Chapter 95
My heart feels uneasy.
I feel like the world around me is about to scramble and I can't do anything to stop it.
I have this fear of the unknown.
The looks they gave me earlier are still imprinted in my mind. I haven't told anyone about it yet, and it's troubling me.
As I watch my father's casket get lowered to the void ground, reality starts setting in that this is happening. That the man whom I love so much is no longer here.
To make matters worse, the red dot hovering above my chest is like another wake-up call. It's like the universe is trying to tell me something.
"Fuck! Mia move back" Rico snaps placing a hand on my shoulder and slightly pushing me from the danger, but I place mine on him to stop him. I'm only glad that he does as told because I would never imagine him disrespecting me in front of my men.
I don't move or react in any way. This only means that he is present and he can end me any moment he wishes. Like right now.
The many people surrounding me, the family that Dad recruited and left to me, immediately pushes me back and surround me. Each one holding onto their weapon and getting ready to protect their queen.
My eyes remain on the target that is now on the man in front of me. It doesn't take long before it disappears and a man is brought in front of me, carrying a sniper's rifle in his hands.
"Boss, he is the one," Fabio says pushing the culprit onto the floor. The man falls with a loud thud and his weapon betrays him by getting away from his hold.
The present crowd remains silent, waiting for my order. Once again, I lock eyes with my godfather and he holds a blank look, the woman on his arm too.
Where did the pity go? Oh! Or the care they had before Dad passed.
I just have to read the letter and find out who the white snake is.
The man on the floor is Rico's age. He doesn't look scared or regretful. I feel like I have seen him somewhere but because I meet a lot of people daily, I can't recall where. But the fact remains he is not one of my men.
He is in a black suit and expensive shining leather shoes. His black hair is perfectly sleeked back and I wonder why he dressed this well to come to kill me.
Or offer himself as my dad's parting gift.
His black eyes stare back at mine and they hold no emotion. The scorpion tattoo on his neck makes a sad smile appear on my face.
He is here.
A snake amid people. He came to finish what he couldn't years ago.
"Next time you aim a gun, don't hesitate to pull the trigger. That one second you waste can cost you, you know" I quote my father's last words and they make me feel a stab in my chest. It's painful.
How do I stop this horrid feeling?
I slowly lift my dress and like every other man present, his eyes trail the movement and this makes me smile. I wonder what men saw between women's legs that causes their minds to stop working whenever they think of it.
Mother used to tell me that the easiest target to exist is a man. She made sure I was perfect at seducing and getting them under my claws, before getting the job done.
"Mia, what are you doing?" Rico grumbles beside me as he gives my prey a warning glare. He doesn't want the man on the floor looking at my thighs, because he believes he only has the right to do so.
My hand reaches my holster and roams at the golden dagger my dad gifted me three days ago.
This was his most-priced possession, and he carried it wherever he went. He never put it down even when he was in that wheelchair. It is the last gift he gave me. That was the day I realized he won't be staying.
I unhurriedly take it out while holding eye contact with the man kneeling in front of me.
I know I'm wasting time, but I need to send a message to whoever this person is working for. My dad deserves justice and respect. And whoever caused us pain, needs to know I won't be backing down.
I won't run or hide. Instead, I'm gonna face him head-on if he comes out from his hiding. until then, I'm not dropping my gun.
I am sorry Father.
"He always said that your worse foe is the person you share a table with, the one who smiles brightly at you. The one person that you think you can trust." I say this holding eye contact with my godfather.
My instincts are never wrong.
"When you are not expecting it, they bite a huge chunk of flesh from your back and leave you to rot" I chuckle tracing the sharp edges of the knife on my forefinger.
He is too hot to die, but what can I do when he chose this?
"I know your boss is here, and he is gonna watch you die and won't do shit because he is a coward. He will rather sacrifice his family and stay safe in hiding than face a teenage girl to protect one of his men"
No one likes to be called a coward, and I'm sure this might have hit a spot.
I bend to the man's level and place my right palm on his cheek. I love the way his facial hair tickles my skin.
The perfume he wore smells so damn expensive. Why do I feel bad to kill him? If I don't, it will raise questions from the thousands of men behind me. But then again, I tell them shit and not the other way around.
The stranger's eyes keep shifting at mine like he is trying to read me. Maybe he saw my hesitation.
He is the luckiest of all my targets because he is going to walk away with no harm.
"Here" I stand up straight and hand the dagger to him. He slowly takes it without blinking or questioning my intentions. I admire how his composure is still intact even at the possible brink of death.
"Finish your job" I whisper lifting my hands in surrender.
"Are you crazy?" Rico shouts trying to get in front of me but I shake my head no, signaling for him to back off. I am not stupid, and my men know it. That's why they are not interfering.
The moment he stands up or makes a move to pierce me with that dagger, my bullet will be far gone in his skull. I'm not just a pretty face.
I'm testing him.
"30 seconds" I utter but he does not move. His knuckles are extremely white from how hard he is gripping the damn metal.
"20"
"10"
"I can't" he shouts dropping my knife like it was burning his palms.
"Can I have my knife back?" I say with a sweet smile and he doesn't hesitate to pick it up.
"Go" I mumble placing my knife in its right place and giving Fabio my signal. I want him followed to the hole he crawled from.
"Rest well Father, until we meet again" I mumble, taking in a deep breath.
It's inevitable. Mother always reminded me.
"You did well" the gruff voice utters behind me but I don't dare look back.
"It doesn't matter" I whisper sniffling as my eyes remain on the wet mud that covers my no more father.
"You are strong Mia, you will get through this"
I don't know what to tell him so I remain quiet. Everyone thinks I'm strong. I have feelings too, and right now I'm hurting so badly that I wonder where I will go from here.
People tend to forget even the strongest need a shoulder to lean on. How much stronger can a seventeen-year-old girl be to endure this kind of pain?
Everything in that house reminds me of him, and it will be great torture knowing he is never coming back. That damn wheelchair in his room. I just want my dad.
"Look keenly, sweetheart. The Scorpion is so close to you than you could imagine"
I'm becoming incompetent. I have been looking for clues that could lead me to him but to no avail. My only hope now is the parcel Dad gave me.
"You shouldn't be here" Godfather snaps at the old man I'm talking to, and I wonder why he had to interfere with the peaceful talk.
"Oh! If it isn't Ryan and his wife" the man snickers and the tone of his voice proves that these three have had a negative encounter.
"Let's go, honey, you shouldn't be talking to strangers," Martha says approaching me but I lift my hand to stop her. They ignored me since morning, and now they think it's wrong talking to strangers.
I'm not dumb.
Of course, I know who the old man is.
"I'm here to mourn my father. I suggest all of you take your argument to some other place" I look at the three grownups and it's only now I'm seeing them differently.
I haven't seen the old man in three years. The last time I saw him was at my mum's grave.
He hasn't aged one bit. The aging process is still kind to him. The green eyes that I inherited from my mum still hold the determination to live and gain more power.
His name is Maxim Volkov.
"I will go dear, be careful," the man says giving my shoulder a slight squeeze.
They are the same words he said to me at Mum's grave.
My maternal grandfather.