Blurred Lines 1: CHASE
Chapter 113

~Chase-

Kenzo Daggett's green eyes burned with fury enough to give us a taste of hell. He strutted inside the pub, and four armed men paraded behind him. I put him a few inches shorter than Carlota, narrow eyed, pale skin with shaggy black hair reaching his shoulder, a royale beard encompassing his thin lips. It's hilarious to see a pocket-size guy commanding fear over men twice his build. Physically, Kenzo was slightly overweight, but otherwise in good shape. It was like a uniform, the black shirt and their cut they were eager to wear even in this scorching weather. "What the f**k did you do to Kie-Kie?" he asked, sliding on the seat across Carlota, waving off the men who came in with him. Add them to the total of the people inside the pub, we were outnumbered by a mile, but Carlota would never come unprepared. Though I would never agree to use a kid as leverage, I understand that she needed to do that to avoid bloodshed.

"Nothing..." Carlota trailed off. "Yet. You, however, will do something to her if you don't cut that attitude on me, big guy," pun clearly intended on that pet name.

I shook my head, watching Carlota do her thing.

Kenzo lifted his elbow on the table, rubbing a thumb over his perfectly trimmed goatee.

"How do I know she's alive and well?" He ran his fingers through his shaggy black hair, agitation written over his face.

Carlota raised an eyebrow. "Wrong question, big guy. Ask me what I want then I'll decide if you can see your kid again or not."

Kenzo's brows knitted together, belching white smoke through his nose. "What the f**k do you want?" he growled.

"Oh, why thank you for asking," Carlota grinned, twirling the bloody dagger she used on the bartender. The guy was still nursing his wounded hand. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. He wanted to go to the hospital, but Carlota told him no. As a form of mercy, she allowed Shelby, the skinny cashier, to apply first aid on Bartender Guy's hand, then instructed her to take all their phones. All devices were in three red french fries baskets on Carlota's table.

"I will tell a story, then there will be a quiz once I'm done. Are you ready?" she asked. I stiffened at the slight shift in her demeanor. It's the perks of knowing her and Eros for years. She kept that sweet smile on, but her eyes turned a tad shade darker; she uncrossed her legs under the table, planting her boots firmly on the gray vinyl tiles.

"I don't have fucking time for this," Kenzo grumbled, unaware of the danger ready to bite him in the face.

Yes, we were outnumbered, but Carlota always came prepared. I wouldn't risk coming inside this pub if I negated her strategies.

Carlota leaned her elbows on the table, leveling Kenzo with her own butcher knife sharp glare. "Then make time, big guy. One signal to my men and your precious kid is no more. I'd assume you know a few of our guys hmm? Santino in particular." Kenzo's entire body went stiff. Carlota's grin widened. "He hates babysitting, you know. One call and..." She used her thumb and drew an imaginary horizontal line over her neck.

Though I knew Santino wasn't that cruel, his reputation persisted, and Kenzo obviously heard the horror stories about him. Some of them were true, and some were just an exaggeration to associate fear with his name.

Kenzo slumped in his seat. Carlota took that as a signal to start her story. Under the table, her left foot started to bob subtly. She was beginning to get rather excited, pushing shivers down my spine.

I was seated at the booth across from them, with an untouched slice of apple pie and a glass of water on my table, the ice cube already melting.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Carly..." Carlota started. Kenzo grumbled low in his chest. "She was living the life of her dreams in Italy, about to marry the love of her life... Rocco." The color on Kenzo's pale skin drained, his eyes flickering in my direction, noticing me for the first time.

"One night, Carly made dinner for Rocco, his favorite minestrone. She waited and waited for her man to come home, anxiously peeking at her phone for a message from him. Midnight passed, the minestrone had gone cold, Carly was worried sick, and then a call came. She almost dropped her phone in a hurry to answer the call, but no... no... it wasn't Rocco, but an unregistered number. Her heart hammered as she answered the call. Somehow, she knew in her gut that bad news would be uttered from the other line..." Carlota blew a heavy breath, the bobbing of her left boot quickening.

"It was the local PD informing her that Rocco was brought to a hospital. She didn't let the man finish speaking. She didn't even remember to lock the apartment... didn't even put shoes on. She drove straight to the hospital, dressed in her nightwear, and asked the lady in a white uniform behind the counter where she could find Rocco. And no, the lady didn't give her a room number but told her to sit in a blue seat lining the hallway. The chair was cold against her thinly clothed body, but she couldn't think of anything apart from Rocco's current status. A guy in a white lab coat announced Rocco's name and asked for his family. Carly stood and raised her hand like a silly child, ready for recitation. As the doctor spoke, her world crumbled around her feet, clad in floppy pink unicorn slippers. She couldn't understand what the doctor was saying, but one fact lingered. He said she couldn't speak to him that night or the morning after because he was declared dead on arrival when the police brought him in."

Carlota pinned Kenzo with a glare that could make a lion tuck his tail and run for his dear life. "It took Carly three days to process everything... And you know what she did? She wanted to ask the guy who killed Rocco why of all the people involved in that riot in a bar, he killed her man. Unlucky for her, the guy was already dead when she went to the precinct." Carlota grinned, twirling her dagger. "Now, are you ready for the quiz?"

Kenzo shook his head, "I didn't know- Ah!!!" he screamed. Carlota moved with such agility none of us expected. She produced a dart and hurled it toward Kenzo's chest; just a few millimeters left his sternum. "Jesus Christ, you bitch!"

"Wrong answer." This time, Carlota slowly pulled a dart from her leather jacket. It was lined with darts with sharp, pointy tips and red butts. She pulled one and hurled it at Kenzo, piercing him an inch below the first dart. Her skills have developed profoundly. Her aim was f*****g astonishing.

Kenzo hissed. "I'm ready, I'm ready." He lifted his hand to remove the darts, but Carlota warned him.

"Remove them, and I'll throw a double." While saying this, she pulled the thin leather case, spreading it on the table, revealing about thirty darts secured inside. "I have to warn you. These darts are my own creation laced with snake venom." "What snake?!" Kenzo asked; panic widened his green eyes.

"I'll tell you after I'm done... should I continue, or do you want to keep stalling? I have all the time in the world."

"Ask your f*****g question!"

"Okay. If you insist." She took one dart from the leather scroll. "What did the killer use to kill Rocco?"

Kenzo pondered on it, his brows crinkling. "A knife - fuck!" A dart pierced his left chest, so close to his heart.

"A broken glass of beer, next question." She pulled another dart. "Where did he stab Rocco?"

"In the neck!"

Carlota glared, shooting another dart at Kenzo's right chest.

"I answered you correctly!"

"You did. Next question."

Kenzo kept his mouth shut, his breath coming in quick succession. If he hyperventilates, the venom will spread quicker. He swallowed hard, calming his breathing.

"What was Rocco wearing the night he died?"

"How the fuck will I know that?"

Carlota's dart punctured Kenzo on his shoulder. "An aqua blue dress shirt, khaki pants. Why the fuck did you kill him?" Her voice dropped an octave lower, her glare turning glacial. She was done playing with her prey.

"I was given a picture. I didn't know who he was...." He shook his head, eyes pleading. "Please... I didn't even know his name!"

Carlota's nose flared. "He was a good man!" She threw a dart, hitting Kenzo's stomach. The tension inside the pub thickened, but none of Kenzo's men dared risk their boss's or Keiko's life. They watched their boss plead for his life. "He was better than all of us! And

you had him killed." She punctuated each statement with a dart thrown over Kenzo's quivering body. "Your life would never equate to his. Not by a f*****g mile!" She pitched five darts, her hands shaking in anger.

I stepped in and gripped Carlota's wrist before she could pull another dart from the leather scroll. "Carlota."

Her eyes were clouded with so much pain. It breaks my heart to see her fall apart like this. She's the girl version of Eros, strong-willed and oozing with assertiveness. But looking at her now, all I see is the girl in his story with a shattered heart.

Carlota bit her quivering lower lip, snatching her wrist from mine. "Name. Give me a fucking name. Who are you working for?" "Samuel... I was only paying a debt to Samuel Cardoso... please. I don't care if I die, just don't hurt Kei-Kei. She's only a child...."