Empire (Muke Fic)

Chapter One

Luke scrambled over the brick wall before him, grinning as the backpack full of stolen cash thumped against his back rhythmically as he walked away from the bank.

He had managed to retrieve double of what was asked of him and promised - $15,000. Luke was wickedly effective at bank robbery. He could always get his cash and get away, no matter how many police officers showed up at the scene.

Luke climbed onto the roof of an apartment building, stretching and cracking his neck.

“I see you’ve made it.”

“I always do.”

“Hm.”

A man walked towards Luke, car keys dangling off of his finger. He tossed them to Luke, who easily caught  them, nodding before turning his just emptied bag and hoodie inside out so that they were black instead of red. As he stuffed the money back into his backpack, he looked up at the man that now consistently provided him with his - stolen - getaway cars.

“Thank you.”

The silver haired man rolled his eyes, pocketing the money that Luke handed to him to pay for his help, clapping the lad on his shoulder.

“Just go, boy. You’ve got money to drop off.”

Luke smiled, dropping down the ladder and calmly walking over to the car, marked by the stuffed penguin on the dashboard. Police cars shot past him, sirens blaring, but Luke never broke pace, or even looked over, instead just getting in the car and starting it up, driving it to the house of the made man that had assigned his job, whom Luke knew very well.

He shifted his backpack over his shoulder as he got out of the car, the needed $7,500 in his bag, the rest in the car. He gently knocked, knowing that inside were young children that were likely sleeping, as it was roughly their naptime.

The door opened, revealing a man in his mid to late thirties, a scar on his cheek, and a frown at being bothered. Then he noticed it was Luke at his door, and he nodded, smiling.

“Lucas, right. Money?”

“Everything you asked for.”

Luke received a smile and a pat on the shoulder before he was let in, being lead to the kitchen even though the house was as familiar to him as his own apartment. Luke dumped his bag onto the table, the money spilling out.

“It’s separated into hundreds.”

“Giovanni?”

The man lifted his head, looking up to see his wife in the doorway, a bottle of baby milk in her hand.

“Annetta wants you to read her a story, so when you’re done…”

She gave him a pointed look, tilting her head towards their daughter’s bedroom before walking away, and Giovanni shook his head, smiling as he sighed softly, counting the money before him.

“Women, you know? I love my wife.”

Luke hummed softly, mind flashing to nights where his bed had been kept warm by generally stronger figures as opposed to soft, feminine ones.

“Yeah…”

Giovanni looked at him, setting down the last stack of cash.

“Help me get this into the safe?”

Luke nodded, and they scooped up the money, carrying it to the safe in Giovanni and his wife’s bedroom, hidden by a loose panel in the closet. Luke himself just kept his valuables in a hole in the wall of his apartment, which he constantly hammered open and then plastered again to keep them hidden.