To Play The Devil’s Game

Chapter 8

Blood. There was so much blood within the basement that when Alessandro walked in to see what Luciana had done, he was horrified. She had really gone overboard this time around and he knew it was as a result of the anger she had for the Fontana’s. There were many things she held against them and Alessandro had a feeling that this was only the beginning.

‘’A masterpiece right?’’ Luciana laughed.

She was standing at the doorway, staring at her handiwork. It just seemed like she wasn’t concerned about what she had done judging by the careless look on her face. Alessandro could tell that she was completely detached from everything she had done which left him feeling sad.

This was not the Luciana he wanted to see. She was a thug to say the least, a murderer and all shades of evil. He couldn’t blame her though because that was the atmosphere she grew up in. She had known nothing more than violence and brutality and Alessandro knew it would follow her till the end of time.

The traitor who had made the fatal mistake of selling the group secrets to the opposing group was now hanging by a thread. His throat was brutally slashed by Luciana with a knife Alessandro hadn’t seen her bring in.

His eyes which would forever be frozen in terror was staring straight at the ceiling in a look of pain and utmost terror. Alessandro could practically feel all the pain and terror the traitor had felt in him before his body gave up the fight for survival.

‘’Luciana.’’ he murmured.

’’I did good right? Well, this is only the beginning. There’s more from where this came from.’’ Luciana said.

She left soon and Alessandro had no other choice but to follow her. A guard would soon come into the basement to carry the body to the rapid dogs they kept on the outskirts of the building.

He followed her towards the main hall which had already been vacated by the men. Luciana sat down on a high backed chair, looking straight ahead. When she was like this, Alessandro knew that she was thinking. Luciana had a calculative mind and nothing ever went past her.

‘’I’m going to give my all to this.’’ Luciana said.

Alessandro didn’t need to ask what because he very well knew that she was talking about the mission she was to undertake. If there was one thing Luciana knew how to do well. It was tactical planning. She never failed at it and she wasn’t about to begin now.

‘’I still have to warn you to be careful. Even though we are several steps ahead of the Fontana’s in our revenge plan, we still don’t know what they have up in their sleeves and we aren’t about to fall into any of their traps.’’ Alessandro said.

Luciana chuckled. It was a dry mirthless laughter that was devoid of anything warm and good. It was a laughter that spoke of tiredness but perseverance. Alessandro knew that it came from a place where the sun didn’t shine.

‘’You know your problem Alessandro? You worry too much.’’ Luciana laughed.

‘’Why wouldn’t I be worried? Your father is practically down and it's left for me to take care of you. Whether you like it or not, you are still a child Luciana.’’ Alessandro said.

Luciana knew he was right but she wasn’t about to be babied by him. She could very well take care of herself and the affairs of the group.

‘’Did you see what I did to that man? I practically butchered him.’’ Luciana grinned.’’

She was proud of herself for what she had done. No one was going to mess with her and her group ever again and this was only the beginning, Alessandro had to get used to it.

‘’I really don’t care what anyone says about Alessandro. I have a plan to achieve and I'm not about to delay it any longer. The Fontana’s are going down whether anyone likes it or not.’’ Luciana seethed.

Alessandro stared at her and he knew that there was really no way he could tell her to calm down because she would never listen to him. Her mind was already made up and the only thing he could hope for was that she treaded carefully.

‘’Just tell me when you need help.’’ he said, rising to his feet.

‘’I will and it might even be soon.’’ Luciana said.

Alessandro simply nodded before walking out of the hall. He had some things to do and the earlier he gets on with it, the better for him. Luciana was left alone in the hall as she thought about what she wanted to carry out in the next few days.

Just then, there was a small beep on her phone which indicated she had a message. She swiped her screen open and discovered it was from an unknown number. Usually, Luciana was weary about strange numbers but this time around, she just didn’t care.

Whoever was bold enough to challenge her could do so because she was fully ready to take them all.

Luciana read the message and realized that it was from Mateo who confirmed the date of the first meeting and the ball. Luciana decided to call him to hear this information from his mouth.

‘’I’m guessing this is the number i can use to contact you henceforth?’’ Luciana asked as soon as he picked up the phone.

‘’Yes Diabla. This is my number.’’ Mateo said.

‘’So the meeting is this weekend right?’’ she asked.

‘’Yes, this weekend and the ball will be next week. All in the night.’’ he said.

Luciana thought about this for a while. The time suited her perfectly because that was the time she preferred operating. It gave her some strength and a lot of anonymity that she didn’t really feel during the day time.

‘’Will the events be held at the Fontana’s mansion?’’ Luciana asked.

‘’Yes, both events.’’

‘’Alright. This is where we activate Plan A. I need you to be my eyes and ears at the meeting. I need you to follow everything that takes place in the meeting. If it's possible, you can place your phone on a loudspeaker during the duration of the meeting then i would be able to hear everything live and direct.’’ Luciana said.

‘’ I agree with your idea and i want you to be rest assured that i won’t fail.’’Mateo said.

‘’Good! I don’t think i need to remind you about the consequences of betrayal?’’ Luciana said.

Mateo remained quiet for a while as he thought about what she had said. She would be dead even before his group could even find his body and that was if he was left with anyone.

‘’Yes, i do.’’ he simply said.

‘’Good!’’ Luciana said.

‘’I will let you know when the meeting begins then i’ll connect my phone so you can hear every bit of the conversation.’’ Mateo said.

‘’That’s great.’’ Luciana said.

Now that the plan was already in motion, all that was left to do was for Mateo to initiate his own side of the plan then they would be in.

‘’I’ll keep you in the loop in case anything happens at the last minute.’’ he said.

‘’Does that happen at times?’’ Luciana asked.

The last thing she wanted was for the venue of the meeting to change. There was no doubt about it that it would be an inconvenience and since they were dealing with something like this, utmost silence must be followed. The last thing Luciana wanted was for Mateo’s plans to be discovered.

‘’Rarely though. I just have to think about all options so we could put a contingency plan in place.’’ Mateo said.

‘’Good thinking. But let’s hope that that doesn’t happen.’’ Luciana said.

She didn’t want that and she sure as hell wasn’t hoping for that. They talked some more and soon, the line was disconnected.

Now that the plan was already in motion, all Luciana needed to do was to sit back and wait for things to unfold. It was only a matter of time before the first news of the meeting trickled in bit by bit and she wanted to know what went down.

Try as she may, Luciana couldn’t sit still because every time she thought about it, she was left feeling anxious. What she was about to carry out was a very big plan and failure to carry it out well would mean that she had failed not only her father but her entire group.

‘’Mateo, i hope you use your head where it matters.’’ Luciana murmured.

Later that day, Lucian went to see her father. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. He seemed to be growing weaker by the day and she really wanted him to live longer than how he was now.

‘’Mija, you really do not have to be coming here every time.’’ her father said.

‘’That’s crap father and you know it. I have to come in here every time to see how you are doing. You are my father and I will not leave you in the hands of the servants. You deserve the utmost care.’’ Luciana said.

She took her father’s hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Luciana couldn’t describe in words how much she loved him. He was everything to her and she vowed to protect him as best as she could.

‘’Alessandro. Alessandro is a good man, a man after my own heart. Mija, if i do not make it, i want you to stick with him. He will lead you aright.’’ her father said.

Luciana couldn’t help but think that he was saying his goodbye speech. It was filled with so many emotions that left tears in her eyes.

‘’What are you saying Father?’’ Luciana croaked.

She was trying desperately to keep the tears at bay but it wasn’t working. Every time she thought about her father leaving, her heart skipped several beats.

‘’I know what I am saying, Mija. Stay close to him.’’ her father said.

Soon, he fell into a dreamless sleep. Luciana watched him for a while before leaving the room, her heart heavy with grief.