Booze and Regrets

Massimo walked back into his office pacing back and forth as the weight of Gus's call pressed heavily on his mind. 

With each step, his frustration grew, his mind reeling with anger and guilt. 

Finally, he could no longer contain it. He swept everything off his desk with a roar of rage. Papers ca computer, and his office telephone crashed to the floor. He grabbed his chair and hurled it against the wall, as the artwork hung all over the room shattering all on the carpet.

Breathing heavily, he threw the last part of the chair across the room as he stumbled to his liquor cabinet, yanking it open. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey, not bothering with a glass. He took a long swig, the burn doing little to dull his fury.

 Images of Ruby filled his mind: her laugh, her smile, the way she looked at him with trust and took care of him when he was shot. And how she stayed by his side the whole time and begged him not to take her back to her father. And now, because of his mistakes, she was in the hands of a monster.

He took another long swig at the bottle, again and again, until the room began to blur and spin. His rage melded into a painful knot in his chest. Eventually, the alcohol numbed his mind, and he slumped to the floor, bottle in hand. He head spun as he landed on the carpet, the contents of the bottle spilling around him as his eyes slowly closed.

Eve found Massimo sprawled on the office floor, surrounded by broken furniture and shattered glass. She knelt beside him, gently shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

She suspected something was wrong when she called him multiple times and he never answered, she had called the club and they told her Massimo never left.

"Massimo, wake up," she whispered. "What are you doing to yourself?"

Massimo stirred, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused. "Eve?" he mumbled, struggling to sit up. "No, let me stay here," he groaned.

"You can't help Ruby like this' ' she tried her best to pull him up but he was too heavy for her. " This isn't what Ruby needs from you right now."

"I…I failed her " he whispered.

Eve helped him to his feet, her heart aching for her brother. "You haven't failed yet. There's still time to save her. But you won't be able to do it if you're drunk and angry."

Massimo leaned on her, his body heavy with exhaustion and guilt. "It's my fault, Eve. She was taken because of me. She begged me…. begged me not to take her back there and I was too stubborn and hurt to listen to her"

Eve wrapped an arm around him, guiding him out of the office. "Blaming yourself won't bring her back. We need to focus on getting her back safely. You need rest, and you need a clear head."

Eve hauled him back to the car, her arms protesting from his weight. She immediately drove home and helped him to his room.

She had never seen Massimo this way before, he was always controlled and untouchable and she didn't know how to help him.

She helped him take off his shoes and socks, throwing a duvet over him as he slept, still muttering Ruby's name in his sleep.

The next morning, Massimo woke with a pounding headache, the events of the previous night a cloudy memory. 

But the urgency of Ruby's situation brought him back to focus. He showered and dressed in a blue crisp pinstripe suit, ready to face the day.

Eve greeted him as he descended the stairs, her eyes watching him warily, she walked over handing him an Advil tablet and a glass of lemon water.

" Hope you're feeling okay?" She asked as he returned the empty glass to her.

" I've been better" he responded " I'm going to the club Rodriguez will be here to watch you". He said as he picked up the car keys.

As he was about to mansion for the club, his phone rang. Gus's number flashed on the screen. He answered, his voice tense.

"Gus."

"Massimo, I hope you're well-rested," Gus's mocking tone grated on Massimo's nerves. "I have a job for you. There's a hard drive I need, currently in the possession of a Russian mob boss known as Thanos. You have 48 hours to get it for me."

"Forty-eight hours?" Massimo repeated, disbelief and anger mixing in his voice. "That's impossible."

"That's all the time you have to keep Ruby alive," Gus replied coldly. "Get it done."

The line went dead, leaving Massimo staring at his phone in frustration. He had no choice but to do what Gus said.

Massimo gathered his most trusted men immediately after he got to the club, briefing them on the plan.

 They studied the blueprints of the Russian mob king's mansion in Miami, planning their infiltration into his house to the safe in his study. When they perfected the plan, they all drove out ready.

They approached the mansion under the cover of darkness, two of the men and Massimo dressed as security guards to blend in.

They snuck underneath the security cameras and confidently walked towards the mansion.

Just as they neared the entrance, about to walk through the doors a guard called out.

" Hey, who are you guys".

Massimo turned towards him, his face stoic and emotionless " We are the new security unit assigned for the night".

The guard narrowed his eyes watching them for a few seconds in suspicion before he lifted his radio to call for backup.

Massimo acted quickly, hitting the guard over the head with his gun. They dragged the unconscious body into the bushes and continued inside. They navigated the halls silently, their steps careful and calculated.

They arrived at the study, the two men waiting outside to watch as Massimo snuck in. Reaching the safe room, Massimo carefully lifted a fingerprint from a glass cup using a piece of tape. He pressed the tape against the scanner, holding his breath as the lock clicked open.

He picked the drive with his gloved hands and slipped it into his suit.

Massimo felt a surge of relief as he closed the study door behind him and gestured to his men to leave.

But as he turned the knob to the back door, their exit gateway. an alarm blared. Another guard had found the unconscious man in the bushes and locked down the house.

Chaos erupted as Massimo and his men fought their way through the mansion. Gunfire echoed through the halls, and Massimo's heart pounded in his chest. He had to get the hard drive to Gus and had to save Ruby.

In a fierce hand-to-hand combat, Massimo fought off a guard, finally managing to knock him out. He and his men made their way to an exit, barely escaping before backup arrived.

Once outside safely in his car, Massimo called Gus. "I have the drive. Now give me Ruby."

They arranged to meet at a desolate drop-off point in an open abandoned warehouse, Gus had told Massimo to come alone and even though he knew it was a bad idea he had to comply.

Massimo's instincts screamed that something was wrong when he saw Gus's men get down from their car but Gus was nowhere in sight. 

He knew Gus would not put the fate of such as serious exchange in the hands of his men, he would have been here himself to oversee everything but his desperation to save Ruby overrode his caution.

" Where is she?" He questioned them, but they didn't respond, their face impassive as they nodded to the car.

" I'm not giving you the drive until I have her in my hands".

" Who do you think you are to make demands" one of the burly men shot at him " We have your girl here, now handover the drive".

" I said I'm not letting the drive go till I have her in my arms." Massimo stood his ground his hand already reaching for his gun.

One of the men reached into the car and dragged Ruby out, her head covered with a sack, her body wrapped in a blanket and her hands bounded behind her.

Massimo walked to them and handed over the drive, his eyes scanning the surroundings. 

They passed him Ruby and immediately hopped into their car and sped away, he lifted the cover, his heart plummeting. It wasn't Ruby.

Under the blanket was a woman, but not Ruby. Massimo's heart sank as he realised he had been tricked. Anger and frustration surged through him. He should have known Gus wouldn't play fair.

The woman terrified, looked up at him. "Please, don't hurt me. I don't know anything."

Massimo gritted his teeth, holding back his anger. "You're not Ruby. Where is she?"

"I don't know," she sobbed. "They just took me off the street, tied me up and told me t

o keep quiet."

Massimo cursed under his breath. Gus had played him perfectly, and now Ruby's life was still in danger.