Chapter 9: Alek Russo

It's fun to play with fire until it touches your skin.

And burns.

The first few lessons my father ever taught me growing up was to hold on to hatred and turn it into something else.

And that's exactly what I'm fucking doing.

As I lead Mae Kazimi down the staircase to the basement, I can't help but wonder what she's thinking. Is she scared? Does she want to run?

What I don't understand is why my father would appoint a random girl like Mae as my partner in finding the mole. She has had zero connections with the mafia until now, unless you count that day my brother died three years ago.

I hear her exhale loudly behind me and I can't help but say, "Scared?"

"You wish."

I smile in the darkness, each step bringing us closer and closer to the men locked up in the cells below.

I stop before a locked door, a key in my hands. It's so silent that I can hear her breathing behind me, standing so close to my body and all I can think about is her finger on the trigger. And suddenly I want to rip my gun out and press it to her head.

Instead, I swing the door open and walk in first, flicking the low yellow light bulb in the center of the ceiling above on. It flickers once, then twice, before lighting up the entire room with it's pale light and the man sitting in the center of the room tied to a chair begins to look up, blinking at the brightness.

Good. He's awake.

"Mae, meet an acquaintance of mine, Roberto," I say, slipping the key into my pocket and cracking my knuckles. "He's the one who invited our little correspondent to his so-called 'friends only' party."

"Hm," is her response.

I flick my eyes up to look at her from where I stand behind Roberto, waiting. Her brown eyes travel down the length of the man's body as if in taking in his wounds before her eyes land on his face. I wait, watching her.

A mistake.

Her beautiful brown skin glows in the yellow light and she looks like she is glowing.

A fire goddess.

She shakes black hair out of her face, crossing her arms over her black top. I shamelessly rake my eyes down to her black pants and leather boots, eyes wavering ever so slightly on her legs before flicking them back up to meet her steely eyes.

She caught me looking.

I shoot her a smirk, placing my hands on the back of Roberto's chair, watching in satisfaction as he flinches.

"Some important things to remember when you're torturing someone," I say, walking towards a table in the corner that is laden with a few blades and other things. "Number one, eye contact."

Mae is silent. I want to laugh. My father has made a mistake sending me to an inexperienced little girl who has probably never tortured anyone let alone watched them bleed out by her own hands.

"Number two, technique matters," I pick up a long thin knife, and weigh it in my hands.

Silence except for Roberto's heavy breathing.

"And number three," I turn around to Mae, making my way towards her, "Make it hurt."

She swallows thickly, taking a step back towards the wall and I fight back a laugh.

Pathetic.

"Repeat," I order.

"Eye contact," she obeys, and I use my index finger to lift her chin until her eyes are meeting mine.

I raise my eyebrows, waiting for her to continue, dropping my hand.

"Technique matters," she licks her lips.

"Hm."

".....And….and make sure it hurts."

"Good girl," the words slip out of my mouth before I can help myself.

Mae's eyes darken as she stares into my eyes.

Anger so hot pierces through me and I blink. What the hell am I doing?

I turn around abruptly, and make my way towards Roberto. I grab his face, angling it up towards me and snarl, "Speak."

"Alek, I swear- I swear, it's not my fault-"

I look him into his eyes, just like my father taught me when I was ten. I still remember the day he dragged me to the basement and handed me the very same thin knife I hold in my hands now.

"Come here," he'd told me with a glint in his eyes.

I still remember the night and it flashes through my mind as I drive the blade down Roberto's chest. The skin splits as easily as paper and he lets out a shout. I am so angry I see red and I find satisfaction in his pain.

How I wish it was Mae I was running my blade through.

"Did someone put you up to this or did you come up with this grand idea yourself?" I ask as calmly as I can.

Roberto shakes his head, over and over, "Alek, please, you know me! I would never betray you-"

"Answer!" I yell, gripping his jaw so hard that I fear I might break it.

But at this moment, I don't care.

Mae fucking Kazimi stands behind me, the very person who held a gun, pointed it at my brother Matteo and pressed the fucking trigger.

Without a blink of an eye.

And for what? What the hell had she been doing there that day? What did she have against me and my brother?

I hadn't even met her until that day.

"Alek…" Mae whispers, standing across from me and behind Roberto. "I think-"

"Stop thinking," I snap.

She narrows her eyes at me, "Yeah well if you thought then you'd realize that this isn't going to work!"

"Oh? And you know this how?"

"Look at him," she waves her arms. "He's half drunk on God knows what and delirious. What do you think you're going to get out of him?"

She was right of course, but there was no way in hell was I going to say this outloud. Instead, I took a step back and flipped the knife in my hands so I held the handle out to Mae.

"Why don't you get the answers out of him then?"

Silence.

Mae looked at the blade as if it was going to devour her. Her lips twitch and suddenly, to my surprise, a slow smile erupts on her face.

"I thought you were never going to ask," she grins, taking the knife from my hands and flipping it in the air, a picture of perfect calmness.

I frown.

She turns to Roberto, leaning close to his face, knife angled down towards….towards….my eyes widen slightly.

"Listen here, Roberto mio caro amico (my dear friend), you're going to tell me who you're working with or this nice blade here," she shakes the knife in her hands, "is going to go straight through your manhood and chop it right off."

Roberto's eyes widen to large saucers and he leans back, saliva dripping down his mouth as he tries to comprehend what the hell is happening.

"P-p-please, w-wait!" He cries, tears dripping down his cheeks. "Please! Wait, wait let me think! P-please!"

"You hear that?" Mae says without turning to me. "He needs a little time to think."

"Hurry it up, Kazimi." I reply. I have don't have energy to say anything else.

"You have five seconds," Mae says cheerfully.

I cross my arms over my chest.

"Five," she sings. "Four, three….two….one…."

"I remember!" Roberto cries, shaking so violently he probably pissed himself. "I-I remember, wait!"

"Spit it out then," Mae says.

Roberto turns to me, eyes wide and face red, "It was her. The woman!"

I still, "Who?"

"Your….your mother! She was there, she asked!"

"My….excuse me?"

"S-s-sorry, I meant step, the step one! The step Alek! She threatened me-" he begins to sob, head bent. "She threatened me, Alek, please believe me…."

I stand frozen in place, hands dropped to my side. Mae sighs loudly and turns to me, brown eyes searching my face.

But I'm too busy trying to rake my mind.

Step-mother?

"Alek-"

"Shut it," I snap, making Mae grit her teeth.

I don't care. I don't care. I don't care about anything right now as blood rushes to my head and all I can hear is a loud roar in my ears.

The mole is my step-mother?