Chapter 43: Chapter 43

KIAN

Sitting in the car, I speed down the highway on my way to Las Vegas. I keep thinking about Estrela. It was the right decision not to take her. I don't trust my half sister. If she is up to something planned by her father, it will not be safe for Estrela. For none of us. In that sense, I'm probably driving to my own death right now. The evidence we're supposed to show Heaven about what her father did doesn't say that she's going to "help" us. And I have no idea how she brainwashed Gabriel into believing her more about that.

"Mr. Warren", I am greeted down in the Dark Palace. It's mid-morning, so it's quiet in the club. My entire body tenses as I enter the room where Heaven and Gabe are sitting. My gray eyes meet her blue-grey ones.

"There's my little brother," she grins at me. For the fact that I'm about to show her evidence of how her father killed her mother, she's still good at cracking jokes. But she will soon forget that. I don't reply and turn to Gabriel, who is sitting calmly at the head of the table and looking at me.

"Where's Torros?" I ask him. I keep looking at Heaven because I'm afraid she's going to do something stupid at any moment.

"He'll be right there." He looks at his silver watch and his gaze wanders to Heaven. He leans forward and looks at her with his head tilted to one side. I frown at his demeanor.

"Have you guys fucked each other?" I say out loud what was just going through my head. At least that would explain why Gabe is looking at her with such interest.

"You don't get in bed with the enemy. Do you?" Gabe grins at her. His eyes light up aggressively as he looks at Heaven, who gives him a fake smile.

"Hm... that would be exciting. Just imagine; angry, murderous sex would ensue," she grins back. I'm about to puke on the floor.

"I see you get along really well. I might as well leave so you can get to know each other. Hey?" I bring out sarcastically.

"No need, brother," she says. I walk up to her and look at her suspiciously.

"What are you playing here?" She looks up at me questioningly.

"I'm not playing, Kian. I want proof. I want conscience. I want an end to all this..." Her words sound sincere. But it can just as well be faked.

"Where's Costello? Does he know you're here?" She shakes her head. "Why should I believe you?"

"He would never let me go to you guys without protection. You can kill me right now, Kian... He doesn't have the faintest idea I'm with you. But the more time we waste, the sooner he'll realize I'm gone. And you don't want him making a rush to the Dark Palace." I clench my teeth and let her words run through my head again.

"You're not the person I want to kill," I say coldly, looking over at Gabe, who has been following our conversation in silence so far. "You believe that shit?"

"She is our only chance to destroy Costello." I growl in response.

"That's not true ..."

"It would be the only one without having to shed a lot of blood," Heaven replies.

"It must be a joke," I blurt out.

"Show me the evidence and if it's true, I'll take you to him..." she says in all seriousness. "And then you can do whatever you want with him, Kian."

"Under whatever I want also means kill?" A faint nod follows. "Why?" I ask her.

"Because he messed up my life. I grew up surrounded by drugs, violence and death. A mother would never have allowed that..." Her eyes gleam suspiciously and I'm surprised at the feelings she's openly showing; Vulnerability.

"Well, then you haven't met mine yet..." I say bitterly. "My mother would have let me go with him if he still wanted me. But he didn't and I'm glad he did, otherwise I might be sitting here like you."

"I don't know your mother, Kian. And I didn't know mine. It wasn't easy for either of us. We weren't lucky with families. But if you could just trust me, we'll make it through."

"And after that you're like, we are going to be a happy family?!" I laugh.

"No. After that I will disappear and you will never see me again." She looks at me intently before her gaze wanders to Gabriel, who studies her thoughtfully.

Julien, finally appearing through the door, breaks through the awkward silence that was just about to spread. "Finally," I say, looking annoyed at the DEA guy.

"Hello everybody." He ignores my comment and looks at Gabriel, who greets him with a nod. "The evidence." Julien throws files and envelopes on the table in front of us and looks at Heaven, who is staring at the things on the table, frozen.

"Shall we start?" Gabriel asks her. She clears her throat and nods.

"It won't be nice what I'm about to present," says Julien to Heaven. True, I had already seen her.

"B-before you show it, I want to know... w-where you got this evidence from." She looks at Julien.

"This is information that was peddled. We assume that your father distributed bribes so that the files remain locked and nobody can get their hands on them," he explains. "I'll admit, it wasn't easy to get and I had to break rules I have as a DEA agent to get them. Well, your father thought they were safe. But there are vulnerabilities - in every system ." I can feel Heaven shaking.

"Okay. Let's get started," she says quietly.

"Here are the files, there are a few details in them. But the photos are the decisive factor." Her hand shakes so badly when she tries to reach for it. When I can't bear to look at this any longer, I open the file and lay it in front of her. Gabriel, Julien and I patiently wait for her to read through everything.

"Three shots in her chest. One of them in the middle of her heart. Bruises on her wrist and strangulation marks on her neck," she reads out loud, her voice shaking.

"Now the photos?" Julien asks cautiously.

"II..." she starts and stops. She takes a deep breath, then nods. Julien lays out each picture individually on the table. With every picture that comes along, her face pales and the tears make their way down her cheeks. "That's my mother..." she says softly. Her hand runs over a picture of her mother lying on the floor; a pool of blood on the floor, wrists dyed blue purple and the chokeholds on the neck. Three bullet holes in her chest, she is completely naked. What sick shit! Costello said he loved that woman. But how can he do that to her? "I recognize a symbol of my father in her. He always does that when he kills one of his victims, who were a big challenge." She points to her mother's hand, on which the index and ring fingers are crossed, to either side. "Only he does it," she whispers softly.

"That makes you think it was him?" I ask her indecisively.

"Do you want to show me something else, Kian?" she asks. Her voice is suddenly completely emotionless.

"Yes. Your father's words," I say. "This is a recording of me having a conversation with him at the motel. He admitted it." The bug that Julien and Gabriel used to track me down to the motel had a small microphone. The technology these days is awesome. I have a laptop brought to me and open the file in which the recording was saved. I'm just playing the one scene that will prove it all.

"No! It wasn't planned. Heaven is from a woman I really loved, but that bitch betrayed me to the DEA! ... That whore was lucky that the DEA didn't catch me after all , otherwise I would have killed her before that with my child in her stomach!" – Domenico Costello's words to me at the motel. Heaven stares anxiously at the table. Her breathing quickens and she looks like she's about to have a panic attack. She looks up and he meets mine. Disappointment and anger can be read in their facial expressions.

"Kill him, Kian!" She says this hatefully. I look at her, then at Gabriel, who looks at her with an almost worried look that I've never seen him look like before. I feel a little compassion too. After all, it's not her fault that her father is a sick wanker. "I...I need a moment to myself now," she might ask us all to leave the room. We three men look at each other and wonder if that would be such a good idea.

"Okay..." Julien is the first to say, looking at Gabe and me expectantly. With a deep sigh, Gabriel rises.

"I'm not so sure if we..." I start. A loud sob sounds and I stop. Heaven has buried her hands in front of her face and is crying. Apparently she couldn't hold it back anymore. The three of us are now standing in the room, overwhelmed, while my half-sister cries. Gabe shrugs, looks at me and nods at her.

"What?" I ask him.

"You're her half brother..."

"So? Is it my job to comfort her then? I don't even really know her. Who knows what's going on in her head and what will happen if I approach her now. She'll probably kick my balls," I say quietly. Besides, I just want to hold one woman in my arms and that is and will always be Estrela.

"You are such idiots!", Torros snorts and approaches the sobbing Heaven. He puts his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezes it. Heaven looks up and actually gives him a faint smile.

"I think she means it," says Gabriel while looking at Julien and Heaven. I'm surprised at his words. Gabriel is actually a person who doesn't trust others that easily. He also has such a good knowledge of human nature that it's almost creepy.

"Whatever. I'm going to kill Costello."

Gabriel nods, pats me on the shoulder and says firmly: "We will."

"So what's the plan now?" I ask Heaven seriously. She's more or less calmed down. And my sympathy is almost gone. she looks up to me Her eyes are red from crying.

"I'll take you to him and smuggle you in. I'll give you the opportunity to kill him so that he doesn't see it coming and he's at your mercy. The only thing you have to do is trust me and approach me If you don't, you're the one who dies..." I pull my fingers through my hair tensely.

"Trust you? Follow what you tell me? That doesn't sound like a plan to me, it sounds like a trap." Heaven narrows his eyes. She gets up, comes around the wide table and stands in front of me. I tower over her by a few centimetres, which is why she raises her chin.

She looks me in the eye "If you do nothing, Kian, you will die. If you make war with him, you will die! If you come with me and do not do what I tell you, you will die and yours Friends afterwards too. But if you listen to me, you have a great chance of surviving and killing him!" Your words are an announcement. She's right about a few things. If I really don't do anything, Costello could catch us off guard. When we go to war, we cannot get out without spilling blood and leaving many casualties. If I go alone with Heaven - risk walking into a trap, only my life is in danger. Callahan could still fight back. He could protect my girl! It's my only way of getting closer to him if I go with Heaven and do this

"Good. Then take me to him.", I say determined.

"You'll listen to me the whole way! Do you understand me? If not, you're not the only one stuck, Kian. I'll take a risk too if they see me taking you to him!" I nod.

"Okay. I'll do whatever you say... So what's the plan now?"

We don't have much time to discuss the plan as Heaven can no longer stay away from where Costello is staying. What I have now is an almost blind plan that I will execute with Heaven tomorrow. And a single address where I meet her. I'd be lying if I didn't say that practically putting my life in their hands is risky.

I tangle my hands in my hair and hang my head as I order a drink from the DP at the bar. Fuck. How am I supposed to explain this to Estrela? She would never let me go alone with her. Especially not when I tell her that I'm not even sure if I'll ever come out alive again tomorrow. Even if Heaven is telling the truth, things could go wrong. Costello could figure it out. Things could get worse... I slurp down the shot at Ex that the bartender hands me. Enjoy the burning sensation of the liquid flowing down my throat. But I have no other choice. I have to go through with this!