Ryland and Roman stop their conversation as we come over and I give them a skeptical look, but don’t ask. It’s not my business to know what they’re talking about though I am curious. Usually when people abruptly stop a conversation it’s because the person they’re talking about arrives.
“Ready to go?” I ask, putting my things in the car and holding my hand out for the keys.
“I’m driving.”
“Yeah, no, I read your plans and there’s a building closer that’ll make this a lot easier and harder for us to be spotted.”
“It’s not an option, I already tried, besides, it’s a brothel.” I snicker and take the keys from his hand, opening the door.
“Are you a virgin or something? I know some people there, so come on, we’re wasting time, pretty boy.” I get in the car, cranking it up, not waiting for him. He says something else to Ryland before getting in the car.
“How do you know how to drive anyway? You don’t have your license.”
“Yes, I do, Noé taught me to drive and I have licenses for cars, trucks, boats, bikes, and I want to get my pilot license soon.” I like the idea of knowing that no matter the situation I’m in, I’ll be able to get out. Noé trained me to be ready for any scenario. What to do if I’m held captive by enemies or by the feds, how to hotwire a vehicle and find the best route in an escape or chase. Noé is a great trainer and it was extensive, that’s why we’re so damn close. We spent everyday together for 3 months and have been together practically every day after training.
“I simply told her to train you, but she went beyond my expectations it seems.” Roman has a proud face and I know it’s because he found and trained Noé himself.
“She was committed, that’s for sure. I think she just liked seeing me sweat and had fun busting my ass.”
“She said you won a few times.”
“Twice, once because she was going easy on me and again because she didn’t finish fighting. I don’t count either.”
“A win is a win, not many can even land a hit on Sparrow so if you got that far you’re a better fighter than you realize.”
“We should spar sometime” I know he’s stronger than Noé since he trained her so I can imagine how much I’d learn fighting against Roman.
“Alright, when we are done with work we can go to the gym back at the mansion.”
“I was wondering, do you live in the mansion?”
“For the most part, yes, but I have my own place as well. Staying at the mansion just makes work easier. I haven’t forgotten about getting you your own place, I have a list of houses available back in my office.”
“Cool, but I don’t really have that much money yet.”
“All you have to pay is the water, your food, and electricity, everything else is taken care of by the mafia.” Well damn, if I would’ve known that I would’ve come to the mafia sooner. I guess that’s why it’s not broadcasted, everybody would try to join the mafia.
“Really?”
“Yes, it’s all taken care of. With the work you do now, it’ll be more than enough for you to live comfortably. Jobs like interrogation and killing assignments pay the most, but there are other jobs in the legal and illegal side of business.”
“So, why do you want me to be an assassin and leader?”
“Because you’re good at it, I saw your potential and know that you’d be a great addition to the mafia.” Roman doesn’t hesitate to respond and I actually feel a bit flattered. He seems like a guy with high standards and I’d like to know that I’m living up to his expectations.
“You just knew?”
“Yes, I heard about your work around the streets and watched you break into our warehouse and scope out the place. I also saw your training with Sparrow and knew my instinct was right.”
“That means a lot coming from someone like you. I’ve heard a lot of the guards praising your talent and abilities. It seems like everyone here admires you, so why don’t you be the next leader?”
“Because I am not a Stone. I was adopted by Reuben, but I emancipated myself when I was 16. He has always stayed like a father to me, but I am no longer his legally adopted son, which he respected. At the time I wanted it to be clear that I had no intentions of stepping in Reggie’s way as future leader.”
“You’ve since changed your mind.”
“He hasn’t grown up. I still have to bail him out when he gets too drunk and risks getting locked up.”
“It doesn’t seem like Reuben has a problem with any of that. He seems like a lenient type of dad, given his profession.”
“He wasn’t always like that. When we were attacked by Romeo Birmingham, and our family was killed, Reuben changed. He began to ease off and take family more seriously than his mafia. In truth, he is ready to retire, however this is also the livelihood of a lot of people. The Stone mafia takes care of its members and their families, that cannot happen if we do not work.” I nod in understanding. I hadn’t thought of it that way, it seems like everyone here has an abundance of money to waste, but I guess that’s because the mafia is still going strong under Reuben’s leadership.
“So, how did you come to know acquaintances at a brothel?” I smirk because I know he’s been waiting to ask me this since I suggested it.
“My mom worked there and at the strip club, so I spent a lot of time there when winters got really rough. When I got older I sold a lot there, mostly to their customers. The head mistress, Melissa worked with my mom, she looked out for me the best she could, but she ain’t a mother, ya know. The woman has no maternal instincts in her body. Lue was alright with it…in a way.”
“What way?”
“Everything is for a price, nothing is free. He didn’t want me getting in the way of business. So, the women made sure he didn’t find out, they’d even hide me in the rooms if they had to. They taught me a lot too.” Like the true power of seduction and deception. Mixing that with my recent lessons with the dominatrix and Noé, dealing with men like Johnny is clockwork. But it was no place for a young child. I got high there, got drunk there, even had sex for the first time there. Looking back, I was probably better off going to the state, but my mother drilled into me to avoid that at all cost. I’m surprised officer Bailey never turned my ass in.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
I drive towards the brothel in the city, hoping that the owner Lue isn’t there. He can get a bit…touchy and I know Roman might get overprotective again.
“I’m glad there was someone to look out for you.”
“Can I ask…why do you care about me so much?” I glance at Roman’s unchanging face as he thinks over his response, before turning my attention back to the road.
“Honestly, I don’t know. When I saw you, I just saw someone I wanted to take care of as well as train. I don’t like when potential is wasted.”
“So, like how you felt with Noé.” There’s a slight smile on his face but it’s gone before I can get a good look at him. Such a shame, he should smile more, he looks more inviting when he’s smiling.
“Similar but also different” I wait for him to elaborate but he doesn’t. So, I switch the topic, using the car ride to get to know him as much as possible. He seems more like an ivy league businessman than a young mafia leader assistant. He’s smart as fuck though, there’s a lot this pretty boy can teach me.
I pull into the back of the brothel, parking the car and grabbing my bag. Roman follows me, eyeing the early birds and feigns around the place.
“Hey, is that Winter? Somebody said you were dead.” I laugh at one of the women smoking outside the door and shake my head.
“Nah, not yet. Is Lue around?”
“You know he doesn’t come in this damn early, there ain’t nobody but us around to harass.”
“Think I can borrow a room?”
“With this clean-cut pretty boy?” Roman straightens as we both set our eyes on him. He gives a courteous nod, looking completely out of place.
“Good morning man, we were hoping to borrow a room for no more than 2 hours.” Roman speaks professionally and coolly, just like he did back in the dungeon. It must be his work tone, it’s sexy and all but 2 hours? How long is this shit supposed to take?
“Well I’ll be damned, that’s quite a man you got there, Winter. I might have to borrow him for myself.” Roman’s eyes widen as Candy steps forward, rubbing his chest. He looks like he doesn’t know whether to be respectful or shoot the woman in the head. I do them both a favor and grab Roman by his jacket, tugging him towards me.
“Sorry, Candy, this one’s off-limits.”
“Ooh, little Winter has finally got herself a real man. I’m glad you’re not running around with those little knuckleheads anymore.” My face gets serious and I shake my head.
“Nah, I don’t fuck with them” I smile, not going into detail and slipping past her inside the brothel.
“Just warning you, Melissa’s pretty upset that you ain’t bothered stopping by. She was really distraught when news that you were dead or kidnapped came out.” I thank Candy and go inside, greeting and talking to the women who speak with me, before the sharp sound of heels clicking against the floor make the room go silent.
Nobody dares to fuck with the head mistress. Not only is she the favorite here and at the club, she’s also the general manager, and Lue’s favorite. Melissa walks slowly towards me, stalking down at me, before roughly grabbing my face, turning it from side to side.
“Well, you ain’t dead.” Melissa’s angry heavily country accented words fill the room and I know she’s pissed off. But it’s not like I could’ve called. Okay, I guess I could’ve, but I didn’t think she’d care this much honestly. I guess I was wrong.
She reaches back and slaps me just hard enough to make my cheek sting and in an instant, Roman has his gun out, cocked, and pressed against her head. She looks at him for a moment unafraid, and I tug his arm down.
“Roman, it’s fine. I had that coming.”
“You damn right you did, I should beat your little ass right here. Do you understand how worried I was? I thought you were fucking dead” Melissa pulls me into a hug, catching me off-guard. I blink and she steps back just as fast, crossing her arms.
“I was fixin’ to get you a headstone right next to your mothers, but I’m glad I don’t have to.”
“Why does everybody think I’m dead?” She looks around before leading me and an agitated Roman into a room upstairs. She closes and locks the door, taking a seat on the bed, crossing her legs with a sigh.
“You ain’t heard nothing that’s been going on these past few months have you? Where have you been anyway?”
“A few hours away. What’s been going on?”
“That ain’t an answer, but I’ll tell you first since it concerns you. After, you’re going to tell me where you’ve been and who this protective lion is on your arm.” I nod in agreement, looking out the window towards our target’s apartment. We have a clear view into his bathroom and it couldn’t be better. Aside from the curtains which can be fixed with a thermal scope, no problem for the mafia and all their high-tech shit.
“Shit got hot between your old buddies after you disappeared. They were going at it a lot but nobody really knew why. Travis would come here and beat the shit out of us, it seemed like that was all he wanted. Some girls said that he’d call them by your name, saying something about getting you back.”
“Eventually Lue banned his ass from coming in here, it’s obvious the drugs are making him lose his shit. Mixing that and the boys’ tension with Quinton’s boys on 27th, it was a war zone around here.” Melissa lights a cigarette as I keep an eye on the window, listening to everything I’ve missed. It all sounds like a fucking mess that I’m glad I wasn’t apart of.
They wiped out Quinton and completely took over. You know what they say, “power can go to your head”, and that’s what happened. The arguing increased and some of the workers said one day it just ended in bloodshed. Travis emptied the clip in Kyle and proceeded to slice his ass down and cut off the boy’s head, it was brutal.” Melissa blows out the smoke and I take a peak at Roman, cool and collected, but tense as well.
“They say Travis threw Kyle’s head into the room and threatened anyone that defied him they would have the same fate. He ordered everybody to track your ass down and when they failed he killed them, needless to say he went on a killing spree until everybody learned to avoid his ass. The police are hunting for him too, they think he’s responsible for killing that big time guy down at the casino.” That works for me, I just need to steer clear of Travis’ crazy ass.
He always had slight obsessive tendencies but if they’re escalating, avoiding him until he’s found is the best option. I don’t see why he’s so fucking pressed, he’s the one that sold me.
I sigh, leaning against the wall and looking at Melissa. “So, he’s looking for me.”
“Mhm, going around saying you belong to him. I even heard he turned to Sly for some help and you know Sly.”
“Of course I know him, who doesn’t know Sly?”
“Just be careful” I think about and shrug. Noé trained me to be prepared for anything and I’m sure I’d panic in the moment, but it’d also be an opportunity to get my payback.
“I’m not scared of Travis.”
“Don’t get cocky just because you have that man at your side.” I shake my head, looking back at our target’s window. I can see him going in and out of the bathroom and I know he’s getting ready for his day.
“It’s not that…Travis and Kyle sold me to the Stone mafia, more specifically to my boss over here.” Melissa’s eyes widen and a look of fear crosses her face as she glances at Roman. She tries to play it off but I can tell regardless and I know he can too.
“They trained me and now I work for them. I’ve been trained to deal with this situation if it ever came up and honestly, getting my revenge on Travis for drugging and selling me doesn’t sound that bad.”
“He’s going to come after you.”
“I know.”
“I may have bought Snow, but I intend to protect her with all of my resources, she is under the Stone mafia protection. More importantly, she is my responsibility. He won’t have the chance to touch her.” This man is really going to make me kiss him. I’m fucking melting right now.
“You can’t promise something like that, no matter how much you care for Winter. Besides, Travis ain’t one to be underestimated.” Roman’s jaw ticks before he goes back to his calm and collected state, nodding and going silent.
“I’ll leave you two to your business.” Melissa leaves without another word and I sigh, pushing the information to the side. Right now, I need to focus on our target. I quickly start setting up as the target steps into the shower.
Roman does the same, going up to the roof so he has a better view of what’s happening outside. He starts telling me the distance, wind, and other factories I have to take into account and I take a deep breath. All I can hear is, “Travis is coming after you”, I have to watch my back. I know Roman means well but he can’t guarantee anything, an encounter with Travis is inevitable.
“Your target is in the shower, fire at will.” I have to be ready, like Melissa said Travis can’t be underestimated. When he wants something he’ll do anything to get it. If he’s killed his best friend, I can imagine what else he’ll do.
I breathe calmly, focusing on the scope and the man I’m the shower. Just like Noé taught me, I line up my shot and shoot with confidence.
“Nice, perfect shot, target eliminated. Let’s pack up and get the hell out of here.”