(After The Auction)
Alessandro
She cheated me.
I could not remember the last time someone had the nerve… or stupidity to do that.
The thought sent a cold burn through my chest and the sound of glass breaking echoed before I even registered that my hand had moved.
"Boss," Matteo's voice broke the silence as he handed me a white napkin.
I took it, slowly wiping off the blood on the palm of my hand.
"First, her brother stole from me. And now she dares to do this. Did their father never warn them about me?" The question was directed at no one in particular but I was actually curious. "Matteo?"
"Yes, Boss?"
"Bring me the club manager and that auctioneer," I ordered.
"Okay Boss."
"I paid twelve million for her," I leaned back in my seat, listening to the whimpers of the trembling woman kneeling beside me. "And this is not the woman I bid for," I pointed at her.
The imposter flinched when I looked down at her. I had to admit. Kendra Marino was very clever. She was supposed to go home with me since I won the auction but she connived with the auctioneer to hand me a replacement.
This woman had the same brown hair, hazel eyes and same build as the woman I had bid for, but she was not her.
"You all thought you could cheat me?" My voice was much lower and darker now. "You should say your last prayers," I advised. "I am not a merciful man so I doubt you'd be going back to your family."
She whimpered even louder but the gag over her mouth muffled the sound. So even if she wanted to speak, she couldn't.
Minutes later, Matteo returned and behind him, other men pushed in the auctioneer first and he fell flat on his face. The manager of the club was pushed in next and he wore this look of confusion I had seen too many times.
I was still seated but I picked up my pistol which had been lying on the stool.
"Mr De Santis…"
"Shut up!" Matteo landed a punch across the manager's face, making him fall to the ground and swallow his words.
When he laid eyes on the sobbing woman kneeling beside me, the auctioneer's eyes widened in fear and he began pleading, swearing he knew nothing.
The manager, however, wore a blank expression when he saw her. Matteo had burst the man's lip but I could see it quivering. He was afraid. Good.
I leaned forward and the auctioneer flinched. He glanced at the manager, his eyes pleading with the manager to probably get them out of this situation. Unfortunately, there was no getting out of this.
"What is your name?" I asked him and he swallowed thickly before answering.
"L-Lionel."
"Mmm," I mumbled, lifting the man's chin with the tip of my gun. "You know who I am?"
He nodded frantically, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his body trembled.
"So you know what happens if I don't get the truth?" I asked further.
"There's nothing to—"
POW! The sound of my gun went off as I silenced the manager, shooting his forehead. The woman, who had been quiet, screamed and Lionel's fear visibly skyrocketed.
"Now where were we?" I asked, ignoring the body on the floor which had blood oozing from his forehead.
"It wasn't me," Lionel began to cry. "I knew she wasn't one of the regulars but when I asked questions, the manager promised me a million dollars if I managed to auction her off."
He kept babbling, his words lacking coherence, but I needed to understand.
"Shh," I placed the gun over his lips. "Let's start from the beginning. This woman here isn't who was on stage, right or wrong?"
"Right," he nodded and I let out a low growl. "I swear, I wasn't a part of the initial plan," he added.
"So what was the plan?" I asked calmly.
"I don't know what the woman's plan was," he started, "but she said she didn't want to go home with whoever wins. Also, she planted a bidder among the others who would continue to raise the bid. I knew you were the target. But I was asked to just shut up and do my job."
"And how much did she pay you?" I questioned.
"The goal was to get to ten million," he answered. "She promised to give us the rest."
"You pocketed $2M and now you want to act stupid," I said under my breath and the man began begging for his life.
Just then, Matteo handed me a phone. "I found her old Instagram account," he said and I stared at the face of the woman who thought that she could play me.
"Is this her?" I showed Lionel the phone screen and he nodded while I chuckled, returning the phone to Matteo.
"Boss," he called my attention and I glanced at him. "I just received a text from our consigliere. Killian Marino just paid off his debt."
I let out a hearty laugh when I heard that. "Can you imagine that, Matteo? He paid me with my own money."
Matteo didn't laugh and the next second, I had the tip of my gun forced into Lionel's mouth.
Ignoring his trembling, I leaned in. "Do you know what I hate more than liars and thieves? I hate rats. I also don't like people who try to remove themselves from situations out of fear."
For some reason, the woman's sobbing grew annoyingly loud and I simply shot her dead.
"Please, Sir," Lionel cried, bowing his head to the floor. "I'll do anything. But please don't kill me. My wife just had a baby."
With the tip of my shoe, I lifted his chin up. "If you want to live," I told him. "Bring me Kendra Marino. I want her alive."
"Boss, does this mean…"
"Yes, Matteo. Let's put the bounty on her," I said. "Whoever brings her to me goes home with a fat cheque. That includes you, Lionel. I should kill you but I want that child your wife just had to have a father."
I got up and walked over the manager's body to go stand by the window.
"Matteo, kill him if he lied about his wife," I ordered. "And as for Kendra Marino, let the hunt begin."
*********
It didn't come as a surprise when Matteo reported that the son of a bitch, Lionel, had lied. He didn't even have a wife. So I killed him and it was slow and painful.
Kendra, on the other hand, was hard to find. Everyone was looking for her, but no one was bringing any concrete leads.
I didn't want to ask her brother. My business with him was done. He was definitely in on his sister's plan but she did it for him, so she was my target. I will deal with Killian later. Who knows? Maybe I would be the one to put an end to the Marino family.
I remained in Monaco because I strongly believed Kendra was somewhere close. But when Matteo finally brought news of her whereabouts, I realized I was in the wrong place.
"Our men tracked Killian to a convent in the Amalfi coast some days ago," he reported. "He has no reason to be there so I suspect that's where his sister is hiding."
"Clever," I adjusted the signet ring on my index finger. "Prepare the jet, Matteo. Il Diavolo is going to church."
We left for Italy the following morning and my orders to my men were simple. I planned to kill that conniving woman myself.
My convoy pulled into the Convent when the sun was high up in the sky. There were nuns everywhere in the courtyard but I knew who I was here for.
One of the nuns, an elderly woman, approached our vehicles and Matteo got out to speak with her.
I wasn't listening to whatever was being said. Seated in the back seat, I scanned the faces of everyone and that's when I noticed someone trying to get away from the scene.
She was a nun, cloaked in her habit. If she wasn't acting suspicious, I wouldn't have paid any attention to her. However, when I saw her face, I took off my sun shades to get a better view.
Kendra Marino was disguising as a nun?
"Boss?" Matteo called as he came over. "That woman said she's the Mother Superior and there's no one named Kendra here."
Listening and smiling, I kept my gaze fixed on Kendra who was trying to slip away through the back. She looked nothing like the sultry woman who was being auctioned off just days ago.
"She's here, Matteo," I informed him and he glanced around. "But now I'm curious. What would it be like if a nun had to share a living space with the devil?"