Alina

Alessandro

I can't believe today my baby sister went off to her first day of school. She loves to learn so I'm happy she's finally in that kind of environment.

She's truly a prodigy. Allie is only 4, yet is already in the first grade. Before, when I thought of a child prodigy, I thought of a mature, insufferable, know-it-all who I'd probably shoot if they weren't literally a child. But Allie is the opposite.
Alina fills the house with smiles and laughter and doesn't think of herself as better than any other. If I didn't know of her intelligence, I'd think she was just a normal kid. I have all the faith in the world that she'll turn out perfectly.

Currently, I'm at our company headquarters in my office doing boring, legal shit. My thoughts of my princess are interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Caller ID says it's Pavel.

Pavel is another guy we have among the Russians. Igor is the head of that unit. Usually, he's the one delivering the messages, so why is Pavel?

"Hello Alessandro Lombardi." A familiar voice greets.

"Dmitri Ivanov."

"It's funny how you thought that сволочь could have survived here."
*bastard

So Pavel's dead, damn. Eh, he wasn't doing much for us anyway. I'll make sure his family is taken of.
I'm not really worried about if Pavel revealed anything though. He didn't even know anything. Igor is the only one that knows anything that could be useful.

"What do you want Dmitri? I'm a busy man." I say, clearly annoyed.

"How's your girl?" I can hear him smirking over the phone.

"I'll have you know I'm single."

"Мудак."
*asshole

"Thanks." I hang up.

Dmitri is an, odd one you could say. He's spontaneous while his brother is simply just unpredictable. Those boys are all kinds of messed up. I'm not saying I'm not, but maybe I should give Dmitri my therapist's number next time he calls.

This actually isn't the first time I've gotten a message about Alina from him. Grandfather and father are the only ones that know. I feel like Alina's security has to double by the minute.

She's safe behind school walls now. Though her personal security isn't allowed on campus, I know the security there is safe... enough.

Many important people's children attend the school. Wealthy business people, politicians, and even other mafia members. In conclusion, targets for enemies.

A breach in security has never happened before. Constant donations keep everything at the school top-notch.

A few hours later...

My phone rings.

"Boss, we have a situation in warehouse 5."

"Importance?"

He hesitates, "It's an intruder, but I don't think he's like one of our usuals."

About time someone fucked with us. I think to myself.

It's been so long since something has actually happened.

"What do you mean?"

"He just pulled up on a motorcycle and yelled to the camera to see you. We said turn around, but instead, he shot the controls and flipped off the camera."

I try to contain my laughter.

"I'll be right there," I say as seriously as I can.

Even though I have a private elevator directly to the garage, I love going through the lobby. Everyone knows who I am. I love the looks of fear, jealousy, and the occasional admiration; it makes me feel powerful.

When I arrive at the warehouse, my men bow their heads and I see Luca waiting for me.

"So they called you in too, huh?"

"Nah. I was bored and I saw your car was heading here."

"This is my unit, I call the shots, capito?"
*understood

"Whatever you say." He says with his hands up.

I unlock the door with my handprint and the large, metal doors open. I see a man who appears to be around my age, handcuffed to a chair. His face is perfectly calm but when our eyes meet, he smirks.

"Everyone out," I order my men.

"Before you start questioning me, let me start and we can avoid getting your hands dirty."

"Proceed." Luca coldly says.

"My name is Isaac Aldine, I'm an underground street fighter and I take jobs for people who need to get someone out of the picture if you know what I mean."

"You're a mercenary." I correct.

"If you want to call it that." He clears his throat. "I was recently offered a deal by the Ivanovs that I think you'd be very interested in."

"And why exactly are you telling us this? We don't employ you, nor do you owe us any service." Luca asks.

"You make it sound like I'm a bad person. I may hurt people for a living, but I have my morals. I'm also not stupid enough to go against you guys. The Russians want me to get your Alina to them."

This makes my blood boil. The Messenger said he had it fucking handled. Clearly not if my sister's kidnapper is sitting in front of me, alive and well.

"And what makes you so special that you could take my sister?" Luca asks. You can tell he's pissed but we need this guy to talk.

"You know how the Japanese kidnapped the French mafia's twins a few years back? Well, that was me who got them out." Well shit.

"You're the Striker?"

He nods.

"Yeah, that makes you pretty special," Luca says.

"There's no one in my field like me, no one can ensure your sister's safety like me. Here's my offer: you hire me to keep your sister safe."

"And why would we do that? She already has some of our best men on her case." I say.

"Because I know who's coming. I'm not the only one the Ivanovs hired for this job. Whoever brings the girl in, gets the cash prize. The amount hasn't been disclosed but it's a competition and we're willing to kill each other for it. I can use that as an excuse to kill those people all while protecting my-the girl, for you."

"And would you get in return? Besides money." Luca questions.

"I don't want to worry about you guys hunting down my ass for the next 10 years of my life."

"I'm sure we'd find you sooner." My brother retorts.

"Sure you would buddy."

"Why did you come for me?" I ask.

"You're the heir. What's better than having the future boss in my corner?"

Isaac then stands up, broken handcuffs falling to the floor.

"So what do you say?" He puts his hand out, a smirk on his lips.

I step forward, mirroring his smirk.

"Deal."