Chapter Two:

The sun dipped over the horizon, casting a warm glow over the private airport hidden in the hills. A sleek private jet touched down gracefully on the tarmac, its engines purring softly as it came to a halt.

As the cabin door opened, a figure emerged, cloaked in a black tailored suit. Aahil Ehrlich, the notorious lord of the mafia world stepped onto the tarmac. With a chiseled jaw and piercing blue eyes, he exuded an aura of power and danger. His hair, which was always slick back was now rough due to the multiples times he run his fingers through them.

"We'll come back Don, the car is already waiting," a man stepped forward and said with a slight bow.

As Aahil walked to the car, the driver who was leaning on the car quickly straightened up, his hands trembled as he fumbled to open the door. It was clear that he was visibly shaking in fear, aware of the notorious reputation that preceded Aahil.

"Good evening…s….sir," the driver stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

He avoided eye contact, glancing at the ground like it could offer him some sort of protection.

Aahil merely nodded, his expression unreadable, as he slid into the back seat of the black SUV.

The driver hurriedly closed the door whiles letting out a deep breath. His heart was racing, acutely aware that he was in the presence of a man who could change his life with just a single word.

"Take me straight home John," Aahil said immediately the driver settled in the driver's side. The driver nodded and drove out of the airport.

The drive was in utter silence with John stealing short glances at his boss who was busily typing something on his phone.

"Turn around John, take me to The Backroom," Aahil said after a few seconds of silence and John immediately did as he was told.

Forty-five minutes later, the car came to a smooth stop and the engine's growl faded into silence. The driver quickly stepped out and opened the door for his boss.

"Keys," Aahil said, immediately he stepped out. The driver quickly handed him the keys and walked away without turning back.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened and he was used to taking an Uber in these times.

He quickly glanced back just in time to see his boss enter.

*************

A black Rolls Royce pulled up in front of a huge building. Natalia glanced outside the window and stared at the building nervously.

The words "THE BLACKROOM" was inscribed boldly on the top, with a snake curling over the "M".

Natalia shivered slightly, shaking of the feeling of fear that lingered within her.

"You have to do this for dad," she told herself.

"Remember not to mess this up. Your life and that of your dad's depends on it. One wrong move inside there and you die. Not in the hands of my boss but in the hands of those dangerous men inside there," the man sitting beside her told her. He was the one Cacciatrice had assigned to take her to and back from the club.

"Why is she doing this?" Natalia said, struggling to hold her tears back. She didn't want to ruin the professionally done makeup.

"I am in no position to answer your question. I'm here to help you accomplish your mission," he told her and Natalia nodded.

"Fine….I'm ready," she said, after taking in a deep breath.

"Good," the man said, handing something small, round and black.

"What's this for?"

"It's an earpiece. I'll be communicating with you once you get inside there," he told her making her frown.

"I thought you were coming with me," she said, panicking.

"I'm not supposed to. I can see everything that goes on from here," the man turned on the laptop that was sitting on his lap.

"You already know who the target is. Just sprinkle that powder in your ring into his drink and get him to his room. You know what to do from there."

"But…w..what if something goes wrong? What if I get caught?" Natalia asked, her voice shaking.

"It's your responsibility to make sure nothing goes wrong and you don't get caught. Be careful if you want your father to live. If you fail to complete this task, your father will die and so will you. Lucas is going to die anyway with or without your help."

"If you don't need me, then why is your boss letting me to this?" Natalia almost yelled.

""To traumatize you and your father. To let your father know never to cross paths with my boss. If you get traumatized, your father will make better choices next time for your sake."

Natalia stared at him in silence because moving to open the door.

"Make sure you can hear me once you step out."

Natalia just nodded and stepped out.

"Do you hear me?" His voice came through the earpiece and Natalia rolled her eyes. She took in a deep breath and straightened her dress.

"Do.you.hear.me?"

"Yes I do," she replied, sounding irritated.

"Good luck then."

The heavy bass of the music enveloped her like a thick fog as soon as she stepped inside. The dim lighting created a mysterious atmosphere, casting shadows that danced across the walls adorned with wood and vintage paintings and photographs.

Natalia's eyes scanned the area, looking for a sign of her target.

"Don't look so naive," a voice made her almost scream in fright and it took a few seconds to remember that she had something in her ears.

"Wow, kill me before I'm actually done with this task," she mumbled, whiles rolling her eyes.

"Now walk straight to the bar," the voice came again, ignoring her outburst.

Natalia's eyes were immediately drawn to the polished mahogany bar, where an impressive array of liquor bottles lined the shelves, glimmering under the soft glow.

"At this point, anyone in there can tell this is your first time here and trust me you don't want that to happen," the voice came again and Natalia started walking towards the bar.

"Don't just sit there, order a drink," the voice came again from the earpiece and Natalia cleared her throat, drawing the bartender's attention.

"What do you want miss?" He asked flashing a smile.

"Umm…something that's not too strong," Natalia smiled nervously.

"Have anything specific in mind?" He raised a brow.

"Just surprise me," Natalia winked, deciding to get into character in order to get this over and done with.

"As you say," the bartender said and turned his back to her.

Natalia watched how his muscles flexed in his black shirt as he mixed drinks for her. He had tattoos all over his hands making her wonder if the he loved the pain because she heard getting tattoos were painful.

"Here you go lovely," the man said, gently placing the drink in front of her.

"Thank you," Natalia whispered and slipped away from the bar.

Her eyes darted through the room and she spotted her target sitting at a round table with two girls by his side.

It was clear that this wasn't an ordinary place for her to be and she had just walked into a lions den with all these mafia bosses around her.

"Hey there sexy," she heard someone whisper behind her and before she could turn to see who it was, the person had already smacked her butt.

Natalia gasped in shock, almost spilling her drink but she quickly regained her composure and turned around to see an old man behind her. He looked like he was in his late fifties.

"Keep your cool don't let him intimidate you," the voice from her earpiece warned her. "Keep a smile on your face and be flirty, you goal is to get to that table," the voice told her again.

"What's an angel like you doing here alone?" The man asked, lust filled his eyes.

Natalia was disgusted by the man's attitude but the smile never left her face.

"Then why don't you keep me company then?" She smirked, determined to do her job and get out of this place.

The man clearly flattered, grinned widely before wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I'll show you a good time," he winked and Natalia almost threw up but she reminded herself of her dad and took in a deep breath.

"Good job, you're almost there," the voice crackled in his ear.

The man took her back to the bar and ordered a few drinks as they took their seats. Natalia thought if asking him about the round table over there but decided against it. She didn't want to rush and blow her cover.

"Relax, you just need to gain his trust. Be more open to him. Flirt more."

Natalia rolled her eyes at the instructions given to her.

She leaned in closer to her companion, whispering playful remarks, while subtly glancing at Lucas. He had one of the girls on his laps now, her front of facing him and he held her waist tightly and it looked like they were having….sex?

Natalia's eyes widened in shock. How can he be so shameless? Having sex in front of all these people? Her eyes scanned the people around him and they seemed not to care. In fact, they were all minding their business. Before Natalia could look away, Lucas made eye contact with her causing her heart to drop into her stomach.