003

Chapter 3

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Leonardo

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The elevator doors slid open and Andrei stepped out first, then I followed. A bodyguard dressed in black waited outside, leading us down the silent corridor. He was a foot shorter than me, stiff and alert.

We stopped in front of a large wooden door, before he could announce us in, I grabbed him. One sharp twist, a clean crack and his body dropped with ceremony.

Silence followed, except for the sounds of guns, clicking into positions from one corner of the hall way. I didn't flinch.

Typical Fabrizio. I smirked

“Hmm-mmm, If I were you I wouldn't do that," Andrei said calmly to the guards as we stepped over the body and walked inside.

A scent hit my nose immediately and I caught it; camphor. It was thick, intoxicating and deliberate, but I continued walking as more guards and guns aimed at me.

At the center of the room was Fabrizio, facing his glass wall, overlooking the city in his electric wheelchair.

"Quanto tempo, Fabrizio,” I said smoothly, dragging my fingers across his desk inspecting for a single dirt, but there was none.

I do that all the time, especially when I'm in new environments.

"I don't like dirt. Just like you,” He said without turning, "Not in my surroundings, not in my business. They are always clean. In. And. Out.”

He slowly rotated the chair to face me, his already curved lips drooped slightly one hand rested lifelessly on the armrest.

"You must know, I’m not here for conversations. So let's get to business, Fabrizio,” I said, taking a seat without an invitation.

"How about a little catching up, Leonardo,” Fabrizio said with a slight cough, I ignored him.

"You still love the scent, don't you?” he asked softly and Andrei pulled out his gun pointing it at him.

“‘Hmm-mmm, If I were you I wouldn't do that’; the same thing you said to my bodyguards, right after killing one of them,” Fabrizio chuckled.

"That's not a good way to make an entrance, I hope you know,” he continued and then drove his wheelchair coming closer to me.

He stared at Andrei who was still pointing the gun and then back at me, “You might wanna tell him to bring down the gun," he said and I raised my hands and Andrei dropped his hands down too.

“Back to my question piccolo, still love the camphor scent?” His eyes gleamed but I said nothing.

He smirked taking a stroll around the hall with his wheelchair.

"Fifty billion dollars per a cargo bag of the oblivion drugs, do we have a deal?” I ignored his question.

"You have really gotten over Sylvia, haven't you? A woman who defined true love to you,” he coughed.

"You were willing to shut down an entire camphor boutique, once because Sylvia adored it and you grew to love what she loved,” he laughed slightly.

The name hung in the air Sylvia Browne.

Milan's golden model: Dead.

"And what is this point that you're willing to risk your life, proving? Because clearly camphor isn't good for you too and this hall is so intoxicated with it,” Andrei said.

"This hall is saturated with camphor and yet I’m still here,” I said and his smiled widened.

“Well..." Fabrizio said, strolling back to his desk where he picked up a remote and turned on the wide screen on the wall in front of us, “ I guess love has found you again," he said and my gaze sharpened.

The large screen lit up behind him and images flashed; A club, a girl, her face was clear with headlines scrolling beneath it; Leonardo Moretti’s New Woman.

“She used your name. Bold girl,” Fabrizio said lightly with a smirk.

"And I bet it won't last just like Sylvia's didn't," he turned to me and I tightened my jaw.

I took Andrei’s gun and fired, the screen shattered and one of his bodyguards dropped beside it.

The others raised their weapons instantly, pointing it at me but Fabrizio lifted a finger and they lowered them.

"You see? Emotional,” he said quietly and I stepped towards him.

"You did this.”

“I wish I had that kind of creativity. This? This is interesting,” he replied.

“Go deal with the girl first, then you can come back for the oblivion drugs.”

I stared at the frozen image on the cracked screen, her face was fearless, careless and stupid.

I left without another word, as the doors closed behind us, Fabrizio called out, “Replace the guards you killed. I'd love to use some of your skilled men."

Eleven hours. Is that how long it takes to create chaos that would cross continents?

We had been on a flight of eleven hours, the least I expected from Italy was a new about me dating a girl I don't even know. A lowlife.

They're pairing my name with hers, a girl I've never seen.

“Book the earliest flight to Italy. Find her and bring to me,” Andrei nodded and before we could take a step, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and stretched the phone towards me, " Il Padrino.”

Of course, who else would call at a time like this.

“You have twenty minutes" the voice said immediately as I slid the answer button and the line went dead.

I guess the news is running wild ‘cause the last time I aired on the news was when I still had a sweet little thing going on with Sylvia Browne, the Milan's golden model.

I stared at the phone, twenty minutes? From Chicago here, to Italy? Is someone kidding?

Interesting, very interesting.