[1] A War of Blood and Hearts | ✔️

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

NICHOLAS

"This is becoming incredibly boring and dull." Nicholas says as he glares at the shackles around his wrists and ankles.
"Tell me about it; even they do not want to torture us for information why didn't they kill us?" Alonso has gotten a little thinner over the past two weeks, and his leg never actually started healing due to not receiving the proper treatment.
The only sense of time the two men have is figuring out that they get served food every day at dawn. Thus, Nicholas knows it has been two weeks since he and Alonso have been kidnapped; fourteen days.
"I will add that to the number of things we cannot figure out." Nicholas huffs as he leans into the wall behind him.
The Brazilian mafia boss has become rather used to the smell of pee in the cell they are in. Part of the reason for it is it is his and Alonso's pee that they smell. They were not even given a toilet; they are treated like animals.
"Do you think Crystal and the others are okay?" Alonso has been asking this question every day, and it bothers Nicholas for the sole reason that he chooses to not think about whether his sister is okay or not. In addition, his fight with Lucas has been consistently on his mind tormenting him in at least a million ways.
Still, the Brazilian man always gives his friend the same answer, the one he tries to convince himself with every single day.
"She is fine, they are all fine. They have to be."
"If she was not fine, everything would have been so much easier for us." A third voice startles both of them.
"Oh, come on son, do not tell you forgot my voice." A body emerges from the darkness of the cell. Immediately, Nicholas can feel his blood boil from anger.
"What are you doing here?" Nicholas asks in a snarl.
"That is no way to talk to your father Nicholas." The man walks towards the Brazilian mafia boss until they are facing each other.
"Who are you?" Alonso's voice reminds Nicholas that he is in the room.
"I am Dante, Nicholas and Crystal's father." Dante gives a bow as if mocking the two shackled men.
"You are not my father you bastard, you lost the right to call yourself that a long time ago." Nicholas fight to break free from the shackles but that only ends in him hissing at the pain in his hand.
Suddenly, Dante's face turns serious and he stands straight as he looks Nicholas directly in the eye.
"You are right, I am not your father, I never was, and it has been torturous to pretend to be."
"Que Diables are you talking about?" Nicholas feels like there is a double meaning to Dante's words.
"For God's sake, if you want to say something, say it; do not start talking in riddles." Alonso seems to start to become pissed by the older man's presence.
"I am using any kind of riddles." Dante looks at Alonso as he studies the mafia boss from head to toe.
"I heard you claimed Crystal, I have to say I never thought this day would happen considering her exotic appearance, and even more exotic personality." Dante chuckles when he sees that his words struck a nerve. Still, he gives Alonso his back and resumes talking to Nicholas.
"It is not a riddle Nicholas, every word I said is right; you just have to look at it as if each word id literal."
"Are you saying that we were never your children?" Nicholas asks after a few minutes of thinking.
"Ding ding ding." Dante pulls his hands up in the air as if he celebrates Nicholas figuring it out.
Alonso remains silent, and Nicholas feels grateful for it; he needs to handle this on his own.
For some reason he does not feel surprised or betrayed, if anything he feels like he is finally seeing things for what they are.
If you and Angelica are not our parents, then who are?" The Brazilian mafia boss senses like he should know the answer, but for some reason he does not.
"I will give you a few minutes to think about it, I am sure you sill figure it out." Dante's evil smile tell Nicholas that what he is about to discover will change everything. Regardless, he blocks both Alonso and Dante away and starts to think until the last piece of the puzzle appears out of nowhere.