CHAPTER 3 What Happened to Joy?


    Sebastian


    I went to the dry cleaner’s right after school. After waving my hand to the store manager, I walked


    directly to my office which was located at the back of the shop. Capo De Luca was already waiting for


    me, seated in front of my desk with a ss of scotch in his hand. He looked sharp in his dark blue suit,


    leather shoes, and expensive watch. The blueplemented his light brown eyes while his gold watch


    matched the color of his hair.


    I was expecting Capo De Luca to have information regarding Joy Taylor’s assault, but he said he


    wasn’t sure if the information fit.


    “Domenico, I only found two girls who fit your description. One is dead while the other is still in the


    hospital,” he said.


    “It’s not her, De Luca, although I want you to find out who hurt the girl who’s currently in the hospital.


    The girl I need information on, she’s a ssmate of mine. Walks with a limp and has several scars on


    her face,” I said.


    “Then… whatever happened to her urred maybe a year ago. I will look into it. Can you give me a


    name? It will make my investigation go faster, he exined.


    “Joy Taylor. Malia said she and her family may be in hiding,” I mentioned.


    “Joy Taylor is amon name and if it is true she’s in hiding, then she might not be from California. Do


    you have any idea where she’s from?” De Luca asked curiously. I, obviously, piqued his interest after


    telling him she might be in hiding.


    “I’m having Cristos look into that. Malia won’t say anything so I told Cristos to hack into the university’s


    student database,” I answered.


    “Do you think the culprits are from a rival family? Maybe a rival organization?” He asked.


    “Honestly, I don’t know, De Luca,” I said. “The work appears to be driven by hate rather than retribution.


    There is no art or skill in this attack!” I poured myself a shot of scotch and took a sip. “There is one


    thing I am most certain of…Joy Taylor wasn’t supposed to survive.”


    “She’s a fighter!” De Luca eximed with admiration. “Those are the type of women we need in our


    organization. If I were you, Domenico, you should bring her in and we can mold her…. train her. She


    can be a deadly assassin. She has the drive for vengeance.”


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    CHAPTER 3 What Happened to Joy?


    “Xavier, I think, would disagree,” I argued. “I wouldn’t be looking into this Joy Taylor if it weren’t for him.


    He has a soft spot for her. I don’t think he would want her to be part of our world. I even promised him I


    would talk to our doctor friends and help restore her face. stic surgery and face restoration is very


    expensive. I’m guessing her family may be having difficulty raising the funds needed to help her, thus


    the blemishes on her face.”


    My phone suddenly began to ring. It was Cristos.


    “Cristos, what have you found out?” I asked. De Luca leaned over and ced his arms on my desk.


    Curious minds wanted to know.


    “Sebastian, I wasn’t able to find her previous address on her file, but I found her birthce. She was


    born in a town called New Salem in North Dakota. I called the local high school in that area pretending


    to be admissions and they said there was a student named Joy Taylor, but she left during the end of


    her junior year,” Cristos said in such a hurry, I was having trouble keeping up.


    “Did you try asking why she left?” I asked him.


    “I did and the woman I was talking to hung up, Cristos answered. “Joy Taylor’s old school is definitely


    hiding something.”


    “Good work, Cristos, Imended him for his quick thinking. “Now we know where to begin. Look for


    any news on Joy Taylor’s assault in that area. Something as gruesome as that must have made


    headlines.


    “Copy that.”


    “Domenico, what did Primo find out?” De Luca asked after I hung up.


    “A small town called New Salem in North Dakota is hiding something about Joy Taylor,” 1


    replied.


    “North Dakota? The ruling party of the Central States Mafia is the Angels of Darkness,” De Luca


    murmured. “They are our most hated rival. Now this has gotten even more interesting. I’ll see what I


    can find. It won’t be easy, but I’ll do whatever I can to get information on Joy Taylor.” He stood up and


    extended his hand. I did the same and we both shook hands.


    “Domenico, this Joy Taylor is very intriguing, De Luca said while he fixed his neck tie and. the jacket of


    his suit. “I’m telling you. Bring her in. If she did have an encounter with an Angel of Darkness, she is


    more valuable to us. Her alive is already a weapon against them. Discuss this with Primo and Beaufort.


    Beaufort has to realize she needs to learn how to


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    CHAPTER 3 What Happened to Joy?


    defend herself.”


    “I appreciate the candor. I will pass on your suggestions to Cristos and Xavier. Thank you, Capo De


    Luca, 1 said.


    “No problem. I’ll get going and tell my assets to gather information from North Dakota.”


    After De Luca left, I went to the gym. I needed to release some of this pent-up energy on the punching


    bag and clear my mind of everything else, except for Joy Taylor, so I could think.


    When it came to business, the Angels of Darkness couldn’t be trusted. They had a knack of killing off


    their dealers, drivers, mules…. even their investors, chemists and suppliers. We and the East Coast


    Grim Reapers rarely did business with them. Unfortunately, one time our suppliers made the mistake of


    leaving merchandise intended for the Angels of Darkness at our ports. It was a huge problem,


    especially when they used us of stealing their merchandise.


    As a sign of good faith, our fathers, the bosses of the Blood Disciples, the ruling party of the West


    Coast, shipped their merchandise to their ports in Texas using one of our cargo vessels. Our fathers


    didn’t expect them to go trigger happy on our boys and sequester our ship, so we decided to teach


    them a lesson.


    Cristos, Xavier and I, after meticulous nning, were able to gain an audience with the boss of the


    Angels of Darkness. He loved football and had a private viewing suite booked to watch the Superbowl.


    We fogged the room with sleeping gas and after he and his entourage copsed, we took him in for


    questioning.


    Fearing for his life, he told us the unsanctioned killings were done by his nephew, an underboss like the


    three of us. He negotiated his nephew’s life in exchange for his freedom. to our surprise. It wasn’t a


    secret that he became boss because of his trigger happy nephew.


    After Xavier killed his nephew, the boss of the Angels of Darkness mysteriously died and his ruthless


    sister took his ce. The killings stopped, however the animosity between families


    remained.


    Could it be possible Joy Taylor stumbled across a capo, a soldier or an associate of the Angels of


    Darkness? An underboss perhaps? Were they trying to teach her a lesson?


    No, she was expected to die from her injuries.


    After training,


    number


    my phone and noticed missed a call from my father. I dialed his


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    CHAPTER 3 What Happened to Joy?


    “Papa, you called?”


    “Our shipment has arrived. I need you to oversee the cargo,” he said.


    “Sure. I’ll call the boys and head there now.”


    It was time to go to work.


    Chapter Comments


    Mary Hall


    Joy has bodyguards she doesn’t even know about


    Bethany Belter


    1m3n I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like the story but I got sucked right in.


    VIEW ALL 2 COMMENTS


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