Chapter 1: Bloody Monday

Sole Port, 8:46 pm

A single lit cigarette was shown at the far end of the pier when Marcus' radio tuned in. Signaling everyone to be in position. He sucked in his last cigarette before stomping on it and went to his position. 

Marcus knew something was about to go down tonight and they were three steps ahead of this entrapment which made his anxiety go away. He was wearing a bulletproof vest provided by the department and he had developed a habit of wearing one wherever he went. 

"If tonight's operation is a success, you owe me BBQ, boss," his junior officer remarked as they walked down to one of the piled trailers. 

"Just come out alive…" 

And in a split second, Marcus' world changed. Shots were fired from left to right and unluckily hitting his favorite junior on the thighs making him screamed like a fucked donkey. 

"Boss, I'm hit!" 

"Fuck! Find where the shots are coming from! Hold fire! I said hold fire!" Marcus was shouting as hard as he could when the man he was dragging was finally shot in the head which automatically killed him. 

"James!!!!" Marcus wanted to drive towards James but was pulled back by a strange man. 

"Dude, what the fuck?!" 

There I was holding this prick's coat and preventing him from killing himself from the crossfire. 

"Dominic fucking Rossi," this little fucker muttered. "You'll pay for this!" and tackled me right after I saved him from the crossfire, ungrateful bastard. 

This strange officer drew his weapon in front of my face with a right angle to give me a very ugly death. I put up both of my arms in surrender when the guards who were originally with me started to fire shots not just warning but intentionally wanting to kill me in the process. 

"Dock!" He shouted and it was his turn to save me. 

Ahh, so this was Anthony's plan, killing three birds in one goddamn it shot. That asshole will pay!

"Let's work together," 

"Dream on!" 

We both ran in the same direction as he was giving me a distasteful look, we somehow survived the crossfire except for the fake transaction I planned three months ago. Ian should be long dead now.

"Why are your people trying to kill you? Don't you Rossi family live by code, do you?"

I gave him a lousy smirk as I was trying to stop myself from bleeding to death,

"Code? You give code to the newcomer, that's my father's crazy conscience." I gasped out as the adrenaline was wearing off and I was hit - badly hit. "Fuck, you may need a new leather seat after tonight."

I reached for my phone in my side pocket and dialed my assistant's number, 

"Put a straight face and deal with the transaction. As we thought, Anthony finally wore his wolf skin, pretend I was gone and it's time to flush out the traitors in the family." 

[Yes, boss.]

"If you won't hear anything from me in three days, use GPS"

[...]

Richard was one of my most trusted confidants in the family, even if the world betrays me he would never. I could hear the expression on his face and his stoic demeanor was about to break. 

"Congratulations, boss." 

- three months ago - 

"Did the mouse bite the bait?" I strutted to my study as Richard stood at my desk with the files in his hands. 

"Swallowed and did not chew." 

"Good, proceed to step 2. These greedy old geezers should be flushed out in the family immediately." 

"Understood, sir."

Richard walked out of the study leaving behind the files in his hand, three years ago before I took over the control of the family from my father a so-called distant cousin thrice removed from the family came back to the mansion demanding a position as the rightful heir. 

After a long debate with the council, my father and grandfather decided to take him in as repayment for the debt the Rossi owed him. That debt was not explained by my father as it was complicated as it was in the 80s and to walk down memory lane would only hurt our grandfather. 

The family welcomed the bastard back into the mansion and all operations under his jurisdiction had been cruel and controversial. Hungry for power, he slowly took malice and even recruited dangerous people on his side. 

- - - 

As the current head of the family, I had every evidence of his crimes piling on my desk like crazy until he bit down a trap I set only for him. But that bastard learned his lesson the last time and double-crossed me this time. 

The plan was to set him up and make sure all of his crimes were accounted for, I made the deal with the Valla family a priority and set traps for Antonio to be lured in. The signing of the deal was three nights ago and the exchange was set for tonight, Monday, but it was never in Porta Sole. 

Richard took the assignment and set another transaction under the pretense of the Valla family to a local arms broker, Ian. Antonio thought he won this match but he always was three steps behind. I had foreseen he'd use one or two tricks but I never thought he would tip off the police, he was getting smarter each game. 

"Who called you?" I asked the man driving his car away from the scene 

"You."

"Me?" I guffawed loudly and the blood began to squirt uncontrollably. "Why would I do that?"

"I even spoke to you on the phone." 

"Do I sound like it? Do I really need to betray my family for a small-time arms dealer? Are you stupid?!"

The officer hit the brakes harshly in the middle of the road as the realization started to load in his brain and his blood drained from his face, 

"I don't know who set you up but that's definitely not me. This whole fiasco is not me." 

"No! The Rossi and Valla will have their exchange tonight!"

Ah, I finally knew who set this entrapment and who would gain benefits, Antonio Rossi. I laughed with my bleeding wound and figured out what his game was. He knew about the transaction and it was done three nights before tonight. 

I sent Richard away from Porta Sole to finish the deal which went down tonight. Antonio did not know about that plan instead he thought the deal would be done on the pier of Sole Port - little he did know it was a small-time arms dealer, Ian. 

Calling the police and tipping them off was a new move, that idiot was learning the mafia way. I clenched my fist, gritted my teeth, and asked;

"Who's your commanding officer?"

"I am the commanding officer."

"Captain? Lieutenant?" he gave me a dirty look and chose his silence, "Someone in my family is working with someone in your department." 

"He, James, Officer James Flores was a newly appointed officer in my department. He was a promising enforcer." 

"He was. Watch your back, someone's after your position."

At the next stop light, I jumped out of his car and walked to safety to the nearest gas station. I managed to drag my feet for a few more steps before losing consciousness. 

***

If God was to take my life now, what memories would I leave the people around me? Was it good or was it just pain? I was born to a mafia family, not just an ordinary mafia family, but the Rossi Crime Family. When my grandfather took over the family the illegal dealings were cut down to half, cleaned the family name from drugs and human trafficking, and even shook hands with the government to enforce peace in Porta Sole. 

The family struggled to survive in his reign but my father was a visionary - all of his business ventures soared Rossi Enterprises to its glory. There was the golden age of Rossi as clubs, entertainment, and hotels were under our control - even the pier was ours. 

Our glory, our vision, and our dream of a peaceful living were crushed into pieces when I was 14, my mom was assassinated by a jealous rival, Viktor Ivanov. It almost drove my father crazy and the fall of the family was plotted. 

By the age of 16, we were in red, many of the family members decided to take out the enterprise from my father's control and divided his managerial rights into three. 

The three divisions were created as a contingency plan by my grandfather, he even gave it a fancy name Tiger, Bear, and Whale. Tiger was given to my father as he was still the head of the family. Bear was given to my second uncle who holds the entertainment and clubs but it was a front created by the family to secure enough money in our pockets during trying times. And lastly, the Whale, my grandfather's trusted aide supervises the division, they deal with the illicit businesses recorded under the Rossi family. 

Seeing the division worked and pushed my father from his golden position he began to strike back - hard when he knew Viktor's next move was in the real estate business. Before Viktor's name boomed in the industry, my father took the lead and flushed him out at every opportunity he got. 

Enraging not only Viktor but also my grandfather, my father built a steady foundation in the real estate business and finally rebuilt Rossi Enterprises. 

Out of red when I turned 18, he selfishly sent me abroad to study and build my domain, I was called back four years ago and now I dealt with every little request the family had for me. 

I died at the age of 30, it was like a paradoxical death, I lived the best possible life but not so. I was given the resources, money, and power I needed but it was not the same thing I always wanted. I just wanted a cafe and book to read not a whole family on my shoulders. 

That seemed a boring life, didn't it not?

"You're awake?" 

"God?" I weakly asked with my hoarse throat got in the way.

"I'm sure God was a man."

It took 3 seconds before I could finally open my eyes and look at the white ceilings of an apartment, 

"This is heaven, isn't it?"

"Hmmm, try again."

"It couldn't be hell, could it?"

All of a sudden a pillow came flying down in my direction hitting my head in the bull's eye, 

"Fuck!" 

"Great, you're all well and energetic. News flash, you are not dead yet. And in case you are wondering, you'll surely go to hell with all the bodies you killed and the crimes you and your fam—" 

There was an awkward silence between me and her and my "secret" cousin across the living room. I looked around it was a woman's flat with nothing much in it. There was a mess in my beside and an extracted bullet on a silver tray. 

My hunch was I was saved by her and my munching cousin would be a plus but not really wanting to get involved in the situation. 

I took a quick sweep across the room and she was there hands crossed her chest and her eyebrows misaligned; 

"Who are you people?"

"My name is Emily, and this is Isa my best friend." 

Oh, the infamous Isabelle Harper, Em mentioned her a couple of times whenever I visited them but since Em's connection with the Rossi family was a top secret I had to pretend not to know them at all. 

"Dom, Dominic Rossi," I uttered when my wound started to bleed again.

"Don't move just yet, your body is still recovering from the wounds you received from whatever you were doing last Monday."

"What do you mean?"

"You were shot critically in the abdomen, luckily it did not damage any of your vital organs and you can still abuse your body, but you had too many wounds and I had to stitch a few. But to cut the story short, you were in bed for 4 days and we nursed you back to health." Isa explained. 

"Are you a doctor?"

"She's a nurse, got at it, she called you "Baghdad"."

"Whenever we receive a GSW case in the ER we call it Baghdad. Em thought you were in danger so we chose not to bring you to the hospital, are the Rossi family fighting?"

I saw Em's concerned look across the living room and I too was not fully aware of the situation and tension back in the mansion. 

"When we found you, you had no phone just your watch, here." 

"Fuck. I have to go!"

As I was about to stand, Isa immediately dragged me back to bed, her stern beautiful face and hazel eyes commanding me to lay back or else. 

"I don't care what will happen to me but you can't move yet! I tried my hardest to save you from the death's door I won't let you ruin all my efforts!"

I looked at her determined face, her fists were clenched as if she was both scared and determined, I was the Dominic Rossi after all. My aura exuded intimidation and most people especially women had the hardest to get along with me. 

With Isa standing before me, I could not do anything but sit on the bed and wait for her to speak, she noticed my bandage had become crimson red she immediately grabbed her first aid box and changed my dressing. 

"Twice."

She looked in my direction as she finished placing a tape over the gauze, 

"Twice, what?"

"You were the second person to help me calm down."

"Who's the first, your mom?"

My mom, ahh, she had become a very distant memory now. 

"No, my mom was not an angel after all." 

She was about to apologize when Em walked over to the bedroom with her phone handed to me. 

"Something bad happened," She muttered as she gave her phone to me. "Your grandfather is in the hospital."

Em's face was full of concern and she could not stop herself from blowing off the cover her mother painstakingly built for years! The reason why Aunt Erin left the family and used Carter instead of Rossi was a deal between her and grandfather, no one knew about why but she requested to be removed. 

"I need you to go see my assistant, Richard. I'll give you an address and he'll help out."

"Hell no!" Isabelle shouted and immediately dragged Emily away from him. "You are not going to get involved with their business and you stop dragging people inside your wretched world!" 

"But—"

"We saved him and that's enough their war is not ours to fight, Em. Be reasonable, Erin left you to me, you are my—"

"Okay, I had enough queer displays in front of me for the past six months and I am not witnessing this. Look, if Em, goes and meets with my assistant, I'll be out your way."

"No, if I do meet with him and get followed we're all dead."

I looked at the two of them negotiating on what to do next when they both looked at me, with an idea - foolproof (maybe)! 

Plan A was to check my grandfather's connection with Isa's job - nurse. Making sure everything was alright, she would notify Emily who would send a cryptic message to my assistant, Richard. 

"Are you sure this would work?" Emily asked.

"Well, if I'm not caught searching for a patient's record outside ER then I'm sure we're all fine. But if I am, well I could kiss my career goodbye."

When Isabelle left the apartment, Emily went back to finally have a conversation with me, 

"You fucker! You scared the shit out of me. When Isa called that he found a Rossi on the streets lying down, I thought all my fears had come to life, what's happening in the family?"

"A lot, but you don't need to worry, I can handle it."

She patted my shoulders and hugged me, despite the incognito status of Emily in the mansion, all of the key members knew exactly she was a young mistress of the Rossi family. Aunt Erin and my mom were close-knit until her death, she became my second mother and took care of me. 

"Hey, couz, you stink."

"Shut up, will you? I'm chained to the bed by your psychotic best friend."

"She's great, isn't she?"

"You chose well."

"Thanks,"

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheeks when Isabelle walked on us. With her eyes wide open, and my voice hoarse, I could not do anything and let Fate work on us.

"I'm sorry, I must have disturbed you."

"Fuck," 

And this day would even be worse. Fuck