The Devil's weakness

22. Le Ombre

Blake's POV:

It's been 17 hours and I have no news. Every second that passes is another second where Violet might get hurt, where she's in pain, where she's not with me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" My cousin Alex asks me, even though he wants me to say yes.

"Sure as hell, Alessandro." I say and he nods his head, walking out of my office.

I'm talking about reassembling my team. The greatest team of all the Mafias. Le Ombre.

("The Shadows")

It all started one night, the only night I actually did a good thing in my life.

Flashback

It was late at night and I was in the hospital because my brother had to talk to the doctor.
A little girl came up to me while I was rubbing my forehead from the stress.

"If your head hurts then rubbing it like that won't help you" she spoke and I turned to her, she had a little dress and a jacket, hair in a ponytail.

"My head doesn't hurt" I said making her confused "What hurts then?" she asks and I point at my heart. "Oh, then you'll have to take your medicines and you'll heal" she smiles at me making me smile too.

"It's not like that you know, I don't need medicines. It hurts because I miss someone" I say and she thinks before speaking "Can't they come and visit you?" My chest feels heavy as I think of my best friend. He can't come honey, he's dead, I want to tell her, but she's a kid.

"No they can't" I fake a smile and after a few seconds she speaks again "Then you go and visit them".

I remain quiet remembering the day my best friend died. We were on a mission, we thought we'd come back together. But that day, the second he started the car, it exploded. My eyes saw his car burn down, I swear my ears heard his screams. But I couldn't do anything, there was too much fire. What if I had a chance of saving him?

"They're too far sweetie" I said and she just nodded, understanding. Then came silence, but my brother's taking so long, I'll just keep talking to this little princess.

"I bet you're here because you didn't listen to mommy when she told you to put a jacket and now your stomach hurts" I say chuckling because that's why kids are usually here.

"No, I have acute myeloid leukaemia" My heart skips a beat and I look at her feeling guilty for assuming she had just a stomachache. She has fucking leukaemia. Poor baby. "I'm not supposed to know this because I was eavesdropping on the conversation between my mom and the doctor but I know... Don't tell my mom please."

"Oh and I might heal if I find donators, what are donators?" she smiles unconscious of what's happening to her.

"Donators are people, little one" I say my eyes getting full with water but no tears come out.
"I'm sorry little one" I sigh "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault I'm sick" she says smiling again. She's so strong and she's a fucking kid.

"I will bring you donators. Now go and hug mommy, okay?" I say getting up as I see my brother at the end of the hallway but then I feel two small hands on my legs and as I look down I see her hugging me, more like my legs because of her shortness "Thank you Sir" she says before running somewhere.

That was emotional. Now get your shit together Blake.

I informed each one of my men, each one of the people that work for me, to go to the hospital and donate.

Later that night I went to the hospital, it was so full that people were even standing outside. Men, women, old people too. Everyone was here.

I found her in a room after asking a nurse and she smiled at me when I came in. "I brought you donators, wanna see them?" I ask her after smiling at who I assumed was her mother. "Yesss" she says excited, getting up from the bed.