1

A debt with the Mafioso

The cold and dark night was the only thing keeping me on my feet.

I found myself alone in the middle of nowhere, struggling to move towards a warmer place where I could be safe from the clutches of the nocturnal cold and something else that weighed on my chest.

"It's too dark," I whispered in fear.

Suddenly, a light struck my face directly, leaving me unable to see anything for a moment. I felt a terrible fear that lodged in my gut, stealing my breath away.

When I opened my eyes again to adjust to the recent and intense light that now illuminated the night, I saw something that left me colder than I already was:

A few steps away from me stood my brother Mike, with dirty and torn clothes, a scarf covering his mouth, and his emerald-green eyes reflecting desperation.

I wanted to run to him, but an invisible force held me back.

"Mike!"

I shouted his name loudly, only to hear a dull thud. I focused my gaze on Mike, who no longer wore the gag, and bit my lip in concern. He only smiled at me with sorrow, whispering, "I'm sorry."

After that, the lights went out at the same time I heard a haunting scream from my brother, and something liquid splashed on my face.

I raised my hand to my cheek to find blood on my hands...

I woke up gasping and covered in cold sweat.

I should be used to nightmares by now; I had them since my parents died in that tragic accident where only my brother Mike and I survived.

Lately, the nightmare where I also lost him tormented me endlessly. I wanted to find a logical explanation for my nightmares.

I dreamed that harm befell my brother since he went on a trip to a distant country, leaving me alone in this big house.

Loneliness.

I sighed resignedly before checking the time on the digital clock on the nightstand. I confirmed with desperation that it was only five in the morning, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

I sat up in bed, running my hands over my eyes to wake up, but I couldn't help but think about Mike. My brother had left on a trip a couple of weeks ago, and since then, I hadn't heard anything from him, despite my attempts to locate him every day.

I only wished that the nightmare tormenting me wouldn't come true because if I lost him too, after everything we had been through, I didn't know if I could bear it.

I decided to get up and shower; after all, I would have to go to work in a couple of hours. So, I picked the clothes I would wear that day and headed to the bathroom.

Under the shower, I began to feel much better, although not entirely.

After showering, I dressed in dark jeans, a white T-shirt, and a red and white striped cardigan. After that, I styled my brown, wavy hair into a side braid, applied a light-toned makeup to my fair skin, and added a touch of mascara to make my emerald-green eyes more striking.

I used a bit of perfume, put on my cream-colored ankle boots matching my cream leather jacket, grabbed my matching bag, and left the house.

I didn't feel like staying alone at home for any longer; I didn't feel up to it. I also didn't feel like having breakfast; I wasn't hungry, and these nightmares always left me drained.

So, I thought about strolling through a park near my workplace until it was time to go in.

I was the marketing manager for a very popular advertising company in New York, despite being one of the youngest workers in the company, as I was only 24 years old. But my job was something that made me feel very proud.

When I felt better, it was time to go to work, so I did. I headed to a building with dark glass that stood imposingly in front of Central Park.

When I entered, Sasha was already at her reception desk. She was surprised to see me arrive early, but she didn't comment on it; we just greeted each other, and I headed to my office to start working.

I was sure that keeping my mind occupied would help me not to dwell on things.

"Miss Margo, you have a visitor."

"Does he have an appointment?"

"No, but he said he wants to talk to you about an important project."

"Alright, tell him to come in."

Sasha nodded and left my office, returning with a tall, well-dressed man wearing sunglasses. When he removed them, he revealed stunning gray eyes.

I smiled at them, Sasha left, closing the door behind her, and the man sat down, looking around my office with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Margaret. Mike has told me a lot about you.”

I thought I knew all of my brother's friends, but when this man spoke about him, I had a bad feeling:

"How do you know my brother?"

"I've done a few deals with him."

That's when I realized that even though this man spoke perfect English, he wasn't English or American... I paid closer attention to more features of his appearance, and I had the strange feeling that the business my brother had gone to do in Russia hadn't gone too well.

"What did you want to discuss with me?"

"My name is Nikolay Ivanov, and I come from a beautiful country known as Russia. Your brother Mike has had the misfortune of not being able to pay me for a deal, and well..."

"What have you done to my brother?" I interrupted with a lump in my throat.

"Mike is perfectly fine, for now," he smiled broadly, "but I'm sure you understand my situation. We all want to get paid for our work."

"You're a son of a..."

"Margaret, that language isn't fitting for a lady."

"If you harm my brother...!" I was starting to get angry.

"Relax, Margaret. I'm here because I'm confident that you can help Mike pay me, and if not... well, we'll see."

"How much money do you need?"

"One hundred thousand dollars."

"What?!" My jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"We'll meet tomorrow night in Central Park, and I hope you can pay me what I ask for because if not, there won't be a place where you can hide from me."

And just like that, Nikolay smiled at me, put on his sunglasses, and left my office with a smile.

Now I was in a moral dilemma. I didn't have that much money, and I couldn't deceive him, but I had to do everything possible to free my brother.

I was desperate; I had to get that money, and I knew I wouldn't have everything I needed in such a short time. How could I fight against desperation? How would I manage to help my brother?