Property of the Mafia

[16] Connoisseur

I leaned against a large, canopy window as I folded my hands in my lap. The cool, glass surface calmed my unsettled nerves as I sat motionless against it. When the wind blew against the window, it would quiver gently and shake my head. It kept me from daydreaming... or more realistically, from having nightmares.

It had been two weeks.

Two long, excruciating, miserable weeks.

After the whole... 'incident', Leon and I were unable to go back to that condo room that Van had bought us, for obvious reasons.

The entire Sangria family and their allies were now hunting us down. Leon was wanted as a "double crosser". From the few we had evaded, they claimed that Leon needed to be obliterated for his treachery and deceit against the family.

I, on the other hand, was still considered a 'possession' of the Sangria family since I had no legal ties to Leon yet. I was considered a hostage that Leon was using to escape the family. Of course, that was a lie. Considering I was supposed to somehow aid them in unlocking the secrets of the Tresora, they needed me alive.

Arc and Ares had been very kind, to my surprise, in helping us recuperate and stay hidden. They had attempted to explain their side of the story, but I felt so lost and unable to concentrate that their explanation seemed like nothing but a blur of words that my mind was unable to process properly.

My mind was doing everything it could to protect itself from reality--it had shut itself off completely. I just couldn't accept that my dad was... gone.

A few times, I had unconsciously left our hiding spot (located on the Viridian Estate premises) to search for him or find proof that he was still alive somewhere. Each time, Leon dragged me back, apologizing over and over again as he held me tight to his chest, unable to meet my eyes. Every time I looked at his torn expression I felt overwhelmed with guilt---but I just couldn't stop myself. I needed to find him. He was still in that warehouse waiting for me. I knew he was. He had to be.

Leon had taken the blame upon himself for my father's death. No matter how many times I told him otherwise, he would always flash me a sad smile and shake his head.

"If only you had never gotten involved with me. With us." He repeated groundlessly.

His hatred and anger for his father had grown exponentially as a result.My father had promised Arc and Ares a share of the treasure in return for my family's safety as well as a 'certain' item when we found the treasure, though Arc wouldn't disclose the full details. Apparently Adonis had been aware of the pact, since we had taken refuge in his own residence somewhere.

But discovering a new ally amongst our enemies only caused more questions to arise. If Arc, or more importantly, the Viridian family, were our allies, then why would they have killed Damon and lethally poisoned Leon? When I had asked Arc, he had only given me a vague response.

"It's just the way I do things... you know? I needed things to play out this way."

I cringed as a flashback of my father's final smile lingered in my mind.

"Yeah, but we're at the advantage here." He had continued. "You're the only one left who knows the secret to it---we can beat them to the treasure." He had patted my shoulder gently to comfort me.

"I'm not going to rush you, but time is running out. If you want to avoid any more casualties, you should move on and fulfill your father's final request. It's the only thing you can do for him now." It had left a deep impression on me since I had never seen Arc be so thoughtful before. It was strangely out of character---almost sweet. I never would have thought there would come a day where I would use the word 'sweet' to describe Arc, of all people.