Destinied Hearts

Part 7

Author's POV

The café had been closing for only just a little while into its night session, the last of the patrons having gone and the lights dimmed to a soft, comforting glow. Milana was occupied with cleaning up, the thoughts straying across her face as she mentally prepared herself for the long day yet to be faced at home. Closing the cafe was such a comforting routine, to be fairly supplanted quite suddenly by the creaking open of the door and by the figure stepping inside-a man who didn't belong in a cozy little cafe.

Luca, in his baseball cap and dark glasses, looked down over the premises. His face creased with tension as he walked through a chain of certain capos. He needed some place to lay his head for the night. The cafe was hardly full, sort of tucked away in a corner--just that kind of place to fade out for a while.

Milana's ears picked up Luca's entrance and her eyes went wide.

"Sorry, we're closing. I can do a take away for you."

Luca said nothing and fished for his gun in his coat. The metallic catch flashed in what little light there is and Milana stood rigid, her heart hammering. It is very cold and unmoving as he continues,

His voice is low and dangerous.

"Shut up and get out of my way if you want to draw another breath."

She stood frozen at the counter, horror unmistakable across her face as she seemed to turn to stone. Luca was menacing, but more than this, the fear engulfing her did not give her much to think about. Wide eyes watched him disappear into the back of the cafe, out of sight, well out of the way of further pursuers.

Fifteen minutes ago, Luca returned into the light; his cap still covered his face. He compensated with a few hundred euros on the counter, leaving Milana dazed to the very core of her breathlessness as he drove out of sight. She locked her door and tried to shake off that feeling with shaking hands. The whole encounter left her on edge. Sleep did not come all too peacefully until she finally locked herself in their small apartment.

Luca rode at night, his head spinning. He had seen Salvatore and Franco in the cafe by the mysterious man. It was clear something was amiss, and the Mexico drugs were a disturbing lead. The puzzle needed piecing together for Luca before everything shattered the delicate balance of the family and turned things into problems.

He settled down in the quiet part of the club and, being now totally dedicated to knowing more about heroin trafficking, had gathered that he learned more from the Mexican connection but the trail eluded him. Deep in thought he was, when the door swung open with Leo suddenly appearing at the club-those final hours before the actual act of vengeance was not for solitude.

Leo's eyes crossed the room with an intensity that could have frozen water and sent shivers up the spines of even the most uninhibited patrons. They agreed upon a boy, quite young, almost too young to be here, standing by the bar. Without a second thought, Leo grabbed the boy by his shirt, fingers digging into the side of the boy's neck, and pulled him toward the underground part of the club, grip unyielding.

Luca was always the observer; he followed Leo in silence. The underbelly of the club was so far from the glamour over the top-a dimly lit, macabre place where secrets spilled over.

Pushing the boy up against the wall Leo said pulling out a white packet from one pocket and his gun from behind, where he tucked it,

"Talk. Who sold you these drugs?"

The boy visibly shuddered and terrified, he was stumbling over his words.

"I-I don't know who they were. They just gave me a package at the port. Said I needed to deliver it. I needed the money ... I swear I don't know who they are."

More questions from Leo, his face stern. He was interrogating him with some sort of methodology that Luca didn't understand. The boy and Luca just sat there as the two listened to each other's almost disconnected story.

Leo's voice drops low into the boy's ear as he pushes him into the wall, his forehead covered by the gun.

"Tell us everything if you want to get out of here alive. What's the man who sold you the drugs look like?"

The boy took a breath, trying to calm his shaking voice.

"He was... tall, heavyset. Wore a dark coat and a hat. I didn't get a good look at his face, but he did have a scar running down his left cheek. His voice was rough, like he was accustomed to shouting.".

Leo narrowed his eyes as he listened. He'd heard of this man, this man described, known for being as merciless as a man could get.

"Anything else?"

The boy swallowed hard, his eyes darting around nervously.

He gave me cash, told me to deliver the package and keep quiet. But, while I was waiting, I overheard him on the phone. He was talking about meeting someone... somebody named 'Victor' at a place called 'The Den.' He sounded mad, as if something went wrong.

Luca looked over at Leo. "Victor" was another name they had discovered in their research and was tied to a trafficking ring. "The Den" was one of the infamous underground hangouts, a den of thieves where clandestine meetings and shady deals were made.

That's good. We've got to go by 'The Den' and just dig something from them, yeah? The name 'Victor', can be the link here. And get Stefano to keep an eye out for this little shit."

Luca nodded his head, already racing in his mind.

"That'll be where I begin searching for connections to 'The Den'. If 'Victor' is connected, then he might well be the perpetrator.".

Leo nodded curtly, turning his attention back to the boy.

You've done all right. Now, keep your mouth shut, you hear? If so much as a whisper of this leaves your lips, then it won't end well for you. You stay out of the way now.'

The boy nodded vigorously, relief written big in those young eyes and mumbled thanks before he was marched off.

As soon as the boy turned to leave, Leo and Luca headed back to the main club. Information was crucially needed, and they knew it was all just the beginning .

"We have to move quickly. Do everything you can on 'The Den' and Victor. I will contact there in preparation for the lead.".

Luca nodded in agreement; he was already weighing his next move. He knew that the link needed to be established between the drugs and the man with the scar. Their meeting at 'The Den' might just give them the leads they needed in order to untangle the related issues of deception pertaining to the drugs and the Mexican link.

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Hello people,

So now we have to find who Victor and the scar guy are.

Hope you all are liking this story. 

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