|Irena|
He retracted from the door and marched over to my side once more. The discomfort on his secretary’s face was so obvious but I couldn’t care less. I just avoid her gazes and bent down to pick the remnants of my bike.
“You, what are you?” I heard him question at my back but I didn’t flinch
I comfortably packed my bike and stood up to face him “It’s not what, it is who. How can one be so full of himself?”
His statement got me hissing as I turned to go on my way. I could feel his eyes on my entire body but I struggled to get out of there as soon as possible without tripping, the fear had gripped me too much.
I could hear the car’s ignition after some minutes but I never dared looked back and just continued on my way before it zoomed past me.
“I hope I am not in trouble” I mumbled to myself and sought cover before my heart almost dropped
“Oh my!” the pajamas man had jumped out of nowhere once again, demanding for his money of course
In anger, I threw three hundred dollar bills at his feet and yelled angrily “That is enough to cover for your fee and the emotional stress. Just don’t come to me if what I told you happens in the future”
I was tired of his childish tantrum. At that point, I didn’t know if I should be happy with the money or expect something else to come out of it. Considering who Rocco Lorenzo was, he was too calm with all the tricks I played back there.
I sighed tiredly “I hope it doesn’t backfire” and went on my way.
***
It felt so refreshing to get the crazy leech off my back and I couldn’t be happier. Throughout the night, I kept waking up in excitement because of the money I received from Rocco even though a side of me was scared that something might come up due to the way I attacked and confronted him.
“Mafias don’t forget things, I hope I am safe”
I found myself whispering as I tossed from one side of the bed to the other. I didn’t even know what came over me and made me behave that way. I was usually a reserved type, well except the time I have to make money. When it comes to making money, to hell with being reserved because I go all out.
“I mean who doesn’t need money?” I blurted out.
I had to comfort myself so I would feel at ease and have some decent sleep since the next day was a busy one for me. I kept sorting my thought one after the other to keep my jumbled up head silent and finally got to the point where I told him not to attend the meeting because he would die.
“I wonder if he’s safe though. What I saw was bloody”
Just like that, I got enveloped in another world of worry and wondered what the end result of the meeting he went for was.
“Did he not go?” I questioned myself but shook my head as soon as I said that
He would probably be crazy to just listen to someone like me just because I said something like that. Mafias live each day with their lives on the line so such thing as death wouldn’t have moved him.
After pondering for over two hours, I finally drifted off to sleep and the loud bang of the spoon against the pot jolted me up from the deep sleep. With half eyes opened, I checked the curtain to see the sun up and high in the sky.
“Gosh! I slept in again”
A loud growl escaped my throat as I rolled to my side but I was not careful enough. My left elbow kissed the floor before I could realize it and the pain made me squirm hard.
“What a wonderful way to start the morning” I groaned as I rubbed it endlessly and struggled to my feet
In less than twenty minutes, I was out of the room completely dressed in a powder blue strip shirt and my baggy jean. I never liked the idea of dressing feminine fatale. It was too much stress for me when I could just throw on something big and free, I also look so good in them between.
“What a weird way of being a human alarm” I sneered with a short yawn as I strolled into the mini restaurant
Auntie was busy sorting out the brunch menu and she was almost done by the time I came out. I didn’t waste any time before I joined her.
“I told you to always sleep early! Why would a young woman wake up by this time?” she yelled and I nodded
It was expected! Auntie would never talk about my late sleep without yelling.
“Well, the young woman had nothing to do so is it a crime for her to sleep?” I responded and that only earned me a spoon chase.
Auntie was old but agile, way more agile than me that was young. I don’t know where her strength comes from but I only escaped her hot chase by luck. She was ready to bang the spoon on my skull for being a spoilt brat.
“Get the apron! People will start trooping in any moment from now” she yelled again and a sigh flew out of my throat.
She was consistent with her yelling. Most times she instructed me to do something, it would always come with a yell. Never had she ever lost her voice and she rarely got sick, the only thing that Auntie fought with and lost the battle was her left eyesight.When I knew Auntie, she had trouble with seeing well with her left eye and she did all her best to treat it but nothing worked. Three years ago, she went blind totally in the left eye but trained herself to get used to the right eye only without wallowing much in self-pity. When I asked her how she was able to move on so quickly, she only smiled.“When life throws something bad at you. Catch it and use it well to teach life a lesson that you also have your own power” she finally told me one day after I disturbed the daylight out of her,***I finished helping with the arrangement and decided to go and withdraw the money I deposited at the bank few days ago since I needed to get some things for myself and the house.“Hmmm! The smell
|Rocco|A heavy migraine greeted me as I opened my eyes the following day, Bojana informed me that I have been sleeping for the past twenty hours and my jaw almost dropped. No wonder my body felt sore, yet calm. I haven’t had such sleep in the past fourteen years. The highest I could sleep was three to four hours daily. I trained like my life depended on it while I was growing up and it was paying off even at this point.Everyday seems like trouble in the life of a mafia so I never relent or let my guard down because even my so called team could turn their backs on me anytime. I trust no one, not even Bojana.The drug Matteo fed me was completely out of my system and I could lift whatever part of my body I wanted without trouble but the gunshot wound was still there. I was used to it so it was no big deal and since it had been treated, there was no cause for alarm. I just had to be careful for a few days.“She is on her way. You have to get ready” Bojana barged into the room to inform
Bojana wouldn’t let me rest about how I kept her in the basement when she only helped me out and I was forced to go see her after two days. When I got there, I was shocked by what I saw. I was expecting her to be sober and begging for her life but she was doing a yoga session energetically.I didn’t know when “Who the hell is she?” flew out of my mouthShe turned around to see me standing in awe and just smiled before standing up to my face.“Were you hoping I would have died of hunger? Well, I am fine as you can see. I have gone five days without food and water so this is nothing, you couldn’t even wait a week before coming to see your desired result,” she stated and clacked her tongue continuously before she resumed her yoga positionFor the first time in years, I finally met someone who made me speechless. I didn’t even know what to utter after what she said. I just stood there, looking at her like a fool. Her audacity was alarming.“Wash her up, feed her and bring her to me.” I ins
I moved closer slowly to take a proper look before I realized that it wasn’t his own blood. My mouth dropped in horror. He went out with a white shirt but nowhere was white when he returned. Everything was crimson red and even his black suit was not left out.“Wha…att is this?” my hands flew to my mouth to caution myself but it was too lateBojana was also beside him with the same fate. Her clothes were soaked with blood, even her face. I knew Mafias were not afraid of fights but I had never imagined it would be that terrible.“Get the wounded ones treated. We will have a meeting in the morning” he instructed and Bojana gave a soft bow before walking past me silently“What? You have never seen blood?” he asked nonchalantly as he unloaded his gun“Not this much. Just what exactly did you go out there to do?” I asked with a confidence I didn’t know where it came from“To finish my business. I had to pay back, don’t you think so?” he answered swiftly and I found myself nodding my head in
|Rocco|I was not sure if she was telling the truth about not seeing the vision or not and I honestly didn’t have to see anything regarding the contracts and plans but a side of me just wanted to keep her there with me. It was fun having her in my house and I didn’t want to let her go yet, She has to be my toy for the time being and when I get bored, I'll just let her go.“I can’t read her no matter what,” I thought to myself as the loud music of the club kept cutting through my thoughts.I have a knack for reading people’s minds and thoughts through their eyes but she was just a blank paper. No matter how I tried to pierce through, it was all empty and it was making me anxious. People like them either have lost a lot and have no will to live or don’t know anything about the world’s system but given all the tests she has passed through and how she handled them, even the sudden shooting she witnessed, naivety is out of the question.I was deep in my thought but moving to the music when
Bojana looked for whatever organization the wheel tattoo belonged to for more than two weeks but got nothing. She came into the house that evening completely exhausted and frustrated because her abilities were being subjected to a hide and seek game and her reputation was on the line. The silence from Rocco was because he trusted her to show up soon with the information he needed.She met Irena munching on snacks in the sitting room but just walked straight to have a cup of water in silence since she had no business with her. Their paths rarely crossed, since Irena was always in her room and Bojana had little or no time on her hand to be around the house.“Welcome back. It’s been a while since I saw you though”, Irena blurted out, trying to spark a conversation, but just got ignored by Bojana“When someone is talking, isn’t giving a response the next thing to do?” Irena mumbled under breath before getting closer, giving her the benefit of the doubt that she probably didn’t hear her.S
“What again?”“Did I just hear you say that you had seen that somewhere?” he asked to be sure, and this time, his voice was way calmer.I answered that he heard me right, and he rushed up to me to ask where I saw the tattoo and I realized that it must have been what he and Bojana were talking about the other day. Since I was also petty on my own end, I didn’t want to release the information to him easily.“Apologize for telling them to throw me out first”, I blurted out, and the sounds of guns cocking filled the air.They all aimed their guns at me for my statement, but I wasn’t fazed at all. They should have learned that I wasn’t afraid of guns at that point. I didn’t hesitate to turn back to the door after telling him that he was not ready to hear anything if he couldn't apologize. As I held the door’s handle, the cold mouth of Bojana’s gun kissed my temple and a sigh dropped from me.Before she could blink, the gun was already in my hands. I was tired of her tantrums and rudeness.
|Rocco|As usual, I woke up angry that morning and kept staring at the cinnamon tree that was visible through my window. The warm cup of coffee was hitting the right spot and melting my anger as my thoughts drifted unintentionally to her. It took me a while before I could remember her name, we were not that close even when she was right in the same house with me.“Irena”, I sighed as my brain finally clickedHer audacity on our first meeting got me awestruck. It never left my brain for a second. Never has anyone had that boldness towards me, they always cowered in fear. Even till the last second of her leaving, she never wavered for once.I was not sure if it was a good impression at that point but it does left a trace. I couldn’t forget her.My thoughts were cut short when Bojana swung the door open and came in with a familiar figure. She was one of my bedwarmers. Immediately, the memories of me instructing Bojana to send in someone in the morning flooded my head.“I must have been o
Her body was moved to the morgue, while Rocco was also arrested alongside the other politicians, officers, and everyone involved in the scandal that had broken out. Luca was dead, so there was no way to prosecute him for what he had done.“We just got a video confession sent to the police mail. Ms Bojana confessed to everything,” one of the officers brought in a laptop to the investigation roomThey watched the video and also showed it to Rocco, who couldn’t believe his eyes. Bojana confessed to all the crimes with sufficient conviction that she committed them. She provided evidence of killing the people she killed, filmed Luca’s warehouse, and confirmed that she was in charge of smuggling the drugs and weapons.“All Rocco did all his life was chase the truth of his parents’ deaths. I was the one that joined hands with who placed Rocco on the seat as a puppet. He didn’t do anything. He will be stupid enough to take the blame for me so I am doing this in advance.”Tears rolled down h
That night, Bojana opened her eyes after the anesthesia wore off and jumped down the bed with a groan. The nurse that was attending to her tried to keep her still but she only gave her a jab enough to put her to sleep.“Sorry! I didn’t mean to do this but I had to,” she whispered, helping the unconscious nurse on the bed so she could sleep properly before she rushed outHer first stop was a clothes shop, where she purchased black leather pants and a jacket.“Bring me the bike. If you tell anyone, I will kill you with my own hands,” she placed a call through to one of the men who was working with her in the automobile shop.Fifteen minutes later, the guy showed up with the motorcycle and a small briefcase he placed at the back.“Everything is intact. Please stay safe.”Ignoring his line, she jumped on the bike and fixed her helmet before she zoomed off“She’s in a murderous mode. I’m so sorry,” the man panicked as he watched her disappear into the street.***After a fifteen-minute rid
Martin made sure all the dead men were given a befitting burial and took Bojana to one of the biggest hospitals.“Do everything to save her. I will make sure you get compensated handsomely.” He had instructed one of the doctors who got to work immediatelyThey had to wheel her to the theater, where they operated on her wounds and every other part that needed to be fixed before she was wheeled to the intensive care unit for further treatments and proper monitoring.Her recuperation was fast; it was obvious that she desired to live desperately. He couldn’t understand how she got to the front of the villa but a deep side of him was glad to see her again. He had been worried about her and where she could be. Also, from her appearance, one could see that she had been tortured brutally. All her body was filled with bruises and wounds. Her breathing was barely coming up; she was almost dead.“She got hurt a lot from the people who did this to her but her life is no longer in danger. However,
Martin explained that he had gathered the men in the house to prepare them for the trip the following morning while he went out to meet with some of our businessmen. I made sure my absence didn’t affect our normal business so I put Martins in charge of the deals and meetings.“Tell them I went on a business trip whenever they ask of me,” I had given him that instruction while I was living with Irena in order to recover completely before coming back to the houseThe attacks were too sudden and also happened in a very short time interval so my body felt the hit more than it should. Irena also wouldn’t release me because she was afraid something else might happen to me while recuperating.“Luca is not going to stop until someone stops him. I know it is hard to lose your men; your feelings are valid but you know that we also need to move faster than them before they get their hands on the file,” she preached as I clutched my phone in my hands“Make sure Bojana is treated back to life. She
The sound of water dropping into the bucket placed under a leaking roof filled the atmosphere. The rotten and rusty smell of metals that had been immersed in liquids took over the air as the door to the basement gave way with a huge cranky noise.Men murmuring from afar was heard before it became closer with every of their steps. Within three minutes of intense marching and walking, they were finally in the large room that looked like an abandoned warehouse.“Let her down,” the coarse voice commanded, followed by the trooping sounds of legs that rushed to the rope’s controller.“I didn’t mean to go this far but what do we do? You just wouldn’t talk. I felt bad for hurting you but the information I need from is more important to me.” his legs found their way to the prisoner’s side as he voiced his concernsA soft groan dropped off her lips as she tried crawling to a comfortable position. Her legs had failed her when she tried to stand so she ended up using her knees.“Do you think Rocc
I just realized that we haven’t really discussed Auntie and who exactly she was. She got introduced to me by my mother, and I grew up relying on her when we moved to the town. She helped me so much and brought me to stay with her when my mother got arrested for murder.We didn’t have any situation or opportunity to talk deeper about her, and I had always felt too comfortable to be bothered by all that. All Auntie did in her entire life was cook. She would cook even on days when she was sick to the bones.There was a time she collapsed while cooking because she was doing it nonstop. The funniest thing was that there was no customer to eat all that she had cooked because it was midnight. I came out to have a glass of water and saw her cooking aggressively before she passed out.“You should have just taken it slow. Why were you cooking this hard?” I scolded her as I attended to her in her room“I have to prepare it for them. If not, they might stay hungry the entire year,” she groaned in
The stare of horror on their faces showed how scary my screams and dripping palms were. We all stood there looking at each other, my body trembling with hatred and disbelief. I couldn’t comprehend all that I had just watched. A head banging headache swept me off my feet as my chest rose and fell.Before I knew it, I was on the floor with dim eyes. My body couldn’t bear the weight of oppression from my emotions. I had broken down once again.“Let’s help her up! Irena!” Auntie’s scream barely kept me awake before I passed out finally.I woke up to the fluid being passed in my body and saw the same doctor that treated Rocco during the first gunshot standing close to the door and discussing with the men. I couldn’t hear what they were discussing, and I wasn’t even in the right frame of mind to eavesdrop.“We will talk more about it when she wakes up,” was another line I heard before I slept off again.I woke up to see everyone having dinner, and they all rushed to my side when they saw me
|Irena|I realized they were trying to distract us as I cried in the morgue. My mother’s body was filled with several marks that had come from bullying and torturing. It was then it dawned on me that all those bruises I saw when I last visited her were from the maltreatment she had been facing in the correctional center.“What a foolish daughter I am. I didn’t even think deeply into what the bruises could mean. How did I end up believing that she only tripped and wounded herself?” several thoughts filled my mind as we headed to the center to get the rest of her thingRocco held me in his arms as Paul drove the car silently to the location. His soft but huge arms were rubbing my shoulder to keep me calm, but I had so much going on in my head even though my mouth was not moving.The guards at the center were taking longer than usual to attend to my request until Rocco stepped in. I had previously told him to wait for me in the car while I go alone to get her things but when I saw that t
“We have to move faster than their investigations. We have done a lot to keep this buried for years. They cannot just come to ruin all our hard work at this point,” one of the men sitting at a round table with sushi and several sashimi dishes glaring at them.“That’s why we have been taking them out one after the other. We cannot allow any loophole in this operation. One of our men is on the way to give us the report on the progress of the operation,” another responded, reaching for his cup for a drinkThe other men released a uniform groan as they released their ties, buttering their frustrations. They had all been unsettled ever since Irena found the files they had been searching for all year. They had turned the house upside down over and over but none of them could find where her mother kept it.“We already concluded that she didn’t have the file. I don’t understand how that bitch managed to hide the file till her daughter found it. We even had the inmates bully and beat her just