Lethal Combination

CHAPTER 2

Seven Weeks Later…

With sleepy eyes, Ainsdale glanced outside the plane's window when she woke up. The night view from above is mesmerizing. The lights from the buildings and vehicles paint the dark surroundings below. It was a second later when the co-pilot announced that they were about to descend for landing along with a few instructions for them to follow. No one from her family knew she was coming home today. She never told anyone because they might make a fuss about it, especially when she hasn't been home for a long time without contact, aside from the occasional letters which she sends to them by mail without a return address. She knew that her brother could trace back her location if she ever used an email. Thus, she avoided contacting them online whenever she's away.

As soon as the landing wheels of the plane hit the tarmac, she relaxed. Once they were able to vacate their seats, she immediately reached for her belongings in the overhead compartment, only to wince when she felt pain in her shoulder. It was where she was injected with the drug. She knew there was something wrong and she hadn't had the time to call Lewis to ask what he found out about it.

As for the Black Lake incident, with the evidence which she was able to gather within a short amount of time, it gave them the chance to pin down the people behind the incident. For a few weeks, the news covered the arrest of the politicians and government officials who were involved in the Black Lake incident and the media could not find a loophole in the information they made public.

After a few moments, she slowly reached for her belongings and went on with the flow of passengers out of the plane. After retrieving the rest of her luggage from the baggage conveyor, she made her way to arrivals.

"Benvenuto a casa (Welcome home), Ainsdale." She whispered to herself as she breathed in that familiar air she had missed for the years that she was overseas.

On the other hand, after Aizen finished his last scheduled meeting for the day, he instructed his secretary to have all his appointments for tomorrow be moved the next day because he had something important to take care of. He's going to meet Alessio tonight because the man has already left a lot of voice mails asking for his assistance with something. They both agreed to meet at Club Arcana, which was the nearest place they could meet up from where his last business meeting was held. He couldn't afford to visit him at his estate at Terra di Sienna because that would take him too long to travel.

They weren't actually long-time friends. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that their paths crossed due to their underground lives.

Aizen is not someone you can consider loyal when it comes to his underground job. He gave his assistance to anyone who could offer him a reasonable deal in exchange for the information they wanted him to dig for their own benefit. He did not care if the one he deals with today is the enemy of the one he's about to deal with the day after. It is just the way he works. And all his clients never had the chance to see his face. That was until he met the head of Arcana Famiglia.

It was different with Alessio. His mere presence made him just want to work with him. Just him. It's not like the money he makes decreased along with the number of people he deals with. In fact, Alessio could give him double or more whenever he needed his assistance with something.

He was already on his way to the club when AVI - the intelligence system installed on his phone, informed him of a new email through his car's speaker. It was sent by none other than Alessio.

"Read," he simply stated as he drove his car along the highway, thanking God that it was free of traffic that night.

"Faresti meglio a mostrare la tua faccia in su o altro. (You had better show your face up or else.)"

He frowned then chuckled. "Did he just threaten me?"

"Based on the content of the message, yes, he did," AVI answered.

"I'll be there in 20." He said, making AVI automatically send a message that said just that to Alessio.

It was a little while later when he was notified of an incoming call. He was about to have it cancelled but he refrained himself from doing so when his sister's name was mentioned. If Ainsdale is calling, it could only mean one thing - she's back from whatever country she had been. She's not a free spirit who's soothing her wanderlust through travelling though. She just goes to whichever country her assignment needs her to be.

"Do you want me to direct it to voicemail?"

"No. Put her on speaker. I would very much like to talk to her." He finally said as he took a left turn when the street light turned green.

His sister was the programmer of the intelligence system and at present it is what their company is presently using. Though he helped her in some aspects, she was the one who designed it. But she never intended to make the public know of the program's existence, since it is too dangerous if it falls in the hands of the wrong people.

"Ciao, fiume! (Hello, river!)" He greeted her, using the nickname he gave her the minute she opened her eyes and saw him.

"Aizen, how are you?" Ainsdale asked.

Her voice sounded like she was grinning and he was sure it was because of what he called her.

He smiled. He had missed her. "Lo stesso vecchio. (Same old.)"

She chuckled.

How long has it been since he last heard her voice? More or less than two years maybe? It's just that the job she chose to engage herself in did not make it easy for them to keep in touch with her whenever she's out of the country and they know most of the time, she chooses not to let them know of her whereabouts.

"Dal momento che dove sei tornato a casa? (Since when were you back home?)" He asked.

"My plane just landed." She answered, sounding so excited as she said something in Italian, obviously answering whatever it was that was asked of her before he vaguely heard someone welcoming her back to the country.

She really is still at the airport.

"Is someone going to pick you up?"

"No one actually knows I'm arriving today. Well, aside from you. So, nope."

"Are you going to spend the night at a hotel?" If she was going to answer 'yes', then Alessio would have to wait for an hour. He's going to pick her up at the airport even if she doesn't want to.

"Why would I stay at a hotel? I'm broke."

"Shut up." He said, which made her laugh.

There was no way she'd be broke. Intentionally, she really doesn't look like it, but, Ainsdale is rich on her own without depending on her family's wealth. With a brain as smart as she has, earning millions is easy without her having to sweat it.

"I'm going to crash into someone's house tonight."

"Where?"

"Perché dovrei dirti? (Why would I tell you?)"

"I'm your brother."

"Yes and that's exactly why I'm not telling you." She told him before he heard her call for a taxi and told the driver to take her to the address written on the paper. She really didn't want him to know where she'd be staying tonight and she was restricting him from locating her through the system they were using.

"Are you going to visit the villa?"

"Are you going to be there?" She asked back without answering.

He frowned. "Why?"

"I need a shield. You know, when our parents start talking about marriage and all that comes with it. Especially mom. I think she's envious of all her friends who were enjoying their life as grandparents. She might ask for one grandchild or two and tell us she's getting old."

Both of them were at the marrying age already. Him being twenty-seven and her four years younger. It's the reason why their parents, especially their mom, always nag them about it every time they see each other. But he's not planning to settle down yet. Not now at least.

"Just tell them you're already engaged or something," he suggested. He himself thought of using the same excuse, but knowing their parents, they'd probably want to know whoever it is.

"Mom and dad will surely want to meet him."

"Just grab someone on the street and introduce him to them." He said out of the blue.

He could almost picture her shaking her head in disagreement with a grimace on her face. Who in their right mind would just grab someone and introduce them to their parents anyway? But he might do just that one day.

"Yeah… no. Where are you?"

"In my car. Driving." He answered vaguely.

"Who are you meeting?"

"Quanto sei sicuro che sto incontrando qualcuno? (How sure are you that I'm meeting someone?)" He asked as he neared Club Arcana.

"Being the programmer, I have administrative access to the program's activities."

He figured she would say that. "I'm meeting Alessio."

"And who is Alessio?"

He grinned as he imagined her frowning. "Why, you want to meet him?"

"No, ma potrei scavare in profondità nella sua vita se non sati la mia crescente curiosità. (No, but I might dig in deep into his life if you don't satiate my growing curiosity.)"

"s**t!" He cursed to himself.

She's the first person he doesn't want to dig into Alessio's life. He knew she was capable of bringing into the light the things that must be kept hidden in the darkness. And Alessio is a man who has a lot to keep in the dark.

"He's a friend."

"Hmm, I didn't know you had a friend."

He chuckled. "Well, too bad. It's your loss."

He could hear her stifling a giggle.

She was silent for a moment until a thought came into her mind. "Oh, before I forgot. AVI will be on standby mode for eight hours starting at 12:00 midnight tonight. Everything will be disabled for the time being."

He frowned. "Is there something wrong with the program?"

"I'll just be doing some modifications and upgrades. We won't be able to use most of its features, but I'll make sure that its basic functions during those eight hours will still be available to prevent any data losses. I'll inform Sage that I'll be reintegrating it into ISR for general use, so I might be visiting the office some time this week. Or could you give him a call? Brief him on what's about to change in the company's intelligence system."

He nodded to himself before confirming that he would give their cousin a call regarding the system tomorrow morning. "I'll send you the information regarding a device which ISR recently developed. It's for security purposes but hasn't been launched yet as an official product. You might find it useful later and feel free to upgrade it to your liking. Please check your e-mail whenever you have the time."

"Oh, grazie. Lo farò. Ci vediamo domani? (Oh, thanks. I will. I'll see you tomorrow?)"

"Yes."

"Ba-bye." With the sound of a single kiss, Ainsdale dropped the line.

Yes, that was just… her. Ever since she was young, whenever she's on the line with him, she kisses in the air before dropping the line on her end.

He shook his head with a smile as he parked his car. Expensive cars littered the parking area as if telling bystanders that Club Arcana is for the rich and famous only.

"Good evening, sir! Do you have a pass?" The front desk attendant asked him with a smile as he entered through the main entrance.

"Alessio's expecting me tonight."

"May I have your name, sir?"

"Aizen Castiglione."

"Please wait for a moment."

He nodded before he looked around while the attendant was talking to Lucien, Alessio's right-hand man, through a communication device which all of the employees seemed to have. Not a while later, the latter arrived with a smile on his face.

"Thanks Felise! I'll take it from here." Lucien then gestured him to follow him upstairs. "It's VIP Friday so the security's a little tight," he explained, to which Aizen only murmured 'hmmm' to acknowledge what he said. "Alessio finally lured you out, eh?"

"Ha lasciato le mail vocali. Sono curioso di sapere cosa ha bisogno da me. (He left voice mails. I'm curious as to what he needs from me.)"

Both of them went inside a glass elevator after Lucien had his palm scanned. It must only be for those who have access to it, since the elevator goes straight to Alessio's office.

Aizen observed what was happening in the club through the glass. He knew it wasn't like any other club he'd been into. At 10pm, it was already packed but not too crowded. Some of the club's patrons were on the dance floor dancing with the beat of the music while others screamed words at each other's ears as they conversed through the loud music playing.

As the bartenders at the bar showed their talent at bartending, clients who were sitting on the high-rise stools watched them in awe. A few men and women dressed in black and white serve drinks to the clients who choose to stay at the corner booths and some of them are even delivering drinks on the 2nd floor using the glass stairs, which is obviously for the VIPs and special guests.

The setting looked normal but he knew better. Alessio's men were stationed among the crowd, ready whenever something was about to happen. Arcana is, after all, a mafia family who have men from the government agencies working for them.

Lucien took him to Alessio's office on the 3rd floor. It has a floor to ceiling one-way glass wall where one can look at what's happening downstairs without being seen from the other side because it appears to be a mirror on the outside.

"Lui è qui, (He's here,)" was all what Lucien said before leaving him with Alessio, whose aura seemed to have darkened even more compared to the last time he saw him.

Alessio's presence screams danger. Like if you do something he doesn't like, you'll surely end up dead - that kind of danger.

"Finalmente sei uscito. (You finally came out.)" Alessio said, acknowledging him as he turned around to look at him. He walked towards the swivel chair behind his oakwood table and sat while gesturing Aizen to take his seat on the chair in front of him.

"You'd surely be filling up my phone with voice mails threatening me with anything you could think of if I hadn't."

With observant eyes, Aizen subtly looked around Alessio's office, memorizing everything. It was, after all, his first time being there. The room was painted with a motif of grey and white. A floor to ceiling glass serves as a wall behind his office chair. The oakwood table was situated in the center and atop of it were a few documents and an opened laptop where Alessio's picture when he was about twelve years old, was previewed on the screen. He was with a girl who was clearly a few years younger than him and both were smiling towards the camera.

Aizen stared at his friend as questions started to form in his head. He knew the girl standing beside the young Alessio. He met her fifteen years ago wearing the same gown she's wearing in the photo.

"Chi è la ragazza? (Who's the girl?)" He asked. Not with the intention of knowing who she is, but wanting to know who she is to him.

Alessio glanced at the screen of his laptop. For a while, a certain kind of longing passed through his eyes before he immediately concealed it. The screen of his laptop then turned off as it went into sleep mode.

"The woman my grandfather wanted me to marry. That was taken fifteen years ago."

Aizen was silent for a moment. Something doesn't add up. "And you want to meet me because?"

Alessio explained his current predicament, which involves the woman he was about to ask Aizen to track down.

"I don't want to suspect her, but her sudden disappearance is suspicious. Especially when something that belonged to the Arcana disappeared along with her. She is close to my grandfather and the old man has been blinded by that mere fact."

"Is your engagement already formal?"

"Not yet, but the family on both sides have already agreed on some arrangements. Before my family could introduce her to the public, she disappeared."

"So your engagement is?"

"Purely out of business."

Aizen chuckled at the irritation drawn across Alessio's face at the moment. "Ah. And I guess it was your grandfather's doing?"

"He's fond of her."

"And you are not?"

"I was fond of her back then. I can guarantee you that. But I'm not quite sure about that now."

"What?"

"It seems like she's someone else entirely."

Aizen frowned but didn't question him any further. It seemed like his friend knew something about the woman in question that everyone else didn't.

From the drawer of his table, Alessio pulled out a photo and slid it in his direction. Aizen took it and stared at it. The photo was taken only a few months back. The woman looked exactly like someone he knew, but as he stared longer, he could tell that they were two different people. He flipped the photo and there, the name Euphrosyne Amherstia Simonetti was written in cursive writing.

Simonetti. It's one of the Italian families who are known to have blood of nobility, but the old patriarch of the family died due to an accident fifteen years ago.

"What happens if I track her?"

"Bring her back to me alive."

"So, is it okay with a few fingers missing as long as she's breathing?"

Alessio scrutinized him like a hawk would its prey, but Aizen only smiled innocently. Upon seeing her photo, he suddenly had the urge to hurt the woman for his own satisfaction for reasons only he knew and he was surely going to hurt her if all of his speculations about her were true.

"Why?"

Aizen shrugged. "Do you honestly think I'd just simply do retrieval and delivery? If someone wished to cause Arcana harm through her, I'd get her back to you safe and sound. But… if she betrays the family, no matter what the reason, I am definitely going to make her bleed."

Alessio leaned back in his seat and massaged his left temple. "Do whatever pleases you as long as it is necessary."

"You don't care?"

" In situations like this, being the don of the famiglia, the Arcana comes first."

"Yes, but that didn't answer my question." He pointed out, which only made Alessio scowl at him, so he decided to drop the topic. "What about her family?"

"I'll deal with them."

"And your grandfather? You said he's fond of her. He's surely not happy with you suspecting the woman. Especially when she was the one he wanted you to marry."

"I'll make sure to turn him back on my side. I'm sure he'll never forgive her if my assumptions are true and I need you to prove it to him."

Aizen couldn't find the right words to say. What is Alessio planning to do after the woman was brought back to him? If she really betrayed the family, it would be hell for the woman to be in his presence for sure. Alessio never raises his hand towards a woman, but he will if it's for the family's sake.

For most of the time, they made a few arrangements and plans until they settled on one single priority. First, secure the data stolen from the Arcana. Finding where Euphrosyne was at comes later, but with the idea Aizen had in mind, they can accomplish both at the same time.

"Can I have a copy of the data which was stolen from the family?"

"Why?"

"Someone I know might be able to do something about it to prevent them from accessing it on their side."

"It's one of the Arcana's most treasured information. I'm sure you're aware that no one outside the family was supposed to know about it. In fact, only the family's previous and current heads are supposed to know about it."

"But we don't have time to follow that rule now, do we? I know you're aware that we're the ones counting down the time until they will be able to access it on their side. If it is that important, we need someone's help."

Alessio pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knew Aizen was right. "Who is it?"

Instead of answering, Aizen put his phone on the table. "AVI, connect me to Ainsdale and put her on speaker, please."

"Please wait for a moment."

Alessio remained silent while Aizen's phone automatically dialled his sister's number. She was the only one he knew who could help them and he was more than glad that she was back home and within his reach.

After a few rings, she finally picked up. "Non è stato solo un'ora da quando abbiamo parlato (Hasn't it only been an hour since we last talked), Aizen?" She asked. Her Italian accent clearly resounds over the speaker as if the words rolled through her tongue with ease.

Upon hearing a woman's voice - a voice which somehow sounded familiar though he could not point out where he heard it, Alessio almost told Aizen to stop whatever he was planning, but the latter only spoke to her while looking at him directly in his eyes without blinking.

"I need your help, fiume (river)."

"I won't do it for free, you know?"

Alessio eyed the phone as if he was seeing the woman on the line. "Aizen hasn't mentioned what kind of help he needed from you yet. How do you know it's something that can't be free?"

"Chi sei? (Who are you?)"

"He's Alessio."

"Oh. That friend of yours."

With the tone and words she used, something clicked in Alessio's mind. Now he remembered why her voice sounded familiar. She had the same voice as the woman who saved his cousin Stefano seven weeks ago. He had never forgotten that woman because she was the only soul brave enough to say that he should thank her for something she did.

Ainsdale remained silent for a few seconds before she continued as she answered Alessio's query. "When Aizen asks for my help, it's always been to do something illegal. Either way, he's about to ask me to do a crime. Of course it won't be free." She stated the obvious. "Besides, it's my brother you're talking about, why won't I know?"

Alessio was dumbfounded. "Brother?"

Aizen almost couldn't contain his laugh due to his reaction. No one in the Arcana knew he had a sister, so he could sympathize with Alessio at the moment.

"So what is it?"

"We need you to locate and lock the data that was stolen from the Arcanes."

"Do you guys know what you're asking me to do? I will be hacking every mainframe, network and network there is without exposing who was doing it in the first place." She stated the obvious.

Alessio was astonished. Aizen's sister can do that? What kind of person is she to be able to do something like that and stay away from the radar of anyone who is willing to pay large sums of money just to get her to work for them? He would very much like to employ her if she's that capable.

"Yes."

"And the radius?"

"The entire country."

"I just arrived and you're already having me work that hard? I shouldn't have informed you I was back."

Aizen laughed but did not say anything. He can actually envision his sister frowning at that moment as she sighed so deep on her end.

"Why not just delete it? It'll prevent future problems. You still have a copy with you, right?" She suggested a little while later and Aizen grinned because he knew his sister would be extending her assistance to them.

"If you can, please do it." Alessio instructed. "I'd appreciate it greatly."

"How long has it been since someone stole it?"

"Almost about a week."

"And you think it hasn't been accessed yet?"

Alessio leaned closer to his table and put his right arm on it to rest. "The data is completely encrypted. It was secured in the first place, so they'll have to crack down the security system that was protecting it to access the encrypted documents, even though it was on a removable drive and I am notified every time they try. Someone tried to access it thrice and wasn't able to succeed, which means whoever has it now, they truly wanted to know what that data was."

"And what are those exactly? Since I'll be giving you a hand, I would like to know what I'm getting myself into."

"Those are information which I, as the head of the Arcana, cannot allow to be handed down to just anybody, especially those outside of the famiglia."

"Ah, a mafia's possession. It is going to be a disaster if they obtain it then. Send me the exact copy of it and I'll decode it tomorrow. It may take a while, but I'll get it done."

"I'll give it to your brother later. He'll know what to do."

"Anything else?"

"I'll give you another call if the need arises. Grazie, fiume! (Thank you, river!)"

"Allora vedi quando ti vedo (Then see you when I see you), Aizen." She responded as she said her goodbye, followed by the sound of a kiss.

Alessio stared at the man in front of him. "Are the two of you really siblings? What's with the kiss?"

Aizen chuckled. "We have the same parents on our birth certificates, so yes, we're siblings. And ignore the kiss. That's just… her. She's been doing that ever since she was a kid." He explained. "Anyway, I'll leave everything about the stolen information to my sister. She can get it done sooner than I do. On the other hand, I will track the whereabouts of your fiancée and I'll give you updates regarding her activities whenever necessary until I am able to get her back to you."

Alessio nodded in agreement.

"Just so you know, Ainsdale's assistance isn't going to be cheap."

"What is there that I can't give her? As long as she can get it done, she can name her price."

Aizen stared at his friend. He's a multi-billionaire. That is a fact on the front pages. He could buy anything he wished. Yet, so does his sister. Which means she's surely not going to ask Alessio for something money could buy because she could get those things by herself.

"She's the type who will ask for your life in return, you know?"

Alessio was rendered speechless. At first he thought Aizen was bluffing, but the latter looked utterly dead serious. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"We can enter into an agreement," Alessio said as he brushed his hair backwards using his fingers. "Can I ask you something about her?"

"Sure."

"What is it she does for a living?" He really never thought Aizen wasn't a sole child, much less that he had a sister capable of doing such things.

"She kills people. In cold blood." Aizen answered noncholantly with a knowing smile that could give anyone the chills and Alessio only stared at him, speechless.