8- NEVER: IS HE UP TO SOMETHING?

ETHAN'S POV

"I will find out," I said, peering into the rain, or at least someone lurking behind a vehicle parked near Violet's house and observing us.

When I raise a foot to take a step forward, Violet grabs my hand against me, which sends a pulsating feeling through me, making me cold yet warm.

I can hear my outrageous breathing when her hand is still making contact with mine. I have had many girls and women touch me at the base; it was supposed to be because we had to spar, but I could tell they had an ulterior motive. I have never felt this much relief when someone touched me, not even when I had to give my virginity as a sacrifice to join the Mafia.

I almost close my eyes and imagine her hand on my bare chest. Maybe that could make me forget for a second that I will never be able to be at peace.

" What are you doing." It was when she spoke I realized I had been in my mind for three seconds. " You know how toxic the rain can be."

I do not say anything because I don't want to give the stalker a chance to how different I am in front of Violet.

I take her hand off mine and walk out of the front porch and into the rain. The stalker is wearing a turquoise-colored coat I have seen many times at the clothing store to know it is immune to the toxic rain destruction.

Still, I heave a sigh of relief when I get drenched in cold nontoxic rain. I hear Violet sigh too. I turn to look at her and she is staring at me with her hand on her chest.

" I'd like to be a risk-taker like you one day." Her lips curve slowly into a smile.

I say nothing because I have no reply to what she just said. Instead, I turn around and do what I think is the most sensible thing to do. Leave.

At least now I can breathe.

I walk over to the truck, and when the person sees me approaching, they try to make a run for it, but I swiftly grab hold of their coat and draw the person back.

I take out a knife between the waistband of my pants, and with a swift, I slam the person's face to the truck and press the blunt part of the knife to his neck.

" Ethan, what the fuck!" I think the stranger is Allen, Ashton's elder brother. He does sound like him, but I don't know clearly; my mind is still a wreck from feeling Violet's hand on mine.

Allen looks at me through gritted teeth, " Put the knife down."

I recede and, in a flash, restore the knife to its original position. It makes contact with a fresh bruise on my waist but I do not so much as to show a sign of pain on my face.

" You are always alert. Good thing." Allen pants. Straightens up and fixes his coat. " The level of attack these days is fearful."

That's because war is impending.

I swallow a bit of my pride and admit internally that I am afraid. I am afraid of what my family would become after and during the war. They are not as trained as I am. They haven't been beaten up in the spine countless times to be strong enough to face what is coming.

" You know, I could kill you for spying on me," I say, opening the passenger door of the truck and getting in.

Allen takes the driver's seat. The engine cranks for a frenetic minute before firing up. The type of fuel these days does not work effectively on old vehicles. It only works on automobiles designed by the Mafia.

" You like her, don't you?" He smirks at me with hopeful eyes and I cannot help the color red from spreading across my cheeks.

Today I realized I made a lot of wrong guesses about Violet. I thought I could tell her every move, but she surprised me. She is different from how she portrays herself at school, but I guess that is how everyone does.

" Why were you spying on me?"

Allen takes a deep breath. He frowns. He becomes stiff with anxiety.

"Leonardo asked me to get you; he wants to speak to you. I saw you and that girl getting all touchy so I didn't want to interrupt."

Leonardo never seeks anyone for a good reason. It is either he wanted them to spar, sell them off, or kill them.

Allen parks some feet away from the base gate. I get out of the truck and head for the gate just to hear him say.

" Try not to get on his nerves."

I glance and him and nod lightly. Leonardo could easily get angered by silence or by speech.

I slid my identity card into the face reader on the metal gate. Something beeps, and the gates spread open. I do the same for five gates till I reach a security robot staying at the last door holding a rifle and posing as a soldier.

" Name?"

" Ethan Reed."

" Recruit number."

" 00945789."

" Step forward for an iris detection."

I step close to the robot; it raises the rifle to my left eye. A long needle pulls out of the gun and stops half a centimeter from my eye.

The day I registered for iris detection, there was a kid, no less than thirteen, also registering his eye. Leonardo thought it fun to push the kid when the needle was this close to his eye.

" Validated, welcome Ethan Reed. Leonardo De Luca awaits your presence."

The door opens to a hallway with fifteen doors. Six on the right, eight on the left, and one at the very end, which is about 300 miles from where I am standing.

" I'm in here Reed." Leonardo's voice says from the third room by the right. The weapon room.

I slide my card into the door, it opens, and I nearly get a knife in my throat.

Leonardo is standing in the knife's area, twisting a blade between his fingers and grinning at it. He is in his usual navy cadet and black leather boots, but his black gloves are off.

" I'm beginning to think you are an AI," Leonardo smirks up at me and raises the knife to throw at me but stops mid-air.

I do not flinch.

" Hmm, impressive." He returns the knife to its appropriate spot and takes a seat on the black couch in the center of the room.

I watch as Recruit Jonathan cleans up the blood-stained floor as Thomas, Jonathan's brother, lays dead on the floor, his body bruised, one eye gone, and his nose shattered.

My eyes go wide on its own accord. Leonardo had killed all of Jonathan's seven brothers; Thomas was the only one he had left… now…

" Leave the blood, and carry his body away. Put him on the field and let the birds consume his carcass, for I do not train and can not stand weak carcass.

Jonathan sucks in his tears, picks up his brother, and exits the room.

When he is gone, Leonardo speaks. " What plans have you for the future, Reed?" He fills a glass with wine. Red wine. " I heard you are going to high school." He laughs. " Of what use is that?"

" You have been bound to the Mafia and you will forever be under our wings and do as we tell you to. I seek to have you as my soldier in future tense. You've learned more moves and killed more innocents than those old hags I call recruits."

" You know, sometimes I think we could make very good friends. " He chuckles.

My fist clenches. I stare at him with an indifferent look but I want to punch him in the face. There is no possibility in the world that we can ever be friends.

" You know..." He lets out a breath and swallows the wine. " It gets tiring being without a friend. What do male friends do these days? Talk about girls they have interest in or maybe…" A smirk appears on his face as he scrutinizes my face.

I cower inwardly. I fear he caught me wilting in response to his words.

He inclines his head. "or maybe talk about girls they are interested in. Tell me, Reed, does any girl catch your interest? What's her name? I'd like to know."

I replied not too quickly and not too slowly, so he wouldn't get any more suspicious. " I have no interest in females. I am a part of the Mafia; I am unfeeling and without a heart."

He stares at me for a blood-curdling second, then leans onto the couch. "For a little period, I believed someone like you was capable of feeling." He laughs and gets up. " I would have personally dug that feeling out of your skin… You may leave now."

I nod lightly. Make a 180-degree turn and exit the room.

Something is drumming against my chest again. I do not know what Leonardo is up to.

I should stay away from Violet. I should not have spoken to her.

But, I do want to speak to her. I do not want to stay clear from her. I want to fulfill all her wishes. I have seen what cancer does to people. It took my grandmother from me.

I could not be there for her in her last days. I did not get the chance to say things I should have said to her.

There is a lot I want to say to Violet and a lot I want to do for her.

I will have to be careful.