by Betsy Poole
I didn’t have to close my eyes to think of Victoria. Her face was flashing right in front of me. With my eyes wide open, I couldn’t stop thinking about the two of us and how great we were together. I was with Theo and I should be talking to him about Ila and Anthony’s murder, instead, all I could think of was Victoria. I started to wonder if I really made the right choice by leaving her or not. Maybe, it was a big mistake and I would regret it for the rest of my life.
But I didn’t want to have any regrets. I could think of the day when I got up and decided to clear the mess in my life. I had a positive attitude back then and it was the same day when Victoria set me free. She had done so much for me. She ended up saving my life and not just that, she gave me everything I needed to live a great and fruitful life. We had traveled together to so many exotic places, but it was all in the past.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it and then, it struck me all of a sudden. The same reason why Ila was with Rick. Even after all his flaws, she was able to embrace him. It was not the exact same thing between Victoria and me, but we both were able to embrace each other in our true sense. None of us had to fake it or pretend to be someone that we were not. When it came to Victoria, I was able to be comfortable in my own skin. I was enough for her and didn’t mean to be someone else.
“Hello! Larry, are you still there?” I head Theo’s voice that brought me back to where I was. I was no longer daydreaming or thinking about my past. I realized that I have made a mistake in letting Victoria go and that was one thing that I had to live with for the rest of my life.
“Yes. I am sorry, I was just thinking about something!” I said and tried not to think about Victoria anymore. I knew that it will only hurt me and won’t let me focus. I wanted to give my best in order to solve the mystery so that I could save Ila. I couldn’t let the thought of Victoria and the long trail of “what ifs” and “buts” to hamper my judgment.
“You know that Anthony has been murdered, right? I want you to tell me each and everything you know about it, Theo. I need as much information as I can get about it!” I asked him, in order to know something about the case. I knew that Theo was a helpful guy and he had his contacts. He was one of the most trustworthy and reputed people in the industry and was able to figure out the truth.
“Yes, you are right. Anthony has been murdered and the mafia is a complete chaos right now. Everyone is losing their shit because people used to look up to Anthony. He was not the best of the gangster and committed a few mistakes in the past, but he also had a good track record. He used to give millions of dollars to other gangsters and he was the only person in the country who was able to supply that new drug The Green Ruin.
We both know the importance of TGR and you of all the people have certainly tasted it, Larry. It is a magical drug, Larry and people from California and New York are going crazy about it. I even received a call from somewhere in Russia who wanted to have a taste of it. Now The Green Ruin is one of the major leads in Anthony’s murder,” he said and made me realize the mistake that I have done. I should have never introduced The Green Ruin to the mafia. I was the one who brought Rick and Ila from Mexico to America and with them came the most addictive drug of all – The Green Ruin.
“How? What do you have in mind?” I asked him in order to know more about the theory that he was cooking in his brain. Theo was not just information, but he was extremely intelligent. Over the past few years, all his theories have come true. Not just that, he also had a great sixth sense. We both were blessed with that superpower and have used it in various ways to save our lives.
“See, everyone wants to have The Green Ruin, but nobody knows how to produce it. Anthony is asking for a really high price for the drug and surprisingly, people are giving it to him. You know why? Because the drug is that good. You can’t compare it to anything in this world. I don’t know why I am telling this to you! You out of all the people were one of the first few people who tasted it.
Anyways, people from all over the world want the drug and none of them are able to reproduce it. There were a lot of fakes also, but it was not even remotely close to the original. The same thing gained Anthony a lot of followers. Gangsters from Europe and America were getting in touch with Anthony and paying him a high price for the drug. But at the same time, there were a lot of people who are against it,” he said and made me realize how much I missed about the mafia in the last few months.
“You were away from the mafia in the last few months so you don’t have the updated news. There were a lot of meeting and fights. A lot of gangsters met in order to boycott Anthony as well. They were able to figure out that someone from his house was cooking The Green Ruin. Obviously, the person who was cooking it was of utmost importance to Anthony. So the mafia decided to have him instead. Now, you and I, we both know that the person we are talking about is Rick,” he leaned towards me and whispered that last sentence in my ear.
“How do you know about it, Theo?” I asked him as I was astonished to see that Theo knew all the inside details about the event.
“I know all about the same trip of yours that you took to Mexico and how you got two love-struck stupid teenagers with you. Well, those teenagers became the reason for Anthony’s death, mate. Everyone was after Anthony to give them Rick. They didn’t want him – they wanted his skills. They wanted Rick to teach their team about the production of The Green Ruin so that they all could produce it in their own units.
Anthony knew that it would disturb the entire balance. The Green Ruin is produced in limited quantity. It is the only exclusivity that makes it so costly. If everyone will start producing the drug in their own unit, then the exclusivity of TGR will be gone. Its price would be slashed and Anthony had to experience a major loss. He said a blunt no to every gangster in the country, which initiated a lot of trouble for him. He turned the entire mafia against him and gained plenty of enemies.
Now, chances are that anyone could have murdered Anthony. I mean he went against the entire mafia to produce the drug and have it for himself. He was asking for his murder. Though what happened to him was pretty tragic. I personally thought that he would either die out of sexually transmitted diseases or while some gunshots. A slow poison was certainly not in my mind,” he gave me some insightful detail about the murder and let me know what the mafia was up to for the last few months.
“What else do you know, Theo?” I asked him.
“Wait for it, boy. I am not going anywhere and I will tell you everything I know about it. So, it was only yesterday when the news broke out. Everyone got to know that Anthony was poisoned. The information was leaked from an insider and it was discovered that it was your little girl Ila who poisoned him. Now, you and I, we both know that Ila doesn’t have the guts or the brains to do it.
I mean, she had been his secretary for the last few months now and how to say it in the most polite way – but she is quite dumb. I don’t mean any offense, but well, she is a little dumb,” he said and smiled to make the atmosphere light. It worked. I knew that he was right. Ila was not mature enough to taka a wise decision. She was a drug addict and it was only her foolishness that has gotten her into such a messed up situation.
“Yeah! You are right. She is not wise enough!” I agreed.
“Technically, she is the one who poisoned Anthony. So, if anyone needs to blame someone for Anthony’s death then it would be Ila. But the entire mafia knows that the poor soul doesn’t have the brains for it. We all know that there is someone out there who must have done something with Ila.
There was a meeting last night in the city that included all the major gangsters of the country. The news of Anthony’s murder was disclosed. In fact, it was celebrated. Everyone was happy about his death and asked the one who was responsible for it to come out and take a bow. But to everyone’s surprise, they all were clueless about his death. It was not planned by anyone in the mafia, Larry!” as Theo gave me that crucial piece of information; I started to believe that I was chasing the entire
case in the wrong direction. It was not the mafia that I was supposed to be scared of. There was someone out there who was after Rick and Ila’s life – someone way more dangerous than the mafia.
“So if the mafia didn’t do it, Theo. Who is the one who framed Ila as the one to kill Anthony?” I asked him, knowing that even he didn’t have the exact answer to my question.
“That is the question of the hour, my friend. The entire mafia knows that there is someone out there who is able to kill the most powerful gangster of the city, without letting anyone know about it. I have been through my fair share of experience in the mafia, but it is the first time in my entire life when I have seen even the mafia getting so scared.
It is as if all the gangsters know that someone would be coming for them. When they got to realize that Anthony was killed, they were first happy. But that happiness was soon converted into a sense of dread and concern as they knew that a killer is out there who likes to murder the gangsters,” Theo continued giving me the inside information about the mafia. It was pretty tough for me to believe too. I have never seen a force as strong as the mafia and if someone was capable enough of scaring them, then I was sure that it was power to be reckoned with.
“What next? What are they planning to do now?” I asked in order to figure out my best move.
“Well, a few of them simply took a step back. They realized that it might turn bad for them as well and didn’t want to get involved in all the mess. But a few of them considered the event to be a happy one. As Anthony is gone, they can have limitless access to The Green Ruin. They invaded his place in order to find Rick, the only one person in the whole damn world who could produce the original drug.
The moment they invaded the place, they figured out that he was gone. They started searching him for every possible place. They went to his house and everywhere else. A few of them have even sent their men to Mexico in order to search for him, but he is nowhere to be found and neither is that girl, Ila – who took Anthony’s life. People have started to believe that they both were also killed by the same guy who murdered Anthony. But then, on the contrary, no one has found their bodies yet, which means that they are still alive,” he said and came to the final piece of the puzzle.
“And what does that mean?” I asked him.
“The entire mafia thinks that there is someone out there who is after The Green Ruin. He wanted to be the king of the drug and he is ready to destroy anyone and anything that would come in his way. He had already killed Anthony and has kidnapped both Ila and Rick. The kids are his captives now and he is learning to make TGR by himself so that he could also kill the both of them after when he would become a pro! This is what the entire mafia thinks now and they all are looking for that one guy who is responsible for the entire catastrophe,” he said and looked at me with a judgmental face. I knew that there was something which he wanted to say out loud.
“And what is it that you think, Theo?” I asked him and waited for him to reply.
“I think that the man who has planned all of this is sitting right in front of me. Am I right, Larry?” the moment he said it, I couldn’t believe. I couldn’t believe that my own friend could stoop so low and think that I could kill someone like Anthony or manipulate Ila and Rick.
“You were right about everything else, Theo. But this is one thing that you are wrong about. I am here because I am concerned about those kids. I don’t want the mafia to frame Ila for the murder. I am here to protect her and to solve the mystery. I am done with drugs. I don’t want to be a part of the mafia anymore, Theo. I have outgrown it. I have outgrown each and everything in the mafia,” I said and tried to defend myself.
“Then why do you smell of The Green Ruin, Larry? The mafia took every piece of TGR from Anthony’s unit. No one had a fresh stock of it, except Rick – the one who could create it. So, you and I, we both know that Ila and Rick are with you. I have told you everything I knew about it, Larry. I have been a good friend to you. I was completely honest and now it is the right time for you to be the same. I know you are hiding something, what is it?” he caught me off-guard. I had to admire him as he was certainly a few steps ahead of me.
“Yes! You are right. But you have to keep this to yourself. No one can know about this, right?” I asked him, knowing that I would be able to trust Theo.
“You have my word, mate!” as he promised me, I told him each and everything happened to me in the past. I told him about how Ila found me the night before and how we had to pack our bags in order to run, knowing that the entire mafia would be after us. I told him how we smoked the drug the last night and why I still smelled of it.
“Wow! You must be in love with this girl, Ila! I mean you gave up your entire life for her, man! You had everything you wanted. You had a chance to start your life from the scratch. You got a second chance, Larry and you just let it go. I don’t know how you are going to live with it,” Theo was certainly shocked after hearing the entire story. He was finding it hard to believe that I gave it all only to save Ila.
“It is not that easy, mate. It is not as easy as it sounds. I had to make a choice. I had to choose between saving Ila or being with Victoria,” I said in order to clear my intentions.
“Do you know how good is that – to live a life outside this mafia? To be happy… I can give anything in the whole damn world to get a chance like that, Larry. Anything!” he said and stood up. Our conversation was over and even though we left a bitter note, I was certainly grateful to Theo for letting me know it all.
“Maybe there are a few things in this world that are not meant to be, Theo. That’s it! I am really thankful to you for meeting me and filling me with all the missing links. You are a great friend!” I said as I hugged him and bid goodbye, knowing that I have made a great friend in Theo.
After meeting Theo, I was able to get some really crucial information about the mafia. I knew what all the gangsters were up to and I wanted to use that information in my favor. I wanted to be a few steps ahead of them so that we could have our happy ending – so that Ila could have her happy ending.
As I ignited the engine of my car, I realized that there was just something in the atmosphere that was stopping me. I knew that Ila and Rick would still be asleep and I had to take care of him. It was certainly not something that I was looking forward to. I knew that I still had a few hours to kill and instead of going back to the hotel, I decided to hit the city.
I knew that going back to my house was out of the question. If the mafia was looking out for Ila and Rick, then I was the first person to talk to. I knew the most about the two of them and I got them from Mexico after fighting with almost an entire nation. It was only me who was capable of taking them back to Rick and Ila, and I knew that it was a chance that I was not willing to take.
Instead of going back to my house and inspecting it, I decided to go to the downtown and meet someone really special. I parked my car outside Victoria’s office and then entered the building. I knew that I had to see her in order to make sure that she was fine. I took the lift as I knew where she would be sitting. Almost everyone in the building knew me and none of them had the audacity to question me.
I finally moved to the seventh floor where her cabin was located. It was not just her cabin, but her entire studio. She had a huge space to herself as she believed in making the best out of her office. I had to see one more time. I had to kiss her and make some passionate love. I could still remember last night as her memories were not leaving me so easily. Last night didn’t seem like a proper goodbye. It was not the way I bid farewell.
We only had a few minutes as I knew that Ila was waiting for me in the car. I was getting worried about her safety as I knew that she would not be safe all by herself. Now, when she was with Rick and safe in that hotel, I could still have a few minutes with Victoria. I could bid my final goodbye to her. I knew that the mafia would never let me come back. I had made a mistake in choosing the mafia over her, which I would regret for the rest of my life.
I knocked the door to Victoria’s cabin which was already ajar. She didn’t move her head to look at me as she was busy working on something. I knew that it was one moment that I was going to remember forever. Her long curls covered her entire face as she kept sketching something, trying to escape the whole damn world. Her big beautiful eyes certainly looked tired. I seemed like she hadn’t slept the whole night and only cried herself to sleep.
I walked towards in order to let her know that I was with her in the same room, once again. It was something that she had given up her hopes on. I came here unexpectedly and took her by surprise. The moment she lifted her face and saw her there, it felt as if her entire face was lit up.
“Oh God! Oh God! I thought that I would never see you again, Larry!” she came running towards me and hugged me tightly. As she wrapped her arms around me, I realized that I had lost the most important thing in my life.
“I have missed you, Victoria. I wanted to go and I will… I will leave in a few minutes, but there was just something that I forgot to give you last night,” I said as I hugged her slightly and looked at her beautiful face.
“What is it, Larry?” she whispered in my ears with the same husky voice that was capable of driving me mad.
“This!” I said and locked our lips together. She opened her mouth and at the moment, I could sense the warmth inside her mouth with my tongue. It felt amazing. I knew that all I had was that one specific moment and that I had to live an entire eternity with her in the next few minutes.
I traversed her mouth and checked each and every inch of her tongue. I was inspecting every cell of her mouth with my tongue and tasted her lips on the tip of my mouth as well. I loved her taste and her mere essence that was able to turn me on.
I walked towards the door of their cabin and locked in. She took care of the blinds and there it was – we had the entire studio just for ourselves and we were ready to paint an unforgettable picture on each other. We wanted to sketch our own soul on each other’s skin.