Luca's Pov I heard him drop the gun and I stood up slowly. He took off the vest as I came around the bed to stand in front of him. I tossed my gun to the side. It occured to me that I could've just shot him then and been done with it. But no. I was a ruthless killer, a professional assassin. But I was no coward. If I kill a man in a fight then it has to be fair and square. I didn't trust Sven to share the same convictions though so I left the knife in my boot just in case. Over the earpiece I could still hear Elias and Sage's frantic whispers of concern. I heard Elias fire up the engine of the van they were in. They would be on their way to the designated pick up spot where they would wait, engine running, to make a quick getaway the minute I showed up. If I showed up. If I made it out of here alive. I'd beaten Sven once before. But we'd both been kids then. Now I was a trained killer and so was he. We were both hired mercenaries. Equally skilled. But he had the slight advanta
Luca's Pov The man standing before me looked almost the same as he had twelve years ago. Same blond hair now styled into a crew cut, same jaw so square and sharp it could cut through cheese, same pale white skin. But those eyes. They were different. Still a striking blue, but gone was the mischief in them. The spark of life. Now they hold only emptiness. Much like those of the man standing across from him. Much like mine. “Do I know you?” He asked, his finger still on the trigger. His voice was deep. Harsh. But somehow also flat. Devoid of emotion, hardened by time. My mouth opened but no words could come forth. I finally recognized the feeling that had overcome me before I entered the elevator to the fifth floor. The feeling I couldn't place. It was the same feeling from the day I held Ollie's dying body in my arms. Horror.****** I could still see his eyes struggle to stay open. His glasses, cracked, lay discarded. I could still hear his soft breaths, getting th
Luca's Pov News of the beating I had given Sven spread around school and the neighbourhood. The bullying stopped. Kids whispered to one another as I passed through the hallways. Boys who'd taunted and bullied Ollie and I cheered and raised their hands for a high five whenever they saw me pass by. The four boys from Sven's posse kept their distance. Spearing me with hateful looks and snide comments when my back was turned. I didn't care. I had proven a point. I was untouchable. I felt like a king. Everyone wanted to become my friend all of a sudden. Even Ollie no longer got picked on. Nobody wanted to cross the boy whose older brother had beat up the almighty Sven. Sven himself had disappeared. Or it seemed he had. He didn't show up at school that week or the next. Rumor had it that he'd run back to Switzerland out of shame and now lived in a small town telling people he used to be the top boy in Chicago, America. Untrue rumors of course but it was funny to hear. I kept my
Luca's Pov A sharp, stinging pain tore through my shoulders as the bullet hit me and I gritted my teeth against the pain. The blood flowed freely, soaking through the dark fabric, turning it darker. I'd managed to hold my ground against the onslaught, using bodies of fallen men as Shields. There was only one room on this floor. The room that housed The rat, Simon Gallagher. The door could only be accessed through a keycard swipe, finger print, retina scan and a nine digit long passcode. With Sage and Elias offline, I had no idea how I was to get the passcode and get in. The door was made of heavy, reinforced steel so getting in through brute force was out of the question. Right now, I was simply holding my ground until I couldn't anymore. Death was inevitable but if I was going to die I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I wasn't going to go down scared and begging for my life. These soldiers, however many of them remained, would have stories to tell. Right now, t
Luca's Pov I didn't stop selling.I had to stay out of school for a few days and Dara made sure to write that letter to the school as she promised. This saw me getting called to the principal's office the day I returned. The principal in question was a heavy set Latina looking woman although with a name like Stella Griffin, I couldn't be too sure. She took a long look at my healing wounds and tutted in pity. “Know their names?” She asked and I shook my head in the negative. “Thought as much. Protecting your enemies are we? Turf war?” She raised a stern brow. “Ma'am?” I blinked at her innocently. “What's it you kids nowadays call it? Territory dispute?” I nearly snorted out loud at that one but managed to keep my face impassive. “I don't know what you're talking about Mrs G.” “Of course you don't. Well if you can't give me their names, there's nothing I can do for ya. Can't punish bullies I don't know now can I?” She didn't try to coerce me into giving names, it would s
Luca's Pov I began to lose interest in school. All I could think about during classes were the jobs I had at hand and when I finished those, I couldn't stop thinking about the ones I was to receive. I was making more money than before but I realized pretty soon that I could charge more than the price Lenny pegged each ounce for. My strategy was simple. I offered goods delivered in half the time for a small tip. I had gotten very good at riding my bike and could ride faster than all the other boys. I pumped the pedals Furiously, making sure to get jobs done in half the time, every time. Lenny's misgivings about putting me on the sales roster cleared in a matter of a few weeks. He began trusting me with bigger deliveries, began trusting me with direct contact with clients. I made more money and had to buy another saving box. I replaced groceries more frequently now and either Dara didn't notice or she decided not to say anything about it. I bought a better phone that I kept