CHAPTER FOUR

Alexandra Dellarosa POV

“I call dibs!” Said a Man who was well over his thirties and significantly had his head and belly oversized.

“On which?” The younger Man who was at the far corner of the room asked, walking towards the center of the room, where they had tied myself and a few other ladies. I wasn't sure about the number because I couldn't lean over to begin counting from the end of the line because both my hands and legs had been tied behind my back, and then again, I didn't want to attract attention to myself.

 “This?” He asked, licking his lips mischievously as he pointed his fingers at one of the girls whose face I couldn't really see because she was at the far end of the line.

   

“Nah, too skinny. I doubt she'd get any bid, let alone having her for myself” The Man with the oversized head and belly replied, and they both burst out in laughter.

“Okay, Moose. That's a valid point” the younger Man let out referring to the older fellow. His words were choked by chuckles which apparently were remnants of the previously cracked joke.

“Hmm…then it must be this” He said, running his hands through the braids of the lady which he had only just picked. I noticed how the lady shriveled under the touch from the young man, it was as though he had a naked wire in his hands and she only just reacted to its loose electricity. She was very much scared and I was, everyone was.

I couldn't describe what I felt in that moment. Dad had obviously gotten off a rough path with the Gambino's and I was their card to making the path smooth enough. Fear was an understatement to what I was feeling. I had a thousand thoughts running through my head. All I could do was hope that Dad was Okay despite of the fact that I was in such a situation because of him. I didn't know where exactly we were, because the fellow that had dragged me out of the house had knocked unconscious a few minutes later. The next time I opened my eyes, my hands and legs were already tied up, I could barely move nor feel a thing. No one knew what was going on but the two Men who had been kept in the room to keep an eye on us continuously blabbed about an auction which was to hold later that night. It slowly dawned on me that we were the commodity to be sold.

“Uh Uh,” Moose let out, shaking his head in accordance, Portraying his disapproval to his friends pick.

“Too shy” He added with a chuckle.

“Oh, Oh, I see…you like bold eiii” The young Man making the rounds said with a laugh as he drew closer to my side of the line.

“Let me see…” He continued, scanning his eye through the queue where the rest of us were. I could feel my heart leap out of my chest as I prayed earnestly that he wouldn't pick interest in me but I wasn't in luck.

“Ahah. This is the one!” He exclaimed, making his way to where I sat. I tried my possible best to do everything but hold eye contact with the Man. He stooped down to my level as if to have a better look at me.

“Hey Beautiful,” He said with a whisper, voraciously licking his lips for the second time. He tried running his hands through my face, but I pushed myself away from his reach, and he responded with laugh.

“Feisty one huh” He chuckled 

“Hey! Moose what do you think?” He yelled out, calling the attention of his acquaintance who seemed to have his attention glued to his phone now.

Blowing out a whistle, he said “Mirror, Mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all”

He made his way to where I was, stooping down to my level just as the younger Man had done. They both laughed hard. They more the laughed, the more shivers and goosebumps I acquired. The younger Man tried touching me again, and I pulled away like the first time. He didn't take it lightly this time around, because he forcefully dragged my head forwards and I did something I almost regretted doing instantly. I spat on him.

“What!” He cried out as he gave me a resounding slap on the cheek.

“Eiii Tiny, calm down, calm down” Moose quickly intervened, trying to get a hold of the situation. The slap had left my left cheek numb, but I was more fixated on the fact he addressed him as Tiny. It wasn't the best of places to be humored, and not after being given a slap, but I voluntarily chuckled.

“Are you nuts?, You find this funny?” He yelled out 

“Just hold on, I'll show you funny” He said, dashing down towards the other end of the room. His eyes scanning through the room as though he had been in search of something.

“Tiny, Calm down, don't do anything stupid” Moose tried to get his partner in check, but his efforts were to no avail. My first instinct was to dash out the door because whatever Mr. Tiny had going on in his head, definitely wasn't good. But it was off no use, I still was bound, hands to feet.

“I'll show you funny!” He kept on screaming to himself. Moose tried to get a hold of him, but he simply pushed him away. The ladies beside me had taken initiative to shift away from where I was. Because whatever I had coming, wasn't good.

Then in an instant, My eyes flashed through my eyes as Tiny got a hold of what he was looking for. If my guesses were as correct as my eye sight, it was a pistol!. Tiny had cocked the gun already, and was about to point it in my direction when Moose took a hold of his hand and they both began to struggle.

“What are you doing?” Moose cried out.

“Let me go!” Tiny replied.

“You are not thinking straight. Get your anger in check. What if Don finds out?” Moose managed to fuss out a sentence amidst the struggle for possession. But still Tiny couldn't be kept at bay. Suddenly, there was a deafening noise which was followed by a swoosh of Silence. The gun had been shot. I was perfectly fine and alive, but the stray bullet had hit one of the lady's on the line. 

In a second, there was a deafening silence, and the next, there was a ruckus. Everyone was screaming and balling out their eyes. I couldn't help but join the band as well. The tears were flowing freely without a barricade to stop them.

“That could have been me”

“It was meant to be me” I muttered to myself audibly and continuously, like someone who had lost it.

“What have you done?” Moose yelled out.

Tiny was still on the floor, his hands still on the trigger, unable to voice out a word. He was in shock as regards what he had just done. 

The door of the room suddenly opened, and four other Men rushed in, headed by a Man I quickly recognized to be Conti from back at the house. Conti scanned the room quickly, taking a Mental note of what had played out. His next action wasn't expected. He pulled out a gun from his coat and shot Tiny right on the spot. With Tiny’s hands still on the trigger, he wriggled on the floor in pain, and soon enough, he was in a pool of his own blood.

“Doll them up, it's almost time” Conti said referring to Moose, leaving the room without saying another word.

I didn't know it before, but the mere realization that my life was hanging on a balance only said one thing.

“I was in a deep mess”.

“What were my odds of leaving this room alive ?”