Lethal

Prologue: Drink

Gabriel

I walked along the corridor of the Sokolov mansion, my shoes clicking against the polished marble floors.

On any other day, I would stop to glance at the ostentatious décor of the house with utter disgust- the massive, glittering chandeliers, the grand carpeted staircases, and vintage furniture. It looked like the entire building had been transported from the 19th century. It was gaudy. There even hung on the walls portraits of legendary mobsters in six feet high frames.

However, I ignored everything today.

The guards outside the office gave me a nod as I opened the double doors and walked past them into the room.

Andrei Sokolov stood by the window, hands folded to his chest, his gold rings glistening in the receding sunlight.

His bodyguard, Damen, stood in the corner of the room, his well over 6 feet frame making him look like a giant.

Upon my arrival, Andrei turned around, a gold-toothed smile stretching across his lips.

"Gabriel, my boy!" he exclaimed.

I took in his appearance as he marched his pot-bellied frame towards me. The combed-back silver hair, gold chains dangling from his neck, and a Piguet watch banding his wrist. One would never guess he was a Russian mob boss when he looked more like a wannabe hip-hop artiste.

He pulled me in for an unwanted hug, thumping my back proudly. My fists clenched at my sides as I wanted nothing more than to wring his chubby neck.

"I want to know every little detail." he blabbed on, unaware of my lack of enthusiasm for his affection, "That Lorenzo has been a pain in my ass for a long time now. I hope you had at least an hour of fun before sending him off to his grave."

"Oh, I did." My reply was curt as I shoved my hands in my pockets to control my urges.

He laughed gleefully, waddling over to a small table next to his desk, which held a tray of glasses and a bottle of Scotch.

Unscrewing the cap, he poured out two glasses and held one out for me.

"So tell me, Andrei," I spoke up, twirling the glass in my hand, "why did you want Lorenzo dead? Wasn't he your underboss until a couple of months ago?"

My tone must have had some effect on him, as he gulped his drink slightly harder than he intended to. It was a small action, but I took notice.

"The bastard was stealing from me. I told you this before." he placed his glass down and poured himself another drink, "Besides, this interrogation wasn't in our deal. I give you names and you kill. No questions asked."

"I remember our deal quite well." I sat down in the chair opposite his desk, picking up his letter opener and admiring its edge, "You, on the other hand, have a whole different plan, I've learned."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his face paling slightly, as he desperately tried to keep up his façade. I watched as he nervously glanced behind him to make sure Damen was still there to protect him.

If only he knew where his loyalties lay.

"What I mean is that I had a long chat with Lorenzo before I killed him." I answered, placing the blade down and focusing attention back on the snake in front of me, "Turns out, a dying man does have a lot to confess."

I looked towards Damen and gave him a curt nod.

Within seconds, he had moved from the corner of the room and towards Andrei. He tackled him to the floor, wrapping one hand around his neck and the other slapped across his mouth, effectively silencing him.

The bastard didn't even have the time to gasp.

I crouched down next to him as he thrashed and writhed against the bodyguard he blindly trusted.

"For three years, I was your puppet. I did whatever you asked, I killed whoever you wanted." my voice was low, the rage building up with each passing second, "And what did I ask in return? That you help me eliminate an old enemy. My boss won't be happy to hear that you were planning on putting me six feet under, that too after you begged for my services."

Panic settled in his eyes as I reached into my pocket and took out a slim, white box.

"What I should've known is that you're not loyal to anyone but yourself." I went on.

Opening the box, I took out the injection.

"By the way, I also stopped by Ramon's. He gave me a sample of the new drug. He says it's a kind of lethal injection, but only more, well, lethal."

Andrei looked towards the door and let out a muffled cry.

"No use, asshole." I muttered, taking the needle out of the plastic wrap, "Nearly half of your men know what I am doing to you right now. And I'm pretty sure the remaining would agree with me when I tell them what happened."

This shocked him for some reason and I rolled my eyes, "You thought they'd be loyal to you? You've been a complete dick to them. You paid them shit for money and didn't even bother if any of them died."

Damen looked at me and grunted, an indication to hurry up. Not because he was afraid someone might walk in, but because he was getting bored.

"Coming back to my point, I just wanted you to know that you severely underestimated me," I spoke, "and my resolve. You shouldn't have betrayed me, Andrei. And you definitely should not have betrayed her."

With that, I stuck the injection in his arm and emptied the contents.

Damen got up from the floor and went towards the table. Pouring out two drinks, he handed me one as both of us leaned back against the desk to watch the show.

The drug would take about seven minutes to kill Andrei. Until then, it was raw and agonizing pain, as his heart rate would decrease and his blood vessels start constricting, rubbing against each other like sandpaper.

"Tomorrow," Damen told me, "we'll hold a meeting and tell everybody."

I nodded firmly. I finished my drink in one large gulp and closed my eyes.

It begins now.

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