Dangerous games
1039 Words
The church stood abandoned, its broken windows like dead eyes staring into the night. Marcus parked a block away and walked, keeping to the shadows. Every sound made him tense – a cat knocking over trash, wind through broken glass, his own heartbeat.
He pushed open the heavy wooden door. It creaked loud enough to wake the dead.
"You came," a woman's voice echoed from the altar.
Marcus squinted in the darkness. A figure stepped into the moonlight streaming through a hole in the roof. She was young, maybe twenty-five, with long black hair and eyes that seemed to see right through him.
"Who are you?"
"Sophia Moretti." She moved closer. "Daughter of Angelo Moretti."
Marcus reached for his gun. The Moretti family was their biggest rival. Angelo Moretti had been trying to take over his father's territory for years.
"Easy," Sophia raised her hands. "I'm not here to fight."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because Vincent Romano killed my father six months ago. And three nights ago, he tried to kill yours."
Marcus kept his gun raised. "You're lying. Vincent is my father's partner."
Sophia laughed, bitter and cold. "Your father was too trusting. Vincent's been planning this for years. He wants everything – your territory, your business, your connections."
"Prove it."
She pulled out a phone and showed him a video. Security footage from outside the restaurant where his father was shot. Marcus watched Vincent's car pull up minutes before the shooting. Then Vincent himself, walking away just as the shots rang out.
"This doesn't prove he pulled the trigger."
"No," Sophia agreed. "But this might." She showed him another video. Vincent meets with Tommy Russo, a known hitman, the day before the shooting. Money changing hands.
Marcus lowered his gun. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because I want Vincent dead. And you're the only person who might hate him as much as I do."
"What makes you think I can take down Vincent Romano? He owns half the city."
Sophia smiled. "Your father didn't just run drugs and guns, Marcus. He was smart. He kept records, evidence on everyone. Including Vincent."
"How do you know this?"
"My father told me before he died. There's a safe deposit box at First National Bank. Box 447. Your father left it for you."
Marcus studied her face. "What's in it for you?"
"Vincent dies. That's all I want."
"And after he's dead?"
"We go our separate ways. Or we kill each other. Depends on how things play out."
Before Marcus could respond, his phone buzzed. Elena again.
"Marcus, there are men outside my apartment. I'm scared."
His blood turned cold. "How many?"
"Three, maybe four. They're just standing there, watching."
"Go to the bathroom, lock the door, and get in the tub. I'm coming."
"Marcus—"
"Do it now!"
He ended the call and looked at Sophia. "Vincent's men are at my girlfriend's place."
"Then you better hurry." She started walking away. "The bank opens at nine. Box 447. Don't forget."
"Wait. How do I contact you?"
She tossed him a burner phone. "I'll call you."
Marcus ran to his car. Elena's apartment was fifteen minutes away. He made it in eight, running two red lights and nearly hitting a taxi.
He saw them immediately – three men in dark suits standing across from Elena's building. Marcus recognized one: Paulo, Vincent's enforcer.
Marcus called Tony. "I need backup at Elena's place. Now."
"Boss, I can't—"
"I don't care what Vincent told you. You work for the Blake family, not him."
Silence. Then, "Five minutes."
Marcus couldn't wait five minutes. He got out of his car and walked straight toward the men.
"Paulo," he called out.
The big man turned, surprised. "Marcus. What are you doing here?"
"Visiting my girl. Problem with that?"
"Mr. Romano just wants to make sure she's safe."
"She's safe with me."
Paulo shrugged. "Orders are orders."
Marcus stepped closer. "Your orders are to watch her or hurt her?"
"Depends on what you decide tomorrow."
Marcus hit him. A straight right to the jaw that sent Paulo stumbling. The other two men reached for their guns, but Marcus was faster. He grabbed Paulo's gun and pointed it at them.
"Leave. Now."
"You're making a mistake, kid," Paulo said, spitting blood.
"The only mistake was Vincent thinking he could threaten her."
Car engines roared down the street. Tony and three other men pulled up, guns drawn.
Paulo looked at the odds and raised his hands. "This isn't over."
"No," Marcus agreed. "It's just beginning."
After Vincent's men left, Marcus ran up to Elena's apartment. He found her in the bathroom, crying in the tub like he'd told her.
"It's okay," he held her. "You're safe."
"What's happening, Marcus? Who were those men?"
He wanted to lie, to protect her from his world. But she deserved the truth.
"My father's been shot. He's in the hospital. And the man who did it is trying to take over."
Elena pulled back, her green eyes wide. "Your father? But you said he was a businessman."
"He is. Just not the legal kind."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then, "Are you like him?"
"I didn't want to be. But now I don't have a choice."
"There's always a choice."
"Not if I want to keep you safe."
Elena touched his face. "I don't need you to protect me, Marcus."
"Yes, you do. You don't know these people, what they're capable of."
"Then tell me."
So he did. He told her everything – about his father's empire, about Vincent, about the choice he had to make. When he finished, Elena was pale but determined.
"We should run," she said. "Leave the city tonight."
"I can't. My father—"
"Your father chose this life. You don't have to."
Marcus stood up. "If I run, Vincent wins. He gets everything my father built. And he'll never stop hunting us."
"So what do you do?"
"I fight back."
Elena stood too. "Then I'm staying with you."
"No. It's too dangerous."
"That's not your choice to make."
Before Marcus could argue, Tony called.
"Boss, we have a problem. Your father just woke up. And he's asking for Vincent Romano."
- Writer
