A Deal With The Devil

Jennifer had not regained consciousness when she was reeled into the emergency room. The doctor who had visited them left as soon as the nurses at the hospital started to attend to her. Frank, his father and his cousin waited outside the emergency room for any news from the medical team. 

Frank's father was silently studying the reactions of his son and the other people around him. Being in the mafia for years had taught him not to trust a stranger, regardless of the situation. In addition to that, he had seen how reluctant Frank was to pick her up. And it raised questions in the old man's heart. He remained silent and chose to watch what happened, nonetheless. If his son was truly in a relationship with this girl, he would have to do some research before truly accepting her. 

"So she is your girlfriend? He asked Frank, scrutinizing his son's facial expressions. 

Frank on the other hand looked at his cousin, who was smirking at him, listening to their conversation. Why did he have to accompany his father everywhere? He thought, wishing that Todd wouldn't be such a nuisance. Todd had always been a headache in Frank's life. However, his father doesn't believe it. How could he believe, when Todd would put up a facade and act as though he wants the best for Frank in front of him, when in reality he wants nothing except to snatch the leadership of the mafia world, by making Frank look bad in front of his father.

There was no way that he would want to let Todd know the truth. He would certainly try to use it against him. Perhaps he would twist it so badly and Frank's father would end up believing Todd's twisted tale. He had almost succeeded a few years back when Frank naively trusted his older cousin. However, his blind trust had led him towards a trap he had laid, making his father believe that it was Frank's carelessness that had almost exposed their secrets to the police back then. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of begging from Frank, for his father to allow him to take the lead of his gang.

The incident with the police years ago was embedded in his mind, so he was still sceptical about Frank's ability in being the next Don. So he had only made him the leader for a couple of years as a trial. Frank knew that even the slightest mistake would blow his hard work away so he wasn't going to let Todd take advantage of the situation. He was going to do anything, even if it meant that he would have to pretend to be in a fake relationship. 

"Yes." He confirmed, looking straight into his father's eyes. Even though his heart raced for a while when his father questioned, he remained expressionless. He knew his father was cunning, he wasn't the top mafia lord in the underworld for the past decade without a reason. 

Mr Gotham narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Fine." He stated. "But remember. She better be worth it." He added. 

"I actually am here because it's your mother's death anniversary. I always spend this day with you. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to meet your lover today….and like this. I want to speak to her." He said, watching his son's face the entire time.

"What is her name?" He asked.

Frank tried his best to remain neutral.

 "Jenny." He answered. He had heard the maid address her by that name, so he knew he couldn't go wrong. 

"Jenny….hmmm….which…." 

"Excuse me, she has woken up." A nurse interrupted their conversation and Frank couldn't be more thankful. He couldn't answer all his questions at the moment. He barely knew her. 

"Wait a minute, dad. I'll be back after checking on her." Frank excused himself and took brisk steps towards the room where she was kept. 

Jennifer glanced at the door when she heard the lock click. She was completely disheartened that her attempt to escape had been an epic failure. The fall hadn't caused any internal damage, and she was immensely thankful for that. However, she knew her desire for freedom from being held as the mafia's prisoner was still a dream. When she saw Frank enter, her heart gripped with fear. She didn't know what to expect. At least she knew that he wouldn't murder her in the hospital. However, that didn't make the situation any easier for her. Frank was still the heartless monster, and she knew he was capable of anything. 

She watched him saunter over to her bedside, her heart palpitating with each step he took. Running her tongue over her chapped lips, she gulped. All that she could do was pray that things turn out for the best. 

"Jenny." 

When he pronounced her name in his deep voice she felt a shudder go down her spine. This was the first time he had addressed her by name and it was awkward. She looked up, determined not to cower in fear in front of him. 

"What?" She demanded in a croaky voice and winced as she spoke. She was still in pain and her speech didn't sound like how she hoped it would. The wound was rather deep and the nurse had told her that five stitches were required to cover the wound. Pain relievers were administered to her but they only relieved the agony to some extent. 

"I need to talk," Frank spoke. "Actually, I want to make a deal." He said. 

"Deal?" She asked, almost whispered, frowning. "Why would I make a deal with the devil himself?" She scoffed weakly, despite the pain she was enduring.

Amused by her sassiness, Frank smirked as he sat on the chair beside the bed. 

"Feisty woman. Even when you are obviously at the mercy of others. You need our help right now. What would you do if I decided to kill you and your family off? You came with me as my prisoner, remember?" He chuckled. 

Jennifer scowled at him the best she could, yet remained silent. He was right. She was held hostage and she had willingly come with him. When Frank saw that she was now not responding, he smirked. "Now about that deal…... I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend." He stated, making Jennifer's eyes go wide. She started to protest.

"Girlfriend? Girlfriend your foot! I'll…." 

Frank was quick to cover her mouth with his large hands. 

"Shhh. My father is right outside and if he hears you, I swear that I won't hesitate to kill you, and your precious maid." He threatened her and she slowly stopped struggling against him. She stared at him wordlessly when he slowly let her go.

"Like I said. I want you to pose as my girlfriend. My father and cousin shouldn't know at any cost who you are. And if you agree, I promise that I will not hurt your family. I will even forget that your father had stolen from me. I won't hold it against him." He said and Jennifer slowly relaxed. 

She studied his face. His face was still void of emotions, however, his eyes now held a tint of hope in them. She didn't believe that her father would have stolen anything from him, however, his promise to leave her family alone sounded good enough for her. 

"But how would I know that you aren't lying? How would I know that you wouldn't go back on your word?" She inquired silently. 

"I'm not lying. What would I gain by lying? It was my cursed luck that dad had to arrive at the worst possible moment. I don't want my father to think that I've been reckless when I abducted you. That's why I have told him that you are my girlfriend. And I need you to play along." He explained.

Jennifer smirked. Oh, so he is trying to save his ass from possible trouble he might get in. She thought.

"Fine. If you promise to leave my family alone I'll play along as long as your father is here. And when he leaves, you must let me go." She paused and narrowed her eyes at him. 

"If I ever find out that you lied, or had hurt them in any way, I swear I will expose your little secret." She added in a low tone. 

Frank raised an eyebrow as he stared at the injured girl on the bed. This woman sure is a pain in the rear. 

"Fine! This time….but if your beloved father ever tries to be smart ever again, I swear I'll chop him into pieces." He hissed at her. 

Gritting her teeth she scowled at him. "He is not a thief!" She hissed back. 

"That's what you think, kitten." Frank hissed back. 

"Don't call me that!" She growled in between her gritted teeth.

"I'll call you whatever I want!" He responded. 

Just then the door opened, after a set of knocks and both of them hastened to pretend that nothing was going on. 

"We've been waiting for some time already. I believe Frank's girlfriend should know a bit about his family too."

It was Todd who spoke. Jennifer smiled genuinely at them.

"Hi. I'm Jennifer, you can call me Jenny." She said, and Frank smirked. 

"I'm Todd, his cousin. And this is my uncle, Frank's dad. He never told you about us, did he?" Todd spoke and Frank held back his urge to roll his eyes. 

"No, actually he did tell me." Jennifer lied.

"But he never mentioned you to us." Frank's father stated solemnly, looking at his son. Frank felt his throat tighten.

Oh shucks! 

He cursed internally, as he desperately tried to think of a good answer. He wanted to say something believable. But what?

He couldn't possibly mess this up! All his efforts would be futile if he did. 

Frank stood frozen on his step, desiring to say something good, yet choked to silence.