CHAPTER ONE

RICARDO’S POV

My phone began ringing while I was driving back from the secret mental health care hospital my mom was in. I didn't want anyone to know that she was even still alive, so far only Angelo whom I trusted the most among my men in the gang knew and swore to keep it a secret.

That's why my men and my escorts didn't follow me, besides I never go out of my residence alone. It's too risky given that I'm the mafia king.

I checked the person who might be calling me and saw that it was Angelo, the guy I trust the most in my gang, Angelo began working for me when I was newly made the king of all mafia gangs after my father passed away.

Hoping he wasn't calling me because of a problem I picked up the call with one of my hands still on my steering wheel.

“ Speak, I'm listening “ I answered the call with my not-so-obvious Italian. Angelo doesn't normally call me unless there's a valid reason behind it and I feared there might be trouble that why he is calling.

“ Boss, one of our shipments has been hijacked “ Angelo’s baritone voice boomed through the speaker of my phone. My worst fear had been confirmed, but who would dare hijack my shipment?

Everyone in the mafia world knew that I, Ricardo D’Arezzo never joked with my shipment. The person who hijacked it must have had a lot of nerves to do so.

“ Find out who…. “ But before I could finish passing an instruction to Angelo I began to hear gunshots and see bullet flying towards me. Shit, I cursed and ended the call.

The worst thing was that the people that were firing at me weren't driving behind me but they were driving towards me from the front but hadn't drawn too close yet.

Two bullets unexpectedly broke through the windscreen and shot me in my chest area. I yelped in pain, reaching out to take out my gun, and began to shoot ahead.

I saw a bridge ahead of me and when I drove through still shooting at them. I discovered that they parked their two cars blocking the wayon the bridge and ten men alighted from each of the cars, so I stopped my car immediately.

Since I'm the mafia king, I was familiar with every mafia gang in my city, because before any gang that was created always came to me for permission.

But these men didn't look familiar at all which got me wondering. I parked a safe distance away from them and pretended to be dead by the bullets they shot in my chest, which I was now profusely bleeding and getting weak.

When they noticed I stopped shooting at them, three men walked towards my car, one holding a gallon of what I couldn't yet fathom, while the rest seven stood behind their cars taking cover.

Through my half-squinted eye, two men amongst three men who walked forward from the others walked to my car door but didn't open it, they just looked inside and when they saw I was bleeding profusely with my eyes closed, they assumed I was dead and nodded their heads to the one holding the gallon, after which they walked away going back to meet the guy holding the gallon.

Once they were standing with him he opened the gallon and poured the content on the ground which began flowing towards my car until it settled on the ground under my car. It was then it dawned on me that they were trying to burn my car and make it explode.

When the man was done pouring the fuel on the floor he lit his lighter and threw it to the fuel which immediately caught flames and the men turned their back walking away.

When the fire started drawing closer to my car and I saw that the men were leaving, I quickly opened my car door and jumped down with great difficulty since I was shot and lost a lot of blood.

I didn't have any option but to jump into the river that was below the bridge, I had to be alive to get back at these assholes. Immediately I jumped down the bridge,I heard my car explode before my body finally went into the river.

I tried to swim but each time I did, I felt intense pain and discomfort whenever I tried to swim, the pain was aggregating more and more until everything went pitch black.

*********************************

The next time i opened my eyes, I saw a gorgeous purple-eyed brunette lady staring at me. I was instantly fascinated and mesmerized by her eye color. I wondered how a human would have such eye color or if was I dead.

Immediately the purple-eyed brunette saw that I was awake and she rushed out. I took that opportunity to sit up and take in my present environment.

I was now in a room that didn't look as luxurious as my house but it was conducive and still had a homely feeling. So I'm not dead after all. The brunette came back with a glass of water and seemed displeased when she saw me sitting up on the bed.

“ You shouldn't be stressing yourself now, it's a miracle you are even alive, “ She said with her voice which sounded melodious to me as she tried to feed me the water herself.

“ Here have some water, “ she said as she fed me the water and I began drinking. Then she went on to say while still giving me the water “ you've been passed out for five days now and… “ but before she could continue talking she was interrupted by me coughing.

Hearing her say I had been unconscious for five days instantly made me choke on the water I was drinking. My men would be worried and searching everywhere for me.

So I spoke for the first time since I just woke up” Please can I make use of your phone? “ I asked her while she was rubbing my back to help reduce my coughing. She gave me a questioning look but still gave me her phone which she was holding in her hands.

I knew Angelo’s number by heart so I quickly typed it in and dialed his number. He picked up after the third time that it rang.

“ Hello, this is Angelo Di Mauro on the line, “ Angelo said after he picked up the call.

“ It's me, “ I said and that was all it took for Angelo to know that it was me and his voice immediately changed to that of worry and sadness.

“ Boss we have been searching everywhere for you, our perimeters got breached and we got attacked the same day that you went missing. What happened? “ Angelo asked with concern evident in his voice.

“ I'll explain everything to you when I get there. Track the location of this number and come pick me up from here immediately “ I said and ended the call giving the phone back to the brunette lady.

“ You can't go yet, you are not fully healed and I haven't finished your treatment “ She complained out of pure concern. I wasn't used to having a lady care about me this way, being with a lady like this asides from the females in my mafia gang and world or a business meeting was new to me, so I didn't know the right words to say to this beautiful lady who saved me.

“ What's your name? “ I asked her

“ Valentina Di Maria “ Valentina answered and went to a table stand to bring medical drugs for me to take. I was grateful to this lady but I had to go now.

“ Look, Valentina, I have to go now, my people are in danger. Don't worry I will get better when I get home “ I said while trying to stand.

“ But I'm a doctor and… “ Valentina wanted to continue talking but got interrupted by me again.

“ I have a personal doctor too don't worry, “ I said and stood staggering a little while standing but gained my balance after a few seconds.

Valentina sighed and stretched the tray that she was holding that had some pills and a glass of water on it and said: “ Since you have made up your mind at least take these painkillers before you leave “.

I drank the pills at least that much gratitude I could show her and sat on the bed waiting for Angelo to come and pick me up. While Valentina left the room.

While waiting for Angelo couldn't help but think that those people who tried to kill me and the one who attacked my men might be working hand in hand with each other to destroy me.

It's no coincidence that the day some gang tries to try to attack my home, that same day some men too try to kill me and it means someone out there wants me dead in other to get my position and title. This only meant one thing war is coming to my doorstep.

My thoughts were interrupted by Valentina who opened the door halfway to the room I was sitting in and peeped in notifying me that my friend was there.

I stood up immediately feeling a bit energized and walked out of the room, my gaze locking with Valentina’s for a moment before I walked to where she stood in her well-furnished parlor, seems like she comes from money.

She opened the door for me without saying a word to me and I walked out unhappy to see Angelo with bruises and a bandage on his wrist but Angelo looked more than happy and relieved to see me. I walked faster to him and examined his body with my eyes.

While my men bowed their heads to me as I walked towards them, of course, Angelo wasn't as stupid as me to come out without escorts who were fully armed.

“ We thought you were dead Cardo, “ Angelo said to me and I knew he was really worried because he only called me Cardo on rare occasions when he was scared I might die.

“ We'll talk about it on our way home, “ I said to him and he nodded and entered the back sit, when I wanted to enter I couldn't resist the urge to turn and look at Valentina one more time.

And when I did she just waved goodbye and nodded at me before going in and closing her door. There was something about her that was alluring and steered up a feeling inside me, but sadly my life right now didn't permit me to search further to know what the feeling is.

The only things on my mind were hunting down and spilling the blood of these men who tried to kill me and my gang members whom I considered as family.

They plan on bringing the war to my doorstep but I'll take it to their doorsteps instead.