I stood in the shadows, my senses heightened, and the tension in the air was palpable. I was waiting for Russo’s trusted friends to arrive through this entrance so I could lead them to the velvety room where the order of the day was waiting. Something about who they were scared me, I have gotten used to the idea of not asking questions and not probing further, I needed Russo’s trust more than ever. I recognized them immediately as they entered: seven men who moved with quiet, unassuming confidence. I could never forget these faces, for they have a space on the FBI Most Wanted list. They were the central pillars of the La Sombra Negra cartel. The black shadow cartel. A sense of déjà vu washed over me, for I had crossed paths with these men three years ago in a sting operation, an operation that had ended with one of their own death. Victor Vargas died by my bullet. They were unaware of my identity, their memories and mine diverging as swiftly as a river branching into separate tributa
The warmth of the sun's embrace seemed to whisper promises of a new day, a fresh start. I stretched beneath the cozy duvet, savoring the serenity accompanying those precious moments between slumber and wakefulness. I was tired and I felt like going back to sleep, but The velvet pleasures won’t manage itself. Russo put me in charge for a reason and I won’t disappoint him. My senses slowly returned, I felt something that sent a shock of alarm coursing through me. A presence in the room, an unseen observer. My heart pounded, and I carefully opened my eyes, pretending to remain asleep, hoping to glimpse the intruder without revealing my awareness.And then I saw him. Russo, standing at the foot of my bed, watching me with an amused twinkle in his eyes. I gasped, sitting up abruptly, a jolt of fear coursing through me. "Russo!" I exclaimed, my voice a mixture of surprise and reproach. "You scared the life out of me!"I wasn’t expecting him here today or if he was coming he would have cal
Supervising the shipment offloading, my attention was divided between the careful unloading process and maintaining the safety of the precious cargo. I had spent the last night in Russo’s arms and that seemed to take away all the previous stress of the past week from my body. The atmosphere in the underground storage area was tense, the echo of footsteps and the clinking of metal barrels filling the air.Stephan, my assistant in overseeing the club's operations, was beside me, his normally stoic expression giving way to a subtle vulnerability as he stared at something on his phone. Curiosity piqued, I couldn't help but glance in his direction. I walked to his side but he didn’t notice me coming. A picture of a baby girl adorned the screen, a child with the same captivating blue eyes as Stephan. His gaze was filled with a mix of longing and sorrow as he gazed upon the image. It was a sight so out of place within the dimly lit storage area, it begged a question."Is that your daught
I hurried down from the quarters; I had overslept again and I needed to fix that desperately. I head to the espresso machine before pouring myself a shot; at least that should be enough to keep me going for the entire day.Things are pretty normal around here; there is no new chatter and definitely no new shipment. It was almost like Russo was warned about doing shady business here for now. If he was warned, then I wasn’t informed. I was taking my usual round before business opens in the evening; today is Friday and it only meant loud music till dawn and, of course, working overtime.I am yet to hear back from the FBI regarding the new information I uploaded and I haven't bothered checking back in with them. I knew if they found anything related to Stephan’s daughter, I would be contacted. I just wanted them to find her, not rescue her, because that would raise suspicions. I was just trying to get into Stephan’s good books. I would hate to have him looking over my shoulder every time.
The loud shrill of my phone woke me up and I knew it was too early for it to be my alarm. I had a very late night yesterday and I would appreciate as many sleep as I could get. I stood up groggily to the dressing table side where my phone was lying. The caller ID showed Russo and I sighed before swiping my hands over the call button. “Good morning, Russo, how are you?” I called out as soon as he picked and from the tone of his voice, it looks like he woke up quite early. I wonder if he hired anybody else to take my place at the office. Or if he’s going to be sleeping with her too. I halt my wandering trail of thoughts, whatever Russo does with his personal life should be none of my business, I am out here gathering real information for my mission and that’s all that should matter.“It’s way past morning butterfly, apparently someone didn’t get enough sleep.” He replied and I sighed again, this time loudly so he could her. I would appreciate if i’m given the instructions early so I c
The atmosphere inside the club was thick with tension as we sat, anxiously awaiting Russo's arrival. It was an unusually quiet afternoon, the hushed conversations of the club workers betraying their collective unease. We knew something was amiss, and the anticipation hung heavily in the air.Ever since the news of those men getting picked up by the FBI has reached the club, everyone has been walking on eggshells. Russo didn;t return any of my calls and judging by the way everyone was scared, I knew this was an extreme thing. He had texted me earlier this orning to wait for him in the main club building this morning an dhe would be there by morning, getting down i met the rest of the guys waiting for me. Apparently, they had all gotten the same calls from Russo, I hated how much fear was dominating me. For the first time, I didn't know what the man could do. The rest of the guys weren’t even talking to me and everyone looked lost in their own thoughts. Russo finally swept into the r
I walked down the stairs from my quarters, silently humming a rhyme and I watched the way everyone was moving around swiftly. Russo’s visit had done a number on everyone and I still have no idea what happened to them. I was so relieved to see nobody was missing and imagine my joy when I saw Maya, but instead she was avoiding me. I tried to get her alone in a corner multiple times but she seemed to know how to evade me, same as majority of everyone I manage. Most times I try to not let it get to me but it was hard. They were avoiding me and they were doing their possible best to make sure I can’t access them too. I think it’s because Russo excluded me from the punishment and I still feel irritated because I’m the reason most of them remained in this club. After the night Russo arrived, he had come upstairs to meet me with a list of everyone and asked me to pick out the people i wanted him to fire and people I wanted him to retain. I didn’t know I would tell him that they were all i
I sat in my room, thinking about everything that had been happening lately. The club was busier than ever, and my life had taken a turn I never could have expected. It was during one of those quiet moments that my phone rang, and I saw an unfamiliar number on the screen.I answered the call, and a voice on the other end introduced themselves as an agent from the FBI. I had worked with the FBI on some missions in the past, so I knew this wasn't a regular call.The agent explained that they had some information about Stephan's daughter, Aliyah. My heart skipped a beat. I had seen the pain in Stephan's eyes when he had talked about his missing daughter. The agent told me that Aliyah was living with an old white couple who had adopted her. They had managed to track her down.I knew I couldn't keep this information from Stephan. He had the right to know where his daughter was and if she was safe. But at the same time, I couldn't reveal that the FBI had given me this information. So, I deci