Page 16 of Light in Your Eyes (Romero Brothers #1)
Layla
Thankfully, the call with Nana and Archer went smoothly.
I just wanted to let them know that I was doing okay and to make sure that they were doing all right without me.
In their minds, I was studying at Texas Tech University, and luckily, I could answer their questions about my living flat, my studies, and my roommate without having to make it suspicious.
I transferred a portion of the money that I got from Jaxon to them. I lied to them, telling them that it was excess money from the loan added to my salary from my previous part-time job. What they didn't know yet was that I was going to transfer more money.
A knock on the door echoes, and I get off the bed. I walk toward the door and open it. A big smile spreads across my face when I see Zoe again.
Just like before, she writes on her notes to speak to me.
I’m going to bring you to my place so that you can meet my father. He will tell you more about Black Wings.
I nod, agreeing with her. I need to know more about Black Wings and this place. I also want to know more about Jaxon and his mission in Italy.
I step out of Kellan’s room. Zoe takes my hand, and she leads the way. We walk down the hallway toward the basement.
It's not the same basement where they have the boxing ring, so I guess that it's the one where Zoe and her father live.
She pushes the door open, and I'm greeted by a tattoo studio.
I travel my eyes around with awe. The room is dimly lit, but I can clearly see how artistic it is. The walls are lined with dark paintings, and most of the furniture is dark wood. But strangely, it still feels comfortable enough for a living space. It even feels cozy.
I see two doors leading to different bedrooms and another door that I guess would lead to the bathroom. Just when I land my gaze on it, someone opens it from the other side.
I watch as a tall and broad-shouldered middle-aged man walks to us with a big smile on his face.
"You must be Layla." He reaches out his arm and gives me a firm handshake. "I'm Stas, Zoe's father. Welcome to our home."
I return his smile, appreciating his warm hospitality. This humble man has inked countless tattoos for the leaders and members of Black Wings.
“You must have wondered about this place,” Stas says, guiding me to follow him. “Come here. I’ll tell you from the beginning.” He walks further into his studio, toward a desk in the corner of the room.
The wall next to the desk has photos attached to it. Lots of them. My gaze darts to some photos, most of which are of men. Stas’ finger hovers over one of them, focusing on a photo of a handsome middle-aged man with a woman by his side.
“Black Wings was found by Magnus. He’s Jaxon’s and Kellan’s father,” Stas says.
My eyes zoom in on the photo. I’m guessing that the woman beside him is his wife, who is none other than Kellan’s mother. They look happy together.
“When Black Wings started, it was many years ago,” Stas says. “Magnus created it as a secret organization teaming up with the government to get rid of large-scale crimes and illegal acts, before it became corrupted.” He sighs. “At least, that’s what I thought it is now.”
I frown. I never thought that Black Wings had such a history. I can’t help but ask, “Why would you think so? Why is it corrupted now?”
“Even though the missions are always top secret, I hear a lot from the recruits,” Stas says. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of missions they do.”
I nod before I focus my attention to the photos again. There’s another photo of Kellan’s parents, but in this one, they are with another man. “Who is this man?” I point at the photo.
“That’s Fenrir,” Stas says. “He’s Magnus’ best friend. They used to run Black Wings together.”
“Where is he now? ”
“He’s not in the country,” Stas says. “Fenrir has been in a secret mission for years. A search mission, to be exact. He assigned Luca to run this place.”
I gasp in disbelief. “Luca?” Mentioning his name sends shivers down my spine. I can’t help but think about the incident near the fountain, where he almost made me drown.
I snap my head toward Zoe, who only nods quietly.
“But how come Fenrir entrusted such a person to run this place?” I protest. “That guy is the definition of cruel.”
Stas shrugs. “Our leaders, except Kellan, are focusing on their missions abroad that they don’t really pay attention to what’s happening in this mansion. Besides, what Luca did was considered as play time to most of the members.”
I swallow.
“You don’t have to be afraid of Luca,” Stas says firmly. “Except for the fact that Fenrir assigned him to run this place, he has no power in terms of his position. Luca is just a regular member, whereas Kellan is a king. You shouldn’t worry too much if you stay with Kellan.”
“Regular member?” I echo.
“Yes,” Stas says. “The tattoo is the identity of every Black Wings member, and it defines their position. A king is identified by a black wings tattoo with silver streaks, while a knight a tattoo with red streaks. Luca doesn’t have any streaks in his tattoo—I was the one who inked it onto his skin.
He’s just a regular member, hired by Fenrir. ”
I remember Nina telling me about the Black Wings tattoo. Now I understand why she said that it was crucial identity of every Black Wings member .
“The tattoo can only be crafted by either me or Zoe,” Stas says proudly. “It’s made with special inks, and no one else can copy what we do.”
I nod. Stas and Zoe must be so talented that no other artists can copy what they do. It's because of them that Black Wings can maintain their tattoo exclusivity. Nobody can have a Black Wings identity unless it's made by them.
Zoe and her father must be considered very important to Black Wings. It's no wonder that they seem close to Kellan and that Kellan trusts them.
“So, the kings are Jaxon, Kellan, and Fenrir?” I ask.
Stas shakes his head. “Only Jaxon and Kellan. The kings can only be claimed by those who are related by blood to Magnus. Even Fenrir isn’t. He’s a knight.”
My brows furrow. “A knight?”
“A knight is a position directly reporting to the king and can only be assigned by the king himself. Magnus assigned Fenrir to be a knight, while Jaxon assigned Cole and Levi.”
Stas taps a photo of Cole on the wall. “We have the photos of our leaders here, so you can have a better idea about what I’m talking about.”
The first photo is of Cole in a black leather jacket, smoking a cigarette. He's not looking at the camera. It's a candid picture. He looks good, just as he does in real life, but the monochrome photo doesn't do any justice to his captivating blue eyes.
"You met Cole. He's gone back to Italy for a mission," Stas says. "He's one of the knights, so he has a black wings tattoo with red streaks.”
“So, kings choose knights, and knights choose regular members?” I ask.
Stas nods. “Yes. If a member is recruited by a knight, they will have a regular black wings tattoo.”
My eyes dart to the photo next to Cole’s. “Is that Levi?”
“Yes,” Stas says. " Levi is one of the knights as well. He's Jaxon’s most trusted right-hand man, other than Cole, of course."
I stare at Levi’s photo. The man is sitting on his motorcycle, not looking at the camera. Again, another candid photo. He has dark hair, but I can't see his eyes clearly because he's looking at his phone.
"Levi rarely talks. He doesn't do people," Stas says. "The only things he's interested in are weapons and blood. He's a killing machine."
That's enough for me to learn how scary this guy is.
We focus on the third photo, which shows a man dressed in all black walking from a limo. Although it's just a piece of photo, the way the man carries himself sends shivers down my spine. His expression can make any people cower.
"That's Jaxon," Stas says with pride.
I look closer, studying Jaxon's face.
"People might have heard his name, but only a few members of Black Wings have seen him in person," Stas says.
"How old is Jaxon?" I ask.
"24," Stas says. "Same age as Cole. Levi is younger. He's 20, the same age as Kellan."
My eyes land on the last picture attached to the wall, and my breath catches in my throat. The photo shows Kellan standing inside a boxing ring. He's shirtless, full of sweat, and panting. I can see his toned abs and how well-built he is, but that's not the only thing catching my attention.
His expression is something that one wouldn't miss. He looks angry. Like, really angry. He's seething, just like the first time I saw him in the boxing ring.
I've heard about the tragedy that made Kellan lose his eyesight. My heart hurts for the little boy, who obviously has grown up. He's not a little boy anymore, but I can still see the pain in his eyes through this picture.
I feel something brush my skin, and when I turn my head, I find Zoe squeezing my hand to comfort me, as though she’s trying to tell me to not give up on Kellan. She gives me a reassuring smile, and I return it with a soft one.
“What about the other members?” I ask Stas again. “Who hired them?”
"Fenrir," Stas says. "Jaxon, Cole, and Levi have been focusing on their mission in Italy for years, while Fenrir still runs things here occasionally. Most of the members here were recruited by him."