King
When Christy had left me alone with the mafia men, I was surprised that they didn’t try to say or do anything. In fact, it had felt like a standoff, me on one side of the courtyard, and them on the other. We stared each other down, but did not go near each other. The entire vibe of the place was extremely intense and uncomfortable, and I wanted nothing more than to leave. I hoped to God that Christy would come back soon, so we could get the hell out of there.
Who knew what Romano would be up to when she met with him? I didn’t know his motivation, or what he might ask from her. For all I knew, she would never come down.
I should’ve argued, or fought, when they said only one of us could go up. What had I been thinking, letting Christy go up alone? I should’ve stayed with her and protected her. If they still refused to let me go up, then we should’ve just left. Now that we were here, I sincerely doubted that anything good that could come of our visit. Would Romano really be able to help us? Or was this just a thorough waste of our time? I wouldn’t know until Christy came back down, but that didn’t seem likely to happen any time soon.
The moments passed sluggishly, and I was glad there wasn’t a clock around, for I was sure to have gone crazy watching it and waiting for Christy’s return. I was getting uncharacteristically impatient, when Christy finally appeared, walking out with worried eyes and slumped shoulders. I didn’t need to be a genius to realize that something was definitely wrong. Maybe he didn’t want to help. If that were the case, then I’d be almost relieved.
When Christy announced that Romano wanted to see me, I had mixed emotions. I wouldn’t have minded getting out of there that very moment, but the opportunity to meet up with Romano was one that I couldn’t refuse. How could I say no, when we’d come all the way here to try and get his help? Trying to assure Christy that I would be back soon, though there would be no way to know for sure, it was my turn to make my way into the depths of the Mafia building, hoping I came back out unscathed. Even more, I hoped that Christy would be okay until I returned. The men had kept their distance from me, and I could only hope they did the same to her.
The same man that had escorted Christy away, took me up in the lift to Romano’s floor. Of course, it was the top floor, a large open area that seemed very fitting. I didn’t even hesitate to make my way over to the lit office, knowing that I couldn’t waste any time while Christy was alone downstairs.
“Romano,” I said upon my arrival, eyeing him carefully, as if he was about to bite. I couldn’t be too careful around him.
“King,” he returned. “Take a seat.” I hesitated but decided to accept, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot. I sat there, waiting. He was the one who wanted to speak to me, so I would sit there waiting until he did so. Thankfully, he seemed to read my mind and wasted no time in opening his mouth.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked to meet with you, yes?” I nodded mutely, and he continued. “I’m very interested in men like you, King. Men with your special set of skills.” Romano was leaning forward in his chair, elbows on his desk and hands clasped together. I wasn’t sure where he was headed, but I felt decidedly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
“Oh, yeah?” I almost scoffed. “And what skills are they? I’m just a bouncer.” I wasn’t going to come forth and spill my life story on a platter for him. Until he said something concrete, I was content to deny anything he knew of my past.
“You and I both know you are much more than a bouncer, King.”
I took care not to display my apprehension on the outside, though, internally, I had stiffened up like a statue. There was something about his tone that implied he already knew everything about my life, and my confirmation was unnecessary. Did he really know as much about me as he was implying? It probably wasn’t hard for a man like him to do some digging on my background and find out what I’d done earlier on in my life, but it was still incredibly disconcerting.
“Let’s talk about your childhood, shall we?” He said cryptically.
“What about it?”
“Born poor, had to work your way up from practically nothing. Turned to a dangerous crowd. Sound familiar?” The way he rattled off the information was beginning to worry me.
“I’m not ashamed of my childhood,” I said, unemotionally. I didn’t know where he was going with this, but I didn’t like it.
“No, of course not. Nothing to be ashamed of. You supported your mother. Petty theft and small crimes here and there.”
“I was young. It was a phase.”
I didn’t need a rich son of a bitch like Romano combing through every detail of my life. He’d probably been born without a care in the world, and had never worked a day in his life, until he took over the family business. Isn’t that how it worked?
“A very long phase, don’t you think? And then, you moved on to breaking and entering and formed a crew with your street gang. You were successful, too. Surprisingly successful.”
“I don’t see where you’re going with this, Romano.”
“I’m just establishing that I know about your skills, and I admire the way you acquired them.”
“Well, I’m not in that business anymore. I told you. I’m just a bouncer.”
Romano let out a little smirk and leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands out.
“Just a bouncer, huh? So, where do your loyalties lie, then, King? To Jarren Rossi? Or maybe to your old crew.”
I let out a dry laugh at that. “They’re unreliable, and they’ll betray you. They only work together.”
“Yes, betrayal can be very… unfortunate. Working together, however? That comes as a surprise to me.”
“I’m almost certain it doesn’t. You seem to already know all of this. What do you want from me?”
I was sick of Romano’s games. All I wanted was a straight answer so I could leave and deal with Rossi, instead of whatever bullshit Romano had for me.
“What I want from you, King, is quite simple. I have a proposition, of sorts, that I think might catch your interest.”
“A proposition?” I asked. No way would anything he said be of any interest to me. I could predict what he would ask me anyway. He would want me to join him, and then he would help Skype. Or he would help me get revenge. Either way, I would say no. How could I willingly make a deal with the devil? Especially when the devil wasn’t even in disguise. The entire situation made me want to leave, even from the start. No, I wasn’t an idiot. He could take his proposition and shove it up his ass.
“Yes, a proposition. Before you say no, hear me out. I have been dealing with Rossi for years, and I have to say, I don’t want to. I’d gladly get rid of him myself, but I have come to a better idea. You can kill Rossi, prove your loyalty to me, and take over his business. Your girl will be happy, and she won’t need to start a place of her own because all the work will already be done for her. Rossi will be out of the way, revenge will be complete, and everybody wins. Except for Jarren, of course, but that’s to be expected.”
“You want me to kill my boss?” I asked, confused.
“Well he’s not your boss anymore. But if you really insist, Rossi works for me, so I am your boss. And this is my offer. Take him out, and get his business. Simple.”
I hadn’t expected this scenario at all. Kill Rossi? I wasn’t sure if I was willing to do that. Not that I cared about Rossi at all. He could go rot in hell, for all I cared. But, if I did it, it seemed like I would be having to answer to Romano for the rest of my life, and I wasn’t up for that.
“So, then I would have to work for you? Is that it?”
“Not at all. We’d go our separate ways if you wish, with perhaps a brief nod of recognition if we were to ever meet again.”
No, I wasn’t buying it. It seemed way too good to be true, and I wouldn’t go around killing men, just because the Mafia boss demanded it.
“And if I refuse?” I asked. What would he do to me? Threaten me? Threaten Christy?
“Ah, that wouldn’t be the best idea on your part.”
Of course not. Why would anything ever be as simple as that?
“Why not?” I ground out, sick of this back and forth we were partaking in.
“Rossi is— let’s just say that Rossi is unstable. He wants to kill you and, frankly, I don’t really care if he does. I’ve told him not to for the time being, and he won’t go against me. But I will allow him to kill you, if you don’t kill him first. I can’t have both of you alive, after one another. Messy business, you understand. No, one of you needs to go. It’s kill, or be killed.”
Great, an ultimatum. This was going to be hard to figure out, regardless of how obvious the answer might seem. There weren’t really two options in this scenario, as much as Romano tried to make it seem there were. I was sure I could figure out a plan C, if I had a little time. Most of all, I wanted to talk it out with Christy.
It wasn’t as if I was going to let myself be killed, but I knew that killing Rossi might lead to worse problems for myself. I was already on the run from the cops, so did I really want to risk this? Guilt probably wouldn’t be a factor, considering what Rossi was like. I guess I was just a heartless bastard, because I knew what Rossi would do to Christy if I wasn’t around to protect her.
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I said finally.
“Of course. You know where to find me. Don’t take too long though,” he said.
I stood and left quickly, not wanting to be around the man for a second longer. I was still undecided on whether coming here was a mistake or not, but I knew for certain that staying here would be.