KANE’s POV
I sit in the darkened office of Owen’s Pharmacy and stare into the eyes of the man who killed my father. There is fear in his dull brown eyes, but it is a fear that has come too late.
He rubs his palms together, begging for mercy on his knees as Tore, my right-hand man holds him at gunpoint from behind. I trust Tore with my life, he has stuck by my side ever since we were children. We’re pretty much blood brothers though we look nothing alike. Tore wears his light brown hair sleeked back and tied up in a little ponytail and has the build of a Greek god. Even as he cocks the gun at Owen, Tore towers over the trembling man.
“Please, I have a wife and a kid,” Owen begs with a quivering voice.
I lean forward from the worn-out plastic stool that I sit on and stroke the man’s pudgy cheeks with my blade. It's sharp and pointy, and grazes Owen on the cheeks. He winces in pain and a streak of dark red blood appear.
“So? My father had two wives and five children and you still went ahead to poison him.”
Owen the pharmacist breaks into a sob.
“I’m sorry…I had to. Sergio’s gang threatened to kill my family if I didn’t do their bidding.” I think he just peed in his pants.
Sergio…the man thinks he is king now just because he got rid of my old man. Things have gotten really bad under his control. The city’s financial economy is in ruins because of his tyranny as he runs rampant seizing properties and beds every young woman he lays his eyes on. If father was a dictator, then Sergio is a madman.
I should never have left the family. I should never have tried running away from my fate. I should have been there for father when he needed me the most. But I wasn’t, and because of that, my family was massacred.
I am sorry father, I will pay for my sins. I will avenge you.
I eye Tore who nods back and cocks his gun readying for the kill. Owen closes his eyes as tears slide down his face. He knows there is no escape for him now.
Except maybe for the annoying trespasser who enters through the front door of the pharmacy.
“Hello?” a soft melodious voice calls out. It is a woman. What is a woman doing here at such a godforsaken hour? And where is Russo? He was supposed to stand guard at the door. That guy must have gone for a piss again. He drank too much before we came.
I frown and point to Tore. He nods and stealthily steps out of the office to check.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” she calls out again.
Jeez woman, if there’s no answer, it means that no one’s here. I roll my eyes at the sheer stupidity of the female species. The only time they’ve ever impressed me is when they’re in bed with their legs spread out.
I've never been impressed by them. Save for my mother and that girl. Suddenly, my mind wanders back to the hazel-eyed beauty from the woods. I shake my head, why has she been consuming my thoughts these few days?
“I need medication. My father is hurt…”
Owen whimpers and I quickly cover his mouth. I hear Tore speak, his voice deep and low.
“Hello,” he says in the most pleasant of ways. Tore loves women, as do I but we know where to draw the line. We do not force ourselves on women and we do not prey on the weak. And this woman will be no exception.
I peek out of the office and catch the silhouette of a petite woman in an oversized jacket. Her hair, I can’t really tell the colour since the lights are off but they look like they’re dark brown. She fidgets when she sees Tore appear at the counter. At six foot four, Tore is practically a giant compared to her tiny frame.
“Oh!” she exclaims in surprise. “Are…are you the pharmacist?”
“I’m his assistant.”
I have to stop myself from chuckling. Tore does NOT like a pharmacist’s assistant. In any case, his rugged looks and heavy jawline liken him more to a street fighter than a blue-collar worker. It’s obvious the woman doesn’t believe him, but she seems to be desperate.
She inches closer to the counter and asks with what I perceive to be hope, “My father, he was lashed with a poisoned whip. He’s suffering from a broken arm too. The wounds from the lashing have not healed. In fact he has a very high fever. Is there anything you can give him?”
Sergio…
My eyebrows furrow with disgust. His gang is the only one I know that uses poisoned whips. Too much drama. Sergio has a thing for theatrics.
Me? I prefer the tortures to be fast and clean. Like Owen here. Shoot him in the head and be done with it. Simple as that, and it would have already been done had that woman not stepped into the shop.
I sigh, wishing Tore would hurry up.
“We have antibiotics and antiseptics. Wait here.” I hear Tore rummage through the cabinets. I am amazed he knows where the medication is kept.
“Here you go,” he says after a little while.
“How much?” the woman asks.
There is a scratching sound, Tore doesn’t know the price. “Fifty?” he says, unsure.
The woman hesitates and lowers her head. From where I hide, I see her shoulders slumping in despair. She must be poor.
“I’m sorry, can I just take the antibiotics? I don’t have that much.” I can practically hear disappointment dripping from her words.
“You can have them for free then.”
I raise my eyebrows. She must be very beautiful. Tore has a soft spot for pretty girls.
I hear her gasp. Owen does too and he shakes his head furiously. I guess giving out freebies is not his thing. I smile at Owen and point my blade at him. Immediately he cowers.
“Thank you! Thank you, kind sir! Thank you so much! You will surely be blessed!” she squeals with pure delight.
“Where is your father by the way?” Tore asks. He sure is chatty tonight.
“Up in the hills. We’re from the Tussano village.”
I see her bowing to Tore and him bowing back. She pulls her hoodie over her head and dashes out of the shop.
Tussano. That was near where I met the young woman from the other night. Could she be from the same village?
Tore saunters to the back soon after she leaves and I have to tease him, “Beautiful?”
He smiles cheekily, “Like an angel.”
Those are the last words Owen the pharmacist ever hears.
ROSE’s POVIt’s been less than two hours since Lily’s been gone but to me, it feels like an eternity has passed. I wonder if she will be able to find any medication for father, but more importantly, I have to wonder if the medication will work at all given the condition that he is in right now.I look at Thomas who is sleeping soundly next to me on my bed. He has kicked off his blanket in his sleep and is drooling all over our pink worn-out mattress. I love my little brother, but I hate his drools. They stink. In the next room, it sounds like father has woken from his sleep and is talking to mother, but I cannot be sure. All I can hear are incoherent sounds coming through the paper-thin wall between our rooms.I stand up from the torn and tattered bed and walk towards the only window in my bedroom, wishing for some fresh air. The room is too stuffy. But as I open the creaky wings of the window, I am not greeted by the cool morning air,
LILY’s POV When I was young, probably around three or four, father would perch me on his broad shoulders and run around our little wooden house as I flapped my hands in the air. I’d imagine myself a bird, soaring free and high in the sky. I remember how happy I had been then. My lips would curl up so high they would reach the corners of my eyes. Such was the joy of our simple game. I’d always ask for ‘just one more time’ and though father was weary from work, he never failed to indulge in me. Father worked hard for all of us, and now the time has come for me to take the burden from him. “You?” the leader cocks his head with a quizzical look. An eyebrow arches high as he looks me up and down, not sure what to make of my offer. I guess volunteering is not a common thing. “Yes, take me. Leave my sister alone,” I say with resolute, trying to hide the fear in my voice. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Rose’s dainty little mouth drop to an ‘O’
KANE’s POV “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War I stand atop the balcony of my late father’s mansion overlooking the city. There is a gentle breeze that plays with my hair as I look at the world that lays before me. I lift a hand with an outstretched arm and curl my fingers in, seemingly swallowing the city whole. It is only a matter of time before I claim back what rightfully belongs to the Ibraco family. My family. My father was the most powerful mafia leader of his time. He was ruthless and his name evoked fear throughout the land. If he asked you to down a bucket of shit, you would do it with a smile, otherwise, not only would you lose your head, your parents and children would lose theirs too and everyone else who is even remotely linked to your name would end up facing the guillotine. But my fat
*Kindly note that this chapter contains trigger warnings. Please read at your own discretion.LILY’s POVI don’t think this is Sergio’s room. It certainly doesn’t look like a gang leader’s room, it’s more like a holding cell of some sort. There is a lone window that has been heavily barred with timber planks leaving just enough space for you to peer out and catch a glimpse of the starry night, but not enough for you to stick a hand out to signal for help.Help.That is something I desperately need right now, but who would come? Who would step into this hellhole and free us all? No one. There will be no help.There is only one piece of furniture in this cold and unforgiving room. The four poster bed, but it gives me no solace for I know the crimes that have been committed on these beautiful white linen. I can hear the ghostly echoes of those who came here before me as their ho
KANE’s POV “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War A cool gust of wind caresses my skin as we finally reach our destination. Sergio’s haven looms over us as we crouch hidden in the tall grass. The place is dark, save for a few torched flames that Sergio’s guards carry as they patrol the premise. Russo, who is the stealthiest amongst us raises his hand ever so slightly, forming the number seven with his fingers. Seven. Seven men patrol this dilapidated factory. That is strange. Sergio doesn’t have that many men with him left, probably thirty left at best. So why would he send seven out here to guard the area? I wonder. Unless there is something valuable inside the building that he needs to guard. No matter, I will find out soon enough. I give the signal to Russo and he leads our men
KANE’s POVQuietly I make my way down the long dark and smokey hallway of the topmost floor. I know Sergio is nearby for he was not on the ground floor.Guess I am right. Two dark figures run across the hallway and I smile. Time for a little game of cat and mouse.I draw my gun and chase after the men who lurk in the shadows only to come face to face with two giants and one of them is none other than Sergio. He holds a strange little bag in his hand. Is that what he is protecting? Could that be the SEAL that he stole from father?Whoever holds the SEAL controls the mafia and if that is what is in Sergio’s hand then I must have it back. By hook or by crook.“Hello Kane, we meet again,” his lips curl up with a smile that never reaches his scarred eyes. He thinks he has the upper hand with that trembling lowlife who cowers beside him.“Give it up Sergio,” I cock the gun and aim it betwe
KANE’s POV "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." —Friedrich Nietzsche “Doctor, how is she?” I ask the moment the elderly man in a white coat steps out from behind the dark mahogany door. He looks at me and pushes the round rimless glass up to the bridge of his crooked nose, silently shaking his wintry white head. I feel my gut clench. Why is he shaking his head? Behind the doctor, I see his nurse tucking in the girl under a thick white comforter. The rays of the breaking dawn stream into the room through the stained glass windows and cast a pale haunting glow on her. Believe me when I say she looks like sleeping beauty. But I am no prince, and no amount of true love’s kiss can wake her up from the poison that Sergio cursed her with. “I’ve administered the antidote into her and treated her wounds. She’s lucky to still be alive,” the doctor says. The nurse steps out of the ro
KANE’s POV “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” ―Lao Tzu It is the second day and sleeping beauty has still not awaken. In fact, she has contracted a fever and that is never a good sign. It means her body is waging war against an infection, and it is a war I hope she will win. The elderly doctor, Doctor Antonia came by again this morning but left saying the same thing, that he has administered the antidote and that it is up to her will to survive now. I sit in my favourite armchair by her bedside with hands clasped and elbows propped on my knees as I watch her. Her brows crease in her sleep and she murmurs incoherently. Is she having a nightmare? “What will it take to wake you up?” I ask. But of course, she does not answer. I lean forward and brush a strand of damp hair from her glistening forehead wondering when I will get to see those beautiful acorn ey