Aria's POV.
"Queen, there's a problem." Ivan said, his voice dripping with a sound of urgency.
"What is it?" I asked, taking another drag of my cigarette as I stared out the window.
"We have captured the wrong culprit." He declared, his voice trembling from what I assumed to be fear.
My heart skipped a beat as my eyes widened in surprise. I rose up from the chair, grabbing Ivan by the collars.
"Are you trying to say I made a mistake?" I questioned, exhaling the contents of my cigarette directly into his face.
He frowned as he shook his head from side to side, "No, the queen never makes mistakes. There has just been a little mix up."
I let go of his collar with a small push, as I walked around my study room, my hands grazing over the books arranged.
"I'm listening."
"Luca Chavez is a twin, queen. After you asked us to search around if there was anyone else with the tattoo, we discovered another person." Ivan explained.
This was shocking, I couldn't believe it. I made my research long enough, how did I not find out about this?
"Is he in the city?" I asked.
"Yes ma'am. He's currently in Velmora." Ivan replied.
I nodded subtly, "Get the car ready. We leave for Velmora in twenty minutes."
Ivan left the study room, leaving me to myself.
My hands curled around the windowsill, trembling internally from the thought that I had been punishing the wrong person.
Fuck this.
I had wronged Luca, but I didn't feel the need to apologize. Father said mafias don't say sorry so I didn't feel remorseful.
However, I felt the need to correct my mistakes. The least I could do now is free him while I go on to search for the real killer.
As if on cue, my phone vibrated in my on the table. I strolled back to pick it up and my nerves quickened seeing that it was a call from my father.
"Hi Don," I said, remembering his order to never address him as dad.
"Good job with capturing the killer, little one. Don is proud of you," his cracked, cold voice came from the other end.
I crushed the cigarette in my hand, the heat burning my palm but I endured the pain. As I didn't know how else to react knowing that I had failed my father.
"I'm releasing the captive, Don."
"What?!" He thundered through the phone, making me shudder but I stayed calm.
"Not to worry, it's part of my plan to torture him. I'd free him and get him killed in a staged accident. That way, there'd be no traces leading to me." I explained, hoping that he bought the lie.
The last thing I wanted was to involve him in a mission he assigned to me since I was sixteen. This was my own mess, and I was going to handle it on my own.
A slow hum came from my father, as if disgesting every word I uttered.
"Don't make any mistakes, child. You know how much I hate mistakes don't you?" His question reminded me of the time he slit my hand after I refused to shoot a man.
I nodded, "Yes Don. I'd make no mistakes."
The call ended and I dashed out of the apartment–with a burning desire to find the real killer and let hell loose on him.
"Zack," I called out to one of my men.
"Yes queen," he emerged from the passageway, meeting me as I walked out of the mansion.
"Tighten the security around the dungeon, Luca must not escape." I called as I walked out.
Although he was the wrong captive, I was not yet ready to let him go—not until I found the real killer. Because there were chances of this being a silly game.
The breeze washed over my face as the car sped through the road, headed for Velmora.
After what seemed like hours, we arrived at Velmora.
The city seemed abandoned—the streetlights broken and bent, the houses looking dusty and the streets empty. There was barely any human around.
"Are you sure we're at the right place?" I turned to Ivan as I adjusted the shades I was putting on.
He nodded curtly, "Yes ma'am, his location is G's warehouse."
Following Ivan's declaration, we drove further into the city, my eyes scanning the area of dry trees and some wild cats and racoons running around.
Compared to the dry city, the warehouse looked like it was newly built.
I plopped out of the vehicle, headed for the warehouse. I noticed footsteps from behind me, and I halted.
"I'm going alone." I stated, pulling out my pistol from my back pocket.
As I got closer to the warehouse, I spotted a familiar white vehicle. It looked exactly like my dad's, but I knew my father was currently at Callaveri, he didn't have business here.
I focused on the warehouse door, my heart's thud being the only audible sound in my ears.
As I swallowed hard on the lump that formed in my throat, I walked into the warehouse. My fingers tightened around my pistol's trigger.
My eyes spotted a muscular man under a dim light, and I noticed the red owl tattoo on his arm.
So it was true. Luca indeed had a twin. But where was he when I was gathering this whole time?
Shock soon twisted my insides when the man's face came into light and it turned out to be my father.