Secrets Untold

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 38

**Julio's POV**

"𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆," Max rolled his eyes at me.

I frowned, tapping my pen on the desk. After the disastrous meeting we had with a smaller gang, I was not in the mood to joke.

Max let out another loud sigh.

I swear to god, if he made another obnoxious sound, I was going to end him, regardless of whether he was my right hand man or not.

I kept clicking my pen as I studied the document in front of me. You would think as someone who led a mafia, I'd be off killing people rather than sitting and typing away at a desk. Yet here I was. I couldn't focus. Something felt off.

I glanced at the clock, desperate to get home and take a good nap. How was it only late afternoon. For a moment, I contemplated going home early.

Another loud sigh broke me out of my thoughts.

Frustratedly, I threw my pen down and stormed over to Max, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him against the wall, "I swear to fuck, Max, if you make another obnoxious sound, I will literally-"

I broke off as my phone began ringing on the desk.

Reluctantly, I dropped Max, sending him a dirty glare, "Consider yourself lucky."

"I will, I will," Max grinned at me, his voice hoarse as he massaged his throat.

Striding over to the phone, I picked it up, "Yes?"

"Is this the Spanish mafia leader?" the voice crackled over the phone.

"How did you get this number?" I responded coldly.

"This is the αφεντικό of the Greeks," the man replied, "I want a meeting. It's time we discussed an alliance."

"Why now?" I looked at Max who raised an eyebrow at me.

"A friend of mine is in your territory now, she might be in some trouble." the man's voice came in short bursts due to static.

"And you want me to protect her," I drawled slowly. "Is this a lover of yours?"

"I'm married, you dick," the man growled over the phone.

Oops.

"Don't talk to me like that and I'll see what I can do," I promised him. "What's her name?"

"Akira," he paused. "Akira Romano."

I froze. It couldn't be. She was at home. Safe. Right? I turned to Max, pointing to the door, and mouthing 'get the car.'

"Her brothers are after her and it seems that they're out for blood," the man on the other side warned me.

"I'll find her," I muttered faintly before I hung up, shoving everything into my bag and sprinting out of the door.

*****

**Max's POV**

I sat in the car as I waited for Julio, reclining in the chair as far back as possible.

When he finally ran out, I laughed to myself, imagining his reaction to not being able to get into the car. Sometimes I wondered why he was friends with me. Right. We were cousins.

A snort escaped me as Julio's furious face appeared in my window. "Unlock the car right now, this is not a joke, Max."

I sat up straight in my seat, detecting the urgency and... fear? That couldn't be right. Julio was never scared. Unlocking the door, I watched as Julio scrambled into the front seat and hit the gas before he had even secured his seatbelt.