SHANE
"DAMMIT!!" I push everything off the desk brushing my fingers through my hair. My office is littered with whiskey bottles, broken glass, and holes in walls. When the door opens, I point my gun at the person walking through the door, I'm in hell. The cigarette burns, the smoke blows right in front of my face, getting in my eyes. I rub my eye with the butt of the gun, then back at the intruder.
"Whoa! Man, put the gun down, it's me." I look at Enzo, I sigh in relief. He places plastic bags on my desk as he looks around the room. I've been trying to build a plan, but Mark has ripped everything out from under me. He took my house, My Fathers business, everything I have gained since his mysterious death. The Mafia world is being ripped out from under me the worst part is, he has Lexi. None of this would matter to me if she were with me right now. I don't have many resources to even walk out my own damn door. I sit down on the recliner wrapping my hands over my head. I look at Enzo, his eyes are red, I suspect the worse. I grab him by his shirt pinning him up against the wall.
"Tell me!" I screamed. Jessica stands up, continuing to pat her eyelashes. My fists were closed tightly, "Tell me Jessica." I demand.
"Gracie was killed with 552 other people in Mark's massacre that night."
"What about Lexi?" She shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders; I'm assuming No news is good news.
"Do you not care about your sister at all Shane?" I turn my back on my father.
"She's not my fucking sister, she's, my Fiancé." I walk back up the stairs and into my bedroom. It was just a few days ago we were twisted in these sheets, watching her toes curl, her, moaning my name. I open the bathroom door, her hair extensions still lying on the counter, her makeup scattered. Just in case I need to mourn her, I don't want anyone to touch what's still left of her.
"Why aren't we doing anything! WE ARE JUST SITTING HERE!" My back hitting the bathroom, I slide down, tears of frustration escape my eyes. I hold my head to relieve some of the pressure from my tears. Enzo looks at me, this is the second time he's seen me this vulnerable. I wonder if he would do this for Anna.
"Shane, we can't be irrational, don't you see it? It's just us, we can't do anything!" He sits down next to me; he fidgets with his fingers.
"Lexi isn't the only one you need to think of." I snapped my neck at him, I get up, getting close to his face.
"Like hell I can't." I speak.
I open and walk out the door, I have a business to run, I can't sulk anymore, I'm getting my girl back, even if it's the last thing I do. I quickly drive out of the driveway getting the hell out of California, if I'm going to do this, I'm going back to Spain.
Two days later
I look out the window of the limo, I haven't been gone from Spain for too long. In fact, I wonder how that wretch is doing since I saw her last. I step onto the fresh cut grass, how is grand papa?
"My boy?" He says from his wheelchair. I smile and give him a handshake. He stares in awe, it hasn't been long since I saw him, why is he acting so surprised. He begins to wheel away.
"Wait, Papa, what is going on?" He shakes his head, sharply turning around.
"you shouldn't be here." Why shouldn't I be here? His chest is moving up and down, he's either out of breath or having a panic attack. Does Mark have something to do with this? The water fountain is making the atmosphere, mystical. The butterflies have begun to fly around the special garden my grand mama used to tend too.
"I can't help you. So go back home." He looked defeated, does this have to do with me rejecting the proposal? I sigh, what did he get himself into?
"What do you need me to do?" I ask. He looks ecstatic that I even offered my time. It always comes down to business with him, but if I do what he needs I might be able to ask him for a bit of advice. I place my hands into my pockets, Enzo, Anna, and his son Zack wait for me at the entrance to the garden. Zack tries to catch the white butterfly floating near him, which eventually lands on his noise. He giggles, I smile to the sound of a child's laugh. My papa snaps his fingers between my eyes. He shows me a picture of a diamond that's locked up inside a museum. Really? This must be some sort of trick, I could walk through the door and take it right off the shelf, why do I need to steal it?
I sat at the piano, my fingers resting on the keys, my touch too soft for sound to play. I never played for her, I planned on playing my favorite piece that night, if only mark hadn't messed everything up. I press down on C7, the sound brings goosebumps to my skin, I haven't heard a piano for almost two years. I place my fingers on the keys and begin to play. I began to play a song I haven't played since my mother died, "Clair de Lune, by Claude Debussy". The melody is magical, it's sad but it tells a story. I wish you could have stayed with me for just a little bit longer Lexi. I close my eyes and watch her face and smile painted across my memories. The music gets louder, and my fingers begin to dance across the piano even quicker. I move back and forth letting the piano do all the work. Until, eventually it ends, the music is over, sweat was beginning to form, I stare at my hands; for the first time, they are violently shaking. This isn't sweat, their tears, when did I start crying?
Am I scared? I've never felt this feeling, I feel completely helpless without any form of power, my brain is ransacked with Ego and love I can't think straight. Every single time I feel this rage, my brain gets cloudy.
"That was the most emotion I have ever seen someone play that song." I turn my head quickly, it was a woman with deep red hair, wearing a black leather suit. She sounds Russian, who is she? I stand up, not even Lexi has heard me play, and she's the first person to hear me play in two years. I button up my suit, is this my grand papa's plaything I'm sure.
"Relax lover boy, I'm here to help take the diamond. It is mine After all." She smirked while gliding her fingers against my piano. She's wearing cloth white gloves, who is she? She stops, smiles at me, and extends her hand towards mine.
"Nadia Mallik." I shake her hand,
"Shane Grimm. Pleasure to meet you." I kiss the top of her hand, one hand behind me, crossing my fingers. I hope she doesn't screw me over. Lexi, I'm doing this for you, so please be alive.
LEXI
I'm sure a few days have gone by since I last talked with my father- Mark, he is no longer my father, and he has made that perfectly clear. No one has come in this room for what feels like days, I have no idea if it's been day or night, minutes, or hours. I've managed to get a few more glimpses of my Fathers tattoo from my memory. I've drawn Two thirds of the tattoo, but somehow it doesn't look right, like I've drawn it upside down. I wipe the sweat and hair away from my forehead, it looks like a deformed rabbit.
Is Shane alive? What about mom and Dereck? If there not, who am I supposed to survive for, there would be nothing for me if I lost them.
I haven't eaten ever since they put me in this, can I say, cage? I hold my stomach, it hurts so bad, I wish they would give me something to eat. Like, a strawberry with peanut butter maybe? Yeah, that sounds pretty good.
* I look up towards the door opening, it's freezing in here suddenly. It's not winter, is it? That means it's been months that I've been in here. I know it hasn't been that long, they must have kicked the air conditioner to mimic a winter like season; probably just to confuse me. They won't win.
"Get up." One of the guards tell me, I cross my arms, he hits the tip of his gun against my shoulder, pushing me towards the door.
"When are you going to let me out of here?" I retorted.
"Follow me." He stated. My dress hits the floor, its dirty, dust fills the bottom making it stingy and stiff. I walk out the door, it's bright, when did we move locations? I looked at the reflection inside the glass wall, what is this room? That's silly, I still have mascara from the night I cried. My Father murdered my best friend, he did it all with a smile on his face. There was no guiltiness, no remorse, no sadness. I lost eleven years of memories in a single night. I watched the color drain from her skin. I cried in her blood for hours, waiting for her chest to move, waiting for a miracle. Now he summons me like a dog, what am I doing, I should run. I am holding on to a little bit of you Gracie, a piece of me still believes you are still out there somewhere. I clutch my chest, she's here in this very room telling me to keep going forward.
"My lovely dau- "He begins. I hold up my hand, telling him to stop. I hold no respect for him anymore.
"I mourned my real Father almost three years ago. Cut the bullshit. What do you want, Mark?" He smirks. His fingers cross, he's up to something. He leans back into his dark solemn chair, finger on his lip.
"I want to kill your husband to be." He gets up from his chair, he slowly circles me. He whistles at one of his guards, the one closest to me throws him a knife, I tighten my fists, if he hurts me, I'll hurt him back. He slits the top of my dress right in the middle revealing the crest on my chest. I quickly cover my breast.
"What are you doing?" I yell. I feel so weird, and ashamed, why did he do that.
"I want to rip everything little thing he's ever cared about from him. Unfortunately, you happen to be in the mix, you, and that baby." I cock an eyebrow, what is he talking about? What baby? I look around, he swiftly pulls a gun from his pocket, I wrap my arms quickly around my stomach. He chuckles,
"Mother's instinct, sucks don't it." He looks disgusted. Am I pregnant? I smile, a tear running down my cheek. Shane, we have a baby, we made a future.
"Now I'm going to kill it." My heart sinks- a gun fires.
SHANE
I begin to insert the first paper of the journal- no- Extensive to-done list. I like that better than journal. This girl Nadia, she's been quite some help with getting access to this diamond, and the plan to getting her back. It feels a bit too easy right now, like everything is going to well. Can Nadia be trusted?
I have this feeling in my bones as if I missed something so exciting, I'm praying that means something good. Nadia, the girl I'm working with, she kind of reminds me of you. No need to worry Lexi, no one can ever replace the real you; in a way she helps me like you could. In a funny, mysterious way, I can't wait for you to meet her; I think you too would hit it off. Just like you and Gracie did.
"Grandson." I quickly whip my head over to the door, the gun chained to my suit belt falls, I lean down to pick it up, I've been here for way to long for a plan that should have been easy. I look over at the calendar, it's almost been three months since I've been to California; this happens every time I come here. I come to Spain to visit my Grand papa and he has me fulfill his Wishlist of chores. All because his last ex-wife put a bullet through his spine, now he can't walk.
"We steal the diamond tonight." I speak. Turning back to my table, I arrange the blueprints, I've worked everything out, this must work; I can't spend another second on this plan.
"WE CAN'T!" She yells. I stop in my tracks; did she just say we? I adjust my suit jacket before turning around.
"First, there is no We. It's Me, only ME. I hope you can comprehend that behind that thick skull of yours." She looked at me, cross.
"I want you to understand one thing here Nadia. Alexi Hall is the woman I love, and I will quite literally stop at nothing to get what I want. The moment you get into my way, family or not, I will detach your head from your neck. So, watch out. We move tonight." I walk out the double doors and into the family Garden, One day is all I need, because this diamond is not the only plan I've been drawing on paper.