Pretending to Be an Untouchable Crime Boss

"That raggedy bitch…." Hector said as he lowered his gun.

"I knew it!" Bella said from the back, staring at Hector. "And you still believed it was me, you fucker!" She said, literally happy about herself in the situation, but James wasn't that happy.

He closed his eyes as fast as he heard the name. One of the people he was in alliance with is backstabbing him, stealing money.

Isabella, what the fuck you thought… but she's not that powerful, she's not that bold to do it alone, no, so it was Marco too, that egoist motherfucker… they backstabbed me after years of sucking my dick with every chance they got…

"What should we do, James?" Hector asked him, but he kept his eyes closed.

Isabella and Marco are against me, the Sinatra cartel is against me, there might be a chance that Silas' son is also going to do something too… that's just too many to take on.

"James?"

He let out a long breath as he opened his eyes.

"Miss, you did the biggest bank robbery in the country, you genius, you smart and have the means to be a great person but…" He pointed his pistol. "You are also wanting to bite too big. If you would've done that with a lower percentage, nobody would've ever known about it, you could've fled the country. If you would not reach your hand more than what you can grab, you would not have fucked with Isabella, which also means she wouldn't rob me out of nowhere."

He stood up, and Hector immediately grabbed under his arm, helping him. He stepped closer as he pushed the gun to her head.

"Look up at me, miss." He said, and she did, looked up at him, still with that same smile.

"You want to work for me?"

Everybody was stunned by the question, even Elizabeth herself.

"James, she—"

"Did I ask you, Bella?" James turned to her, but she just looked down on the floor, and he turned back to Elizabeth. "Let me say it so it becomes clear. You are going to work under me and steal more money." Her eyes widened as he said it. "You helped them steal 40 million from me, so you owe me 400 million. Are you ready to steal it back?" He asked as he pushed the barrel more into her forehead.

"What are you—"

James immediately pointed to the gun, Fredrick, but kept his eyes on Elizabeth.

"I hope you realize that your life is in my hands, that your whole fucking family is in my hands, so sit the fuck back, and shut up before I do something really bad, okay?"

Fredrick did in fact sit the fuck back.

"So, miss, you're ready to steal money?"

Her eyes were still filled with disbelief and what was going on, the whole situation. She just admitted stealing money, she just said that she was the one that caused death, but the man before her was giving a second chance to her.

"I-I'm ready…" She whispered.

"Perfect." James said and holstered his gun. "Then you have exactly 3 days to make my 40 million back, miss."

She didn't say anything. That was impossible to do without getting caught, it was too much money, or was it? Because the director heard the conversation, who could help her to do it.

"I'll do it." She whispered again.

"From this moment you work for me, which means you don't need to worry about your life. Some guy will watch you and help with stuff, but if you make a mistake, you're dead, miss. You understand?"

"Yeah."

"That's it. We're done here." James said, then walked out the door, leaving Fredrick and Elizabeth frozen in shock, finally realizing just how fucked up their situation really was.

400 million is enough for second-hand weapons and more people… he thought as he slowly went down the stairs. Or is it not that much? We need explosive grenades, we need to bribe people, or should I make a deal with the dictator… that would just come with more complications…

"James, what was that?!" Bella shouted as she ran to him. "You give work to a—"

She couldn't finish that as James grabbed her hip and dragged her close, giving her a long kiss. It was a sight like in movies, in the middle of the staircase, a pair kissing, while around them everyone pretended not to see it.

"What…?" Bella flushed as she looked at James. He was so close to her, so intense with her.

"Now we will meet when time comes." He said as he looked to the left. "Take her."

"James—"

She was grabbed by the guard and was being dragged outside. She didn't scream, she didn't fight back as she realized what was happening. James made his decision and she knew she could fight with it or argue with it.

"Hector, call up Dani, send some money to the airport, and give it to Bella."

"I'll do it right now." Hector said as he pulled out his phone, but his pulse was getting quicker and quicker.

It meant war. James was sending away the people he loved and cared for. But then...

"Hector…" James said his name in a way that he never had before. He immediately looked back from the phone, and James had a faint smile on his face.

"You can go too."

Hector just froze on the spot because James wasn't joking. The way he said it…it was genuine.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"You have a family. A beautiful sister. A beautiful mother. A family that loves you, and you love them too. You did enough for me." James paused, looking down at his hands before clenching them lightly. "You followed me into the fire. You killed, you lied, you bled for me. But I won't let your soul burn anymore. Not because of me."

Hector didn't move. His lips parted like he wanted to say something… but nothing came out.. For the first time, he felt like he was standing in front of a stranger. Not because James had changed, but because James had finally let him see behind the curtain.

"No." Hector whispered, shaking his head slowly. "No, you don't get to do that."

James let out a short breath that sounded almost like a laugh. "This isn't about loyalty. I'm trying to save what's left of you."

"You think I stuck around because I had nowhere else to go? I stayed because you're my brother, James. I'm not walking away."

Silence hung between them.

Then, James added, "If you stay, you'll drown with me. And I'm okay with that. But you? You still have a chance to breathe."

Hector clenched his fists, jaw tight, but didn't reply right away. He looked at James's backhis posture calm, but tired. Worn.

And it hit him.

James wasn't trying to leave Hector behind.

He was trying to fight a war on his own.

He was trying to die alone.