CHAPTER 3 : THE REAPER

Celine

I clutched my trembling hands together as I frantically hurried towards the taxi stand, his words replaying over and over in my head.

“I was attacked. I think something’s wrong. I’m bleeding really badly and I can't feel my legs. Please hurry, Celine.”

As I hopped into the car I burst into silent prayers, desperately hoping he was okay.

In about 45 minutes, the taxi pulled up at the location Armando described. I got out before it could even stop fully and raced into the alley of the uncompleted building, completely forgetting my change with the driver.

“Armando!” I called out in panic, ignoring the pungent smell of stale urine and gasoline slamming my nose as I panted heavily.

I rounded a corner, coming to a sharp halt as I ran into four men clustered together. They were all clad in identical black suits, their faces lighted only by the orange flames from the rusted, burning barrels scattered all over the place. And kneeling on the cracked concrete with his head bowed was another man with a familiar build.

Fear gripped me as the men in suits turned to my direction, their movement synchronized. The man on his knees followed suit, revealing the battered and bloody face of my brother.

“Armando,” I gasped in panic.

“That's her,” Armando’s eyes lit up in delight as he pointed at me, scrambling up to his feet with the speed of light. “I told you she'd come,” he smirked, something about it feeling ominous.

My Anxious eyes peeled away from his face to his feet, a crease forming between my brows. Besides the state of his face, his legs looked totally fine. The same legs he had said he couldn't feel.

“Well, well, well,” One of the men who I assumed was the ringleader from the dark aura he exuded made his way towards me, his shoes crunching on some broken glass. “How nice of you to join the party.”

“Armando, what's going on?” I muttered as I backed up slowly, fear clawing at my throat.

Suddenly, my head bumped into something hard, bringing me to an instant halt. I turned slowly to see two bald-headed men built like a brick outhouse looking down at me, the frowns on their faces sending shivers down my spine. Before I knew it, they gripped my arms on both sides, suspending me in the air. I screamed and kicked in panic as they carried me along, but I was powerless against their strength.

They lowered me in front of the ringleader and he gripped my face between his fingers, his malicious eyes appraising every part of my body like I was an item on display. “She appears to be in good condition,” he said with a dubious grin, revealing a gold tooth. “I might just consider your offer, Armando. Our Chinese buyers will definitely pay a fortune for this beauty.”

“Buyers?” I re-echoed his words in a shaky voice, my frightened eyes flickering to Armando, demanding an explanation, but he quickly averted my gaze.

“She should be more than enough to cover my debt,” Armando said, cruelty brimming in his eyes. “Just take her. I no longer owe you. Do we have a deal?”

I stared at him in utter shock, hot tears filling my eyes as the realization hit me hard.

He had intentionally lured me here.

I should have known. I should have known the moment he called that he was bad news, but like a fool, I fell for his lies and manipulation.

I needed to get out of here.

My eyes scanned the building, searching for a way of escape but it seemed like a lost cause. How could I possibly overpower all seven of them?

The ringleader gave me one more look and nodded in satisfaction, finally letting go of my face. “Come on, boys,” he said, signalling with a wave of the hand for the goons to bring me along.

I tried to run, my heart pounding heavily against my chest, but I couldn’t even get far before the bald men caught up to me and roughly grabbed my arm, tugging me towards the exit.

“Let go of me,” I cried out, struggling against their grip. “Armando! Armando!”

“I'm sorry, Celine,” Armando said coldly. “but I gotta save myself.”

“You can't do this, Armando!” I yelled, refusing to move, trying to shake them off.

“Move it!” One of the goons shoved me, and I tripped, almost landing on my face.

“Why don't you let go of the lady?” A rugged baritone voice echoed from the shadows, cutting through the commotion.

Everyone of us froze in place, uniform silence filling the air as all eyes turned in the direction of the unfamiliar voice.

The sounds of footsteps echoed, and a charming looking man in a meticulously tailored gray suit emerged from the darkness with one hand tucked in his pants pocket, while the other held onto the lit cigarette between his lips. And trailing behind were at least a dozen other men in black suits, everyone of them radiating an aura that spoke volume.

“It's the reaper,” The bald men chorused in unison, their grip on me faltering. My eyes darted to them, my lips parting in surprise as I watched these goons who seemed so untouchable moments ago suddenly so shaken.

Whoever this man was, he clearly wasn't someone they wanted to mess with.

The man in the gray suit halted in front of us, his men stopping a few feet behind. He dropped the cigarette on the concrete floor and stepped on it, grounding the embers beneath the heel of his polished shoes.

“If it isn't Antonio Gray,” the ringleader said, a half-smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I see you still have no respect for women,” the man in the gray suit said, his expression humourless.

“Antonio Gray,” I mumbled to myself, the name striking a chord.

“There are no genders when it comes to business,” the ringleader remarked, still wearing the smirk.

“Business, huh?” Antonio said, his lips twitching up slightly.

“You know I got mad respect for you, Mr Gray. And I also know messing with women and children’s not your style, but you gotta sit this one out. Her brother over there,” He titled his head in Armando's direction. “owes us €170,000.”

Antonio's gaze shifted to Armando, slowly assessing him from head to toe, before returning to the ringleader. “How about I pay back what he owes you and I take the girl with me?”

His words caught me off guard, my head snapping in his direction with eyes widened in shock. Our gaze locked, his expression dark and unreadable. And then it all came back. The name. The face. I knew I had heard and seen it before.

This man standing before me was ‘the’ Antonio Gray, Billionaire CEO of Gray Corporation, the biggest Winery in all of Italy slash Don of a powerful mafia syndicate called, ‘Luna Nera’, meaning Black moon. And those able-bodied men behind him were undoubtedly the infamous Luna Nera brotherhood.

I had seen his pictures in magazines, read about him in the tabloids.

He was the definition of a walking paradox, ignoring every rule of civility and wearing evil like a handcrafted veil, yet impeccably decked in Fendi and the finest luxury you could think of.

Taking a life was instinct to him. He killed with the same ease he used in lighting a cigarette; a flick of the wrist, a pull of the trigger and it was game over, earning him the nickname, ‘The Reaper’, bringing death to the doorsteps of his enemies. There was a popular saying on the streets of Naples that when the reaper calls your name, no god could save you.

I swallowed inaudibly, my face pale with fear as his gaze lingered on me.

This…can't be good.