Chapter 32: The Judge
Illegal Morgue, Outskirts of Paris.
The scent of burnt flesh wafted strongly in the damp air. The basement room was dim, lit only by neon lights buzzing quietly on the ceiling, creating long eerie shadows.
Cardios Volskey stood in the center of the room. His hands rested on his wooden cane. Although he was in his twilight years, his posture was still upright, radiating a terrifying aura that made the morgue guard bow in fear in the corner of the room.
In front of him lay three body bags with zippers open. Inside were the remains of the attackers killed in the incident in Paris.
"What did you find, Marco?" asked Cardios flatly.
Marco, wearing rubber gloves, lifted the left arm of one corpse whose skin was blackened by burns.
"Look at this, Don," Marco pointed to the pattern on the arm. "This tattoo was made with old ink, but recently touched up. This is not a new tattoo."
Cardios approached. His old eyes narrowed.
The image of a wolf with glowing red eyes, circled by black rose thorns.
Cardios's jaw hardened. His grip on the cane tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Lupo Rosso," hissed Cardios. "Red-Eyed Wolf."
"Correct, Don," answered Marco, his face looking anxious. "Master Luigi reactivated that death unit."
THUD!
Cardios slammed his cane onto the concrete floor hard. The sound echoed like a gunshot.
"That foolish boy," growled Cardios. "Has he lost his mind? Attacking a Penthouse in the elite district of Paris? Using a combat helicopter and blowing up a high-rise roof?"
Cardios looked at Marco with fiery eyes.
"He turned Paris into a battlefield, Marco. Making the media highlight it. Police, Interpol, the French government... all eyes are on this incident. He violated our supreme law. Silence."
Cardios pointed at the corpse with the tip of his cane.
"The Volskey Family sits on the throne of Capo dei Capi not to act like market thugs. We are the Judges. We are the ones who punish other clans if they are too noisy. We are the keepers of order in the underworld. And now... my own son acts like a low-life criminal breaking all the rules?"
"Master Luigi seems very desperate, Don," said Marco carefully. "He took the risk of being exposed to kill this target."
Cardios fell silent. His anger slowly turned into cold curiosity.
"That is what makes me wonder," muttered Cardios. "Who is this woman? Why did Luigi have to burn half of Paris and resurrect a ghost army just to kill one girl?"
Cardios took out the photo of the dagger he obtained earlier from his coat pocket. He stared at the image of the rose dagger.
"Is it because of this dagger? Or because of the girl holding it?"
"Maybe both, Don," answered Marco.
"Do not speculate yet," cut in Cardios sharply. "I haven't seen her face. I haven't seen her DNA. All I know now is that Luigi is terrified of this girl."
Cardios put the photo back.
"What are your orders, Don? Do we sanction Master Luigi for this chaos?"
Cardios shook his head slowly. "Not now. If I punish him now, public attention will shift to the Volskey Family. We must clean up this mess quietly."
Cardios turned around, walking towards the exit.
"We stay in Paris. I want to see for myself the girl who made my son go crazy and reckless like this. If she really survived that brutal attack last night..."
Cardios paused for a moment, a thin unreadable smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
"...then she might be more worthy of ruling the Field of Roses than Luigi."
Safe House, Alps Mountains.
The sizzling sound of meat touching the hot grill broke the silence inside the wooden cabin. In the small kitchen, Frans was busy flipping steaks with a professional style, sprinkling salt from a height.
"Medium rare venison steak for the Princess, and well done for the fussy Big Boss," muttered Frans to himself.
In the living room, Xavier sat on the sofa with a laptop on his lap. However, his eyes occasionally glanced at the fur rug in front of the fireplace.
Agatha was doing light stretches there. She wore Xavier's oversized flannel shirt. Her face grimaced every time she moved her bandaged left shoulder.
"Agatha," called Xavier without looking away from the laptop screen.
"What?" answered Agatha curtly.
"Stop moving or I will tie you to a chair."
"My muscles are stiff, Xav. If I keep staying still, my reflexes will dull," protested Agatha stubbornly. "A stiff hitman is the same as a corpse."
"You were just stitched up twelve hours ago," Xavier put down his laptop, then walked towards Agatha. "You are not a robot. Rest."
"I am bored," complained Agatha, dropping herself onto the fur rug. "No targets, no weapons. Just snow, you, and the chatterbox in the kitchen."
"Hey! I heard that!" shouted Frans from the kitchen. "My cooking is delicious!"
Xavier chuckled, then sat on the rug next to Agatha.
"Lunch is ready!" Frans appeared carrying a tray containing three plates of steak and french fries. "Venison steak à la Chef Fransisco. Result of hunting in the freezer."
They ate sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. A strange yet warm atmosphere for three people who were the center of media attention.
Agatha cut her meat, then ate it. "Tasty. You are talented as a chef."
"Thanks, Honey. Back at the academy, I often cooked forest rats if rations ran out. Tastes like chicken."
Agatha choked. Xavier immediately patted his wife's back while glaring at Frans. "Don't discuss rats while eating, idiot. And don't call her Honey, she is my wife."
"Sorry." Frans grinned. "By the way, I got info from the boys."
Xavier's face instantly turned serious. "What?"
"The chaos in Paris last night became headline news. Police said it was a terrorist attack and the name Valois became the center of attention, but the underworld knows it was a mafia war. And the name The Rose is starting to be mentioned."
Agatha stopped chewing. "My name?"
"They say The Rose slaughtered the Lupo Rosso squad. Your reputation skyrocketed, Tha. Everyone is curious about who the crazy girl is who dared to fight Lupo Rosso."
"Good," said Agatha coldly. "Let them fear."
"And one more thing," continued Frans. "A private jet with Italian codes landed secretly on a hidden Paris runway at dawn. The passenger is Cardios Volskey."
Agatha frowned. "Why are all the Italians vacationing in Paris?"
Xavier and Frans exchanged glances.
"He is not coming for a vacation," said Xavier. "He came because of the chaos last night."
"Is he our enemy?" asked Agatha warily.
"He is... the Judge," answered Xavier carefully.
"Judge?" Agatha looked confused.
Xavier put down his fork, staring at Agatha seriously.
"You need to understand who the Volskey Family is, Agatha. In Italy, there are many mafia clans. But Volskey stands above them all. They hold the title Capo dei Capi. Boss of all Bosses."
Xavier leaned his body forward.
"They are not just criminals. They are the Overseers. They are the ones who make the rules in the underworld. If a clan acts recklessly, kills civilians, or attracts too much police attention... Volskey comes to punish them. They are the absolute law."
Agatha was stunned. She finally understood the scale of her enemy.
"So..." Agatha muttered. "Luigi isn't just a Mafia Boss. He is the son of the Supreme Judge."
"Correct," said Frans. "And last night, Luigi broke his own family's rules. He attacked the city center with a helicopter. That is a massive violation. That is why Cardios came. He is angry because his son embarrassed the family name."
Agatha snorted, shaking her head in disbelief.
"So the Guardian of the Law broke the law just to kill me?"
Agatha stared at the snow outside the window.
"Why is he risking his position as the Overseer just to eliminate a solo hitman like me?"
"Because fear makes kings act like fools," answered Xavier.
"Or maybe," added Frans, "You are the only glitch in their perfect system. You are a stain they want to erase before anyone else sees."
Agatha clenched the knife in her hand.
"A stain, huh?"
She smiled, a cold smile that reached her eyes.
"If the Capo dei Capi wants a clean world, I will disappoint them. I will be the stain that spreads until it covers their entire empire."
Xavier smiled faintly. "That is the spirit, Mrs. Valois."
"Let them come," whispered Agatha. "The Judge, the Son, the Ghost Army. I will show them that The Rose doesn't follow anyone's rules."