Wildfire

(28)

Kenneth Deora

I was woken up by a splash of water on my face. "Holy fuck-"

"Shut the fuck up." The frustrated voice made me jolt up to see who it was.

"Gianna?" I asked, struggling to adjust to the light.

"No? I'm a swan and this is after life." She got straight to the point.

"Look I know you didn't kill anyone but it will take me a maximum of 1 minute to make sure everyone believes you did."

My eyes widened in shock. Now I sort of wished it was the afterlife. "Why would you-"

She cut me off. "So now I'll ask you some questions and I want an answer to each one."

I appreciated that her voice was at least soft as my head throbbed. I managed to nod.

"Perfect." She handed me a glass of water. "I don't care to know why and how you overdosed but drink water so I can get this over with."

The water barely did anything but at least I straightened up.

"Why're you sparkling?" I asked, noticing the gold glitter on her clothes and hair and whatever skin her baggy clothes revealed.

"None of your business- I said I will be the one asking questions. Answer them so you can get back to your overdose." She blushed at the mention of the glitter.

"Where's Mariana?" She said turning the voice recorder on her phone on. I thought about her question for a minute as I realised that "I don't know."

She nodded. "What was the last conversation you had with her?" My mind raced ignoring the pain in my head. I internally cursed myself when I realised the answer was "A text about how the French gave us the guillotine."

"When was this?" She continues with a blank face. "8 days ago." Her eyebrows furrowed. "So you haven't spoken to her in 8 days?" I shook my head now realising my stupidity.

"Why?" Her tone turned softer, more curious. "Didn't you love her or something?" The more she spoke the more I realize how fucking stupid I had been. "Still do."

She side-eyed me. "So the love of your life disappeared for a week and you don't care enough to even show up to her house?"

She jabbed at me. She must've been a killer bully in high school. Before I could answer she hit me with another question. "Why?"

I handed her my phone and opened the chat with Francisca.

"Francisca Romano?" Her eyes widened. That was before they turned to me with anger embedded in them. "So a bitch texted you that Riana did something to your mother and you believe her?"

I cursed myself again. "And even worse than that there's not one text from you asking what they want in return." I sighed as realisation hit me like a brick.

"What are you? Stupid?" I didn't argue with her because right now I felt stupid.

Her fingers started tapping the screen texting the number. "The number isn't even tracked. I'm sick of men." She angrily continued talking to herself as I went to pour myself another glass of whiskey.

"Don't you dare. I'm not done yet." Why were all mafia women so done yet never done at any given time.

She handed the phone to me. As I read the texts.

Kenneth: What do you want?

Francisca: Took you long enough. Was almost thinking you don't want her anymore.

Kenneth: Give me a number.

Francisca: Oh I don't want money. You have a file with a paper in it. The file is named on the club you own. Just that paper and a sign.

Kenneth: Sign on what.

Francisca: That you're handing the ownership of what's in that paper to me.

"Get in the fucking car and show me what paper." I nodded.

"Is Mariana with them?" I asked with my voice almost cracking but I managed to ask with a straight voice.

"No, she fell in love with a penguin and moved to Antarctica." She said in a frustrated tone.

I shut up for the rest of the ride, my head still feeling like it was under a hydraulic press.

We entered my office as she looked at me. "What?" I asked. "Get that damn file." She said with as much patience as she could muster.

I knew where it was so I took the keys and opened the file. "It's empty."

"What do you mean it's empty?" I flipped the file to her. "There's no paper." She squeezed the bridge of her nose before asking for the camera room.

I led her to the security station.

"So nothing special here." She was about to stand up before her eye caught something. "Who's that-" she zoomed in.

I beat her to saying "Mariana."

"She came to your office. Threatened your secretary. Saw a paper. Panicked. And took it with her."

We both jump started immediately leaving the building and speeding to her house. "How do you know it's not in her office?" I asked her as she tapped away on her phone.

"I would know if it was." She said without looking up. "What's your parents' name?" She asked, still tapping. "Joanna and Augustus." I said as I parked in front of her house.

Both of us rushed inside and started tearing through her office. After what seemed like hours I found a single paper crumpled up on her desk.

This is it. I carefully smoothed it out before reading it. My throat went dry and my hands lost their ability to hold as the paper fell to my feet.

Gianna looked at me in confusion before picking it up and reading out loud. "Mary Romano is hereby sold and considered property of Deora techs under the ownership of Augustus Deora and following...."

Her words faded in the end. "You own Mariana?" I swallowed hard. Not only did I own her through a piece of paper like fucking property I had to sell her.

"I'm not signing that." I told myself more than I told Gianna. "Your mom-"

I cut her off. "I am not signing."

She smiled at me. "Pretend. We need to get two women out of there." I nodded.

I shot another text.

Kenneth: When and where?

She smiled as Francisca dropped an address and a date.

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