Mafia Men: Nikolai's Inferno - Chapter 96: Chapter 96

-Evangeline.
Uncle Luca, Leo, and I laughed at an overly lame joke the President of the Senate had uttered.
drifted a
We had invited the man into our house for dinner, he had been on good terms with Uncle Luca when they were young, they both went to the same school in Sicily but then Uncle Luca had decided to rekindle their lost friendship because I needed something from this man later in life.
Apparently in New York City, I was still the missing girl and Leo was still on the list of most wanted criminals. My so-called parents were still looking for me and my name had been stamped everywhere, the government officials were on high alert for anyone named Evangeline Bolton.
The second I'll set foot in my country again, the first thing the American government will do is cage me in a cell, arrest Leo, and alert my so-called parents hence alerting my psycho husband. Because we all know who those so-called parents work for. The second they'll know, their next stop will be Nikolai Costello the tornado of darkness.
I don't want him to know, not yet anyway because that man is always ten steps ahead of everyone. I don't want to give him time to devise a plan and for all that, I needed the President of the Senate, Roberto Lombardi's help.
Our men were standing all around us, at first, they were a little reluctant to follow a girl, well, they downright hated answering to me but over time, I gained their respect. I proved to them that I can do anything that a man can do, that I can be as ruthless as anyone-I mean, I learned from the best, I learned all of my tricks right out of Nikolai Costello's handbook.
There was an attack on our home eight months ago-Uncle Luca had enemies all over the country-I single-handedly saved my uncle's life by killing the man who was leading the attack. He underestimated me, and made fun of me, he thought just because I was a thin, little girl, I must be stupid with no power whatsoever. So, I killed him to prove him wrong with a knife that I had in my pocket that day, it was in the early days of my training.
Being here, I realized that not many people like you if you're an infamous drug lord, Uncle Luca's life was hell, Nikolai on the other hand had too much power, I don't remember this many people messing with him. And now the same business was being handed down to me. I had learned a lot in the past year but I was still learning something new every single day.
My men stood erect all around the room, waiting for my or Luca's order. I gestured for Dante to come closer and he did, he leaned over, placing his ear next to my lips.
"Bring over the gift," I whispered to him.
He nodded and immediately went out of the room, taking two to three men along with him.
Roberto Lombardi was an aesthete, he loved art more than he loved his wife and children. I knew everything about him, our men even counted his bathroom breaks, there was not a single secret about him that I didn't know but Roberto was a sweetheart. I didn't want to use the information until I really had to.
So, I settled for bribing him with something he'd really like and I had just the thing for him. A beautiful painting by Monet; called "Women in the garden". It cost us millions to get the original artwork for him but we somehow made it work, Enzo kind f threatened the previous owner with the lives of his children. 1
My men re-entered the room holding the priceless piece of work covered with paper and placed it before Signore Lombardi. An excited glint flashed in his eyes, like a child in the candy store.
He gave me a wide grin, "You shouldn't have, My dear Evangeline."
I gave him a polite smile, "I wanted to... Why don't you open it first?"
Lombardi stood up and walked to the painting, he carefully took off the cover and the second the paper came off, the look on his face was priceless he looked stunned, lost for words, like he couldn't believe what he was looking at.
He opened his mouth multiple times and closed it, shaking his head as if he really couldn't believe it.
"Original Monet?" he somehow managed to ask.
I stood up, smoothing my evening gown, "You'd think I'd give you a fake," I placed a hand over my chest. "I'm deeply offended, Signor Lombardi."
He laughed with pure glee, he took my hand in his and placed a kiss on the back of it, "You've warmed the cockles of the heart, lovely Evangeline, this is beautiful, I can not thank you enough for it."
I dropped my head with a sweet smile, "Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Signor Lombardi"
"What do you want?" he asked, staring at the piece of art.
I faked a frown, "What?"
He faced me with a faint smile, "I know how the Moretti family works, I know this unexpected invitation and granting me such a generous gift isn't just a coincidence. You want something, I'd like to know what
is it?"
A genuine slight smile crept over my lips. Smart man, "My uncle did tell me that you were an intelligent man, very well, then, I'll just cut to the chase because ass-kissing is really not my forté."
He smiled, "A beauty with brains and such honesty, it's hard to find such a girl in today's time. Now tell me, what do you need from me in return for all this love?" 1
I licked my lips, glancing at Uncle Luca and Leo before facing Roberto again, "I need to get to the United States of America, without letting anyone know. My name is on the no-flying list, I'm the infamous missing girl, I don't want that kind of attention. I want to get into my country with hundreds of our men and I don't want a soul to know about it."
A malicious smile crept over his face, looking back at the painting, he nodded, "Just tell me when and I will make it happen, Signorina."
I smiled at him, Leo came to stand beside me, placing a hand on the small of my back. Roberto offered me his hand and I took it, giving him an honest smile filled with gratitude.
"Who sent you?" Enzo slammed his fist into the man's stomach and he groaned out loud, his face twisting with pain.
He spat at Enzo's feet before he uttered a string of profanities. We had caught an intruder lurking in our territory, he was half-Italian/half-American. My mind went straight to only one man. Even if this man is innocent, there's no way he is getting out of this cell alive. Enzo had tied him to the wall, his limbs stretched apart.
"Enzo..." I voiced, and Enzo's fist stopped in mid-air. He lowered his hand immediately taking a step back, looking at me with questioning eyes.
I went to the bruised and battered man and caressed his face, his bloodied filthy face, "Who sent you?" I asked softly.
The man squinted his eyes at me, watching me like he was memorizing every single feature of mine, "You're her..." he whispered lowly as if he was afraid Enzo might hear us.
Whoever he was, he knew me, he had seen me. I could see that he recognized me but didn't want to say it out loud, "Did my husband send you?"
A flicker of something I couldn't understand crossed his face, but he shook it off; keeping a somewhat indifferent look over his face. It was enough to tell me who was behind him.
"Did Nikolai Costello send you?" I asked through gritted teeth and a fake smile.
"I have no idea who that is!" he told me..
I noticed how he was trying hard to fake an Italian accent. If he had nothing to hide then why would he try to be someone he isn't? It was pretty clear to me now that he sent this man. He knew about where I was;
first the message and now this man.
"If you tell me and I'll let you go..." I said softly.
"I don't know any Nikolai Costello," he again said.
I sighed and then looked back at Enzo. I got on my tiptoes, "He is going to kill you..." I whispered to him, "If my husband sent you, please, tell me, they are keeping me here against my will, I'm just playing a part. I need to get him a message. Please, I need him."
I stepped back, my eyes shining with tears, I swiped at them before facing Enzo, "I don't think Nikolai sent him... Can you please let this man go, he seems innocent."
Enzo raised an eyebrow and I nodded.
"I don't trust him," he answered and went back to him again, asking the same question, again and again, punching him till his nose broke.
"I want" the man swallowed, "I will talk... but only with her and a-alone."
He seemed almost on the verge of losing himself.
I looked at Enzo with soft eyes, "Can we please, Enzo, I promise to tell you everything."
Enzo looked between the man and me and nodded before stepping out of the cell. I immediately went to him, "Please, tell me that Nikolai sent you, please..."
He nodded, glancing at the closed door, "I was sent here on his orders, it didn't come directly from him. He doesn't know that you're alive, he sent me to know for sure that you were here..."
I nodded hastily, "Okay, I'm gonna let you go now. And if you do, can you give him my message? Tell him that these people here are keeping me against my will for the last year. Tell him, I need him, please, tell
him I need him."
I cut the ropes, letting him off the wall and he staggered to the side, nodding, "I will..."
"Enzo?" I called, nodding at the man.
I think he trusts me, or it could be all the drugs Enzo had injected him with. Enzo re-entered, looking at both of us with a deep frown.
"We are letting him go!" I ordered.
"But..."
"Now, Enzo!"
Scowling, Enzo grabbed the wounded man by his arm and took him out of the building. Once we all were outside, the man staggered in the other direction, getting away from us. Our men were all around him, at
least thirty men were surrounding a single man.
"Wait!" I called; the man stopped and turned, "I have another message for Nikolai Costello."
I remembered another package we received this morning. It was the decapitated heads of two of our men and Uncle Luca expected me to avenge their death.
I drew my gun out from the back of my pants and pointed it straight for his head and shot him, all I heard was a slight hitch of his breath before he dropped to the ground.
I walked over to his dead body and saw blood sprouting out of his head, making a pool around him. "Dante, cut off his head and place it in the box along with this note," I pulled the note out of my back pocket
and handed it to Dante, "And then send it to Nikolai Costello."
Our men looked at me with proud grins on their faces, and Dante immediately grabbed the note, "Yes, Signorina."
I went back inside the building as a laughing Enzo followed behind me, "For a second, I thought you'd actually let him go considering how afraid you are of this war between the two families."
I gasped, "And miss the chance to piss off Nikolai Costello? Are you crazy?" I laughed lightly, "The only reason I don't want this war is that it will only bring unnecessary bloodshed. We can't fight him. He has
numbers, Enzo."
"True but a war is more about strategy than numbers."
I shook my head, "I won't underestimate him in any way..."
Enzo nodded, "What did the note say anyway?"
"My Agamemnon." 1
Enzo frowned, "What's that?"
"It's something only Nikolai will understand..."