Chapter 108 Working with Wolves

(Parrain Andre)

It was night time already. My mansion is located in the eastern northern side of France outside of Paris. We took a helicopter into Paris and from there we would travel by van to my mansion. Alexander was accompanied by four individuals, one of them being the pretty nurse who helped take out my tube earlier.

There was just five of them. The driver was a young fellow, close to the age of Alexander named Oliver. The one beside him was a big fellow with a beard named Alarick. Guarding the door of the van was the pretty blonde with another young lady cloaked in a black robe who I knew was named Maria. She was the date of Maximus during the Caïd's party. I was seated at the window of the van with Alexander beside me.

I had about 20 men guarding my mansion whether or not I was there. How could the five of them be so bold to enter my mansion given I had security with heavy artillery walking around the grounds?

We arrived near the gate of my mansion and Oliver parked the car behind some trees. It was a clear summer night and the moon and the stars were twinkling above us.

"You try and do anything funny, I will squeeze the life out of your heart and kill all of your men. I'll also burn your mansion to the ground." Alexander told me with a menacing tone. "Come on." He grabs my arm while the girl named Maria opens the door and hops out.

The gate swings open to my surprise and we all enter slowly. One of my men had seen the gates open and was walking towards us to investigate, but he abruptly stopped, choking like someone was strangling him. He stops choking, his head bent, clearly dead, and was thrown to the side into the bushes that lined my driveway.

I felt the panic rise in me. Telepathy. Alexander has telepathy. He can kill a person by mere thought.

I heard a shout from another one of my men near the grounds of the mansion. He must have seen what had happened and called the others. Suddenly the clear sky turned dark. Black clouds covered the moon and a boom of thunder occurred. Lightning flickered, lighting the black clouds hovering above us.

Several of my men started running to where the choking guard was last seen standing. One by one, lightning came down from the sky, hitting all my men who were scurrying to reach us. I stopped walking. I couldn't move. I was afraid, shocked, confused...Who are these people?

The lightning didn't stop there. It continued striking the rest of my men manning the grounds. I could smell the awful scent of burning flesh mingling with cool the breeze. I felt my legs go weak and I almost fell if it weren't for Alexander holding my arm.

"Any more of your men? People inside your mansion? Alexander asks.

"I have an old butler and my sister lives with me. Please don't hurt them." I started crying. For the first time in my life, I cried and I begged. My butler was an old friend who took me in when I was just a poor fellow on the street. My sister was the only family I had left.

"Don't worry about them. My mate will not hurt them. Just the ones who will shoot at us." Alexander said.

"Mate?"

"Yes, my mate. You can't see her, but she is here with us. She is a powerful Priestess. No one has seen anyone more powerful. Unfortunately, she has a vendetta against one in your organization. Thus, we need to bring all of you down. That, unfortunately, includes your boss. See? The sky is now again clear." He points to the moon casting its light on my mansion. "Now, please, Andre, before she becomes very cross with you. Show us the way."

We walk towards the mansion and I enter my security code. It was late at night and the lights were all off meaning my butler and sister were asleep. We enter the foyer and I point to the door to the side. It is the door to my office.

Alexander and I enter while the others stand guard outside the house. We enter my office and I press a button on my desk and it moves to show the floor enclosure of my vault. I press my thumb to a tile beside it and the security panel opens. I press my whole hand on the panel. It turns green and asks for my voice and the 6 digit code. I say my full name and tap in the code. The floor enclosure opens to reveal my vault.

Alexander bends to take everything inside it, out. I back away and see the fire iron near the small fireplace of my office. I try and rush to take it, but I floated into the air, an invisible hand around my throat.

"Tsk. tsk. tsk." Alexander waves his finger at me, in attempt to scold me. "I told you not do anything stupid."

He finds my laptop and opens it. "I need a retina scan to unlock it."

I fall to the ground, trying to catch my breath, but Alexander yanks me off the ground. He pushes me to the chair and bends my head with one hand and uses his fingers of the other hand to open one of my eyes for the scan.

"Merci, Andre." The computer says and Alexanded pulls me out of the chair and throws me to the floor. He starts typing and scrolling, checking if all the information he needed was in there.

"It's in French. You won't understand a thing," I croak out, standing up.

"You've painted me as the dumb American. You think I can't read and write in french? Keep quiet while I go through all of this."

He scrolls through more of my files and finally clicks on something in one of my folders.

"You have been keeping a watchful eye on Maximus and Fang. It must be frustrating to not be able to steal from your boss."Alexander chuckles. "Ah, even the High Councillor is here." He clicks on the file. "You dirty, dirty boys. Your boss isn't going to like this." He types and clicks on some other things. "There. Your security on the laptop is disabled. I don't need you alive anymore." He stands up, takes one of my bags hanging on my coat rack and puts the laptop inside it including everything that was in my safe. He turns to face me, and in the glowing light from outside, to my dismay, his eyes had turned black and his fangs were out. He was going to kill me!

"Wait! I have diamonds, gold, jewels. I could get you the diamonds and gold of the Caïd as well. I have access to all of it. Just don't kill me. Please, I beg you." I clasp my hands, in front of me. "Have mercy on a mere human such as myself."

"There are diamonds here already." He shows me the bag. "And why should I be merciful when you, as Parrain, have been cruel to many a good people? The women you kidnap and sell. The children who work for you on the streets. The good law abiding citizens of the world who only hope for happiness." Alexander moves closer, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"I have more information. It's in a safety deposit box, with more diamonds and gold. I will help you. Please, please, I beg you. Spare my life. I will give you everything." My sins have come to haunt me. Merde!

"What's in the safety deposit box? It needs to be more valuable than what I have here."

"Swiss bank account numbers and dirt on every ranking official in the mafia." I tell him. I guarded the safety deposit box with my life. Inside it was my insurance policy against the other members just in case they go against my wishes. I prayed it was enough to spare my life.

"You drive a hard bargain." He laughs. "I'll spare your life for that safety deposit box. But if I find out it is a prank, I will kill you. When you work with wolves, you must not try to double cross us. If you do, we'll make sure to rip your heart out from your chest." He pushes the button on the table and it return to it's original position.

"Wolves? I know of a wolf. The High Councillor." I pointed out.

"I know. It's all in here." Alexander, shows me the bag.

"Andre?' A women's voice interrupts our conversation. I turn my head and look towards the door of my office.

Merde! My sister!

______________________

(Andre's sister POV)

I rushed downstairs when the lightning storm started. I needed to get some sleep so, I could put my brother's affairs in order. He has been missing since the celebration of the Caïd. His men had told me Andre had a heart attack and was sent to a hospital. Which hospital, no one knew.

I went to the trauma center nearest to the venue of the party. They could not find a patient with my brother's name. I went to all the hospitals within the vicinity and I still couldn't find him. I remembered there was a hospital exclusive for mafia members. I pulled all the stops to get information whether my brother was there or not, at the end, one of the nurses who felt sorry for me, told me he wasn't there.

After several days of searching for him, I accepted the possibility that he was discarded from the mafia and had decided it was time to put my brother's affairs in order. I was given explicit instructions in case something like this happens.

I heard the security code being punched in and the door opening. I try to peek through the kitchen, but I couldn't see anything. It was just too dark.

Maybe it's someone from the Mafia here to take something. I boldly leave the kitchen, armed with a glock, and head to the living room to investigate.

I slowly walk through the hardwood floors as not to make noise. If someone was in my brother's office, I will kill him.

I press my ear to the door to his office and try to see if I could hear anything. I hear the desk move. Someone was hear trying to steal my  brother's valuables. I open the door and see my brother Andre in the middle of his office.

"Andre? You're here!" I was so utterly relieved. I thought I would be receiving a phone call that the police has found his body in the River Thames.

"Sister, I needed to get some personal belongings, but I need to leave again. Our life depends on it."

"Is this the doing of Pierre? How could he betray you like this?" I was upset, after all these years, the Caïd would do such a thing to my brother.

"No, it's something else. Just act like nothing is wrong. I will be back when I know my life, your life, isn't at harm's way. You should go out of town, for a vacation. I will contact you when this is all over." He gives me a hug. " Now, I have to go. I love you, my dear sister."

"I love you, too, brother. I will leave at first light. You know how to get in touch with me, oui?"

"Yes. Go as we have always planned when something like this happens. Keep safe." My brother turns and leaves the study hurriedly. I walk towards the window and see him exit the estate, the steel gates closing behind him.

I have always told him to get out, but you can never leave the Mafia unless you die. Maybe he faked his own heart attack to get out. Whatever it was, I felt better knowing my brother was alive and well.

Time to pack. I am off for a semi-permanent vacation in Tuscany.