"Nic." Crina called while laying naked under her sheets on her stomach. She looked towards the open bathroom to see Nic exit with nothing but a towel hanging low on his lips.
"Do you think she'd like me?" She looked up at him, her green eyes showing her vulnerability.
"As long as you don't threaten to shoot her kneecaps you'll be fine." he joked, sitting on the bed next to her. Crina laid her head on his towel covered lap as he rubbed a rough hand in circles on her back. She smacked his thigh softly before sitting up, letting the blanket fall behind her.
"Be serious, she's my twin but I have never met her. I want to do things neatly, I don't want to threaten or hurt her to bring her home. She doesn't know that she was stolen after birth and sold. She doesn't know that we've been looking for her." Crina confessed.
"The best thing would be for you to show up. She won't be able to deny you when it's like she's looking in a mirror."
"You think?" She asked, a smile lighting up her face as she looked at Nic. His face relaxed and he reached for her, bringing her to his chest. She weakly struggled against him since he was wet but she gave up, she'll be taking a shower in a few anyway. The woman laid her head right above his heart and listened to the steady rhythm.
"Yes, but right now you need to get in the shower before we go downstairs." Nic said, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. They were both in the main house with all the other members. Crina got out of the bed and gave one last glance to Nic before she got in.
By the time she was dressed and ready to go downstairs Nic was there standing in his wrinkle free suit. His hands were clasped behind his back and his face was masked with a blank expression. But Crina was the same. Her green eyes were dull and her face not letting anyone read her. She slipped on her heels before she gave a nod to Nic.
They went down stairs to the kitchen where others were cooking their own breakfast. She grabbed an apple from the counter and took a bite.
"Morning, Ms. Cernat." One of her members said when she sat down. She looked at the tall, lean yet muscular man that she knew as Abel. Abel had been with her for many years, she knew she could trust him for certain things. Yet she didn't have complete faith in him. It was possible that he would be suitable for her fourth.
"Abel. How's your brother?" She asked, last she heard he was battling cancer at age three. Abel was devoted to his brother, anything he got would go for his little brother's happiness.
"He's fine now, in remission. His fifth birthday is tomorrow, he was asking for you to go. I know it's late notice but he looks up to you." Abel rushed out, keeping his head down towards the ground in respect.
"Of course, I'll be there. Anything for the kid." Crina smiled briefly before walking out of the room. The woman needed to formulate a way to get her sister back home to where she belonged. The task ahead was by no means an easy feat but needed to be done. Though she didn't want to send just anybody on the task, it would be best to send Nic.
Nic was the only person outside of her family that now knew about the situation and she knew that the secret would follow him to the grave. But before she sent him to do that task she needed him to do another.
Since Gheorghe fucked up the last mission he did other bosses were out looking for their revenge on the Cernat family. Crina was great at keeping their missions, their priorities secret but Gheorghe gave others a show. He led other bosses along with the police straight to her and that was something that she needed to avoid at all costs.
"Nic, I have a mission for you. I expect nothing but a flawless performance. Don't fuck it up." Crina threatened, a heavy feeling settling in her gut. She didn't want Nic to fail because she knew that if he failed then she wouldn't be able to kill him. The woman had let her emotions meddle into her life.
After they reached her office she handed Nic the mission folder. He gave her a single nod before leaving the room to put his team together.
The next day Crina was in the main house across town. Abel's brother lived in the main house along with the other families of the higher ups. Crina was still in her room worrying about Nic and the mission. If things went smoothly then he was sure to return later tonight but anything past tonight was considered a fail. The woman's emotions were going haywire thinking about what might happen.
Dressing in a dark elegant blue dress and putting up her hair, she considered herself ready. It was only a kid party but Crina was always too extra. Casual event? No, more like a semi-formal event to get the opportunity to surpass everyone. Not that anyone surpassed her, she was on a different level than anyone in this house. After she slipped on her black heels and grabbed Abel's brother, Luca's, gift she left her room to go downstairs to join the party.
The kitchen was decorated with streamers and people stood around. From everyones reactions it seemed as they didn't expect their boss to show up to the fireman themed party. But Luca did. As soon as the blonde little boy's brown eyes landed on her they lit up like it was Christmas morning.
"Crina!" Luca exclaimed, running towards her. Everyone held their breaths as he did so, they didn't want him to anger her. But Crina immediately crouched down and scooped up the smaller boy into her arms. The woman stood up with him on her side as she walked further into the kitchen. She sat him on the counter and leant towards him.
"Happy birthday, Luca. I got you a really awesome gift, do you want to open it now or later?" Crina asked, the large present now coming into view. She had gotten him a large remote controlled fire truck since Crina knew that Luca had a fascination with fire and fire trucks.
"Now!" The five year old said excitedly. He was bouncing from his spot on the counter.
"Okay, but when you see it you have to be sure to tell not only me but Nic when you see him 'thank you,' do you think you can do that?" Carina whispered for only the boy to hear. Crina, though she has killed kids before, had a soft spot for them. The woman felt that she was cursed to not have any children in her line of work. It wasn't as though she was holding herself back, her body would not allow her to conceive one of her own. It broke her but not as bad as the weight this job put on her shoulders. Even if she knew it was wrong she took in Luca from Abel's care sometimes without the man knowing. Luca would often hang out in Crina's room and watch movies until he fell asleep. Luca and Abel's mother and father died of drug overdose a week after Luca's birth. They were a disgrace, Luca was born with drugs in his system.
"Promise." Luca told her so she brought him off of the counter to give him free range to tear open into the large present. When it was open he nearly had trouble breathing as he gaped at the gift. The extremely large fire truck was half his height. "Thank you!" The boy exclaimed as he hugged her waist quickly before letting go of her to play with the toy.
Crina stepped away for a moment and poured herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves. While she ignored everyone she felt the presence of someone standing behind her. She turned her head slightly to look at the culprit to see that it was Abel leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in a regular t-shirt and blue jeans but still managed to hold an air about him.
"Thank you, he really looks up to you. Talks about you a lot, seems to believe he always hangs around you." He said, looking at the ground.
"Luca is a sweet boy. We're around each other more than you think, Abel. He's a good kid." Crina confessed, looking over at Abel. The boy was outside spraying the water from the fire struck all over the garden.
"I'm sorry if he bothers you." Abel said, panic evident in his voice.
"He is no bother, Abel. As I said, he is a good kid. I hope he does more with his life." And with those words Crina walked away from the man, placing her cup in the sink. Though she showed up for the party it seemed as though she could not stay. She had other matters to attend to that could not be postponed.
In her study Crina thought it best to bury herself into her work to pass the time but as the time was prolonged her worry grew with it. No word from Nic, the house seemed to grow quiet. It was nearing three in the morning, still no word.
That was until her there was an abrupt knock on her office door. Without her permission Mihail rushed in with his dark brown almost black eyes wide in panic.
"Sorry, Ms. Cernat but it's Nic." Her blood ran cold as those words fell from his lips. Nothing good can come from this.
---
Oh shit
Date: January 22