Indebted to the Mafia King

*Angelo*

"I've got her," I inform the rest of my men who are all wearing earpieces. "I'm taking her to the car."

"Roger that," Dice replies right away. "We'll meet you there."

I toss the woman's limp body over my shoulder and step out of the alley, ignoring the curious and frightened stares I receive from pedestrians bustling by on the street.

The SUV is parked in front of the deli, and when Sal spots me, he climbs from behind the wheel and rushes to open the back door for me. I place the woman in the back seat-carefully, even though I don't need to be and go around to the other side so I can sit beside her. I buckle us both in and wait for the others to load up.

Even though I knocked her out, and she probably won't wake up in the next few hours, I still need to keep a close eye on her, just in case she wakes up and tries some funny business. I'll watch her the entire way until we're out of this part of the city and safe in our territory where we're less likely to be attacked.

"That was easier than I expected," Kian murmurs as he sits in the passenger's seat in front of me. He glances over his shoulder, scrutinizing her where she lays limp, almost lifeless, on the seat next to me, and then his eyes dart to mine. "Are you sure that's her?"

I nod sharply, glancing at her sideways. This is her all right. I've seen her picture before, and that's not a face anyone would easily forget. In a word, she's beautiful. Her long, wavy brown hair is somewhat disheveled, which isn't a surprise after everything she's been through. Her makeup is a bit over the top, but she was supposed to get married today, and a lot of it has come off-from sweating as she made her escape, no doubt. Her eyes, even though I can't see them now because they are closed, are still printed in my mind like a permanent stamp. The way she looked at me before I knocked her out... sapphire blues shining up at me with the sparkle of tears as she silently pleaded for me to let her go.

"Wasn't she wearing a wedding dress?" he continues, returning his attention to the road ahead now that are back on the move. "A bloody one even. Sal said she managed to cut his arm, and the blood splattered on the dress."

"She must have found a way to change clothes before we got to her." I'm stating the obvious. No longer wanting to talk about the sleeping beauty, I abruptly ask, "Did we have any casualties?"

I had to leave from the estate where the ceremony was being held before the mission was completed since we were informed that the bride managed to escape. The boss ordered me to go after her, so I have no idea how it all ended, although I heard that Oleg and Yakov also ran away.

"Thankfully, no." Dice turns onto a street that has the red lights on. "Just Sal's bloody arm. That's what he gets for being so fucking aggressive." Dice chuckles, but I don't think it's funny.

God, how I hate the traffic in New York.

"Some of the other guys got minor injuries, but nothing too serious," he continues, checking the clock on his wrist out of habit.

"What about the Rominas?" I press through clenched teeth. I still can't believe they escaped.

"The motherfuckers were fast. We got two of their men down, but I don't think they were that important, to be honest," Dice explains, equally annoyed at the outcome.

"We did catch them off guard, though," Kian muses proudly. "I doubt they saw it coming. They are just...fast and skilled. Just like cockroaches when you flip on a light switch in a shitty hotel."

I nod slightly, even though they are not looking at me. That's exactly what I think of them. Although, not even cockroaches are as vile and repulsive as the Romanis. Oleg has got to be the most cruel and vicious person I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. His son isn't far behind, though he's too dumb and cowardly to do as much damage. "We need to fucking end them, once and for all," I grumble. Just thinking about them is giving me a headache. I squeeze my forehead, knowing that won't do any good.

"We will, man," Kian encourages me. "We'll avenge your brother and everyone that we lost because of that motherfucker. You can mark my word."

His voice carries as much anger and hatred as I feel inside. All of us have enough reasons to hate those motherfuckers, and we're all in this together. We will end Oleg and his legacy once and for all. None of us will rest until they're all dead. I look at the girl next to me. She's also part of the Romani syndicate, after all..

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I'm glad I still have the Saints to keep me grounded. After losing my brother, they were the ones who helped me move forward. Now, they're the only people I can call family. I'm truly grateful to have them by my side.

"Where is the boss anyway?" I ask, clearing my throat and changing the subject again. I'm not good with emotional talk, and I'm definitely not prepared to discuss my brother right now. Even after so many years, I still find it hard to talk about that night. "Franco is driving him to the safe house," Dice answers, his eyes focused on the road as he drives us out of town.

We're supposed to take the girl to one of our safe houses in Staten Island, and until we get there, we can't lose focus. As far as we're concerned, the mission only ends once we're safe inside our own territory.

Today's operation was risky, and even though we didn't get to take down Oleg or his son, we managed to get her, which could lead to the outcome we all want. Since she was going to marry Oleg's son, she might be able to give us the information we need to finally get our revenge. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to imagine myself having to torture her, though.

I glance at her once more and watch as her chest rises and falls slowly, a few stains of dry blood smudged on her neck and chin. I can't imagine having to use my most forceful means of extracting information while those wide blue eyes stare into my soul. I've never struggled to force people to spill what I need from them, but her... I shake my head, my eyes darting to the window. She is the fucking enemy and was going to marry into the family that murdered my brother. I should be thrilled to finally have a chance to start my revenge after so long. Instead, dread coils in my stomach like a snake, waiting to strike me down.

“Is the boss going to interrogate her himself?" I force myself to sound casual. Tony is definitely the best man for the job. He might not want me to be the one to do it, after all. After all, he hates the Romanis as much as I do, and I wouldn't mind if he were the one to break her instead. It would mean I wouldn't have to do it, and we'd most likely be successful because his skills are also... effective.

"Uh, not really. He's taking the couple of men we got our hands on to a different safe house." Kian glances at me over his shoulder once more as if to see my reaction. "He said it's best to keep them apart in case Oleg comes for them. He'd have to split his men, which might give us an advantage, though we are also split at the moment. Although," he hesitates, moving in his seat uncomfortably, "the bride is probably who they'd come after first. But that's just a guess." He shrugs.

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I consider his words, my brows creasing. "All right. So, what are his actual orders?" Tony didn't get to pass them to me directly since I was involved in putting together a task force to go after the runaway bride.

Dice clears his throat, his jaw clenched. "You're supposed to take care of her until she spits something," he relays, his voice firm and professional.

"When we finally have something on the Rominas, we can take Oleg down and his empire with him." Kian flashes me a toothy grin.

I roll my eyes, sensing where this is going. I know why Tony wanted me to be the one to squeeze information out of her. Out of all his men, I'm the one who is most eager to kill Oleg after what he did to my brother. Sure, a few other members of our syndicate also had their loved ones murdered by him and his gang, but none of them have been consumed with vengeance the way that I have been. Tony knows I can do it. However, I'm afraid it won't be that easy.

This girl seems fragile, so delicate, but since we have no information on her whatsoever, she could also prove herself to be a tough one to break. She did manage to run away from us, after all. We have no idea who she is or why she was going to marry into the Romina family, but I plan on finding out as soon as she wakes up.noveldrama

"So, in other words, you're babysitting the pretty girl here until we get something useful," Kian adds in a teasing tone.

"And you're staying to help, I assume." I narrow my eyes at them. Dice and Kian share a glance, and I clench my jaw.

"Sure, man," Kian finally says. "Just don't make me torture a pretty girl. You know I can't stand seeing a woman cry."

I grunt, leaning my head backward against the seat, feeling the exhaustion finally take over my body. They don't need to know, but I'm also not looking forward to torturing her. I wouldn't mind if it were Oleg or his son tied to a chair in front of me and I was free to do whatever I needed to do to them. But a woman? And one as delicate as her...? It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

My brother's face emerges in my mind's eye, and I tighten my fists, determination coursing through me.

If this is what it takes to get closer to finally putting Oleg in the grave, so be it.