FIVE (Odessa POV)

"I want that necklace, Lucky. Tell me what I have to do to get it..." Ares leans forward and drops the gun she's been holding since she brought me to this apartment on the coffee table before getting comfortable on the couch. On the contrary, my shoulders hurt more and more and my position on this chair is really uncomfortable, I twist trying to relieve the pressure of the ropes on my joints and she stares at me slightly amused by my struggle.

"How much were you willing to pay Santino for it?" I look at her with caution pondering what to answer: I could lie to her and say a lower amount of money but... what if she was following the negotiation and already knows the price I was ready to pay? She's going to be really furious if I try to trick her.

"He accepted 25 million dollars..." my voice echoes through the quiet room. It's a lot of money for a piece of antique jewellery although the necklace is unique since it belonged to Empress Catherine of Russia, it think it's possible that she might get more money in a public auction... the problem is that she can't risk any member of D'Antonio family finding out she's selling a property that belonged to her boss... and now to them. She can't go to Christie's without documentation to prove that she's the legal owner.

"All right," she answers after taking a deep breath. "I'll take 20 million..." I look at her shocked. What the hell is going on here? The norm in a negotiation is the other party asking for more money and me trying to lower that price, not her asking for 5 million dollars less all of a sudden. "Besides, I need you to do me a favour..." I nod slowly, this seems more reasonable to me now. "I want to quit..."

"Quit... what?" To be honest, the whole situation is a bit surreal.

"The underworld, the Company, I don't want to be a hired killer and a criminal anymore, I want to take that money and retire, living peacefully... like your father.

"My dad is dead..." I answer sternly.

"Some people I know think he's a live... although they don't have evidences, of course. If it's true that he's not dead, he's living somewhere peacefully and far away from this chaos, violence and blood... He's succeeded where John Wick failed and I want the same... please..." she whispers and her soft Italian accent sends a shiver down my spine again. She seems really desperate but I understand what she's talking about. My situation is way different and my relationship with the Company way simpler: the Russian mob inherited my dad's business and now they run the arms trade with no direct involvement from my part. I just "inherited" his personal fortune, a huge one no doubt but built on legal business, and managing it it's my job usually. On the other hand there's the retirement fund invested in real state and the stock exchange, which is the source of my dad's wealth right now, but it has nothing to do with the Company, weapons, drugs, massive frauds or prostitution. This whole charade, this pretending that I'm back on business, it's been funny and exciting but I prefer to remain unconnected with the worst side of the underworld and just visiting it occasionally in order to greet old friends and spend my gold coins.

However, Ares is trapped here and she'll only be able to leave the Company if she dies, which will happen sooner or later as she gets older and her skills to fight or shoot get weak... unless she finds a way to be useful like Winston running the Continental for example. As a general rule, members of the Company don't die peacefully in their beds after a long life... Not even those that have a seat at the High Table. But I have the key to release her.

"I need to make a phone call..."

My hostess stares at me intently for a second before getting up and walking towards me. Her perfume turns my brain into rice pudding once again when she squats behind me so she can untie my hands and I don't understand what's wrong with me... Well, yes, I do understand it but this isn't the right moment to get all horny because of an assassin while we're doing serious business here. I rub my wrists in order to stimulate the blood circulation while she goes back to the couch but not without first taking a last look at my breasts when I'm buttoning up my shirt. She points at my bag on the armchair with her head and I get up slowly, I'm still feeling dizzy... I wonder what kind of anaesthetic she injected me. I grab my phone but this time I decide to sit down next to her since the couch is more comfortable... and because she's beautiful and I want to take a closer look.

Would you like me to pick you up in my car when you finish at the tattoo studio?

A text from Val 10 minutes ago... I answer him that I have other plans and I'll call him later. Luckily I reached an agreement with Ares really quickly: if I hadn't answered him soon, my friend would've got really nervous and he would've called the Russian mob in order to find me. It would've been an epic mess and the assassin would've been dead by now. I open the app that codifies my calls and dial the number...

"Is there any problem, Odessa?" it's rare that I call him, I prefer texts usually and that's why he finds odd that I want to talk to him.

"No but something's come up... Can you meet me at my place in...? Wait a minute..." I turn to look at my hostess. "Where are we?"

"In Little Italy, of course..."

"Can you come to my place in 30 minutes?"

"Sure, are you okay?"

"Yes, papa... I'm fine." The pet name is our code word that means I'm not in danger at all, I hang up the phone and look at Ares smiling. "I invite you to my house for a great big lunch."

*****

"I understand your reasons for wanting to quit the Company but you have to bear in mind that it won't be easy and you'll have to make some sacrifices."

Delicious pirozhki are piled up again on my kitchen table and my guest has already eaten two with a glass of wine, licking her fingers when she finished them which I take as a compliment since she's Italian and used to eat the best food in the world. My dad was baffled when we both walked through my apartment door but he hid it well, he'd never had become a big shot of the Russian mob if he hadn't learnt how to recover from unexpected surprises and how to react quickly. He offered Ares a chair like the perfect gentleman he's always been and was ready to listen to our explanations. It was harder for him to hide his shock when he found out that my guest was able to speak after all but he's looking at her with new respect and admiration since that moment: my dad adores intelligent and strong women and that's why he married mum. Anyway, I decided not to tell him about how she drugged and kidnapped me in order to not ruin their emerging friendship and I explained to him that our plan to get her attention was a success and Ares stopped me on the street and asked for a meeting. If my dad find out what she's done... Lucrezia would never leave this place alive.

"I understand it and I'll do whatever necessary."

"All right. First thing you have to know is that you'll never be totally free again: you can't live a normal life, you'll have to look over your shoulder forever and behave with extreme care. For example, when it comes to choose a partner, if you fall in love with someone who doesn't know what you're, how you've lived, the ways of the Company, someone that doesn't know about the security precautions you have to take... it could be a great problem. Living in a big city, going shopping, spending your day on the beach, sightseeing... all those plans must be prepared in advance till the last detail in order to check the surroundings and have an evacuation plan ready just in case you need it. It also involves the management of your investments with the money we're going to pay you: you have to keep a big amount of cash always at hand s so you can escape quickly. Odessa is an expert on this financial stuff..." Ares looks at me surprised and I raise an eyebrow haughtily, maybe I look like a frivolous spoiled brat with my purple hair and funny T-shirts but I'm not stupid.

"I understand... how did you do it?" My guest stares at my dad entranced, it's not every day that you're sitting at a table and chatting with a legend from the underworld that's dead, supposedly.

"First thing you have to choose a new name, similar but not the same, because you have to answer if someone calls you. I was Nikolai, now I'm Nikita... anyway, my daughter calls me Niki and I always answer. You're Lucrezia so you'd have to be... Lucia..."

"Lucky..." I answer from the other side of the table.

"All right, if that's the one you like..." Ares snorts amused looking at me out of the corner of her eye before turning to follow my dad's explanations attentively.

"The truth is that I had a lot of time and lot of money to plan my escape and I live with relative peace since I bought an island... basically..." My guest blinks in shock and her jaw drops while I chuckle. "It's in Philippines and I've built a huge house with all the luxuries, actually two houses since Odessa has her own independent home, including satellite TV, internet connection, a swimming pool, tennis court, several beaches with white sand, my own tropical forest, it's only accessible by boat or helicopter... you get the idea. My staff comes to clean and cook during the week and goes back home every weekend, they're locals, very friendly and reliable people because I've done some background checks. That's why I'm able to live peacefully... the Company doesn't know I'm there. Although I have several safe houses all over the world and evacuation plans for every single one, of course... just in case."

"Well, this is... I'm afraid I can't afford all that with my budget... but I understand what you mean." Ares giggles while shaking her head. "It must be a very beautiful place."

"Don't worry, you'll visit it: you're going to spend some time there in order to recover from surgery." The assassin stares at my dad confused with her glass of wine in her hand. "Listen, people usually look but they don't really see... actually, they only see what they want to see: if the underworld members believe that you're dead and they run into someone that looks like you but slightly different... they won't believe it's you, just someone who looks similar... I don't think you'll have to do big changes with plastic surgery if you don't want to and you'll be able to recognize yourself in a mirror somehow but those scars have to go, the ones on your face and the one on your chest, you'll also need to change the design of that tattoo on your hand so you can hide that knife scar because it'd be easy to recognize it otherwise... What about a dog? It's cute and funny and nobody would link that to an assassin. Those on your knuckles will need laser sessions... Did any member of the Company see your other tattoos?"

"No," Ares answers firmly.

"Any member of D'Antonio family knows that you have them? What about your tattoo artist?"

"I got them done in different countries and I picked random studios and no, no one has seen them, I'm very secretive and work alone usually... and I choose my lovers out of the Company." I fidget on my chair when hearing that information but remain silent.

"All right, then you can take advantage of that: flaunt them from now on. Nobody will think that Ares has dared to mark her body in such a recognizable way and if someone sees you, he'll think that's not you. Change your clothes, maybe something less simple and flashier, a new haircut... maybe another colour..." My dad stares at me with a smile before asking. "What about blue or green? I've heard they're a trend right now." I nod confirming his words. "You don't need to hide turning into a shadow, what you have to do is become another person so different to your present you that when someone sees you, he'll think: that's not her, no way, impossible..."

"Wow, I always thought that I'd have to live wearing a permanent dark hood over my head and now I find out that the secret is dyeing my hair green..."

"Look at me..." He points at his ripped jean , Chuck Taylor sneakers and Nike T-shirt. "I was like you: Ermenegildo Zegna suit and Italian shoes, always shaved and with my hair slicked back, traveling in limousines and private jets... and now I have blond highlights on my curls, a three days of stubble and ride a bicycle through the city."

"And you look so handsome that women throw themselves at you everywhere..." I mumble amused remembering the cashier that always tries to flirt with him at the grocery store near her apartment here in New York every time she sees him. My dad rolls his eyes and keeps talking.

"You'll have to work in order to change your accent and the expressions you use, trying to sound less Italian and more Spanish maybe..."

"I understand," Ares nods. "I need to become a whole new person, with a totally different way of life and hobbies..."

"That's right. I you get by mail every month the last number of a magazine specialized in hunting rifles, now you'll have to read a magazine about landscaping... at least when you're in public. Regarding where to live... big cities may look like a good place to get lost but the truth is that it's packed with Company members out there." He points with his thumb at the Empire State Building behind his shoulder. "Small villages are a bad option too because everyone knows everyone there and strangers are a source of mistrust, everybody would ask you awkward questions... medium-sized cities are the best option if they're well connected with the international traffic network in order to escape if necessary. You should check on the internet the crime rates and pick out one where they're low."

"Or I can find an isolated place like you did..." she mumbles pensively staring at the ceiling and weighting her options... she sighs sadly. "Naples is out of question..."

"I'm afraid so. But talking about isolated places... it depends on your personality, I'm fine when I live for long periods of time in my island but I know Odessa gets bored after a few weeks, even if she goes sometimes to the resorts on the coast in order to have dinner, dance and drink. Sometimes, on rare occasions and after a careful planning, we go to Australia and buy tickets to a concert or an exhibition, we walk and go to a nice restaurant. The country isn't famous for its criminal rate although several drug cartels have emerged lately but I never made deals with that people so the possibility for them to recognize me is really low."

"All right... how are we going to do it? I can bring the necklace here in a few hours although it's in a safe place now..." The assassin smiles enigmatically while Nikolai leans his chin on his hand and thinks for some minutes: my dad is good at figuring out complicated plans really quickly but covering every eventuality possible.

"We can't do it here, too many witnesses..." he grumbles pursing his lips... "This is what we're going to do: Odessa..." He points at me. "You'll have to play the role of a mob boss for some weeks more, pretending to be making weapon deals and all that jazz... Let Winston and his friends follow your movements."

"Great because I was having fun and my friends too." I answer raising my glass of wine.

"Your friends?" Ares looks at me confused.

"Don't worry, I'll introduce you to Miss Qīngtíng and the rest of the gang soon... I bet they'll like you." I smile widely picturing Val outraged, Sophia looking at her rather suspiciously and Jay pestering her with questions about the life of an assassin just in case she has to audition for a role like that.

"You'll need a bodyguard..."Now it's me the one who looks at my dad confused because I already have one, I think. "We'll tell the Italians that you're receiving awful threats and you're worried about someone fucking your deals, you need security staff more professional than Valerik and you know that D'Antonio family are experts in providing that kind of services... in fact, when you meet them, Ares will be there but you won't mention her... just smile and steer the conversation so they're the ones offering her help. Make them believe that this is their brilliant idea. Tell them that you're satisfied with the price they're asking but demand a blood oath in order to make it more credible. Ares will go with you everywhere from that moment pretending to protect you from that fake threat while you do fake business. We'll travel to Paris some weeks later... where we'll get everything ready in order to 'kill' her while she fights against your 'enemy.' They'll believe it because they know the blood oath will force your bodyguard to die for you. You'll stay some more days in Europe keeping a low profile while Ares comes to Philippines with me and has her surgery... then you'll go back home too and we'll have a celebration with cocktails on the beach."

"Sounds like a plan, dad."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm going to think about it and finalise the details... I'll call you tomorrow and we'll put our plan into effect." I nod while looking at my dad getting up from his chair and leaving my apartment lost in his thought since his brain is working at full speed right now. Ares remains sitting at the table while I move the glasses of wine to the kitchen island. Her voice sends a shiver down my spine again but this time it's not because of her sweet accent but because of her words.

"Are we going to continue with what we started at my home?"