CHAPTER 1
MELANIE
People believe that assassins are heartless and coldhearted. Taking lives like is what they live for. Hell, it is what they do live for. Some do it for the money, very attractive if I must say. Others do it for the rush, to feel something in this perfectly mundane world. To feel like they were actually living. Taking someone's life is not an easy feat at all. Sure enough, putting a bullet in between someone's eyebrows is easy but then when the realization hits, now there is the hard part. The Guilt.
Now many cannot live with the guilt. It eats them up from the inside and eventually that's what actually kills them but the remaining few are the demons who keep this boring world a little on the edge. When you feel no remorse at all, infact you find joy in it, now that's when you realize that you were never meant to be normal. For this world to remain balanced, some of us have to be extraordinary-even if its by force.
A sigh escapes from my lips as my targets body drops to the floor. Too easy. Again. But its fine, I needed the warm up anyways. Ding. I reach for the burner phone in the inner pocket of my leather jacket and take of my mask, a black metal mask formed to look like the face of a tiger, made with a camera that can go live when killing your target so that my organization can confirm if the job has been done.
A smirk graces my lips as I read the contents of my new assignment. Finally. Something more exciting. Another message comes in. It needed to be done immediately. If I had to get to the location in the next twenty minutes I had to leave now.
I turn around leaving the dead body. I'm sure the cleaners were on their way. I briskly walk towards my baby, an up to date version of the Yamaha YZF-R6. Fully equipped with hidden compartments to hide and carry my weapons when on a mission, my personal system Mel , A system created by my organization to help, coordinate and give me up to date information when on a mission and fully powered turbo incase I encountered a chase. As soon as I have my helment on, Mel is giving me all the information I need.
We were heading to a harbour where the La Cosa Nostra were receiving a diamond shipment from an Australian syndicate. My target was one man the underboss of the Australian syndicate who was in charge of the delivery. Sinner Williams. A digitalized copy of his image appears on the lens visor of my helment.
"Mel, would The King be there?" There was no way he would be there. This was too small of a shipment for him to handle personally but I still needed to be careful. I was trespassing on La Cosa Nostra territory after all. "According to the information I have resourced, The king should not be available tonight." Mel replies in her female robotic voice.
"Okay." Its not like I was afraid of him but The King was not someone I wished to offend right now especially now that I'm trying to avoid him.
"Mistress, I think it would be wise of us to stop 200 feets away from the harbour to avoid unnecessary attention." Mel informs me as we take a bend. I make a sudden break and kill the engine of my mortocycle.
Putting on my mask, I walk the rest of the way towards the harbour. The harbour had containers of different colours stacked all around it. I could see a building-probably a warehouse- at a distance. I could see some lights scattered around the harbour, not bright but enough to make you way around the harbour but if I'm correct they should be meeting at that warehouse.
I stealthily walk towards the warehouse using the stacked containers as a cover. I catch a movement to my right and duck as a bullet wizzes pass my ear. I quickly take my handgun from the waistband of my pants and then chaos ensues. I hear a yell and gun fire. It seems that the transaction didn't go as planned and I have just been caught in the crossfire. The excitement makes my fingers to tingle.
Now I have to shoot my way to find that idiot but that's fine by me. I rise from my position still making my way towards the harbour. The main battle is definitely taking place in that warehouse and Sinner Williams would definitely be in there.
Running straight ahead, I nearly crash into someone but I dig my boot into the ground to keep the both of us from toppling to the ground. I take a step back and do not even wait a single second before putting a bullet into his forehead. He would have definitely done the same if he had recovered from his shock faster.
I jump over his body without looking back. Hesitating would get me killed. I get to the end of a row of containers on my two sides forming a lane that branches to three different directions. The warehouse should be straight ahead but I hear a voice from my right coming towards my direction. I pause and give my back towards a container at my right, gun ready. Waiting .
I listen for his footsteps. When I hear him three steps away , I turn firing two bullets at him. He falls just as I see two men coming out from a lane towards his right. They immediately spot me before I can hide. They raise their guns immediately and so do I.
"A woman?" The one on the left asks. He was huge and tall. 6'7 at least with muscles everywhere. He had a scar running down his face on the left side of his face from his ear down to his neck and futher down. I can't see where it stops because of the black t-shirt he is wearing. It's stretched taut on his body. It is a wonder how it hadn't ripped at the seams because of his body size.
"Not a feminist then?" I reply cocking my head to the side, my gun still trained on them still in the shadows of the containers. I could see them because they were under the light strung on a pole behind them which were scattered all over the harbour but they shouldn't be able to see me beyond maybe a body outline. How he immediately knew my gender surprises me.
The one on the right scoffed. He was tall too but the huge dude still had a few inches on him. He was well built as well but not as huge as the other guy. These men seemed very familiar. My brain starts working, trying to figure out where I had seen them.
"I thought the Australians didn't employ women in their ranks?" Huge guy asks.
And then it clicks. I was standing before the enforcer and underboss of the La Cosa Nostra. I can't kill them. They are too far up in the ranks to risk it. These are Made men and except a hit was placed on their head, I can't kill them. My only option right now is to find a way to escape them.
"You are not with the Australians." The Underboss' eyes narrow with suspicion as he lowers his gun. A statement not a question. "You are here for someone aren't you?". Shit! He's smart. The enforcer-huge guy-also lowers his gun. They probably already sense that I'm not here for them meaning that I can't kill them.
"Are you planning on stopping me?" There was no point in denying it. I also lower my gun still on alert because the sound of gunfire continue around us.
"Depends on who you are here for." The underboss replies icily. I need to do something fast before they think I'm after someone from their organization and decide to take me out.
"Now that is definitely confidential." I reply cooly just as a bullet wizzes by me narrowly missing me and instead grazes my left arm. Fuck! I ignore the pain as I make a move. This is the perfect distraction. I raise my gun and shoot the light behind them as they take out the three Australian men behind them. Glass shatters and it goes dark. I quickly make my escape just as I hear huge guy curse out loudly. That makes a corner of my lip to curl up.
I run towards the direction of the warehouse, taking out men as I go. My blood was already dripping down my fingers. I was loosing too much blood. I need to do this quickly before I lose consciousness from blood loss. I get to the front of the warehouse, I could hear shooting from inside. I crouch down and reach for another clip at my back to reload which aggravates the pain I was trying to ignore.
"Fuck." I mutter under my breath as I quickly reload. I get to the metal door of the warehouse which was left slightly open. I can't just walk in. I needed to find a way to sneak in. I walk to the side of the warehouse, looking to make sure no one was there. I turn and and walk down spotting a window far down. I run towards it. The warehouse was a storey building and the window was on the second floor. I look around and spot a ladder ten feets away from me. I drag it placing it beside the window.
I scale up the ladder as quickly and silently as possible. The person who had used this ladder definitely wouldn't be far. When I get to the window, I peer in . A sniper lay flat on the ground, near the window, gun trained on a soldier of the La Cosa Nostra. I step in through the window . I grab a silencer from my waist band and attach it to my handgun but he notices me just before I can take him out. I take aim and so does he. I could see the emotions flickering through his eyes. Surprise,disgust,anger and bloodthirst .
His blood splatters on my face as I take him out but not before he pulls the trigger. I take another hit to my left shoulder. I barely manage to keep my balance as the pain hits me. Fuck ! My left arm would be disabled for quite a few weeks .
I take a few steps to peer down to where the chaos was taking place. I could see men hidden behind different shelves. The warehouse was huge. Spotting Sinner would be quite difficult.
" It seems that Allen is getting quite bold these days. The guts to try to take my men out with the guise of this transaction." I freeze at the sound of that silky voice that rings through the air. Shit! I should have known he would be here when I had that encounter with his enforcer and underboss. " He forgot. You forgot that I'm always ten steps ahead." I could hear amusement underneath the ice in hisvoice.
My eyes move to the right where his voice was coming from. I see a bunch of shelves and wooden stairs probably leading to the second floor where I'm currently hiding. Italian men are hiding behind those shelves, using them as covers but I don't see him. Where is he hiding?
"Your confidence would be your downfall today Armani. You think you are untouchable? I have snipers all around this harbour. Your underboss and enforcer are probably dead by now and you will also join them too by the end of tonight. Stop hiding and come out you coward!" Anger licks his voice as my target step out from behind a barrel at the left,a handgun in hand. Bingo!
I pick up the sniper rifle from the sniper I just killed and scoot forward. I lay flat on the floor and take out three bullets from my handgun. I open the of the rifle and empty it out and place my bullets in it. I place the tip of the gun through the barricade.
I take aim and I wait.
The King steps out from the opposite direction, dressed in an impeccably pressed three piece suit. He looks so calm and unruffled, as if he is not surrouned by Australian men that want him dead.
"ahh. I see you still have that horrible notion where you think you have the upperhand." The chill in his voice makes a shudder go through me and a chill go down my spine. Sinner pales ." In normal circumstances, I suppose you do. But when dealing with me that is not the case."
Sinner raises his chin in false bravado, his gun still trained on The King.
"I'm the one holding a gun. You are not leaving this place alive." He fires a shot at the roof probably to ruffle his opponents up but The King doesn't even flinch.
The king tuts " For all your talk…and dramatics, you sure do lack action. I'm disappointed. I actually thought I would get some real action tonight."
I bite my tongue to keep myself from snorting. Even I am disappointed. Well ,time to end this.
Making sure my mask is in place,I activate the live feed on it. I fire a shot at the ceiling- not to be dramatic or anything-and as soon as Sinner's head snaps to mine, I fire a shot at his head and a second one through his throat. As soon as his body hits the floor, chaos ensues. I turn off the live feed and quickly get to my feet, grimacing at the pain that shoots through my arm.
Italian men which had been hiding in the shadows behind Sinner emerge.
Huh. So that had been his plan.
My eyes snap to where the King is standing or was because he has disappeared. I quickly turn towards the window. I need to get out of here. I go over window, just as I hear the thundering of boots on the staircase that leads to the second floor .
Immediately my foot touches the ladder, I scale down quickly jumping down the five remaining steps. I turn around and come face to face with who I have been avoiding for the past four months. Rico Armani aka The King.
My Fight or Flight instincts- who am I kidding, my flight instincts kick in. My eyes look around him, planning an escape . He's alone, not as if that eases the fear curling in my stomach. His men are looking through the window I have just escaped from, guns trained on me. My eyes land on him, on those green eyes that seem to see through me. Those damn eyes that makes my skin burn every single time they land on me.
That scares the shit out of me and nothing scares me easily. His stare always burns through me and I never seem to be able to look him in the eyes for long. My very first. Its not just the way he looks at me, it's the dangerous air surrounding him. One that promises you death in the most horrible way possible. The psychopathic glint in his eyes that tells you that he would revel in your misery, get off on it even like some sick psychopath.
I move my eyes elsewhere and take a step back before hitting he ladder with my back.
"Thrice." His silky voice washes over me although it lacks the coldness with which he spoke to Sinner with. Although there is something else there, like awe or fascination. "You have stolen my targets from me three times." His eyes roam over my body as if committing every part of me to memory. Goosebumps arise on my skin and I am barely able to keep myself from shivering. " You have starved me of my kill three times
I clench my left fist to will myself to not move my hands to check if my mask is still in place but that was a mistake as molten pain reminds me of my predicament.
" Fuck." A pained curse escapes my lips.
" Say that again." The raw danger in his voice makes a chill spread through my body. I don't respond. Why the hell would anybody respond to that? It sounds like a command and I do not do well with commands.
His eyes flash with something I can't really place.
"Mr. Armani I do not have any business with you. I was assigned a contract and I carried it out. If you would-" He cuts off my attempt to be diplomatic.
" I didn't hear an apology." He tilts his head to the side watching me with that assessing gaze of his.
I raise a brow- not that he can see it anyways. The nerve! My pride and stubbornness come rearing to the front, pushing aside the fear I have for this man.
"An apology?" I scoff. " I should apologize for your inability to take out my targets before I get to them? That, Mr. Armani is a problem born out of your uselessness." I hear a sharp gasp from above me. The words came flying out of my mouth before I could filter them, not that I regret them anyways.
His green orbs darken and narrows, flashing with anger but then that disappears as a slow sadistic smirk graces his lips but that doesn't soften his features as it should instead it makes him look more terrifying. Beautifully terrifying.
" A sharp mouth as well?" he advances towards me, cornering me in two long strides. He removes his right hand from his trouser pocket, his silver signet ring glinting after being caught by a light and places it on the ladder. He raises his left hand and from the dim light, I could see dark ink swirling on his hand. I wonder where the ink stops.
He raises his pointer and middle finger up and moves them backwards twice without taking his eyes of my face-not that he could even see my face. A dismissing motion for his men watching us from the window above. He brings his hand down to my ears, the part of my facial features not covered by my mask .
My breath hitches and when his light feathered touch gets to my neck, my breath comes out in sporadic pants. Why am I so affected? I should push him off him and kick him in the balls but my body doesn't seem to work with my brain anymore. Especially with his cologne invading my senses.
He lowers his mouth to my ears and when I feel his breath on my neck, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and the fear that my pride had pushed aside comes back, stronger than before.
" I would enjoy taming you little tigress." He inhales my scent and I stiffen. " Lavender? Nice."
" What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I breath out, my voice surprisingly steady compared to how I feel right now.
I feel the heat of his body increase. He steps closer as if he isn't close enough. " I just found my obsession. What do you think I'm doing little tigress?"
My heart goes into overdrive. " Goodluck on keeping your supposed obsession then. Get the fuck off me."
He lifts his head from my neck and stares into my eyes. He suddenly wraps his hand tightly around my throat without cutting off my air supply. My eyes narrow. I lift my handgun and press it to his head ignoring what his hand on my throat is doing to me.
"There's absolutely nothing stopping my from blowing your head off." I wasn't going to do it, but this has gone on for far too long. I need my sanity back.
He closes his eyes as if absorbing my threat. This man is crazy. No one sane would revel in a threat. He opens his eyes and a gasp escapes my lips. His eyes had darkened, an even darker shade than before, making the hue his eyes to seem totally black under the dim light and his smirk has returned. "Do it. I dare you."
The audacity! I can't kill him. He knows I can't and he's taunting me. I grind my teeth to keep me from emptying my clip into his pompous head.
"Don't taunt me!"
"But it's fun, don't you think?" suddenly he releases me and takes a step back, that annoying smirk still plastered on his annoyingly beautiful face that I have the urge to pummel with my fist- not that my left arm would agree..
"Run little tigress." He tilts his head to the side in a predatory way. I stumble away from him, never giving him my back. It's on the tip of my tongue to tell him that only cowards run but his next words make my flight instincts kick in.
"I'm coming for you and when I find you, I'm never letting you go."
The promise behind the dark timbre of his voice has my legs moving. So I do exactly as he says, not because I'm a coward and I can't stand my ground but sometimes the urge to survive beats pride. I don't know what I have done to attract his attention but what I know is that I do not want it- no one ever does in our world.
Rico Armani, as sinfully beautiful as he is, is also equally lethally dangerous and I have a lot to loose if he comes into my life. Not just because he is my family's enemy and definitely not just because of my body's reaction to him but because of his reputation. The rumors about him in the underworld are very gruesome but they are very much understated. I would know and I never want to be on the receiving end of it.
I don't run. I never run but The King wants me-for whatever sick, depraved reason that I want no part of-so I will run because so many lives depend on it. But something tells me that no matter how fast and how far I run, Nico Armani will find me.