Days went by with doctors checking on James, running tests, and slowly, he started walking again.
A piece of his left ear was missing, and now gunshot wounds decorated his body.
He was beginning to look like a gangster, not just in appearance, but in mentality as well. In just a couple of days, something inside him had changed.
And it was thanks to Hector, who, while James was out, wanted to get every piece of information possible, exactly who ordered the hit, whose hands were in it, and it was easier than he thought.
The information came without even making a phone call, because they all feared for their lives.
Government officials, officers, and agents gave everything they knew. And in only two days, he had already gathered the documents, which he handed to James.
After reading all of it, the picture was clear, and he waited because he knew that somebody would approach him.
He was right.
Hector opened the hospital room door and stepped inside. Behind him came two bodyguards, followed by a woman. James slowly looked at her. She wore a suit and high heels, clearly someone important.
"Who are you?" He asked.
She stepped forward. "Linda Walheim. I am the Justice Minister."
James stared at her for a moment, then pointed at the chair, that was beside his bed.
At first, she didn’t move. But she knew it wasn’t a gesture, it was an order. So, she sat down and wanted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come.
Not with those eyes looking at her.
The eyes of James Bellini.
She had prepared for this, read every report, every document. She had trained herself to stay composed, to not waver before him. But those reports didn’t mention his eyes. Eyes that looked like death itself staring back at her.
Rage. Guilt. Bloodlust.
She could see all of it burning inside him and ready to come out.
"Speak." Another order.
"I—I am truly sorry for your loss, and I would like to offer my deepest apologies for the actions of the…" She hesitated as James simply listened, unblinking, staring. "...the Capitol Police operation was ordered by Vice President Carter Vinsel and the Mayor Takoi Mario.
He said nothing, just smiled. It wasn’t a smirk, no, it was a big smile on his face.
"Oh, really?" He suddenly laughed, glancing at Hector.
Hector, confused at first, then laughed too. The bodyguards followed, chuckling as if they had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
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Then, in an instant, James’ hand wrapped around Linda’s throat and pulled her close.
"You really came here…" His grip tightened around her neck. "..to fucking save your ass?"
She didn’t fight back as James’ grip tightened around her neck. She just choked as her breath slowly faded. Her head turned red and her vision began to fade, then James pushed her back into the chair.
Linda grabbed her throat as breathed heavily then looked up.
"Y-You’re not untouchable anymore….we’re offering you protection....we’re putting you in a position you can’t refuse—"
"Ssssss." James held up his hand and laughed again, shaking his head. "What you really want is to put a leash on me. But first, you want me to kill the Vice President?" He laughed, then just like that, locked eyes with her again. "And the Justice Minister didn’t know a single thing about this whole mess?"
"It was under—"
"Shut the fuck up. Now talk."
"I didn’t know—"
"Shut the fuck up." He laughed again. "I was in a coma, now mourning my little brother, and still, you listen like a fucking dog."
She said nothing this time, just looked at him as sweat rolled down her face, her legs trembling under her.
"Who am I?" He asked simply.
It wasn’t a hard question to answer, but she took her time.
"James Belli—"
"No, no, no." He waved his hand. "Say it. Say the thing that’s clawing under your skin, the thing that makes your legs shake, the thing that makes sweat drip down your face… Who am I?"
"The Angel of Death." She finally whispered.
"Yeah, that’s it. The Angel of fucking Death. What a nickname." He smirked. " It sounds cool. But I am not that." He stared at her again and waited for her to ask.
"T-Then… w-who are you?"
James tilted his head, his smirk fading.
"Just a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time… too many times to count. Everywhere I went, people died. Isn’t that weird? What are the odds of that, huh?"
He let out a humorless chuckle.
"I took a fucking walk, and ten people drop dead. I sat down to eat a croissant and a shoutout happend.. Again and again. And before I could fucking realize it, I became something I never meant to be."
"I don’t understand…"
"I’m just saying that I don’t give a fuck anymore. Before all this bullshit, I actually tried to help people, tried to have some kind of morality. But now? My little brother is dead. My right-hand man is dead. And if that wasn’t fucking enough, they killed Victor Moretti. You know I didn’t give a fuck about him." He leaned closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers.
"But they killed his wife. And his daughter, Penelope, too."
He held out his hand, his fingers touching her face.
"How come I never killed innocent people, but the police do?"
"It was a mistake… They—"
James didn’t let her finish. "These past few days, I’ve done everything I could to cope with this. I even read a quote that was supposed to motivate me. It said, ’A man who has lost everything fears nothing.’" He paused, tilting his head slightly. "What do you think about that?" He asked, genuinely waiting for her answer.
But Linda knew, this wasn’t just a question.
It was the sign that James Bellini had lost himself.
"You’re taking too long." He whispered.. "So let me explain my thoughts on it. There is no man who fears nothing. Because at the end of the day, you’re still alive. You only get one life. And I’m pretty damn sure that if I started chopping off the legs of some guy who claims he fears nothing, he’d cry like a little bitch, screaming for mercy, begging to live. He’d cling to the only thing that matters…life. Don’t you think so?"
"Yeah, I agree… but—"
"I read another quote." James interrupted. "It said, ’Only you know your true face. Every time you’re around people, even your own family, you wear a mask. You never show your real self. You try to impress, try to feel bad for others, but never truly reveal what’s inside. People don’t see you for who you are. They paint you the way they want to see you.’"
His cold gaze locked onto hers.
"And you… you fucking bitches, you see me as a murderer. A mafia boss."
Linda swallowed hard but stayed silent.
"But that’s not true." James leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you know why?"
She shook her head.
"Because I’m more than that." He smirked. "I’m not a mafia boss. I am the mafia. I’m not the Angel of Death. I am Death." He smiled again. "That sounds a little cringe, so let me say it clearly, I am Life and Death. Do you know why?"
"Because… you are a god?"
"A god? Lady, I’m not crazy." He laughed, and so did the others. "No, I give life to take one."
"I don’t understand…"
"Let me give you an example." James leaned back and turned to Hector. "I’ll pay ten million to the person who skins Takoi alive. And one hundred thousand for every officer’s head. And I mean it, cut off their heads."
Then he looked back at Linda, who was shaking so badly she looked like she was going to pass out.
"I just gave someone a new life....ten million dollars. And for many, a hundred thousand is a fortune. At the same time, I caused death."
"You can’t do that…" She said, smiling through her pain. "I have the power to bring the military in. You wouldn’t last a day—"
He punched her. Hard. Her nose broke instantly, blood gushing onto the white floor as she fell from the chair.
Then he stood up slowly, Hector grabbing his arm to support him.
James stepped over her, grabbed her hair, and forced her onto her back.
Without a flicker of hesitation or morality, he started punching her face over and over again.
Blood splattered onto the white floor, onto the walls, onto the guards. He didn’t stop. Not until his body finally gave out, and he physically couldn’t punch anymore.
Suddenly the door opened, and everyone turned at the same time.
It was a doctor.
He looked at them. "Uh… I’ll come back…later." He closed the door as fast as he could.
James looked back at Linda and her bloodied face.
"Huh, you’re still conscious? Get back in the chair."
She actually did. Slowly. Her head spun, her vision blurred, and blood was everywhere. She slipped to her knees.
One of the bodyguards grabbed her and threw her into the chair.
"What is 7 times 8?"
"...fifty-six…" She answered after a few seconds.
"So, you’re going to understand what I’m about to tell you."
He leaned forward, handing her a piece of cloth.
She grabbed it, wiping the blood from her face and pressing it against her nose.
"You are going to kill the Vice President. And after that, you will become my personal informant. Okay?"
"What?"
"Yeah, you’re going to kill him. And I don’t give a fuck how you do it."
"...I can’t—"
He punched her again, and she nearly fell from the chair. But Hector caught her and pushed her back into it.
James waited for her to look at him, then spoke.
"If you don’t, then I’m going to fly to Macardi, take a five-hour ride to a town called Lures, then go to Bake Street 34, where there’s a white mansion. I’m going to knock on the door, and your daughter will look confused when, without a word, I step inside—"
"Please… no…"
"I’m not going to kill them. No, no."He wagged his finger. "I’m going to tie them up, your two daughters, their children, and husbands. Then we’re going to take a little trip to the woods. We’ll camp out. Talk. You know, make them feel safe. I’ll make sure they know I don’t want to kill them, give them a little hope."
He grinned.
"And then, one by one, I’m going to burn them alive. And I’m going to smile. Enjoy every moment as they scream while their flesh burns off. And the best part?" He laughed. "The others will watch. They’ll beg, but I won’t listen."
His grin widened.
"I’ll spare the little childs, though. Do you know why?"
Linda could barely breathe, but she shook her head.
"Because I don’t hurt children. Unlike you motherfuckers. I’ll let them live, let them grow up, and have kids of their own. And then, when they do…"
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"I’ll kill them. Just as a reminder of what you did. That this is all your fault. So what is your answer?"
"I do everything you want…just spare them please.."
James took a moment.
"Okie. Now get the fuck out."
Linda barely managed to push herself up from the chair.
Her entire body trembled, her legs barely holding her weight. Blood still dripped from her broken nose. She stumbled, trying to move toward the door, but before she could take another step—
"I trust you, Linda. I really do. But if you so much as think about fucking me over, I’ll make sure that before I burn your family, they’ll spend days screaming in agony. Days, Linda."
She didn’t say anything back, just opened the door and stepped out of the room.
They thought they could control him. Restrain him. Keep him in check with power plays, politics.
They had fucked up. More than she had ever imagined.
"Should I issue the order?" Hector asked.
"Before that, I go myself to the police station."
"Why?" He asked confused.
"To kill the police chief." He locked eyes with him "So get me some clothes and a walking stick."
Hector and the guards bodies stiffened because they knew, it was the beginning of a new era for the Bellini family.