Chapter 40

Chapter 40
AURORA

Three years later.

It was just one of those days in Mexico.
The entire room was a mess, and I did not make it a point to clean the same. Partly because I had never stayed in one place for far more than necessary and also that I never wanted any apartment to feel like home. I had pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone in the last three years that mundane life made me restless. I never wanted to be comfortable again or relaxed. Been there, done that. I’d fear that if I do, I’d end up shattered or dead. 
Three years ago, I chose to be sent to this country to eliminate the threat in Chicago, and slowly, I did. After I had left Chicago, there were two more attacks, and the third was taken care of by Marco, as I was informed. The setback sent a rippling effect in Mexico as the Carrillo Cartel set up new strategies. Unfortunately, they did not realize that their fucking villas were wired. 
I’d been employed as a maid, getting easy access to their homes. I had a few years to learn Italian, thanks to Marco, and hence, picking up Spanish was not a big deal for me. I even managed to roll out the words in their accent. I had to shed the American look, dyed my hair, and since my skin tone was warmer already, nobody batted an eye as long as I kept my head down and washed the dishes. 
Besides, the Carillos didn’t think much of their women either. The men spent most of their nights with hookers than their wives, not that the wives were not aware of it. The wives, in turn, preferred the credit cards and expensive cars to their husbands. So obviously, the setting was perfect. 
It was one of those surly days when I’d decided to grab a bowl of mac and cheese and sit by the window in my tank top and shorts. I had done most of my job in Mexico, and the Carillos were already drowning, so there wasn’t much left for me to do. And it made me restless. 
I was awaiting a few confirmations from Chicago, which, surprisingly, took forever. Viktor rarely returned my calls or even bothered to acknowledge the information I had passed. 
The laptop screen popped a notification, indicating a video call. Only a few people were meant to contact me, and he was one of those few people. 
I walked over and pulled up a chair, pressing the key. “Did you get the coordinates?”
“I did.” A distinct smirk appeared on his face, indicating the good news I was expecting. “I checked it out last evening. Pure, uncut African diamonds worth millions. How the fuck did you found out? Santiago has never been to Africa as far as our information goes.” 
“He knocked up some African diamantaire lord’s daughter, and suddenly he was richer than God. It took me less than one hour to trace out the trail, and once I did, I called up Viktor. Unfortunately, your brother is too busy to pick up calls nowadays.” 
Viktor was pissing me to no end of late. Eventually, I had to reach out to Dominic. 
“He is…a little occupied lately,” Dominic said with a smirk. 
“What does that mean?” 
He thought for a moment, which was strikingly odd. “It’s complicated.”
“Can you cut the crap?” 
“He has a girl now. It’s really complicated.”
“Girl as in…female?” 
He laughed. “Do you know you sound stupid?” 
I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of his words and scoffed. “He found a girl for himself? What, did he kidnap her?” 
“Technically, yes, but it’s not how it sounds.”
Dominic wasn’t smiling, which meant he wasn’t kidding. “You mean he did kidnap her?” 
“Yes and no. He brought her home and looks after her.” He was unsure of his own words but somehow managed to mean something. Neither of us ever predicted the possibility of Viktor Romano caring for someone other than his family, let alone a girl unknown to him. 
And this conversation was not going where I thought it would. “So, she is at Romano Mansion without her consent and under coercion.” I fell back against the chair as if playing ‘Scramble’ with words. “Why the fuck did your brother kidnap a girl to look after her? And who the hell is she anyway?”
“We don’t know that,” Dominic said. “All we know is that her stepdad sold her off to a jerk when she was sixteen, and her veins had been pumped up with more drugs than blood since then. She was a mess when Viktor brought her home. And now, my brother can’t look past Mia.”
The information was a little too overwhelming, but it started to make sense. Drugs were a subject too sensitive for Viktor. Even after half a decade of Stefan’s death, the scars in his black heart did not heal. Viktor never talked about it. To me, his sister, or Dominic. But it pained him all the same to keep it buried within himself. 
Maybe Mia reminded him of Stefan. But still, the idea was too far-fetched.
“Holy fucking shit,” I breathed. 
“Yeah.”
“It’s too much information to process for one day and without alcohol,” I said slowly. 
“I know.” 
“Viktor…with a girl.” I still could not wrap my head around it. 
“You should come back to Chicago,” Dominic suggested. This was a subject he had taken up in the past but I dodged the bullet far too many times to do it again. I wanted nothing more than to go back to Chicago, but at the same time, I could not risk my losing my mind all over. 
I sat up straighter and hedged. “I will see if I can gather some more information about the blood diamonds. I heard that they might have a carrier coming soon. Also, can you—” 
“Aurora, don’t change the topic.” Dominic pursued. “You said that you went to Mexico to stop the cartels from coming to us, and you did. The situation is in control now. You are more useful in Chicago than in Mexico. Besides, I could really use some extra help. My brother is distracted as it is; I don’t want things to go downhill once again. And I have a feeling that it will be very soon.” 
I waited for some time, sighing. “I need some time.”
“I know. But make it quick.”
“What do you know about this girl…Viktor’s girl?” I asked because I was genuinely curious. Not only could I ever picture Viktor with a girl, let alone someone he’d take care of. 
Dominic grinned like a wildcat. “I would like to see my brother’s reaction when you say, ‘Viktor’s girl’. He is gonna spiral.” 
“Like I care. So, what do you know?” 
He lifted a shoulder and shrugged, plucking a cigarette off a case and lit it. Dominic was never a smoker, but after Stefan, he could not get rid of the habit. At least, that’s what I’d picked up from the limited video calls we had over the past three years. “Nothing. Viktor just found her out of nowhere.” 
I shook my head. “Everyone is someone in Chicago. And if you have caught the eyes of Viktor Romano, then…” Something sounded off. I just could not put my finger on it. 
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s different. Like I said—complicated.”
“Has it ever been simple with your brother?” 
“I am gonna have to agree with that.” 
“How is Sammy?” I asked. 
He grinned. “Last I checked, my sister is still a crazy nutbag.” 
I smiled, wondering how she was doing on her own. I knew I was being selfish when I left Chicago right after Stefan’s death, to nurse my own wounds, and left her all alone when I should have stayed to be by her side. Her family was emotionally crumbling, and I was the only one with whom she had ever interacted or considered close because trusting an outsider in a family like hers wasn’t a choice.
I should have—could have—made a better choice. And yet I didn’t.
The guilt clawed at me every day since. 
And because I couldn’t communicate with people other than the situation deemed it absolutely necessary, I had only managed to send her a text every year for the past three years on her birthday. And then I would destroy the SIM card. 
I had lost Marco without a choice, but losing Sammy was my own doing. 
“She misses you,” Dominic disclosed, “even though she wouldn’t talk about it.” 
I looked away from the screen. “I know.”
“Chicago is your home, in case you have forgotten. Your life is here, Aurora. You can’t live your life looking for one distraction after another. Besides, he’s not in Chicago either. So you have no reason not to come back.” 
I half-smiled, pushing back the pain. “You are a dog with a bone, aren’t you?” 
His signature smirk adorned his face, the one he claimed the high-born women of Chicago fell for every time he’d flash the look. Dominic was full of himself and full of shit. But he was also a support I needed.
“I am not making any promises,” I said. “But I will try and wrap things up here as soon as possible.” 
“I can’t wait to see your hot ass back in Chicago.”
I flipped him the bird and snapped the call.