2. In trouble with the boss

Jordan Miller

~•~

Although, Alessandro didn't know all of his workers personally, he had seen them at least once. I knew that. I knew a time would come when he would see me too, but I didn't expect it to be so soon.

The capo had told me that the boss wouldn't be in Chicago for another month because he was busy handling business in Italy, and I'd been happy to hear that because I couldn't face him just yet. I'd heard stories of him and the only conclusion I could come to was that he was crazy.

So the fact that he was around and wanted to see all his dealers — not just the newer ones — was a cause for alarm and boy was I panicking.

I'd never seen him before. I didn't have any reason to. But now, unfortunately, I was kind of under him and his orders and was forced to face him.

I stopped in front of the gate (Carlo had given me the address) and before I could take deep calming breaths, the gates opened. I froze. Then I had to start driving if I didn't want to look silly. I didn't get to do that though as two armed men looked through my car.

Guard one who was directly next to my car window frowned. "Who are you?"

"Jordan Miller, Carlo's dealer."

I specifically mentioned Carlo because there were a lot of caporegimes. He was just one of them. Technically, I worked for him and he worked for the boss. Alessandro Maurizio. The don of the Italian Mafia in Chicago.

"You're a girl." Guard two stupidly stated and I felt like stabbing his only good eye. I was irritated at the fact that he was pointing out my gender, yet still dared to call me a girl.

I pursed my lips, not wanting to piss off these guys with my running mouth. Most soldiers in the Mafia were brutal and easily angered, as trained by the boss, so I had to choose my words carefully. "Can you just call Carlo and confirm?"

They exchanged eye contact, communicating with a head nod before Guard two brought out his cellphone and dialed who I assumed was Carlo. His phonecall didn't last a minute before he gave another nod to his associate.

Guard one looked puzzled but told me to go on anyway.

Letting out a breath, I drove through the gate and the marble pathway, surrounded by a surprisingly well-trimmed garden.

I didn't stop to look at the varying flowers because I didn't have much time to waste. I rang the doorbell as instructed by Carlo and someone came to lead me inside.

I blinked immediately I stepped inside the place. It was aesthetically pleasing, and again, I didn't have the time to take it in. We walked through a narrow hallway and stopped in front of a door before the man stripped me of my only weapon — my gun.

I opened my mouth to protest, but a dark look from him shut me up as he gestured his head towards the door, indicating for me to go in. Didn't he speak? What was his deal?

The mute man waited till I opened the door and closed it behind me before I heard his footsteps retreat. Turning around to take in the room I just walked into, my breath hitched.

About twenty-five pairs of eyes were staring at me. And they were all male. I could see the confusion swirling in their irises, yet I tried not to let it bother me as I looked for somewhere to stand since all the couches and seats were taken.

"What are you doing here?" One of the men asked and the rest looked at me in anticipation.

"The same thing you're doing," I replied, trying to shrink myself away from them. They were making me feel awkward with the way all their eyes were on me.

The same man opened his mouth to speak again, but the door opening caught all of our attention. The room immediately felt more tense than usual and even if I hadn't seen him before, I knew it was Alessandro Maurizio entering the room.

He was even more beautiful than I'd expected. He was handsome in a sinful way. He had the darkest eyes which happened to be the same color as his hair which was in a man bun. His nose was pointed and he had the sharpest jawline I'd ever seen; it looked like it could cut diamond.

He was accompanied by his second in command, the underboss, Patrizio. He was almost as good-looking as the boss, but his looks didn't seem as special since I'd seen him before.

I think I would've been lost daydreaming about Alessandro if his voice didn't break me out of my reverie. "Who said you could sit?" He barked out, all the men in the room immediately standing up, their heads bowed in fear.

I was also afraid and I was grateful that I was at the back, shielded by the many men in front of me.

"It has come to my attention that someone— one of you — is supplying to the high school downtown."

Everyone straightened up at that. It was known to everyone that you couldn't supply to underaged kids, and the fact that someone was supplying to high schoolers meant that they were in deep shit.

Alessandro raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. His underboss spoke instead. "This is the part where someone takes responsibility for their actions. You have just one chance."

Murmurs broke out, no one having the balls to step up and take the fall. Nobody wanted to face the wrath of the boss, it seemed.

Alessandro chuckled shortly. "Bring them in."

Everyone glanced at each other, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Pat, as he requested to be called, nodded, exiting the room and coming back in with two teenagers who looked like they were around sixteen. Now, I understood why Alessandro was mad. Drugs were practically being sold to kids.

The boy and the girl looked scared to death, like the last thing they wanted was to be here.

Alessandro rolled his eyes, as though their fear wasn't warranted. "Despite what you think, you aren't in trouble. I don't know what your parents would think though." That didn't seem to help. In fact, the fear on their faces intensified. Alessandro didn't care though, it was like he fed on the fear. "I just need you to answer a question, will you be honest?"

The teens nodded frantically.

"Good." He smiled. "Which one of these people sold you the drugs you were caught with?"

"W- We don't h-have the same dea- dealer."

"Oh, there's more than one. Interesting."

Nothing was interesting about it and everyone in the room knew that.

"Can you point them out?" When both of their eyes started roaming through without any result, Alessandro got irritated. He turned to us. "Space out, so they can see you clearly."

I was hundred percent sure Alessandro already knew who the dealers were and this whole thing was for his entertainment, and possibly to teach us all a lesson.

The men started spacing out as instructed, and my heart leaped when I finally became visible to him. It jumped even more when the girl pointed her finger in my direction, causing Alessandro's eyes to stop on me.

He blinked, finally taken by surprise. "The… girl?"

The teenage girl shook her head. "The boy by her left."

Subconsciously, I looked to my left at the young boy beside me as all the blood drained from his face. He looked just a few years younger than me. I wondered why he was involved in drug dealing.

Alessandro spared me one last glance, making me breathe in relief, before gesturing for the boy to come forward as the teenage boy pointed out his dealer, which was a man that looked like he was in his late twenties.

"You can go." He directed at the teenagers, not bothering to look at them as they scurried away. "Don't fucking waste my time." He bit out when the men were hesitant to move.

"Boss, I'm sorry. It was—"

"Shut up." His eerily calm tone was enough to shut the boy beside me up. "I won't repeat myself. Come here."

Even though they were still wary of going, they went anyway, stopping in front of the don.

"You had one rule: stay away from the high schoolers. How hard is it to follow?"

"I—" The other man started to say, but wasn't given a chance to continue because Alessandro suddenly whipped out a gun, ending both of their lives in two quick shots.

"On a second thought, I don't even want to know." He spoke to their lifeless bodies. He was teaching us all a lesson. Showing us what would happen if we fucked up like they did. That had to be the only reason he called us all to watch him kill the offenders.

My gasp couldn't be contained as their bodies hit the ground, somehow bringing his attention back to me.

"You," he pointed a sleep finger at me. "Come with me."

He didn't wait for a reply from me before he turned on his back and left the room. One look at the dead bodies on the floor had me doing what he said so I wouldn't end up like them.

I faintly heard the underboss dismissing the rest of them as I left the room as well. I saw Alessandro's body disappearing through a corner and I had to hasten my steps if I wanted to keep up with him. When he entered another room through a black door and shut it behind him, I was caught in between just walking in or knocking before doing so.

To be on the safer side, I knocked faintly. I heard him sigh, before he muttered, "come in." I hadn't even closed the door behind me when I heard him bark out an order. "Sit."

My ass met the chair immediately and he nodded at my compliance.

"What's your name?"

He was sitting opposite me, but I could feel his presence clouding the room, restricting the oxygen. I somehow managed to talk though. "Jordan Miller."

"Of fucking course," he mumbled to himself before looking at me again. "Who put you in?"

"Carlo."

Alessandro assessed my face as though checking if I was lying. Then, he clenched his jaw and typed into his phone. Carlo showed up in less than a minute. "How fucking stupid can you be?" Alessandro asked immediately after he entered.

Carlo's eyes fell on me, understanding immediately dawning on his face. "I can explain, boss."

"Sure you can. I had to press pause on what I was doing in Italy to come to deal with those scumbags, only to see that you hired a," he glanced at me with irritation as he stood up, rounding the table that was in between us, "little girl to deliver to our clients?"

I opened my mouth to oppose his statement but wasn't allowed to.

"Shut up," he directed at me before I could even speak, and I shrunk back on the chair, wanting nothing more than to disappear into thin air. "Does Pat know about this?" Carlo's silence was all he needed. "Incompetent fools."

"Pat isn't to be blamed, boss." Carlo defended. "I managed to convince him to let her stay once we found out Jordan was actually a she."

Alessandro laughed humorlessly. "Well, why don't you try to convince me why I should let her keep her job. She's a fucking teenager."

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. They kept talking about me like I wasn't there; like I wasn't qualified to do this just because I didn't have a dick. "I'm almost twenty," I spoke up, my voice smaller than usual.

The eyes of both men immediately snapped towards me. "What did you say?"

Carlo, who was behind Alessandro, was gesturing for me to stop talking and not repeat myself, but I was tired of them addressing me as a child. I wasn't. That was precisely why I stood up and took a step closer to Alessandro. "I said I'm almost twenty. And stop talking about me like I'm not here, you sexist."

Alessandro pushed up from his desk and closed the distance between us. He wrapped his hand around my throat and I gulped as his finger traced my neck. Feeling the movement, he smiled.

"Me? Sexist?" He asked to which I managed to nod even with my restricted movement. "What if I just don't want you to get hurt, seeing as this is a dangerous business?"

"I'm not weak."

"Yeah? So you wouldn't feel it if I just…" He trailed off as he applied pressure on my neck, completely cutting off my airway. I struggled to claw his hands away, but he was so much stronger than me.

"You're hurting me." I managed to get out in between coughs.

"Am I?" He spoke into my ear, applying even more pressure. My vision was beginning to blacken and my coughing, more violent when I heard Carlo's voice.

"Boss, she'll pass out."

Pass out? It felt like I was going to die.

"Let her." He replied nonchalantly. "Next time, she'll have to think twice before speaking."

My mouth definitely got me into trouble this time.