7

Cleaner- noun

Definition: An assassin who is contracted to kill other assassins; someone who “cleans up” a physical crime.

*****

The house was dull ever since the men carried the Don’s lifeless body through the hall down to his bedroom. The assassins that frequented the facility that was built underneath the house had remained down below, not going out for any assignments.

Light spilled into the room, revealing that a new day had broken. Lilith sat by Lionel’s side wiping his bloody body, Alice watched over her from behind. It was tradition for the wife of a Don to clean their husband’s corpse. Alice was surprised to see Lilith do it so effortlessly despite the tears in her eyes. Maybe it was because Liltith knew what fate her husband would face in this life, running an organization of trained killers had its risks and she had made peace with it long ago.

There was a light knock at the door before Tiago, one of the guards assigned to Lilith, appeared in the doorway. He sent a pained look Lilith’s way before his eyes focused on Alice. “They’re here.”

Alice nodded and stood, “Don’t let them see you cry.” Lilith said, her back was still turned to her but Alice gave her a small size. Lilith was a spectacle. Even in a time like this she still managed to give Alice her strength. What broke her heart was that the woman that just lost the man she loved for thirty fours years and still managed to keep it together.

She followed behind Tiago to the office below ground. It was a large glass room that oversaw the training area for the syndicate’s assassins. At the moment a few recruits were sparring under Lance’s supervision. When he saw her, he made his way over to her. Lance stood at the seat her father once sat, he pulled out the seat for her. She accepted without a word to him. She was debating if she should end his life but the determination he had to help her find whoever was responsible made her keep him around. Alice turned to the men before her, forcing herself to remain calm.

“Don caroni.” They greeted, all at once. She stifled the gasp that threatened to release itself. Being called by a name only meant for her father was strange. It did make the intentions clear to her. As leaders they wanted to secure the empire they built, she knew they wanted to crown her, that’s what she spent all her life training for. But now was not the time.

“Tiago, tell IT that I need their status report as soon as this meeting ends.” Alice ordered. He nodded and quickly disappeared from her view. She had been trying to locate the cars that ambushed the fleet cars, according to Lance, they were black SUVs but she had been scouring the satellites the IT persons hacked in that area. So far, she came up with nothing so far. How the hell could four freaking vehicles disappear without a trace?

The four men were not impressed with Alice ignoring their presence, Pablo was the first one to break the ice. He always liked to talk. “We called this meeting to discuss the delicate matter at hand. I understand what this tragedy means for you and I am quite aware that you are feeling what any woman who lost her father is feeling-hurt. But this is also the time to set other things in motion so the syndicate will not appear weak.”

“You have no idea what I'm feeling, but I can assure you, gentlemen, that whoever did this will pay.” Her words were stone and she made sure she met each of their eyes.

She might be a woman but there was no way in hell that her father’s death would go unpunished and it needed to happen yesterday!

“We are deeply sorry for your loss. We lost a great leader last night, not just you. Lionel Caroni will remain in our hearts and in the framework of this organization.” Jonathan said, along with a few other words that Alice couldn’t bother to listen. There were words of empathy but none that touched their eyes. Whenever they spoke, they spoke with no emotion.

**

We are deeply sorry for your loss Pablo had said. She would be a fool to ignore the darkness in his voice.

Even though it was just three days ago, her mini coronation still remained a spectacle in her mind. The way the men spoke was daunting but Alice stood her ground. It didn’t surprise her that these men prioritized themselves and their legacy. It was in their nature of the business.

Hell, it was human nature!

Alice descended the Bentley Continental that was parked closed to the exit of the cemetery with Lilith following suit. They were clad in black, Lilith wore a long sleeve silk dress that met her knees and Alice was strapped in a simple cotton short sleeve. The graveside was packed with members of the underground organizations who have come to pay their final respect.

Everyone rose to their feet when Alice approached. Only three days passed but as of now, she was no longer just Alice Caroni, the ruthless cold-blooded female assassin, she was Don Caroni. She was groomed for that title and the thought did cross her mind that her father would have to die for her to get it, but there was a higher level of respect she received whenever she entered a room. This will take some getting used to.

The duo stood at the front of the gathering, and waited for the preacher to say his final words so that they would say goodbye. Lilith broke down over and over again but Alice held her steady, determined not to quiver again. The ceremony took fifteen minutes to end and every second was like splinters to her soul. Soon, the cemetery was almost cleared out, Lilith walked back to the car and Alice and the remaining fathers of the syndicate legacy stood in front of the freshly covered plot. Lance and Tiago were standing in the distance watching her. Pablo and Maxwell stood on her right while Jonathan and Russel were on her left.

Alice was apprehensive at their proximity but if they thought their presence would intimidate her, they were sorely mistaken.

“It’s funny isn’t it,” Jonathan started and tucked his hands in the pocket of his pants. His eyes were directed at the ground before them. “how a man so powerful can dwindle down to nothing, just like that.”

Her jaw twisted slightly, if he meant for his words to scare her, it did the opposite. “You are all powerful, so you can all draw your last breath at any moment.” Alice replied through gritted teeth.

“That's true.” Jonathan chuckled out, the other men joined in. “You are smart, you were always too smart for your own good. Always wanting to command like a soldier, when all you needed to be was a pretty princess and marry one of our sons.”

Alice snorted. "Those men couldn't handle me."

"I know. Your kill sheet is squeaky clean and your hit on Leonardo, magnificent." Jonathan praised; Alice knew that it was anything but magnificent. He was twirling the watch on his hands, almost begrudgingly.

"I thought we shouldn't kiss and tell." She angled her head just enough to see the side of his face.

"Anything that goes on in the syndicate, we know about it."

Very true.

A nasty smirk played on Alice’s lips but it was quickly mulled over by a grimace as she knelt to her father’s final resting place to pluck a lily that was out of place from the bouquet. She straightened herself as she discarded it. "Changes are coming gentlemen, someone wanted my father dead and I'm going to find out why."

"I told him that the Russian alliance would get him killed. He didn't listen." Jonathan pointed out somberly. But it was almost smug, as if he wanted to say I told him so.

Alice flipped around to leave before the silver of temptations to slaughter every single one of them played out, but the men were blocking her path. She glared up at Pablo, who was directly in front of her.

“What the fuck do you want? Let me guess, you want me to step down from the throne my father left me?” Alice gritted out, her hands balled into fists. This had to be their plan, why else would they be here?

“Why would I do that when you won’t be around to rule anything?” Pablo smirked and threw a knowing glance to Jonathan who was now standing behind Alice.

Those words pilotted a fresh wave of anxiety through Alice’s bones, the tendrils on her body stiffened, her stomach became tight. "What are you talking about?"

Pablo stepped closer to her, angling his head to her ears. "Your father had to die because he was weak, he got weak when he adopted you. And then he pampered you, making you think you were our equals."

The man before her wore a proud expression as his eyes skimmed over her unhinged face. He was looking for that reaction and she gave him the satisfaction. At that moment she regretted the tight fitted dress that she was wearing. She couldn't strap her gun or anything else on where she wanted it to, just in case she needed to puncture this man’s neck. Any weapon she had was either strapped to her thigh or her ankle, a bit too far for her liking.

“I wanted to see your face one last time, sweet, sweet Alice. To say goodbye.” He whispered, his voice a low, dark hum, before he stepped away from her.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Her eyes narrowed, she was even more confused than before as she watched the men walk off. It took her seconds to mull over her thoughts and focus back on why she remained in the cemetery in the first place. But just as she knelt down again to Lionel Caroni’s gravestone, a metallic sound echoed in the distance, followed by the long heavy drag of rubber along the concrete pavement of the cemetery.

Her head snapped upright. She felt them before she saw them, about ten black leather cladded robotic riders on MV Agusta’s, that swiftly escorted a white Mercedes Maybach. The wheel of the car took its final twirl and with helium grace, the riders dropped from their perch and semi automatic in their grasps lined up the four retreating men. For a split second Alice thought they were their target but Pablo and Johnatahn stepped aside to allow a free reign of bullets in her direction. She fell to the ground, barely missing the scuttering of cartridges that nicked the gravestones in front of her.

The guarded words that Pablo spoke earlier rammed themselves back in her brain. And suddenly everything was so fucking lucid. They were just to stall her!

Pablo, Jonathan Maxwell, Russel. Those fucking pricks had a hand in her father’s death! And now they wanted to terminate her before she had a chance to solve his murder and assume his position.

No fucking way!

Her hand quickly found the gun that was trussed on her thigh and returned fire at the men who were now blocking Pablo and the others from her line of fire. She managed to pick two of them off.

The bodies of some of the unsuspecting mafia men that remained in the cemetery fell behind her. Bullets ricocheted off the concrete pavement, too close for her comfort.

There was no cover, she had to get out of there, but not before she popped at least Pablo Garcia’s skull.

Jonathan frantically pushed the men closer towards Alice yelling, “Make sure she doesn't leave this cemetery alive!” He, along with the three men were heading to the trackling car that was waiting for them with the door open.

That son a bitch!

Alice angled upward, trying to locate a shot at the car before they boarded the vehicle; she was seconds too late. Russel’s sardonic face was the last thing she saw as the door closed. She screamed out in agony as she watched the Malbach blaze away. One of the riders replaced his semi automatic with something bigger, something more powerful. A sliver of fear almost unmanned her; she crept behind the large statues behind her as the weapon thundered, drowning out the shouts of Lance and Tiago in the distance.

The machine gun whirled, scattering the flower bed that laid on top of the plot. White petals blew in the wind, mixing with the scent of gunpowder.

“Don Caroni!” A man cried out from somewhere close to her, followed by shots in the direction of the men gaining on Alice’s position. It was a large bald man from the Mexican mafia. He shot some of them down, giving Alice more space to move. An action that will be heavily rewarded.

In a split second, a bullet lodged between the man’s eyes, stopping him in his tracks.

Or not.

Alice slid over to where his corpse now laid, grabbed his gun and his knife from his footstrap, dashing a glance where the rest of her men were supposed to be. Where the fuck were they?

She could hardly catch a breath. These men were not here for child's play. She could tell that they weren't just cleaners, they had military grade weapons and their attack strategy would have been commendable, if she wasn’t the target.

She had to get out of there and fast.

Alice darted further into the graveyard, a halo of bullets in her stead. The air was foggy with smoke that came from the chipped concrete headstones. The swift but heavy footsteps of the men beated the ground, they were in pursuit. She kept her breathing steady and picked up pace.

Then suddenly the heel on one of her shoes snapped and she stumbled onto the muddy floor, narrowly missing a bullet that pierced the spot she fell in when she rolled away.

Shit!