My Crown

Chapter 14

Hades' POV

Demi has been looking into her for days but cannot find anything. She was right, she does not exist.

Something about "Rose" drew me in from the moment she entered that office. Probably the way her tits looked in that top. She even handled me. No one has done that in years but she seems to know just what to say. Silver tongued vixen.

Makes me wonder what else that tongue can do.
The image of her on her knees while I fuck that fucking mouth of hers has my pants uncomfortably tight.

It has been two days since I confronted her and now I am back in this club searching for her. The security here is lax and this is the fourth time I have snuck in now.

I understand why Andy likes this place though, with all the half naked women strutting around and live porn shows. I would join in on the fun too if I was not here on business. I am looking for a certain green-eyed witch.

Fuck. Those murky green eyes and raven hair really do make her look like a witch. An enchantress casting her spell on everyone around her. I am looking for a glimpse of those eyes tonight. Those eyes that make me forget to breathe. They look like they see the very depths of my soul.

She has not been back since our last meeting which is even more suspicious.

Exactly one week ago, the Italians approached us about a deal. We heard the new leaders were good but I never imagined them to be that good. Our organization has remained in the shadows for generations. We only associate with the Russians and only for trade purposes. No one even knew the members of our group.

Imagine our surprise when a smug Italian lands himself in our offices talking about a "mutually beneficial partnership". I almost killed him on the spot.
If they were looking to make friends, invading our privacy was the wrong way to do it.

Andy, on the other hand is impressed. She is actually interested in what they are offering. I am more interested in finding the crack in our armour.
How did they find us?

I suspect a sexy enchantress had something to do with it.

Rose Dawson.
Such an obviously suspicious name. I have watched Titanic enough times to remember that name. It is an awful fit for a girl like her.

Who is she really?

Is she a part of the Italian mafia or an independent contractor?

Is she a Siren?
I shall have Andy check her contact.
Whoever she is, I look forward to seeing her again.

For now, I have work to do.

Looking around, this club is a mess. It appears she up and vanished, leaving this place to crumble without proper management. Strange. She has been working here for six months; why did she suddenly leave? Is it because I confronted her?
How did she even know who we were?

I need to play out the hypothetical.
If she was their informant, how did she know who we were? Andy assures me she never even said her name or what she does.
Leaves me to think she recognised our faces.
Do the Italians have our information?
If they did, did they give them to their soldiers to keep an eye out? That sounds ridiculous. They would not risk it getting out. They have something no other mafia has, it would be idiotic to risk leaking.
That means she was specifically given our information. Is she a spy or assassin? Theirs or hired?

How did she know we would be here? Andy's proclivities are something she keeps under wraps. Most of our friends do not even know. Yet somehow, she did. Furthermore, we do not come to New York often. And there is no way of knowing for certain, she would have come here. There are two other similar clubs in the city.

Unless she made sure we would come here. In the six months she has been here she reinforced client anonymity and completely upgraded this place. I was honestly amazed at what she accomplished in such a short period. But it made this place the obvious choice for Andy. The other clubs are good, but not as secretive as this one. Andy would want the most private.

That means someone was following us. And by us I mean Andy. Andy is the most paranoid person I know; it would take someone at least as skilled as I am to follow her unnoticed. Very few people have that much skill.
It cannot be "Rose" though since cameras show she stays long after Andy leaves. So she has a partner.

How long was she willing to wait? It could have taken another year before Andy finally visited their establishment. I mean, we were here three months ago and she never came. That takes a chilling type of patience.

Hold on. Our New York office was hacked. That is why we came here. Did she do that to lure us to the city? The stress of not finding the hacker made Andy antsy for a night out, she finds out about this place and comes here. "Rose" identifies her, her partner follows her, then they approach us with the deal.

Genius.

But they would still need to find out who we are first.

My thoughts are interrupted by my phone vibrating. Andy is calling. I answer and wait for it. "The Albanians are testing us. Go back and deal with it." She hangs up.

The Albanians? They have not been an issue in years. Too much is happening at once.
If this is the Italians, how would they benefit from it? Do they think we need their help against the Albanians? That is a joke...

No, that is too obvious. They might be trying to seperate us. If Andy and Michael are here, I am dealing with the Albanians, probably taking Nico along, we are spread thin. Especially with Nic in France. Would they attack us?

If the new leaders are as good as the rumours say, we might be in trouble. Especially since they have far more manpower than us. Taking us out would be a good way to boost their image since they are still relatively new.

Making my way to my car I shoot Demi a text to look into the Italians before sending one to Seph to beef up security. I shall fill Andy in on the flight.

Wait. The jet would be a mistake right now. I have killed enough people on private jets to know. I guess I will have to book a flight.

Dammit!

This is why we stay in the shadows; there is safety in anonymity. Now we have a target on our back. We shall have to constantly be on high alert which is not how we want to live.

If Andy does not deal with this soon, I will. And my way of dealing with things involves a lot more graves dug.