Chapter 29: Diane…Who Is She?
"How interesting…"
The envelope Diane had handed over was in the middle, showing her audacious request.
Micha leaned back in his chair, a cigarette was dangling lazily from his lips as he exhaled a plume of smoke.
His eyes roamed over the faces of his crew, all of whom seemed equally amused.
"Well, boys," Micha drawled, tapping ash into an empty beer bottle. "What do you make of that little rabbit, eh?"
One of his men, named Lenny, snorted. "Gotta say, boss, I see that one coming. Richard's step daughter walking in here, bold as brass, asking you to torch his empire? That's… ballsy."
Another man let out a bark of laughter.
"More like suicidal. What's she thinking, coming to you of all people?"
Micha smirked, tilting his chair back and balancing precariously on two legs.
"She's desperate, that's what. Desperation makes people do crazy things. And trust me, lads, crazy makes for interesting opportunities."
Lenny frowned, scratching his stubbled jaw.
"You reckon she knows who you are? I mean, really knows?"
Micha shrugged, his grin widened even more.
"Oh, she knows. You saw how she looked me in the eye when she said my name. She's not stupid. And that's what makes this so bloody fascinating."
The room fell quiet for a moment, the men exchanged glances as Micha lit another cigarette.
Finally, the shaved-headed man, known as Briggs, leaned forward, resting his massive arms on the table.
"So, what's the play, boss? You gonna take her up on it? Or are we just laughing her out of town?"
Micha's grin faded slightly as he stared at the smoke curling upward from his cigarette.
"Oh, we're taking her up on it, all right. But not just because she's paying us."
Briggs raised an eyebrow. "Then why?"
Micha chuckled.
"Because she just handed me the perfect excuse to finally screw over my dear cousin Gabriel."
The men exchanged surprised looks, and Lenny leaned forward.
"Wait, hold up. You're saying Diane that woman is your cousin's wife?"
Micha nodded, blowing out another plume of smoke.
"The one and only. Though calling him family is a stretch. He's always thought he's better than the rest of us. Always looking down his nose at me, like he's untouchable. I've been waiting for the right moment to remind him that no one is untouchable."
Lenny let out a low whistle.
"Bloody hell. And now his wife's come to you, asking you to burn her step father's empire to the ground..she didn't ask her husband to do it, but you. That's poetic, that is."
Micha smirked, leaning forward and snuffing out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"It's almost too good to be true. But it's also risky. If this goes sideways, it's not just her neck on the line—it's ours."
Briggs crossed his arms, frowning. "You think she's setting us up? Could be a trap."
Micha shook his head.
"Nah. You saw her. She's genuine. Desperate, angry, and—let's not forget—absolutely seething with hatred. She wants Richard destroyed, and she's willing to get her hands dirty to make it happen."
"So, what's the plan, then?" Lenny asked.
Micha leaned back, a small smile spread across his face.
"We play along, for now. Hit one of Richard's operations, like she asked. But we do it on our terms, not hers. And in the process, we dig a little deeper. Figure out what she's really after and why she's willing to go this far. Because there's more to this story, lads. I can feel it."
Briggs nodded slowly.
"Fair enough. But if we're going after Richard, we'd better be smart about it. The bloke's got eyes everywhere. One wrong move, and he'll come down on us like a ton of bricks."
Micha grinned.
"That's the fun part, isn't it? Besides, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. And if little Diane thinks she's the only one playing games here, she's in for a surprise."
Diane's sudden appearance had stirred something in him… amusement, and a burning desire to see how far this game could go.
She was clearly out of her depth, but there was something about her—something unique and confident—that intrigued him.
Still, he couldn't ignore the irony of the situation.
Gabriel, the golden boy of the family, always so smug and self-righteous, now…can't even take care of his own wife's requests.
"Serves the bastard right," he muttered under his breath.
As the men continued their planning, Micha rose from his chair and wandered over to the window.
Diane might think she was in control, but Micha knew better.
She was playing with fire, and he was more than happy to fan the flames.
But he also knew that this mess, as he'd warned her, had a way of coming back around.
And when it did, Micha intended to be the one holding the matches.
The following night, Micha and his crew were gathered in an abandoned garage on the outskirts of the city.
A large map of Richard's territory was spread out on the bonnet of an old car, marked with red circles and arrows.
Lenny traced one of the circles with his finger, glanced up at Micha.
"This one's the best target," he said. "Small operation, but it'll send a big message. And it's just far enough from the main hub that we can hit it and disappear before anyone realises what's happened."
"Good. We hit it fast and hard. No messing about. And make sure there's plenty of noise. I want Richard to know exactly who's responsible."
As the preparations continued, Micha's thoughts drifted back to Diane.
He still couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.
Her hatred for Richard seemed genuine, but there was a weird edge to her that set his instincts on edge.
"Keep your guard up," he muttered to himself. "She's not as innocent as she looks."
By the time the crew was ready, the garage was full of energy.
Engines roared to life as they loaded up their gear and prepared to move out.
Micha climbed into the driver's seat of his car, glancing in the rear-view mirror at the men in the vehicles behind him.
A slow, wicked smile spread across his face.
"Let's make some noise," he said, revving the engine.
The convoy roared out of the garage and into the night.