Chapter 4

Iris walked down the bus to a nearby busy street. Upon walking towards the other direction she saw a club. It didn't look something where her father used to bring her and her mother to spend Sundays. The area didn't look safe. Apparently women or girls were differently clothed and they all were entering inside the cafe while giggling. 

Putting the cap of the hoodie on her head she hid her face as much as she could. She didn't dare to go to a local police station knowing that she was carrying something offensive in her bag. And the motive she had chosen would never be fulfilled if she would enter in their custody. She would send to some orphanage or foster care because of losing her only support system. 

"Hey kid, where do you think you are going?" A bully man asked her while she was pretending to just roam around with a notion of entering the club. 

That was the point Iris was expecting to face and she didn't know what to answer exactly. She had come out for a reason but the man who caused her pain was still unknown to her. She had only heard her name and never faced him. She didn't even know where to find him. She just decided to visit the place which she had heard of as crime areas in newspapers. But there was plenty of it and choosing one among them was tough. The only nearby place she knew she came down. With the money, she didn't know how long she would survive but she had to cover as much as she could to find the man. Out of nowhere she just replied bluntly with some lies that the man didn't buy properly.

"Umm well, my sister, she is inside... Well..." Her shaky voice and a weird combination of words couldn't do much justice to her lies. Eventually, the man with a giant smile and tattoed arms grabbed her small frame by her neck. His experienced eyes didn't miss her baby face or the small frame. Every single feature of her denoted her fragility and she couldn't escape the reality.

"Leave me.." She spat angrily while shoving his hand away but she was a tiny mouse compared to the hulk.

"Let me get a look of you kid." He turned her completely towards him and lifted the upper head of the hoodie. After taking a glance at her he was pretty shocked. Her nose tip was red, eyes were red and cheeks were looking like some red tomatoes. If she didn't look that young her eyes would be mistaken with the weed addict's eyes.

"How old are you?" The man asked her with his confused eyes. He had been working there for a long time and his eyes could easily understand who is what.

"I'm am an adult." She pretended to be strong and confident but he didn't bulge with her words.

"Of course not. You are not even at the legal age to entering in this place. Where are your parents? Go back." 

He put some extra stress on the later part to make the girl understand that this place was not for her. 

"I need to see my sister." Iris wriggled under his clutch but didn't bother to let her go inside. Of course, their club had some rules that couldn't be broken easily. 

When he faced his stubbornness he asked her the next question. 

"What's your sister's name. Tell me, I would inform her that she has a visitor waiting outside."

Iris's face lost all colors when he got on her weak nerve. It was a pure lie as she had no sister and there was no one whom she knew from the club. Her face contoured with the slightest amount of pain knowing the only chance to know about Bratva was slipping out her hand.

"Come on. Tell me." He cocked his head and mocked a little.

"You might not know her." She used to last bow of her Arrow to hit the target which was also a miss.

"Of course I do. I'm working here for long I would know." Finding the girl inside the club with the given name wasn't tough which the naive Iris couldn't comprehend. 

Her face turned another shade lower of fade and her green hues dazzled more with glossiness.

"See, it is not that hard to accept. Now turn around and go from where you have come." 

The man was reluctantly pulling her away after knowing the truth. He was not ready to spare a single moment in that mess. 

Iris was determined to enter to find at least a single route that would let her lead to her destination. Because the people know what does it mean by Bratva and it was never easy to just simply run after him.

"I want to meet Bratva." 

"What?" 

Even Iris didn't know when such words came out of her mouth until the word "What" came towards her like a missile landing on her mere world of imagination. 

"What did you say?" He inquired again just to make it confirm whether he had heard right or the young girl just threw something in dark. Bratva is not a mere man or a political leader who can be approachable easily. Bratva is the Russian Mafia or the Boss. Nobody except few had seen the new Bratva as he had still kept his identity hidden to come up with a massive entry. Few spectators who had ever got a glimpse of him often said only one line.

"If one wants to see the nightmare dressed in a daydream they that's the new Bratva who is getting ready to take his father's position."

Yes. Bratva is the most desirable looking man who can rip someone's heart while smiling and just the movement of his one finger, the country dances and so do the other mafias under him. He has a specific alliance with Italian and American mafia troops, depending on which even the CIA isn't interested to interfere in his business or movements. 

And that mere girl who was a minor spoke bluntly pf meeting Bratva. There are only two options while meeting him. 

Death or Reward.

And he is the man who offers death quite often irrespective of gender, age, and other pieces of stuff.

"I want to meet Bratva. Can't you hear me?" Iris cleared his throat and spoke again with the same determination in her voice.

"Kid, do you know what are you speaking or about whom you are talking?"

"Yes. Bratva....the boss." She scoffed.

"Bratva is not a name only. It can be your destination or finish line. It can be your death or the start of something new. So don't roll out such words. You may not be able to handle the consequences."

The man with widened eyes replied pushing her a bit away from the entrance. Already mentioning Bratva grabbed a few curious eyes and sharp ears of other people. Who could be blessings in disguise or snake as a pet? No one never knows what can come next so it was always better to hold on before taking a decision.

"I know what exactly I'm demanding or what exactly I am saying. But I want to meet him."

"Why?" Hearing upon Iris's words he couldn't help but ask.

"By the way I'm Rodriguez and you?" he added extending his hand full of veins towards Iris who was standing at a distance.

"Hello, I'm...Iris..." She tactfully hid her last name and other information even though she never knew whether her background would be good enough to bring luck or problems.

"Well Iris, I think it would be better if you move away from this place and do not just loiter around."

He tried to push her away but her stubbornness was something that make him look at her with an annoying expression. 

"Does he come to visit this place often?" Iris realized there was some uncertainty in his eyes and she could sense something might arrive here. 

"We can't tell you that but this place is not for you." He brushed off her words and made his way towards his previous position. 

Iris tried to follow but immediately got stopped when she found two more bulky men were looking at her with arms crossed on their chests.

Rodriguez had already informed two other members to keep her away. For him, she was barely a kid but he didn't want to go with her the hard way. After all, hitting a minor was never his cup of tea and the darkest path where she was getting ready to enter was not at all worthy to be entertained.

Iris stepped back thinking that it was the dead-end she hit on the very first moment of her search but something caught her eyes immediately.

A group of three girls was entering the club giggling and talking something. To hear more she chose a side corner to listen in the back alley. Once she got to know that she couldn't barge in the club from the front door she decided to hide in the less crowded backside.

"So he would be coming today?" One of the girls spoke fixing her dress which was anything but a dress. Half of almost the maximum of her body was on display.

"Yeah, we heard that. That is why we are called for special services." 

Another one replied who was quite pretty and a little modest.

"But I heard he is not into many girls. Like he doesn't fit the category womanizer like other Bratva."

"You never know girl. Men will be men." The first girl laughed and entered and Iris could summarize the entire situation easily.

"So here comes the Bratva..." She reminded herself even though all she was trying was just beating the bush, but this time, the luck found its way to reach her. She chose a partially dark corner to hide and also to get an overview of the entrance from which she could manage to see the people entering.

Minutes passed, following which an hour or more but not even a single stroke of the silver line was found. When she had decided to give up, the hustle-bustle of the situation in front grabbed her attention. The atmosphere tensed as three large cars including one black tesla appeared in front. Her breathing hitched when she saw Rodriguez running hurriedly in front of the car with other men. The rest of the two cars looked more like some shielding making the trio a convoy. Few men in a black suit came out of the other two cars whereas the center of the attraction remained constant. The people inside the Tesla car took their own time to measure the area before coming out. The door of the car opened aa two armed men stood near that and all Iris could see was a shiny black shoe that stepped out from the car. All of their heads were bowed down when the hand of the man came into her vision. He placed his palm on the top of the car door that flung opened and the tall silhouette came out of the car whose face just vanished in between those men. His broad back with the neatly settled hair came to her notice and there she understood what could be her next step. Her destination was just in front of her. All the memories of her dead parents started flashing up in her eyes. She fisted her palms digging her nails in such a manner that one could see blood drawing down from them. 

"You...." She whispered with her ragged breathing...

"Murderer....." She closed her eyes to control the rage that was flowing through her body. 

The group of men kept going on towards the entrance whereas she somehow sneaked out from the corner to hide behind those cars parked in the lot. 

Most of the guards were already inside with the Bratva and that made her work utterly easy. Now she had to find a way to kill him. 

"Mike, get those briefcases out of the car....." 

When Iris was drowned in her vengeance plan someone called up a man named mike afar who was patiently waiting near one of the cars in which their Boss came.

"Sure...." Mike replied and went behind the car to bring out something and that was the golden opportunity for Iris. Once Mike took out two briefcases to deliver she immediately jumped inside the dark trunk and put herself almost at the end of the surface. Luckily other materials helped in hiding her petite.

Mike returned from the area and immediately closed the trunk without sparing a proper glance and went back on standing there like a robot. His eyes didn't notice another living being in that trunk and thus Iris remained in the dark waiting for the unknown future she had chosen due to her abrupt planning.