Heart of Ice.

Chapter 12: The Order.

Marina's Pov:

Days pass since the incident and to be honest I'm doing quite fine. Massimo however has been around more than usual. I see him more often around the compound, in the gym, kitchen and he even comes into my room every night to check on me.

I only found that out the night before last when I was having trouble sleeping. He works late into the night more often than not and every time he goes to his bedroom he stops by my room.

The last two nights I heard my door open and he would stand there for a moment and leave.

I thought things may be awkward after he let me sleep in his bed but he never made me feel embarrassed and even went out of his way to tell me not in exact words that I was welcome anytime I needed him.

'My bed is the comfiest in this house. I wouldn't be surprised to find you in there, you do look like you sleep more peacefully in my silk sheets anyway.'

Those damn silk sheets really were fucking amazing. One of the best sleeps I had ever had.

He said this the other morning as he served me waffles with fruit. I don't know if he meant it the way it sounds but he doesn't seem the one to joke around often.

"Scarlet, Don wants to see you in his office." Luis informs me. "Now?" I groan I'm laying under my duvet watching Criminal Minds.

They just got to the good part of the episode too. "The guy they think is the unsub was framed by his brother. You're welcome, let's get a move on."

The whole way to the office argue about him spoiling such a good episode. Luis opens the door and we walk in plopping down beside each other still bickering. "What's wrong with you two?" Lola sits in Massimo's chair with her feet on the table.

"Luis ruined such a good episode." I whine to her. "Yeah I had to stop watching things or watch them before he had a chance to or he would spoil the whole thing." She looks at me with sympathy.

"I do not! This was only a once off." He argues back. Lola scoffs and looks totally offended. "Oh really, remember when the newest fast and the furious came out and Massimo and I were going watch it. You spoiled the whole movie as we turned it on. I swear you almost lost your life that day with how he looked at you. I'm surprised he didn't shoot you where you stood."

Luis looks at her wide eyed remembering the events. Massimo walks into the office glaring at Lola when he sees her sitting in his chair.

He doesn't move Lola but hands a manilla envelope to her while pushing her feet off the deck. He hands one over to Luis and then comes to stand behind me and gives me one also.

"Riccardo is in Italy doing some reconnaissance work. We have a lead on this man Emilio Rossi and his ties to the group known as 'the new order'."

"He is travelling to Puerto Rico for business. I want you girls to go and apprehend him to one of our safe houses there. Get any information you can and report back you leave tonight."

I look through the envelope at the details of the mission and ask. "I've been away from the scene for a while care to tell me more the this group, The Order?" Lola had gone to pack and Luis went to the warehouse to finalise a shipment so it way just me and Massimo.

"You probably have heard of them the name people call them is just a newer addition. It started off as a group of men who felt the Mafia's weren't running to their full potential. Those men teamed up with a Russian man Viktor Petrov who helped them gain power." My whole body froze at Viktor's name.

"They infiltrated many Mafia's bringing them down from the inside, Petrov hasn't been seen in years, we don't know if he is dead or underground with the rest of the group. Every once in a while a group of them pop up and do damage somewhere. They recruit other Mafia's who are looking to gain more power to help them. They did this to the French and Swedish. It looks like they are organising an attack somewhere soon." Each sentence hits me like a ton of bricks.

"The American and Russian Mafia's are barely existent anymore after they attacked them, wiping both families out. The Italians got mixed up in that battle too lost the Italian Mafia princess in fight. This incident was when all the Mafia's started to take this group seriously. If they could do this to two families, and severely weaken the Italian's who are supposed to be one of the strongest the rest had to prepare for an attack." I hadn't know that my families Mafia was weakened, I hadn't know a lot of this.

How did I not know this. I am in disbelief but I school my emotion so I appear calm on the outside. "What of the Italian's now?" I ask wanting to just seem curious. Massimo lifts his head from where he was looking at some paper work to give me a curious gaze before answering. "They came back stronger than they were before." The tension in my shoulders releases as I exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Go pack Bambi. You leave in a few hours." I do. I leave the office, Massimo not once taking his eyes off me. The same look as if something in his head just clicked his curious eyes watch me until I'm out of view and down the hall.