The morning had started routinely for a certain mafia boss, Giovanni Santorino. He was in his office reviewing import reports when his attention shifted to the local news he always kept running on a side screen.
"...in local news, police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of a Maple Street resident. Neighbors reported that Robert Chen, known in the neighborhood for his loud parties, hadn't been seen in several days..."
Giovanni immediately straightened up, his blue eyes focusing on the screen. He brought his hand to the discrete earpiece he always wore.
"Marcus, do you copy?" he murmured.
Marcus's voice came through clearly but low. "Here, boss. I'm mixed in with the neighbors, seeing everything firsthand."
"What's happening exactly?"
On the screen, Giovanni could see the house where Marcus and Santos had worked the night before. Police were going in and out, there was a forensic van, and curious neighbors clustered on the sidewalk.
"Neighbors complained because Chen was always noisy and suddenly everything was quiet for days," Marcus reported discretely. "Police entered with a public welfare warrant."
"Police report they found no signs of violence on the property..."
Giovanni smiled slightly. "And?"
"Nothing, boss. Absolutely nothing. They're confused. The house is spotless, no traces of anything. Not even a drop of blood under UV light."
"Good. Come back now. We need to talk."
Thirty minutes later, Marcus and Santos were in the office. Giovanni had turned off the news but his mind was still processing the implications of what he'd seen.
"Tell me about this rookie," Giovanni said, his tone serious and direct. "What happened that night you saw?"
Marcus cleared his throat. "Sir, in my fifteen years doing this, I've never seen natural instincts like his. He found hiding places that would have taken me hours to locate. His medical knowledge let him read the scene like an open book."
"No drama, no problematic questions, no vomiting," Santos added. "He worked like a professional from the first minute."
Giovanni leaned back in his chair, but his expression remained serious. "What do we know about him?"
"That's what's interesting, sir," Marcus leaned forward. "He says he was studying criminology at university before... family problems. And apparently became obsessed with medicine after some kind of trauma."
"What kind of trauma?"
"He mentioned a kidnapping. Said after that he developed a certain tolerance for difficult things."
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. A kidnapping, and suddenly he appears in his business. Coincidences made him nervous in this line of work.
"And how did he get to us?"
Santos perked up. "Through Jonathan Blackwood. We've known the family for years."
Giovanni considered this. The Blackwoods had been reliable partners for decades.
"I want to talk to Blackwood. Now."
Marcus nodded. "You want me to summon him here, sir?"
"Yes. And make sure he understands it's not a question."
An hour later, Jonathan Blackwood was sitting across from Giovanni's desk. The young man looked clearly uncomfortable, maintaining an upright and formal posture.
"Mr. Santorino," Jonathan began respectfully. "I understand you want to talk about my recommendation."
"Exactly, Blackwood. Tell me about him."
Jonathan shifted slightly in his chair. "Sir, I hope you understand he's my friend. What I tell you..."
"Will be treated with appropriate discretion," Giovanni interrupted. "But I need to know who I'm dealing with."
Jonathan nodded. "Alleinad Gilbert. He was my roommate at Criftar University. He studied forensic criminology, was brilliant. One of the best students I've known."
"Was?"
"It was a sensitive matter, sir." Jonathan paused. "He didn't give me many details, but it was something serious. He lost his scholarship, can't return to university."
Giovanni leaned forward. "What kind of sensitive matters, Blackwood?"
"He was kidnapped, sir." Jonathan swallowed. His voice became more tense. "His own family was involved. I don't know all the details because he doesn't want to talk about it, but he escaped and now he's completely alone."
Marcus and Santos exchanged glances, their expressions changing to serious—it was an indicator that something wasn't right and they had the feeling this would only get worse. They hoped it wouldn't be so.
"His family was involved in his kidnapping?" Giovanni asked, his voice hardening.
"That's what I understood. Alleinad is traumatized, sir. He's lost everything: family, education, future. When he asked me for help getting a new identity, I knew he was desperate."
All three seemed irritated. Finally, Giovanni asked a question that would completely kill Marcus and Santos's illusion.
"How old is he?" Giovanni asked abruptly.
"Nineteen years old, sir."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Marcus opened his eyes completely shocked, remembering how the kid had searched for stains and cleaned when he's just a child. Santos lost his usual smile, and Giovanni leaned back in his chair breathing deeply, trying to calm himself in his chair with an expression that mixed surprise and something deeper.
"Nineteen?" Giovanni repeated slowly.
"Yes, sir. He turned nineteen last November."
Marcus muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse. Santos shook his head, his expression unusually grim. That boy he'd joked with could be his son. He thought he looked young but never imagined how young. The proposal he'd made for him to work with them—now he wished he'd thought it through better.
"Fuck," Giovanni murmured. "He's practically a kid."
Jonathan observed the reactions of the three men, noticing the immediate change in atmosphere. There was something in their expressions he couldn't completely identify, but it seemed... protective.
"His personality? What's he really like?" Giovanni asked, his voice now softer.
Jonathan considered the question carefully. "Smart, observant, incredibly loyal to those he cares about. But also... cautious. He's learned not to trust easily. After what happened with his family, I don't blame him."
"Any behavioral problems? Violent tendencies?"
"The opposite. Alleinad was always the one who calmed situations down. I never saw him lose control, not even in stressful situations. He's... stable. Reliable. And honestly, after everything he's been through, it's surprising how well he holds it together."
Santos spoke for the first time since the age revelation. "And he's completely alone? No family supporting him?"
"Completely alone," Jonathan confirmed. "His family betrayed him in the worst possible way. He doesn't have anyone else but... well, some university friends, but we're all scattered for the summer."
Giovanni stood up and walked to the window, hands behind his back. When he turned around, there was a different determination in his eyes.
"Does he know exactly what kind of work you recommended him for?"
Jonathan shook his head. "I only told him it was specialized cleaning. He desperately needed a new identity, and this was the only way I knew to get it. He found out completely when he arrived."
"Good." Giovanni returned to his desk. "Blackwood, this is important: I don't want you to contact Gilbert unless he contacts you first. Understood?"
"Why, sir?"
"Because I'm going to offer him something, and I want the decision to be completely his. No external pressure."
Jonathan nodded, though he seemed worried. "Mr. Santorino, I know this isn't my business, but... he's a good kid. He's been through enough for a lifetime."
Giovanni looked at Jonathan for a long moment. "Blackwood, good kids who've been through hard things deserve someone to look out for them. Don't worry about your friend."
After Jonathan left, Giovanni remained thoughtful. Marcus and Santos waited in silence.
"Nineteen years old," Giovanni finally murmured. "Fuck. And he's already survived family betrayal, a kidnapping, and the loss of his entire future."
Marcus nodded gravely. He wished he hadn't thought about hiring him. "He's just a kid, boss."
"A kid with extraordinary talents and nowhere to go," Santos added, his usual cheerfulness replaced by something more serious. He felt the same as Marcus, but maybe the kid had nothing and he hoped that would change, though not like this. But he knew if he was scared enough to disappear, well, he had limited options.
Giovanni turned to Marcus, his expression hardening. "Marcus, I want you to investigate that kidnapping. Everything you can find. Who was involved, how it happened, if there's any connection to our circles."
"Anything specific I should look for, sir?"
Giovanni's voice took on a tone both subordinates knew well: dangerous. "If anyone from our world, any of our associates or competitors, was involved in hurting that kid... I want to know about it."
Santos and Marcus exchanged a look. They knew Giovanni's reputation in criminal circles regarding innocent young people, innocent women, and children. There were lines that simply weren't crossed, and everyone knew it.
"And if we find connections?" Marcus asked carefully.
Giovanni smiled, but there was no humor in it. Only the promise of consequences. "Then we'll have some very serious conversations with some people. And if it turns out someone on our side was involved..."
He left the threat unfinished, but the message was clear. In criminal circles, Giovanni's position on protecting minors and young people was well known and respected. Anyone who had crossed that line would pay dearly.
"Understood, boss," Marcus said. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I want you to bring him tomorrow, Santos. But be extremely careful. No intimidation, no pressure. Behave as if he were..."
"As if he were what, sir?" Santos asked.
Giovanni paused, considering his words. "As if he were someone we want to hire, but I emphasize: no intimidation."
The three men exchanged glances. There was something about Alleinad's age, about his story of family betrayal, that had touched something in all of them—especially Marcus and Santos. They themselves had seen how the kid worked, knew that was part of his trauma, and now both felt horrified by their thoughts.
"And what are we going to offer him?" Santos asked.
Giovanni smiled, but it was different from his previous smiles. There was genuine warmth in it. "An opportunity. A family that really values him. And the chance to use his talents for something more than survival."
The determination in his voice was clear: Giovanni Santorino had decided that Alleinad Gilbert deserved more than simply surviving. And if someone had hurt the kid, they were going to regret it deeply.