Guns and Roses

Forty Two ~ Rya

"Ow fuck" I hiss as Dad wipes at my split lip. Mum watches me nervously and keeps looking at the cut on my arm and checking the bruise on my ribs.

He sighs and then lifts my chin to look in my eyes. "Are you hungover?" He asks me.

I shrug and pull back "Dont judge me. It's been a long week"

He doesn't say anything else and then swipes his thumb across my cheek with a smile. "I think she'll live" he says to mum.

Mum sits down beside me and I cuddle into her. "The two of you should go back to Portugal" I tell them. "I'll come meet you in a few days. We can regroup over there and then come back when we have the manpower"

Mum frowns "Why wouldn't you come with us?" Karma jumps up on the couch and rests her heavy head on my knee.

I sigh "I just have a few things to take care of first. I'll come to you or you can come back here once I'm done. I just think you should getaway for a little bit"

An hour later it's been agreed. They'll fly out tonight and be back for Saturday. Two nights away.

I watch as Dad holds onto Mum like she's going to be taken away again and for once Mum isn't fighting it. "I thought I lost you Princesa. It was torture the first time and even worse the second time"

She smiles and turns to look up at him. I dont think they've realised that I'm in the room yet. "When I was away, all I could think about was you and Rya. I thought I was dead and I knew that there was a chance that they'd killed you. I dont want to lose you again Viktor"

"Never again" he whispers and presses his forehead against hers.

****

At around 10pm that night, I put on my best dress. A long red strapless gown with a slit up one leg. I swipe on a layer of matching red lipstick and curl my eyelashes. Where I'm going people are going to be looking their best.

A pair of six inch stilettos on my feet, I make my way out of the apartment Dad has had as a hideout for years and get into my car. I drive along winding roads for about two hours before reaching the house bigger and more extravagant than my own.

I park my car up and get out. As I approach the door a man stops me. He doesn't look armed but I know better. "Who are you with?" He asks me in Italian.

I smile at him "I come alone" I reply in flawless Italian. "My name is Gianna Bianchi. I should be on the list"

If I'm not then someone owes me a lot of money. I paid a fortune to get that name on this list.

He looks down at his phone and then nods "You can go in" he says and gestures towards the door behind him. I smile as I walk past and enter the house.

Loud chatter and music fill my ears as I step into the foyer. There are two kinds of people in the room, those that are clad in dresses and suits that are more expensive than the average car and those that are barely dressed at all.

My skin crawls as I watch a girl in a white slip that barely covers her at all, struggles to carry a silver tray with champagne glasses. Her thin wrists shake with the effort and her face is twisted into a pained smile as she approaches a table filled with rich guests.

It doesn't take long for someone to recognise me. A Guerreiro at the rings is something that hasn't been seen for years. A Russian mafia boss in the Italians rings however is completely unheard of.

Silence falls upon the room as I walk across the hall. If I make it to the table at the back like I plan to without being shot it will be a miracle.

But I do. Santiago smiles as I sit myself down across from him and Silvio Caruso, Italian mob boss. A beautiful dark skinned girl is kneeling by Santiago's feet and he's stroking her head like she's some sort of cat. Caruso looks me up and down without a word.

"Rya," He says finally as I cross my legs and rest my hands on the arms of the lush chair I chose to sit in, "I had expected you to hate the rings as much as your father did" He speaks in English which is certainly a surprise.

I shrug "My fathers opinions are not mine" That one however is but he doesn't need to know that.

"It was risky you coming here. Why have you done it?" He asks me. So that's why I'm not dead. I've piqued his interest.

I smile "I came to ensure our truce is still intact. I believe that the Petrovs interfered with some of your..." I struggle to find the word, "buisness"

He nods "They robbed one of our trucks that were transporting girls to the rings. But they have repaid what they took. Our truce is still in place"

I nod "I also have news that I thought you may be interested in" He cocks his head to the side and leans forward. "Your brother, Alexander, was killed at the start of the week. His killer, Mika Petrov, was also killed a few days later"

He snorts "What makes you think I care of my brother's wellbeing? Your grandmother took him from us and he's been dead to me since"

I smile "I know that you care for him because I know about your meetings. I know that you would meet up every few months in a different country every time"

His lips form a straight line and he leans back again. He gestures someone towards him and I turn to see a young girl with curly blonde hair rush to his side. She's wearing only red lace underwear and her eyes are filled with fear.

Kira.

"She's beautiful" I say. "Is she for sale?"

Caruso looks up at me and smiles "I kept her as my own but I'd be willing to pass her along for the right price"

I raise an eyebrow. She looks at me and her eyes light up with hope. "500k" I tell him.

He grins "If I'm giving up one of my own then I want a little more than that. Try 1 million"

"Done" I say a little too quickly. Dad's going to go through me for this but this is Kira's life we're talking about. I'd pay ten million to make sure she was safe.

"See you at our next meeting" Santiago says as I get to my feet.

I nod and then gesture with my head towards the door. "Come" I tell Kira trying not to sound too excited. She follows close behind me, wrapping her arms around her bare body. Her arms tighten further as we step into the cold night air.

I jump into the car and grab a hoodie from the backseat. I pass it to her and she shrugs it on as I swing out onto the road. "Thank you!" She cries and wraps her arms around my neck. I swerve slightly and then get control over the car back.

"Come on" I say with a massive smile "Let's get you home"

We drive home nearly in silence. Kira is crying and about ten minutes in, I start crying too. I thought she was dead but I found her. I found her just in time.

I park outside of Reggie's house because I dont know where hers is and then get out of the car. She climbs out behind me and grabs a hold of my hand. "Tell me if you see the police" I tell her quietly "You might have already guessed but I'm mafia"

She nods "I wont tell anyone"

I laugh "They already know. That's why I'm creeping about at one in the morning"

I knock on the door as loudly as I dare and then wait. The door swings open after about a minute and Reggie stands there staring at the two of us. "I found Kira" I tell him.

"I'm okay" Kira whispers and then I leave the two of them and drive home alone.