him in the eyes.

He knew exactly what I would to him and started shivering, crawling back on the floor. Like a fucking reptile.

Pathetic.

“Do not. Please d…”

I did not let him finish his sentence and got down to his level, wrapping the tie around his neck to the point of chocking. He tried scratching my suit with his nails to gett free, hurting the injury on my arm more, but I pushed them back down and kept them in place with my feet on them, the heels of my shoes digging in his palms, eliciting a cry out of him.

I tightened the hold on his neck and he coughed out blood. But just when his eyes started turning white, about to roll back, I unwrapped the tie and got up, taking his gun from the floor.

When his eyes fell on me again. They widened. I took out the ring from the middle finger of my right hand slowly, and put it in my pocket, keeping my eyes on him all the time.

He gulped audibly.

He knew the meaning of it. Everyone in our world knew.

Me pulling out this ring.

This meant death.

I aimed the gun at him, and he closed his eyes out of fear.

“Eyes on me.” I roared.

He snapped his eyes open and the look in them…God!

Complete fear and terror. I live for them. I thrive in them.

With his eyes on me and me, enjoying his horror, I pulled the trigger. A bullet to his forehead. Clean cut shot. He dropped back with his eyes open. I did not bother closing them.

Another man came out from the back of a car behind me.

I turned my hand back in his direction and fired. The sound of a body colliding with the hard floor went off in the air.

Years of experience. I did not have to turn around to get my aim right.

I turned to look at my unfinished meal. The first man of the night. He was still catching his breath. This time the bullet went through the middle of his neck. He chocked on his own blood and died right there.

I could have spared that one, but I hate leaving a single trace of life in my enemies.

I checked the garage for any more threat, and when I was sure that it was all they had got, I got inside the car and put my ring back on. I kissed the ring, making sure there was no blood on it and started the engine.

This ring is the most precious thing I have. It keeps me connected to her even when I do not have her here with me. I can not bare it getting ruined or lost in any way.

The second I drove the car out of the garage and out on the road, bullets started raining on it. It were the leftover snipers. I did not roll down my window to fire back since I knew they would be taken care of by my snipers in a minute.

I kept driving, and soon enough the firings stopped. My cell phone on the passenger’s seat buzzed. I put the call on speaker. It was Damien.

“Si prendono cura di loro.” His voice came from the other end.

(They are taken good care of.)

“The Vassilievs?” I asked to confirm.

“Yes duh!” He said in a bored tone.

Only Damien can behave this way in moments like these.

“Sono tutti morti?” I questioned.

(Is everyone dead?)

“No. Non chiunque.”

(No. Not everyone.)

It is funny how we speak in Italian most of the time when we are having official talks, given he is not from Italy. But he speaks the language fluently.

“Due di loro sono rimasti.” He added, begrudgingly.

(Two of them are left.)

“Lasciane unu per dopo. Avro bisogno di lui per ulteriori interrogatori.” I said, checking the traffic in front of me.

(Leave one for later. I will need him for further interrogation.)

“Ma perché?” He whined.

(But why?)

“Smettila di comportati come un bambino!” I groaned.

(Stop acting like a baby!)

“Lo puoi avere dopo.”

(You can have him afterwards.)

“Promise?” He sounded like a real baby.

“I do not make promises.” I said in a flat tone.

“Sì, bosssss.”

(Yes,)

He dragged the last word intentionally. I could almost see him mock saluting me from the screen.

Suddenly a bullet hit the mirror of my car and I moved the car aside, nearly missing the next bullet which hit the window glass.

“What was that?” Damien asked from the phone.

“Nothing. Just some motherfuckers learning how to shoot.” I said, keeping an eye on the mirror, and one on the road ahead.

“Vuoi che venga lì?” He asked, his voice all serious. Not a drop of sarcasm any more.

(Do you want me to come there?)

“Are you serious? Sono pienamente in grado di proteggermi.” I barked at him.

(I am fully capable of protecting myself.)

“Ok, ok. No need to be a pussy.” The bastard laughed.

“Vaffanculo!” I cursed out and cut the call before he could come up with a more sarcastic reply and concentrated on the car behind me.

(Fuck you!)

I took out my ring again.

They were shooting frequently by then, so I rolled down the window of my car, and shot one of their men whose head was out of the window. Then two more.

After ten minutes of this shit show when they were less in man power, they sped up their car and rushed past me.

I was not going to have that. I followed them some more. They took a wrong u-turn and I did too. They almost collided with a car before them while trying to escape me. Almost. But the driver of the car managed the definite collision at the last moment.

Their car picked up speed again. Seeing this I sped up too. In this mad chase I did not see the driver had stopped the car in the middle of the road, which almost got hit by theirs.

When I noticed the car, it was too late. It was inches away from me. I pulled the break, successfully stopping the car and got hit on the forehead doing this. But this time the ‘almost’ did not happen and our cars crashed into each other.

I yelled at the driver to move his car. No one answered at first. When I yelled some more, he came out.

Rather, a she.

The driver was a girl. A very irritating one at that.

She quarreled with me then got panicked seeing my wound and offered to help me. When I refused she started explaining pros and cons of the situation and why I should take her help.

I mean really? Is she the twenty first century’s Mother Theresa or Florence Nightingale?

And more than that I did not even fucking know her. Why would she think that I would take her help?

Who goes around the streets of NYC helping strangers at this hour?

This city is already dangerous in daylight as it is.

“Fottuti stronzi!” I cursed at no one in particular when she seemed not to stop her insisting.

(Fucking assholes!)

Finally I accepted her help and got out of the car. The cut on my arm really needed some care right there. So why not? Any way the fuckers had fled by then.

Even if she looked harmless I could not take any risk. So I scared her a bit before she started with my wound.

She treated my arm very carefully then asked about my forehead. I knew she would not stop until I let her treat that too. So, I submitted. Though that is against my nature. Out of my character.

But it was better than her whining, no?

Her height was making it difficult for her to reach my forehead so I pushed her up against my body to help her. But the way her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, goosebumps coating her soft skin, made my muscles clench. And not just from the pain of my wounds.

Cazzo! That was just a touch.

(Fuck!)

When she finished her work and I got her down, she all but ran to her car.

As if I would have gulped her whole.

I am not that terrifying.

Okay. Maybe I am.

My car did not start so I had to call that fucker Damien to pick me up from here. I saw the girl getting out of her car too. She silently came and stood beside me. Which was a very tough task for her. Staying silent. This I know because I am a great judge of humans. No one can hide anything from my scrutinizing eyes.

We talked for a while. More like she talked and I listened.

Then Damien arrived and I got in the car but it did not feel good to leave the girl stranded on the road at night alone who helped me without asking. I offered her a ride. She denied at first but then something seemed to snap in her and she agreed.

When I asked her address I was shocked.

A fucking university student?

For a little girl she is really brave to stand up against men like me. When I threatened her she still did not back down. She was so hell bent on treating me. Not all girls are like her.

Damien started teasing her which irritated me more. My headache was getting worse. I promised her to return her car safely and closed my eyes for a while.

Then this girl. I swear, she can not keep her mouth shut for a second.

She started poking me to wake me up. But the moment she said she ‘needed’ me I was wide awake.

Why would she need me so fast? Girls are very shameless sometimes.

But it was her purse that she needed. So I relaxed, told her I would send that back to her with her car and she thanked me.

I did not answer and leaned back on my seat. Not out of rudeness. But because I had never done it before.

And that is how this girl, this weird girl, whose name I do not know has ended up in the car with me.

She looks out of the window when I do not reply her.

Fine with me.

I start going through my emails.