Chapter 39

Chapter 39
AURORA

Two days later

The phone rang incessantly as I drove through the streets of Chicago. It is from Viktor’s office. Since he was in no position to deal with the daily shit, Marco and I decided to take up the matters but individually. We divided the responsibilities geographically and took up the issues as and when required so that neither Viktor nor Dominic had to bother themselves. 
But, apparently, the idiots at Viktor’s office did not understand the difference between taking orders and executing them. They would call a hundred times a day, seeking instructions on frivolous things and would strum the last of my nerves until I would pick up a damn baseball bat and struck against their empty heads.
I ignored the first few rings but when they did not stop calling for 10 minutes, I picked up.
“What now?”
“Ma’am,” came a stammering voice from the other end. “There has been a blast at the warehouse.” 
I slammed the brakes so hard, my body jerked forward, and the car came to a halt. “Where?”
“Lincoln Park.”
Motherfucker. “I am coming.”
By the time I had arrived, the place was in tatters. A horde of people gathered around, and Chicago PD was crawling everywhere. Smoke and debris covered the place as I parked the car two blocks away and decided to walk. 
A frantic guy came forward and I recognised him from one of the many who worked under Viktor. “Ma’am, we…” 
“Shut up,” I gritted and looked around. 
The amount of damage I saw required quite a load of explosives, which meant this was no shallow street gang. It was the bloody cartel. The scumbags had smelt the Romano vulnerability from a mile away and came sniffing around. They would have never dared to do this if Viktor were not mourning his brother. 
But what had hit me with a force was the fact that I have somehow failed to tamp the enemies down. I did not see it coming even though there were whispers of shifting loyalty and attacks. My mind was reeling with so much rage, I did not know what to do with myself. I was not even sure the next course of my action, but I knew the people I have to hunt. 
XXX
“No.”
“You don’t understand—”
“I said no.” Viktor’s voice was low but firm. Of late, he shouted less but that did not dilute the force of his command. He was still a Romano and the most-feared mafia in making after his father. 
“Viktor, this is the only solution,” I implored. 
He shook his head and then rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward. “It’s too dangerous.” 
“This is why you had me trained for years,” I reasoned, sitting across from him in his office. The last time I was here, this man was a wreck. Still today, he was but no one would be able to see it with bare eyes. “Today, they are coming for your business and tomorrow they will come for your family, and you know it better than I do.” 
His hard gaze was fixed on me and only the tick in his jaw moved. “They would not dare.”
“They have already dared more than they should. Chicago is yours and you and your brother can handle it better as long as they are no external forces. And I will ensure it remains that way.” 
“Cartel is no joke, Aurora,” he cautioned as if I did not already know. “They will have you killed if you make one mistake.” 
“If I make a mistake,” I said, “…which I won’t. Nobody knows who I am, Viktor; not even your men are quite sure of it. My identity is exactly that of a ghost, like you have always wanted. Cartel won’t see me coming.” 
I could see it in his eyes that he agreed with me, but his stubborn self took over every goddamn time. “This is a foolish idea.”
“And rather than waiting around for them to come, I want to fucking kill them in their territory. They came into our house and attacked us. Two fucking blasts in one week is not something you should take lightly. So tell me who is being foolish now?”
“You alone in Mexico is a foolish idea!” He shook his head as he spoke. “I can’t allow that. Either you take someone—”
“Stop. Just stop, Viktor.” I knew the meaning behind his words even before he spoke them out loud, and I did not know if I could hear them. “You don’t want to send me alone to Mexico and that’s fine by me. But please don’t insult me by making me do things I don’t want to.”
I got up, wanting to leave that very moment but his hand reached out and snagged mine. 
“Aurora. Sit.” Being the man of very few words, he simply held me back with the force of his voice. I sat down, waiting for him to speak.
Viktor scrubbed a hand over his tired face and unshaved beard and sighed. “Let me think over this for a while. I don’t doubt your talents, but I can’t afford to lose you at this moment.”
“Okay.”
The door to his office flew open and in walked the man I did not want to see ever again and yet I knew that it was inevitable, considering we were unerringly mingled in the same profession. 
He looked like he was not expecting me to be here as his eyes slowly drank in my presence and ever so slowly, his gaze slid over to Viktor’s.
I got up quickly, nodding at Viktor. “I haven’t seen Sammy for days. I should go and check on her.”
He had clearly read into my hesitation and affirmed. Without wasting a single breath, I rushed out of his office and past Marco even before the whiff of his cologne could hit my nose. 
XXX
There were loud voices coming out of Viktor’s office and because the house was exceptionally silent, the voices magnified almost ten fold. I sauntered closer, and having found the door ajar, I pushed it open.
A few men stood there, heads bowed and looking like they’d piss in their pants of Viktor would raise his voice by another decibel. 
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking between them and then at Viktor.
He looked at them and jerked his head towards the door. It took them less than five seconds to scurry out of the room as I walked closer to his desk.
“Three of my consignments were supposed to reach Chicago last night. Only one of them arrived and the other two were stolen. Water has gone above the head now, Aurora.”
My eyes skimmed over the strewn papers over the desk. These were arms consignments. Last week, they targeted our drugs and now, weapons. If I was any wiser, I’d say that the cartel was hell bent on sucking us dry. 
“I know. I have already given you a solution, but you…”
“I want to be sure about it.”
My gaze snapped to his. “Sure about what?”
“Are you doing this for me or for yourself? Is it one of your desperate attempts to get away from Chicago?” Viktor narrowed his eyes. 
“Are you questioning my loyalty?”
“No. But I want to know if you are truly ready for this because your head and heart need to be in one place, or you will be killed even before you arrive.”
“I have made one mistake, but I won’t make another. I promise you.” 
“Okay.”
“Okay…what?” I chanced. 
“If Mexico is what you want, then it will be done. I will make the arrangements.” 
For a second, I did not believe my ears. “Thank you, Viktor. I will not disappoint you.”
He gave a slow nod, and even though I have seen visible concern on his face, I knew he trusted me enough not to screw up. When I turned to leave, almost stopping at the door, Viktor’s voice made me turn.
“Aurora. Take care.” 
For the first time in days, I saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes and Viktor was not someone who expressed them as easily. But over the years, I have learned to read through his hard and impassive looks, and I knew he was unsettled by his own decision. 
That day, when I had left the Romano mansion, something made me turn around and look back. I felt like I left a piece of myself in there. I was leaving everyone I knew of without so much a goodbye. 
But I knew I need to. 
Chicago has become too toxic for me to breathe. 
I closed my eyes, and the faces of every person who ever mattered me flashed before my eyes. I did not need to say goodbyes. I could feel them. With every fibre of my being, I felt them.
Their presences, their faces, their smiles - everything was so deeply carved into my heart that I knew would give me all the strength I was going to need in years to come.