TWENTY- FIVE (Odessa POV)

"Is it always like this?" Lucky looks at me confused while putting our bags in the trunk of the small Fiat car, monitoring the surroundings at the same time looking for possible threats out of the corner of her eye. Actually, she seems to be calmed and even flirted with the girl behind the reception desk of the car rental company while I pretended to be upset, apparently the pretty brunette thought that her green hair was funny, her tattoos were cool and she spoke a really good Italian despite her thick Spanish accent. But what Lucrezia was doing, actually, was to check if the receptionist didn't know who I was and gave us the keys of a random car and therefore it wasn't tampered with to try to kill us. "Traffic is a chaos."

"Odessa, baby, this is Italy." My girl rolls her eyes hard getting behind the wheel. "What is more, this is Naples... but today is a calmed day and not even rush hour." Lucky chuckles while zigzagging expertly between other vehicles and ignoring the speed limit. "Legend has it that traffic lights, road signs, pedestrian crossings, roundabouts... were sold by the mafia to the local government forcing them to pay an astronomic bill and they had to give them the money because, well, it's the mafia and you'd better be in good terms with them, but no one pays attention to those things, they're just a city ornament."

"Hey, be careful!" I yell scared when another car stops abruptly to turn to the right in front of us. "You should use the car horn to tell that idiot that we've almost crashed against his trunk."

"No, babe, this is Naples, the car horn is only used if it's strictly necessary. You're mistaking us for Roman citizens, those really spend the entire day racketing around while driving..." Lucky snorts and dodges a van carrying fruit to a close market by a hair; streets are getting narrower, buildings look shabby but full of charm, grandmothers hang the fresh laundry from the windows while talking out loud to other neighbours and young ladies look beautiful and well-dressed even if they're going grocery shopping. This city is full of life and interesting things and I don't know where to look at...

"Oh my God, this is like living in a Fellini movie..."

"Odessa, focus on. We need to make sure that no one from the Company is following us..."

"Why would they follow us? No one knows who you are... Ares." I mouth the last word quietly and she snorts again while checking the rearview mirror.

"But they know who you are... Odessa." She mouths too, mockingly. "Someone could wonder what the former boss of the Russian mob's daughter is doing here, the almighty Nikolai Dashkov, the girl who's famous because she appeared in NY some months ago and is back on business but suddenly, she reappears in Naples just at the right moment when two members of the High Table are about signing a lucrative weapons sale deal."

"I'm on holiday with my friends," I answer with dignity.

"Nobody will believe that," my girl growls while dodging a bike rode by three people: the father drives with his son sat on his lap while the mother is grabbing his waist sat behind him... no helmet, of course. "But you won't be the only one, this is a big deal and has grabbed the attention of lot of people, most likely. I bet other mobs have sent one member to take a look at Winston and The Scorpion to be able to nose around and find out some secrets. I'm pretty sure there're no rooms available in this city's Continental."

"Don't worry about accommodation, my dad has always a plan B", I mumble flinching on my seat when several vehicles drive past us very close to our car body but Lucky is driving with firm hands. "He tends to be suspicious, even paranoid, I'd say."

"And that's why he's still alive..."

"You're right. The point is that he used to travel surrounded by bodyguards and he was a powerful lord of the Company, that's why he stayed at the Continental, of course, but he always liked to have a safe house where he could hide in case shit happened. Hotels like the one Winston runs are supposed to be inviolable and their grounds are safe but my dad didn't trust them... paranoid, as I told you... He kept doing that after faking his own death and this is why we have apartments in Paris, London or Madrid, every one of those with its own evacuation plan always ready, but I told my dad it was impossible for us to have a safe house in every capital of Europe or in every big city of this world... And he invested in hospitality businesses... everything legal, of course."

"Seriously?" Lucky looks at me out of the corner of her eye, fascinated and interested at the same time since she's been learning a lot about how to invest her new fortune in an efficient and safe way these past months. As my father explained, fugitives don't manage their money like bank CEOs or Wall Street big shots do because they always need to have cash at hand in case they need to escape again.

"Yes, my dad owns an international hotel company but his buildings are always small and full of charm, they're called boutique hotels, because this way he has a handful of guests only and he can investigate who they are easily and what their intentions are. So he always stays in his own hotels when traveling and has at his disposal all the surveillance cameras, the employees' loyalty and the guests' persona data. Paranoid... If fact, he's staying at one of those in Rome right now with Val where he's coordinating the operation and will send reinforcements if we need their help."

"I respect your father a lot," my girl nods pensively while driving slower looking for the entrance door of our hotel parking lot. "He hasn't insisted on coming here with us, he knew his presence in Naples could be a problem if someone recognized him, and hasn't caused problems or made things difficult with his whims... He's very wise. Maybe you should learn from him..." I can't help chuckling while punching her shoulder gently.

"We both know you'd get bored of my wisdom after two weeks... There, the green gate."

Our beautiful Neapolitan hotel was a small 17th century three-storey palace in other times and has only 20 rooms, seven of them are suites, along with the reception desk and the cafeteria/restaurant on the ground floor. There's a medium size inner courtyard, big enough to let the light pour in and keep some green plants in the gallery of one of the walls, and a back door that works perfectly in case we need to leave this building discreetly. Hardwood floors and frescoed ceilings are original but the decoration is modern and functional, our suite has a king size bed and a small living room area with grey couches to watch TV, it keeps the old wooden doors from the palace and the bathroom shows simple while tiles but the shower is quite big. Lucky drops our bags on a bench and looks around approvingly before taking a quick peek at the street from the window.

"Very well..." she whispers delighted.

"We have WiFi, 24h room service, breakfast from 7 to 11 am, there's a safe in that closet and we can order some cocktails to drink them on the rooftop terrace..."

"Sounds perfect but what I love the most is the location, this is a side street right behind one of the most lively avenues, very close to the historical centre... However, I can't hear the busy traffic or tourists making noise." My girl gets closer to me and puts her arms around my waist, kissing my neck softly. "I like Dashkovs, they're really intelligent..."

"You were right to join us, then..." I whisper before locking my lips with hers, temperature rises in this room... till a loud knock on the door interrupts us.

"Hello, hello... Girls, I'm so happy to see you... New York is a boring hole since you left." Jay runs into the room and hugs me enthusiastically followed by Sofia who looks calmer although her grey eyes sparkle of amusement.

"How were your academy tests?" I ask pointing at the couches and taking the room service menu, I've known for a long time that my friends are kinder people with whom you can have a reasonable conversation when there's food on the table.

"Please, don't talk about drama... Tell us what we're doing in la bella Napoli..." Jay leans forward excited, ready for the action. "Your father only explained us the basics in an encrypted e-mail he sent to Sofia but we don't know the final plan."

"Well, actually, there's no final plan," I admit passing the menu to Lucky who gets up to take the phone and order some pizzas, remembering that she has to speak Italian with Spanish accent despite it must be difficult for her. Suddenly, I frown wondering how she feels... I didn't think about it before but this is her hometown, the city where her mom abandoned her and her father drank into unconsciousness to forget her, where she lived in the streets till she managed to become a petty criminal, where she took her first steps in the Company and met D'Antonio family. I don't know if Naples brings good or bad memories to her mind, it's probably the last place where she'd want to be right now.

"Pizzas will be here in 20 minutes..." Jay and Sofia clap happily while the assassin sits down next to me and I can't help holding her hand, entwining our fingers. Lucky blinks surprised for a second but smiles before pointing at the map of Naples on the table.

"We must scout the area first... Actually, Odessa only needs a couple of minutes to talk to Winston discreetly and warn him about the danger he's in and, given that her purple hair is unmistakable and probably half of the Company knows she's here in the city, maybe it's better if we pretend to visit some tourist attractions tomorrow in the morning and go to the Continental later for a drink on the terrace."

"Do you think that's wise?" I ask worried.

"As I've said, the Scorpion knows you're here and you have to behave as usual, bold and sassy, so she doesn't think there's something weird going on. If you start stalking her, you'll set all the alarms off... Winston knows you and likes you, I believe he'll get close to greet you and maybe that will be the right time to explain him that his venomous lover wants to shoot up his car till it looks like a Gruyere cheese full of holes... As simple as that."

"I was talking about you, I don't know if it's wise for you to go the Continental in Naples, someone could recognize you as Ares: D'Antonio family, Winston, The Scorpion or any member of the High Table and the underworld. You're too exposed here."

"With her green hair, those tattoos and wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt? No way..." Jay shakes her head while Sofia chuckles before pointing at the assassin.

"And in addition to that, she speaks... If I would've run into you in NY, I'd get closer to ask you if I knew you, probably, but after hearing you talking confidently I'd admit that I was wrong for sure. Surgery has changed your facial features slightly, softened them, and I strongly believe you'd only be recognized by someone who knew you well and managed to get a very close look at your eyes... I don't think that's the case of any member of the Company but Jay can help you with that, anyway."

"Can I?" the young Asian girl asks puzzled.

"Stage make-up... If you apply soft blue eyeliner on her lower lid and she wears a blue T-shirt, I think the eyes would mirror the colour and she'd be able to fool them all."

"Oh yes, I can do that..." I sigh and nod reluctantly, this rescue plan doesn't seem a good idea after all. The assassin cover is at risk every minute she stays in this city and it's all because the stupid Continental manager decided to do business with that ambitious woman. A knock on the door startles us.

"Pizzas are here..." Lucky gets up slowly and looks at us over her shoulder while walking. "We'll take a nap later, I'm pretty sure jetlag is killing you too and we'll need to remain on full alert tomorrow."

*****

"No, no, no... Where do you think you're going? This isn't a catwalk in Milan." The assassin shakes her head frustrated and we look at each other puzzled standing in the middle of the hotel cafeteria after having breakfast. What is she talking about? We're wearing jeans, sneakers, T-shirts and hoodies... None of us looks smartly dressed at all, in fact, we look like the tourists we pretend to be. "This is Naples, my ladies, the city with more pickpockets per square meter in the whole world. Come on, give me that..." Lucky points at my watch and silver rings on my fingers. "Earrings and pendants too, take them off... Sofia, can you carry this stuff to the room safe? And remember: do not stay still in a random corner talking on the phone like a dummy... A kid could run past you and snatch your iPhone from your hands... You wouldn't see it again..."

"Wow, and they say New York has a bad reputation..." Jay mumbles while the assassin is busy shortening the stripe of her camera and my bag, making sure I'm keeping it under my armpit while walking so no one can reach in discreetly or yank it from my shoulder.

"Tourists are easy preys in this city's streets..." she whispers focusing on her task. "And the same happens in NY's subway... And the young petty thieves that work in the lowest level of the Camorra don't care if you're Odessa Nikoláyevna Vorontsova-Dashkova or if the Russian mob could take revenge... They wouldn't be able to find them in this labyrinth of alleys. Come on, pay attention, please. We'll walk down Spaccanapoli, one of the main arteries of Naples city centre, we'll go shopping, take pictures at the cathedral and visit the royal palace... It'll be enough for them, whoever is following us, to think we're here sightseeing..."

"Le chiedo scusa, signorina... Have we met before?" A tall and dark-haired man, with tanned skin and naughty smirk, has stopped in front of us when we were leaving the hotel. Well, Italian boys have a reputation for flirting with every girl they run into at any moment, in every place, so it wouldn't be weird for him to talk to us boldly under normal circumstances... The problem is that he's not looking at us, only staring at Lucky, and seems to be perplexed by her hair colour. "You look like someone I used to know years ago..."

"I think you're wrong," my girl speaks English with a thick Spanish accent. "Non capisco..." she hesitates to say the Italian words, as if she's truly unable to speak the language and doesn't understand what the guy is trying to say.

"Well, I could've sworn that..." the man frowns, probably trying to remember a skinny, suspicious, feisty and quiet Ares stealing wallets in Naples' historic centre, who didn't look at all like this tattooed beauty with green hair who wears a Halestorm T-shirt and puts her arm over my shoulders, showing clearly that we're more than friends. "Yes, you're right, it's not possible... I'm sorry."

"No worries." Jay, Sofia and I nod at the guy to say goodbye although he keeps shaking his head, it's pretty obvious he doesn't understand what's just happened while we walk away, getting lost among groups of tourists. No one says a word for five minutes and we focus on the store windows and on taking pictures of the buildings till my girl stops and leans her back on a wall under a bakery awning and sighs.

"Baby, are you all right? You look pale... Who was him?" I whisper the question so no one can gossip and my friends move closer to be able to hear us.

"Giovanni... One of my old friends when I was a teenager, he only reached a middle rank in the Camorra and I think he runs a bar now where petty thieves gather from time to time with their loot that he sells to other people in exchange for a commission... It's been years since the last time I saw him and hardly recognized him but the tattoo gave me the clue."

"Oh yes, it was amazing..." Sofia nods and points at her arm. "The Rome Coliseum around his biceps... a work of art."

"Yes, he got that ink done when he was 18... All right, now we know that my cover works, my hair and tattoos, and the fact that I'm able to speak... Even Jay's make up... everything works and managed to fool one of those people who knows me well in this world... Dam it! I can't believe we've bumped into him just like that... I was hoping that he'd forgotten about me." Lucky takes a deep breath and lets the air go slowly but she's still pale while Jay taps on my arm with her index and I shrug admitting that I don't know what's going on.

"So he was your friend..." I ask softly. "From the time when you started working for the Camorra and all that..."

"Giovanni was my first and only boyfriend." The three of us open our mouths wide in shock and Lucky chuckles amused. "And also the reason I knew I was gay... It didn't last long but it was enough for him to look at my eyes really close, as Sofia said yesterday... If he believes I'm not Ares, it means we can fool everybody... Thanks God. And now let's go, we have a lot of things to do today..."

"But..." I complain still in shock.

"Forget about him, Odessa, he wasn't that good..." Lucky pretends to shudder with disgust before winking at me and my friends laugh their asses off. I fail to see the humour, to be honest...