Vengeful Lies

I followed, not because I wanted to but because my life literally hinges on it.

I need to learn more about Eli and his family if I intend to get myself out of this situation. That, and I figured it didn’t hurt to blow off some steam, assuming Eli wasn’t lying about there being some kind of gunplay. That usually brings my twitchy nerves to a standstill.

I also know tonight is when he usually conducts business at Lucy’s, which might give me time to slip into his mansion and see if I can find my guns. He’s hiding them somewhere, and that seems like a good place to start searching. Tonight would also usually be when he’d go and pay his fuck buddy a visit, who I can assume isn’t happy about the ring on my finger and the bold declaration he made last night.noveldrama

Then again, he’s a man with needs, and I’m hellbent on ensuring I’m not the one taking care of them.

Our car ride is filled mostly with him providing me with his likes and dislikes. And I answer some in return, as long as it’s something that doesn’t go too deep. The questions that feel too personal, I just don’t answer.

Without warning or context, Eli pulls over to a seafood restaurant on the wharf. It’s the only one here, and at five in the evening, it still seems closed. Only a few cars are parked outside, which most likely belong to employees. I immediately get the sense this isn’t an ordinary restaurant.

Eli leans over and puts his hand between my legs with an arrogant smile. I don’t even flinch as he pulls a small bag out from beneath my seat. When he unzips it, I see an array of guns and knives inside.

Well, fuck me. I wish I knew that was under my seat this entire time because I might’ve blown his brains out on the way here, especially for that arrogant smile he’s sporting as if knowing my train of thought.

“Take this, and don’t be too tempted to use it on me, Kitten. Be prepared for my family to hunt you down and kill you if you do. And trust me, they will find you no matter where you are.” He hands me a gun, and I slip it into the waistband of my jeans. I purposefully didn’t wear my leather, now that I know how much he appreciates the view. I couldn’t come entirely willingly. “Besides, the moment you turn against me during our little treaty, I will destroy your guns.”

“You can’t do that if you’re dead,” I remind him. It’s as if this fucker keeps forgetting that I’ve been hired to kill him. However, I can’t say I won’t hesitate when the order to take him out finally comes… just because I really need my guns back.

“Ah, but I can. I’ve ordered the twins to take care of it if something happens to me,” he says as we step out of the car.

“Of course, you have,” I say with an eye roll. He circles the car and stands in front of me, squeezing my cheeks in his hands.

“Roll your eyes at me one more fucking time, and I will spank you,” he warns.

“Keep touching me without permission, and I’ll make sure to put laxatives in your drink next time,” I bite back, though it’s barely understandable because of how hard he’s squeezing my cheeks. He kicks up a smile.

“This might get a bit crazy, dear. Consider this your first wifey trial.” He releases my cheeks, and before I can reply with a smart-ass remark, I notice the shift in his demeanor. Any type of playfulness is gone, and the monster has come to the surface.

Okay, we are on some serious mafia business shit.

He strides toward the restaurant, and I follow, not entirely sure what to expect. Are we just here to scare some people? Trade some things? Anything is possible with Eli Monti.

A bulky man, who is definitely not a host, opens the door for us. It’s clear he’s some kind of security guard, and as I do a sweep of the room, there is no doubt in my mind that we’ve just walked into some kind of thug den. However, it is an actual restaurant. Smoke assaults my nostrils, and when I look back at our only means of escape, I realize the windows are blacked out. That explains why you can’t see in.

Eli walks straight up to the three large men sitting at a table playing poker. I trail six steps behind him, and the slight buzz of adrenaline fills me.

I hate to admit it, but Eli knows how to woo a woman.

The thrill of not knowing what we’re about to get ourselves into drives excitement and anticipation into me hard, and I beg for there to be some kind of action. Some sort of release from the mundane life I’ve become stagnant in over the last month. Well, until a certain mafia heir made it his mission to turn my world upside down.

The men playing cards look up at him, and then, just as quickly, they dismiss him, as if he isn’t one of the most powerful men in the city. From everything I’ve gathered from watching him, he is just as deadly as his father. But from the way they’re treating him, it’s as if they aren’t pleased he’s here instead of his father, and I have an acute sense that it has something to do with his age.

These men look well into their sixties.

“Boy, why did you come?” One of them finally addresses him, still with a lack of respect for not meeting his gaze. The old man brings a glass of golden liquid to his lips as he studies his hand of cards.

“Well, Dee, you owe money, and you’re overdue,” Eli replies.

The man named Dee huffs out a puff of smoke before putting his cigar out and finally turns to Eli.

“You’ve been coming in here for years, doing your daddy’s dirty work. And I pay, do I not?”

“You do, but you always push your limits. And, frankly, Dee, the only reason I haven’t put a bullet in your head yet is because my father asked that I don’t. But I want to make something very clear; he isn’t in charge right now.”

Dee seems amused by this as he snorts a chuckle. “What, have you hit puberty or something, boy?” Dee clicks his fingers, and two men—clearly not chefs—come out from the kitchen on the right and advance toward Eli. The two security guys who were hovering around the door move in on us from behind.

Adrenaline comes in short bursts as my heartbeat picks up speed. Holy shit, we might have a fight on our hands after all. There is a different thrill to close combat. I prefer long distance because it ensures my safety while providing the same level of satisfaction in killing someone at close range. But close-up evokes an entirely different type of high. Because my life is on the line. I wish I wasn’t into it, but it’s when I feel most alive.

“I don’t take kindly to threats in my own home,” Dee explains as his men advance on us.

Now, the other two men at the table finally give us their attention, but they don’t seem concerned, just curious about the scene currently unfolding.

The mistake the security guys make, however, is only targeting Eli. Only one them even spared me a glance, dismissing me just as quickly. It’s always the same; men don’t take me as a serious threat until it’s too late. One of the men who walked out of the kitchen raises his gun to point at Eli’s head.

“Perhaps there needs to be a change in the Monti hierarchy if you’re next in line. You need to show your elders respect. I should kill you where you stand,” Dee says casually, as if he’s offering some kind of great insight.

“But then you would make my fiancée very mad,” Eli replies, and it’s then they seem to actually take notice of me. Dee’s eyebrows dip in puzzlement, probably because of my sudden introduction and how irrelevant he most likely finds it. Again, he might find out too late his mistake of overlooking me.

“Sorry, you picked a dead man walking, sweetheart. We’ll be sure to bury you together.”

Eli looks over his shoulder at me expectantly, seemingly unfazed, with the gun to his head.

“Fucking hell, do I really have to join in?” I ask exasperatedly. I’m not above being involved with mafia business, but my father would be rolling in his grave with what’s about to happen. And, as usual, there’s always a risk to my life. That’s why my heart is pounding in my chest, and my breathing deepens as the tingles begin to shift over my body.

Target. Target. Target.

“You want your guns, don’t you?” Eli asks, smiling.

I want many things. My guns, especially. But right now, I want to walk out of here alive. My body ignites with the killer instinct that my mother always disapproved of. The part of me that I was told was unnatural and vulgar. That society would frown upon. My father encouraged it, though he tried to direct it in a military fashion. Maybe I was a disappointment to both of them. And yet, this man is coaxing it out so effortlessly. It brings a sadistic smile to my face that I don’t entirely understand. I finally look back to the man in charge.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Dee, but unfortunately, I still have use for my fiancé.” His forehead furrows in confusion before I lift my gun, and chaos explodes.