Chapter 3 3

Suddenly, sirens went off in the distance, catching our attention. Fuck. I could probably get out easily if I got caught, but that would lead to a lot of paperwork that I didn't want to fill out tonight.

"Boss," someone said from behind me. I quickly turned to look at him, processing what he had just said.

He couldn't have been a don. I would've known. Right?

"Boss, huh," I mumbled with a mischievous smile as he glared at the person behind me from over my head.

"We should go," the guy suggested. I looked back at him and noticed as he sent an apologetic facial expression to the man who still wouldn't let me fucking leave.

I walked around him and to the back exit, but he grabbed my wrist again, making me lose my patience. I told him not to fucking touch me.

"I'm not letting you off the hook," he fumed at me.

"What are you going to do, kidnap me?" I asked sarcastically with raised eyebrows. He stared at me with a serious expression, like he was actually considering it.

"You're bleeding," the guy who called him boss muttered to me, pointing to my leg. I looked down to see a cut about half an inch long bleeding out. I didn't even feel it.

"Fucking great," I muttered, yanking my hand away from the guy as I bent down, ripping a thin layer of my dress off. I hated this fucking dress anyway. I took the thin fabric of my dress and tied it around my leg to stop the bleeding.

I was going to need stitches. Hopefully, James would still be at the restaurant.

The sirens got closer, and I didn't even look twice at the guys. I instantly rushed out the back door and made a run for my car. I heard the back door open again and close shut, but before I could see anyone or anyone could see me, I turned the corner.

Once I got in my car, I started to feel more pain in my leg. If he hadn't opened his mouth about me bleeding, it probably wouldn't even be hurting right now. I got in the car and headed to my restaurant.

I couldn't go walking into my apartment lobby looking like this.

I opened the doors to my restaurant, which had closed by now. James was at the register counting money, but once he saw me, he dropped everything and rushed towards me as I sat in one of the chairs, dripping blood on my marble floors.

"What the hell happened, Anabelle?" he said worriedly and grabbed a chair.

"I'm fine," I muttered as I took my dress fabric off, revealing my cut. It looked pretty deep, but I would live.

James sat in front of me and took my leg into his lap. As my luck would have it, Matt and Dante walked through the kitchen doors, glancing at me, raising their eyebrows in worry, and rushing to me too. Before they could say anything, I muttered at them to go away so I could calm down, but James told them to get the first aid kit.

"What happened?" Dante asked and sat at the table with us.

I took a deep breath, feeling irritated that my night had turned to shit. I sighed, running my hand through my hair. Despite my anger, my mind was clouded with the thought of the man that made me want to kill him. I would get information about him soon enough.

"Didn't it go well?" Matt asked while handing the first-aid kit to James. I didn't answer, I just took the kit from James's hands and scooted away from him.

"Anabelle, just let me help you," James said in an irritated tone.

"I'm fine; just leave me," I glowered at him. I took the rubbing alcohol, poured some onto a cotton pad, and gently started to clean my wound. I could feel them staring at me, so I looked up, glaring at all of them. My stare made James look away, and eventually, he got up and walked away along with Matt and Dante. I needed to calm down before I talked to them.

I finished cleaning my wound and grabbed the needle and thread to stitch it up.

I've known Dante and Matt just as long as James.

They were also my best friends, just more fucking annoying, but I did care about them just as much.

They were there for me, and I appreciated that at the time. I knew I could be a bitch to them a lot-well, most of the time-but they still dealt with my shit, and I dealt with theirs even though I wanted to strangle them sometimes.

Well, I threw a blade into Dante's arm, but he was fine and alive, which is all that mattered, right? Besides, it was his fault for making me mad, and I wasn't completely sober that night. It was all on him.

Once I was done stitching my leg, I headed to change out of my bloodied dress and into sweatpants and a hoodie. I threw my dress into the garbage and walked out of the bathroom while pulling my hair up in a bun, my curls starting to seep through the straight hair.

Dante, Matt, and James were sitting at a table with computers, and they saw that my blood was already cleaned up.

"We found another location we think could help," James told me as I approached them. I took the computer into my hands while taking a seat, trying not to let my anger make me pissed at them. I knew they were just trying to help me, but sometimes I couldn't help but feel anger towards them. Towards everything and everyone.

"How did they know it was you?" Dante asked me with a slight hesitation.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter," I said while looking at the locations that James spotted and seeing if any of the trucks were going to align with them.

"We could've gone with you," Matt said. They seemed to relax a little after they saw that I had calmed down. I didn't answer him. They always told me shit about them coming with me, even though I didn't need their help.

"Did you meet anybody?" Matt asked casually, like he could smell the hot guy all over me. I could still smell the guy's addictive scent on me and feel his rough hands on my wrists. I still felt his gorgeous brown eyes scanning my body.

"No." I hesitated, answering a little too late, and they noticed it.

"Oh, so Anabelle meets a guy?" Dante asked playfully.

"Or a girl, we wouldn't judge you," he quickly added, and I shook my head.

"No, now please focus," I mumbled, and I saw on the computer that a new club was scheduled to open in about a week and was located about thirty minutes away. That is probably where their shipments were getting loaded. It was more convenient since no one would expect drugs and weapons to be loaded and transported from a club.

It was smart enough to be able to hide themselves from the feds, but not from other mafias. It was actually pretty dumb of them in that sense, but it did make things easier for me, and this time, I'd be more prepared. I just didn't expect him to have that many men there. It would be risky to have that many men, and it was. I mean, they all got killed.

The Russians should know better; now they're short about twenty men.

"Who was it?" Dante asked, making me look up, only to find them all staring at me with serious looks on their faces.

"Oh, come on, Anabelle, you can tell us," James said, crossing his arms while leaning back and waiting for an answer.

"None of you ever tell me about the girls you occasionally go out with or meet," I mentioned, causing them to look at me like I was crazy.

It was true, though. They never told me about the girls they went out with, not that anything ever lasted longer than a month anyway, but it would be nice to know who my best friends were getting involved with.

But then again, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.

"Yeah, maybe it's better you guys don't," I muttered and looked back at the computer.

"Is that why you were all distracted? Because a handsome man swept you off your feet?" Dante asked almost sarcastically and playfully.

He did so much more than that; he literally took over my entire mind the whole time I was there.

"No, now please stop talking," I asked nicely. Or, I tried too, but it still came out bitchy.

"I'm pretty sure it's this club right here," I said, motioning to the computer in an attempt to change the subject for good. They focused their attention on the screen, probably starting to listen in the hopes that I'd invite them to come with me this time.

"It opens up in a week. I think that's where the trucks will be loaded and transported, probably to the Russians. It might not get us to him, but it will get us close enough to his upper men."

"Does this mean we get to come?" James asked me, and I thought about it for a minute.

I really don't need them, and I think it's better if I travelled alone just so I wouldn't be worrying about where they were or if they needed help. Besides, I'd probably be disguising myself as a waitress anyway. I'd be changing my name, and style, using a wig, and wearing tonnes of fucking makeup, so I would be unrecognizable which would make things easier for me.

"Nope, I think I'll be fine alone," I said while shutting the computer and getting up to head out.

"Oh, come on, let us have some action," Matt whined.

"No."

"We'll help you get closer to him, and we swear we won't fuck shit up," Dante declared in a baby voice, trying to convince me.

"Exactly, and it's a better backup for you," James chimed in, and I grew more fucking irritated at them. I walked away, heading for the doors, but before I walked out, I turned back around.

"I don't need your help, okay? He's going to have to come out eventually; he can't hide from me forever." With that, I pushed the door open with my back as the guys gave me tight smiles and a shake of their heads in disapproval, but they didn't say anything else.

It was true; he couldn't hide from me forever. He'd eventually have to come out and face what he created. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I was deadly, and he knew that.

Killing him was going to be the easy part, but getting to him was a game.