IDRIS

Idris is in his underground chamber this time. He's seated on a wooden chair, arms rested on the top, legs crossed. The air is thickened with the wisps of smoke from his cigar, but is even more so soiled by the waves of screams and pleas from the captive present.

Idris sits there and witnesses the torture. This victim's crimes against the family aren't quite clear to him, but has anything else in his life been clear? Not for the longest time, they haven't. Even in this moment, he thinks of Josi. He thinks about their last scene together, how he'd been close enough to indulge in her scent. How he'd been close enough to kiss her.

In a different reality, he could have that kiss. Not in this one. In this one, he's the villain. In this one, Josi despises him. And he realizes he may not be too against that idea, which is why in this imperfect reality he still has comfort. Because Josi and that wretched ex-boyfriend of hers are separated.

Still, he wonders if things would have been different if her ex-boyfriend were never a factor. If he never made Josi's life a living hell. Would she have accepted him as is? Would she have been intimidated still?

Idris finds there's no use brooding over what ifs. What's done is done. He will deal with the circumstances, no matter how unclear the future may be. He will keep Josi by his side and remain the selfish bastard he is.

Once again the scream pulls Idris away from the images of Josi in his head, and he realizes he's just about had enough of the interruption. He squashes out his cigar, claps his hands twice, then leaves his men to put an end to the captive's life.

Next on Idris's agenda is a family meeting. He heads for the conference room where the rest of the members are: his Underboss, the three capos, and even his Consigliere who spends more time privately in his own world.

The first to act is the Underboss, Ramsey, whose hair seems to have thinned out from the last time Idris saw him. Perhaps thirty-six isn't a questionable age for hair loss. Perhaps it is. But it wasn't the matter of good genes that influenced Idris's decision in appointing him as Underboss.

Ramsey makes a photo of a man appear on the giant screen up front. He's high on the Verdonni family's hit list - the leader of the Toulour family, their rival. The man has a mustache which has been trimmed, with black sunken eyes that are hollow, yet sharp from the years of life weighing on him.

A French native who now has the Verdonni family as a cross to bear. Perhaps one day the feud between the families will diffuse. But that day, Idris knows, is far to come.

Idris sighs. "I don't feel like looking at Napoleon today." He mutters to himself.

"Ferdinand was recently spotted with Antonio Ziegler, the arms dealer we've been trying to get an exclusive deal with." One capo, Six, says, his thickened Boston accent rings with every word.

Meanwhile the other capo, Five, has a few issues with this turn of events. He's a pudgy man in his forties, with a mouth as filthy as a garbage bin. He hurls out some curses in Italian. "I told you all we should have killed Ziegler when we had the chance."

"We kill him and we go against all his other partners." Says Seven, a spanish lilt to his voice. He's the only one with a glass of liquor, which doesn't surprise Idris. It would seem even more bizarre otherwise.

Rand, the consigliere, is the most patient with the news. He sits with medium length hair and a left eye that was lost to some conflict years ago. Now he's sixty-two with an eyepatch, still in that same vicious world.

"What's done is done." Rand tells the men. "We get our supply somewhere else."

Idris knows he's right, but it's the frustration of seeing his enemy win that boggles him. He will find a different route with the men present. They are all from the days of his late father, with the exception of his Underboss. He needs their smarts and experience.

The direction steers into some matter regarding a fugitive who attempted to flee with a bag of stolen cash. The news states he's been captured, but met an end quite barbaric.

Five brings out a duffel bag and throws it on the table. "We were able to retrieve the money from Bassel. Although, it did come at a price."

"Open it." Ramsey instructs.

Five does exactly so. The expected amount fills the bag to the brim, to the point where it almost spills.

"And now, the price." Five continues.

Six takes this one. He brings out a paper bag that has been stained a very dark red and places it on the table for everyone present to see. Not much uncertainty about the content inside.

"The rest of the body?" Idris asks.

"Shark food." Six tells him.

This seems to satisfy everyone. Then the door flies open with a guest neither men knew they would receive. Josi comes in with a purpose, but slows down when she sees the entourage around the room.

She even gives them all a smile, as though they were colleagues of hers. "Hello."

Rand is first to react, except his reaction is nothing more than a doubtful look to Idris. Meanwhile, the confusion of Josi's presence keeps the rest occupied.

Idris, now more than bemused, grabs Josi's wrist and leads her out the conference room. He lets her go only when they're down the hallway and away from his colleagues.

Idris cups the bridge of his nose with eyes closed. "For fuck's sake, Cade."

"I didn't know you had guests." Josi tells him. She buries the matter and moves on to the next affair, the thing that brought her to the conference room in the first place. "Staying cooked up in this house is enough to make a normal human go crazy, Idris. Take me out."

It takes all of Idris's strength to keep himself checked into reality. He thinks he can't have heard her right, that his feelings for her are playing tricks on him. He can't even offer a reply.

Josi takes his silence for submission. "Great. You can find me after your tea party's over." She takes her leave and eventually disappears after a corner turn.

Idris doesn't return to his meeting. He doesn't move, doesn't think much. He stands there and lets the newfound triumph fill him up. Josi wants him to take her out. She wants to be with him. It matters little if she actually enjoys his company - just that she's willing to spend time with him.

Idris inhales, and with his exhale goes a bite of his worry. He checks the time on his watch, then catches himself in the act and frowns. He's already prepared for the outing with Josi.

~《¤》~

JOSI

The place Josi chose to drag Idris to is a high-end boutique. Now he tails behind her with a couple of his men, all while she eyes the racks of clothes.

The truth of the matter is Josi doesn't need any wardrobe update. The goal here is to plant a seed in Idris's head. She wants him wondering why the sight of him doesn't make her recoil, why she's willing to put up with his presence. Curiosity is her partner in crime. She wants Idris puzzled. She wants him thinking she may not hate him as much as he'd thought.

"I like this one." Josi holds a red dress up to her body, sizes it up in the mirror, then shows it to Idris. "What do you think?"

Idris just stares at her, his face dull. He has become her personal assistant.

Josi simply smiles. "I'll take it." She tosses the dress to him and moves on to the next rack.

Idris eyes the dress and frowns. This is proving to be a day out for Josi only. He's nothing but a guest. He throws the dress to a guard behind him and continues on after her.

They go on like this until Josi decides she's had enough. Idris's guards are tasked with carrying shopping bags, a job they never signed up for. Josi, who now walks besides Idris, turns to him with a smile. "Thanks for paying."

Idris stares at her, then sighs and quickly looks away. Once again, Josi smiles.

The rest of their outing consists of a walk around the city and a visit to a sky deck which attraction stems around its sole construction of glass. They make it to the summit and join the rest of the population in admiring the view. Josi is the most thrilled to be there. She peers through the glass window and into the depth of the city, marveling in its intricacy. They're so high up, she can barely even make out the streets.

The sun hits the city from the best sides, emitting kaleidoscopic lights that blind Josi in the process. She refuses to look away and keeps her eyes towards the horizon, processing the sector where the sun and the clouds meet. Josi smiles in spite of her current circumstances. The sight is worth cherishing.

Meanwhile, Idris is more captured by the smile Josi gives than he has been with anything lately. His heart flips and even skips a beat as he's reminded yet again of how much his desire for Josi burns.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Idris thinks the question over. "No."

"A shame. I think everyone deserves to experience it at least once."

Everyone except Idris, that is. But Josi refrains from telling him so. Let him drown himself in his feelings for her. Let him purge himself with her existence. But a daunting fact Idris will later come to find is that love is only easy on those who deserve it. Such as in Josi's case. She had it. And she lost it.

The group leaves only when Josi decides she's satisfied. They join the rest of civilization on the ground, but make no further advancement due to Josi's sudden life threatening issue.

"I need to use the restroom."

Idris frowns, except this one seems more weary than the rest so far.

"I can't control my bladder." Josi tells him.

Idris excuses her, because he knows Josi won't run - not when there are other pieces on the chess board which she holds dear. And there's the new cell phone he gave her. The perfect tracking and listening device.

Josi makes it back into the same building for the restroom. The crowd inside seems to have grown since their visit. She maneuvers her way through in search of her destination, but runs into a stranger who seems almost as hasty as she is.

"Sorry-" Josi starts, but pauses when she realizes the stranger is no stranger at all.

Of all the scenarios Josi pictured of a heartfelt reunion, this one is the most unthinkable of them all. She stares right at Bradley, at his eyes that seem to have expanded as much as hers, and remains suspended in a stagnant state of shock.

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