𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡

B O N U S 1

The man in the white suit inhaled smoke from his Cuban cigar with pleasure and couldn't help but smile. Today was really a good day for him. He finally got rid of his nemesis Lucifer O'Donnell once and for all. He literally barbecued him. The only thing he regretted was that he could not see the entire burning scenery live. To satisfy him, he was replaying over and over again the video recorded by his men. It was twisted, and that's exactly why Carmine William White loved it.

The mafia leader suspected that he had one more task ahead of him, but he didn't worry about it. Was it even a task when he had long considered it accomplished? He learned to manipulate people before he learned to ride a bicycle. He always got what he wanted, which is why he built a reputation as a person who was not easy to mess with.

Excitement and a bit of madness flashed in his ice-blue eyes as he looked at the devastating explosion. If only he could hear Lucifer's scream. White reached for a cigarette again, this time allowing himself to be intoxicated by nicotine and imagination. The agonizing screams of people who witnessed the horrific event sounded in his head. All of this mixed with young Ria's sobs and wails, and her trembling 'I'll kill you' made him laugh out loud. He loved the feeling of victory spreading throughout his body and coursing through his veins along with his blood. He loved the power that he always held in his hands. He felt like a god.

The car in which White was riding, came to a sudden stop, causing the passengers to slide a little forward. White stopped laughing, the phone with the precious video put back in his pocket, and waited for someone to open the door for him. It happened less than a second later.

"Welcome back, Mr. White," the burly guy greeted his superior. Without recovering, White pushed the cigar into his hands and was about to stand up when he stopped. No. After all, there was one more little thing he had to do. He reached into his pocket where his fingers caressed the cool surface of the weapon. Immediately he pressed a button, thanks to which the black glass between him and the driver disappeared. The driver's eyes met White's in the rearview mirror. The guy sitting behind the wheel paled at the sight of the emptiness that was hidden behind them. He was scared, but he didn't want to show it, not in front of his boss. So, he gathered up the remains of his manhood, took perhaps one last breath, and asked:

"Would you like something sir-"

A gunshot pierced the night, and a dark red liquid covered the windshield of the car.

"Find me someone who fucking knows how to drive," grunted the head of the group, pushing aside the hand with the umbrella under which one of his men was trying to hide him. It was raining. Nothing will ruin my mood today, not even this fucking weather, White thought to himself and made his way to his establishment, where he did most of his dirty business.

Meanwhile, in the same place, just in a different part of the building, another guy woke up from his sleep. His honey eyes could only see darkness, which startled him, and the fact that he was tied to a chair didn't calm him either.

Where the hell am I, Leo Tokarewski asked himself. He shook his head wildly to get a piece of the smelly cloth to fall from his head, but he still didn't get rid of the darkness. It surrounded him from all sides, and if he hadn't felt all the nerves in his body tingling and heard his heart pounding, he would probably have thought he was dead. And what if it is? What if this is the afterlife, his deserved hell?

Memories of the last events that happened flashed through his head. He and Ria, dancing on the floor in a tight embrace. Their passionate kiss, which he had dreamed of for so long and which he could still feel on his lips. How could he let Ria throw herself into danger and sit right in front of the devil himself?

Ria, Ria, Ria..., where are you? What up is with you?

He hoped nothing bad had happened to her. Although he was an atheist and did not believe in anything but himself, he prayed to all the saints and to the universe that she is still alive. He probably wouldn't survive the loss of another person he really loved, especially now that the relationship between them has started to move. He had finally told her everything he felt, so he couldn't lose her now. Strangely, he would miss the chatty Otto too. Although not too much, he knew deep down that even his death would surely affect him. At least a little.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ear-splitting sound of an old, rusted door slowly opening, and a handcuffed Leo finally caught sight of a thin strip of light let in by three incoming figures. He recognized one of them immediately, by the white suit and thick gray hair. Leo felt a bead of sweat on his hot forehead. Fuck. Did White come to kill me? The prisoner could think of nothing but his upcoming death, which was closer with every step taken by the man in white.

"What do you want from me?" Leo snapped at White. He wasn't quite sure if his attacking tone was the right way to convince his captor to have mercy on him, but there was no taking back the words. White nodded to his two men who made their way to the heavy, billowing sheets hung on the walls. The men pulled hard on them, the sheets fell to the ground and the room was illuminated by daylight.

Hello, my fellow readers! Just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for reading this novel!

As I expressed at the beginning, English is not my first language, so even tho I tried really hard, I know it was probably a rocky (and sometimes not really pleasant) reading for you. Anyways, I'm really happy you somehow stick till the end, and voted, read, and commented on this story.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to win a Wattys two times in a row, but maybe if you told about this story to your friends, or talked about it on social media (Tik Tok, Instagram, etc.), maybe we could make it more popular. I would love to publish Ria's adventure someday and I would loooove to see a movie made from this book. Please, just one sharing or vote is pushing this story ahead, making my dream more aligned with reality.

P.S.: Yes, I'm planning on continuing the novel, but since I first need to write it in Slovak language and then translate it, it will be quite a long wait. I'm sorry for that.

P. S. 2: I hope you're having a great start in the new year 2023, stay tuned for 2 more bonus chapters!

Xoxo,

Mia De Parth