The Start of an Era

Chapter 3

“Dude, do not look so depressed. We both knew that one day I would have to leave, as it was only a matter of time that the mafias would find out about me. It is just sad that Estelle had to do that sooner than we expected.” I looked at him with nothing but love in my eyes and he wrapped me tightly in his arms, holding me against his firm chest. All the men and even the women in the mafia were extremely muscular because of all the training, but Armand gave me comfort in his arms and all I wanted to do was cry, but I never let anyone see my emotions, not even my best friend.

After our little emotional spat, Armand told me that I could crash with him until I had a proper plan. He tried being the leader of his own mafia, but that did not go too well, so he ended up working for the Black Deltas, which was the most powerful and largest mafia in the world. They are led by Christian Gonzalez, who is, for security reasons, never seen by the public eye. Only the people who work with him in a close group and the leaders of the other mafias have seen him, which only increases the curiosity of the people in the mafia world.

“Well, babes, I am glad that I can protect you for once, since you are always the one who ends up protecting me.” He said, making me laugh. Sure, I protect him, but not in the way that everyone would think. It was stuff like him making a mistake with some of the numbers and then, of course, me fixing them even though I do not work for the Black Deltas. I had to protect him and, once, he decided to sell the supply for more than it was worth to make himself a little extra cash. I did not really care, as I never leave a trace in my work, so the mafias that I worked for never knew who did their books, but they all trusted me. I also protect him because I see him as a big brother. “Well, I really appreciate it.” I gave him a hug. We walked to the living room, deciding to watch a movie.

“What are we watching?” I asked as Armand sat down next to me, putting a blanket over us. “Avengers!” he said excitedly, which made me laugh at his childishness. “Great.” I said, equally excited as I loved superhero movies. It was November, which meant that it was getting cold in New York and I loved the cold as it always made me feel safe in a weird way. I cuddled into the blanket and put my feet on Armand’s lap. “Damn girl, your feet are freezing!” he exclaimed. He took my feet in his warm hands and rubbed them to warm up. Half way into the movie, I started feeling sleepy, so I got more comfortable and soon fell asleep.

I woke up early the next morning realizing that I was still on the sofa. What caught my attention was the fact that I was lying down on a sturdy chest. And there was a tight grip around my waist keeping me close to the person I was cuddling with. I looked up only to sigh in relief when I saw that it was Armand. We usually slept in the same bed all the time and I must admit it was quite comfortable. I snuggled into his side for a couple more minutes before getting up and starting to get ready. I took a quick shower and then put on my black skinny jeans and a black hoodie and white Adidas. I left a note for Armand because I know that he loves his sleep and only gets up at like noon. I took my laptop and decided to go down to the café down the street to do my work so that I did not bother Armand.

There were not a lot of people at the café because it was 5 in the morning. I always get up early so that I can get my work done early because life in the mafia world is unpredictable. And besides, I only had one mafia to go then I was done for the month. I took my usual seat at the huge windows which looked over the city and the view was spectacular. “Good morning Skylar. The usual?” the waiter asked. “Morning Jake. Yes please.” The people at this place knew me well as I had been coming here for a year almost every day. You might think that working out in the open on illegal business is risky, but I have created an app which makes my work look like I am working in an ancient language. I love working with tech and creating new apps and it has been that way ever since I first saw a PC. “Here you go.” Jake says, handing me my black coffee and a chocolate chip cookie which I did not expect. “And this?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Jake. “Oh girl you got an admirer.” He says wiggling his eyebrows making me laugh. “Who is this person?” I asked him and he came close to me to whisper in my ear. “Three o clock.” He said and then left. I looked in the direction and saw a very handsome man staring at me and I smiled at him, making him stand up and come over to me. Oh no, I do not want some guy only using me, but I kind of do not mind this one as he was just like…wow. He had a black pair of jeans on with a white t-shirt that hugged his upper body perfectly. He had brown hair and blond tips which looked extremely soft and I just wanted to run my fingers through his hair. He looked at me with his capturing green eyes and he had a smirk on his face. “Hi, I am Jace.” He held out his hand for me to shake and I did. My hands were so tiny compared to his and I noticed a tattoo on his wrist which at first looked like a normal line going around his wrist, but then I saw a cross on the inside of his hand. I like it. “Skylar. Nice to meet you and thank you for the cookie.” I gave him my prettiest smile and he smiled back with a quick no problem and sat down next to me. “So what is this pretty lady doing here all alone at this early hours?” he asked leaning his elbows on the table looking at me. “Well I am just admiring the great morning view.” I just looking out of the window. “My view is even more amazing.” He said looking at me which made me blush. “That was so cheezy.” I said making both of us laugh. “Well pretty lady it was amazing getting to meet you I gotta go but what you say we get together some time?” he asked. “Sure that sounds awesome.” I said and we exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes.