Eyes So Blue I Drown

04

LUCA

The servers come out to fill our glasses, and the chatter continues as it was before she stepped into the room.

Gary taps the table to gain my attention, and I pull my gaze from her to see a glint in his eyes. "We have to move later, you know this. It's the only way to keep business going."

I nod at his words.

"Luca ..." He says my name, making me turn to face him.

"What?"

"You really bought her?" he asks, confused. "He owed you money. You could have taken anything he owned."

"He owed me a life, so I took hers."

Otto owed me--I gave him money for his businesses, and he never met the deadlines for payment. Depending on how I am feeling on any given day, I could decide to be lenient or ruthless. I was lenient with him the first time, but when I saw him in the dungeon after all these months... I knew I was going to be fucking ruthless. I was about to cut more of his organs until he offered me something I didn't expect.

All Otto thinks of is pussy and money. But he doesn't think about money in the right way. He has gambling problems, and in return for that problem, he now owes me a considerable amount. I'm in business, and his debt is always more than what I lend, but that's smart business and I am nothing if not a smart businessman.

"Are you sure that's a smart move?" My eyes fall to Gary again, and he shakes his head and focuses on his hands resting on the table. "Sorry, boss."

I would have killed anyone else for those words, but he is like my brother, and because of that, he gets chances.

Chances that are rewarded to him and only him.

I met him in a fight over a few dollars when he was fifteen. He was struggling to make the ends meet, the only thing he had in this world to offer was his fighting skills. So I offered him to join me. Our parents are buried under ten feet of dirt where they belong. The day before he had to work with me, I made him shoot one of my men simply because he betrayed me. I told him it was another lesson for him to learn and remember: You kill those who betrayed you.

No second chances.

Zero.

Glancing back at Gary he's the only person I trust, but that doesn't mean if I had to, I wouldn't kill him.

If he ever betrays me, he will join his parents under the ground.

Two servers come out and place plates of food in front of us. Everyone at the table waits until I lift my fork before they do. The boss always eats first-it's a sign of respect in this house.

"Is there something wrong with ye're food?" I ask her as everyone starts to eat. She's sitting there doing nothing, staring at the table in complete silence as if she didn't even hear me.

Everyone stops talking, and a hush fills the room as we wait for her to answer. My fingers squeeze the utensil in my hand hard enough to leave an imprint while I wait.

"Nothing is wrong," she finishes. She picks up a piece of bacon and places it into her mouth. I watch as a look of disgust coats her face when she chews it. Everyone's eyes are glued on her, confused by what's going on, but I know exactly.