The Mafia's Lost Assassins

Chapter One

Adelina or Red Rose Rosso POV

    I pull on the new cloak that Emma sent us as the new Roses uniform. When she had time to design new team outfits I didn't know. I sigh as I look at myself in the mirror, like all of Emmalyn's outfits it was beautiful. All black pants and long sleeve shirt with a black hooded cloak and mask that covered almost my entire face with beautiful hand-stitched red roses. It was also perfect to fight in. Santiago and Luka had identical outfits but their roses were black and white.

    In another world, my little sister would be focused on the latest fashion and designing new dresses. In this one, she killed for fun and played with poisons. I know I should mourn the loss of the innocent little sister I was supposed to have but I didn't. I couldn't. No emotions that was one of the many rules we lived by. Emotions led to mistakes. As Unseen Nightmares, we didn't make mistakes.

    "Ads, we have a problem," I roll my eyes and turn to Luka who was focused on his laptop. "The Aces will be at the ball this year." He looks up at me and then at Santiago who was leaning against the wall, "On a mission apparently." While the three of us always attend as guards for The Unseen Nightmare's leader, Nacht, The Aces never attend busy on some mission.

    I wondered what my sister had to do to convince Nacht that completing a mission at a ball specifically held with a nonviolence precedent was a good idea. I know what Luka was thinking Santiago as well. We all want to go back to our family. It was impossible. The reason The Unseen Nightmares are all orphans who are taken in and trained was because it was impossible to hurt assassins with no family to worry about. Our ties to the Italian, Russian, Spanish mafia would lead to everyone targeting them, not just the usual mafia hits.

    "It's not a problem, nothing changes."

    "We're impossible to recognize Ads, we don't show our faces and don't draw unneeded attention from others Emma, Emilio, and Ezequiel demand all the attention to be on them."

    I rolled my eyes, he wasn't exactly worrying but he was definitely planning out all the outcomes of the ball in two days. "We all know those three will be in some costume making them unrecognizable." The Aces would never be able to do their job if anyone could recognize them so if they were going to the ball they would ensure no one would know what they looked like. "They also don't know who our family is so it won't be a problem."

    "And if they kill someone in our family?"

    While a possibility, if they were being allowed to attend they most likely got a long list of rules to follow. One of them would be not to kill any mafia people without reason. While The Aces may be wild cards they will listen to the rules given only modify the ambiguous rules to justify their actions. I trust Nacht to make sure to give them strict rules when it comes to harming a mafia while a mission that harms a mafia is fine killing someone in a mafia without reason would lead to many problems for The Unseen Nightmares.

    "They know the rules, Luka, and so do every mafia. It's well known that provoking The Aces gets you killed." Not just killed I know Emma takes many of the people that anger her to test her poisons and if she doesn't Emilio and Ezequiel would have their way with the unfortunate person. The Aces, while mostly a mythical tale for most, have a terrifying reputation even in the assassin world. I could never understand how my kind baby siblings became sadistic killers. I know however that their reputation will prevent most people from provoking them. Something flashes in Luka's eyes but he only shrugs and turns back to his computer.

    I glance back at Santiago, who was watching the interaction silently, as usual, he only shrugs at me and walks into another room of the apartment we were renting. We had a mission to finish up tonight and then we were off to Paris where the ball was being held this year by the French mafia. While the French mafia was one of the weaker mafias they were known to throw decadent parties. That was probably another reason The Aces decided to come this year.

    For this mission, we had a corrupt businessman as our target. Santiago and I went leaving Luka at the apartment where he was more comfortable monitoring the situation from afar. Santiago and I looked close to identical in our new outfits except when it came to our sizes and the colors of roses.

    I killed the man easily and we headed back to the apartment quickly. It didn't bother me that I just killed someone; it was the same routine, different target. Even if the man was a kind family man I would kill him without issue and not think about it again. The part of me that felt guilty for killing someone good or bad was long dead.

    When we walked into the apartment it was clear Luka already packed most of our gear. It wasn't a lot because we always travel light. Luka walks into the kitchen the same time we do and he gives us a smile paired with the dead eyes the three of us share. I nod at him and head to the bedroom to change and check to make sure everything was packed once satisfied I headed back to the kitchen where Santi and Luka were eating with a plate for me on the table. I run a hand through my short brown hair knowing I would need to cut it again soon.

    I sat down and we ate in silence. "We're going to see them again."

    I look at Luka, he was the youngest out of the three of us, and Santiago and I would be lying if we said we didn't try to protect him when we could. I tried to keep my tone soft but I never learned how to be kind. Kindness wasn't something important for assassins. "We've seen them before and dealt with it, Luka, it will all be fine." While the two were my cousins by blood they were definitely more like my brothers.

    "You think they miss us?"

    I glanced at Santiago who was clearly going to let me handle this and sigh, "We know they do Lu." I knew all three of us spent time watching them and researching them when we weren't working but it didn't change anything. We were assassins that was it. Even if it killed some part of me to watch them from afar it was what was best it had to be. Even in their profession, they would never accept us as we are today. Santiago and I came to terms with that long ago. Luka, it seems hasn't.

    Santiago cut in before Luka could pull himself further into thinking of our family, "Eat Luka we are leaving soon and you need your strength." He nods a flicker of emotion on his face and I give a grateful look to Santi who ignores me.

    When we were kids we thought being assassins would let us go back to our family eventually however now it's the thing that forces us to stay away.

    Once we were done with our food we split up with Santiago taking our stuff to the rental car and Luka and I go to drop the key off with the person we rented from. We then headed to the airport for the long trip to Paris where we would check into a hotel close to where the ball was being held.