Chapter 37: Chapter 37

ESTRELA

Without even thinking about what I'm doing, I pull the trigger. But nothing happens other than a click from the gun. Domenico bursts out laughing. Matt exhales. And I, I'm shocked at myself for even pulling the trigger.

"Did you really think I'd put a loaded gun in your hand, Belezza?" Costello grins, looking at me maliciously. My gaze wanders to Matt, who looks both scared and relieved at the same time. Tiago, on the other hand, is tense and now has his gun trained on me. And his is loaded for sure. "No, I won't make it that easy for you," he says and takes the gun from my hand. "To be honest, I expected you to turn the gun on me. But that you'd pull the trigger as well... Well, I'm surprised, Belezza." He ruffles your dark hair and his gray eyes flash aggressively. "But why not your ex-boyfriend? One who abused you. A rapist... Are you just going to let him get away with it?"

"No. He belongs in jail!" I reply softly.

"In jail?" he laughs. "In my world we do things like this differently," he continues more seriously, coldly. He pulls out his gun again and shoves several rounds into it, then loads it and aims it at Matt, not taking his eyes off me. My heart is beating so wildly in my chest I'm afraid it's about to burst. "That's how we solve things!" A loud bang then sounds in the room. And I have to cover my ears because the small room echoes the sound. I don't dare to open my eyes. I'm scared to see that he really did it. That he really just...shot Matt. Right in front of me and without batting an eyelid. The blood is pounding in my ears so much that I can hardly understand the next words. "I hope you learn from this action,

"No..." I sob. I feel nauseous and my head is spinning until I lose consciousness, my last thoughts go to Kian and how much I would like to be with him now. How I would like him to tell me that everything will be fine. that he tells me; that this is all just a bad nightmare and that Costello didn't just shoot Matt in cold blood in front of me.

***

KIAN

I stare at the image in front of me for what feels like ten minutes to really make sure my eyes aren't mistaking what they're seeing. Or to determine that this picture is just a good edit. But Costello isn't one to fake something like that just to fool me. My gaze falls on her. As she lies there. Tied up in a bed so defenseless yet so strong. And in front of that is this asshole. Matthew! I can't explain how they managed to get him. But that's unimportant now. I don't have time to think about it anymore, even though it's driving me insane to know that Matthew is with her that motherfucker who hurt her. I'm out of time. I must finally act. I have to do it!

"Shit!" I yell, throwing down everything on the table in front of me. A glass and a lamp shatter. But I do not care. Involuntarily, Gabriel's words echo in my head. "If the little one means something to you, stay away from her. It's the only way to protect her from the horror. We weren't made to love someone because we'd put them in danger." Did he already suspect it? Fuck! He is right in what he said back then. It's true, Estrela is in danger because of me. If I hadn't fallen in love with her, Costello wouldn't be able to use her as leverage against me. Certainly he would have found other means, but it would not have been Estrela now. Not her - not the woman I love. But as much as I want to undo it all I don't regret falling in love with her. My only regret is that I didn't notice the signs sooner. I've been tailed by Costello for months and I never noticed anything. The only signs were when my mother said he was here. Shit! But I didn't believe my mother. I thought she was lying because she always has. If I could believe here, it would never have come to this and I could have stopped him before that. But it's too late. And now I'm in the middle of it. And Costello has the woman I love more than anything in the world. I grab my cell phone and dial the number behind it in the picture. that I didn't notice the signs sooner. I've been tailed by Costello for months and I never noticed anything. The only signs were when my mother said he was here.

"We need to talk ... "

***

Costello's men are picking me up the next day. They controlled me from top to bottom. Destroyed my phone before I got in the black van with them. That prevents me from seeing where it's going.

An old and abandoned motel in the middle of the Nevada pampas is Costello's arrival point and shitty hideout. Far and wide there is nothing else to see except this motel. The street also seems to have been eradicated.

"You do anything stupid and you'll be killed instantly!" growls one of his henchmen as we move toward the motel while a gun is thrust into my back to make me go ahead.

"I wouldn't do that. I don't know if your boss likes hearing that you shot his son," I say soberly. It's like acid in my mouth when I say the word son. He's the guy who squirted his seeds into my mom, but I'll never, never consider him a dad.

"Vamos . A little faster, Pendejo!" he growls behind me, noticing that my steps have slowed. We keep going until we come to a double door, which he opens. The fact that Estrela is probably here in this run-down motel calms and worries me at the same time. I am so close to her and yet so far away.

"El esta aqui, boss. He's here."

"Kian." He gets up when I enter a kind of lounge and his henchman closes the door behind us. "Did you recover well from your injury?" he grins. I stare at him without any emotion. He whips out a pack of cigarettes, lights one and offers me one too. I take one out and he gives me a light, then I push the smoke his way, blurring his face in front of me. Malice gleamed in his gray eyes. I've met many bad people. But Costello is one who really isn't to be trifled with. He leans against the edge of the table behind him, arms crossed, and looks at me expectantly. "Are you still going to do it?" he asks, indicating that I have to kill Gabriel.

"Why did you get her pregnant?" He raises his eyebrows, surprised at my discreet question.

"Didn't I already explain that to you," he replies, a little irritated.

"Yes, you wanted a successor. But since you were so strictly against a partner, you offered my mother - a prostitute - a lot of money to bear a child for you." My voice betrays no emotion. The only thing I feel deep hatred for is him.

"You repeat my words."

"I wonder why you never took me when my birth was just to have a successor for you. So why are you only showing up after 28 years? Why did you change your mind?"

"Plans just change." He looks at me with folded arms, then frowns. "You are wasting your very precious time as well as mine." I ignore his words.

"You already have a successor, don't you? That's why you never brought me in." He stubs out his cigarette on the wooden table and now looks at me angrily.

"So? Things happen and plans change. So don't piss me off by analyzing everything now. Get it, you were just a plan that changed. I don't give a fuck about you! I just want to one of you and that's killing Callahan. And if you don't, you know what happens to your little one." I clench my teeth to keep myself in control. His words are like a dagger in my chest and show me how unwanted I really am. That I was just a shitty plan for him and my mom didn't give a shit about me because all she wanted was the money. Not me. I was just an object to her that she wanted to pass on to this man.

"Why are you so obsessed that I should kill him? Why don't you do it yourself? After all, you already came into his club to get Matthew."

"Because every Costello has to kill a Callahan. Tradition is tradition and that's no joke. And since you're a Costello whether you like it or not, I expect you to do your duty. If not, I hunt a bullet in the pretty face of your great love."

"Are you fucking serious? I'm not a fucking Costello!" I choke out.

"I am your father. The name will accompany you to your grave. Everyone calls you Warren, but in you flows my blood - blood of a Costello."

"I don't give a fuck about blood relations!" Angry at my words, he clenches his fists.

"Kian! I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to break tradition. You have no choice. Kill Callahan. For the family!"

"So this is all because of some shitty tradition that nobody cares about but your sick brain?!" I growl.

"Don't you dare drag this thing into the mud!" His voice has grown menacingly quiet. "We've done it this way for generations and I won't let you break that tradition!" He grins devilishly. "You're not getting away, Kian."

"Oh yes. What about Heaven? Has she already killed a Callahan?" Now the corners of my mouth curl into a grin. I can tell he looks surprised, but he covers it up well.

"Where from?" he asks me and suddenly seems tense. I knew it. Costello is not without weaknesses. Everyone hides one, even those who pretend they don't have one. You just have to dig deep enough for her.

"Answer me oneis she also from a whore or maybe a surrogate you bribed?" Costello kills me with his eyes and I can see how much he wants to put a bullet in my head right now. He clenches his jaw and his eyes widen menacingly, then he comes towards me and wraps his hand around my neck, making me gasp. I want to fight back, but he pulls out his revolvers and presses them against my forehead and loads them.

"Heaven wasn't planned. It's from a woman I loved. But that bitch betrayed me to the DEA!" he spat. "That whore was lucky that the DEA didn't catch me, otherwise I would have killed her before that with my child in her stomach!" It just goes to show me what a monster he is. I wonder if his daughter has any idea that he was practically trying to kill her with her mother. "How did you find out?" His grip tightens, but I keep silent. "If you don't open your mouth right away and tell me how you found out about her, I'll go to your Belezza and torture her while you watch!"

"Heaven Costello is your daughter - my half-sister - and lives with you in Mexico. She will take over your drug cartel when you die," I blurt out. He lets go of me instantly and I rub my neck.

"Where did you get this information from?" he yells at me. Shots suddenly ring out from afar. Costello curses, quickly pulls out his gun and goes to the window to take a look outside. Then he points the gun at me as he seems to see what's going on. "You dare attack me," he roars. I stare into his eyes. "Your girlfriend is as good as dead, Kian!"

"Really? Then you'd better take a look outside first," I say coolly and much calmer than I really feel. As he does, that's the moment I see Costello fall. Not in the real sense, but I can see something inside him falling apart. Because there is one person in his life he loves. And we have.

GABRIEL

Two days earlier....

Julien Torros enters my office in his DEA Drug Enforcement Administration uniform. Behind him Viktor, who glares at his back angrily. "Gabriel Callahan..." he greets me, grinning and charming as he is. "Long time no see! What are you up to?" He laughs.

"Are you trying to scare my guests with your performance," I say, pointing to his uniform.

"Just got off work," he replies, before adding, "And couldn't wait to see you again!" We shake hands. Julien is holding mine longer than usual, which I only comment with raised eyebrows.

"And why are you still wearing your bulletproof vest? Don't you trust me, Torros?" I remark with a smile.

"Of course I do. As you trust me, so I trust you. But I don't trust anyone else in this room," he says, looking at my men who are looking at him critically. Yes, my men don't particularly like him. Which is solely because he's a cop. But Julien is one of my closest confidants. Even though I'm a mob boss and he works for the DEA, I know he has my back just as much as my men do.

"They won't hurt you, Julien. After all, they belong to me. You know that." I wink at him, eyeing him closely. I know he likes it when I take a closer look at him. And while Julien makes a handsome man with his dark brown hair, distinctive features and piercing green eyes, whatever he envisions between us will never come to pass. "Take a seat." I point to the chair across from me. Nodding, he sinks into the chair and looks around my office, taking in the furnishings and the paintings, until his green eyes are on me again and a grin spreads across his lips.

"Nice you have it here. I see your club is doing quite well. But can we perhaps talk again about the coke that your guests pull?" I laugh. He tries to look serious, but his eyes sparkle with amusement. Even if he works specifically to stop drugs, he turns a blind eye to me, so to speak. "So what's up?"

"Domenico Costello is in the country." Julien's eyes widen a bit. He knows Costello very well and is knowledgeable about his dealings since the DEA has been on his tail for a very long time.

"Costello is a tough case. He's been smuggling drugs into the States illegally for years..." Julien seems to think for a moment before continuing: "Ever since Costello's ex-wife testified with us, we've been after him and that for about 20 years and I've only been on the job for 8 years," explains Julien, leaning forward a little. I nod as I fill two glasses with bourbon and hand him one.

I take a long gulp before replying, "You'd be surprised to know that said Kian Warren is his son. We have an advantage."

"Warren? The boxer? The one who cleans for you?" I nod.

"Costello has his beloved girlfriend. And I suspect... no, I'm sure that Kian should kill me to save his little one," I explain. "I have a suggestion that will interest you and your team. We can make this a win-win, Julien. I'm sure you've never been this close to Costello. I know it's easier to catch him in the States , than in Mexico. So let's destroy Costello together," I tell him firmly. "Priority is given to Estrela Clark, who is holding Costello." Julien seems to think for a moment. I know the suggestion sounds far too tempting to refuse.

"What about this Kian? Is he involved in the plan? After all, he's supposed to kill you for his girlfriend's life."

"No, but soon. My men are about to get him. Kian is stubborn and thinks he can take it on himself. But as soon as we let him in on our plan, willy-nilly he'll have to go along with it." Julien nods and begins with the extremely interesting information he has about Costello.

***

KIAN

"I can walk on my own," I growl at Gabriel's henchman, who grabs my upper arm and practically pushes me ahead as we walk through the Dark Palace. His henchman leads me to Gabe's office. As I enter, I tense up and look at Gabriel, who is just getting up from his seat and coming towards me. He stands in front of me without saying anything. I stare straight into his blue eyes. I can't exactly interpret his gaze. Then his fist hits me with full force that I stagger a few steps backwards. I shake my head and spit the blood out of my mouth. Shit! The blow hit. "Harrison couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut," I say, bracing myself with my arms on my knees and squinting up at him.

"Yes indeed, asshole." He glares at me angrily. "So Kian, you were going to kill me?"

"I didn't have a choice, you bastard," I bark, wiping my blood-stained mouth with the back of my hand.

"You always have a choice," he says matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? You're not in this shitty situation! That asshole father is threatening to kill me Estrela if I don't kill you."

"Then you'll be happy if we get her back and destroy Costello in the process."

"And how do you want to do that?" I ask suspiciously. Gabriel steps away from me, looks at the guy I'm only now noticing. DEA embossed in yellow lettering on his jacket. What the hell? "Who is this?"

"Julien Torres from the DEA," he introduces himself and holds out his hand.

"I see that," I say and look at him critically, ignoring the hand he's holding out. Clearing his throat, he lowers it again and looks at Gabriel. "What are you up to with the DEA?" I ask Gabe, who grins and puts his hand on this Julien's shoulder.

"Julien Torros will help us destroy Costello." I cross my arms and look at that Julien Torres again. I didn't know Gabriel was involved with a cop. "Julien has information on Costello that I am sure you would be interested in."

"Well, let's shoot then," I say and look at the green-eyed one expectantly and take a seat on the sofa lounge behind me.

"Costello's ex-wife gave evidence to the police 20 years ago. She was pregnant by him at the time. It turned out to be a girl - she should be in her early 20s by now. Her name is Heaven Costello and she lives in Mexico, according to a source. With him. She's already in business herself. In fact, we suspect she'll take over the cartel."

"That means I also have a half-sister." I laugh in disbelief. "My family tree just keeps getting interesting," I murmur to myself.

"Yeah, looks like it."

"Was his ex-wife a whore too?" I ask bluntly, to which Julien gives me an odd look.

"Her name was Amanda Grand Costello and she was a district attorney."

"A lawyer," I laugh in disbelief at the irony. A drug lord and a lawyer, that's a great fit. "Wait? Was it? Is she already dead?" I remark.

"Yes, shortly after Heaven Costello was born, she passed away."

"It wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"No, we suspect Costello killed her for betraying him. Costello got away with it. Unfortunately."

"The fact that his daughter is still with him, I guess that she has no idea that Daddy killed her mother," suspects Gabriel.

"We think that's possible, too," replies the DEA guy. I grimace.

"That's good information, Julien. Do you have an exact location above Heaven Costello?" Gabriel asks.

"Well. It's not easy, Gabe. She's hard to find. Also, she's always accompanied. She's hard to get to," he explains.

"We have to get Heaven Costello. As soon as possible. And I don't give a shit how or who we have to kill for it!" I demand and look at Gabriel, who surprisingly agrees.

"And what are you going to do with her then? Torture her? You know I can't let that go, Gabriel. I'll let you get away with a lot but..."

"Look out, Gabe, the lawman is coming," I interrupt sarcastically, causing Julien to glare at me.

"She becomes our leverage," says Gabriel. "So nothing will happen to her as long as Costello follows everything. We make an exchange. Her for Estrela Clark." Now I'm becoming sensitive.

"But that wouldn't defeat Costello," Julien notes.

"Yeah, and that's where you and your team come in. We're going to find Costello and then I want several snipers around the area wherever he is. I want him to realize we're trying to finish him off." Snipers? The DEA as support is probably not that stupid after all.

"There's something we can do about that," Julien replies, examining Gabe closely. "You never fail to impress me, Gabriel." Julien licks his lips appreciatively and leans so close to Gabriel that I don't understand his next words. That gesture makes me frown.

"What's going on between you two?" I say as he pulls away from him again. "Are you guys fucking each other?" Gabriel's men start laughing, then fall silent as he glares at them angrily.

"No! For God's sake!" replies Gabe and laughs. "I'm definitely not from the other bank," he justifies himself.

"Yes, not yet," smiles Julien, which also makes me grin.

"Shut up, Torres! And let's get back to the original plan," he growls. "Viktor! Take care with 20 men to get our leverage."

***

Next day ...

"We need to talk..." I say as he picks up.

"I've been waiting for your call, Kian."

"What are you planning to do with Matthew?" I ask. "Why is he with you?"

"You don't have to worry about him anymore," he laughs.

"I want to see that she's okay. With my own eyes!" I suggest, hoping he bites. "You owe me that with this action of your ex-boyfriend!"

"First, I don't owe you anything, and second, Matthew is out of business."

"And why should I believe you? Where's the evidence for that?" I growl. Costello is silent for a while before answering.

"Okay, fine. Tomorrow my men will pick you up and bring you to me. Adiós!" With that he hangs up and I quickly dial Gabriel's number.

"Gabriel, you motherfucker! Why didn't you tell me they had Matthew!" We were just discussing the plan yesterday and he didn't mind telling me that Matthew is no longer in his cell.

"I knew you'd be upset, so I didn't tell you anything for now," he replies, like calm itself. Asshole!

"For now? Great! I got a picture sent where he can be seen with Estrela. Fuck! But it's probably over by now. I think Costello killed him," I blurt out before continuing more calmly : "I was just in contact with him by phone and was able to persuade him to meet him personally. Tomorrow his men will come and take me to him."

"Well, that saves us a lot of searching for him. I'll send Julien to you. He will explain the procedure to you."

Half an hour later, Julien Torros comes to my place and he doesn't waste any time, he starts right away. "Well, they'll probably take your phone from you, but we'll install a bug with GPS so we can track you and find the hiding place. We'll then arrive at location X 20 minutes after you arrive," he explains.

"Okay. Understood."

"Good."