Chapter 2

• Waking up with a massive headache and a dizzy head, I closed my eyes, trying to suppress all that hazy feeling, but with no luck. Opening my eyes again for a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Looking around again, I remembered everything that happened at the restaurant yesterday, fighting the Italians, the shooting, the stab.
• Everything rushed to my head quickly, making my headache unbearable.
• I groaned in frustration, but froze when I saw her sleeping in a small chair. The girl that saved my life that night, she looked so small, so fragile, so naïve and so fucking stupid to do what she had done. How could she be so stupid to help a total stranger like me and put her life in danger? She could have been hurt, hell she could be killed.
• I stood up, walked slowly towards her, and just thought about everything again. She saved my ass, but does she really don’t know who I am?
• Why did she help me in the first place?
• Does she want anything from me?
• I breathed a couple of times to regain some of my strength and held her in my hands, then headed back to her bed. She mumbled something. I couldn’t hear what it was, and I froze for a second, thinking that she woke. But she just snuggled closer and drifted back to sleep. I put her slowly in her bed and just looked at her sleeping face.
• Her face was so delicate and smooth, so angelic. A button-like nose, high cheekbones, plump lips, but the most impressive thing about her is her big sky blue doe eyes. They are mesmerizing, all this surrounded by long curly hair. Even though her body was small, she has an amazing figure with caramel-colored skin.
• Snapping out of it, I straightened myself, grunting when I felt the sting of my stitches. I pushed a strand of her hair aside and whispered, “Even though you don’t know who I am, you helped me today, so I owe you little one. I’ll never forget what you did, EVER.”
• I left the room and headed downstairs; I stood behind a window on the first floor and looked around carefully for anyone who might be watching or might have followed us yesterday. And when I was sure that there was no one, I got out, taking a taxi, I headed to the mansion. The pain and exhaustion were killing me, but I knew I need to go back to show everyone that I’m alive. My men must be agitated.
• As I took the first step inside, I found everyone was standing nervously. My brother was pacing the foyer, Leo was shouting at someone on the phone, and all my men were looking worried. When they spotted, they advanced, all of them.
• “Where the fuck have you been, Gabriel? After the shooting, no one saw you. We looked everywhere. We found your phone discarded in an alley. What the fuck just happened?“ Leo shouted furiously at me.
• “Jesus Gab, are you OK? What happened?“ My brother asked me, concerned while helping me to sit.
• “I’m fine Michael. Nothing serious. I’m ok.”
• “Are you fuckin kidding me, Cerberus? What just had happened in that damn restaurant wasn’t serious!? There were four dead men, and you just magically disappeared. I thought someone took you.“ Leo said, fuming.
• “Don’t forget your place, Leonidas. Don’t use that tone with me.” I snarled at him. No one disrespects me, whoever he is, even if it’s my right hand and my best friend.
• All my men, even my brother, flinched and took a step back, because they knew what I do when I get pissed.
• Leo sighed and pinched his temples. “I’m sorry, but I was worried about you. No one knew what happened, and you disappeared after the fight. You didn’t take any men with you, I was fuckin worried man, I thought........ I thought you were dead.” he collapsed on a chair next to mine.
• I didn’t reply. I just relaxed in the chair, but groaned when another wave of pain hit me.
• “OH my god, Gabriel you’re bleeding, bring me my kit.” Michael was in a second tearing off my borrowed shirt and fussing all over me.
• “You have been shot?” Leo asked with wide-opened eyes.
• “No stabbed.” I mumbled, flinching when Michael took off the gauze.
• “You went to a hospital?” he asked, eyeing me curiously.
• “No, some girl stitched me.” I mumbled.
• “Wow. man, she did a good job. Those six stitches are perfect. Who is she? A doctor! A nurse! Damn... this is perfect. “
• He looked at my stitches with admiration and awe, like he was in love. I sighed, rubbing my face. I don’t have the patience for this.
• “None, some high school girl found me in the back of an alley and took me to her house, then stitched me.” I said nonchalantly.
• Michael and Leo looked at me dumbfounded, like I had grown three heads or something; I chuckled bitterly at the irony and grunted again because of the pain.
• “Dude, are you serious right now? A high school girl did that?“
• I closed my eyes and relaxed when he re_ gauzed me and just nodded.
• “This girl is my new hero. I’m telling you, if it wasn’t for her, you’d have been dead right now. The cut was deep. She cleaned it, disinfected it, and again, those beautiful stitches. For an eighteen girl, she did a hell of a job. You are a damn lucky dog.” Again I didn’t bother commenting.
• “Ummm........ Gabe, you have a.... pink little mermaid Band-Aid on your forehead.“ Leo said, trying not to laugh like the stupid asshole that he’s.
• I opened my eyes, glaring at him. “Fuck you.”
• “But seriously, man, who did this to you?” He asked, sobering.
• “The fuckin Italians.” I spat the name out loud with venom and all my men just stood still. It was a surprise for all of them, hell even I can’t still believe it.
• “How? I mean, are you sure? Maybe it was a setup or something. There’s no beef between us.”
• I stood up and snarled, “What does that suppose to mean? You think I’m lying Leonidas or making that up?”
• “No......aa...I... “ Leo’s face paled, and he stuttered while walking backward slowly.
• “Alessio was there, he was the one who stabbed me.” I gritted my teeth when I remembered the entire scene.
• “Ok, brother, take it easy, and please calm down. Your wound will reopen again.” Michael touched my shoulder gently and helped me to sit down; I tried to calm myself down. I need to think clearly about what I’m going to do.
• “OK, Cerberus, just start from the beginning. Tell us what happened?”
• I looked at Leo’s serious face for a second.
• “Johnny called and asked me to come to the restaurant. He said he has the first payment, so I went and met him. We talked for a while and then he went inside to bring the money, leaving me enjoying my dinner alone. The place was empty, but I didn’t pay attention to that. After a while I heard some noise from the kitchen, then all of the sudden the shooting started. The four men you found are Alessio’s I shot them and when I was about to get the fuck out of there, Alessio came from the back and stabbed me but I made it. I lost my phone during that chaos and walked away, then after half an hour, a girl found me in the back of an alley and helped me to get inside some building. But fuckin Alessio was on my tail with a couple of his men, so she took me to her house and stitched me, and here I am."
• I finished exhausted. It was a long day. My men didn’t say a word, trying to comprehend what I just said. I tried to stay calm, even though deep inside I was furious. The rage inside me made my blood boil. It was the first time that someone dared to try to kill me because they knew better not to mess with me.
• I’m the Alpha male, the Alpha dog of these woods.
• “Leonidas, call Giovanni.” I ordered calmly.
• “What? Why? Are you sure he knows about this? I mean.........”
• I cut him with a growl “You think Alessio is working without his boss’s permission?! Fuckin call him, and this is your last warning Leonidas, don’t ever question me. “
• “I’m sorry Cerberus, forgive me,” he said slightly paling and bowed his head.
• Leo handed me his phone, and after two rings, I heard the angry voice of Giovanni.
• “Who the fuck is this and how did you get that number? No one knows it.”
• “Oh, Gio there’s nothing impossible for me, you know that,” I said, smirking.
• “Cer...Cerberus?!” He stuttered.
• “Who else were you expecting?” I said, my smirk broadened.
• “The hell hound is still alive! Now I know that name suits you, Gabriel. The mutt of Hades......... “ He laughed “So why did you honor me with this call?” he said sarcastically.
• “I just called to tell you that YOU ARE A FUCKIN DEAD MAN Giovanni, you crossed the fuckin line.” I snarled.
• “Easy boy, did you forget who I’m?” he shouted.
• I chuckled humorlessly, “Oh I know who you are alright; you are a dead man talking.”
• I crashed the phone with my fist and breathed hard, trying to control my anger by taking harsh breaths. I stood up and faced my men, smirking darkly.
• “We are on a hunt boys, be ready.”
• They smirked back and bowed their heads; I faced my brother and my right hand.
• “I’m going to get some rest, Michael. You need to be extra careful now. When you go to the hospital, take a couple of men with you..... “ he tried to cut me off, but I glared at him.
• “It’s an order, Michael.” I growled harshly.
• “Yes sir, I’m sorry.”
• “Leonidas, gather the men and check the mansion security, then call the other branches and tell them to wait for my new orders, we gonna have a family meeting soon.”
• I heard Leo’s reply while I was on my way to the elevator to go to my apartment.
• After taking a shower and wearing sweatpants, I slept on the bed and closed my eyes, my mind still repeating the events of the day for the millionth time, but all I could see were big sky blue doe eyes and a warm smile.
• That was the last memory I saw before drifting to deep sleep.