Cold Brew and Bullets (Part 1 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 20- Allegra

Eliana:

The first thing I noticed was that I couldn't get a read on her at first glance, which was terrifying in and of itself. I had developed a knack for reading people over the years, and I had relied on it heavily in uncertain situations. When she strolled into the room without much of a glance at her surroundings and leaned nonchalantly on the edge of Alessio's desk, she completely threw me off.

My eyes stayed focused on her from my corner, an odd sense of protectiveness running through my chest. For once, it wasn't just self preservation, I felt defensive of the people who had been taking care of me over the past week or so. She had somehow managed to look like an intimidating assassin and combined it with the look of a business professional. Whoever this girl was, she seemed completely comfortable surrounded by these mafia leaders, if not slightly bored by the whole thing. Her aesthetic was greatly aided by the fact that she was absolutely beautiful, almost flawless at first glance.

"Allegra, it's a pleasure to have you here," Alessio stretched out his hand and offered it to her in a professional manner.

She raised one eyebrow and reciprocated. "Pleasure to be here."

Angelo nodded at Alessio, and receiving one in return, he came to stand near Leonardo and I in an almost militant pose. I could tell that having an unknown entity in the presence of himself and the others was obviously bothering him. His spine was ramrod straight and his face was back to the stern self he usually had, but I wondered if Alessio sent him to bring Allegra up to the office as an intimidation factor.

"I must say, I'm a little confused," Allegra mused, leaning back on her elbows, crossing her legs, and shaking her hair out of her face. "You're usually not so hospitable. Last time you offered a contract, I picked it up from a man in the back of a car. A nice car, though."

"I was under the impression that you preferred your contracts stay anonymous?"

Allegra smirked at Angelo's comment, "Usually. But if I'd known this type of venue was the alternative, I might've reconsidered."

Alessio leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair, "This is more complicated than a simple name and location. It requires an explanation."

"Consider my interest piqued," She seemed restless, suddenly standing and waltzing slowly across the room to look at the books on the shelves. Most of the eyes in the room were glued to her movements as Alessio began his explanation.

"I don't know if you've been communicating with any others recently, but the Russians have begun to step out of line. They attacked us during a shipment and put one of my men in the hospital, and the French lost a couple of men recently, they've gone missing and Blaise hasn't been able to find them."

I doubted that anyone else caught it, but there was a slight shift in her body language, a flex in her arm as she almost imperceptibly clenched her fist. Something was bothering her, but she wasn't about to address it. Obviously missing the change as she circled the room and stepped between the men, Alessio continued on.

"They attacked a store that I had been to a few times recently, they seemed to think that we were using it to launder money. They then attacked an associate of mine and tortured her for information. The Russians have crossed a multitude of lines and broken practically every mutual code of honor."

Allegra looked back over her shoulder at him, "You might want to run it by the other dons, but it sounds like you have every reason to retaliate. I have to admit, though, if that's the contract you're hoping to offer me, there may be issues. Killing Niklov, the leader of one of the strongest mafias, would be bigger than anything I've done."