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TWENTY TWO
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2024-10-29 19:42:56LILY’s POV
The blazing sun is starting to dip below the horizon and it is a beautiful sight. It bathes everything it touches in a pale dusky pink glow, melting like molasses beneath the horizon of towering trees. Overhead, a flock of birds soar across the sky, all dashing back to their nests to settle in for the night. But it is far from over for us for we have now entered the final round of this trial.
“Alright people, get your asses on the shooting range. Now!” Russo yells, waving for us to move faster. We all stand in a horizontal line but just as I step forward to take my spot, a spasm of pain shoots right up my wounded arm and I wince. Looking down, I see that the makeshift bandage is now soaked with blood. A trickle has somehow escaped the confines of Kane’s shirt and it drips onto the ground.
“Move it, Lily! We don’t have all night!” Russo yells in my ear and I cringe at his deafening
Bab terkait
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY THREE
LILY’s POV BANG! The first shot is for father, who suffered mercilessly at the hands of Sergio. BANG! The second is for mother who forever lost her dearly beloved. BANG! BANG! The third and forth are for Rose and Thomas who now have to live a life without father and finally... BANG! The last shot is for myself and every other woman whose lives have forever been ruined by the madman. Smoke spirals from the tip of the gun and a lone tear trails down my check. It is done, my fate is sealed and with the back of my hand, I wipe the tear away hoping for it to be the last drop of sorrow I ever have to shed. Now all I can do is wait for the rest of the men to finish with their shooting. It does seem to take forever thoughand by the time the last shot is fired, the sun has bid its goodbye and the moon is high up in the sky. I squint my eyes, peering at the targets that are a distance away and try to see how I fared
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY FOUR
LILY’s POV “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” ―Desmond Mpilo Tutu It took us hours to get here but the sky is still dark by the time our cars come to a halt at the edge of town. Jonas’ turf lays ahead but the marketplace where he usually collects his money is rather empty. There is an almost serene feeling to the entrance of his turf as a shroud of early morning mist envelopes the place. And as I stare out the heavily tinted window, I can see but a few trades there, all getting their stalls of fruits, poultry and vegetables ready for the coming trade that the day will bring. I wonder how much Jonas robs them of their wages of hard work. Back in our village, we had to pay more than half of our earnings to the Mafia. I exhale, funny how I am now on the other side of the fence. Tore kills the engine of the black four-wheel drive and scrolls down his window,
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY FIVE
LILY’s POV I walk behind Kane with a hand to the pocket of the jacket where my gun rests. My breathing comes out fast and shallow and my eyes dart from left to right, ready to pounce upon a moment’s notice when suddenly, Kane stops mid-stride. Oof! My nose crashes into his broad back. “Lily.” He voice comes out deep and low as he turns to face me and I blink rapidly, feeling my heart pound like a blacksmith’s hammer on my chest. Kane easily towers a head above me and I have to lift my head to meet his gaze. I gulp. I do not understand why I have become so nervous around him lately. He presses his lips into a thin white line and placing a hand on my shoulder, he gently applies pressure to it. “Relax.” Oh, was I too tense? “You have nothing to worry about Lily. I’m here with you,” he continues, his eyes hypnotizingly holding my gaze. “If anyone dares to cross you, tell them you belong to me.” You b
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY SIX
KANE’s POV MOMENTS BEFORE THE GUNSHOT Jonas’ residence looms ahead of me. He lives in a pristine colonial-style mansion with an endless sea of trimmed lawn and fancy cars; a stark contrast to the muddy slums the residents around him survive in. My lips curl downwards into a snarl and I shake my head in disgust. It is people like Jonas who give the Mafia a bad name. I step forward onto his freshly mowed lawn and men suddenly pour out, all with rifles in their hands. But one look at my face and they cower. They know very well who I am. One of them mouths, “Ibraco….” and quickly runs back to the mansion, his arms flailing as he shouts to alert his boss. It doesn’t matter, I walk on and head towards the massive double door entrance where two more of his men stand guard. “Hello,” I greet them and I swear one of them starts weeping. Wow, I didn’t know Jonas hired crybabies to guard his territory.
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY SEVEN
ROSE’s POV MOMENTS BEFORE THE GUNSHOT I am trapped, Jonas’ men have found me. Fearfully, my feet move backwards and my fingers grip at the hem of my baby blue skirt. The men, three of them sneer as they slowly advance towards me. One is short and round while the other is tall and slim. And the third one…the third has a face only a mother could love but he is clearly their leader. He smiles at me when he sees me trying to get away from them. Raising a finger to his lips, he tells me,” Shhh, you wouldn’t want to wake up the whole neighbourhood now would you?” They inch closer, surrounding me in a semicircle and exchange smirks. The sight of them leering sends goosebumps crawling up my skin and I suck in a deep breath. My heartbeat roars in my ears and I shake my head. “Please don’t.” My voice comes out in quivers. I can only imagine how they must feel right now; like lions cornering their prey. Th
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY EIGHT
LILY’s POV I am holding onto one of the most important persons in my life right now. My sister, my Rose is here. It feels so surreal, so much so I feel like pinching myself just to make sure that this is not merely a beautiful dream. I pull back to take a good look at her, my fingers caressing every inch of her face, taking in the structure of her cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, the fullness of her lips….and I let out a pent up exhalation. She is slightly thinner than the last time I saw her but otherwise, she appears to be fine. With a quivering hand, I brush back the strands of her golden blonde hair and smile through my tears. This is real, this is not a dream so it’s okay to cry. I can cry happy tears, tears of joy are allowed. Then my gaze trails down to her bloodied dress and a frown immediately skirts across my face. Is she hurt? Reading my thoughts, she points to the fallen man behind us. A dead man lays on his side with hi
The Mafia's Girl TWENTY NINE
LILY’s POV “What’s done is done.” - Hilliard MacBeth I never thought I would see mother again. But here she is standing right in front of me in her little shack. Water drips through the cracks of the corrugated roof and sunlight streams in from the termite infested planked walls, shedding some light into the otherwise darkened place. Gingerly cupping my face, mother caresses my face. “Lily, you’re back,” she says in a quivering voice. I nod, taking take her hands in mine and squeezing them gently in a reassuring way noting how much older she looks since the last time I saw her. Gazing at mother, I am met with lines that etch deep into her forehead and dull, sunken eyes from endless days of grief and worry. Her shoulders are hunched and she looks so frail with skin practically clinging to her bones. When did mother become so old? I place a kiss on her forehead. “Yes, mother. I am back. No on
The Mafia's Girl THIRTY
LILY’s POV The ride back from the edge of town is a stilted one. At Kane’s orders, Tore remained behind to oversee the turf and Big Bob is staying with him to help out. Ian’s plea to stay back with his mother however was flat out rejected. “This isn’t a country club where you can choose to come and go,” Kane had told Ian. “Once you join the Mafia, you can only leave when I say yes.” He softened somewhat at the end and he ruffled Ian’s mop of hair. “You’ll get to visit your loved ones on your off days.” Perhaps it is better this way. In Maria’s mind, Ian is no longer her son but some boy who could perhaps give her money if she lets him touch her and have 'fun' with her body. In a way, it is better for her to be in the comforting presence of my mother for the time being. “How about we grab dinner before heading back?” Ruso breaks the silence from the driver’s seat. We left a car back at the town for Tore, so Russo and Ian are riding back with u
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The Mafia's Girl SIXTY EIGHT
“We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.” —Vera LynnLILY’s POVThe instant seems frozen in eternity. I hear the blast of explosion from the pistol and a thud is heard.And then a wail.It is Wendy’s.I open my eyes, not realizing that I had closed them earlier and see Kane holding the child in his arms. There is blood on his shirt. He had wrestled the gun out of her hand and she had shot him.“Kane!” I yell, running towards him only for Rose to swing the pistol in my direction.“Stay back! Don’t move!” she screams. She seems confused, scared even. The blood on Kane’s shirt blossoms like a red rose.“I shot Kane….” she whispers, her fingers start to tremble. Her eye remains fixated on the pistol in her hands and she looks as if
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY SEVEN
ROSE’s POVMOMENTS BEFORE ROSE’S SCREAMS.Night has come and I sit in front of my dressing table, combing my hair but I cannot concentrate. Is this the tenth or eleventh stroke?It is too noisy downstairs, I am unable to concentrate.Then I hear them laugh; Lily, Kane and even that annoying Russo. I know they are laughing at me, they’re all hiding in the study room talking about me and plotting to get rid of me. My hand grips the brush so hard that my knuckles turn white.Wicked…they’re all wicked people.Wendy starts to cry in her rib and my head snaps in her direction. I just fed her, why is she crying again?“Shut up!” I yell at her but she too does not listen to me. No one respects me.“Shut UP!” I yell again, throwing the comb at the crib. It lands at the side of the crib, breaks into two and drops onto the flood with a thud. Wendy’s wails escalate to the point w
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY SIX
“It may take a year or it might take a day, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.” —UnknownLILY’s POVI walk towards Kane ever so cautiously, taking one step at a time. And with each step that I take, I tell myself that this is not a dream. Kane called out my name.This is reality.I stop in front of the mahogany desk he is sitting at and he looks up from the paper he is scribbling on. Our eyes meet and my heart starts to pound with a mixture of both joy and fear. Do I go to him or do I stay? What if it wasn’t my name he had called out? What if the physiotherapist heard wrongly?Kane drops his pen and stands up, towering over me. I had forgotten how tall he is.“Lily…” he says my name and at that instant, my walls come crumbling down. Tears line my eyes and my lips quiver.“You remember me?” I whisper. I can barely breat
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY FIVE
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” — Sun Tzu,The Art of WarLILY’s POVThere is no point arguing with Rose. It’s like talking to a brick wall. I don’t want to risk another innocent life either. One doctor’s death was enough, the thought of Dr Chase’s grieving grandfather is more than enough to stop me from pressing on with the paternity test.I close my eyes briefly and pinch the bridge of my bode between my thumb and index finger. Ian comes out of the room and leans against the corridor wall next to where I stand. He does not speak, he merely places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.We stay like that for a very long time before Ian finally speaks. “So what next?”I sigh. “We wait, we wait for Kane to truly awaken.”*****The wait is a long one. Days tu
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY FOUR
“So brief a time we have to stay, along this dear familiar way. It seems to me we should be kind, to those whose lives touch yours and mine.The hands that help us who may know, how soon the long, long way must go? And might we not their faults forgive, and make them happy while they live? So many faults in life there are, we need not go to seek them far. But time is short and you and I might let the little faults go by.And seek for what is true and kind, in those whose lives touch yours and mine. It seems to the better way, then why not friend, begin today?” – Anonymous. LILY’s POV I stand at the edge of Kane’s hospital bed as a physician tends to him. My feet tap nervously on the ground and my fingers dig into my palm as I stare at Kane who lays motionless with his eyes fixated on the ceiling. The physician is shining a mini torchlight into his eyes and calling out his name. “
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY THREE
LILY’s POV“A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is one who is quiet and sheds tears for a moment and then picks up the sword and fights again.” - UnknownI stare at Kane’s unconscious form, gently stroking his fingers as I lay my head on his bed.“Please, wake up Kane. I need you.”But of course, he doesn’t. This isn’t like some movies where the male lead wakes up, kisses his beloved and they live happily ever after. This is real…and I hate it.The door to Kane’s private room opens and I do not have to turn to know who it is.“Lily.” It is Ian. He is here to pick me up.I sit up and give Kane a peck on his forehead but he does not stir. Sighing, I stand up and straighten my blouse.Then I turn to face Ian and say, “Let’s go.”I need to see Rose. I have an inkling she was
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY TWO
LILY’s POVThe hour is late and the casino is doing well. It is a full house tonight with patrons all abuzz with excitement as they enjoy drinks and try their lady luck at the gambling table. I should be happy, money is rolling in.But I am not.Instead, what fills my heart is a sense of dreaded anticipation. I stand in my office with the lights down low as I drum my fingers against the full-length glass that overlooks the gambling den.Three days ago, Dr Chase had done a swab on Rose and sent her DNA to the hospital lab for analysis to determine if the unborn child truly belongs to Kane. If all goes well, I should be expecting a call from Dr Chase any time now.I turn away from the glass window and look at the plain white clock hanging on the wall. The second-hand ticks away all too slowly, as if it is taunting me.I sigh. I hate waiting.The phone rings and I jump. Clenching my jaw, I walk towards the phone ever so cautiously.
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY ONE
CHAPTER 61“One lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths”– Al DavidLILY's POVOnce upon a time, I championed a vision. A vision where life would be full of smiles and handshakes, a vision where life would be only a bed of roses. And as a child, I had told father of my dreams to live such a life and he would always laugh in return, ruffling my hair before stooping to my then childish height and tell me, “Lily, have you forgotten that even a bed of roses will have thorns?”Father was right. There is no such thing as a perfect world full of happily ever after. Worlds like that exist only in fairy tales. The time for dreaming is over and I need to wake up.I need to wake up and realize that life is while life may not have turned out the way I wanted it to, I must stay strong.It has been an agonizingly long week and Kane has yet to awaken. I will not go into the night, I
The Mafia's Girl SIXTY
LILY's POV “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ―Lao Tzu The room falls silent and every pair of eyes in the room follow my steps when I make my way to the head of the table. I stop there with my feet rooted to the ground and let the silence hang as my eyes roam the room, returning everyone’s gaze. Some of the men nod at me wordlessly, giving me the assurance that they stand by me; others avert their gazes when my eyes meet theirs, they do not trust me. Then I see Russo and Ian, their eyes tell me everything. They believe in me. Even Big Bob whom I thought would side Tore gives me a fist pump and a smile. In doing so, I am filled with a feeling of both gratitude and confidence. I am filled with hope. I am filled with a surge of both gratitude and confidence. “Gentlemen, we stand here victorious against the traitor Sergio who paid the ultimate price for his betrayal. We
