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Valentino's POV

The sun is glaring harshly against my skin as I walk down the alleyways. I spend my weekends looking for men to recruit. There will always be someone needing money or drugs and I simply offer it to them in exchange for their service. They are trained or sent to rehab as needed and assigned to work under me and do my bidding as I lay back and absolve myself of any crimes. Picking up people from the streets proved one thing, they will do anything in return when you help them. I had a few stragglers here and there thinking they could outsmart me, but they were easy to handle. They had no friends, no family outside the mafia. Nobody cared for them before, nobody will care for them after.

I kick off a few syringes that are laying around the cement floor as I make my way into the corner. It's like a trail of breadcrumbs left by Hansel as they make their way through the woods. I walked further into the alley and found my jackpot.

A man, no, a boy? Was laying on the floor, naked. I walked closer and crouched down in front of him. He looked dead. His body was covered in bruises, barely an inch of white skin was not tainted with scars or bruises. He had a long gash running along his thigh, blood dripping out of it. I'm guessing the wound was still fresh, as well as some of the bruises that are littered around his body.

I looked at his face and sweep the strands of hair that covered his forehead. Unlike his body, his face seemed to be void of any bruises or scars. His cheeks were hollow and his lips were cracked and bleeding. Other than that, his face was beautiful. His skin was pale, almost like his skin has never been touched by the sun. His eyelashes were long and dark, it was as if someone has applied mascara on them. His nose was narrow and small, it complements his face beautifully. His lips, although dry, were full but void of color. He almost looked like a woman, on some angles his face was very feminine. If it wasn't for his cock hanging out I would've mistaken him for a woman.

I pressed my two fingers against the base of his neck as I try to feel a pulse. I pressed deeper and felt a faint pulse against my fingers. That's good enough.

I placed my arm under his knees and another under his shoulders and carried him as I stood. I looked around before proceeding to carry him to my car. I looked over his body one more time and noticed some dried blood, and I'm guessing semen, between his legs. He must've been trafficked by one of the other gangs around the area and left him there to rot when they no longer found him useful.

I threw him over my shoulder as I reached my car so I could grab the keys from my pocket. I unlocked the door and laid him in the backseat. Moving over behind the car, I popped open the trunk and grabbed a blanket. I went back to the back seat and draped the blanket over his body. I checked one last time to see if he was still alive, not wanting to waste my time only to be driving around with a dead body.

Once I saw the signs of life in his frail body, I slammed the door shut and went to the driver's seat, and drove off. The alleyway was not far off from the mansion, and it only took me twenty minutes to get home. And I was also speeding, but we're not gonna talk about that.

I looked in the rearview mirror to see if by any chance the man has awoken. I heard him stir a couple of times, but I guess he is yet to wake given the gravity of the injuries on his body. I pressed a button on the dashboard as I reached the gates to open them as I enter the property. Parking the car in front of the mansion, I got off and picked him up from the back seat.

As I walked up the stairs leading to the main entrance, I was greeted by two of my men.

"Morning boss, early catch today?" Romero, my right hand says as I approach him.

"Yep, found him next to a garbage dumpster. He's covered in bruises and scars. Fucking hell he's even covered in dried-up semen." I said as I hand him over to Romano.

"Must've been from the Osos. Those men love to fuck people to death." Romero says, shaking his head.

"I'm wondering why they haven't killed him. They're not ones to leave their discarded assets alive." I reply. "Anyway, that's none of my business. Bring him to the medical wing and get him cleaned and treated"

"Yes, boss!" Romero nodded as we enter the mansion.

I turned to Emilio, "Make sure to call me when he awakes. I have a few questions for him."

"Yes, boss!" Emilio replies, giving me a mock salute.

I shake my head and head toward my room. I finally get to rest. I'll deal with everything else tomorrow.