Chapter 12

Two YEARS LATER.....

             °TASHA°

"Tasha, dear!" Cornelius called loudly from the balcony.

"I'm coming!" I shouted from the bedroom at where I sat in front of the mirror. I dubbed my cheeks with blush and picked a red lipstick.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

" Jezz."  My eyes roll. Thought I said I was coming? You're going to cause me to mess my makeup with your impatience."

"What could be more important than the news I have for you?"

A news? Well, we've been having frequent news lately and most of it all has been good. Any time we have that news, our lives change a great fraction.

We've been receiving good news lately  and I can't wait to hear what it was this time so I placed my makeup kit aside and got out. I crave for every bit of it.

"Does it have to do with our anonymous samaritan?"

Yes anonymous. We've been receiving anonymous  presents for the past months.

"Yes Tasha." My husband said and paused. " This time is different." He finally said.

My heart drummed. "Are we not going to get anything else again?"

He studied me for a while then he smiled. I wanted to slap him for thinking it fun to mock me but what he said next. Oh my God.

 "We now have a mansion, a Mercedes and a Porsche." He announced.

"You don't mean it Cornelius!" My eyes twinkled with tears of joy.

"Here are the keys and the documents of our new house." He waved it to me. They had been behind him all this while.

"Wow! This is wonderful! Am speechless. How did we turn this fortunate?"

"I think my Leo is behind this." He muttered dreamily.

The smile drain from my face.

Must he spoil every moment with that godforsaken daughter of his?

"You know, Tasha. I miss her a lot and I have a feeling she's behind all this. If not, who'll be doing all this?"

"It's luck dear. It's our own luck. If you've noticed, everything started moving smoothly soon after she left. Our children went back to school and we have frequent bank alerts. And now all this, a mansion and cars..."

"Wait! So what are you insinuating? Are you trying to say that my Leo was a bad luck?" He scowled at me.

"You got it right! That girl.." I began.

He stopped me with his hand strictly. "Not another word against my daughter. Is that clear?" 

I nodded nervously. I can't help coiling cowardly into my shell each time he has to raise his voice. 

He eyed me before carrying his intimidating tall figure away.

What do I care? He can burn in hell for all I care. I just can't wait to move into our new home. I'm sure it's going to be as luxurious as one of those presidential suites.

My word.

I just thank my stars. Who knows, maybe it's one of my rich friends who's lavishing us.

Not that Leona.

I blessed the day I sent her away. I guess it was one of the best decisions  I made so far.

               🤱 LEONA🤱

" 1,2,3, 4... Fire!" He roared in command.

I positioned the pistol and fired right through the center of my target.

"That was excellent." He praised and went to sit as he nods.

"Can you give ten shots in a row without missing the target?"

"Gonna try."  I held the pistol firmly and faced my target. Over the years, I gained perfection in anything illegal but not how to handle a gun. If I draw it on someone unfortunate, it is only to scare them. I never grew the balls to pull a trigger. It pisses Landon off that he has to force me to practice any free chance he gets.

I took another deep breath and began to fire in succession. Before I could finish, I heard a loud shrill and stopped.

I panicked in fear as Lando, Landon or whatever he called himself got up and took a deadly step closer to me.

I began to tremble, causing the gun to fall on my feet.

He came closer to me, so close that our chest was touching and he stared intensely into my eyes evilly with fury.

"Why did you bring him Leo?" He sneered.

My lips trembled that I couldn't make out a single coherent word.

"I..I ." I didn't conclude before the usual pain I've always felt since the day I accepted to work for him hit my cheeks in the form of a punch.

My face went red as I felt my lip break and blood began to leak into my mouth. My jaw felt like it will finally fall off.

Next he slapped me on the other side of my cheek and pulled my artificial hair(wig)

I will be doomed again if it falls off. Lando has told me to get a haircut but for some reasons, I didn't do it. I wore another wig on it instead.

"How dare you disobey me Leona? Why the fuck are you so stubborn?" He said through gritted teeth and pushed me violently to the floor.

He's foot came upon my neck and he began to choke me.

This is what I've been putting up with all this years. Lando's terrible anger and I don't know what to do to avoid it.

"This is the last time I'm going to warn you about bringing that bastard along with you anytime we're going for trainings. Try it next time and you'll cease to breathe." He threatened and got off me.

I coughed out blood when I finally managed to get up.

"You have work to do tonight! Prepare for it and don't mess up." He announced and moved out of the isolated underground cave which was located at the outskirts of the town.

"I'm going to help you, Leo. Not you alone but your entire family as well and in return, you'll have to also help me."

That was what Lando told me the the day after we arrived in Italy.

He only came to the town to do his business as usual and that was how he saw me with my Landlord. 

Everything was made clear when I got to know who Lando Suarez really was though not entirely and the work he wanted to recruit me for before he even has to say it. Of course, witnessing my first shootout should be enough to inform me of what was ahead. I witnessed it frequently as the days rolled by in Italy. I barely coped it in my condition. I faint mostly. That was the only outlet. 

"I'm too decent for that work Lando. Please spare me, I can't do it." I had protested.

"Do you love your family?" His voice was sinister.

"Of course I do. What kind question is that?"

"Then accept to work for me or cease to see them breathe again."

"Is that a threat?"

"You can take it as one."

This was the conversation we had days after he took me away. I couldn't afford to dare him. I involved myself.

I was trained to perfection even though I was heavy with my baby. When I had complained about it, he told me that the fact that am pregnant made me a hot cake. Yes. He had wanted to forcefully make me abort it but after a second thought, he thought my condition will favor him. He used me.

With me being around, he won't have to go through any stress in his deliveries. A pregnant woman was doing it with no one having to suspect a thing.

I got out of the room I was rehearsing in to another basement where I had safely hidden my baby before meeting Lando. 

I did not trust Lando, his bodyguards, servants or even the nanny he hired to take care of my baby enough to leave him with them that's why I always try to bring him along with me wherever I go if possible. Well, I had to smuggle him out most of the time.

There.

And just like always, when I saw him, all my problems melted away and was replaced with immense happiness. 

I think this is what is called the joy of being a mother.

When he was born, I had no intention of keeping him so I took him to the orphanage and came back home empty handed.

I couldn't sleep the first night  without him and it felt as if I have lost something.

After the second day, I began to feel more guiltier. I couldn't think straight and I fell sick after.

I got admitted a few times but there was actually nothing wrong with me except that I was missing my little stranger. I grew and nurtured the balls to go for him. Luckily, he wasn't taken yet.

When I saw his tiny little cute face in the arms of one of the workers in the orphanage, an immediate energy shot life through me.

When he saw me, he began to kick his tiny feet in the air as his lips curved into a smile. Did he know me? We barely spent sometime together before I sent him off. If not that the memory of his face was etched in my mind, then I wouldn't recognize him.

He looked so beautiful and adorable that I couldn't believe I gave birth to him . I knew there and then that, I couldn't do without him.

I brought him back home and as usual Lando was furious. He threatened to kill him because of his endless cries.

I get mad as well sometimes when he's crying and I am clueless as to what to do to get him to stop. That was then.

As time slide by and now that he's a year and a half old, I got used to him and now i can handle him without stress.

Lando is very rich and powerful enough to leave in another mansion or get us one but he doesn't want me out of his sight that is why am always stuck with him and doing his dirty jobs anytime he calls on me.

I had no choice and it paid the bills for my family. I had always wished them to be happy, to make them happy. If this was the only way, then so be it.

I've missed them, my country, my city. We left Sicily to Australia and now, we're in London. I don't know how long we'd have to stay until we leave again. If only my original passport was with me then I wouldn't have to worry.  I would've escaped back to New York City long ago with my baby.

I bend and took him off the bed I had placed him. He began to cry when he saw my face.

Yeah, i know that my face is brutally damaged and my baby could notice it too.

That how he's been. He cries when I'm sad or when I get beaten up. I don't know how he does that. Or maybe it's just coincidence.

I used to ran to his room anytime Lando raises his hand to me but I stopped when I noticed how his mood changes anytime I go crying in his room.

As little as he was, he's so understanding.

"It's okay my little, Leo. Mummy is fine okay? It's just some small cut. It will heal soon." 

He pulled a sad face which got me smiling.

I never knew he'd bring me so much happiness. I regret ever trying to abort him, to abandon him. I was so blind that i didn't see that he was a blessing to me.

I didn't have to get intimate with anyone to give birth to him which make him more like my little Jesus.

He's mine. My baby alone and no one will be able to take him away from me. Not Lando and not even his maker. I doubt if he has a father.

I didn't know what name to give him at first and for the entire six months, I only called him 'baby' until I realized that this baby was specially made for me so I began to call him Leonard Grande with his middle name having to be my grandfather's. Davis.

He's baby Leo. My own name. He's my little lion and am his Lioness.

Apart from Davis being my grandfather's name, I didn't have any other reason except that I loved the name.

He's my gem baby sent from above for me alone. My true happiness and  a blessing in disguise! 

He's it for me.

I kissed him and he giggled. "Okay  baby. Let's go home now before uncle gets angry with us."

I picked him from his hiding place and got out of the cave.

Lando eyed contemptuously when arrived with the baby in my arms. We sat in the passenger seat with him at the front and the car zoomed off towards his mansion. I ignored Lando's glare and played with Leo in the back seat. 

I hate that I'll be leaving him for work this evening.

But I still hope to impress Lando tonight so that he can grant me some freedom to go out.

When we got to the house, I prepared Leo's bottle. After feeding him, I left him to his nanny.

I went to our secret chambers and prepared for my mission tonight.

Lando was already waiting when I got there. I took the glass of wine beside him and gulped it down my throat. I sighed. This wine was my salvation and still is.

He picked a red dress and threw it at me.

"This is what you gonna wear on the first mission."

I caught it and folded it into my bag.

"Now strip!" He said and lighted his cigarette.

I nodded and got my dress off. He didn't spare me a glance but came forward and began to do his business.

I was used to it by now. And he was right, I don't move him. It hurt the girl in me.

I hate him so much but there's this one thing I like about him. 

He doesn't force himself on me and he hasn't even done it before. Neither has he shown sexual interest in me.

He prefer going in for his ladies than casting a glance at me to make me an option.

He was the first man to see me bare. I was shy at first but that was it. I don't even mind anymore. 

I just hope that I'll be successful! This mission mean so much to him because he had to choose among all his female workers to promote. I have to put in my very best! 

Who knows, maybe this mission will make a difference in my life and bring an end to my relationship with Lando and his gangs.

.

.