~Ezra~

"We have a problem."

"Not at 5 AM we don't. Goodbye."

"The sun's rising, the birds are chirping and we are royally fucked." There was a deliberate pause. "Suck it up, princess."

"Call me that one more time, and not only will I be awake but you'll go to sleep forever."

"I see death threats before coffee is still your aesthetic."

"You're the one who snapped at me before my alarm clock went off."

"You hate that thing, and besides you'll find my mellow voice appeasing to wake up to."

"Appeasing my ass-"

"They messed with the supply again."

With that, the time for friendly banter was over and Ezra lay on the bed in the penthouse, staring out at the city he owned, feeling oddly calm.

"When?" He asked, simply.

"Sometime when it was being transported from the factory, that's all we know." Another pause. "We know where it went but we don't know anything else."

Interesting.

"You mean to tell me this is the fourth time someone's screwed me over and we still don't know jacksquat. Correct that, you still don't know jacksquat."

For a person who can read minds, Leo was being awfully useless at the moment.

"We've been trying to find something, anything but this man works like a ghost." He said now. "Leaves no traces, kills off any loose ends."

Ezra resisted the urge to wince.

Three of his men died in the last two weeks. Granted they were scum who chose to fuck him over for whatever petty money they could get their hands on, but murder seemed way too extreme to bury the little information they must've had.

Granted he'd have killed them himself.

Perhaps a little quicker though.

"You mentioned you knew where it went." He stated, his voice flat.

"The Raven's Nest, downtown."

And in one of his clubs too.

"And how-"

"Turn on the news, Ezra."

The bad feeling in his gut that started as a smidge when he'd picked up the phone had now morphed into something huge and ugly.

"Well, I'll go do that then." He muttered, with zero intention. "I'll see you soon."

"I missed you too, darling."

"Go choke on a dick."

"Hopefully will, tonight."

"God." Ezra rubbed his eyes. "Just- bye."

It was going to be a long day.

Half an hour later, Ezra was standing by the kitchen counter with his suit on, the smell of eggs, bacon and coffee wafting through his home.

Because you always start the day with a good breakfast, kids.

Even when you physically feel like throwing it up with anxiety.

The first rays of sunlight pierced the inky sky outside, painting the horizon with shades of pink, green and yellow, the autumn air hanging heavy and still.

The billboards were still on, the smoke still rose in columns by the factories and the multilevel roads were still occupied by lines of traffic.

It was one of many things Ezra loved about this place.

Eldara never slept.

Once he was done with his meal, he headed downstairs to his car, and made quick work of heading to the South of Sector 3.

It was going to be a long, long day.

***

"You're up early."

"Don't remind me." Ezra stretched his legs in the booth of the restaurant, bracing himself. "What's the damage?"

The club was across the street, it's usual red and white neon now shut down. It looked dejected, with yellow tape plastered everywhere, a dozen or so cops swarming the place, their vehicles almost obstructing traffic.

"The mayor is dead."

He didn't expect that.

He hadn't switched on the news.

"Two men with feral eyes attacked the man when he entered the club a little past midnight. That's the official report."

Ezra pinches the bridge of his nose. "And the unofficial one?"

Artemis leaned forward on the table, her green eyes sharp. "From one of the runners working the floor, both of them took two shots of Verita. They were fine for about an hour and then the minute they saw him come in, they - changed."

Ezra could guess the rest.

Their pupils would then turn into slits. They would then stealthily move through the crowd with a singular purpose. They would get their hands on the mayor and then find anyway possible to make him stop breathing.

They would then also inconveniently drop dead.

It had been a routine now for the last couple of weeks.

People in high places finding their places in hell from the feral eyed ones.

"And we're sure this time it was because of the drug?"

"Positive." Artemis reached over, her long fingers curling over his. "This needs to stop, darling."

He hated that word.

But he loved her enough to let her keep using it.

"I'm trying. We're all trying. What are your little birds saying?"

"There's disquiet among the families. They don't know what's happening yet, but they can feel something huge is coming up and they're restless."

He knew how it went. Any excuse for a shift of power.

He needed to find out who was messing with his drugs. And fast.

"Where are the others?" He asked. "Leo was all high and mighty about ruining my beauty sleep, yet I don't see his ass anywhere?"

"They're -" she hesitated. "Working a lead."

It was just as the words left her mouth that two men entered the empty restaurant, hands on a third, being almost drunkenly dragged behind them.

"Hey Arty." Leo beamed, planting a kiss on her forehead. The blond rough tossed the third man onto the table like a sack of potatoes.

"We're sorry for the delay."

That came from the second man, who was the stark opposite of Leo's blue eyed surfer boy disposition. He had dark tousled hair with hazel eyes, high cheek bones and a set jawline.

Anton's lips were drawn into a faint line, which somehow managed to make Ezra anxious.

"We found our mole." Leo rejoiced.

"He was paid off to stop exactly twenty minutes by that park near the Serra river." Anton continued. "He's just a transporter, worked for us for three years. He doesn't know anything else, not even who promised him the money, he just has a phone number."

The man on the table looked stupidly happy, with no clue about where he was or what was going on.

Because while Leo could read thoughts, Anton could twist emotion.

And Ezra so hated men shitting their pants in fear when they saw him.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, lifting the man's head by his hair.

"You're the One." He said with a giggle. "The Head of the First Family."

"Do you know who they are?" Ezra gestured to his men.

"The Trinity."

Artemis yawned, getting up from her seat.

"Do you know what happens when you cross me?"

Realisation slowly dawned on the man as Anton withdrew his influence from him.

"I'm so-"

He hated that word too.

And unfortunately for the man, he had no love to give.

"Finish him."

Artemis merely touched him on the forehead, as the vitality drained away from him.

The Families often wondered how he built an empire seemingly from scratch in ten years. How he rose in power and how out of nowhere his name was a hushed whisper reverently carried by the winds.

How he was the closest thing to royalty on the streets.

"Let's get pancakes." Leo broke him out of his reverie. "I'm fucking starving, Your Highness."

***
Ezra : "Vote for a new series." 🎊🎉