Chapter 4: Code X

If this young hacker knew that I wasn't even interested in killing him, he would probably be bluffing with the information he saved as his "insurance". People in my world had always "contingency" plans and ratting out your former employer to the next highest bidder was not even new to me. 

But what separates our family from the rest of the mafia around the world are three important things, 1) Loyalty is your breath, you live and die for the family. 2) Our code is written above all laws. 3) Our dealings will never involve human and drug trafficking. 

The third one was added when my grandfather took over as the head of the Rossi Family of Porta Sole. Our family was at the top during the past generations, we were one of the founders of the Association. 

Our family took a step back from leading the Association and decided to change the family's path for a safer and better future generation. My grandmother died in protecting the family which caused the decline of our power and influence in the Association. 

Richard began cleaning up the mess in the building and took the young hacker back to the city and settling him in the condominium with Isabelle in it,

"Where have you been?!" An angry Isabelle welcomed me and Richard "And who's this guy? What did you do to him?"

I looked at her and honestly dealing with another human being right now was out of my quota. Hence, I moved past her and Richard took the initiative to answer her. Her expression changed as she listened to my assistant explain how we handled things, 

"If this ends I want no memory of you and your family."

She angrily walked away and locked herself inside her room. Isabelle was an innocent individual who unluckily got mixed up in my wretched world. If I was her I would want that too. 

I woke up with a clean bandage and noticed how she replaced the dressing without waking me up or leaving any notes. Richard had mentioned she also checked on the person we brought in last night without saying a word or two. 

Her indifference was noted and somehow this created a huge gap inside me. I was not used to her silence. 

"Are you going to interrogate him, boss?"

"No," I shook my head as I continued to immerse myself in the company's latest reports Richard brought in this morning, "If you want to do it, just do it." 

Endless interrogation, anger, and vengeance were the usual plotlines in my world. The same old narrative of doing what we think is best but ends up doing the worst. This world, my world had become grey and boring. 

"Let's plan our next move for next Friday during his pharmaceutical launching." 

Antonio's next big plan on his drawing board was to please drug cartels making the distribution of the new drug brew easy and faultless. With his distribution line, he could move drugs from one country to another without being detected or thoroughly checked. 

"Who are his partners?" 

The young hacker began to check on the files in his laptop and studied it intently before producing names familiar to my ear, 

"His father's connections, father like son indeed. Antonio has no originality or creativity after all. Check on the money trail and send it to our lieutenant friend in the department."

Having all the shreds of evidence filed in my desk by the afternoon, the young hacker sat across me and looked at me;

"Why does your cousin hate you, Shadow?"

[Shadow was my codename in our world.]

"He thinks I caused him his misfortunes."

"Did you?"

I was stopped from reading the files and returned the gaze to him. Now I began to notice his bruised face that almost shocked Isabelle last night, his knuckles full of scars and his missing tooth, 

James McElroy, Code X, which he preferred to be acknowledged as a young hacker from Solar City. He had been a frequent guest in prison for various reasons and his recent one before he was recruited by Antonio was when he hacked into the largest bank of Solar City and stole 3,000,000,000 dollars for a cartel. 

"Now, tell me, why did you betray him?"

"Who? Your cousin?" He was busy typing codes on his laptop when he stopped to look at me "He just hired me because of some childish debts I owe people."

"Childish debts? You call 100 million debt as childish debts?"

He placed his laptop down and drew close to my table, "Who does not have gambling debts in our world?"

"Me."

"Oh, c'mon you were born into the most prestigious crime family the history ever written. You can't compare an apple to an orange."

"You are a McElroy, born to the nobility of Solar City."

"Nobility? What a joke! If you have a gambling, philandering, and drug addict father your name has nothing to it except prejudice and judgment."

Most of the people I met in my world were the misunderstood ones, those who were taken for granted by society and judged without any protection for themselves. Richard was one and now James. 

"Tell me your story,"

"Why? Have you taken pity on me?" He smirked and went back to his business, "Don't."

Little did he know, I had his complete background checked before meeting him in the abandoned factory. James McElroy's mother was a close acquaintance of my deceased mother, Eloisa. 

Having married to nobility they lost contact until my mother's death, James' mother was repeatedly battered until her death 10 years ago. His father had drugs and gambling addiction, and his women lined up and eventually fucked the young James' mind and drove him out of their house. 

He was a talented hacker just like his mother. The infamous cyber heist amounting to 3 Billion Dollars blew up the papers 5 years ago and apparently, James tried to save his father from becoming minced meat by the cartel. 

He went to prison but because of his good behavior, his sentence was lessened, and an amnesty for ratting out the head of the cartel who made him do the hacking. Of course, the Cartel wanted him dead until he ran into Antonio's vigilant recruitment to bring me down. 

"But to answer your question, I think you are a much better master than your abusive cousin. I've seen bodies piled up whenever his dissatisfied. My neck had been hanging by a thread when I worked with him."

"And you think working for me is safer?"

"I know your mother from my mother's stories, I'm sure you are different."

***

I found myself waiting for Isabelle in the evening. I could not remember when I started to have this habit of waiting for her arrival. I kept my eyes stuck to the closed front doors while servants began to prepare dinner for everyone. 

"Are you waiting for someone, sir?" Our nanny asked as she placed the bowl of salad in the center. 

"Is Isabelle home yet?"

"I have not seen her since this evening. She should be back by now."

My reaction was automatic, I immediately checked the tracker I placed in her car and checked Antonio's whereabouts. There was no movement at all. My anxiety started to build up and little did I know I was nervous - an unfamiliar emotion began to envelop me. 

I reached out for my phone on the table and immediately dialed Richard's phone number;

"Find her."

[I have notified our people to look for Isabelle, boss.]

"Did the guards stationed in the hospital notice anything malicious?"

[They reported nothing unusual. But I will double check—]

"What the fuck?! How many times do I have to instruct you to protect her at all times!"

[Yes, sir.]

"Find her!"

The anxiety crept up as images of horrible things ran in my head. Antonio, blood, gun, and her. 

"FUCK!"

I punched the wall repeatedly as my anxiety, fear, and anger mixed up. 

"WHAT THE HELL ROSSI?!" 

Her hazel eyes were bulging as shock crept over her beautiful face as she saw my reaction a few seconds back. I looked back at her and she was wearing the same scrubs she wore yesterday. 

Her shocked look did not hide her disappointment and fear as blood dripped on my knuckles. 

"Are you crazy? You just walked back from the gates of hell and now you are trying to go back there! I ha—"

I could not stop my emotions and desperation, I did not know what to do except give her a suffocating embrace, 

"Promise me you'll have the guards around you within 25 meters."