CELESTE
“Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“Celeste, what the fuck is going on? Tell your goons to untie me right now. I’m not one of your bitches you can do whatever you want with,” Mike snarls, thrashing in his chair.
“Oh, brother. But you are a little bitch. You want to tell me why you have all that cash stashed in your apartment? You really need to think of a better hiding spot than your mattress.” I pull up a chair to sit in front of him, watching the confusion contort on his face.
He had fifty-thousand dollars stashed for god knows what. Clearly, no intentions of putting it back into the business as he claimed. I don’t even have that amount of cash laying around for easy access.
“Why were you in my apartment? The amount of cash I have is not your concern. You’re taking your position tooseriously. You think you can replace your father? You’re weak.” Mike shoots insults like I give a fuck what he thinks.
He’s so damn adorable. Like a cute little chipmunk pissed someone stole all their nuts.
“For someone who’s tied up, you sure have a lot to say. Keep going. I want to hear how you really feel. You think I’m weak, not fit for the position. A female who can’t end someone with a snap of the wrist. But while you were shipped off doing petty work, my father trusted me with the ins and outs of the Mafia. I earned the trust of our allies. I’ve endured more than you can imagine, compared to your sheltered life.” I lean back in my chair, crossing my leg over my knee.
“You think you have the trust from the Mafia? Princess, they will never accept a female as an ally. I feel sorry for you, truly. You need me as your partner to gain respect. Please, I’m your brother,” he pleads as if I have an ounce of love for him.
Larson joins us in the room, another one of my most trusted guards and friends. He takes one look at Mike and snickers as he approaches my side. Other than Antonio, I trust him with my life. The three of us grew up together training, getting into trouble and learning the ins and outs on how to survive through our world. His father was my father’s childhood best friend. Larson and Antonio are the only ones I consider to be my brothers.
Everyone always thought that one of these days I would marry Larson because of how close we are. We would look at each other and break into a laughing fit. We have never crossed that line with each other and frankly, we never would. He hates Mike just as much as I do and I know he’s going to enjoy every bit of this.
“You look rough, Mike. What did you do this time?” Larson teases.
He leans against the wall looking almost bored. Almost.The gleam in his eyes tells me anything but. When we were kids, Mike had snitched on him when Mike caught him sneaking out. Larson received beatings for that and ever since, he’s been waiting for karma to come and bite Mike in the ass.
“I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing here. I haven’t done anything. Celeste, please. You know I wouldn’t do anything stupid. I run the club and I go home,” he begs like a toddler.
“So, you mean to tell me that stealing cash for a mysterious cut wasn’t anything? Or touching the girls inappropriately, isn’t anything? I don’t take these accusations lightly. Not only are you stealing from them, but you’re also stealing from me. You disrespect them, you disrespect me. So tell me stepbrother, are you going to admit to your sins? I would advise it, if you want to live.” I stare daggers at him, letting him know that this isn’t a game.
Getting up from my seat, Larson hands me a pair of black gloves as Antonio moves to untie Mike from the chair, shoving him over to a metal table. I’m not going to kill him yet. I’m going to make a statement that I’m not one to be crossed. He’s lucky he’s technically family or else he would be six feet under. This is his one and only warning that if he steps out of line again, he’s done for.
“Celeste, please! You can’t do this to me, I’m your brother. Please, I swear I’ll never take money again. I’ll do whatever you say. Celeste!” he wails, trying to break out of his tight grip with tears rolling down his face.
He truly is a sad little man. He thinks he would be an asset to my side, yet he folds so quickly. Any of my men would take the torture and pain without a single tear, without a single word. He’s already proven he can’t be trusted and with that I can’t fully execute him when he has a loud mouth of a mother but I can send a warning to them both. A warning of a sliver ofwhat I could do to them. I already started with his mother, now with him, I’ll show him pain and what it feels like for something so precious to be yanked from his feet.
“You know, Mike, I should get rid of you for how you talk to me. I should wipe you from existence for your theft and the treatment of the girls. Also, you’re not my brother. You’re baggage that came along with your god-awful mother.” Walking over to the table, I pick up a hammer as the boys hold him down and spread his hand upon the surface.
“But, I’m feeling a little generous today. You will never cross me again. This may hurt a little.” I swing the hammer down, connecting with his hand. Bones crack and a scream ricochets off the walls. Those sounds are music to my ears.
Swing.
Crack.
His body shakes uncontrollably as tears and snot run down his face. Good, he feels pain. He feels a sliver of what it’s like to be out of control, the suffocating pressure building against your chest. His hand is shattered, fingers going in different directions. Good luck to the doctor who has to fix that mess.
This doesn’t satisfy my thirst for blood. Ever since I came back, it’s clouded my head as if I'm some sort of monster waiting to get my fill. I push it back painfully, forcing it away from the surface as I need to save it for the real hurdles that I know are to come. I could easily destroy him. But he’s a message to anyone in our inner circle to pick a side, and if you pick the wrong one, things will be a lot worse for them. The older members aren’t an issue, but the new ones that were brought in under our noses by Mike while I was away are.
“You will step away from the club. You will no longer have access to the money or the girls. You breathe a word of who did this to you, I’ll know. You step over the boundaries again, I’llend you. Do you understand me?” I lean down so my face is mere inches from his.
“Y-yes, I—I understand.” He slumps onto the floor, holding his hand against his chest as his whole body trembles from the excruciating pain.
“Good. Get him cleaned up.” I pull off my gloves, handing them to Antonio before I disappear from the room with grace.
Gravel kicks up against the vehicle as the tires glide up the driveway. A mansion comes into view with beautiful bushes decorating the front along with long windows letting the light cascade through, bringing life to a once happy home.
A ghost of a man playing out front with his daughter playing ball, laughter filling the air. A little girl with overalls and pigtails running to chase the man with a wide smile on her face. He’s the highlight of her life. No worries in the world. No monsters or danger lurking the shadows. This is what peace had looked like. These moments were the happiest, purist times before the world came crashing down.
Coming to a stop, closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. As I open my eyes again, the memory washes away. Tears trickle down my face. I miss him so much. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t have a chance to hold his hand when he took his last breath or fight to find something or someone to help keep him alive. I wasn’t here. Guilt washes over me like I’m drowning and can’t come to the surface. If I was able to get out sooner, I could have kept him alive.
