It's been a little over a week since the funeral for Abriel and Leya. The kids are settling in well in the guest house with Lorenzo and Andreas. We've even told everyone about Lorenzo and Andreas adopting Rafael and Marisol . Everyone was very shocked but very happy for Lorenzo and Andreas , and sad for the kids who experienced such a tragedy at a young age .
I think the best reaction was definitely from oldie . The old guy was bawling like a newborn baby . It's honestly surprising how emotional that guy is . I mean he was a mafia don for many years and a powerful one at that . You wouldn't know it if you saw him at that dinner bawling and hugging his second born son . Enzo is definitely the most affectionate of the siblings and even he looked uncomfortable .
On another note so far we have zero sightings of Tobias Galanis since I saw him on the street. We believe he is back to wherever he's been hiding all these years . Based on the evidence I found in his brother Theodoros home we believe the place to be an island. My old team from the institute and I have been reading through his old journals trying to find any lead or the location of the island.
There's a ton of journals written in only Greek which only my team can read. It's honestly taking forever for us to get through them . A lot of the things written in the journals can be very triggering to my team and I , so it's hard to get through them . I also have all my regular mafia work to do. There just isn't enough hours in a day .
We're currently having breakfast together before we separate for the day . Oldie is taking mine and Ivan's twins , novella , Anastasia Petrova , Rafael and Marisol to the beach with the help of mama Evie . The kids have been so excited for the past two days since oldie told them . Luka and I have managed to make time to spend with the twins while they've been here in Mexico .
We've all been so busy that it's hard to make the time to spend with them . I just feel so guilty , this is the second time I've had to uproot their lives out of nowhere due to people coming after me. First was Marku and now Galanis , all Ivan ever wanted was for them to have a normal live away from the mafia . I feel like I'm failing him .
" Noa what are you doing today ?" Alessandro asks me from the other end of the table as he rubs his hand on Selena's very visible bump. " reading more journals" they all nod in return . As Alessandro goes to say something my phone rings silencing the table . I answer the phone after seeing it's the capo I left in charge in New York while I'm in Mexico .
" si Gael " "hola Donna a package was delivered this morning from Tobias Galanis, we searched it for explosives or bugs and found nothing . There's a letter and video tapes what shall I do with them ?" " send someone on my plane to hand deliver it to me " " si Donna they'll be there in a few hours ."
I hang up the phone and see everyone waiting patiently for me to tell them what the phone call was about . " it was the capo I left charge in New York , Galanis had a package delivered containing a letter and video tapes . I'm having someone hand deliver it to me , it will be here in the afternoon. If you'd like I'll wait till you're all here to look at it".
" I'd appreciate , I just wonder what's on the tapes " oldie says as the rest of the group hum in agreement. After that we all went our separate ways except for my old team and i who headed towards the library to continue our reading . We have white boards setup so any small detail or phrase we think might have meaning we write down and discuss later as a group .
It's been two hours and I'm currently reading the journal from the year I joined the Garcias which is also my final year in the institute. The current entry I'm reading is from a month before I met my dad in that alley way. The last few entry's were hard to read , apparently Tobias spoke frequently with his younger brother about me and my progress in the institute at a few of those points I had hand the book off to Archie to read those entry's.
"Μίλησα με τον αδερφό μου σήμερα, προφανώς το κατοικίδιο ζώο του δραπέτευσε από το ινστιτούτο στην Κολομβία, πιστεύει ότι με πήρε, θα βγω αύριο και θα αρχίσω να την ψάχνω(i spoke with my brother today apparently his pet escaped from the institute in colombia he believes shes headed my way i'll head out tomorrow and start searching for her we cant have her finding her biological family it will ruin our plans )"
I always did wonder if Tobias knew who my biological family was, I guess Maria told him when she sold me to him. My dad Alejandro found me before Theodoros could . That must of made them change all there plans. These journals are hard to read for all of us they bring up bad memories.
So far we know that the island belonged to Galanis father and was treated as the back up plan in case their mafia ever fell. The men that lived on the island never left it they were brainwashed and then raised even more brainwashed children . They spent their days training or teaching the younger boys or men . Then when the boys were of age they were given a women who was kidnapped for the purpose of making more soldiers .
The boys that were produced were trained and the girls where taught they would only be used to breed with or without their consent . The people of the island have been there for at Least three generations so they are so brainwashed that they'd rather slit their own throats then go against a Galanis . The training they go through is beyond barbaric. It's also said in the journal that the Galanis family used the island as a vacation spot.
In the journals one phrase is used constantly,
"εξουσία" . The word in Greek means power , but the way it's used in the journals is like it's a tangible thing . I believe εξουσία is the name of the island . My brothers are researching anything they can find on the island . I handed them that lead a few days ago but they haven't been able to find anything yet.
It's late afternoon now and oldie just got back from the beach with the kids . Mama Evie is laying them down to nap . About an hour ago Javi picked up the package from our soldier at the air field . The package is a large cardboard box the size of a microwave . The box is filled with dvds and a single letter on top of the piles .
" I think we still have that dvd player in the attic " Diego says as the whole group was trying to figure out how we were gonna watch the dvds . " ok Diego go find the dvd player " I tell him as I reach for the letter in a envelope. " noooo please don't make me go up there it's haunted ." Diego says whining , he knows I hate when he whines . " go tell my dad I said hi , make it fast Diego I don't have all day ."
I hear Alessio snort behind me after I told Diego that , but Diego goes up stairs to the attic but he did drag his boyfriend with him in his own words "to protect him from handsy ghosts". Diego is something special, he's always had this way of lightening my mood when I'm anxious or pissed off.
I'm really nervous about these videos , I'm really hoping there not of him doing things to me . I'm not sure I could handle watching that . Especially with my family and friends here with me , god that would be horrific . Eventually after a half hour Diego and Azul make it back from the attic with the dvd player .
Azul is currently hooking it up to the big tv in the living room were all siting in. While they were in the attic I opened the letter it wasn't much . All it said was "I'll see you soon Pet, love Tobias ". Galanis rarely used my name he always called me Pet. I hated it like everything else he did to me .
"Look I don't know what's on these videos so I'm gonna hold the remote to the tv if I see it's something I don't want you to see I'm turning the tv off and I ask that you all leave the room so I can skip to a point until I deem it's viewable to you all ." " we will respect that principessa"oldie says while placing his hand atop mine , I nod before playing the first dvd.
The video starts off at night with camera pointed downwards toward cement. Within seconds the camera begins to pan upwards until all you see in a distance is a small blue house under a bridge and a small figure in all black standing in front of the dingy house " holy shit " I pause the video standing up and walking to the tv to look closer .
" what is it sorella " Alessandro says concerned. " it's Maria's house , the figure is me ...this was taken the night I killed Maria ." " holy shit " Rocco says from the couch closest to the entryway. " Galanis followed me that night? I don't understand if he was that close to me why not take me ?" " this doesn't make sense , you were alone he had the opportunity to take you " Archie says next to me .
" wait look the bottom right of the screen there's a signature on the video " Javi's right I look closer and I see the sign of the assassin that's been dropping bodies at my warehouses the past few months , Apollon . " so it wasn't Galanis that night it was this Assassin Apollon watching me ." " but why ? if Galanis whole plan was you providing him an heir why not take you then ."Kenji says as my brothers ,oldie and Luka glare at him .
" stop glaring what he's saying his true there has to be a reason Galanis couldn't take me then . " " ok let's just watch the videos and see if there's anyway to identify this Apollon or anything useful in them " Dmitri , Luka's father says . I unpause the video and for the next half hour we watch me kill Maria from the window and bury her body then ditch the car I took from her.
" we'll if I must say Maria got what she deserved " Alessandro says from next to me on the couch . On the other side of me is Luka who's holding my hand . " I'll put another dvd on" Javi says . When the second dvd starts it's at a busy cafe here in Mexico my dad and I like going to .
The camera pans the cafe as the cameraman sits at a table in the corner near the exit . Eventually the camera stops and zooms in . Siting in a booth is twelve year old me with my dad Alejandro . We're playing tic tac toe on a menu using crayons the cafe supplies . He often spent those games of tic tac toe explaining old mission tactics to me .
The cameraman moves to sit in the booth behind us . My back was to the camera but you can see my dads face. You can also hear our conversation now.
" mija , I know Diego annoys you to no end but you can't kill him " " why not ?" Diego paused the video ."bitch! You wanted to kill me "" get over it I was twelve , you're still here aren't you ?" Diego looks at me with his jaw dropped until Javi pushed him to the couch and hands me the remote back .
I unpause the video , my dad chuckles on camera before saying " we'll because he's going to be you're third in command , Diego's dad Damián my brother is my third in command . Diego is just like Damián annoying as hell , do you know how many times I have wanted to kill that guy ?" " so why didn't you dad "
" Tió Jesús always stood in between us kept me from killing Damián and kept him from annoying me to death . "
" so Javi will take after his dad ?" " sí Tió Jesús is a great second in command he will make sure Javi is prepared for the role including standing between you and Diego ." " dad, do you think Jairo's mad a me for not picking him as my second he is the oldest ?" " mija let me tell you a little secret , before I found you many of us had figured Jairo would be don . While he wasn't the oldest cousin we did believe the trio from hell worked well together.
That was until a few months before I met you that Jairo came to me in secret and told me he didn't want to be don , he wasn't even sure he wanted to be a member of the mafia . His dream was to be an artist. Tió Jesús always supported Jairo's love of art but he never treated it more than a hobby . I believe Jairo was very relieved the day I named you heir and you picked Javi and Diego to be your second and third ."
" I hope so I just don't want him feeling left out or overlooked " " that's sweet of you Mija I assure you he does not feel that way ," the video ended there . "I forgot the elders wanted Jairo to be don before you came around " Javi says in a daze , he's probably stuck in old memories. " hey this dvd looks different then the others , the case is them same but the disk is different almost like they were switched ." Romeo says .
" put that one on Rome " i say , when the video begins it's of me with a chain around my foot siting at a table in the backyard of a villa with a ocean view . I look very young and scared probably about eight years old . I don't remember this or that house ...... why can't I remember it.
" good afternoon pet are you enjoying your lunch ." That's the voice that haunts my nightmares Tobias Galanis is the one holding the camera this time I look to the corner and I don't see Apollons signature . " where is that Noa " Lu asks me. " I don't know .... I can't remember this". I unpause the video hoping it will help me remember.
" it's good " I mumble looking up towards Galanis " that's good pet , how have you been enjoying your vist to εξουσία (power) " I pause the video again " holy shit you've been on the island " katya says from where she's sitting next to Rocco . I've been on the island ? How do I not remember this. " why can't I remember any of this ?" I look to the corner and see my old team whispering to each other.
" what , what are you whispering about " I say to them anxiously they all look at each other before Archie steps towards me and asks . " do you remember how between missions Galanis would come and grab you from your cell , you'd be gone for a few days or weeks at a time. "
" no...no not at all I thought I spent most of my time in the cell , training or on missions . I mean a handful of time Galanis's took me up stairs to his office but that was hours not weeks " Asia steps up next
" you always come back with a tan and worse off not like physically but mentally. You refused to let us touch you , or ask questions . When you came back you essentially became mute until our next mission ."
" how often did this happen " oldie asks them as I stand here confused " the years we were in that institute until he separated us and you escaped , I'd say a few dozen times " Arturo replied . As I look around the room I notice mama Evie looks nervous. " mama Evie , why can't I remember."
She sighs before saying " you don't remember but a few days after you came to live here you had a nightmare that brought back your most traumatic memories that you're brain had buried to protect you . It was one of the worst panic attacks I had ever seen you had become so depressed afterwards that you attempted suicide a few times.
Thankfully your dad caught you each time , but he came to me after the last time and he cried . The man I had known most of my like the coldest bastard I have ever known sat in my living room holding your sedated body sobbing . He was terrified of losing you he asked me for help and I told him I could use hypno therapy to make you forget the memories tied to that island . You always refused to tell us what happened we did it to save your life .
I honestly forgot all about it mija , you did so well in therapy afterwards and slowly with your dads help you were healing . I remembered what I did just a few minutes ago , I'm sorry I did that without your consent but I won't apologize for saving you from yourself."
" I'm not mad , but I do need you to do something for me thought ." Mama Evie smiles at me in relief " sure mija anything for you "
" I want you to undo what ever you did so I can remember " I hear the shouts of disagreement from everyone in the room . " absolutely not . No way mija anything but that " I shake my head before doing something I know will hurt her but I need to remember where that island is .
" as your Donna I command you to " the room is silent after I utter those words . I really hope she forgive me one day , but I need to end Galanis once and for all.
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Ahhh guys we getting closer to the end of the book
I pretty much have the idea how it will end I'm so excited to write it but also sad this is my first book I love these characters especially Noella I never want it to end .
Let me know what you think of this Chapter
I recently was experiencing writers block for weeks when I finally figured out what direction to head into
Im very proud of the chapters I wrote since Galanis rejoined the book I've tried really hard to get better at writing since the beginning of this book 💕