Chapter 6 - When I cannot seem to do anything right

"You are leaving?" Mia catches me on my way to the door, if she took three seconds longer she would have missed me. Her hair a mess, her legs uncovered with only a pair of panties covering her sex and what looks like a t-shirt with some kind of cartoon on it. It was late and I thought that she was sleeping already. Achille took my mother home an hour and a half ago and I heard things quieting down after that. I didn't leave my office after Angela left. I went through the files she brought, financed and arranged for delivery and I might have looked into the company she used to work for. Nothing out of the ordinary stood out, it all looked legit for a company that specializes in other people's finances. The company assisted small business until recently… around the time that Mia described her work started to be more about impressing and flirting with other business men than so much working for numbers. The clients were obviously kept anonyms, but the functions and press they started to get was much more than your neighborhood specializing services and I wanted to know why.

"Yes." I answer her bluntly trying to keep my thoughts at bay and not to pick her up in my arms and have her naked legs wrapped around my waist while I fucked away the touch of anybody who have been so lucky to have touched her, ever.

"Madelain cried herself to sleep you know?" Mia voice judgingly, tilting her head to the side. "I don't know what you said to her, but it seemed to upset her. She…"

"I didn't talk to her." I inform her, so whatever this was that she was trying to blame on me wasn't going to work. This time I was not the monster, besides these girls cry themselves to sleep on a regular base. That was how they kept themselves strong during the day when they did what they were supposed to do or that was what I was told.

"She doesn't even want to talk to me. Maybe she just wasn't feeling well after the dinner conversation." Mia frowns shifting her weight from her left leg to her right, making me all the more aware of her bare legs. "Are you thinking of actually enlisting her at that college?" She brushes her arm over her breast supporting her chin with her thumb and softly tapping her forefinger on her cheek in a manner of someone pretending to wonder.

"Mia… It is almost midnight. Can we talk about this some other time?" When we are not alone, cornered into a dark area of the house, that only lets enough light through to outline the beautiful body of the woman in front of me. Luckily it was much easier to hide my body's reaction towards her in what seems to be the darkest region of my home.

"You have somewhere better to be? Because it seems to me that you have time now." She quickly straighten her body placing her hands on either side of her hips and I don't think it was consciously, but she angles her upper body slightly towards me and I had to take a deep breath in an attempt to not cup her beautiful breasts with both my hands.

"Can I come?" Her voice now almost beg-like all the while she bats her eyes at me, but her position doesn't change and neither does the way my body reacts to her. Was she trying to flirt with me? I wasn't sure, but I needed to know who she was first, before I could possibly take her anywhere. Besides her being dressed like this wouldn't help, I will most probably not even be able to make the car before my mind and hands get off route. The fact that she would possibly first change her clothes before we go didn't even occur to me.

"No, you should be in bed." I blurt out before giving myself the remote chance to reconsider her proposal. Where I was going was no place for someone like her and besides I couldn't really take her with me trying to find information about her and the company she use to work for, now could I?

"Why not?" She starts to accumulate the fire inside of her. "I have done everything that you asked of me… I have acted in your silly world and you keep me locked inside this house like a prisoner after you said that I should be comfortable. Well guess what; I am not comfortable here. I need to breathe in some fresh air once in a while and if I am not allowed to leave the house on my own then I choose to leave it with you and not your brother or anyone else for that matter. You forced me to be here and now you are stuck with me. The sooner you accept that the quicker we can start to figure out what the fuck I am still doing here and not sent back to where I came from." She didn't even take breathes in-between, it actually was very impressive and it only made me wonder how long she can go without coming up for air. My dick was wondering to.

"What the fuck do you think this is?" I breathe harsh but slowly as I near her, but she doesn't back away this time. She stands her ground. Making it more difficult to keep my thoughts of fucking her into oblivion at bay. "You are here because I want you to be here and you will stay here until I decide otherwise. This is not a negotiation. Now turn around and stomp of to bed with those pretty little legs of yours." I keep my voice low and without hesitation she turns around and storm of into the dark while I make my way out of the house and into the car. I almost thanked whoever was looking out for her in that moment, because if she were to push back on my demand or not quiver under my stare it would have been the end of our hostile relationship and I would have turned into the monster that previously peaked through when we were in my room.

"Ben?" Tommaso places his hand on my shoulder just as I finish the glass of whiskey at the corner of the bar. This was only one of the bars that I owned and by looking at the books I knew that this one had a VIP section that was mostly quiet during the nights and that was why I picked this one. The bar was mostly empty with a few tables at the far end occupied by older men with young girls dancing around them. Most of these men were married men with high status in the communities and was exactly why they came here at this time and why they didn't give any attention to the person next door, because they wouldn't want that person to notice them either. The lighting was soft and the music lite, creating a relaxing environment. I was sure that I would be alone without anyone that had the balls to bother me or even know me until Tommaso showed his face. "What is up?" He questions taking in the seat next to me and ordering another round. "It is that girl, hey?" He grins removing his hand from my shoulder and placing it on his own leg. What did he know of Mia? "Achille told me about your latest… what should we call it? Assignment?" Of course he did. If there was one thing the people around me did well was stick their noses into my business. "We are all family, Boss. We only care about you and to be honest we should be worried. You sometimes do things we would have lost our heads about."

"You have no idea." I shake my head as I place the empty glass on the counter. How come a woman that is not mine, which I never intended to even build a relationship with, have such an effect on me, here I sat troubled with problems of a woman all the way trying to piece her past together.

"That is why I bang them and set them free." Tommaso chuckles, waving his hand towards us and like some magical power three blondes who was barely dressed start making their way to us. "Try having some fun." He encourages slapping the first woman's ass before sending her my way and like clockwork she swing her arms over my shoulders and cares my chest with both her hands. Even though I wasn't into her or wanted to have anything to do with her I didn't resist her touch. It felt good; distracting me from the overwhelming feelings I had stirring up all kind of emotions inside of me.

"You feel tense." She whispers against my ear all the while starting to massage my shoulders fighting the hard muscles underneath my t-shirt. She has done this many times before, I could tell as her hands did their magic, knowing exactly where to touch and where to dig in her thumbs with force.

"It must be bad?" Tomasso questions pushing one of the glasses of whiskey the bartender placed in front of him towards me, encouraging me to drink my sorrows.

"Why do you say that?" I grin knowing exactly how obviously foolish I acted around Mia. It was something I couldn't control and it was definitely working on my last nerves.

"Ben, look at you. You are wearing a jean and t-shirt, which no one has ever seen you in and you are drinking in a club. This is not you." Tommaso seems concerned as he points out what I already knew, what everyone probably already knew.

"You look very sexy." The woman dressed in what almost look like white and red lingerie behind me hisses, rubbing her hand over my chest, rolling my nipple between her thumb and fore finger through the shirt's material, but I don't mind her any attention.

"I am struggling with the unknown." I begin telling Tommaso everything Mia told me and everything I could find on the company. Sharing my concerns with him about the way they used her and the sudden incline of business they received.

"It sounds to me that she might have been fucking them." The blonde again hiss from behind me and before I could contain myself I turned around to face her, grabbing her arms tightly into my hands to keep her in place.

"Can you shut the fuck up?" I spit at her comment. This was exactly what I was thinking, but I couldn't admit it to myself. I didn't want it to be true; my precious Mia could not be a whore. I know that she wasn't.

"Ohkay…" Tommaso interject, but he doesn't stop me from white knuckling the poor girl's arms or intervene in any way. "Why don't you find someone to look into that? Maybe that friend of yours… What is his name? Luigi?" My grip around her arms loosens at Tommaso's suggestion. As soon as his offices open I will swing by.

"Fair enough." I agree, letting go of the blonde completely and turning my back to her and gulping down the rest of the whiskey in my glass before calling on the waiter for another round. "Get whatever you feel like." I Order the three women that clung to me and Tommaso.

With each cocktail they consumed their touch grew more obscene until they were touching me and Tomasso and one another, sharing kisses between the three of them and creating a whole new shade of a pinkish color as their lipstick smeared against one another's. "Why don't we take this upstairs?" The blonde flick her tongue against my ear as she speaks. "I will make it worth your while." She continues lowering her mouth to my neck. Her tongue danced against my flesh as her lips made a vacuum in her attempt to get me to go with her.

"We have a room if you want to join." Her mate urges moving closer to me, dressed in a similar matter just with different colors. This one also a blonde, but from her skin tone and dark eyes I assume not naturally, was a little taller and almost no curves. She was as lean as can come. "The more the merrier." She giggles straddling my lap. She immediately starts to move on top of me, rubbing rhythmic across the bulging reaction in my pants reminding me of my animalistic urges.

"As good as that sounds I am not nearly drunk enough to see Tommaso naked, but the four of you should enjoy it. Make him feel like a king." I chuckle removing the one from my lap and placing her on the bar while removing the other one's hand from my body altogether. I throw down a little too much money for them to be highly appreciative of my friend and leave the bar for some fresh air and knowing exactly where I was heading.

"Missed me?" A waking Lillian greets me after I almost banged down her door. "You only going to stand there or are you going to come in?" She rubs at her sleepy eyes as I drink in every inch of her body. She was slender and small, perfect for fucking without any consequences. Her hair loose and traced with sleep. "God-dammit!" She expresses her eagerness jumping up knowing I would catch her. She straddles my waist, her arms interlocking with each other behind my neck and she throws back her hair over her shoulders.

Her body felt familiar in my hands and my fingers dig into her flesh keeping her in place before I step completely into her small apartment and push the door close with the bottom of my foot at my back. Thank goodness for the television that illuminated the room otherwise we might have not been able to see where I was going. The flat has not changed at all since my last visit. It was still small and still a mess, but I couldn't care any less. I was here with only one objective in mind; taking of the edge that Mia unconsciously dangles me from. Lillian knew what I liked, what I needed and to not try to form any type of commitment. "You are so eager." I whisper keeping her steady with my one hand at the small of her back while the other hand entwine into her hair pulling her head backwards as I place kisses down her jawbone towards her color bone pausing as I feel her beating heart against my lips. Her heartbeat matched the pulsation in my pants perfectly.

"Always…" She gulps down her own word causing her neck to bulge before she brings her arm towards her own body and wriggles it down between us, continuing downwards until it reaches the wetness between her legs. I could hear the sound of her juices sticking to her titillated honeypot and I knew that she wasn't going to last very long. "Let me see you fuck that pussy." I grin giving her permission to finger fuck herself as she clung to me.

She moved slowly at first inserting one finger followed by another and then another finger. The back of her hand pushed against my stomach, her knuckles imbedding four red spots against my skin. She pushes her cleft over her hand making rhythmic movements against my body until she finally trusted me enough to keep her movements going as she rode her own fingers and her other hand rubbed at her clit. She spiraled enjoying her own orgasm; she chased her own orgasms like it was only them that mattered. She was selfish and I liked it. There was no need for me to please her and it suited me fine, because that was exactly what I was doing here; fulfilling my own needs.

"No it is my turn." I quickly move towards her bed before placing her down onto it and she quickly make work removing what clothes she has left before redirecting her attention to me and opening the button on the top of my jeans. She lifts the tension in my pants as she sets me free, licking at the tip removing all traces of pre-cum. Without any hesitation she swallows against the length of my shaft as she forces it down into her petite little mouth. "Good." I close my eyes as I pick up the pace matching hers. She knew exactly how to take me. I quicken going harder and faster until she quickly pulled back completely removing her mouth from me. She throw her arms around my neck pulling me down onto the bed with her, but my arms quickly react keeping me from falling on top of her. I halfway bend over her body quickly pushing my dick into her. Hard.

"Fuck yes, Ben." She spurts as I slam into her, hard and deep crushing against her and she loses all control. She screams and her body concludes in yet another orgasm vibrating through her before her body goes limp in front of me. Crashing towards the bed, she was naked and wet and her body bared the signs of my touch over her skin. Red spots situated as proof of exactly where my hands previously clung to her body, keeping her in position. I needed this too. I needed to cum. I needed to get fucking Mia out of my mind and this was how I planned on doing it. I quickly swirl her to lie flat on her stomach only pulling her ass up in the air by her waist before plunging into her from behind. Massaging some of the warm wetness into her asshole, this was open to my display. I encircle it a few times before replacing my thumb with my dick and Liliian stiffened, but only for a moment as she receives me. I don't give her time to adjust before I start moving in and out. She was still stiff, but I didn't care. I needed this.

"Ben…" She breathed begged pleaded, but didn't stop me. She liked it even though it had to pack a punch taking my whole length like that. "Fuck that asshole of mine." She pushes back letting me in as deep as possible, but I couldn't cum. I tried. I let go of her falling back onto the bed on my back.

"Let me." She straddle me sink g down on my dick slowly until I filled her completely. She started moving on top of me. Making circles, going up and down, left and right unable to create a manner in which my body could find any release. This went on for what felt like hours, Lillian came three times more and still I was unable to find any departure of my current situation. I left her house in disgust and anger, not towards her, but internally in myself.

"Good morning." Mia's chirpy singing salutes me as I enter the kitchen. It was still early, the day barely born as the young and almost blinding streaks of light burst through the kitchen windows illuminating its surroundings with yellow and orange, almost red-like colours, creating the perfect silhouette against the blinding background where Mia was standing in front of the window to my right. She seems dressed comfortably in black sagging sweatpants that covered her legs and a Mini Mouse shirt that wrapped tightly around her torso making it hard to focus on anything except for the outline of her perfect pointy breasts. Her hair is loosely tied into a messy bun on the top of her head; except for a few ignorant curls the rubber band is unable to contain which fall to the side of her flawless face.

"What are you doing?" I question her as I head towards the espresso machine to make myself a cup of coffee. I woke up after two hours of sleep and weren't able to force myself back to sleep again so I went to my office and stuck my nose into the latest numbers Tomasso sent through.

"Searching for something that I can use to make us breakfast." She states matter-of-factly closing yet another cupboard door before moving on to the next one while I add the finely grounded coffee beans and apply a little pressure to it. "Obviously." She adds like I was supposed to know what she was doing, she opens the dark wooden door revealing more of the same as the previous cupboard, nothing.

"Something like what?" I take a sip of my coffee to smooth over my scratchy throat when I walk over to the kitchen nook and take a seat on the same location I sat at yesterday, watching her continue on her search expedition; opening and closing more cupboards as she passes them.

"Pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns…" She shrugs. "I don't know… breakfast." She gets a little frustrated and her temper flares up a little, accompanied by her hands when she throws them into the air as an act of surrendering.

"Top left corner." I point with the cup in the direction of the only cupboard door she hasn't opened yet and she strolls towards it banging her feet against the tiled floor in a toddler-tantrum manner.

"Cornflakes? Seriously?" She questions swirling around to face me. "Aren't you too rich or something to eat cereal?" She snickers, but removes the box anyway.

'Too rich or something, yes.' Who said I ate them or that I bought them? This was just one of my mother's thousand's attempts to slowly fill the kitchen cupboards. I was used to her doing that by now. In the beginning I tried to convince her not to buy me anything, but every time she came over she had some kind of edibles that was purportedly on special so she bought me some as well. She was saving money by shopping like that was her excuse, but after a few months she had to start throwing away expired food and that caused her to slow down on her shopping, but not completely stop all-together. She just scaled down to non-perishable food mostly.

"Let me tell you cereal isn't that cheap on this side of the world." I mock her taking another sip of the dark liquid ogling her from across the cups edge when she reacts to my words.

"Ooo…" Her lips form an "o" as she stretches the syllable before dangling the box of cereal in the air. "Do you want some?" She offers and even though I do not usually enjoy the crunchy flakes I accept her offer and watch her when she dispenses some flecks into two separate bowls before adding the milk.

"No sugar." I add when she reaches for the black coloured container with the word 'Sugar' sandblasted in white across the glass holder. She continues with her ritual sprinkling the white grains of sweetness over the flakes in her own bowl before carrying both the bowls towards the kitchen nook and places them both onto the counter; one in front of me and the other next to it before she walks back to the other side of the kitchen returning with to spoons and stick them into the ready-to-eat mixture in one go.

"Is this seat taken?" She smiles sheepishly at her own words that don't faze me and I don't understand why she would find it funny. Nobody is seated on the chair at the moment and besides the two of us there is really no one else in the kitchen that could possibly claim the chair. "It is a pickup line." She explains.

"It is senseless." I correct her.

"I have seen it work a couple of times." She enlightens me opening her mouth and taking a bite of her cereal when she pulls a strange face. "It tastes different." She notifies me through the mixture of half chewed-up solids and milk filling her mouth. God didn't her parents teach her any manners or does she behave like this on purpose.

"Everything tastes better in Italy." I smile taking a bite of the cold mixture. It does taste funny, but then again I was no enthusiast of cardboard for breakfast.

"If you say so then it has to be true, right?" She doesn't agree and I was not planning on convincing her. She will come to the same conclusion in time. "Your mother is right you know?" She changes the subject after swallowing her second spoonful.

"Yes?" I say curtly waiting on the explanation that I was certain is about to roll over that sweet rose-tinted lips of hers.

"You don't eat when you are working." And there it is… The new profound expert in what was true or false. What was it with everyone around me and food? I eat… When I get hungry I eat… If I didn't eat I would not be here, I would be dead. A human cannot survive without food. This was just common sense

"I eat."

"You drink, but you don't eat." Now she was just being ridiculous. Where was she getting her information? I do not drink that much. In fact; I only drank when I ate; except for the occasional whiskey, but that is only because it was offered to me or I really needed something to calm me down because randomly going around and killing people for the mere reason that they existed wasn't my style. Other than that… I do not see why she would accuse me of drinking too much.

"Why would you say that?" I was curious.

"Well you possess, by the looks of it, every wine ever made in your cellar, but your kitchen cupboards are empty and this has to be a usual thing because your mother even brought salt and pepper when she came over yesterday. You cannot cook without salt and pepper." She adds humorously taking a huge gulp of fresh air before continuing with her theory. "Most importantly; you do not become peckish and that is why you never think of food. Fairly; if Achille didn't fetch us takeout every night we undoubtedly would have starved to death about now."

Unconsciously I push away the bowl of cereal in front of me letting her words settle in the pit of my stomach resulting in a loss of appetite. Was I unknowingly starving these women? I admit that maybe sometimes I am so focused on my work that I forget to eat, but letting Mia and Madelaine go hungry was intolerable. I have to improve on than this. "We are fine." She laughs it off in a quest to make it off as nothing before growing serious again. "Can I ask you something?" All signs of humour fade with her muscles that tense up. She was still a little scared of me and that was good, however she made a good job of hiding it most of the time, but sometimes when I focused carefully on her exterior I could see through her cracks.

"You just did." I point out to her as my eyes meet hers. There was something different about them other than the shade of green, but I couldn't exactly be sure what changed. All emotions were thrown out of the window and I was now again trapped where we started; at the beginning without knowing what was going on in that striking head of her.

"What are you planning to do with us?" Her question was sudden, unpredictable and most of all without an answer because I didn't know what the fuck I was doing and at this precise moment was when I recognized the rapid glimpse in her eyes; she was afraid of not knowing and that was in a sense something we had in common. I hated not knowing what she was feeling.

"You are a smart girl. What do you suggest I do with you?" I keep my eyes deadlock on hers waiting for her reply. Mia's answer might actually be a little insight into her mind and propose a few ideas at the same time.

"If you let Madelaine return home I will do whatever you want me to do." I narrow my eyes at her urging her to continue. "Just let her go." She exhales in a tactic of declaring that she just acknowledged defeat. "She is just a child, Ben." My name roll over her rosy lips as she articulate it, without hesitation, signalling endorphins to gather in my cranium. This was the first time she said my name with pure firmness. She was giving me a preview of what she preserved inside of her, a glance at her character. She wasn't acting; she actually did care for Madelaine.

All the while I said nothing, because that was exactly what I was able to say; nothing. I was at a loss for words at this spellbinding divinity that faces me with honesty and begs for the life of a ruined girl. A girl that was turned into nothing more than a whore that had to fuck anything and anyone just to keep on to dear life. She could have asked for anything; most importantly she could have asked for her own life back. She was more innocent that the child she was trying to protect; she had nothing to do with this life before she met me, I don't even think she knew of its existence. She slowly slides from the stool holding on to the counter until her feet hits the ground before she let go of the murmur pushing against her palms.

"If you need me to walk the streets I will…" She offers when she finds her position on the floor; smack in the middle of her previous seat and the one I am currently inhabiting. Faster than a clamp she shuts me out again, exchanging her naked self for what she believed I wanted.

"If you want to sell me to some other mutant I promise to do my best to be sellable." Mia's voice was now only an unembellished whisper as she tried to seduce me. There was nothing flattering about the words she choked up, but my penis was well aware of her hands moving up and down my inner thighs.

"I will even be your girlfriend…" Her one hand slowly makes its way up the side of my body. "…if that was what you wanted?" Her alarming breathe seizes all control as it blows into my ear. I wanted her, of course I did.

"I promise to wash the blood from your clothes." She murmurs when her hand reaches my shoulder. "I can do you one better." Her palm and fingers curve around my neck while her thumb locks in at the back of my ear and she places her other hand softly on my shoulder. "I will never say no to sex." She makes a vow tugging her body between my legs and bringing down my head with one swift move with the strategy in mind to lock those exceptional green stones on the windows to my soul. "I will always be ready for you; whenever you want it or need it after a stressful day." I had to admit I was impressed by the way she listened when I spoke, but what impressed me more is that not a single tear was born in those extravagant emerald tinted eyes while she gifts me her whole being, but I could bet my life that she was fighting against them with every capable fibre inside her and that was the problem.

"That is convincing." I grin swallowing hard past the knob in my throat and with a quick removal of her hands I swiftly turn her body so that her back was now facing me to give me a chance to recollect the piece of myself that she carelessly peeled off, one by one. I keep her in place with my one hand on her waist and the other curled around her neck to hide my betraying body from her. "But what does Madelaine have to say about your proposition?"

"She doesn't need to know." Mia says curtly waving her shoulders to and fro in an attempt to get rid of my hands clasping to her form and I let go of her and she staggers forward instantly grabbing onto the stool to find her balance before planting her ass back on top of it.

"You see; the problem with your plan…" I clear my throat gaining back momentum. "…is that I was given Madelaine as a gift and I am almost certain that she will have a problem if I send her packing, so I would rather hold on to her for now." I reward her with a wink. I had to give her appreciation for trying.

"If you are so persistent about keeping her then I guess, I'll also rather stay." She plumps by means agreement; implying that it was her decision to make, which made me chuckle a little.

"Yes, topino." I titter agreeing to her unsuccessful attempt at negotiating. "I think I will just hold on to the both of you. Is there anything else you have on your mind?" Regret settles almost instantly as the words left my mouth. Obviously she was going to take the opportunity to bring up something else. She was a conversationalist, this one.

"If I am to stay here maybe you can put me to work? I will go mad if I have to 'keep myself busy' another day." Mia emphasis the 'keep busy' part creating quotes in the air with her middle and forefinger while she speaks.

"What is it that you have in mind?" Achille always pestered me about getting some help with the up keeping of the house, but I never really took it to heart. I didn't need someone to clean after me, I wasn't an untidy person and I never thought about getting someone to cook, because with a mother like mine I didn't need one. Carlo or Martino who was in charge of my security usually sent my clothing to the drycleaners with one of their men, but I was never comfortable with strange people in my house; my office is positioned in my home; especially if I couldn't keep an eye on them at all times. I had no desire to jeopardize my privacy like that. "How about running the household?" I suggest feeling positive that she can appoint new staff and manage them accordingly.

"Like a wife?" She gasps holding her hand over her chest where her heart is located and I almost fell from my chair at the thought too. "Maybe you should take me on a date first." She burst into a fit of laughter. "Ooooooo… lighten up, Ben. I was joking." She explains through her unique hilarity. She rarely appears humorous to me, but I don't say anything as I sit and wait for her to pull herself together. "Okay fine, heavens. With what would you like me to start? The kitchen? The livingrooom? Your bedroom?" She fights to hold back her laughter.

"Why don't you start with hiring some staff?" My voice cut-out her underdressed laughter. Was she seriously thinking that I would make her clean the house by herself? The mental imagine of her scrubbing the floors on her knees was infuriating. I will my mind to never go there again.

"Cleaning staff for you, me and Madelaine?" She narrows her eyes and scrunch up her nose like there was a bad odour in the air and I couldn't figure out if she was genuinely asking me or making fun of me.

"Yes."

"I can really do this myself." Her voice sounded unsure, but she quickly recovers. "I'll tell you what; let me clean and cook for you and you can pay me half of what a chef and cleaners will charge you?" she was negotiating with me again and I like it. That is also why I entertain the thought for a little while longer.

"Cooking and cleaning isn't your profession." I explain. "With that in mind you will still be exploding me, because I would be paying a shitload of money to someone with no experience at all."

She props her arm up on the counter rubbing at her chin like she was thinking. "I would be scrubbing blood and gore from your clothes too. You said so yourself." She argues.

"Good point, but so would the cleaners."

"But…" She points her forefinger in front of my face. "I can't tell anybody about it, because I don't know anyone."

"You drive a hard bargain." I chuckle. "Why do you need money?" Her head drop breaking eye-contact with me the moment my question pierce through the air between us and she quickly starts to fumble with her hands in her lap, putting up her fences again. She opens her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it again, deciding against it. "Why do you need money?" I repeat the question, but this time I raise my voice. What the fuck could she possibly need money for? There was nothing in this world that I wouldn't buy her and she knew that she can ask me if she needed anything, didn't she? If she wasn't comfortable asking me then at least I know she wasn't scared to ask Achille.

"It was a silly idea, please forget I said anything. I don't need money." She brushes away a lost curl from the side of her face which recoil before she tucks it behind her ear. "I'll clean these up." She drags my half-eaten bowl of cereal towards her before picking it up together with my empty coffee mug before she rises and starts walking to the sink where she cleans the few items.

"The two of you are up early." Achille enters the kitchen with a wide grin plastered to his face. "Did you two lovebirds have a good night?" I really need to fire my security. They will let just anyone in without the following protocol. A warning would be nice in the future.

"Do not start with that bullshit, again!" I warn him. "What are you doing here anyway?" He was supposed to go see Adamo this morning not visit Mia. I glare waiting for him to give me the reason why he felt he needed to get up earlier, go out of his way and waste his time just to stop by the house. I struggle to control what my body was feeling.

"Don't worry brother. I just came to drop this off." He places a brown bag onto the kitchen island raising his hands above his head comparable to someone who had a gun pointed at them. "It is breakfast." He answers my unspoken question.

"We already ate." I clear my throat, but the poor taste of bitterness is glued to the sound of my voice.

"You barely ate anything, besides Madelaine, didn't eat yet." Mia interjects as usual. I don't think I will ever grow accustomed to her piping in whenever I spoke, but she was right, sometimes, although I would never admit it to her.

"I have things to do." I get up from the chair and head back to my room to shower and get ready for the day, leaving the two of them to do whatever it was they usually did when I wasn't around.

"Luigi Romano." I greet my old friend when I enter his office on the seventh floor of the office building where some of my offices are located as well. Luigi is one of my oldest associates, we actually went to school together, but our paths changed when he became a detective in the police. We still met for a drink at times, but he evidently got married and started a family; his priorities changed and we started seeing less and less of one another until his wife left him and took everything he owned. I coincidently bumped into him one night at one of my casinos when security got hold of him for counting cards. He was drunk, depressed and using his mind to pay for yet another night's stay in the hotel and cover his refreshments. If this was anyone else there would have been serious consequences, but luckily for me he was my friend and I was there at precisely the right time and I paid for his room in advance for three months, offered him the office floor for the first three months rent-free and invested capital in his now successful PI Business. He made a success in less than two months, being able to pay all his bills and pay for the free months stay and rented offices. He is hardworking and even though until today I do not know why he left the police; I never asked him. He didn't give me a reason to distrust him.

"Benvenuto Damiano." The short man opens his arms pulling me into a hug. "Look at you." He pushes me away slightly giving me an once-over. Giving me a moment to do the same, he still wore those ugly light leather shoes he grew accustomed to since he has been living the good life and his beige pants and Hawaii styled flowery button-up shirt always was his signature. "Life seems to be treating you well." He chuckles. I could say the same if I was here to swap compliments, but I wasn't. I was here on Business.

"What can I do for you?" He questions as he takes a seat behind his cluttered desk pushing some files out his line of vision with his foot before placing his feet on the table. Only the soles of his shoes and his head peaking over them were visible through the papers and folders. He was always unorganised by the looks at it, but he reminded me back in the day that he knew exactly where everything was; it was his system.

"I need information on a woman." I finally bark when he settles in his chair and I could focus on his face. There were two chairs opposite his table, but I decided not to sit, I had a meeting in half an hour at the restaurant on the ground floor and wanted to keep this short; plus if I sat then he would struggle to de-clutter more of his table just to be able to get a visual on me.

"Don't tell me the cold-blooded Benvenuto has a heart after all?" He removes his feet and leans forward opening the drawer to his left and withdraws a wooden box before placing it on the desk where his feet sat a second ago. "Now tell me more?" He chortles urging me to continue while he opens the lightly faded box and takes out a cigar and cuts it in half before he hands one part over to me.

"If there was something to tell I wouldn't be here." I take the cigar from his hand nodding my head in appreciation. I never understood the reason why some people liked smoking, but sometimes, rarely but it happens; I found myself in a situation like this and I would light one up myself. The strong and sweet aroma of the Tabaco forms a cloud of smoke around us and I told him everything I knew about Mia or should I say the little I knew about her and maybe my description of her was a little too good because Luigi's eyes narrowed at times and pulled into half-moons at others, but he quickly recovered when I gave him some information on Madelaine as well.

"That is not much to go on." He puffs; I knew this, but there were certain things that I couldn't exactly tell him. The manner of witch I obtained Madelaine for instance. I kept most of the people that I knew on a need-to-know basis and he was no exception.

"I have trust that you have the right equipment and intelligence to find what I am looking for." I encourage finishing the cigar at hand, thank fuck. My lungs are burnt out now. "I have another appointed." I glance at the platinum micro-rotor of the Bvlgari strapped around my left wrist.

"Of course, I call when I have the information you want." Luigi jumps from his seat to walk me to the door. On the way down I shared an elevator with two young ladies on their lunch break I heard the one say; occasionally they would look back over their shoulder at me and giggle and whisper some profanities in the Sinte-Language into each other's ears, I suspect they were new interns, but was surprised of their ventricular.

"Achh devlesa." I greet them once we reach the ground floor holding back a smile at their sudden quiet equanimity. The small restaurant's entrance was visible from the elevator and it wasn't difficult to see the woman that already sat at a table waiting for me. I recognised Madrè's Sister's child from afar, but the other woman was visibly younger than I expected her to be.

"Ciao." They stood up greeting me when I reach the small table they occupied. "Would you ladies mind switching tables?" I question after a quick introduction and I do not wait for them to answer before I start walking to the back where the table I usually sat at was situated and without any disagreement they followed my strides with haste and come to an abrupt halt when I stop and place the folder containing everything I will need for this meeting on the table.

"Signor Damiano, le signore." The penguin-like dressed waiter with his greasy gelled brown comb-over greets the three of us when we sit down at the table. "Can I start you of with the suggested Chardonnay and a double Old Armour on the rocks?" Marco, the nameplate on the left side of his chest informs me, suggest.

"Oh…" Giulia, the owner of the private college's shrill voice sings through the restaurant attracting quite a bit of attention to our table. "Bring the bottle of wine." She forms an o-like shape with her plump red lips sending the waiter a kiss through the air. This was going to be tiresome and the corner of my lip slightly pulls upwards when I notice the expression on my niece's face. Violetta's body sent out shockwaves of tension through her aura since I greeted her. I could almost feel the ripples of her shaking hand. She was obviously nervous about something, but I suppose Giulia broke the ice with her comment.

"You can just bring me an espresso." I reject the wine and whiskey as my thoughts float to Mia's words this morning. She already thought that I was drinking too much and I didn't want her to have such an image of me in that pretty little head of hers. Who was I fooling? Her image of me already includes, murder, human trafficking, assault, kidnapping and bribery, just to name a few from the top of my head. Alcoholism will seem like a mustard seed compared to those allegations.

"…Benvenuto." The sound of my name drags me back from my judgements to the last place I wanted to be right now where two pairs of eyes stared at me; waiting for me to say something.

"I had a busy week." I give a justification for my absent-mindedness. "I am not going to lie to you. The college is sinking, students get sent to bigger and better colleges and the Universities are cutting off the college's throat. There is a big need for modernization and employing younger, but highly trained professors. I am not talking only Bologna, but also Harvard trained. Personnel need to be evaluated too." I glance over to Violetta when she moves a little uncomfortably in her seat at me words and I knew exactly why. Angela's research didn't just unveil the financial problems, but also all the reasons for them and Violetta was one; she bit out large amounts of money from time to time, logging it as stationary and waste-recycling or maintenance on the medical machinery. I was surprised that Angela made work of it this quickly, emailed it through and arranged the meeting; and it only took her eleven hours. "…firstly education is key, if someone is in a position they are not trained for then education must be obtained accordingly or lay-offs will be implemented." I take a breather when the waiter returns with two cups of espresso and a bottle of Chardonnay, accompanied with one glass.

"You talk a big game, but realistically thinking it will be impossible." Violetta address me from behind the espresso cup, while Giulia gets acquainted with the bottle of wine not seemingly interested in what we were talking about. "Respectfully said, sir." Violette adds quickly.

"Impossibility is only plausible to someone who doesn't use their mind to dream or doesn't feel worthy of succeeding." I correct her. "Everything I have in mind is possible."

"And who will fund this craziness?"

"That is up to, Miss Brambillia." I gaze over at the young blonde women struggling to remove the cork from the neck of the green glass bottle. Heavens know why she pushed it back in there. For fuck sakes; I take the bottle from her hand a little too forcefully, drag it through the air above the table and pull out the cork, which was not that hard to do, before I start to fill up her glass.

"Who knew that Chardonnay came in white too?" She comments while the wine slowly fills the glass. Well, aren't this fucking fantastic? I was getting into do business with another fucking idiot. "I should have asked for the red one." That's it. I can't do this. I place the bottle back on the table and reach for my wallet inside the pocket of my suit jacket when Violetta interjects.

"There is no need to be hasty." She blurts barely audible pushing her arm across the table with her palm directed at me in a manner to stop me and it works. I pause carefully studying her sudden reaction. Her body tremble and beads of sweat form on her forehead which she quickly wipes away with her free arm. "We can discuss this and come to some kind of understanding." She continues. "There is no need for anybody to get hurt." She kept calm and her voice was medley-like to not attract attention and I realised what was happening. She recognised the look on my face when I addressed Giuliana, but did she actually think that I was going to shoot her? What did this woman think of me?

"Well in a matter Chardonnay is the 'red' wine of white wines." I reply with the only answer that seemed plausible to Giuliana's statement, but I only did this to put Violetta at ease and mainly to make her take back her arm; which she does.

"You are so clever." Giuliana giggles, but before I could react Violetta interjects.

"Then listen to the clever man." Her voice is laced with pure venom, hard and loud like only a pure blood Italian woman could host. "Put up the money or close the place down. This is your options."

"How much money are you talking about?" She questions and I remove the few pages stapled together that consist off all the costs that needed to be covered to get the college back on its feet again before I slide it across the table to her and she just quickly flips through until her eyes fall on the total. "No." She curtly answers reaching for the glass and chugging down the rest of the wine down her throat. "Your lawyer said that this meeting would be worth my time, but this is a joke." She bites back.

"The amount is steep, but it will be worth it in the long haul. By the end of the first year you will already see a remarkable change in profits, by the time this year's students graduate; the college will have paid for itself."

"And what do I do in the mean time?" She glares. "I do not think it will be worth it."

"In the meantime children will turn into young adults and each year our future generation of doctors are born." I frown; this was why people invested in private schools, right? Weren't these people supposed to care about this kind of stuff?

"Listen I don't care about these people, I don't even know them. Why should I care if they go to college or not? I didn't go to college and look at me. I am doing pretty well." I never would have guessed that she would even be accepted to a college. "My Nona left me this stinking place and about the amount that you want me to give back to this shithole. If this is such a great opportunity why don't you invest the money?" I hated trust fund babies. They are entitled and privileged and have never done a day's work in their life.

"I thought that you might suggest something like that." I hand her another document which she accepts, but I knew she wasn't going to understand anything it says or care to read it thoroughly so I just explained it as understandably to her as possible. "This is a contract stating that we would become partners; we share all costs, but share will be devided into 40% for you and 60% for me. I will have the majority vote because I will be the one overseeing that everything is done in the right manner." I was not letting her mind near my money.

"That seems a little unfair." She pouts thinking it over for a couple of seconds before returning it to me. "No."

"This is my final over." I hand her the last document in the folder. "I will buy you out." If I read her right she will except, she only cares about money.

"Why didn't you start with that?" Her smile expend across her face. "Do you have a pen?" She holds out her hand and I quickly retrieve the handcrafted wooden pen from the folder and hand it to her. She signs eagerly on every line and hand all the documents back to me. "We should celebrate." She beams shouting at the waiter to bring out a bottle of their finest Champaign.

"I really need to go now, more meetings." I lie, but I couldn't spend another second with that women.

"Before you go…" She grabs my arm from across the table. "Are you really going to give away all that money to the school after you paid me out?" She questions and usually I would even bother to answer, but I did right before claiming back my arm.

"Can I give you a ride back to the college?" I offer Violetta who has been as quiet as a mouse during the last conversation, but she declines, looking like she just saw a ghost. I would have liked to have a chat with her about the missing money, but it will have to wait.

After greeting both the woman I went to the counter to pay the bill and ordered two meals and deserts to be delivered at the estates security for Mia and Madelaine before calling Carlo who was on shift to inform him of the delivery.

"Well aren't this a surprise?" The old fat man behind the counter starts to choke on his cigarette when the bell at the entrance of the small jewellery place draws his attention to me. This shop has been here since I was able to remember. The photo's framed and hung against the walls of the place tells a story of a young man gifted in creating the most creative and beautiful pieces of jewellery opened the shop many years ago and it has since been given down every generations together with their gene for art. Matteo designed and hand crafted my mother's wedding set for my father and grew to know my mother's taste in jewellery better than my father. My father usually paid through his service and the fact that the two of them were thick as thieves probably gave him a lot of discount too. "I know that it is not Mothers day and your mother's birthday isn't for another few months…" He pauses when I reach him and extend my hand to greet him. "How are you son?"

"I am good, how are you?" I chuckle letting go of the poor man's hand and lean against the glass counter. "I was wondering if maybe you could fix this for me?" I withdraw Mia's bracelet from my dress-shirt's pocket and hand it over to him.

"I do not know this piece…" He remarks taking the string of stones into his hand and then placing his glasses over his eyes to help him see. "Where did your mother get this piece of junk? I don't think I could piece it back together… maybe if I were to attach the stones altogether into a new bracelet, but that wouldn't be worth it these stones are plastic… I don't.."

"Will you be able to make it look like the original piece?" I interject.

"I will, but maybe you should concider talking to your mother first, because I know her and this piece of junk is not…"

"It is not my mother's."

"Oh… Then maybe speak with the owner first? It might not that special to start with." He suggested, but I knew Mia long enough to know that this bracelet wasn't just some piece of junk to her.

"It means a lot to me." I nod my head in confirmation when my phone starts ringing. Tommaso's name flickered onto the screen so I had to answer it. "Let me know when I can come pick it up." I shoot over my shoulder as I leave the shop to answer the phone.

"Ciao." I greet Tommaso as I enter the club. I haven't been here in what felt like ages, although so much has changed since my last visit that it feels like I haven't been here before. The once dull bar and grill nest has changed into a high-end dance club with more than a few different side, I assume. The place is immense. Tomasso has a talent for making buildings grow without the books becoming problematic. "What is so urgent that I needed to come myself?" I question him while taking in the purple-blue-ish atmosphere the inside of the club reflects on my skin. Even in day-time the place was stacked with men in expensive suits, lonely rich women day-drinking and enjoying the entertainment. In night-time the club's whole demeanour will change from older men to younger men spending the money of their rich parents, tugging it into the little clothing the dancing girls use to cover themselves while the dance floor will be packed with young woman trying to get the attention of these younger men and some of their money too.

"You are going to love this." He exclaims excitedly as he waves his arm for me to follow him. "Do you remember that guy we caught on camera with the hoodie?" He query walking backwards past the bar to face me.

"The one providing those younge people?" My eyes pull together waiting on confirmation.

"That is the one." He winks before turning his back to me to open a door on the furthest end of the club. From the club's view one would assume that it was a storage room of some kind. Nothing that would particularly draw one's attention. "Through here." He waits for me to enter before closing the door behind me and start moving a few crates of liquor across the floor. I caught the fucker pushing cocaine in the back with the girls. He was trying to recruit as well, but you know my girls." He clicks his tongue in pride. "They tell me everything." He was bragging, I think. "There we go." He exclaim slapping his hands together before revealing a latch on the floor.

"Okay, so you caught him. Why am I here Tomasso?" My voice was low and not nearly as excited as he seemed to be as we descend into the ground following a path of stairs.

At the end of the stairs, a whole other floor was build which contained a little unperturbed bar to the right side, stocked with only the most expensive of wines, whiskeys and bourbons. This is one of those sides I was expecting; "No phones allowed, sir." A man with a deep voice build like Stallone steps into my path, blocking me from entering the room while Tomasso and his chatty mouth disappear into the room behind him. This didn't surprise me at all and it was nothing new, but I was not giving this man my phone. I do not know him and besides, my phone gets checked for any type of listening devices and hackers on a daily basis.

"Listen man, you are probably new and although I really do appreciate you doing your job this well I would prefer that you step out of my way and let me through." I keep my voice low not to attract the attention from the group of gentlemen that seems to be in deep discussion.

"You can make this easy and give me your phone or I will knock you right back into the local club where you belong." This man meant business. He push out his shoulders as he steps closer to me. This guy is bigger than Achille's but his muscles are mostly for show where Achilles had enormous strength and if I wasn't scared of my brother then I was definitely not backing down from this fight.

"Believe me when I tell you that I have not come this far by taking the easy way…" I was not finished talking when his huge fist crashed against my nose causing me to take two steps back. That is it! I launch forward ducking another fist and landing one of my own into his ribcage hard enough to make him blow out a breath, but I might have underestimated him. His lift his arm and before I knew it his hand was almost halfway around my neck, luckily for me I knew how to get out of his grip only using my elbow to bend his arm and with a swift swing of my arm our positions swapped and I had him by the neck. "You are dead." I spit knocking him of his feet with the back of my leg. "Stay down!" I bark as I step over him to enter the club.

"Not today." He nudges me off my feet and pull my towards him by the leg. I kid you not this mountain of a man spun me around like I was a feather and straddled me so fast that I felt like a fucking child. "Nothing personal, but I am going to enjoy this." He smirks before swiping his fist across my face once… twice… thrice, before I started to chuckle. "What do you find funny?" He pauses to investigate when I push the shiny opening of my gun underneath his chin.

"How the fuck did you get that in here?" He sounded surprised. "That should have been confiscated at the entrance."

"Because he is Benvenuto Damian, you fucking stupid piece of shit." The giant let go of me at Tomasso's words.

"O god. I am sorry, sir." He extends his arm to help me up from the floor and I except it. He truly didn't know who I was and I do appreciate his loyalty. I couldn't kill him for that. Plus I lost fair and square, killing him now will only make me a bad loser.

"It was fun, don't stress about it." I nod hiding the fact that my fucking face was on fire. The people in the lounge returned to their usual doings and returned their attention to whatever they were doing before.

I hated doing business in places like this where almost naked woman danced in the background, the waiters were topless and some of the dancer would get touchy when they pass through the room. I sometimes had to, but mostly I tried to stay away from these types of meetings and that was exactly why I couldn't understand why Tomasso demanded I should be here. "Let me check that out for you." A half naked brunette pushes her breast against my chest trying to trace her fingers alongside my head.

"Fuck off!" I beamed pushing past her to catch up to Tomasso who is heading out of the smoky room into a darker hall way, we passed three doors until he stopped in front of the fourth.

"I apologise for Piet. He is new and not from here, but he is n real great dude. I can bet my life on that, but if you want me to get rid of him, I will." Tomasso breathes, his voice low and honest.

"No, the guy is fine." I assure him wiping at my face with my forearm.

"Have fun." He smirks as he turns the knob of the door and pushes it open, revealing a man chained to a chair in the middle of the room. I walk in closer followed by Tomasso who closes the door behind us and leans back onto the wall next to the door.

The light was low, but I could see a basin in the far left corner and an unmade double bed to the right. Anyone would be able to guess what the room was for. In-between them the man sat, his eyes zooming in on my face, but he couldn't say anything as somebody already taped his mouth shut with orange duck tape. The room quickly turned into my little torture chamber.

I take a few steps closer, the man's body twitches with every step until I was standing right in front of him. He was the one who turned youngsters into cocaine addicts and sellers themselves. He ordered them to sell on each of my properties or right in front of them, casinos, restaurants, and clubs. Every time we seem to catch one of them they weren't able to tell us the name of the one who gives them the drugs and for some reason, they didn't last long until their hearts stopped. I didn't know how they were able to kill themselves bind to a chair, but they did. All pathology showed was an overdose. I only had about half an hour left if he was also injected with whatever the others used.

"You already know who I am, yes?" I question him taking a fist full of his dark brown hair in my hands to hold his head steady. I pull his head up so that he could look at me. His eyes told me that he knew what I wanted to hear.

"I am going to remove the tape now." I keep his head up as I place my hand against his chin, my forefinger and thumb ready to rip off the tape.

"Screaming won't help. The room is soundproof." I warn as my eyes wander over the walls of the room hoping that I was right, but I knew Tomasso and he wouldn't bring the man here if the room wasn't soundproof. I waited a few seconds for him to interject telling me that I was wrong, but he didn't so I continued to rip the tape off in one swift twitch of the wrist. "Now let's talk." I smile as the tape pulls at his skin, but my smile quickly fades and gets replaced with anger when the man starts to scream. I told him not to fucking scream. Why don't they ever listen?

The first punch flew right after his screaming begins. My fist meets his skull right above the left eye causing the skin to split open above the bone.

Blood starts to flow across his face immediately, but I wasn't done. My arm retracted and one punch after the other came crashing down on his face as I kept his head in one place with my other hand, but Tomasso grabbed my punching arm into a tight grip. "Jesus, Ben, we need some information before you beat him to death."

I couldn't say when he stopped screaming, but the moment I let go of his head it hung to the side. "Who do you work for?" Tomasso questions him. His face is already red and swollen and a few more punches like that will definitely send him to an early grave, but Tomasso was right we needed to know who he is working for because clearly, he can't be the boss. The boss won't come snooping around for his drug runners. He will be the one sitting around in his comfortable house while the smugs did everything for him.

"I liked the bad cop more." He slightly lifts his head as blood kept streaming down his face. He thought that we were playing good cop bad cop? Maybe we were… If it wasn't for the 'good cop' that intervened the 'bad cop' would have killed him by now.

"You do?" Tomasso smiles as he plays with the ring pierced through his ear. "Much like you, I would also rather choose to be beaten to death than to rat." What the fuck was he encouraging him for? I thought we needed answers. "The problem with your theory is that we aren't planning to kill you. We want to keep you alive. We will keep you locked up and supply you with just enough food so that you won't fade away and if you decided that you didn't want to eat we will force-feed you."

Tomasso was good. I am not sure why he wanted me here for this, but I do enjoy getting my hands dirty.

"If I talk they will kill me, if I don't I will be kept. That doesn't sound like a choice. I will much rather stay alive." He spits. He wasn't talking, but he also wasn't dying. He gave that away himself. A man who talks like this wasn't planning on letting his heart stop anytime soon. "You are the boss, right?" He turns his head towards me. I didn't need to answer him because he already knew the answer to his own question. He was now just wasting time. "What would you do to one of your men if they decided to rat?" My men don't get themselves into these positions and they don't rat!

"You are not one of my men." I state as I retrieve the gun from my waist pulling back the slide and push it down on his upper leg. "You sold drugs to young children, you made them come on to my property to sell them knowing that they will be caught and by your hands they got killed." I tell him exactly why I was going to pull the trigger before my forefinger pulls in the trigger and the bullet tears through his upper leg. At that exact moment, he winched his eyes clothes as the bullet ate at his flesh before he started to scream in agony.

"Still like him better?" Tomasso crosses his arms over his chest when the man stops screaming.

"Now give me a name." I order as I push my forefinger into the whole of the bullet created in his leg. I slowly moved my finger around with force letting pain escalate over his leg, but I was also searching to be sure the bullet went through as Tomasso said we needed answers and he wasn't dying today.

He squirmed beneath every movement as my finger digging finger thrust further into his leg, but he didn't open his mouth to speak until I retracted my finger and pulled back the slide of my gun again pushing the warm end against him again. This time I was aiming right in-between his legs. "Okay…" He breathed. "I will tell you everything you want to know." I smirked as I wiped the gun clean against my pants and slide it into its place.

Then my phone started to vibrate against my chest, but I ignored it the first and the second time. I will call them back once I am done with this fool, but the third time it started to vibrate I pulled it out from my dress shirt's pocket and answered it ready to kill the caller through the small microphone, but when Mia's panicked voice blurted over the line my heart stopped for a second.

"Ben you need to come to the hospital." She sobbed through tears. "Please come."

"What hospital?" I questioned getting a worried look stare from Tomasso, but she didn't answer as. "Where?" I questioned again already taking off my shoes and pants and signaling for Tomasso to do the same. I couldn't show up to a hospital drenched in blood so I had to do the next best thing and switch clothes with Tomasso who was two sizes smaller than me.

"I don't know." Panicked clouded her voice as she started breathing harder. "We drove past a dam or something…" She eventually coughs up. Lake Side Med Hospital. I knew where she was.

"I am on my way."