• This chapter is dedicated to GlenDeniz3 I've been searching overseas, turns out you're all I need. Only one that is this sweet to tease •

Third day and there was still no sign of Althea. Since Zeke's talk with Sergio yesterday evening, nothing out of the ordinary or apocalyptic had happened. No mafia members had burst into his room in the middle of the night to try to choke him in his sleep.

Or put a pillow in front his face to silence the gun, the obvious choice for a murder weapon. Yes Zeke was getting rather good at hand combat with these training sessions but every mafia member had a gun on them at all times.

It would be rather ineffective to punch a gun to prevent from getting shot. Zeke could certainly try but physics already warned him of the outcome.

He was roaming the halls of the West Coast Mafia Manor. It was his day off from work and it seemed too quiet inside the large manor. Nobody really made a sound, everyone was like a silent ninja but today it was extra quiet.

Maybe they were all out on a job. A set of unpleasant images popped into Zeke's mind. Scenes from gory horror movies and bloody mafia movies. And finally Althea's bloodied and bruised knuckles came in front of Zeke's eyes. A shiver ran down his spine at what more might be dealt upon Althea's body.

More scars like those across her abdomen, an annoying part of Zeke's mind chipped in.

Zeke shook his head of all thoughts about Althea. The well being of his sister was a more pressing matter at the moment. It wouldn't be long before Sergio would come knocking on his door for some useful information.

Zeke could use his off day and the absence of the mafia members to his advantage to do a little reckon. He still hadn't decided what to feed Sergio, whether to really give vital information about Althea's organisation or just keep him at bay with useless blabber.

He didn't have any loyalties for Althea or the West Coast Mafia. Zeke could leak the blackmail material. But he didn't want to because it would benefit that no good of a man, bastard, Sergio.

And although when he thought about it, it should came easily to sell out the West Coast, it really wasn't as Zeke would imagine. They hadn't harmed him, had saved his life in fact and had given him a shelter!

There was also the Althea factor. An unpredictable factor that Zeke came to realise that disrupts all the signals and proper communication on his end.

He had his mind full about what to do but he'd ponder about all that again when he had found some valuable information.

Zeke made his way upstairs to the second floor. So far, there were no mafia members clad in black appearing out of no where. He made his way to Althea's office. Surely there would be paperworks that talk about some transactions or deals going down.

He had never bothered to ask or wonder what West Coast dealt with in their spare time but Zeke imagined it was drugs and what not. Sergio was dealing with prostitution and drugs so it made sense that their rivals were in the exact same line of business.

Thinking about how Althea is the leader of a drug dealing mafia just seemed to be more upsetting by the second. Zeke was more feel and then think kinda guy and he didn't know what he really thought her occupation would equal to. She had been forward about her occupation and the mafia she was running right from the beginning. It wasn't her fault that Zeke was a knuckle-head.

He just hadn't bothered to think past it. Or more like didn't want to. But not questioning it doesn't make it go away. Althea dealed in illegal business and that was a fact.

As Zeke turned the corner into the corridor that lead to Althea's office, adrenaline levels spiked up in his veins. The usual body guards that stood watch in front of her office doors were no where in sight.

He made his way to the double doors that were made out of dark wood. Reaching out his hand, Zeke grabbed the brass handle and turned it.

The wood groaned, the metal clacked but the doors did not give way.

Locked.

Great there goes my reckon, Zeke thought. He could try to force it open but, Althea would figure out there had been an intruder in her office then. And Zeke didn't know how to pick locks so unlocking it without leaving a trace was not a possibility.

Zeke turned away and made his way to the ground floor where the kitchen was located. Maybe mixing up a batter in the kitchen should be the only thing he should stick to today.

As he was walking down the corridor towards the kitchen, he passed that dark staircase that was familiar to him. Zeke had walked pass it a couple of times now.

The stairs that Derek had warned Zeke to not go unless he was looking for trouble.

Well trouble had already found Zeke when he had set foot in this mansion so why not dig around some more?

With a death wish, Zeke descended the stairs to the basement.

On the bottom there was a metal door that seemed like would do a good job at preventing any sounds from escaping. Like a scream coming from the next victim of the West Coast Mafia. Or the smell of rotting corpses from reaching the upper levels of the mansion.

Zeke hated his own mind sometimes.

As he reached towards the handle to open the heavy door, he was almost certainly expecting it to be locked and stopped short when the door screeched open.

He hadn't thought this far in his action plan. Could there be surveillance cameras inside the mansion that recorded Zeke's every movement? If there was, he would end up in this very same basement he was trying to get in in a couple of days. But to be tortured not as a tourist like this time around.

Taking a deep breath he widened the doorway and stepped into the darkness. There was a long corridor again and three single yellow light bulbs illuminated his path.

The second one kept flickering and buzzing and it made his eyes water in annoyance as he looked directly at it.

Zeke could see three doors that lined the walls. One on the left wall, one on the right and one directly at the end of the hall. He walked over quietly to the first one and opened the door on the right.

The room was dark but after searching the wall beside him for a second, Zeke found the light switch and the vast room was once again lightened up with that annoying yellow light bulb.

This room was relatively empty except there was one chair in the middle of the room. Then there was a metal cabinet on the corner that seemed to be a medical emergency kit? He wasn't sure.

Turning off the light, Zeke closed the door and went for the door on the left. He tried turning the knob but it was locked so all attempts to open it was futile.

Turning towards the last door on the end of the hall, all hairs on Zeke's neck rose up in attention. Something about this door and what was behind it was not going to be good, Zeke could feel it.

He walked closer to it. This felt so wrong, like there would be no turning back if he proceeded to open this door.

Zeke placed his hand on the handle.

Took a deep breath.

He really had a death wish.

And turned it open.

As soon as the door had cracked the tiniest of bits and the part of the dark room was revealed, a shiny object whooshed across the air and wedged itself on the wood right beside Zeke's head.

His eyes widened as he took in the sharp throwing knife that had been thrown at him at lightning speed and had missed him by a measly couple of centimetres.

"What are you doing here pretty face?"

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Oo so Althea is finally reappearing eh?

How are you people? How is life? I've been busy sorry and sadly a thing called writer's block exists.

Tell me what you think about this chapter and what you want to see in the upcoming chapters.

The song is called 'Lo Air' by Dead Poet Society.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Blake
💙