Chapter 4 Leon Carter

Leon Carter I grew up knowing who I am and what I must become for our organization, and especially for my family. Being a Carter is synonymous with pride in our home, just like being an Alcântara, a surname I inherited from my mother, Laís. What I can’t deny is that my mother is a faithful copy of my grandmother, Carolina. And I have a slight feeling that Fay, at sixteen, is already showing signs that she’ll follow the same path. Today, I’m twenty years old. I’ve already gone through my initiation and, just like my father, I didn’t come back home unscathed. It took my father, my mother, my godfather Petter, and, by chance, my aunt Zara to rescue me. I wanted to make everyone proud by completing my mission. But with my mistake, killing Evelyn Gallo, Arnold’s wife, I almost didn’t make it out alive after they captured me. I glanced at Gavin, who was typing something on his phone. He was sitting on the couch in the apartment I bought to be my home with Ella. I sigh at the thought of the girl I love. It’s been a little over sixteen months since I last saw her in person. In fact, the same amount of time as my mission. My parents thought it would be best not to go to her, or I might end up putting my wife and her family in danger. I know Arnold is trying to infiltrate men to get to me. But we’ve thwarted his plans every single time. The men by my side are loyal to my father and to me, even though I sometimes feel they’re more like babysitters than actual protectors. "Did you feed Perninha dinner already?" Gavin asks, and I walk over to the playpen where my little furry son is. The memories from five years ago hit me like a punch. I close my eyes, and the scent memory floods in as I remember my girl’s perfume. That night was supposed to be Ella’s fifteenth birthday. I had already bought her a jewelry set my mom helped me pick out, but I wanted to give her something more, something that would bond us forever. We’d arrived in Paris in the early morning. I called the driver and asked him to take me to a street near the Louvre. I knew there was a pet shop around there. Months earlier, she had sent me a video of a rabbit hopping through a garden and said that one day she wanted to have one. When I got to the store, there was a pair of rabbits: a pure white female and a male with brown spots in his fur. And that’s how I became a father at fifteen to a pair of rabbits I shared custody of with my Ella. "I did..." I say as I crouch down inside Perninha’s playpen. I picked him up and walked over to sit next to my cousin, who was still texting someone. "What are you doing?" I ask, lifting my eyes to see what he’s up to. "Trying to find someone to keep me company tonight!" he says, turning his screen toward me. "Gavin, if Aunt Helena even dreams you’re flirting with the governor’s daughter, she’ll have your dick chopped off!" I say, remembering the threat he once received. "If you don’t tell, I won’t either!" "Don’t be a dumbass. They know everything we do before we even think about doing it..." I hear him huff beside me as he gently pets Perninha’s little head. "He’s looking sadder every day. Do you think she brought Lola?" I lift my bunny and see that he’s even more down than usual. "I hope so. This separation is hurting our children." I complain once again about it, even though I know it was the right choice for now. "In a few days, mommy and your little sister will be here!" I say, petting my little fluffy boy. "How do you think she’s going to react when she finds out she’s married to you?" he asks, and I let out a loud laugh. "Not even Arnold could be as lethal as that tiny blue-eyed girl." I stand up and gently place Perninha back in his playpen, watching as he hops unenthusiastically and returns to his little hideout. Maybe Gavin is right. Maybe I should take my son to the vet to make sure everything’s okay. I was already dressed and ready to go to the Night Club. A nightclub I opened this year, and thanks to the influence of my name, it’s thriving. My team of soldiers accompanied us until we reached the building in the middle of downtown where my legal source of income is located. Because honestly, the real money comes from drug sales and the escorts who work for me. "Did you invite everyone?" Gavin asked as soon as we walked into the club. It was definitely packed. Probably right at full capacity, which made me genuinely happy. We went up to one of the VIP areas, and I knew the manager running the place would soon come by to give me the latest updates. "Want a drink before the women start throwing themselves at you?" Gavin teased. "You can have them all. None of them are my type." I smiled, thinking of my little blonde. I looked over at the drinks being served and grabbed a glass of whiskey. I took a sip and felt it burn down my throat like a glowing ember, this time in my throat, not on my back like Arnold had done years ago. And just like Gavin said, it took only seconds for six women to appear and start offering themselves, dancing in front of me. I sighed and politely pushed them away from my lap, just as Billy Harding showed up, holding a drink in his hand and eyeing all the dancing girls, while my idiot cousin drooled over every one of them. "Good evening, Mr. Carter!" "How are you, Billy?" "I'm doing well, thank you. If you have a moment, I’d like to go over the finances." I smiled, grateful for my manager’s honesty. My father had already dealt with at least five other managers before Billy, and all the punishments he issued seemed to have worked to scare our men straight. "As soon as the club quiets down a bit, I’ll head to the office." He nodded and excused himself to check on how things were going at the bar and with the ecstasy sales. I stayed there sitting, feeling a deep frustration at not spending my birthday with my wife. Even though Ella has no idea she’s married to me, I’ve considered her my Mrs. Carter ever since her father handed her the marriage papers to sign. About two hours later, I noticed some movement on the dance floor, but what really caught my attention was seeing Lucas there, which made my heart race. "Ella wouldn’t be here tonight, right?" I asked, pulling Gavin closer to me. "I’m sure she wouldn’t come tonight." He answered, but I kept my eyes on my wife’s cousin. He was staring at the dance floor, and when I followed his gaze, my chest and head almost exploded from the mix of emotions I felt. Ella Carter was dancing, but that wasn’t the problem. The fucking problem was seeing her wearing a dress that barely covered her thighs, and to make it worse, I saw some idiot approaching her from behind. "Kill that guy!" I growled, pointing at the bastard who had his hands on her waist. "Well, that’s what you get for disappearing for over a year and not returning her calls or messages," my cousin said, mocking me. "Maybe she’ll give her virginity to him." I froze when I heard that, and turned to him like I was the villain in a horror movie. "Shut up..." My hands were trembling. I held on to the railing to make sure I wouldn’t hit him. "I’m sure she’s not even wearing lingerie anymore, which will make things easier for the guy..." I punched him. I’m just as tall as my cousin, six feet five, intimidating enough, and my muscular build from training since I was fourteen gives me a slight advantage. I watched my cousin stumble back. "Getting strong, huh?" he laughed, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Mom’s gonna be mad at you. And worse, your godfather will be too because I’ll love telling him exactly why." "Idiot!" As soon as I insulted him, I turned toward Ella, who was pulling Olivia toward the VIP section next to where I was. I kept my eyes locked on her as she danced happily, and at that moment, I began to burn with jealousy. I think it’s the same curse my father suffers from because of my mother’s beauty. "You’re screwed, man!" I really am. Ella Carter is going to cost me my sleep.