Rome, Italy.
Alliana's pov:
I awoke to find Souline nearly falling out of bed and her phone on the floor. I yawned and rubbed my eyes before waking her up. I gently shook her to wake her up. Souline groaned and looked at me with a "What do you want?" expression. I'm like best friends with Souline's facial expressions because I recognize all of them.
"What happened while I was sleeping? Last night, I overheard you conversing with someone," I asked. Souline scratched her neck as she yawned and sat on the bed. "Kai called me and apologized for Carlos's behavior yesterday, and he asked you if you could call him back because it is urgent," Souline explained. I furrowed my brows, perplexed as to why Kai desired to speak with me. "Do you still have his phone number?" I asked. "Mhm," Souline said. "Give it to me," I said. Souline took out her phone and looked up Kai's contact information, then handed it to me and went back to sleep.
I took down his phone number and stood up to take a shower. I showered for about forty minutes, with the last ten minutes spent plucking my brows. I went into the room and noticed Souline was missing; perhaps she went to take a shower.
Tomorrow is our last day in Rome, but I'm irritated that I spent money and energy flying eight hours to help someone who's fucking egotistical and unappreciative, but I wasn't done with Kai and Carlos because apparently, Kai wants to chat with me for reasons I don't understand... but what I do know is that it's better and worth it.
I went outside and started dialing Kai's number. I waited for a response until the phone picked up six seconds later. "Hello? Kai?" I asked. "Is this Alliana?" Kai asked. "You said you wanted to talk to me, right?" I asked. "Yeah, as Souline probably told you, I'm very sorry for Carlos' behavior. I'm not sure why he acted that way, but I swear it wasn't intentional," Kai said. I rolled my eyes, but I don't hold grudges.
"I appreciate your apology, but what else did you want to discuss?" I asked. "Well, the cops came and arrested Carlos after you and Souline left," Kai explained. "Excuse me?" I said again, furrowing my brows. "Yeah, the cops arrested Carlos because the fed told him two days ago that if he doesn't find a lawyer in two days, he'll be arrested," Kai explained. "He would have had me as a lawyer if he wasn't such an asshole!" I exclaimed.
On the phone, Kai sighed. "I know and I apologize for his behavior; all I want is for us to make things right and for you to help us," Kai explained. How dare he ask me to assist them again after his scumbag bodyguards and Carlos insulted Souline and me? If he thinks I'm going to assist him, he should shove a book up his ass and find another lawyer.
"I'm sorry, Kai, but I've decided not to help you again. I'd rather work for the shittiest and filthiest client than work with Carlos again. "Be safe," I said as I hung up the phone, not wanting to hear what he had to say after that.
I meant everything I said and I stand by it.
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Rome, Italy.
Kai's pov:
Alliana hung up the phone before I could say anything. I sighed and rubbed my temples; this is so fucking stressful, especially for Carlos, who is locked up. Worse, I have to inform him that Alliana has told me that she will no longer be working with us on the case. I'm not sure how Carlos will react to the news, but he can't do much because he has no freedom.
I wanted to call her back and at least propose a deal, but her tone of voice indicated that she doesn't want anything to do with us. I stood up and stretched before sprinting downstairs and leaving the mansion for the police station.
After forty minutes, I arrived at the police station and told the chauffeur to park in the back until I finished speaking with Carlos. I've already made arrangements with the head chief to meet with Carlos because he knows who we are. I entered the private room; it was just Carlos and me, with no cops present to keep an eye on things unless we were outside. When I saw Carlos already sitting in the chair with his uniform and handcuffs on, I went to the chair in front of him. The cops exited the room and stood outside, looking around.
"Hey," I said as I observed his expression. "Hey," Carlos said. "How does it feel to be back inside?" I asked. "Not bad considering I've been here before," Carlos said. "Right," I said, nodding. "Did you ever contact Alliana?" Carlos asked. "Yeah, but don't get your hopes up because she said she's no longer working for us," I stated flatly. "Are you serious?" Carlos asked. "I mean, you deadass insulted her," I conceded. "I know, but I had the money ready for her and stuff like that," Carlos explained. "What can we do?" I asked.
Carlos sighed and leaned back against his palms. "What the fuck are we going to do?" Carlos asked. "I have no idea, bro, when is your trial?" I asked. "I don't know," Carlos said. "Are you worried?" I asked. "Of course, do you know how many years I could be in jail for?" Carlos asked. I sighed; he was correct—the penalty for murder could be many years in prison.
"Have you talked to the hitman?" I asked. "Haven't seen him," Carlos said. "Fuck," I cursed as I looked down. "I need Alliana's help right away, even if I have to grab her and force her," Carlos said. "By coercion?" I creased my brows. "Yes, by force, she must have forgotten that I'm a mafia, and like a mafia, I get whatever the fuck I want," Carlos explained. "How will you do that if you're locked up?" I wondered.
"I'll leave it to you," Carlos said as he sat back. "What are you talking about?" I asked. "You're going to Alliana's house with AJ, Vex, and Denzel, and you're going to force her to get me out of prison and resolve my legal issues," Carlos explained. "How?" I asked. "Blackmail her, look her up to see if she has any dirt on herself, and we'll blackmail her with that information," Carlos explained.
I rubbed my chin, slightly skeptical. "What if she has nothing bad on her?" I asked. "Then just bring her back here," Carlos said. "What do I do with her if I abduct her?" I asked. "If she asks why you abducted her, tell her I told you to do it so she could get me out of jail," Carlos explained. "Where would I keep her?" I asked. "We have spare bedrooms; just lock her in there with some extra clothes," Carlos explained. "But what about Souline?" I asked, nodding. "I don't think we need Souline," Carlos said.
It'd be fun to mess with Souline as well, but she's smart as hell, so I'll leave that for another time. "Once you have Alliana, bring her in next week and we'll have a quick chat," Carlos said. "All right," I said as I stood up and stretched. "I'll see you soon," Carlos promised. "Likewise, take care," I said as I exited the room. This plan must be carried out quickly and efficiently, or Carlos will be imprisoned until his dick rots. I'm going to start brainstorming and hopefully find something.