To Play The Devil’s Game

Chapter 5

Mateo didn’t quite know where to begin from but he knew he had to begin from somewhere. Unlike the Mafia Don, the son, Reed was unlike anyone he had ever seen. Contrary to what people thought, Reed was far from what his father was. Unlike his father who used brute strength to drive home his demands, Reed preferred using the silent treatment of getting what he wanted from his enemies.

Most people thought he was weak and the approach he used was weak but little did they know that Reed’s approach was more deadly than even his father’s. In his eyes, Mateo had seen an evil that was far more dangerous than his father combined. He could describe Reed as a green snake under a green snake and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

‘’He’s worse than his father though a more silent type but most people would think he was weaker because he didn’t throw an outburst like his father.’’ Mateo said.

Luciana who was very good at reading people couldn’t help but notice a shudder pass through him. In his eyes was all the fear he had for Reed. Luciana couldn’t quite believe that this was actually the first time she was hearing of this man. Thinking about it now, she had no reason to know about him since her whole attention was on the head of the Fontana’s and not the heir.

Alessandro who was still quiet throughout Mateo’s narration of Reed suddenly jerked like he was electrocuted. His phone gave a sharp beep indicating he had a call. He had no doubt that it would be one of the guards calling his attention to the mansion.

‘’I need to take this,’’ he murmured.

He rose up on his feet, hurrying outside. Mateo and Luciana watched him leave. Luciana wasn’t really watching him because her mind had taken her to what Mateo had told her about Reed. It wasn’t everytime Luciana was bothered but hearing what Mateo said about Reed left her feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t like this man one bit but not liking people and dealing with them accordingly was her hobby and she knew that Reed would be a walk in the park.

‘’If you want to take down the Fontana’s then you have to focus on him because he’s really the only one holding the group together.’’ Mateo said.

Just then, the bartender walked towards them with a smile on his face. Luciana ordered two shots of margaritas for the both of them. She wasn’t in the mood to drink anything heavy that evening because she wanted her mind to stay very clear as she thought about this Reed.

‘’So do you think i should use a direct approach for him?’’ Luciana asked.

Mateo thought about this for a while and he knew that doing that might not be pleasant. His eyes moved towards her and this time, he really looked at her. Luciana, who didn’t know what was happening, had a feeling that the gears in his head were moving at a rapid rate. The way he stared at her just seemed like was looking deep into her soul, like he could actually see everything she was thinking about.

‘’No Diabla, you don’t need to do that.’’ he said, finally.

He downed his margarita in one gulp, placing the cup on the table as the bartender quickly came over for a refill.

‘’Unless you think i can decode what you actually mean, its best you speak to me in clear terms.’’ Luciana said.

She was running out of patience now as she was eager to hear what Mateo had in mind. She had a feeling that he knew more than he was actually letting on. The way his eyes took on a light glint was actually weird. His eyes were completely dead and devoid of any emotion when he began talking about Reed but now, there was a glint in them Luciana couldn’t quite understand.

‘’What i mean is that you don’t need to approach Reed first.’’ Mateo said.

There was a look of confusion on Luciana’s face as she tried to understand what he truly meant. If she was confused before, she was now confused as her mind tried to desperately think of what he had meant by those words.

‘’You know, i don’t have all day so it's best to tell me what you mean by those words.’’ Luciana said.

‘’I mean Diabla, Reed will come to you first.’’ Mateo said, finally.

This was not what Luciana anticipated to hear but now that it was out, Mateo could as well finish what he started.

‘’Look at you Diabla. You are absolutely stunning and every man would die to have you. And if there is one thing I know Reed can not do without, it was women. He wants them like he wants the air he breathes in.’’ Mateo said.

‘’So you’re saying my beauty would draw him?’’ Luciana asked.

She wasn’t quite sure if this would work because she knew Reed would have had his fair share of women. There were a lot of beautiful women outside and she knew he could easily have his pick.

‘’Yes, that’s what i mean and with the annual ball coming up, i know that Reed would no doubt approach you and that is where my dear Luciana, you would strike.’’ Mateo said.

He sipped his drink more slowly this time since he had already told her what he had in mind. Alessandro came in at that moment and from the look in his eyes, Luciana knew that something wasn’t quite right.

‘’Alessandro?’’ she asked.

‘’I have to go now. Something has happened at the mansion.’’ he said.

Luciana knew Alessandro better and if he said something was wrong, something was definitely wrong especially with the worried look on his face. Luciana didn’t want to know what had happened for fear of her heart crashing in on her.

‘’What’s wrong?’’ Luciana asked.

‘’Just do what you have to do here, I'll brief you as soon as possible.’’ he said before taking his leave.

They watched him leave and as soon as he left, Luciana made a promise within herself to find out what was going on. Even after she left Mateo, she was still going to drive down to the mansion and find out what the hell was going on.

‘’So what’s it going to be?’’ Mateo asked.

Luciana thought about everything they had discussed and she knew she was going with the plan. There was no way she could bypass this after everything the Fontana’s had done to her family.

‘’I’m going with it.’’ Luciana said.

Her mind was already made up and there was no going back. It was time to enact her revenge on the Fontana’s and she sure as hell wouldn’t go back on her plans.

‘’Alright, I'll help you with anything you need. I want them down as much as you do. They’ve been a thorn in my back for a very long time now.’’ Mateo said.

The way he spoke, Luciana had a feeling that his emotions came from a deep place of hatred and resentment. The way he talked about the Fontanas reminded Luciana of her own father. Her father hated the group with everything he had and the times he talked about them and all what they had taken from them was always intense.

‘’Why do you hate them so much though?’’ Luciana asked.

She had a feeling that Mateo’s hatred came from somewhere very dark and far and despite the urgency with which she wanted to get out and find out what had happened at home, she still wanted to know where the hatred was coming from.

‘’You really want to know?’’ he asked.

‘’Yes.’’ Luciana said.

Instead of giving her an answer like she expected, Mateo rose up on his feet, turning his back towards her. He pulled his shirt forward and underneath his shirt was the biggest wound Luciana had ever seen. That was saying something because in her line of work, Luciana had seen all kinds of injuries but what she was seeing now on Mateo’s back was pure evil.

‘’What the actual f**k?!’’ Luciana seethed.

Mateo laughed but it was a dry laugh, one devoid of any joy whatsoever. It came from a place of deep hatred and pain.

He resumed his seat, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp. Luciana could tell that there was a story behind the injury on his back and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to hear what he had to say.

‘’Reed.’’ he simply said.

‘’Sorry?’’

‘’Reed did that. The injury you see there was caused by Reed. Me and some of the boys failed to carry out an assignment and he branded us with…’’ Mateo said.

He didn’t need to complete the sentence because Luciana knew exactly what had happened. The wound on his back could only have been gotten from overheating an iron. As Luciana thought about it, she knew what exactly had happened. Because of their refusal to go on the assignment, Reed had placed the hot iron on their bare skin, thereby branding them for life.

‘’I don’t think i have to tell you about the pain i passed through.’’ Mateo said with a small smile on his face.

He was relieving the memories of that incident and Luciana knew that with it, came the pain associated with the incident.

Luciana rose up on her feet, preparing to leave the club. She couldn’t comfort him because she knew comfort wouldn’t do anything at the moment. What had happened had happened and there was no going back.

‘’I’ll pass on the first information soon.’’ Mateo said, rising to his feet.

Luciana nodded as she made her way out of the club. Now, it was time to find out what was happening in her father’s mansion.