CHAPTER TWO

"Confirmed, boss," said the voice at the other end of the phone.

His heart skipped for a moment. He had found Vera Ivanov after a search that had gone on for about two months. She was skilled. He shouldn't have had any difficulty tracking her down. How did she manage to do it? He would have to find out after she completes the job.

"I'll meet you there," he replied, ending the call.

"Things fell off for her," he said as soon as he entered the disheveled room.

He looked around, her clothes and shoes were scattered all over the place. The least she could do was clean. He noticed the note on the table and picked it up. He was sure she would accept his offer when he read the content.

Settling on what seemed to be a chair, he checked his watch. It was 11:30 pm. She should be home soon.

"She's approaching boss," a guard informed him.

She walked right in and was about to run out, but he had been wise enough to guess that would be her first move. Someone of her kind would notice something was off as soon as she walked in.

The bodyguard he had placed outside pushed her back in. "Take a seat, Vera," he said in a low but commanding voice.

"VERA!" She had been found.

The shock was written all over her face. She wondered how she was found and who he was to know her name. She wanted to scream out for help, but that would be of no use. A hand would probably come over her mouth immediately. She knew exactly how these scenarios played out.

Vera was her abandoned name and identity. No ordinary person would know that information. She worked as an assassin for the Russian Mafia until she got framed that particular day.

* * *

Years ago…

All she had to do that very day was get into the office, take a clean shot and get out. The scene that graced her eyes was different from what she had planned. Who killed him? Who else was after him?

She had to report that to HQ immediately. Before she could get her cell, police sirens wailed everywhere suddenly, which was no issue for a professional like her, though.

As usual, she reached to work her wonders of neatly slipping away without getting caught. But, she was met with an unexplainable circumstance.

The lock on the back door which was her escape route had been replaced. She began to panic. The other doors were wide open, it was just this one.

Looking up, she noticed a CCTV camera staring right at her. Fuck!, She was being set up. Last time she checked, there were no cameras around there. Who would do that to her? The answer came almost immediately.

Valentin was walking in her direction with a mischievous smile on his face. He stopped a few steps away from her, at a distance, the camera couldn't cover.

"Don't tell me you're behind this." Vera was almost running mad. "I thought we were partners."

"I'm sorry, but there is no such thing as partners in this game. It's either me or you, and I chose myself." With that, he turned around and started to walk away.

She was confused, fighting with him wouldn't save her from this situation and for a second, it flashed through her mind that he was probably stronger.

She just had better skills. She was completely doomed unless she could find a way out of there. Luckily, she had a blueprint of the building with her. The only way she could escape was by climbing through the air vent as fast as she could.

As much as she hated the idea, at that point, she didn't have a choice. She could either escape or go to jail. She was out at last. Now all she had to do was run, far away from the Russian territory. Luck seemed to be on her side that very day.

Right before the mission, she had gotten tickets from her sister, inviting her to America. She needed to head to the airport and get on a flight to America right away before she became wanted. They were going to pin this on her. "Vera Ivanov" has been declared wanted.

She looked up to see her face all over the street TV. She was famous now. Her heart sank, she had been set up and framed.

* * *

Back to the present day…

"I do not know anyone who goes by that name," she said, feigning ignorance.

"Do I sense fear in Vera Ivanov?"

Oh no, he knew the full name, she thought to herself.

"Pardon my manners, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Luca Giordano."

A small cry escaped her lips as soon as she heard him say that name. The owner of the second-biggest business in America was right in front of her. That realization should have made her excited, but it didn't.

She was also facing the second-biggest Italian mafia lord, who was well known for his ruthlessness. Her target that night was an Italian.

The whole of Italy has never stopped looking for her. Was she sitting face to face with the nemesis her sister had always warned her about?

"I'm offering you a million dollars."

She had gotten more expensive offers which she turned down, and they were even easy jobs. One as dangerous as this, a billion dollars wouldn't even make her change her stance on it.

"For the head of one man," he continued.

She should have known such an offer came with a dangerous price.

"Lorenzo lizzo." There was a hint of anger in his voice as he said that.

She remained silent. He was starting to lose his patience. "Are you trying to get me killed," she said, finally speaking. "He's the head of the f*cking largest cartel in Italy. In as much as your offer is juicy enough, I'm sorry, but I do not have a death sentence."

"Oh, yes, you do." The reply came almost immediately. Luca was visibly angry.

He was terrible at concealing it. "Yes, you do," he repeated. "You either take this deal and end up with a million dollars or…"

"I might as well end up without a head on my body if I take this deal," Natasha said, interrupting him.

He lifted his finger and a guard moved towards her. But, he brought it down seconds before she received a big slap across the cheek. "Don't you dare interrupt me next time." His voice had changed. It reeked of supreme power, which she dared not disobey.

Natasha massaged the source of her discomfort, calming the sting on her flesh. "Touch me one more time, and you'll be leaving this apartment without fingers," she warned the guard.

Luca smiled within. She still had it in her. The instinct of a killer.

"You either take this deal and end up with a million dollars in your pocket. Or, you lose your freedom and go to jail, Vera Ivanov." There was a strong emphasis on the name as he pronounced it.

She noticed he was trying to instill fear into her. "I'm sorry, but I can't take any of the options. I retired."

"I wonder who wouldn't want to kill the one who framed her," he said, expecting her to be shaken as she heard those words. But, she didn't even move a muscle.

He was surprised at her composure. The rumors were true. She was good. "I know who framed me. It was Valentin. He was no longer interested in the partnership." Exhaling, "you seem to have forgotten who I am. I know exactly how this works. Your tricks have no effect on me," she said.

After what felt like ages, he spoke up. "Do you think Valentin had it in him? Were you never curious as to why he made that sudden decision? Or have you always considered him to be a bad person"

Her reply was quick, "Not once have I thought of him that way."

Different thoughts ran through her mind. Why didn't she rethink it?

Valentin Kennedy had never been that type of person. Humans are full of deceit. However, Kennedy was a different kind of human. She had never really sat down to process all that happened that day.

Valentin Kennedy had been acting weird for about three days before the incident. So, she immediately believed he was the one behind it. Even if her facts were wrong, why should she believe Franklin? Why was he even telling her that?

"The man you were sent to kill was an Italian man with prospects of taking the spot as number one. Lorenzo needed to eliminate him immediately. He found out you were as well after the man, and he seized the opportunity. A Russian killing an Italian would make the Russian Mafia indebted to the Italian Mafia," Luca explained.

It was starting to make sense in her head. It could all be a lie though, but it was something a Mafia lord could do. She remembered her promise to her sister to stop the assassination job. She was going to turn down the deal.

"Your freedom or a million dollars. You have five minutes to choose." The words rang in her ears continuously.

Her promise to her sister was important, but would one more job hurt, especially if it was a path to finding out the truth and clearing her name? Her freedom mattered too. She was at a crossroads.

"Two minutes," he said calmly.

She could either run or refuse and lose her mind in prison. Take the job and lose her head as well if she attempted to kill Lorenzo. Moreover, she would never know if she didn't try.

"I've made my choice, I'm in."