Beyond What Meets The Eye

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The weight of the situation didn't quite hit until she was sitting in the back seat of a dark, tinted SUV, two horrifically large men in black suits sitting up front. They didn't say where they were heading, but Mira assumed it was somewhere secure and unknown to outsiders, a place where two of the most powerful men in the country could sit together in the same room without worrying about any sort of threat.

She glanced over at Adrian, who sat with his arms folded over his chest stiffly, gaze fixed on the window. She thought back to what he'd said before they left.

"Mira, I need you to understand that this is the limit to my power. If something happens, I won't be able to save you. I won't even be able to save myself. So don't try to outsmart them, play their game."

She leaned her head back, staring out of her own window at the passing buildings. There really was no winning with these guys; their solution always seemed to be to put a bullet through your head.

They arrived at what looked like an abandoned warehouse far outside the city bounds, the place looking like it was on its last leg. Unsuspecting for sure.

The two men opened the car doors for Mira and Adrian, the two of them stepping out and following the men inside. The doors opened, revealing exactly what anyone would expect; a nearly empty shit hole.

She glanced over at Adrian to see if he was as confused as she was by the warehouse's bland appearance, but he seem unphased.

They followed the two men to the back of the warehouse, opening the gates to an old, rickety elevator shaft, motioning for them to step inside. Only a fucking idiot would dare bare any weight on the rusty old thing, but Adrian stepped up onto it without a second thought. Mira hesitated before hopping on after him.

They closed the gates and pulled a lever, the shaft letting out a loud grown before shifting downwards. Mira stumbled a bit, but Adrian's hand caught her, steadying her before returning to his side. He had a stern expression on his face, eyes glued forward. He was nervous, she could tell.

When the elevator finally came to a stop, two new men opened the gates, dressed in the same black suits as the men before.

"This way." One of them said, turning and beginning down a long, narrow hallway. They followed him to a steel door where two men stood guard, their guns resting in a ready position.

Without saying a word, they stepped aside, pushing the large door open, revealing what looked like a conference room. At the center of the room sat a large round table, all of the seats occupied except for two.

Following Adrian's lead, she walked over to the table and slid into one of the seats, taking in the rest of the rooms occupants. She couldn't help but notice how thick the air felt, about to burst from the tension.

She didn't directly recognize anyone in the room, aside from Xavier, or she should say Elliot, and a couple that she instantly recognized as Adrian's mother and father. They all shared a striking resemblance, Adrian bearing his mother's same steely grey eyes, and his father's dark hair and bone structure.

"Welcome, Adrian, Miss Bonnano." Adrian's father spoke up, his deep, gravelly voice sending chills down her spine. Miss Bonnano. That name would take some time to get used to. The name of one of the most notorious mafia families in history.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, sir," Mira thanked him politely, careful when choosing her words.

"My name is Vito Genovese, and I am the current serving head of the Genovese family. This here is my wife Lillian. Over there is Mr. Thomas Lucchese, the head of the Lucchese family. We've heard of the death of your father Joseph Bonnano. Our condolences. With that being said, word is spreading like wildfire that he was killed by his own daughter whom he kept hidden from the mafia up until this point. But you say otherwise." He clasped his hands on the table in front of him, his eyes locked on her. If looks could kill, Mira would be dead as fuck.