Athena
Dead. I was dead.
My hands trembled as I leaned against my bedroom door, holding my breath. I wasn’t sure if I had been followed. But I had been caught. I was certain of that, Luciano must have sent someone after me.
“Fuck!” I whispered harshly trying to get my breathing under control. Breathe, Athena. He definitely didn’t see your face.
But it was only a matter of time! He had remained in power for over five years due to his meticulousness and ruthlessness. Luciano Moretti was the devil personified. My head replayed the scene I had witnessed moments ago. He had murdered that man in cold blood. Without remorse. Not even an ounce of it! I wasn’t a saint, but killing people was so fucking far off.
“He killed Dad that way!” I gasped, swallowing mouthfuls of air as it became increasingly hard to breathe. He had killed my father in the same way. I could imagine the agony on my father’s face as the molten hot iron burned deep into his skin. I could imagine him struggling, to breathe, to fight the pain, to live. And then with that dead coldness in his eyes, Luciano murdered him.
“I’ll kill him,” I growled, clenching my hands in a fist. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them away harshly. “I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll never forgive him for what he did to you!”
The rumble of a motorcycle engine could be heard not so far away. Yanking the hairpin I had stuck in my hair, I flipped out the hidden blade in it and clutched it. It was too late to call Frederick or Cole. And honestly, I didn’t want to. If I called Frederick, he would most likely want me to stall. He would want Luciano alive.
I laughed dryly. “I don’t fucking care. I had been caught and if I am going down, I would do so only after my quest for revenge was complete.” Only after I watch that bastard suffer through what my father had. Only if I made him bleed.
The motorcycle finally stopped in front of my door. My ears picked up his slow-approaching footsteps and I felt my heart pulse even faster. Breathe! Act fucking natural and if he does anything funny, a swipe to the carotid artery and bye-bye Luciano Moretti.
I sounded so sure in my head. So fucking confident. Yet as he drew closer, I couldn’t shake off the fear that gripped me. Frederick’s observation that I had become overconfident rang in my head and I felt like a fucking idiot.
Because I had thought I could handle it myself, I hadn’t called the FBI when I found the secret escape chamber. I should have. Hell, perhaps my life would not be in danger. But what I detested even more, was that the FBI would rob me of my revenge. And revenge was much more important to me.
A knock resounded on the door and I swallowed in anticipation. Slowly crawling away, I moved as rapidly as I could to my bathroom. At least I could trust that door better than any others in my own home.
“Raven!” He bellowed outside the door, pounding his fists into it rather heavily. “Raven! Open the fucking door!”
I paused, rising to my feet. He wasn’t referring to me as Athena. I was still Raven to him. That meant he hadn’t confirmed my true identity. That was… good? I suppose I would only know as soon as I could.
The door to the entrance gave in then Luciano’s constant knocking and pushing. This time, when he called from the living room. I heard him loud and clear.
“Raven!”
Taking deep breaths, I rolled my shoulders and walked out. Our eyes held as I stepped out of the bathroom. How could anyone look so evil, yet so innocent? It was beyond me. For a minute all we did was stare at each other. My eyes raked him from head to toe, trying to search for any sign that indicated he knew who I really was. Anything that showed me he was ready to end me.
His shoulders were stiff and he had a tense look on his face that showed he was holding back. My hands tightened around the hidden knife in my hands.
Take one more step, I dared him. Just one more and we’ll fucking end it here.
“What are you doing here, Raven?” He asked after a while, his breathing coming out evenly.
Keeping a straight gaze, I tilted my head at him. “It’s my house. Do I need permission to be here?”
Luciano arched his brow as if what I said surprised him and he chuckled. “Fair point. But I believe I have told you to stay with me for your safety.”
Right. As if I was safe with him. Who the hell did he think he was bullshitting? “I came to pick some clothes,”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And I guess the clothes are in the bathroom?”
Ah, shit. Think quickly, Athena.
“I was scared,” I said then, straightening my shoulders. “Before you came… a group of men had come banging on my door. Screaming like you did. I ran into the bathroom to hide.”
It was pathetic, but from Raven’s standpoint, it was most believable. I was supposed to be unaware that a gang was after Luciano. If I found a way to pin this on that gang, that would draw suspicion away from me. Pretty solid plan. I just needed Luciano to believe it or then we would have a problem on our hands.
“I’ll report to the police. Those men can’t keep threatening my life-”
I watched him close his eyes and nod. “Yes, they can’t. I’ll handle this okay? For now, you need to stay with me, Raven.” He replied.
My shoulders dropped in relief. He bought it! He bought the excuse.
Don’t relax, my mind cautioned. You almost got caught today. Worse things could happen if you aren’t careful.
“Come here,” Luciano ordered, stretching out his hand for me to take.
I faked a whimper, batted my eyelids a couple of times to squeeze out some tears then ran into his arms like a fool. I was safe, for now. But now that I had found that secret door, I was close to finding the evidence I needed.
Which meant I was a step closer to danger.
Fucking wonderful.
***
I spent the next few days that passed in fear. I had finally resumed my job as Luciano’s assistant and being close to the man whom I had seen kill someone so brutally gave me fucking chills.
To think that I had let him use those hands to touch me, I felt nauseous at the thought.
Luciano had grown distant from me. And personally, I was grateful for that. I needed to devise a plan and I didn’t need his presence fogging up my mind and clouding it with lust.
However, there was evidence that he still suspected me. He had posted people to watch me. Sure they weren’t so noticeable, but I had noticed. There was always a man following every single place I went to. Even more so, the secret room had been blocked. I had managed to slip in while he showered one time and was met with great disappointment. Luciano had blocked his secret escape. That meant he was either being too careful or I was being suspected.
I’d bet it was both.
I didn’t think that was the only route, however. Ever since that day I had spied on him, there had been an increase in murders caused by the Mafia. The insignia had been seen by no less than ten people in just one week! He was crazy!
Luciano was fucking crazy.
He left no age behind. Young, and old, men and women, they all died with the Mafia insignia on their chests. Thinking about it made me fucking sick to the core. While the bastard expanded his territory and crushed more people beneath his iron fists, I stayed with him and played house like a fool.
Oh, but it would end. I would have to find a way to end it.
“Thena?” Frederick’s voice came in a whisper through the earpods I wore.
“I can’t kill him yet, can I?” I asked, gripping the document in my hands tightly. I sat in my office, staring unseeingly at the papers before me, trying to align my thoughts.
“No, kiddo. You can’t,” he replied.
“Fine,” I muttered, slamming the paper on the table. I whipped for another and stared blankly at it. “Have you dug more on the Castello?”
“There’s little to no information, Kiddo. We have no idea who this Castello gang is.” He replied.
“We need to find them. They hold the key to ruining Luciano.”