XXXIII

Luka woke up with Bella nestled into his chest, and he couldn't help but crack a smile. She looked nothing short of an angel in his eyes, her brown mane of wild hair splayed over the pillow as she used his arm for a pillow, her lips a tad bit parted as she took steady breaths, she looked peaceful and not riddled with restlessness and he was glad for that. He turned his head to the side to check the time on his bedside clock, and it read five am.

Usually she would be awake at this time, but taking into account, last night's events, it made sense she was still dead to the world, and he figured he'd let her sleep in rather than wake her up for their morning training session together. At the thought of her capabilities, he was still in awe of them, wondering how she could look so harmless yet inside the little lamb was a wild lioness never to be tamed. Perhaps it was why he loved her even more, she was strong and capable, a perfect fit for him.

Love, did he really love her? the notion wasn't inconceivable to him, for he had a suspicion that he might have loved her the very first time he had met her in that house. Oh how different those two versions of her seemed to be now, she had changed and he was glad it was for the better.

He carefully removed himself from her arms, only to shove his pillow into her arms, to which she unconsciously squeezed only to shove her face into it, he worried for a second that she would wake, however, she never did. Letting out an air of relief after a moment, he took out a suit from his closet, for work, and left the room, only to use the bathroom in the guest room so as to not disturb her sleep, being that she could be a light sleeper at times.

"What did you find?" He questioned minute he sat on the long rectangular table that was occupied by the other men, amongst them his brother, whom the question was directed to. The young brother stopped mid bite on his beacon covered toast, only to take an obnoxious bite, the crunch resonating through the silence, only to display his annoyance that he couldn't eat his food in peace for once.

"Did you one better actually. He's at the warehouse" Mark informed as he kept eating, Luka halted his spreading of Nutella on his toast to look at him, with a cocked eyebrow in question

"Just one?" sighing Mark pushed his plate forward

"Yes, the others are dead. They seemed to be ready for us somehow when we stormed their crib. Guns and all, bloody fuckers almost shot Liam, the nicked at Emily though" he spat the words, slightly laced with venom. Luka took a big bite of his bread with a nod

"Is she alright?" he asked. His brother couldn't help but roll his eyes at his lack of regard for the young woman's feelings, being that she had insisted to tag along, simply as an attempt to impress the big ignorant oaf that was his brother.

"Yes, he's fine. You know she's bound to get herself killed all for your sake, you know" Luka all but let out a sigh, certain of what his brother meant.

"It would do her good then, maybe she'll get over this silly crush or whatever she has for me." Luka spat out, rising to his feet, he paused before walking away.

"As her friend, I would think you would have told her that her feelings are rather misplaced, by now" with that he left.

When he finally made it to the warehouse, men nodded at him in respect as he walked towards the basement. His crisp white shirt was rolled at the sleeves, hoping he wouldn't need to change when he was done. The man hung from the ceiling, with nothing but an underwear on. By the looks of it, it seemed he had already received his fair share of a beating as bruises littered about his skin.

The man was older than him, that he could see, with a scruffy beard and beer belly, he looked like your typical yes man and he wondered if whether he would sing like one. The room was dark save for the light that was right above the hanging man, therefore, the shadows obscured his view to the man. Hence when Luka took a bucket of iced water and poured it on him 

from where his stood, the man woke up with a gasp and seemed to look around the room until he saw a shadow a distance from him.

When Luka stepped into the light, he saw the man's eye widen as a spark of fear twirled inside them. With his hands folded, Luka looked at the frightened blues and questioned

"Are you gonna speak yourself, or will I have to ply the answers out of you?" the man rapidly shook his head and sputtered out

"I_I don't know what you talking about. All I know is your men just burst into my house, and killed my men for no reason at all" he tried to feebly defend. Luka gave a curt nod and hummed.

"Okay" was all he said as he turned to walk towards a table that had all different arrays of weapons, a gun included. From scalpels to serrated knifes, to pliers to a hammer and a saw.

Quite frankly, he left the crazy torture to The Butcher, however, he was surgical with just his scalpel he often chuckled at the thought that, he might have been a terrific surgical doctor had he aimed in that direction. However, he wasn't in the mood and his hand found itself grasping the handle of the hammer. Seeing the weapon of his choice, the man wailed out

"I swear I did nothing to ya. I mean, I'm crazy but not crazy enough to mess with the Genovese" his tone nothing but pathetic as he tried to convince Luka of his non-existent innocence.

"I don't take kindly to people who lie. I rather hate liars more than I hate those that steal from my family." Luka calmly stated.

The lack of emotion further frightened the man that eyed his hammer with a deep sense of apprehension. He watched Luka stand right to his side, and he just about trembled when Luka placed the hammer right above his right knee cap. He barely had time to say a word more before he let out a scream as whith one swing of the hammer, Luka shattered his knee and the man's leg seemed to be weirdly detached from his thigh.

"I don't have all day, but I'm a patient man Tommy. So how about we try this again. Who were you stealing for and how did you know our schedule, because I know for a fact it always changes and the only way you could know is if somebody on the inside told you. I want names Tommy." The man blinded by pain that birthed rage, he all but spat out a

"Fuck you. You think you're big huh, hehe, you have another thing coming" Tommy all but gritted out the words. Luka simply walked to the other side of the man, and aimed for his right knee and the man gave another cry of pain as his eyes leaked

"I don't like repeating myself." Luka said. Although he was curious about what the man said, he needed his answers first before he could try to figure it out. When he placed the hammer right above the man's ribs, the man scram

"Okay okay! Stop!" Luka paused and looked at the man.

"It was a Russian lady okay, that's all I know, she gave us everything we needed to know and that was it, I ain't know nothing else man" Luka knew then who he was talking about. Nodding, he said

"You mentioned something else" it was obvious the man was drunk on pain as he swallowed down as if to keep from feeling anymore, with his eyes tightly clenched, he let out a shuddering breath

"T-The Russian. She must have thought we weren't listening and if we were we wouldn't understand. But I understand bits of it, and I heard her over the phone, saying something about you and how you wouldn't see it coming. All I know is that they're planning man. That's all, believe me" he said with a shake of his head as if to keep Luka from harming him anymore. Luka let out a sigh as he walked towards the table again only to drop the hammer on it, the clang of steel reverberating through out the bricked walls

"I believe you" he said and the man seemed to let out a sigh of relief however, his breath hitched the next second when Luka walked towards him, the gun in his hand as he made to screw the silencer on it. Luka stood before the man, his eyes clashing with his, he said

"That's why I'll make your death swift" with his last words he had already raised the gun and he pulled the trigger and watched the man breath out the last bit of life that remained in him. He threw the gun to the ground and turned to leave. When he finally entered his office, he found his uncle already seated in his chair,

"Zio" he addressed and he walked towards the table, taking a hold of the decanter, he poured the brown liquid into a glass and took a seat on the other chair with a lean back

"Hmm, so what did he tell you?" Giovanni's powder blue eyes clashed with his greys, they always unnerved him, only because they resembled those of his brother and father far too much.

"It seems that the Torres's union with the Russians has made them brazen enough to breach and make a play for our territory." Taking a sip of the alcohol, he rubbed at his temple, as if a headache was coming on. His uncle played right into his act and questioned

"What else is it to have you so sttessed" Giovanni's questioned, certainly not out of concern however, a sense of pleasure that the young man seemed to be troubled, and that to him made him an easy target. Luka let out a sigh

"It would seem they're gunning for me, and hopefully soon the investigation would yield some answers to tie the two together" his uncle's brow shot up then

"Investigation?" the old man asked, his fingers tapping the oak wood

"Somebody's been messing with my company's finances and I'm starting to think Torres might be involved" he said, his eyes gauging the old man's reaction, however, the man gave nothing away.

"In that case, I reckon we better be prepared for war then" the old man said. And before either of them could say more, Luka's cell rang

"Yes" he answered. Giovanni watched the young man be quite for a moment listening to the person on the other hand, he saw his eyes flit to him for but a second before he nodded.

"I see. Thanks Brandon, I'll be there in twenty" hanging up, he placed the unfinished glass on the desk and stood up and looked at his uncle and the man shooed him with his hand

"Go on" he said, and Luka gave him a nod and left.

It was when he was on the highway bridge that he spotted the two cars not too far from his, and judging by their speed, his gut told him something was wrong. He stepped on the gas, however, so did the two cars that were tailing him, he slowed down then, simply to see what they would do, having expected them to do the same, he was in for a shock for that wasn't what the two cars did.

He wasn't expecting to find himself sandwiched and tossed about by the two SUV's that towered over his Audi flat-back and it became obvious they were trying to run him off the road, or the bridge rather. When he made to manoeuvre backwards only to have the cars slam together, he found another car caging his in from his rear and it seemed he was boxed in. When he finally swerved against the car on his right and it went skidding off the bridge, he barely felt the bullet wound on his shoulder having had little mind to close his bulletproof windows, as his right tires were shot out,  his own car fell off the bridge as well.

The other cars came to a screeching halt as they watched the Audi take a dive into the water. Sure they were instructed not to kill the man, however, they knew there would have been no other way to get hold of him, they simply hoped he would survive as the Genovese he was, then they would be ready at the bottom to take him in.