“Let the game begin, Antonio,” he said, chuckling darkly.

______

LION HELL CLAN*

It had been two bloody fûcking hours, and Maya, Crispy, nor the driver had arrived, leaving Antonio worried sick. He paced through his room, his hands tucked inside his pockets, trying to appear calm despite his growing concern.

“Where the fûck did they go?” he asked himself, just as the door creaked open and Drake stepped in.

“Have you found her?” Antonio asked, his voice laced with anxiety.

“No, Don… But there’s something strange,” Drake replied.

“There are only two bookstores in this estate, and they both reported that Maya didn’t even step inside. And there’s more, I found this nail on the route to the bookstore.” Drake showed Antonio the sharp-looking nail.

“How about the car?” Antonio asked, his mind racing.

“We didn’t see any car there,” Drake replied, and Antonio’s eyes narrowed.

“Since the bookstores said Maya wasn’t there, it means one thing – they were on their way to the bookstore when the kidnapper set a nail on the ground. When the tyre met the nail, it burst, and the car…” Antonio trailed off.

“The car… They possibly couldn’t move it. Either they took a trailer that lifted the car or repaired it and drove off with it,” Antonio concluded.

“Boss, what are we going to do now?” Drake asked, concern etched on his face.

“We’re going to track the car. Tell Vinegar and Hotdogg to get prepared,” Antonio ordered, his eyes blazing with determination as he walked out of his room.

✧✧✧✧

HELLFIRE MOB*

The van drove roughly into the clan’s grounds, and Hellfire stood rigidly in front of the empire, pipe in hand, waiting expectantly. As Antonio had predicted, the car Maya was in drove in, repaired, and Hellfire’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Which car is this?” Hellfire asked, his voice firm.

“This is the car they took, so I didn’t know what to do with it. I repaired it and brought it here. Her escort is also inside,” Scent explained.

“Did I tell you I needed her escort? You could have burned the car,” Hellfire said bluntly, his tone laced with disappointment.

“Sorry, boss, but that would have given them a hint that we kidnapped them,” Scent replied, bowing his head in apology.

“Where’s my prey?” Hellfire asked, his eyes gleaming with a sinister intent.

Scent walked to the van, opened the trunk, and revealed Maya’s unconscious form, her hair scattered across her face.

“Good. Tie her up, and her escort… I have to give my brother a call,” Hellfire muttered, his glare deadly.

Scent carried Maya inside the clan, leaving Hellfire to his sinister plans.

✧✧✧✧

LION HELL CLAN, COMPUTER LAB*

The news of Maya’s kidnapping had spread like wildfire through the clan, and Vinegar’s worried expression reflected the gravity of the situation. Just then, Antonio entered the lab, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the turmoil that brewed within.

“Use the car’s plate number to track its location,” Antonio instructed, his voice steady.

Vinegar’s hands flew across the keyboard, her fingers dancing with urgency. She was determined to do everything in her power to save Maya.

The system beeped, indicating a 90% match, just as Hellfire’s call came in. Antonio’s eyes narrowed as he answered, his gaze fixed on the unknown caller ID.

“How does it feel to search for your loved one, Antonio?” Hellfire’s mocking tone dripped with malice.

“I’ll spare you the trouble , I have her. And I’ll torture her until she begs for death. The only way to save her is for you to step down as Don and let me take over.”

Antonio’s fist clenched, his anger simmering.

“Fûcking tell me where she is, Ronald!”

Hellfire’s laughter sent a chill down Antonio’s spine.

“Good to hear you call me by my real name, brother. I have her, and I’ll make her suffer unless you surrender your position. I want to rule Italy, and I’ll stop at nothing.”

“Bullshit, Hellfire. I’ll save her, and you’ll pay for this.” Antonio’s response was firm.

The call ended, and Vinegar’s voice cut through the tension.

“I’ve found the location! It’s pinpointed on the map.”

Antonio rushed to the system, his mind racing with a plan

“Here’s what we’ll do…”

✧✧✧✧

HELLFIRE MOB*

Hellfire ended the call and turned to face Scent, who wore a concerned expression.

“What are we going to do, boss?” Scent asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

“Let’s just wait and see.” Hellfire’s response was nonchalant.

Scent’s eyes widened.

“Do you think he’ll step down?” he asked, his tone hopeful.

Hellfire’s expression turned thoughtful, and he puffed out a stream of smoke.

“He’s unpredictable,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.

✧✧✧✧

TWO HOURS LATER*

Antonio’s car screeched to a halt in front of Hellfire’s mob, and he inserted his bullet into the gun before getting down.

He decided to come alone, immediately his men sighted him, they began $h00ting their guns, but Antonio was faster.

He was holding two guns, so taking them down was that easy, and more kept coming, but Antonio kept $h00ting them.

The bullet case kept falling down like a flowing river, suddenly the bullet finished.

“$h|t.” He mumbled and brought out a dagger, slashing at each one of them that came his way.

He finished taking every one down and he rushed inside the mob, but no single one was there.

They escaped, and he came outside, that was when he noticed the ashes of the car.

They literally burned down the car.

“Darn.” He muttered.

✧✧✧✧

HELLFIRE NEW HIDEOUT*

Hellfire was sitting on the wooden chair, and he remembered the conversation he had with Scent.

________

“He’s unpredictable,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.

“The car… Antonio is smart, he might want to track down the car to get to us, since the car is from him.” Hellfire said.

“What are we going to do now?” Scent asked, his voice laced with concern.

Hellfire scoffed and looked at him, his expression disdainful.

“What do you mean, what are we going to do? Why are you so dumb, huh? It was your stupidity that caused this in the first place, and I’m very sure that Antonio would have tracked down this place by now. There’s no escape.”

“Sorry, boss,” Scent bowed, his head lowered in shame.

“You’re even making it worse,” Hellfire snapped.

“It feels like I should just plug your eyes out of their sockets. Now listen and listen very carefully… Burn down the car, and we’re changing locations.”

Scent nodded and went to do as he was told, his first task being to burn down the car.

______

He laughed when he finished reminiscing about what he had done, determined to outsmart himself this time around. He was going to make sure he got what he wanted.

“Oh, Antonio,” he said briskly, just as he received a call.

“Boss, your guess was right. He visited the mob and took down all the men,” Scent said over the phone, and Hellfire smirked, pleased with himself.

The call ended, and Hellfire walked over to the table, where a glass of wine awaited him. He sipped it slowly, savoring the taste.

✧✧✧✧

FIVE DAYS LATER, LION HELL CLAN*

It’s been good freaking five days, and Antonio still hasn’t found Hellfire’s new hideout. He did all he could, but he couldn’t find any fûcking trace of where Hellfire might have kept her.

He tried… He really fûcking tried to find out her location, but he didn’t know what Maya might be going through.

And within these five days, Antonio had turned back to his cold self,the devil he once was, he was cold-hearted, he would yell at trivial things and ki||ing anyone who dare to crossed him, he was even colder than before, his eyes had dark circles, and his hair was disheveled, he hadn’t been himself.

He hasn’t even slept for this past few days, and the thought of what Maya might be going through was messing with his head. She might not have eaten or taken a good sleep either…

He swore that if Hellfire dared to lay a single scratch on her, he would give him a gift worse than death. His death would surely be miserable, and his mind was currently racing with how he’s going to ki|| him.

Hellfire still hasn’t called him, weird, right? Drake suddenly entered.

“Any news about Maya?” he asked.

“No, Don. I brought your food,” Drake said.

“Leave,” Antonio mumbled.

“But…”

“Just fûcking get the hell out!” Antonio shouted, and Drake walked out.

✧✧✧✧

Drake came out of the boss’s suite and met the whole mobster looking at him.

“How’s the boss now?” Pussycat asked.

“He won’t eat, I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” Drake replied.

“It’s getting out of control now,” Vinegar muttered.

Skylar didn’t say anything, but within her mind, she was smiling hard. She was happy that the whole deal happened and was badly wishing that Maya would never be found. Maybe she would be able to have Antonio all to herself, it would just be a matter of time.

“But she’s a cop, right? She should be able to save herself,” Max said.

“That’s the thing… We don’t know what she’s going through, and where Hellfire might be is probably really secluded. Why haven’t we found his location all this while? It’s literally driving me crazy,” Drake mumbled.

“I miss my friend, Crispy,” Speedy uttered, and everyone faced her.

“You’re acting like it’s only you who misses her and only you who wants her back,” Pussycat rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I wasn’t talking to you, boyfriend snatcher,” Speedy said.

“Call me that again, and I’ll ki|| you… She’s acting like she’s the only one who has a boyfriend, obsession freak… I don’t even know if she trusts her boyfriend,” Pussycat said.

“Hey!” Speedy yelled.

“This really isn’t the right time to fight, you know,” Drake said.

“Tell her that… Because she started it,” Pussycat mumbled and walked out. Rocco followed her from behind. Speedy hissed and walked out too. Max just groaned where he was.

✧✧✧✧

Antonio came out of his suite, guns in his hand, and was about to enter his car when Drake rushed to him.

“Don, where are you heading to?” Drake asked, concern etched on his face.

“To find Maya, isn’t it obvious,” Antonio muttered, his eyes fixed on the ground.

“Have you found out the location where she might be?” Drake asked, trying to reason with him.

“No… You literally don’t expect me to sit idle, do you? I’m going to search for her until I find her. Maya needs me,” Antonio said, his voice cracking with emotion.

“I know, but you can’t just go without a location in mind, no plans,” Drake said, trying to calm him down.

“I’d walk through the desert to find her, even if it means walking into the lion’s den. I’d find her… And if I find her… I’d kiss and fûck her till she runs out of breath,” Antonio said, tears streaming down his face for the second time in his life. He was really crying, a rare sight for the tough mob boss.

“We will find her, please, Don,” Drake said, moving towards him. He collected the gun from Antonio’s hand and pulled him into a brotherly warm hug.

✧✧✧✧

HELLFIRE HIDEOUT*

SPLASH!

A cold bucket of water was splashed on Maya’s face, and she opened her eyes to find herself in an unknown place. Where was she? The sedative they made her inhale had lasted for a good five days. She had lost her consciousness for five days straight, and she looked up to see Hellfire’s face, standing so close to her.

She tried to release herself, but that was when she found out she was tied up.

“Good… You’re finally awake… Antonio’s childhood sweetheart,” Hellfire smiled, and Maya looked at him, her memories flooding back. She remembered him immediately, only his mustache had changed, he was the same man who had caused her memory loss, separating her from Antonio. He was still the same, and what was he trying to do? Separate them again? Never would she allow it to happen…

“You… It’s you… Right… The one who separated me from him when we were young,” Maya sneered.

“Oh… So… You do remember… Oh… Nice,” Hellfire said, his eyes gleaming with malice.

“Let me go now!” she shouted, trying to free herself.

“Hey, cool down… I know what trick you’re trying to do, it isn’t going to work, okay,” Hellfire said, his voice calm and collected.

“What do you want?” Maya asked, her eyes blazing with anger.

“Antonio is already going rampage, searching for you, and he would go mad if he doesn’t find you… Well, I want the Don position from him… I want to be the next overlord, and it’s only you who can make that happen,” Hellfire said, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

Maya’s eyes widened, and she asked,

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he replied, unaware of the danger lurking beneath her calm exterior.

“So, what am I to do?” she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“You’re…” he trailed off.

“I don’t wanna listen again… I’ll only accept all this if you allow me to tell you a story,” Maya cut him off, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

“Go on,” Hellfire said, his curiosity piqued.

“The story goes thus… There lived a king who had two sons, and in the two sons, he maltreated one and found favor in the other. But the second prince didn’t know that his father only wanted the first prince to be bold. The first prince found a beautiful girl who he found solace in, and this girl was his knight in shining armor. So, one day, the king died, and the second king thought he was gonna be made the next king… But he didn’t know that he was little in this game, and…”

Maya stopped, leaving Hellfire eager for more.

“And?” he asked, his eyes fixed on her.

“And boom,” Maya finished untying herself, grabbed the gun from Hellfire’s wrist, and directed it at him.

Hellfire’s eyes widened in shock, realizing too late that he had been tricked. Maya had used her story to distract him while she freed herself, and now she had the upper hand.

The worst thing was that he had told his men to stay back. He wasn’t surrounded by his men, as he had wanted to see her alone. And that was why he came here alone, leaving himself vulnerable to Maya’s counterattack.

“You might have forgotten that I’m a well-trained cop… Well, that’s not my concern… I’m taking your head down,” Maya said, her voice cold and detached, the gun pressed against his neck.

“Game over, Hellfire.” She said Ç0çƙily.

✱✧✱✧

Ｔ😍Ｂ🥰Ｃ

✧✱✧✱