STOLEN || 18+ (Monsters #3)

.36. Lying

Pain is pain
Love is love
I don't know when the lines blurred

- V

. . .

Fabiano

Leyla was pulling back.

I knew it was going to happen. She was scared of her body's reaction to us, and her mind was fighting against this, too.

So we let her pull back. For now. She needed to gather her thoughts and we needed to deal with fucking Testa.

I waited in the airport parking lot, Giovanni by my side. There were no soldiers with us. We could deal with Testa.

I looked down at my watch.

Just when the arm struck 3 a.m. he walked into the parking lot.

His eyes went from me to Giovanni and then accessed the parking lot, his dark blue eyes didn't leave one spot unseen.

I could see the outline of two guns, there was no doubt he had more knives on his, but his hands were empty.

His face was scarred, a long scar ran on his jaw, from his chin to his ear. It shone against his skin. His eyes held a certain kind of madness that mirrored Giovanni's.

He fixed his eyes back on me, they were partly hidden by his blond hair. "You came alone."

"So did you." Giovanni's tone was lazy as he twirled his knife around his fingers. Testa caught the action and grinned.

"I don't need protection." He stuffed his hands into his leather jacket. Testa was young - so fucking young. Probably of Leyla's age and he was the oldest of his brothers.

"What do you want?"

"You have something which belongs to me." He grinned harder when Giovanni's knife stopped. Anytime now he'd throw it at Testa. I wouldn't stop him. "You are both prideful men, as far as I know. If someone stole something from you, I doubt you'd rest easy."

"Yes, but, Testa." I pushed myself off the car, walking closer. "We are not you, we are not a pathetic little family which kills for sport, we own the Italian mafia."

I stopped just in front of him. My hands ached to wrap around his neck and break it but I held myself back. For now.

"Pathetic little family, huh?" He laughed. "Wonder why you could not track me down, then. I know you tried."

"Rats are good with hiding," Giovanni said with a twisted grin he gave his victims.

"So prideful," he muttered. "Your pride will be your downfall."

"You're brave for coming here." I took my knife out.

He eyed it. "You're going to kill me in a parking lot?"

Giovanni took a menacing step towards Testa.

"You can kill me," he said. "If you do, you'll never find out where your sister is."

I froze.

Giovanni gripped Testa's collar, throwing him against the wall. Testa didn't fight back.

"What the fuck?" Giovanni demanded. "Carla is dead."

"Or maybe she just wanted you to think she was. She's a Valentino, after all," he said with a grin. "Leyla for Carla. Isn't that a good deal?"

He pushed himself away from the wall. "You have two months," he said. "Fuck Leyla as much as you want. I'll make her forget you in a day." He grinned and turned around, showing us his back. "I'll give you proof that Carla is alive in a day or two."

He disappeared into the night.

Giovanni looked at me. The madness in his eyes was barely contained. He was out for blood.

He walked to his motorcycle and got on.

"Where the fuck are you going?"

"I'm going to kill someone." He started up the motorcycle. "Maybe visit a whorehouse of two."

I watched him. "You will regret it."

"Yeah like she fucking cares," he growled, glaring at me. "I want Testa gone but I know you won't let me kill him."

"Maybe he is bluffing," I said. "He said he'd give proof."

He got off his bike, its engine roared in the background and he pushed my shoulders. I didn't stumble. "We have fucking proof," he snarled. "We saw the video of Jack beating her to death. She wasn't fucking creating. You think she escaped that?"

"We don't know," I said calmly. "And it's not your own fucking decision."

"Oh, so you are the Capo now." He laughed. "If I want to kill him, I fucking will."

"No you won't," I said. My anger was going to burst through but I held it back. "If he is lying, we will rip him apart."

"He is lying!" His voice boomed. "He is fucking lying!'

I knew why he didn't want to believe that she could be alive. It'd mean that we had failed to find her. That she had to go through everything alone.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Let's go home." Leyla's presence calmed him down, as it did to me.

He breathed heavily and then got on the motorcycle. "Alright. Let's go back."

. . .