"Is this seat taken?"
I turn my head slightly, my eyes falling on the one and only Dexter Williams. He has what he thinks is a seductive but looks more like he's constipated smirk on his face as his eyes roam my body unashamedly. I paste a seductive smirk on my face and shake my head.
"No, go ahead."
He takes his seat, ordering a whisky from the bartender. Out from the corner of my eye, I notice him subtly motion to his bodyguard, his head tilting slightly towards me. I grin mentallly, knowing that they were about to run a background check on me.
"I'm Dexter. Dexter Williams."
"I know who you are. I'm Rayna. Rayna Richards."
"Well then, Rayna. What is a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?"
I raise an eyebrow at him, "take a guess."
He taps his chin thoughtfully, "Well, you're sitting alone at the bar meaning you either came alone or got dumped by your date. However, there is no way a sane man would not want you on his arm so I'm gonna go with the former."
I smirk, pretending to be impressed. "Go on."
"You don't look like someone who dabbles in drugs or people. Weapons?"
"Counterfeit currrency. Although you're not so far off about the weapons part."
He looks interested at my statement, "How is that?"
"I've been looking to acquire a few weapons recently. Word is you're the man for the job."
"You heard right. Anything specific?"
I laugh lightly, eyes scanning my surroundings. "I don't talk business in public, Mr Williams. You never know who's listening."
"Call me Dexter please. And I like a smart woman."
I smile, downing my drink. Handing him my business card, making sure my hand lingered a little longer and trailed seductively, I stood up giving him a good view of my legs.
"Perhaps we can discuss this when you're free."
He stands up, eyes clouded with lust as he scanned my dress.
"As a matter of fact, I'm free right now. If you're up to it, we could continue this discussion at my place. I have a few..weapons I'm sure you'd like to see."
Gag. I have a few weapons? Seriously how was this guy considered a womaniser?
I take a step closer to him, making sure he got a good look at my cleavage. Lowering my voice to a slightly throaty tone, I say lowly, "As long as those weapons are big..and hard."
I smirk as he gulps, hands coming to rest on my waist.
"Trust me darling, they're rock hard."
With that, he offers me his hand and I take it. We walk out to his car, surrounded by his bodyguards. I can see the Mercedes I came in at the far corner of the parking lot, Luciano's men staring at me inconspicuously but I knew they were internally panicking. I couldn't blame them, me leaving with Dexter was not part of the plan. It was a dangerous move, one that could get me killed but this was our only chance. I subtly shake my head at them, hoping they get my message not to follow me as I get into Dexter's car.
To his credit, Dexter doesn't try anything in the car as we head to his home. 20 minutes later, we pull up at his mansion. My brain immediately compares it to Luciano's, hating this one. It's flashy and tacky and the inside is just as opulent as I expected it to be. But it's cold, gaudy, feeling more like a show house than an actual home. Dexter tells his guards not to disturb us and leads me up to his room.
We enter his bedroom and he locks his door. Removing his tie and jacket, he throws it on the couch before stalking towards me. He smirks, fingers trailing over my dress.
"So, Rayna. Which weapon did you want me to show you?"
I smirk back, tugging him closer so he does not see my hand slip under my dress. I place my mouth near his ear, feeling something hard against my lower region. Eww.
"Not today, asshole." Without wasting a second, I plunge the syringe into his neck. His eyes widen in shock and his mouth opens to probably shout for his security but it's too late. The sedative has taken effect and he slumps against me, out cold.
Dragging him towards his bed, I quickly undress him and mess up the bed. He wouldn't remember a thing in the morning so hopefully, my setting up of the bed and his naked state would fool him into thinking he had a wild night.
I take out my phone, connecting to his Wi-Fi and hacking into his security system. Earlier today, I had looked at the blueprints of his house, as a backup plan. Dexter had two offices, one on the ground floor and a private one that was connected to his bedroom. I was hoping that he kept records of his dealing in there.
Picking the lock, I slip into the dark room. I had frozen the security cameras but I only had a few minutes at most. Turning on his computer, I plug in my virus that decrypts his computer. I smirk when I see detailed records of all his shipments and dealings. Quickly copying everything into my pendrive, I hear a noise outside the door. Grabbing my USB, I head back into his bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind me, making sure to lock it.
Dexter is still out cold when I go to his balcony. Waiting for the right moment, I climb down from the railings, landing with a soft thud on the ground below. Hiding behind a bush, I wait for his guard to pass before stealthily running to the corner of his yard, avoiding the cameras. When the coast is clear, I climb the wall, landing on the other side with a few scratches but otherwise unhurt.
I smirk to myself, walking down the lonely road. Once I'm a safe distance from the face, I call Angelo. He picks up on the first ring.
"Alessa?"
"Nope, this is her ghost."
"Goddammit. What the hell are you thinking? Going of like that. Where the hell are you?" I can hear a few voices in the background.
"Can we do this later? I'm at the carpark at 125th Street."
He sighs, and I can hear him say a few words to someone.
"I'm on my way."
He hangs up and I walk into the carpark, finding a good spot to hide and wait.
Less than 15 minutes later, a black SUV enters the deserted car park and idles in one of the lots. My phone pings, signalling the entrance of a text and I glance at it. It's Angelo, telling me he's here in the black SUV. I come out of my spot and walk quickly, getting into the car. To my surprise and utter relief, he's alone.
He immediately scans me for injuries, looking relieved when he realises I'm fine.
"What the hell, Alessa?" he exclaims as he speeds off.
"Hi, Angelo. Good to see you too."
"Don't Hi Angelo me. Why did you leave with Dexter?"
"I didn't have a choice. Look, forget about it. The important thing is I got what we needed. More than we need, actually."
I pull out the USB and he glances at me briefly before focusing on the road again.
"That has Connor's dealings with him on it?"
I smirk, "That and a lot more. It's got everything on it."
He looks at me in shock, "Wait, everything? Even his Middle East contacts?"
"Everything."
Angelo lets out a low whistle, shaking his head slightly.
"How did you manage that?"
"Could I explain when we get back? I don't feel like explaining everything twice."
He nods, pulling into the road leading up to the house.
"You do know that what you did was incredibly stupid, right? You could have gotten killed." he says seriously and I feel like a child being reprimanded.
"I know."
Angelo stays silent for a few seconds before sighing, "I'm glad you're okay you donkey."
I glare at him as he chuckles, "Thanks, fatass."
He gasps dramatically and I laugh. We pull up at the house and he cuts the engine. I see the lights on despite it being early in the morning.
"How mad is he?" I ask quietly, knowing he's still awake.
Angelo looks at me almost pityingly, "He's...pretty angry."
"He's livid, isn't he?"
"I've never seen him this angry before if we're being honest but you scared all of us, Alessa. You had us worried sick."
I nod, preparing myself for the worst. Opening the car door, I glance up at the night sky, enjoying the night breeze for a moment. I could only hope that Luciano saw things my way.
*Trigger warning guys. There is violence in this next part. And for those who think it's sexual or she gets off of it, it's not. My intention is to show that no matter how strong or skilled a person is, they could still freeze in fear. Let's not forget that she and Luciano have forged a close bond and she has let down her guard a little. Okay, I'm not gonna spoil the rest of the chapter for you guys. Enjoy!*
"What the fuck were you thinking?"
He's standing behind his desk, body tensed and rigid. It's his eyes that have me on high alert though. They're jet black, not a speck of grey to be seen. Luca is standing in the corner silently, his eyes sending me a silent reprimand but I can see the slight worry in them.
Luciano's voice is deadly low, ice cold and I knew I was dealing with the Luciano Moretti that everyone was afraid of, the Italian Don right now. Guess it was time he met Alessandra Morino, the assassin everyone was afraid of.
Maintaining my composure, I straighten my back walking towards him confidently. I place the USB in front of him, maintaining eye contact the whole time.
"That USB right there is worth more than your life and mine combined. It has every single deal Dexter has ever made in his life on it. I'm sure the CIA would love the anonymous tip they're about to receive in the morning."
Luciano picks it up, twirling it in his hands.
"While I will admit that this is a major win, it does not excuse the fact that you went rogue."
"I did not go rogue, I simply..improvised."
Luciano raises an eyebrow at me, walking closer but I don't move.
"And who gave you permission to improvise, Alessandra?"
I bristle at his question, anger flaring within me.
"Permission? I don't need anyone's permission, Vincenzo."
My insolence seems to anger him even more and he takes another step closer.
"We had a plan. You following Dexter Williams back to his house was not part of that plan."
"He wasn't gonna give me any info and I wasn't able to clone his phone. So when the opportunity presented itself, I took it. And it paid off."
Cocking his head slightly, he stares at me with that poker face of his.
"It also could have been a trap."
"I guess it's a good thing I excel at getting out of them then." I smirk and he smirks back but it holds no humor, just the promise of danger.
"Hmm. You have questioned my every word, challenged my every move since you got here and I have let it slide. But tonight, you disobeyed a direct order. I specifically told you to get in, clone his phone and get out. I specifically told you to stay away from those bastards and instead, you follow the whole damn crew home. Completely unarmed, with no backup. Why won't you just listen to me for once, Alessandra?"
I grit my teeth in anger and frustration. "I am not one of your puppets, Luciano. You do not get to order me around. Like I said when I first met you, I don't work for you, I work with you so if your huge fucking ego can't handle that, guess what, I don't fucking care. ."
We're both so close to each other now and Luciano is practically shaking with rage.
His hands trail slowly along my hips before one of them grabs my throat without warning. His other hand holds me closely against him, effectively pinning me against his muscled figure and rendering me useless. I force myself to remain calm, glaring at him icily and this just seems to fuel his anger even more.
"You're a fighter, Alessandra and I admire that. But you need to learn how to pick your battles. I have had enough of your insolence, your smart mouth always having a comeback for everything. You call me by my middle name and I let you get away with it, let you get away with so many things because you served a purpose to me. If you weren't such a good hacker or assassin, I would have killed you a long time ago. But tonight, tonight you went too far dolchezza."
His grip tightens slightly on my throat and behind him, I see Angelo and Luca take a step forward.
"Don."Luca says, a warning tone to his voice but Luciano ignores him. It's like he's in this trance like state, this world of his own where it's only me and him. His eyes are jet black, piercing through mine but I don't flinch, I don't claw at him to release me. I just continue glaring at him, fury in my icy blue eyes.
"You seem to have forgotten your place. You've gotten too comfortable here, too friendly with everyone that it has made you forget one very important piece of information. You're in my house, my territory. You're an outsider here Alessandra. You may be the world's best assassin but this is the Italian mafia. We don't give a fuck who you are. You go against us, go against me and you're dead."
His grip tightens a little bit more and I can't help but gasp for breath at this point. Fear starts creeping into me as I realise that he could very well kill me right now.
"Luciano, let her go man. " Angelo says, fear and worry in his voice.
"One move and you're dead. Just like that. No one will ever know what happened to you or where you are. You're a faceless name in the shadows, Alessandra. Don't forget that."
He abruptly lets go of me, causing me to crumple to the ground, gasping for air. He stares down at me, sending a chill down my spine.
"Get the fuck out of my sight."
I don't wait for him to change his mind. I practically run out of the room, not stopping till I reach my room. Locking the door, I slump against it, closing my eyes and trying to regulate my breathing. A loud crash from below startles me and I hear a door slam loudly a few seconds later. I hear footsteps come up the stairs and I stiffen. I get up and reach for my gun just as someone knocks lightly on my door.
"Alessa?" It's Angelo. Keeping my gun by my side but out of sight, I slowly open my door, partially shielding my body with it.
Angelo and Luca stand there, their eyes full of worry and regret. Their gazes snap to my neck and I know Luciano definitely left some bruises.
"Is there something you need?" I ask, mentally wincing at how hoarse my voice sounds.
"We-We just-We're sorry for what Luciano did. We weren't exp-"
"Don't apologise. I shouldn't be surprised. He is the head of the Italian mafia." i cut them off.
"That doesn't excuse what he did." Luca says
I just nod, not knowing what to say.
"Did you guys need anything else?"
They get the message and shake their heads.
"Call us if you need anything." Angelo says, his face full of sorrow.
"I will. Thank you, both of you."
"Goodnight, Alessa." Luca says in a brotherly tone, both of them sending me small smiles before walking off.
I shut the door behind them, locking it. Stripping out of the dress, I head into the shower, my gun with me. I stand under the stream of hot water, just letting it flow over me. My skin on my throat burns but I ignore it. Once I shower and rinse off, I wrap a towel around myself and walk to the sink to brush my teeth. Glancing at the mirror, I stare at the purplish-black bruises forming around my neck. There's a handprint on one side as I turn to examine it closely. Forcing myself to look away, I quickly brush my teeth and change into my pyjamas. I'm numb as I lay in bed, gun beside me, throat painful and dry and my neck throbbing with pain. I don't sleep that night, my mind and body alert and on guard. Luciano may not have killed me in his office but I wasn't going to sleep knowing that he could very well change his mind.