LV1. Wolf's Wife

2. Romero - And you are?

"Who do you owe?" Héctor interrupted with a dark scowl on his face.

"I don't... It's my father's debt." I stuttered to no avail.

"He's dead. It's your debt now. Who?"

Denying it seemed useless. He seemed to know everything. I might have said something about it to him when I entered, but I was still a little buzzed.

"Rick Morse is the name."

"How much?"

"A hundred grand." I said and the shame churned my insides. I hated this. "But I don't have the money."

"Where are you supposed to give it to them?" Héctor was totally unfazed by my distress. His gaze was already on the screen of his phone. Was he even listening to me?

"They will come for it."

"His usual place?" He asked.

"There is that strip club..."

"Scarlet." He interrupted me and I nodded. My head swirled so much that I felt totally useless. I really shouldn't have drunk so much.

It took us only a few minutes and we were already stopping before the bar. Great. He was the most efficient person I ever met. Would his killing blow be as efficient as this?

"Cat, don't even think about getting out." He said the girl who just grinned at him.

"Why? Will you punish me?" She purred like this scarred hulk of a man was sweetest kid.

"Cat, I'm serious." He growled in response. They had a strange dynamic that was for sure. I wondered if they were lovers. Or was he her father?

"Okay. I'm not going anywhere. Promise." She turned to me once again and put a small device into my palm. "It's a com earpiece."

She said it like it was the most normal thing to say. When I just looked at it confused, she patted my hand.

"Just put it into your ear and you will hear everything." I nodded and pushed the small thing into my ear.

Héctor was already waiting for me to get out of the car.

"Always stay behind my left shoulder. Whatever happens. And don't talk. Seriously." I nodded uncertainly. "Can you behave?"

"I'll try. Left shoulder, no talking." I muttered.

"Want to speak with Rick Morse."

Héctor was already at the door, ordering the bouncers around.

"And who you think you are?" The bouncers tried very hard to look intimidating, but they only looked funny compared to Héctor. I almost smiled, then almost vomited.

"Tell him that Ortolani is here with the money."

That was the magic word, since we were immediately ushered into a back room. Everything was black and garish red. My eyes almost bled, looking at the mirrors reflecting all the red lights. It was so surreal that I felt I was in a very bad movie. Or better, I fell asleep, and I was dreaming all of it.

"The fuck, man? And who the fuck are you?" Morse stood up as we entered. He was a small man, but I didn't notice it until today. Lorenzo was terrified of him, so I was, too. Seeing Héctor towered over him, he was at least two head taller. I would be almost funny if I wasn't in that petrified state.

"I came to settle Ortolani's debt." Héctor said in a calm, quiet voice. I wasn't exactly menacing, but everybody in the room looked at him frozen. The half-naked girls flinched back and plastered themselves to the wall. The other guy pulled up his trousers over his huge belly, but it slid down immediately.