Umbra Mortis

Chapter Four- "I'll see you in court"

Maisie and Evan lived on the penthouse floor in a skyscraper, near the restaurant. They had the entire top floor as a flat, which provided a stunning view of the city. While they normally kept business out of the home, in situations like this one they had no choice. For the Umbra Mortis was the lifework of Evan and Maisie, and they would not see it fall.

Evan aggressively chopped onions, glaring the tears away. "We need to get into contact with these fuckers." He growled, angrily cracking eggs. "I don't care who I have to threaten, but I want a name. Yesterday."

Maisie walked over, buttering the pan. "I know baby, I know. I'm as pissed as you are, but we must think strategically. Let's assemble our war council. We'll summon our right hand and underbosses and meet these fuckers. We'll try to clear any misunderstandings but be ready to fight if shit doesn't go our way."

Evan nodded and poured in the egg.
"Anyways, enough of this," Maisie added, turning up the flames. "How was sparring? Or should I say, Hannah's warm-up? How long did it take her to win? I mean, she didn't make an energy drink out of you, so, that's something." she grinned, sprinkling in cheese.

Her partner grumbled something about knowing how Maisie would never let that happen.

"....5 seconds." Evan finally muttered, sulkily scraping in onions.

"I mean she did warn you about her having gotten an energy drink, so it's kinda your own fault. It's not like she's some civilian either; she might not be on active duty anymore, but she is a trained assassin."

Evan sighed, flipping the eggs.

The couple may have been the leaders of one of the most dangerous and ruthless mafias in the world, but they were still a married couple who loved each other dearly. They had married for love, not just strategy and the continued profits of the Umbra Mortis; they were each other's weakness.

One might think that it would be a good idea to harm one and to hurt the other, but they would be sorely mistaken. That was attempted once. The fallout was so brutal, so cruel and merciless that no one spoke of it, except in hushed whispers, voices trembling with horror.

~~~

While the lovers discussed the next steps over breakfast-at-midnight, the lawful cover of the Umbra Mortis slogged on. Hannah's "energy drink" had worked a little too well - the boost was lasting longer than needed. So, not one to waste precious fuel, Hannah moved on to the legal part of her job: bartending.

Perhaps fate had intervened, perhaps it was dumb luck. Either way, it was fortunate Hannah was on shift that night, as she was able to handle the officers that strolled in.

Clubbers, as a rule, tend to fear cops, or at the very least are wary of them. At a club that was an open secret cover for one of the largest criminal organizations of the world, more people erred on the side of fear. The Right Hand, however, was not so easily cowed. She glanced at the other bartender, signalling them that she was taking fifteen, and mosied over to the policemen.

"How can I help you?" drawled Hannah. No hello, no nothing. They all knew that the 'How can I help you' was a veneer of civility for the few patrons that did not know the club was a front for the Umbra Mortis. The police, in turn, did not bother trying to hide their disgust from her.

"Do you have somewhere more private?"

She nodded, leading them to her office. The Umbra Mortis would not have survived as long as it had if it did not know how to make a cover credible, or at least credible enough for Mattie and her fantastic legal team to successfully defend them every single time.