Luciano
One thing I always hated about New York.
The fucking traffic.
Sicily had it’s faults, and a lot of it, but at least most people preferred public transportation or bicycles making the car rides around the island blissfully free of any excessive traffic. New York however, was the exact opposite.
It had always been so, even with the extensive subway system, billions of dollars spent on public transport and the thousands of helicopters the Wall Street billionaires flew to work everyday, the streets were still fucking clogged up.
I guess that’s what you get when you live in the biggest city in the world. Twenty million people, moving about, conducting their daily activities legal and illegal.
I still loved it, even with all New York’s problems it was still where I grew up, where I learned the ways of the underworld, where I lost my virginity, killed my first man and built my empire.
It was MY home, and nothing was going to take it away from me.
Reaching for my phone, I dialled Raven’s number, telling her not to wait up for me. I needed a few drinks tonight to calm my nerves. The meeting with my contacts at Brooklyn hadn’t gone too well, my exile in Sicily had pretty much left the empire in shambles, desperately in need of it’s boss, and while I was away, the entire thing had gone to hell.
She didn’t pick, even though it rang more than a couple of times. I tried the number again and again.
The same result, no answer.
Disturbed, I dialled the front desk of the hotel asking that someone went up to her room to check on her.
The reply came back, Raven Gonzalez had disappeared, nowhere to be found.
My heart pounding, my head turning, I swerved around. This couldn’t be true, this couldn’t be happening now.
My heart pounded in my chest as I weaved through the bustling streets of New York City. Desperation etched deeply into his features as he scanned the sidewalks, searching for a glimpse of Raven amidst the sea of faces. It was stupid, I know, trying to find her in this sea of faces, but I didn’t care, I was going to do it even if it meant looking at every single crevice of this fucking city.
I glanced at my phone, trying to unlock it and in the process, nearly knocking down a homeless man,
“Fucking moron,” he yelled after me as I zoomed away not caring. Dialling the number as quick as I could, it only rang a couple of times before the man at the other end picked it up.
“Hello boss?”
Pedro was one of my most trusted trackers, years of service in the Mexican cartels had turned him into an all seeing eye, if I wanted to find anyone in this city, no matter how good they were hidden, no matter how much they didn’t want to be found, he was the guy.
“Pedro, I need you on a job.”
“Boss, this isn’t such a good time I-”
“I don’t think you understand,” I growled, gritting my teeth as I swerved to avoid incoming traffic, “Drop whatever the he you are doing and help me track down this number.”
I called out Raven’s line to him and hearing the time of my voice, he thankfully understood I was in no mood for any argument.
“Immediately boss.” He said as I cut the call.
With each passing moment, My desperation intensified. He sped through the city, the sound of roaring engines and blaring sirens serving as a catalyst of his mounting fears. Every corner turned, every alley explored, held the possibility of finding Raven and seeking her forgiveness.
The thought of losing Raven tore at my very being, and I couldn’t bare it much longer.
Exhaustion settled into his bones, his eyes heavy with weariness. But I pressed on, my determination unyielding. I would find her, even if it meant traversing every inch of this vast metropolis.
Luckily that wasn’t necessary, I got a text from Pedro a few minutes later, a Google map pinpointing her exact location sent to me on a screenshot.
She was sitting apparently undisturbed in the park facing the University of Columbia, New York.
* * *
As I pulled into the park, I saw her, sitting there, exactly where Pedro had said she was, her back to me. Uttering a silent prayer of thanks to whatever higher power had led me to that guy and promising to myself that I would increase his bonus for that year, I strode up to her more relieved than annoyed, but annoyed all the same. She didn’t seem to notice me coming, obviously lost in whatever she was thinking about. Good, I wanted to surprise her at the very least.
Leaning, gritting my teeth, I whispered into her ear
“You know, Cara, you are the most annoying woman in the world.”
She jumped, turning around in shock, “Luciano!”
“Where the hell have you been? What do you think you are doing disappearing like that?”
“I am sorry,” she said her eyes tired. She was sorry, I could see it, but her eyes were also red and somewhat swollen.
She had been crying.
“Are you okay Cara?” I said, walking over to sit next to her.
She smiled sadly, shaking her head, “Yes Luciano, ignore the tears, I have just been a bit… stressed, lately.”
I leaned against the hard wood of the bench, watching as the kids milled in and out of the school, going about their businesses. I had never thought about college, not even once. The idea of wasting my time partying with sorority girls and learning some bullshit liberal arts major while there was money out there to be made and power to be grabbed never appealed to me. A few years after completing high school, I was already half way to the top of my family and didn’t look back once.
Next to me, I could see her staring at them, a different look on her face, one of longing.
She wanted to be there, she wanted to be one of them
I nudged her “You have that look in your eyes Raven.”
She snapped out of it, turning to look at me in surprise, as though she had forgotten I was there, “What look?”
“Really? Wanna play this game?”
“Can you go straight to the point? Please?”
I smiled, “Okay, I couldn’t help but notice something has been weighing on your mind lately. Care to share?”
She hesitated for a moment, as though she was thinking about denying it or lying, but the look on my face must have told her I already knew because she just sighed in surrender, “Luciano, I… I miss school. The routine, the friendships… sometimes, the normalcy feels like a distant dream.”
“You miss school?” I asked, my voice laced with mock surprise, “Is that what’s bothering you?”
She punched me lightly, looking hurt, “That’s not nice Luciano.”
“Okay, okay,” I chuckled, rubbing my arm, “I am listening, tell me what is on your mind.”
“I want a normal life Luciano,” She said, looking wistfully at them, “Or at least something resembling it.”
“And you think going back to college is going to give you that?”
She nodded, turning to look at me, her eyes meeting mine,. “Yes, but… I’m not sure if going back is the right move. Things have changed, priorities have shifted.”
I understood, priorities had indeed changed, for the both of us. I was glad she saw this like I did, it was going to make my request easier to digest.
I took a deep breath “Oh, really? Have you considered an alternative to school, my dear? Something far more enticing?”
She looked at me, the sad look on her face disappearing, replaced with suspicion, “What do you mean, Luciano? What alternative are you talking about?”
I leaned closer closer, my voice tinged with a newfound zeal “Imagine, Raven, ruling the underworld with me. Together, we would have power beyond imagination. No more school, no more mundane worries. Just us, guiding the shadows to our whims.”
The look of surprise on her face almost made me laugh.