The Mafia King’s Teacher

Chapter 14: Diablo

Matt had to take a few breaths to keep his temper under control as he hung up.

"Is everything OK, Matt?" Kurt asked, seeing the furious look on his friend's face.

"Someone attacked Lisa," Matt said.

"What? Who? " Kurt asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I...I don’t know, she wouldn’t say," Matt said, trying to think. Who would want to attack a primary school teacher?

"I will get James to drive you there. Of course, she is welcome to stay here with her sister. I will get her a flat prepared. " Kurt said, and Matt nodded.

"Thank you, James, I will take it from here," Matt said as he got out of James’ car. The journey seemed to have taken a lifetime.

"Of course, do you want me to wait?"

"No, James, you have a lot of work to do. Besides, Simon is inside and will drive us home. " Matt said, and James nodded. Matt took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Emily answered and smiled when she saw him. 

"Hi Emily, how is she?" He asked. Emily grabbed the whiteboard and wrote, "She is fine, but won’t talk to me about it."Matt asked for the whiteboard and wrote: "Can you pack a few things for you and her? I want to take you both somewhere safe. " Emily smiled and ran upstairs. Matt walked into the living room to find Simon on the sofa and Lisa in the armchair. She had fallen asleep and was snoring softly. Matt could see the large purple bruise forming around her neck, making him frown.

"Boss?" Simon said, getting up, and Matt put his finger to his lips. They walked into the kitchen. 

"Emily and Lisa are coming back with us for the night."

"Lisa might not want to," Simon said cautiously.

"She won’t know till it is too late. Her safety is of paramount importance and overrides her wants at the moment. "

"Glad you are going to be the one to break it to her boss." 

"Don’t worry, I can handle her," Matt said, but he noticed Simon looking unsure. Matt decided to ignore the look and said, "Tell me, do you at least have a description of the guy?"

"Better than that!" Simon said, getting out his pocket notebook. Simon dabbled in art and had sketched the man. Matt took it and looked at it.

"Did you see any gang marks?"

"There was no visible boss, and he wasn't thrilled that she had a boyfriend. He stated that she belonged to him. "

"And did she agree with that sentiment?" Matt asked, holding his breath.

"No, boss. It was clear that she did not like him and told him in his f*****g dreams!" Simon said with a smile. 

Matt returned the smile as Emily came down the stairs, holding two bags. "Let’s go," he ordered, and he went into the living room. He gently picked up Lisa. She moaned in protest before settling her head on his chest. "Hush now, darling," Matt ordered, and Lisa obeyed. Lisa was dreaming, or rather, remembering something that she thought she had forgotten…

Lisa found herself in a smoke-filled bar that looked like it was straight out of a Mafia movie. She looked down and sighed at her uniform. She wore a very short mini skirt, a tight top that showed her cleavage, and high heels. Her long hair was tied into pigtails. Everything that Lisa hated! But whatever her thoughts about the uniform, she put them at the back of her mind as she collected empty glasses from tables. It was a job, one she desperately needed to get Emily and herself out of the hostel.

"Hey, Elizabeth, can you collect the glasses from the back? "Remember, not to talk, they don’t like that. " her boss said. Lisa, of course, had used a fake name.

"Got it!" Lisa said as she went into the back room. Lisa could tell instantly that the atmosphere was much more serious. She kept her eyes down as she went to the large round poker table to collect glasses. There were four rich-looking men holding playing cards, with a large pile of chips in the centre.

It looks like I am going to have to fold again. Dam it! " Roman, the owner of the club, cursed as he threw down his cards.

"Run out of capital again, Roman? Why am I not surprised? Do you want me to lend you some more money again? " An older man with a beaked nose sneered.

"Not at the interest rates you charge!" Roman retorted.

"Excuse me, sir," Lisa said as she reached over and grabbed the class. The beaked-nosed man grabbed her wrist and stared down her top. "Hello, you are new." 

" Yes, Sir," Lisa said politely, being careful not to look at him in the eye.

" Pretty as well."

"That is kind of you, sir."

"And polite too. The perfect woman in my eyes. Tell you what Roman, I cover your part of the pot. You can pay me back if you win. " 

"And if I lose?" Roman asked, his eyes narrowing,

"I get to spend the night with your pretty waitress."

"Deal!" Roman said happily, without thinking.

"What?" Lisa said as she was forced down into a chair as the cards were collected.

What is wrong? Have you never been touched by a man before?" Another man with a scar on his cheek asked with a smile, expecting Lisa to blush.

Instead, Lisa looked at the dealer and said, "I want in!" 

The men laughed, and the beak-nosed man asked, "Look, the little dove wants to play! What will you use as collateral? We are not playing with peanuts and I doubt you can afford to join in. " 

Lisa thought for a minute and made a decision that would change the course of her life forever. "Well, you want to sleep with me, don’t you? Tell me how much that is worth? If I win, you will get your money back. If I lose, I will sleep with you. "

"You have got spunk, I will give you that. But, sleeping with you is already on the table." The beaked-nose man said.

"I add a sweetener then, 20 per cent of all my winnings," Lisa said with a smile.

The beak-nosed man chuckled and said, "The little dove is a businesswoman too, huh? Fine, I need a laugh. I will sub you for the ten grand you need. Dealer, deal her in. "

Time moved fast in Lisa’s dream, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the game. "Well, well, well! It seems like the little dove is actually a little Diablo! You managed to clean everyone out! " The beaked-nosed man said with a chuckle as Lisa counted out the chips. 

"It seems so. Here are your ten grand and your forty grand cut. " Lisa said with a smile. She had won a two hundred grand pot, not bad for a couple of nights' work. more than enough to get her and Emily somewhere safe to live.

"Thank you, it makes the night a lot less painful. Tell me where did you learn?" 

"My father," Lisa said. There was no TV where she grew up. Instead, the winter nights were spent playing cards or other strategy games.

"Well, if Roman had any sense, he would use your talents in bigger games. Now I must leave. Come on Lewis and Raymond, it is time we left. " The beak-nosed man said to the other two players. The men grumped and left. 

Once they had, Roman moved his chair next to Lisa and started to take her money. Lisa was about to protest, but Roman stopped her and said, "I am your boss and agent, my little Diablo, and therefore, I deserve a cut."

"My agent?" Lisa said.

"How would you like to earn more money than you could possibly dream of?" 

"I would like that very much!" Lisa said with a smile.

"Why does she keep saying Diablo?" Simon asked Matt in the car. Emily was keeping Lisa comfortable in the back. She must have lip-read Lisa’s lips as a worried look flashed across her face.

"I don’t know, but I intend to find out," Matt said firmly, looking at his angel’s sleeping face in the car mirror. What secrets was she hiding?