❀ 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐀 ❀

34

                               
It was 2 am and I was on my lunch break. I had decided on something simple before my shift started, so I was eating a sandwich and some chips. Don had fell asleep not too long ago. I don't blame him; he said he had a long day at work. I wanted nothing more than to go see him, but he said he was fine; which I don't believe by the way, but hey.
   
"Solei I need your assistance down in room 102."

"I'll be there shortly." I say with a closed lip smile. Wanted to finish my lunch, but duty calls I guess.

    ➜

I yawn as I walk through my apartment halls holding my bag on my weary shoulders. When I get to my door I tiredly put the key in; I wanted nothing more than to go to bed. A sudden feeling: like my heart dropping, ran through my body immediately waking me up. My door was unlocked. I never, I mean never, leave my door unlocked; it's New York we're talking about.

I slowly walk in and turn on the light to the right scanning the room. Everything looks normal... The kitchen looks untouched; the living room looks untouched. I move to my bed room my pace quickening when I see an unfamiliar bag. It was one of those gifts bags you would give to someone on their birthday.

The bag was small. Fear raided my body, but curiosity prevailed. I picked up the light bag and placed it on the desk in my room. "God help me." I say to myself before opening it.

My eyes meet with an envelope reading: "To Gio's precious Solei." I say aloud. My stomach turned in knots as my face bunches up in a confused expression. I open it up and pull out a sheet of white paper which appeared to be blank, but had a few sentences cramped at the top. 'My eyes are on you. Watching you. As you read this you're probably wondering who I am, but you'll never figure it out. I watch from the shadows. I hope this makes you tremble in fear my sweet Solei, because I will be watching when you do so. I have more surprises for you, so don't be afraid to look in the bag.'

As the note read, I was trembling... Breathing even seemed impossible for a moment. I slowly sat in the chair that accompanied the desk. I reached my hand in the bag only to feel about three papers. I pulled them out; a horrid expression took over the confused one. My hand covered my gaping mouth as I stared at the images. The papers wasn't just papers at all, but photographs.

Theres me.

And me again.

Me in the bathroom.

Me in the kitchen in my underwear and tank.

Me and Don... In bed.

My body was frozen. I felt so many emotions: fear took the cake though leaving me speechless. I frantically go to my bag to pull out my phone. The moment I see Don's name I press so hard I thought my phone would break. It ranged a few times and then Don picked up, 'Solei?' His hoarse morning voice says. "Don— I." Not only was my body shaking but my voice was wavering as well. "Please come over Don now." I say trying not to sound so alarmed, but the fear inside me was taking over.

'Hey carissima whats wrong?' Don says as if he's snapping out of his sleepiness.

"I'll tell you when you come just please get here as soon as you can."

"Im on my way."

➜

This was probably the fastest I ever got to her place. I even passed a few red lights on the way here; she sounded scared: truly afraid. Killing almost on an everyday basis shows you to easily detect fear, and what I heard from her was definitely fear no matter how hard she tried to conceal it. I open the door with the key she'd given me some time back. She jumped a bit seeing me come in, "Solei."

"Don." She says rushing towards me embracing me in a hug. I instantly wrap my arms around her frame the scent of her hair invaded my nose; all the different oils in a way comforting me. "Some weird stuff is going on."

"Talk to me."

She grabs my hand and leads me to her bed room, "Look at this."

She gives me a note which I take time to silently read. I clench my jaw fighting the urge to pull out my hidden gun on the right side of my hip. My light brown eyes narrow towards her, "you got this today?"

"Yea. I came home from work and the door was open. I thought it was a regular break in or something til' I saw this, and Don thats not it." She says practically shoving photos in my hand. I don't blame her she's truly afraid; I don't like seeing her like this.

All the anger I held in for the note quickly burst out when I saw the pictures. "Whoever did this will curse the day they were born." I say calmly, but the rage seeps to my hand as I slam the photos on her desk. "Carissima," I say grabbing her hands and looking her deeply in her eyes. "You have nothing to worry about ok." I nod my head trying to convince her as much as possible.

"I will take care of everything." I continue,

She looks at me with a troubled look: a 'what are you gonna do?' And 'will you kill someone?' face. "Ok, Don just promise me."

I slightly quirk up my tattooed eyebrow, "Promise me you wont lose yourself."

I stare at her and brush a curl out of her face. "Solei." I say as I go in to kiss her cheek, "I love you." I can't promise much of anything right now. But what I can promise is who ever did this will die.

I then leave her in her room, and quickly dial a few numbers. The moment I read the first few words of the note I knew I'd kill the first person I even thought to be suspicious. If I die trying to figure this out so be it; her safety is more than my life. 'Gio?' The other voice on the line says breaking me out of my thoughts. "Max I need you and three of your guys where I'm at immediately. Bring your gear and all that high tech stuff too."

'Yes sir.' Max says no questions asked.

"What are you doing?" Solei says walking in the room.

"Im going to get some guys to sweep the place. They're gonna look for cameras, bugs, fingerprints and ect."

"Like a police force."

"I guess you can say that." I say shoving my phone in my pocket, though we're a bunch of criminals we have a lot of smart people on our side with a bunch of knowledge, so whoever did this wont be hiding for long."

➜
"Here's all the cameras we found." A brown haired guy with a small, but fit frame says placing the tiny things on the kitchen table.

"Did y'all find any prints?" Don asks as he fidgets with his hands in his pockets. I realized he does this when he's upset so I step closer as a sign that im here. He accepts it and snakes an arm around my waist.

"Sadly he's not as stupid as we thought. I think he wanted these to be found though." Another guy says almost the complete opposite of the first; you'd never guess he'd specialize in tech with his broad shoulders, and hands that looked unusually big.

Don sighs and the four men in my apartment look at him waiting for a response. "Alright then..." he slowly says. He mumbles something in Italian that I couldn't quite understand. "Do one more sweep we're going to step outside really quick."

Don leads me outside of my apartment and we stand in the hallway. "Im sorry carissima."

"Why? Whats wrong?" I say trying to meet his eyes.

"This is probably some sick mafioso trying to get revenge on me. They know the only way to hurt me is to hurt you."

I felt flattered, but I didn't think it was the time to dwell on it. "Hey it's ok. I don't blame you Don people are weird."

His eyes soften a bit, but they still looked cold, lifeless; vacant. "Pack your things when you go back inside you'll be staying with me."