Chapter 2: Dakota's POV

That's...the man I want to kill, by the way. The man that just killed one of his men in cold blood.

The FBI wants him compromised, and it didn't occur to me why they didn't just swoop in and kill him.

Because they can't. Because he's a fucking monster, that kills his men because they picked up wrong information.

Marco was killed for interviewing me! He was following due protocols and he got kebabed with a bullet.

How on earth would I even begin my mission?

I close my eyes and shake the thoughts out. The very moment I decided I wanted revenge on him, I knew what I was getting into. Besides, no one said killing a mob boss was going to be easy.

"Are you lost?" A voice calls from behind me. I turn around to see a young lady in an oversized t-shirt with boxers. Her black hair is messy, the kind that comes from an aftermath of hardcore sex, and her make up is smeared across her face.

"Uh...I was told my room was somewhere around...here?" I look around, not finding any single doors in sight and I chuckle nervously. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm lost."

She beams at me. "Happens to all the new girls." She reaches for my bags, but I instinctively pull away from her. "Relax, I don't bite."

Her accent is strong, and her English is hard to pick out. "Isabela. And you?"

"Dakota."

She nods and then reaches out for my bags again and this time, I don't stop her. "You talk weird," she giggles. "I haven't heard anyone talk like you before."

I almost roll my eyes, but looks up at me then with a sweet smile on her face. "I guess El Jefe likes his varieties. Though, I thought he'd have gone for Sabrina this time. Poor girl has been in that hell hole for almost two years."

"Wait...what are we talking about? Who is Sabrina?"

She begins walking and leading the way. "Sabrina? The redhead? You won't miss her though, she has a dirty attitude. Little wonder why patrons always cover her in spit."

I stop in my tracks, trying to process what she's saying. Does she have my identity mixed? Or is she playing a prank?

"I'm sorry, but...I'm the new financial manager? I don't think...or was I supposed to know a Sabrina?"

She lets go of my bags and as they topple to the ground, I rush over trying to catch them before they fell.

"My laptop!"

"Oye! I'm so sorry, por favor!" She gasps. "I thought you were one of the new escorts the boss came with this afternoon!"

I reclaim my bags, praying internally that my laptop is alright. I then look down at my outfit. A simple black dress shirt with black leather pants to match.

Is this what escorts look like in the underworld?

"It's not about the outfit," she clarifies when she sees me studying my clothes. Then she gestures to her face. "You're too beautiful to just be a financial manager."

Oh.

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Nope. It means that you can't ever lay low and escorts will hate you, and the men around will want a peice of your coño." She smirks as she puts a hand between her legs for emphasis, then she turns around. "Come, I can show you to your room."

She leads me through the halls and I try to commit each and every turn to my memory because this place is just too damn big.

"You don't look like you've been in this kind of life before," she turns back to me halfway. "What brought you to the underworld?"

I pretend to think about it for second, before giving out my fake background story. "There's a lot of money here."

"Blood money," she clarifies.

"Any kind of money that can take me out of my current debt situation would be great."

"Even if an innocent died for it?"

"No one is innocent here," I chuckle. It hurts to chuckle to that joke, though. Because my family was innocent and the only crime they committed was being at the right place at the wrong time.

But she doesn't notice my brief detachment. "You seem to know the fundamentals already."

"A certain Marco was killed in my face a few minutes ago, so I'd say yeah. I learn quickly."

She frowns. "Marco was killed?"

"By the boss himself."

Her frown is replaced by an indifferent shrug. "He had it coming anyway."

Damn. Do they not value lives at all here?

We stop at a fine wooden door with a brass nameplate that simply reads: GUEST.

As I fumble for the keys I was given, she leans on the wall beside the door and I feel her eyes on me. "Don't smile too much around here. The only person that can afford to do that is Esteban, our second in command, and that's because everyone knows his smile is his best weapon."

"I'll...keep that in mind." I finally find the keys buried deep in my pocket and reach for the lock.

"Isabela! Oye, where have you been?" She eyes her. "You look like shit, chica. Tell me you weren't with that fucking Jose again

Isabela stands straight and I whip my head around to get a look at the new face. The woman is tall and mature looking, with soft brown wavy hair and bronze skin. Then her eyes slide to me.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"She's the new financial manager," Isabela answers for me.

"I was talking to her, puta. Unless she's dumb and her mouth is for decor."

I force a smile, turning around fully. "Dakota Alister."

"A European? Javier knows how to bring his enemies close, eh?" She looks me head to toe and then toe to head. "You don't look very European, though."

An insightful one, dang. I much watch out for her.

"I'm Klara."

She does look like a Klara.

"I'm the boss's only baby mama," she adds, like it's a medal. "So you better watch your step around me... Alister."

Something in my chest snaps in a million pieces. Javier...has a child? With another woman?

So not only was he busy killing my family, he was also busy building one, disregarding our promise to each other?

Not that it matters anymore, but still. That's a double betrayal.

"I'll keep that in mind," I nod and she just ignores me and turns to Isabela. "Come with me. Esteban has been looking all over the place you, and he wouldn't want another girl bouncing his cock."

Isabela rolls her eyes and begins takes a step towards Klara's retreating form. But as soon as she's out of sight, she turns to me with a mischievous smile.

"Don't let her fool you," she whispers. "She's loud and pretty and all, but the boss can't stand her. Everyone knows he hasn't willingly seen the kid since his second birthday."

"Why?"

She shrugs. "Rumor is–" she glances around to be sure Klara is gone–"–that the kid ain't even his. Lots of talk, yunno? DNA, other men, he never wanted the kid, you name it. But in this house, rumors are as dangerous as bullets. You don't bring them unless you want trouble."

Klara's voice calls out from the corridor. "Isabela!" She screams. "You imbecile, I told you–"

"I've got to go before Esteban loses his temper and takes it out on some poor girl. For some reason, he prefers my coño to the others." She winks and then walks down the same way Klara disappeared a few seconds ago, leaving me to my own devices.