CHAPTER SIX

Alexandra Dellarosa POV 

Tiny's death did not make anything easy for us. In fact, if his death did anything, it was to keep Mr. Moose on his toes. This wasn't a welcome development because Moose watched us like a hawk would do its prey. It was evident that he leaned into a particular interest in me not because of the little dibs game that he had played earlier with Tiny but because the incident had formed an opinion in his head that I was responsible for his friend's death. He didn't need to say much, his expression did all the talking.

On the other hand, the girls had tagged me a Red zone. They had resolved it was far more safer to keep their distance away from me so as not to end up like the Lady who was a victim of Tiny's sudden escapade. They all had squeezed themselves at the far corner of the room, leaving me to myself, single as ever.

“Don't try anything funny” Moose cried out from the center of the room, referring to no one else but me.

“I didn't even move” I muttered under my breath, but Moose had also developed the ears of a hare too.

“What did you say?” He yelled out, his voice hitting a crescendo.

“You just called me Insane?” 

“You said the Gambino's are crooks?” He continued, screaming out profanities all the while.

Maybe I was wrong, it was either of two things. Moose's ear wasn't as sharp as I thought, or this was a plot to get back at me for my display of defiance that cost his friend's life.

“I never said any of those things!” I replied, trying my best to hide the squeak in my voice.

“I know your likes!” He continued with his rambling, paying no heed to whatever I was spewing.

“You come in here, all high and mighty. Unable to fathom to the extent as to which you've fallen from your pedestal, so you go ahead and drag in whoever, whenever.” He finished with a ragged breath.

“And you go on ahead and call me stupid?” He wasn't done.

“I never said such” I replied, dragging my feets and hands backwards, pulling the entirety of my being backwards as he drew closer to where I was.

I didn't understand what Moose was on about. He wasn't making sense and the red in his eyes only spoke volumes as to the fact that something definitely was off. He wasn't thinking straight. I looked to the direction of the other ladies as if to solicit help, but they simply stayed put, trying to guess what Moose's next line of action would be.

“Sir—” 

Moose's sudden slap across my face had thrown out the rest of the words out of my mouth. I hadn't fully recovered from the after effect of the slap when he swung another towards my left cheek this time. I didn't feel it, but as the tears rolled down involuntarily from the reservoir of my eyes down to the side of both cheeks, I knew they had gone numb.

The double doze of the slap across my face seemed to give Moose the momentary satisfaction he had so long craved for. I knew if he had his way, my life would have gone in place for his friend's but he didn't have his way, and was only a pawm in the hands of the Gambino's.

“Moose!” Conti called out as he walked into the room.

“I hope you aren't messing with Don's goods” He continued, dragging his gaze through the vast space of the room where the bulk of the ladies were.

“Is she sick?” He asked, gesturing towards my direction. Apparently he had wondered why exactly I had been segregated from the rest of the ladies. The tears still flowing freely from my eyes wasn't helping matter either. Moose simply shrugged and answer to Conti’s question.

“Now, I don't want no infected goods. It's bad for business. So mention no word of her illness to anyone” 

“She's a beauty and would definitely have a heavy price tagged” Conti finished with a chuckle, throwing a wink in my direction. I didn't know what to make of Conti. It seemed as though he quickly came to conclusions not wanting to know the Genesis of the affairs.

“I see you've done quite the Job dolling them up” Conti said playfully smacking Moose across the face in a routined manner. Moose on the other hand couldn't even get himself to hold a glance at Conti.

“Keep this up, and very soon you'd be signing off the deal with the saints” He said ruffling Moose's hair.

Whatever Conti had just said, I couldn't comprehend it's meaning, but Moose obviously did because his face had suddenly lit up with a smile.

“Boys!” Conti called out and a group of Men ran into the room with a leather sackcloth in their hands. Some of them I could recognize from earlier after Tiny's incident, others I couldn't pick a hint at their faces. They all were draped in black corporate attires. The majority pulling off the outfit with a pair of sneakers, their shirts untucked and sticking out from the length of their jackets. They sure dressed their part as goons and I gave them their flowers.

“It's showtime!” Conti cried out again and with the snap of his fingers, they all instinctively proceeded towards the direction of the ladies, putting the sackcloth over their heads. 

Soon enough, all the ladies had scakcloths over their heads and I was the only one left out. But it wasn't for long because Conti personally walked up to me, fiddling a sackcloth in his hands as a weary smil danced around his lips.

“You my love are a keeper.” He whispered in my ears, his husky breath fanning the length of my neck.

For a second time, I was left out in the dark and could barely see a thing. What was next in store for me?  I didn't know what scared me the most. The fear of what was to come or my inability to comprehend what Conti meant.