Queen of the Night

13

6 months later

Walking down the busy LA streets with all these shopping bags in my hands has turned out to be quite the work out. 

Lately I've been living pretty large. I've got a penthouse loft, a private pass to all the local clubs, and lots of dumb rich men to feed off of. 

Stupid rich males are a different breed, let me tell you.

 Especially when they're drunk and cocky. 

Luckily I find my car quickly, and shove all the luxury goods inside. Tonight required a special purchase. Well, a few purchases actually. I spent a lot of money, but the profit margin for tonight is going to be incredibly high. Who ever said stealing wasn't a regulated business? I keep my affairs on a business level. 

Tonight was an annual gang gathering, of a few select powerful groups mostly in the California area. That meant a lot of cash, and a lot of stupid mortal men. I've been trying to play things right for years to get in, and I got my ticket last week with a bar tender at a local club, Antonio. He was part of a mostly Italian gang hailing from Santa Cruz. He agreed to take me as a plus one as long as I "Sit at the bar and look pretty. That's all a girl can do in there." Antonio and I weren't very close, but we understood each others business. He would often take small bribes at the bar to get some guys more boozed up, or girls. 

Antonio wasn't sexist.

 Truly a man of the dollar. 

I respect him. 

I went a little crazy with my outfit. I couldn't decide what to wear. Normally I go for darker colors. Really just black. But tonight, I think red fits the occasion. After rushing home, it's already 9pm. I get ready fast. Dimond studs in, skin tight red dress on, red thigh highs with a matching lip and smokey eye, and I'm about ready to go. I walk downstairs to the lobby and wait for Antonio to pick me up. Times like these remind of when I was nothing. Just a girl scared of accepting the power she had to the woman now, basking in the glory of her gifts from the night. It makes me smile a little, a sad smile. 

I see a flash of light outside and know he's here. Walking outside I see Antonio's car. It's a jaguar, silver in color. I open the door and greet Antonio with a, "Hey." He shifts gears to drive before pulling back on to the road. 

"Hey to you too." he says a with a slight smile.

 We don't talk much, too focused on the event to come. We arrive, and it's ghostly quiet. In this area, too much noise is a risk. If someone decided any suspicious activity was happening here tonight, pretty much every important gang leader would be in the same place, there for the taking. That would solve a lot of problems, but I'm too much of a problem maker myself to do anyone any favors. 

We get out of the car, and walk to a back alley with a side door, leading down a dimly lit hallway. Antonio and  I walk down the dank little hallway, down the stairs leading to the base level of whatever building this event was under, and finally to the double doors being guarded by two men. I can sense they're heavily armed, and it doesn't take a genius to see the big guns they're hiding behind their backs to know these men are not to be messed with. "Good evening fellas," Antonio greets them. We take out our tickets, the only thing the men are interested in, and they wave us by.

 "Don't cause too much trouble," one rasps out at me, flashing a gold toothed smile. 

Nice to know I can count the lust of every man to get what I want. It's really reassuring to my business. 

Inside the doors, a wild scene is waiting right in front of me. I can't help but give in to the smile creeping onto my face. Antonio looks to me, and waves me off as he heads to the bar that is in heavy need of tending. I already know what his look was for. I promised him I wouldn't cause too much trouble. We'll see how good that promise holds up. 

I make my way to the table where I see some men playing cards. The gang leaders that at least tolerated each other would meet and gamble throughout the night, flaunting their power and wealth at each other. Almost like a red carpet event, but if the carpet was stained in blood and drug money. 

There's a handful of beautiful women here too, always at the hip of a man. Their multiple wives, or mistresses probably. I am not at the side of a man, so I'm a sight already. I hustle a few men throughout the night, all very drunk and rich, but I'm still looking for a prize winner to take me home.

 Then I see him. 

across the room, at the end of the bar, there's a man that looks extensively wealthy already, sitting alone at the bar. He's old enough to have the grimace of experience, but young enough to not see me as a deception. He's dressed in a formal all black suit, with shiny no doubt Italian leather shoes. His hands have many rings adorning them, and the ink  of tattoos is peaking out just over his collar. Perfect. I make my way over to the bar slowly, fighting my way to a certain bar tender to get any information I can. 

"Tony dear," I say once his eyes meet mine. He looks annoyed, so I take my chance as soon I'm close enough to be out of general ear shot. "There's a man sitting at the end of the bar on your far right. Can you tell me about him?" 

Antonio doesn't look at him. Good. That would be suspicious, and easily noticeable here. He leans down to deliver my news. 

"His name is Matteo Amarante, and He's the head of a notable Italian group that sprang from the Mafia back in Italy. He keeps to himself, and is in mostly weapon trade, and drug cartels now a days. He's pretty young for a leader, only 26. His father back in Italy was a right hand for the last leader of the Mafia. He came out of no where, to be honest." Antonio tells me.

 "Have you ever talked to him?" I ask. 

"Yeah a few times. He's not really into big events like these. He's got a dark personality for sure." he says.

 I nod and walk back through the crowd, inching closer to Matteo. He's looking down at his drink, occasionally looking out at the people passing behind him. I don't think a suggestive approach will work, or an overly obnoxious one, but I like a challenge.