CHAPTER ELEVEN

NICHOLAS

Nicholas rubs his eyes with his long fingers as he tries to focus on the file on his lap. He is trying so hard to concentrate but they have read almost two hundred files and still, they came up with nothing. The mafia man is amazed by how much documents there are regarding the war. After all, it only lasted a few months. As far as he can tell, however, a lot occurred during this short period of time.

"I am going to ask the maids to make so coffee." Lucas says before he gets off the floor and makes his way towards the kitchen.

It doesn't help that the files mention everything in great detail. Each day takes about three to four files. It almost feels like it is a diary. Nicholas lets out a long frustrated breath. He looks around his living room that is now covered with papers, sticky notes, highlighters, pens, and notebooks. It feels like he is back in high school again. The only difference is right now he is actually dedicated to the work he is doing.

Nicholas stares at Ignazio as he writes something down on his notebook; the Italian man seems to be lost in the words he is writing and the files he is reading. His legs are crossed beneath him as he leans into the table where he has been sitting for the past few hours.

On the couch to the left of Nicholas sits Ilya who is holding a file in his hands. The frown on his face tells his boss that what he is reading is total bullshit.

Nicholas's gaze drifts to the spot where his best friend was sitting just a few moments ago. Lucas is the one who has done the most work, the stack of files that he has gone through says as much. Thus, it is not a surprise that he needs some coffee.

Lastly, he glares at materials that are scattered before him on the floor opposite to Lucas. He sits right next to the fireplace, its flames tempting him to throw all that is on the floor into the fire. His fresh wound being this close to the heat definitely adds to his irritation.

"I don't get it! Why don't we have a digital version for all this shit?" Ilya mutters to himself.

"From now on, everything will be saved digitally." Nicholas replies bitterly.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want the next generation to curse you like we are cursing the previous one." Ignazio looks up from his work to give Nicholas a tired smirk. Nicholas smiles at his friend's attempt to lighten up the mood.

A couple minutes later, Lucas enters the room with a tray that has four mugs on it. Nicholas is not a big coffee drinker, but due to his fatigue he can't wait for his mouth to touch the mug.

"All the maids are asleep, so I made the coffee myself." He informs the other three men as he gives each a mug.

"I figured black would be the perfect choice given the work we still have to get done." Lucas returns to his spot on the floor. Silence consumes the air as everyone goes back to their task.

Suddenly, a phone ringing echoes through the room. Ignazio looks through the things around him before he finds his phone.

"Leona, what is so urgent you had to call me at this time of night?" Ignazio's annoyance can be detected in his voice.

Nicholas cannot hear what this Leona is saying but he can tell that she is crying. It takes seconds of the Italian's man to get on his feet and starts to pace and forth. He is becoming either restless or worried; Nicholas can't tell which one is it, maybe both.

"Is he alright?" Ignazio hears what the female says before he hastily looks at Nicholas with a terrified and angry expression.

"Alonso has been shot." Nicholas doesn't know how to feel, he only knows that he is bloodthirsty.

"Who did it?" the Brazilian mafia boss's voice is devoid of emotion.

"The Russians, who else?" Ignazio grabs his stuff and puts his shoes on.

"I don't get it. Why would Ivan go after Alonso or the Italian mafia at all." Lucas points out.

"Perhaps he learned about our friendship. I mean if he knows how close we are, the maybe he thought that getting rid of Alonso will get him a step closer to his revenge." Nicholas tries to

"How is he?" Lucas is the one who asks this time.

"He is okay, but it was close. His heart stopped at the operating table for a few seconds. Leora, Alonso's sister, says he should wake up in a few hours. They want me to go back; with Alonso being indisposed at the moment, Alberto cannot handle everything on his own." Ignazio seems guilty for having to leave.

"You are not going alone." Nicholas announces.

"Nick, you cannot leave your organization, not now. I will go and I will update you on things." Ignazio tries to reason.

"Ignazio, we are in this together. So, Lucas and I are coming with you. Ilya, I will send a few trusted men to help you go through the rest of the files. I want you to inform me of everything you find." Nicholas looks at Ilya who nods in understatement.

"Are you sure about this?" Ignazio seems unconvinced in the Brazilian man's plan.

"Alonso would have done the same for us." Lucas answers for his boss.

They land in Italy early in the morning, and arrived at the Italian mafia boss's house just in time for breakfast. Nicholas' heart suddenly starts to beat a little faster, as if it is warning him that something bad is to come. He stands before the giant front door contemplating whether he should trust his gut or just ignore it and go inside. He decides to choose the latter when he hears Ignazio calling his name.

"You know Nick; people usually stay in houses, not at their doorstep."

Ignazio leads them to the dining room where two women and Alberto are having their breakfast. Alberto gives a brotherly hug to both Lucas and his boss. Nicholas doesn't miss the fake smile he offers them which means, Alonso's condition must be really critical.

Ignazio introduces the men to Mila; Alberto' wife. Nicholas knew that the Italian man is married; he just never met his wife. The only think Nicholas fins distinctive about her is her long strawberry blonde hair.

Nicholas and Lucas are also introduced to Leora; Alonso's little sister. She is extremely beautiful especially with her choice to have her dark brown hair short; it ends a little over her shoulders. She has big light brown eyes and her eyebrows are thick. Nicholas takes a few moments to study her before he has to remind himself why he is here and what Alonso would do to him if he saw him looking at his sister like that.

"We came as soon as we heard." Nicholas clears his throat.

"Did he wake up yet?" Ignazio asks Alberto, but Leora is the one who answers.

"Not yet, but seeing as it was expected for him to go in a coma, the doctor says that it is nothing to worry about. He reckons it has to do with the amount of blood he lost." Nicholas takes notice of her sultry voice as well as the way she slowly moves closer to Ignazio until she is touching his arm.

"Well, the boys and I are going to see him." Ignazio pulls her hand away from his arm. Nicholas finds that both interesting and amusing.

His amusement and somewhat good mood get vaporized by two small arms wrapping around him so tightly. At first he has the urge to push the person away from him. But then, he hears the cries and immediately knows who they belong to.

He buries his nose in the person's hair desperately wanting his assumption to be wrong. But the smell of coconut shampoo and Argan oil tell him that it is indeed his sister.

His common sense and worrisome for her disappear as the only emotion he feels is anger, pure and utter anger. He harshly pushes Crystal away from him. Thus, she stumbles and almost fall if it isn't for Ignazio who catches her.

"Crystal, what are you doing here?" Ignazio asks her gently while she is still in his arms. That only makes Nicholas' ire rise.

"Stay out of this Ignazio; this is between me and my sister. Que diables are you doing here Crystal? And don't try to escape justifying yourself by your annoying childish behavior." He doesn't realize how much his words hurt his sister until he sees the hurt in her eyes. Nevertheless, he doesn't back down.

"She was with Alonso yesterday. If it wasn't for her he would've died." Alberto answers for her. It seems like the Italian man has more to say but Nicholas doesn't give him the chance to say it.

"What were you doing with him Crystal? I want the truth right now." The tears in her eyes convince him that she is submitting and that she will actually answer him. However, he is proven wrong when she grabs a kitchen knife from the table and stabs it into his arm.

He lets out a cry of pain as he pulls the knife out of his arm. But Crystal has other plans as she takes him off guard once again by grabbing the hand that holds the knife and drive it once again into his arm. She leans closer to him until he can practically feel the wrath radiating from her.

"Brother or not, if you ever talk to me like that again, I will do something way worse than this." She twists the knife that is inside his flesh for emphasis. During his little tantrum, he forgot that it is a horrible idea to get on his sister's bad side.

Looking into her eyes, he realizes that he has gone a little too far. He could have just calmly asked her and she would've told him everything he wants to know. Now, she will not telling him a thing even if he was on his deathbed. Sadly, he can't take back what he said.

He attempts to apologize, but Crystal twists the knife one last time before pulling it out of her brother's arm. She pulls away from him and looks around at the people in the room, all whom are staring at her with wide eyes. Crystal gives them all a cold glare before she makes her way out of the dining room.

Ignazio attempts to follow her, but Lucas grabs his shoulder stopping him. After all, Lucas is the only other person in this house who knows the extension of Crystal's craziness.

"Don't. You could end up with a knife through your eye." Lucas' voice indicates that he is very serious.

"You need to get that stitched." Leora says pointing at his bleeding arm. He looks down on it and a frown consumes his features; she harmed his right arm. Therefore, it will really hard to so some simple tasks for the next few weeks such as: writing, showering, even eating.

Nicholas knows that he has no right to be mad for what Crystal did to him. He lashed out on her when she obviously needed his comfort. She practically asked him to make things better and he made things worse.

"Wait, what is she doing?" Mila speaks for the first time as she points at the window. For some reason Nicholas finds her voice really vexatious.

Nonetheless, he looks outside the window to see his insane sister walk towards Alonso's car with a deadly look on her face. Why she chose that particular car from the three cars parked in the front porch, he doesn't know. He hardly knew why Crystal did anything.

It takes Nicholas some time to notice the shovel in her hands. Immediately, he knows what she is up too. But he isn't going to try and stop her, certainly not when she is holding a shovel that could knock him out cold.

"So, Nick this is your infamous sister?" Alberto asks as he watches Crystal's movement. Nick only nods.

"Well, I have to say she is way crazier than Nazi described." Ignazio chuckles at Alberto's words.

"That is just a preview my friend." Nicholas smiles.

"You never know how deranged she is until you become one of her victim." Lucas warns.

"I second that." Ignazio pulls his right arm in the air.

"Why are you all acting like that? Her behavior is not amusing. She needs to be locked in an asylum. And Alberto why are you looking at her like that? I am your wife not her." Mila's annoying voice sounds like a cat being choked to death. Nicholas chooses to ignore her words, because he can't actually hurt his friend's wife.

All attention is drawn to the front porch as everyone hears a loud scream followed by glass being shattered. Every person in the dining room watches Crystal through the window as she smashes Alonso's car.

Nicholas believes that it is her scary screams that forbids anyone from going out there and stop her. It is better if she lets her anger on the car rather than on one of them. Lucas chuckles while looking at him.

"You know you are partially responsible for her becoming like this right?" Lucas smirks at Nicholas who is starting to feel a little light headed because of the bleeding. He doesn't believe he will pass out though. If he does, then it will be embarrassing; a mafia boss pass out from a wound in his arm. Nicholas shudders at the idea.

"You mean her personality or her current mood?"

"Both." Lucas answers causing Ignazio, Alberto, and Leora to burst out laughing.

"Okay, Nick come with me, you need to see a doctor. Knowing you sister, she won't stop until the car is nothing but junk." Ignazio drags Nicholas through the hallways until they reach Alonso's house.

"You are lucky Alonso needs a doctor here twenty four seven. Otherwise we would've had to drag you all the way to the compound." The Italian man informs him as he instructs him to sit on the couch opposite to Alonso's bed.

"I can handle a small cut, thank you very much." Nicholas' voice is a little weaker than he likes it to be.

"Your body language says otherwise." Ignazio smirks at him. As a result, Nicholas throws one of the pillows that are on the couch on him.

Ignazio leaves the room to call the doctor. While he waits, Nicholas stares at Alonso's unmoving body as he hears his steady heart beat through the monitor. He can't help but feel guilty for dragging his friend into this mess. If it weren't for him, Alonso wouldn't have been shot.

Nicholas stands in front of Crystal's bedroom door, or at least the room that was given to her for her stay in this house.

"Come on Crystal. Let me in please so we can talk about this." He begs her and slams his head into the door when all he is met with is silence. I has been two days since Nicholas arrived to Italy, two days of his little sister giving him the cold shoulder. She hasn't come out of her room not even to eat. He is extremely worried about her.

Others have been trying to knock some sense into her hoping she will actually abandon her cage and tell everyone what happened the day Alonso got shot, and how does she know him in the first place. Sadly, no one has been successful, which makes their job a lot harder. And the fact that Ilya hasn't found anything that can assist them in the Brazilian Mafia's archive. Same goes with Italian mafia's archives.

Nicholas hopes that Crystal was there in the wrong place at the wrong time. He can't even imagine his sister knowing about the mafia, he can't imagine bearing to see her bee a part of this life. Most importantly, he doesn't know where he will begin to justify himself. He knows for a fact that if this is the case, then it will take everything to get her to forgive him. A small part of him doubted she ever will, and that scares him to the core.