Light in Your Eyes

07 | black wings

My gaze darts on the second photo. The man is sitting on his motorcycle, not looking at the camera. Again, another candid photo. He has dark hair, but I can't see his eyes clearly because he's looking at his phone. Nothing can hide how attractive he is, though.

"Levi rarely talks. He doesn't do people," Brea blabbers. "The only things he's interested in are weapons and blood. He's not even interested in women, or men, if you know what I mean. He's a killing machine. If you told us that Levi ever talked to you, we would know in an instant that you were lying."

That's enough for me to learn how scary this guy is. "I don't know him." I shrug, telling the truth.

We move to the third photo, which shows a man dressed in all black walking from a limo. Although it's just a piece of photo, the way the man carries himself sends shivers down my spine. His expression can make any people cower. His aura speaks of danger.

"That's Jaxon," Brea says with pride and excitement. "He's our King, the heir of the Romero family who creates this place. His father was the founder of Black Wings."

I look closer, studying Jaxon's face.

"Rumors spread," Brea says. "People might have heard his name, but they never know his face. Only the members of Black Wings have seen him in person, and just a few of them. Personally, I haven't even met him."

"Now you know why we wouldn't believe you," Gio adds. "There's no way that Jaxon suddenly recruited a girl like you. He only hired people like Cole and Levi."

"More like his personal bodyguards." Brea chuckles and points at me. "Are we clear?"

I want to counter her argument, but curiosity makes me pop a question instead. "How old is Jaxon?"

"24," Brea says. "Same age as Cole. Levi is younger. He's 20, the same age as Kellan, Jaxon's brother. He's next."

My heart thumps. Kellan. I want to know more about this person I'm going to take care of.

I haven't met him, but now I can finally see his face in the picture.

My eyes land on the last picture attached to the wall, and my breath catches in my throat. The photo shows a man standing inside a boxing ring. He's shirtless, full of sweat and panting. I can see his toned abs and how well-built he is, but that's not the only thing catching my attention.

His expression is something that one wouldn't miss. He looks angry. Like, really angry. He's seething.

"What a beautiful sight, huh?" Brea points out, and I know from her voice that she can't help the smile on her face. "This candid picture is a masterpiece. Some girls get off imagining that."

I wish she could keep that information to herself.

"Kellan is our king too, but sadly, he's blind," Gio says, making me swallow.

I've heard about the tragedy that made Kellan lose his eyesight. My heart hurts for the little boy, who obviously has grown up. He's not a little boy anymore, but I can still see the pain in his eyes through this picture.

"Kellan, just like Jaxon, has a black wings tattoo with silver streaks," Gio says. "That kind of tattoo belongs to the heirs of Romero, and they are Kings here."

My pulse quickens. Their explanation makes me realize even more how powerful my client is. Doubts begin to cloud my mind again, I'm not sure that I can handle this job. Kellan has already looked intimidating in my eyes even though I only saw his photo.

Something is not fitting, though. "You said that regular members are hired by Knights, and Knights are hired by the Kings," I say. "So who hired you?"

It's either Cole or Levi. But based on their explanation about those two people, it's highly unlikely.

"Fenrir," Brea says. "He's the other Knight. Even though he's not our King, he's no less than God here.  Jaxon, Cole, and Levi have been in Italy for years, while Fenrir runs things here. Most of us were recruited by him."

"You wouldn't want to mess with Fenrir," Gio adds. "Even Jaxon and Kellan look up to him. He used to be their father's right-hand man."

After a moment of silence, Gio speaks again, "This is the kind of information you would take to the grave. Now that you've heard about our leaders, there's no way that you will go back to wherever it is you belong."

I turn toward Brea, who gives me a knowing smile.

"I'm sorry." She shrugs. "I wasn't planning to spill you something that would cost your life, but your lies were terrible. Might as well shove the truth with all the consequences, right?"

Gio steps toward me, and his voice is filled with thrill and excitement when he says, "Now, the question is..." he pauses, eyeing me with interest. "What should we do with an intruder like you?"

I brace myself, straightening up. "Just bring me to Kel--"

Before I can finish my sentence, a loud voice echoes in the air.

"Boxing ring! Now!"

Then it all happens so fast. Someone shouts from upstairs. The music abruptly stops. Whispers of excitement fill the air. Footsteps pound on the ground. People are suddenly rushing in the same direction.

I can only watch what's happening around me in shock.

Now what?

I snap my head around, and surprisingly, Brea and Gio are already gone to follow the crowd.

While I'm trying to make my way out through the people, a guy bumps into me. I can't help but ask, "What's happening?"

"Kellan is fighting, and you don't want to miss it." He glances back at me just for a second before rushing to the basement where everyone is heading.