The Don's Puppet

CHAPTER 8. AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER.

The lifeless body dropped with a thud.

“What the hell?” I screamed, my ears ringing from the loud bang. It was like I had gone temporary deaf.

Giovanni and the rest were now in the room, whispering words I couldn’t quite understand. Were they actually whispering?

My head was spinning, the gunshot had somehow triggered the pain from when Darling had hit me with the back of her gun. My vision blurred, I tried squinting, afraid I was going blind.

Oh my God, a man is dead.

It wasn’t my first time seeing a dead body. Where I come from, people drop dead all the time. However, it was the first time I got to watch the light leave a person, it was the first time I had witnessed a murder.

Roman got up, attempting to wipe away the blood that had gotten on him. I could feel bile surfacing from my throat as I watched them wheel away the dead body, and what remained of the man’s head. The content now scattered across the floor of the dimly lit room.

At least, now I knew why the place smelled like death. Except I was wrong about it being animals.

My hearing and eyesight were already getting back to normal by the time we left the room. I felt better now that I was able to breathe in the fresh air, the events of what had happened leaving a big scar in my subconscious.

We walked back up, out into the main hall, where all the nice expensive décor stood sparkling and shiny. The sun had set and the day was finally coming to an end, it was getting hard to believe that just yesterday my sister and I had become orphans and now, we were here. Surrounded by the mafia.

I hadn’t seen Alice since they dragged her off, kicking and screaming. I didn’t know what to think and even worse, I didn’t know how to ask. I was afraid my voice would sound as terrified as I was feeling.

“Oh you poor thing, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” An elderly woman rushed past the others and stopped in front of me. She took my hand in hers and began to examine them. “Have you had anything to eat yet?”

I stayed silent, convinced she had the wrong person.

“Everything she needs is waiting for her in her room.” Roman said, his features finally relaxed. He smiled at the woman softly, the outlines of a gentle little boy forming like a shadow across his face.

Who was this woman? His mother?

“I did not raise you to be so rude.” The woman exclaimed, shaking her head. She looked at me with so much love, I felt safe. “Did I just see you coming from the basement? A fragile young girl like you should not be in a place like that.”

Roman shrugged, pulling me away from the embrace of the old lady. “We were not in the basement, Maria.”

I looked at him, sensing a sudden nervousness. Roman was on edge, this woman must really mean a great deal to him.

“I’ve been meaning to speak to you, Madam Maria.” Darling cut in, her tone unlike I’ve ever heard. She sounded so respectful and ladylike. It was almost like I was dreaming. “Roy and I would really like to hear one of your famous stories, we can’t seem to agree on a particular detail. You really must help us clarify who’s right.”

Roy looked at her in confusion. Then, like a bulb went off in his head, he nodded sheepishly.

“Have you two been betting again?” I heard the woman ask as Darling led her away, Roy behind them, following like a lost puppy.

“Who was that?” I asked, feeling left out of an inside joke.

Roman and Giovanni ignored me, continuing the journey to the hallway leading to the room I had previously woken up in. They didn’t say a word to each other, the silence was almost deafening.

I tried to switch my attention and thoughts to something else, what my life was before I came here, my shifts at the local restaurants where I worked. Would they even notice I was gone? Would they care?

I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice when Giovanni left and failed to realize I was now stuck with just Roman, until I collided into him. He had stopped at a door, not belonging to the room I had been placed before. This one was about three doors away from it, a key already placed in the hole, waiting for us to twist it.

I was waiting for him to unlock the door when suddenly, Roman placed both his hands on my shoulders and bent so he was within my eye level.

“Do you understand now?”

I fixed my eyes on his hands resting on my shoulders, then back to his face. “Understand?” I asked, unaware of what he was talking about. What now?

“On our way to the basement, I had a long conversation with Giovanni.” He commented, his expression very serious. “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.”

“My offer?”

“Yes, Alexandra. I will take you in place of your sister.”

So that’s what they were talking about. Me.

My face lit up with joy, there was nothing more exciting than knowing my sister would be free and away from all this. “You’ll let my sister go?”

He smirked. “Now why would I do that?”

I frowned. “You can’t have us both. The contract can’t have said you can take the both of us.”

His face inched closer, his lips almost on mine. “Why would I send the one person that will make you behave away?”

“You’re going to use my sister as leverage?” I asked, desperately.

Please say no. Please say no.

“Let me put it this way. Every time you disobey me or try to be difficult, I will cut off a finger from your sister and feed it to you.” A sadistic smile appeared on his lips, he was thrilled by the fear he was instilling in me. “But as long as you behave, she will be my guest.”

“You can’t do this.”

“I can do anything.” He placed his lips on my neck and left a soft kiss on a spot, my breathing ceased. “I’m Roman Contini, whatever I say goes.”

“Please.” I begged, holding back the tears threatening to fall. I couldn’t let him see me cry, he’d enjoy every minute of it. He loved making people tremble at his feet. “She’s only sixteen, she needs to go to school and live a normal life.”

“Do you think I’m some monster?”

Yes. I screamed in my head.

“Alice will attend the best private school in New York, all her needs will be catered for. She is my guest, after all.” I tried to move away but he pinned me to the wall, his hands running through my hair. His left thumb caressed my bottom lip. “As long as you behave, your sister will lack nothing.”

“What do you want me to do?”

He let me go, the sadistic smile replaced by a nasty grin. He gave me no answer, instead he just leaned forward. Afraid he was going to hold me down again, I moved backwards until my back hit the wall. I saw his hand move and closed my eyes, waiting to feel his touch. Then, I heard the door click and the sound of the door sliding open.

By the time I opened my eyes, he was gone.