Page 13 of Octavious
“Get me a knife,” I mutter towards Balak.
My lieutenant is quick by getting me what I’m asking for. When he’s handing me the shiny metal, I take it by the handle. The heavy metal is weighed only a couple of ounces, but the blade is sharp enough for me.
“You have one last chance,” I inform the man.
The man sticks his bloodied head up into the air to show me he’s not going to budge. I take the knife and cut off the man’s ear. The knife slices through the cartilage quickly and the man’s screams echo through the warehouse.
“Keep him here. I need to send Baros a present,” I taunt with the ear in my hand. “Alek!” I call out to my other trusty lieutenant.
Alek is quick when he approaches me. He knows I’m in a mood and don’t want to be fucking around with this. I want to go through the financials of this lodge and look at more ways of doubling my income.
“Get me Alki’s address on where he is. Once that’s done, I need this ear packaged and sent to him. You know what I want,” I instruct.
One of the good things about Alek is the fact he knows how I work. He knows what I like and what I don’t like. I appreciate that about him.
Chapter Twelve
Vera
Iago and I have only been at the lodge for a night when my vibrating phone wakes me up out of a dead sleep. My body is still humming from the pleasures of Octavious and I’m needing to rest.
I roll over to grab my phone which is charging on the bedside table. I groan when I see it is my father who is calling me.
“Yes?” I answer.
“Where are you? You need to come back now.”
“I don’t need to go anywhere. Dad, I told you I don’t want to be apart of any of this shit. I have told you many times.”
My dad’s harsh intake of breath is my indicator that my dad is really upset about something. “Vera, princess,” my dad tries to reason with me.
“Dad, I have stuck by you this whole time. I have done everything you have asked for me to do. I’m asking for the ability to live my own life a little.”
My father mutters something under his breath before trying a different tactic. “Princess, they have Felipe.”
My brain wakes up when I hear the name of one of my beloved uncles. Felipe isn’t truly an uncle of mine but I have known him all of my life. He is my father’s right-hand man.
“What do you mean? I need to know exactly what happened.”
I’m sitting up in bed with the luscious white goose feathered comforter wrapped around my body. My back is railroad straight as I try to work out what could have happened to Felipe.
I’m not stupid. I know exactly what kind of business my father runs. He trafficks a lot of guns, drugs, and now art across the borders and makes high profits from them. He has been working with the Italian mafia to garner more income. Of course, he took Felipe and the rest of the Baros Family with him.
Including me.
During the transition of the new products being trafficked, I spent a lot of time with Felipe. He took me to school, dance practice, and wherever else I wanted to go. The man had the patience of a saint. I purposely made it difficult sometimes.
“Are you alone?”
I roll my eyes. Of course, that would be his worry right now. It wouldn’t be the fact that my favorite member of the family is missing.
“Yes!” I hiss.
“According to my sources, The Andino Family inherited The Mount Olympus Ski Lodge last night from those dumb asses and Octavious is planning to turn it around. I want in on the plan.”
Did he just say Octavious? I’m pretty positive he said the name of the man who rocked my world last night. Am I hearing things? I must be hearing things. There is no way he saidOctavious.
“Vera! Are you listening?”
