My Artistic Mafia Man

Chapter 3: Stranger Talk

Chapter 3: Stranger Talk

Eltan Storm

"Capo, you can't lock yourself inside your room forever!" Denver hollered from outside my bedroom.

"Tell me to come out once you have located those bastards," I replied, my eyes fixated on the canvas in front of me.

After two whole years, I had taken out my painting kit. I couldn't stop thinking about Faith. I wanted to go see her. But I knew I shouldn't. I needed to stay away from that girl for my own sanity's sake. Because if I saw her beautiful smile with dimples one more time, I would be a whipped man. And I couldn't afford that. I had more important goals.

Since I couldn't go meet her, the next best thing was to paint her. My fingers were itching to pick up my brushes for her, but I resisted. However, I finally gave in to the temptation on the third day.

Since I remembered every detail of her perfectly, I had been busy stroking colors on the canvas for two days, trying to create a perfect masterpiece of Faith.

I smiled to myself in satisfaction when I gave the finishing touch to the art piece. Seemed like two years weren't enough to dull my skills as an artist. Her painting looked perfect.

A yearning tugged at my heart.

'See you again.'

I wanted to see her. I thought painting would help, but it seemed to have made the urge even worse.

"Capo, will you please come out? It's an urgent matter!" Denver hollered for the umpteenth time.

I groaned and got down from the high tool. I put everything inside my art room and covered the easel with Faith's painting with a white cloth so that Denver wouldn't know what I had been up to.

After that, I opened the door and asked, "Okay, now tell me, what's your urgent matter?"

"You have to go to the port tonight. I think there's something suspicious going on under our nose," he stated.

I clenched my jaw. "Does there seem to be a traitor?"

"There are high chances. Not to mention, there's a traitor among us—the one who warned them about the bomb blast," he added.

"Dig them out and make sure you don't kill them. The traitors should die by my hands," I told him, and he nodded. "And don't worry, I'll go to the port tonight." I couldn't brood for a girl for that long. "For now, I'm going outside for lunch."

I needed some fresh air to forget about the beautiful bartender who was occupying my mind more than she should have.

###

I was sitting at a rooftop restaurant, staring at the busy cityscape with the sky being a warm shade of blue.

This has always been my favorite place in Nevada. I loved the little details in the restaurant's aesthetic decorations and its view—it was an artist's heaven. There weren't a lot of people at this time as it would get too hot on the rooftop during the afternoon, so they tended to eat on the floor below, but I still liked it here, especially sitting at the open counter.

See, I wasn't thinking about Faith anymore.

Shit, I just thought of her again.

I sighed and was about to take another bite of my cheese pasta when I noticed a girl trying to climb on the high stool beside me. She was having trouble rising on it, given her height, but she managed it soon enough.