95 - WHERE IS SPIDER?

The bell tower chimed, cold breeze blew and my exposed skin swelled with goosebumps. I tried to find any point of escape but from the looks of it there was no way I was going to outrun any of these hard looking men without either getting gunned down, or getting grabbed immediately because I wasn’t covering any reasonable distance in these heels. Why did I choose to wear these length on a day that I knew that my life was most likely going to be in danger. I knew it, I called it, I senses it but still I was the most unprepared for it. But another note, what could I have done to prevent it?

‘Maybe stay at home’ a tiny voice sliced through my ears and I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. What if whoever it was came to find me at home and I was home alone with no one to protect me, no one but my fragile self who couldn’t even kill a roach.

“What’s going on?” I manage to croak out to Matteo who even seemed as confused as myself, but he pushed me conveniently behind me and he stood tall to face the strange men that surrounded us. With the confident look in his eyes, his entire body suddenly charged with a fiery frequency, it was obvious Matteo was familiar to the game.

“What’s this about?” he croaked, his voice hard like stone. There was only one source of illumination in the small garden and it was the full moon overheard, peering down at us with all the energy it could suck up from the passing sun, and sitting just above us like it was curious about what was going on. What are these humans up to again? I could imagine propped up with some popcorn and delighted by some drama.

The men stayed silent and barely watched us. Their eyes looked distant and only focused straight ahead but I knew their mind was alert and any tiny movement, their carefully hidden guns would be out.
Just then, I sighted a familiar approaching figure. Short, stout and inhaled smoke escaping his mouth. He was flanked by two well built men on either sides of him. As he approached, his face became clearer and I nearly paralyzed with fear.

It was Mr. Venza, how did I ever think I could escape him or better still how did I become targeted by him. Those flowers, those notes – everything was from him, how didn’t I figure it out sooner? What the hell did he want?

At the same time, Matteo seemed to harden beside and his eyes darkened at the sight of Mr. Venza. Did they know each other, or was he just annoyed to be roped into this mess.

Finally, when Mr. Venza reached us, he paused. A smirk crept to his lips as he settled his eyes on both of us and then slowly the smirk stretched out into a maniacal smile which slowly morphed into laughter
“If it isn’t my two favorite enemies” he said and Matteo and I shot each other looks with him pushing me further behind me.

“Venza” Matteo called with a calmness that felt confident “To what do I owe this unsolicited pleasure?”

“Matteo” Venza called back “How’s your cousin Dante and his new – wife?”

Matteo’s body seemed to freeze and I felt him restrain himself from lashing out but he only smiled instead, his head tilted back with an air of non chalance
“You haven’t answered my question?”

“Your cousin owes me, 12 barrels of drugs that was shipped out to the Mexico have neither been accounted for or paid for, and I don’t like running on losses”
Matteo chuckled “Then your beef isn’t with me Venza”

“Or are you scared just scared that you’re outnumbered and unarmed, with a pretty damsel beside you that you would not be able to protect”

“You’d be surprised” Matteo said back and his hands unconsciously reached for me, pulling me closer to him like a frantic way of telling me to stick by him.

“Your cousin has become untraceable ever since he got married, maybe he has decided to take a safer route and give up the business, but that’s not my business, my drugs need to be paid for or else – you know how it goes”

“I don’t enjoy being threatened Venza, you know that” his eyes pierced through the man, now gazes now locked with unspoken words ricocheting off them and bouncing against each other.

“I need my money paid Matteo, and paid quick. Imagine my delight when I discovered you had moved to America and opened a little restaurant to clean your blood money”

Matteo stiffened, throwing me a slight glance but I didn’t say anything and I couldn’t say anything, I couldn’t even breathe. My whole body was stiff with fear and there was a slight notion within me that convinced me
if I was quiet enough, they would forget I was there and by they I meant Mr. Venza.

“But then again, my beef is not just with you” Mr. Venza said then he shifted his gaze to with lethal eyes. So much for trying to be invincible.

“You thought you could escape me huh Miss Aria Thorne and taking one of my men in the process” he called my name and my heart nearly fell out of my chest. He was talking about spider whom I had hit with a metal block. Oh my God! Did I kill him?

Matteo turned to me with a questioning gaze, his eyebrows raised and his eyes fixed into me as if trying to read my mind but the confused expression on my face kept blocking me. I didn’t just look confused, my face was white with fear because I didn’t think there was any blood running through my veins.

“What’s he talking about?”

“I – I –” I opened my mouth to speak but no words came forth and I shut it back and somehow Matteo seemed to understand, then he looked back up at Mr. Venza.

“Let the girl go and deal with just me, your money will be paid before the end of week and we go our separate ways”

Mr. Venza laughed, laughter that barely reached his eyes “Of course my money is going to be little D’angelo, but it doesn’t automatically erase my beef with Miss Aria Thorne”

Why did he always have to call me out by my full government name? Was it a manipulation tactic, to prove that he had power over me?

Then this time, he fixed his eyes on me again and I shuddered “I’m not going to ask again, Miss Aria Thorne. Where’s Spider?”

I paused for a heart beat. I had no idea where Spider was.

But a familiar voice echoed “Right here”

It sounded from behind me and when I turned, I saw Kyle holding a gun to spider’s head, his jaw set in primal annoyance as he urged spider forward.

“Here is Spider”