Page 12 of Monster

5

Mateo

I leanedagainst the wall with a drink in my hand as the smell of whiskey and desperation wafted up my nostrils. I hated these kinds of events. ‘Gentlemen’s only pop-up clubs’, they were called. But, I knew what they really were.

Especially when the Lucchese Family ran them.

On the outside, it was nothing but a brick facade. Crumbling, and decaying, with water and rust stains peppering the outside. To the apparent eye, this entire building had been abandoned years ago, untouched by the tourism that the Aeolian Islands brought to Italy. This was my favorite place in the entire world. I grew up on the island, learning the tricks and trades my father insisted I understand from a very young age. And while I was proud of everything I had my hands in, it wasn’t as if my family indulged in things that were above board.

The darkness would always be my first love.

My point is: my family wasn’t nearly as disgusting as the Lucchese Family. They had no moral code. They played by no rules. They had no respect for anyone, any thing, or any aspect of life. They were bottom-feeders. The lowest of the low. And they needed to be eradicated.

Our families played nice for now, but we each had the other in our sights. We had been at war for multiple generations now, and it all started with a bidding war on a piece of property years ago. One small investment gone wrong that now served as the warring grounds where more blood had been spilled than ever before in either of our family’s histories.

A piece of property that is now the single most expensive purchase on the island.

Still, we attended one another’s functions as a formality. Because the one thing our families did have in common was the importance of appearances. We spoke only when necessary, and that was usually to keep anger and vengeances under control. The cauldron always bubbled, but as long as it never bubbled over, there was never an issue. But, with Lorenzo’s pop-up gentlemen's clubs across the island?

There was always trouble to be had.

“I thought that was you, handsome.”

A sultry voice appeared beside me and I put on my best grin.

“Helena. How lovely to see you this evening.”

She smiled sweetly up at me. “You have to turn around in order to see me, Mateo.”

“Then, I suppose I’ll stay facing in this direction.”

She shrugged off my dig. “Here for the mingling? Or the main event?”

I felt her walk up beside me and I peered down at her. “I suppose it depends on what the main event is.”

She leaned closer to me. “You know my brother never disappoints. I’m sure you’ll take home something you love from tonight.”

Doubtful. “We shall see, then.”

She winked up at me. “Stick around. We’ve got some wonderful things on display for you tonight.”

I sipped my drink as she turned on her heels and walked away from me, her hips swaying deeper with every step she took in those impossible heels of hers. I watched her all the way to the corner of the room before she stopped, peered at me from over my shoulder. Then, with one last smile, she disappeared completely into a room to the right.

Helena Lucchese had always been an odd sort of girl.

Pretty, but odd.

After polishing off my second drink, I checked my watch. It was already ten-thirty in the evening, and I had a business meeting first thing in my morning with my father. So, I placed my empty glass on a passing silver tray and made my way for the exit.

Until Helena’s voice sounded over a microphone.

“I’m sure all of you are hanging onto your seats, you’re so excited for tonight,” she said.

The crowd of ‘gentlemen’ spread out before me clapped and whistled, and it gave me just enough pause to turn back toward the stage. And it didn’t shock me when I saw Helena’s eyes hooked with my presence.

“Well then, let’s get these ladies lined up! And for those of you who might be new, let’s review the rules and regulations of such an event.”

I wrinkled my nose as Helena started rattling off the bullshit ‘regulations’ and ‘care for property’ clauses that I knew she was making up on the spot. This was an illegal auction, and if I had to take a guess? They were auctioning off women. For the night or forever, I wasn’t sure. But, the anger that washed through my blood rooted me to that darkened corner over by the exit door.

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