Chapter 3 The

Chiara groaned and rolled over in bed. She stretched to pick up her phone on the bedside table.

"Yes?" She answered the call with annoyance in her voice.

"I see you just woke up. I need you to get Alberto today and close this little issue. You have to prepare for the deal with the Nicolettis." Her dad spoke in his astute voice. She could imagine the frown on his face as he reprimanded her for waking up late. It was one of the problems he had with her.

She looked at the time on her phone, it was 9:30am. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, do you want me to bring him to you?" She asked him, referring to Alberto.

"No, he is of no use to me. Just off him and clean it up." He said and cut the call.

She sighed and stretched her arms. She went to her home gym and did her usual workout.

An hour later, she took her bath and dressed up. She strapped her knives on her ankles and covered it with her pants. She put her gun in her hip holster and shrugged her jacket on. Ever since she was ten, she never went anywhere without a weapon. It was ingrained in her by her dad.

Her bodyguards were already waiting for her when she got outside. She entered one of the cars parked in her driveway and her bodyguards entered the other.

"Jamaica plain." She told Dante, her driver.

*****

When they arrived at the house, she told her bodyguards to wait outside and she walked to the front door. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Hello. What can I do for you." A short, petite woman in her midfifties opened the door.

"It is rude to keep a guest at the door. Don't you think so?" Chiara smiled at the woman.

"I am sorry but I do not know you." The woman scrutinized her and looked at the bodyguards standing beside the cars.

"My bad. I am a friend of Alberto, Mrs. Torres." Chiara chuckled as Mrs. Torres blanched.

"He is not home." Mrs. Torres tried to close the door but Chiara put a foot in the doorway, preventing the door from closing. Her expression morphed to fear and she wringed her hands.

"Do not worry, I will wait inside."

Chiara opened the door wide and walked in. She went to the living room and sat down. She scanned the room and noticed the family pictures adorning the walls. The house had a homey feel to it, unlike her house.

"Where is Catherine?" She asked Mrs. Torres who was standing like a statue by the doorway of the living room.

"She is.. hmmm... she is not in the house." Mrs. Torres looked around the room as she spoke. She deliberately avoided eye contact with Chiara, scared that Chiara will catch her lie.

"Go and get her from her bedroom and do not try anything funny. One wrong move and you are both dead. Do you understand me?"

Mrs. Torres nodded her head in a frantic manner and went upstairs. Five minutes later, she came down with a beautiful teenage girl who resembled her. They both had the same auburn colored hair and were the same height.

"Catherine darling, come here." Chiara patted the space beside her on the sofa. Catherine walked timidly towards her and sat down with her head bent downwards.

"I am rather famished, can you whip up something nice for me, Mrs. Torres?" Chiara watched as Mrs Torres reluctantly left the room.

"Now, I need you to call your brother. Tell him to come home if he does not want to attend your funeral, and try to sound convincing." Chiara held Catherine's chin and caressed her face.

Catherine quivered in fear as she dialled her brother's number. Her hands were shaking and sweat was gathering on her forehead.

The phone rang three times before he picked up.

"Hello, Fratello." (Brother) Catherine spoke in a shaky voice.

"Put it on speaker." Chiara crossed her legs and relaxed her back against the sofa.

"Your boss is in the house and" Catherine turned to look at Chiara and she gulped. "She said you will be attending our funerals if you do not come home now."

"Mierda! Tell her I am coming. Make an excuse to use the toilet and go to my room. Take the gun in the second cabinet and run." (Fuck!) Alberto said over the phone.

Chiara laughed dryly and grabbed the phone from Catherine.

"Wow! You really have no conscience. You are sending your little sister on a suicide mission all because you are scared."

The line went silent but she could hear his ragged breathing.

"You have an hour to get here. Try anything stupid and I will kill your cute little sister and your mother. But I will not stop there, anyone who associates with you will be brutally murdered. Save me the hassle of hunting you down." She chuckled and cut the call.

Catherine was staring at her in terror, tears were falling down her face and she bit her lips to prevent her cries from coming out.

Chiara smirked and switched on the television. About fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Torres walked in with a tray. There was spaghetti and tomato sauce with chopped sausages on a plate and a glass of water. She placed it on a small table and put it in front of Chiara.

"Hmmm... this smells nice. I finally get to see if you are as great a cook as Alberto says." Chiara picked the glass of water and sipped it. "Out of respect for you, I will let you take the first bite."

Chiara observed carefully as Mrs. Torres took a bite of the food. She waited a while and when nothing happened, she started eating the food.

She was still eating when Alberto barged into the house looking frazzled. She ignored him and continued eating.

"Thanks for the lovely meal. It was not as amazing as Alberto claims but I am sure we can all accommodate his lies. After all, it is a habit of his." She held the glass of water against her lips and slowly drank the water. All the while, her eyes were on Alberto, watching him. He shuffled his feet in a nervous manner and looked everywhere but avoided her eyes.

She placed the glass on the tray and stood up.

"We have a matter to discuss, right?" She asked with a blank expression.

"I have nothing to discuss with you. You are going to let me and my family go or else, an incriminating file concerning your business will be released to the police." Alberto clasped his hands together behind his back and looked her in the eyes.

Chiara laughed and the sound reverberated through the room. She walked towards him in a brisk motion and pushed him to the wall. She searched him and removed the gun he had on.

"I did not know you were this stupid. No police in this state will risk getting on my bad side, none! But I guess you do not want to die alone." She released him and walked towards the wall where the family pictures were hung.

"I have gotta say, your family looks adorable. What a shame." She picked up a picture, Mrs Torres, Catherine, Alberto and three other teenagers were in the picture, a girl and two boys.

"No!" Alberto shouted and ran to her. He knelt down and held her leg. "Please, I did not do anything. It was a lie, I swear on my mother's life. Please." Tears were falling down his face and he was trembling.

Chiara chuckled and pulled her leg away. Alberto fell to the ground and he stayed there, sobbing.

"I have not yet done anything, darling, save your tears. And I would not worry, your mother's life will be the first to go if any disappointing news reaches me." She walked away and signalled him to follow her.

*****