Athena
I listened in for movement. Anything. A sound, a tiptoe, a scratch on the ground heck even breathing sounds. I got nothing.
That was weird. There was not a single soul in the entire penthouse. If that wasn’t weird, then I was crazy.
Okay, perhaps both could be true when you viewed them from another angle. I was crazy. Crazy to be placing my ear against the door trying to search out for anyone before I stepped out of my room. By Luciano’s orders, I shouldn’t be stepping anywhere. But who really gave a farthing what that asshat thought? Not me, that’s for sure.
My hand gripped the door handle, tilting it quietly so I could take a peek. Well shit, I was right. There wasn’t a soul at home. Where could they all have gone? Probably on some mafia affair.
“Dammit Athena! How didn’t you know this?!” I hissed at myself. I could have followed when they left. But considering the doctor had literally knocked me out with pills, I had been asleep.
The few times I had visited Luciano in his home before this, he had been the only one at home. However, ever since I had gotten attacked, men hung around the house in twos. I wasn’t sure if he had drawn them in for protection or to keep me away from finding out something.
After all, Cole had suggested he must have had a secret hideout or some shit like that. It had to be for that reason. I stood before my door, eyeing the door to Luciano’s room warily.
What if it was a trap? What if the men had gone to hide and waited for me to do something suspicious? That would mean that Luciano suspected me, didn’t he? But I doubted it. Luciano had ordered them never to leave me alone, if they weren’t here then he must have needed them somewhere else.
Bodyguards he had called them. I snorted at the memory. Bodyguards my ass. They belonged to his mafia shenanigans and were supposed to tail my ass everywhere. I wasn’t a dumbass. Flexing my shoulders, I walked straight and proud towards Luciano’s door. If it was a trap, I could easily lie and say I wanted to sleep in his bed instead. If I had to fake being besotted to Luciano just so I could end this damned mission, then I hell as hell would. I was done and tired of this mess anyway.
Gripping the door handle, I pushed at it, willing it to budge and no surprise there, it was locked.
“Of course,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes and fishing out my trusty hairpin. Picking locks was grade-three bullshit. After a few minutes of jiggling the pin, it turned out the lock before me was not a grade-three lock. It was much more complicated and would take more than bobby pins.
“That sucks,” I muttered, withdrawing from the door and eyeing the hallway. There really was no one at home. I had half expected someone to jump out of nowhere, tell me to raise my hands to the sky or he’ll lodge a bullet in my brain. It sounded like something Marcus would say.
Ah, Marcus.
The past few days had been filled with glares from his forest-green eyes. I barely saw him, Luciano made sure of that, keeping me holed up in that damned room. What was his problem anyway? One minute he couldn’t keep his hands off me, promising to show me heaven and bring me to ruin at the same time, the next minute, he had my ass tossed into another room and barely showed me any attention in the past two days.
Not like I was complaining.
I really wasn’t. I couldn’t give a fuck about who or what he paid attention to. I’d simply like to round up this mission and stay as far away from Luciano as possible. Him, six feet underground, and me, in China or something. Somewhere far far away, retired from this life, working as some old maid in a bar.
I was tired of it all. I had done my best for the country ever since I hit sixteen. I deserved a measure of peace as well. Waddling to the living room, I plopped myself on a sofa, staring at the large TV screen on the wall.
“When was the last time I saw a movie?” I whispered, staring at the dark blank screen. It had been forever. Sometime before I turned fifteen. Sometime before my father’s death. Perhaps I had watched it with a few of my classmates who I had let into my circle. I closed my eyes, racking my brain hard to remember who they were and what they looked like.
Nothing.
My life in the past five years had been so hectic, I couldn’t recall other people I had met before then. I glanced at the hallway, sighing wistfully.
“What now?” I asked, throwing my arms around. I couldn’t unlock Luciano’s door because it had a different mechanism behind it. I hadn’t seen him lock the door before. If I had, I could try to understand the mechanism and find a chink in it. Only then could I pick the lock.
Making a mental note to watch how Luciano opened and locked the damned door, I reached for the glass center table and grabbed the remote to the TV.
“A movie doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” I mumbled. “I’m bored as hell,”
Luciano must have watched the news last because that was what popped up on the screen when I turned the TV on. I had almost changed the channel when I heard the news reporter say “Shoot out,” and “Mafia”. The scene changed to an overhead view of a live shoot-out that took place on a highway just out of town. Due to the smoke and all that filled the air, it wasn’t easy for the helicopter to move closer to the scene, hence all we could see were tiny figures fighting on the road.
It couldn’t be… could it?
Quickly, I rose to my feet and moved to the TV screen. There were police vehicles in sight, but they weren’t interfering. It seemed they had no idea where to start from anyway. It had to be Luciano and his men. Peering harder, I narrowed my eyes on a man leading the defensive group.
Even with the smoke and all, I had an inkling I knew who it was. That would explain why there wasn’t a soul in the home. They had all gone to the shootout. “Crap!”
Eyes wide, I raced to my room, trying to fish out my phone. I had bullied Marcus into getting me a small burner phone just so I could contact Frederick that I was fine but for safety reasons however, he could not call me. Only I could. I dialed his number then, waiting impatiently as it rang.
“Oh thank Goodness, I thought you would never pick!” I snapped when he finally picked up the call.
“Someone sounds mighty impatient-”
“The proof is right there on the highway! The proof we’re looking for. Luciano’s in a shootout! Send someone in, get a few pictures and we can-”
“Kiddo, that was an hour ago.” Frederick cut me off, shocking me.
“What?!”
“The shootout happened an hour ago. I’m pretty sure it ended already. Only a few men were abandoned and we’re currently interrogating them. Unfortunately, none of them are from the Mafia. At least not Luciano’s gang.” He explained a sad note to his voice. “How are you just finding out about the shootout? Have you slacked, Athena?”
I shook my head at his grave tone of voice “I was knocked out. The doctor… it must have been Luciano’s instructions.”
“You know how to evade these things. I’d like to believe I had taught you well kiddo.” He countered.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling every bit fifteen and lost again. Frederick was fine as long as his expectations were met. He was kind and caring as a father could be. But when he was agitated or disappointed, he could never hide it. It showed in everything he did. His words, his actions, his face.
Fuck I was so glad I couldn’t see his face right now.
“Keep your head in the game, Kid. You can’t afford to relax when courting death.” He warned.
“Who are they then? If they do not belong to the mafia?” I asked, changing the uncomfortable subject.
“They haven’t talked. We have pried like bugs on a fucking sugar cube and nothing. I’d say we have less than two hours before their crew either try to save them or kill them.” He replied agitatedly.
“I’ll focus on finding who these new groups are. If my wager is correct, it would have to be the same person who tried to abduct me. Seems like Luciano knows who is behind the whole attack.” I explained.
“Do that,” he replied, and then as an afterthought, he added, “Be careful kid.”