Blood Oath (Ruby Rose/Ares fan fic)

Nineteen

"Seriously?" the assassin whispers shocked. Yes, it feels weird to know that out boss has a soft side after all.

"Winston's dad was a two-bit hustler in New York, someone shot him when a deal went wrong and our boss and his mother had some difficult years... he was only six years old when he was orphaned. He doesn't want that kind of life for other kids so he gives them an allowance and sometimes pays for their school." Ares smiles, it's good to know that we're working for a good guy. "The point is that I thought that the trust could pay for Lombardo's retirement home but then I had a better idea. I was sure that Gianna or Santino had one of those forgotten accounts: all the heads of the mafia have some even if they only keep them open with a few thousand dollars just in case they want to use them again. Finally, I found it: that asshole Santino had almost two millions forgotten in a bank account in the Isle of Man, he hadn't touched them in at least 8 years and I don't think the family knows about them. I've transferred to the retirement home enough money to cover the expenses of Stefano for the next two years and I've also given you your money back, I sent it to your account in the Cayman Islands. It isn't fair that you pay for the mess your stupid former boss made. And I told Winston what I've done, just in case D'Antonio family finds out about their lost money so he can tell them where it is now but I don't believe we'll get caught."

The assassin frowns looking at the road, she seems very serious... maybe overstepped my duties doing all that without asking her before. Finally, Ares grabs the wheel firmly with one hand and places the other on my nape dragging me closer to her body. Always staring at the road, she kisses my forehead and lets her lips touching my skin for a while before releasing me. She drives all the way back home with one hand because the other one is holding my own hand, our entwined fingers resting on my thigh.

Two hours later Ares parks at one end of Broome street, the Continental is about an hour walk... I guess it's enough distance to be considered safe and Aidan Finn's minions won't find us here. Still, the assassin is always cautious and she puts her arm over my shoulders looking around before whispering in my ear: "Dinner." To be honest I'm hungry, Stefano was right about the retirement home food: it was great but the portions were small. We walk slowly, dodging tourists that go talking enthusiastically to have a pasta dish in Little Italy, but my bodyguard shoves me in the other direction till I'm able to see the familiar red awning with white letters: Lombardi's, the assassin is taking me dinner to the oldest pizzeria of the country. Great. Till I realize that we keep walking leaving the restaurant behind... "What the...?" Ares chuckles when she notices my disappointment and leaves a kiss in my cheek but she keeps walking down the block till we reach... a French crêperie.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask angrily; I have nothing against crêpes, I love them with chocolate and banana but we were supposed to have a slice of pizza for dinner. Shaking her head amused, she takes my hand to get into the crêprerie and waves her other hand to say hello to the boy behind the counter that nods without saying a word. We go out the back door, cross the alley and then we get into a small three storey brick building. It seems very old but well-maintained and there's no elevator so when I reach the top floor I'm out of breath. Maybe it's time for me to use some of the gym equipment that Ares has at home and get in shape. The assassin knocks at the door four times with a special rhythm, it seems to be some kind of sign... she turns around to face me:

"Nonna," she whispers winking at me just before the door opens. A short old lady with white hair and a sweet smile stares at us for a few seconds, she's wearing a blue dress that really suits her. Suddenly, she yells Ares' name out at the top of her lungs scaring me half to death before she starts talking in Italian at full speed squeezing the assassin in a bear hug. To be honest, she looks like the typical Italian grandma scolding her granddaughter because she doesn't visit her often. Finally, she stops talking to look at me from head to toe, I swallow hard... I get the impression that this is some kind of test I must pass and now I'm worried.