Uncertainty Arising

ELENA'S POV:

"Leonardo, I want you to search for the address he gave to Elena. See how guarded it is and try to see if there are any CCTV cameras at the entrance." Leonardo went into searching on Antonio's laptop and he traced the address on the card. Leonardo, a brutal mafia yes, but I just realized he was probably an expert in cyber tech. I watched as he worked his expertise on the computer and well, he understood what was displayed on the screen.

"I don't understand." He furrowed his brows.

"What's wrong?" Antonio asked.

"He left the gates of the mansion open."

"Did he do so to any of the other mansions?"

"He did not. It seems quite off to be honest." I didn't understand what they were saying quite well because I didn't know Derek as much as they did. I watched as Antonio's face contorted with bewilderment and a chill instantly went down my spine because there were only a few times I had to see Antonio that way. Something was obviously off and I couldn't face the feeling of unease creeping up inside of me.

"Can someone explain to me what the issue is?" I asked with evident concern.

"Derek is really up to something. One would have thought, as an anonymous sort of mafia he would have guards surrounding him and security cameras. At least the gates would be locked. He has none of that in here and this is the address he has given you?" Leo asked and I nodded. "What do you think about this Damon?" He asked Antonio.

Antonio turned to him, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated out of suspicion. "It doesn't add up. How can his location be open and unguarded? Doesn't it seem too convenient to trust? It's almost like he's making it too easy so she can fall into his traps. Perhaps he set it for you, perhaps he didn't. But it's weird. If he could do such things to those ladies in a guarded place, what more can he do to you in an unguarded place?" He asked, the worry in his voice evident.

"I'd passed that place countless times whenever I was headed somewhere." Leo contributed. "It never seemed suspicious because I believed it was the house of probably one of the innocent rich people. Never knew it would turn out to be his. It could be a trap. We can't just let Elena go like that. We can't even allow her to leave for that place yet. If he wants to see you, let him call you. You can't leave this place till he calls and if he doesn't we might as well look for other ways to get to him, but it's way better than risking your innocent life." Leo said and I blinked. I thought I was the only one because Antonio did literally the same thing, he blinked. We were dumbfounded that Leo could actually care this much. "Well, do we agree with that?" Leo asked and we both nodded. His brows furrowed as he faced the computer again as his mind worked overtime.

"It's obvious that we can't underestimate Derek. He's been cunning since childhood. There's more to what he is than meets the eye. He's hiding something. Yes, the FBI are on the lookout for him, yes, we want to expose him, yes, but for freaking 17 years the authorities have been unable to find the culprit that killed my parents. He held the blood-stained knife tightly while my parents slowly died in front of me. I was completely helpless at that point because I couldn't bring my parents back to life. I could only wish they hadn't had a son like Derek. He really manipulated his way through life, hiding himself from everyone. Even if people see him in person, they'd never know he is Derek."

"So what you're saying is that Derek had been walking on the street with the rest of humanity and was never caught."

"Never. Nobody knows who he is. There's no record of his background, there's no record of even his age or name or anything like that. Totally invisible. So even if anyone wanted to do a very good research on his background they'd certainly fail." Antonio nodded at his words.

Leo seemed to still be deep in contemplation. "I'll leave no stone unturned, Damon. We need to expose any hidden agendas or motives he may have."

Leo continued his research in front of us, while I had no idea what was displaying on the screen. But my mind raced with possibilities. What I was getting myself into was nothing ordinary and I had to be extremely cautious. I'd never had to deal with a mafia before, and this being my first time was really scary but I wanted to do it. Why? Because I was tired of being scared. I'd been petrified all my life. I'd never really had time for myself or anybody else. I'd always been afraid to put my needs before the needs of others but now, I wanted it all to change. I was taking a very risky decision and I totally agree. But how confident would we all be if we never took risks? My mind raced with so many questions but I couldn't still ignore the issue at hand. So many questions busting in the air. Could this be a ploy to trap us? Was Derek trying to play mind games with us, trying to lure us into a false sense of security? Uncertainty and fear of the unknown gawned at me and I didn't want my efforts to go to waste."

"I think I'll have to do a deeper research on this because I can't figure it all out in a day." He stated. "But it's advisable to follow what I said. Don't be in a hurry. If he doesn't call, good, if he calls, also good. I'll certainly find a way to strategize through these to avoid falling into an unforeseen trap." He said as he continued to type away on the laptop. I glanced at Antonio whose eyes were already on me and I couldn't help but squirm under his gaze. I didn't mean to squirm but I couldn't help it. I knew that look, it screamed that he couldn't wait to get my clothes off me. I knew the look anywhere. Leo decided to leave the room that moment and when I looked at Antonio again, one brow was cocked as if to ask what I was waiting for. He seemed to have a change of heart though because as I took a step forward he rose from his seat and grasped my small hand in his huge one before leading us out of the room. I turned and saw Leo on the other side. He was occupied with the laptop in his hands but the door opening made him glance upward, twice. I shrugged. He on the other hand has a short salute as if to say 'good luck'.

When we reached his room. He locked the door behind him and pushed me to the bed.