In Love With The Mafia Boss

Chapter 3

The rain has stopped, but a strong wind blows across the half empty car park. Few people have a car in front of the big nightclub.

Rose noticed a black car saloon parked up near the main entrance of the club. There's a guy standing facing her at the end of the walkway. She moves toward the guy until…

"Rose!" Jimmy shouted, pero hindi man lang natinag ang dalaga sa kanyang kinalalagyan.

"Something isn't right. Something feels really wrong," said Rose. She can feel the hair on the back of her neck rise. A coldness starts to creep down on her spine. She knows that guy, pero hindi na nito maalala kung saan sila huling nagkita.

Nagmumuni-muni pa ang dalaga nang biglang dumaan si Jimmy sa kanyang harapan.

"Rose, you're in dreamland again. Pinapatawag ka na ni boss."

Jimmy was the right-hand man of Roger. The only man could rely on no matter what.

Napabuntong-hininga si Rose. Hindi siya galit kay Roger. She knows there's that f*****g cliché that everybody spits out from organization. She didn't choose this life, this life chose her, kill or be killed. But sometimes it still feels like she chose wrong. This life is just… so different now.

"Rose, tara na!"

Muling bumilis ang kabog ng dibdib ng dalaga nang tawagin na siya ni Jimmy. Sa mga oras na iyon ay wala na siyang ibang gustong mangyari kundi matapos ang gabing iyon.

"Are you ready, Rose?" Jimmy says.

Rose nodded and shivered. "Ano ba talaga ang gagawin ko?"

"Boss told us to go to the one who hasn't paid up his debts yet," Jimmy explained. "We're gonna take some of the other men too, in case things get nasty."

"Debts?"

"Yeah. He has a debt of about thirty million in the casino," Jimmy sighed exhaustedly. "He could be armed."

"Fair enough, Jimmy," Rose shrugged. "Let's go."

Jimmy nodded. Four of the other men who worked under Roger were standing outside the nightclub. They will serve as a look out.

"Tandaan mo 'yung plano, Rose. Lumapit kang mabuti bago mo tirahin. Kami na ang bahala sa mga bantay. Sige na."

Tiim-bagang tumango ang dalaga saka ito kumilos.

"Ready to go, Rose?" Roger asked, her boss.

"Yes. Where does this b***h?" She asked, as she folded her arms.

"On the second floor. This needs to be a quick warning and we need to get the f**k out of the club," Roger said.

Rose, Jimmy and the other men immediately went up to the second floor. Ready to teach the man a lesson for not paying his debts.

Roger couldn't let such a huge amount of money slide so easily. Just the sheer thought of this man believing that he could get away with not paying it back.

"He made my blood boil to the point it almost dried up. He was going to be taught a lesson for getting on the wrong side of me," Roger whispered to himself.

The group organized crime syndicate. Mula sa pagbebenta ng baril, pagpupuslit ng droga, pagkidnap, pagsusugal, pagpaslang, pambobomba, at maging ang pamba-blackmail.

One rule of the organization– always repay your debts or else… you're dead, even if it's a few years before your debt is paid off. No one would tell which was worse– being dead or having his debt unpaid.

After waiting for several minutes, Rose couldn't even hear movement inside the room. She'd had a fair warning, she heard a loud noise. A few minutes later Roger called her name.

Bumuntong-hininga si Rose at tumayo, looking around for a light switch or some sort of light source. The only thing she could see was a door. She opened it slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible until…

Jimmy slammed the door wide open with force, dinukot ang baril sa bulsa, kinasa ito at itinapat sa harap ng mukha ng lalaki. Rose and the other men are doing the same.

The two sides have guns pointing at each other from the doorway. Jimmy was a bit too late because he didn’t see who the intruder was. In fact, the man had already disappeared before he got there.

Rose heard the man sprint up the stairs to the balcony, but by then everyone had their guns trained on her and were ready for anything.

She looked around the room, “Where is he?” she asked. No one answered. She looked back at the stairs, “Jimmy, where is he?” she repeated. He still didn’t answer. She looked at the others, “What happened here?” she asked again.

"Lumabas ka na, Ravis," Rose soothed. "You sneaky little bastard."

They search the other room, doing their best to locate Ravis. Slamming open door after door, trying to see if there was a face insight. But there was nobody in the room.

And Ravis hadn’t come from there, but they found his footprints and traces of blood in the next room. And that was where it happened for them, they found Ravis.

They searched him over, but he wasn’t there. He wasn't even close to where the last person they checked went.

"Pwede kang tumakbo pero hindi ka makakapagtago, Ravis," sigaw ni Rose. Her voice echoed throughout the bathroom and bounced off the walls.

The bathroom was kicked so hard, and the door fell straight into the sink, hitting the pipe that caused water to explode everywhere.

Maya-maya lamang ay pumasok na si Roger sa kwarto. Wala itong kaalam-alam na nakatakas na ang taong pinapapatay nito.

"Kamusta?" Roger sneered. "Did you collect the debts from Ravis?"

"Hindi," usal ni Rose. "He wasn't in the goddamn room."

Naningkit ang mga mata ni Roger nang marinig niya ito, suddenly he dragged Rose and threw her down onto the bed with a force that her head began searing with pain.

"Stop, Boss Roger!" Rose shouted with pain. "You're hurting me!"

Kailangan mong malaman kung sino ang boss dito," he snarled. "Learn your f*****g place, Rose."

"Hindi ito ang gusto ko," Rose spat back bitterly. "Hindi mo maaasahan na susundin ko ang lahat ng iuutos mo na parang aso!"

"This is how you're going to be living now," Roger said. "The sooner you get used to this, the better. Now that I have you… I'm never letting you go."

Roger was about to turn away when he suddenly turned around as if he had forgotten something. "You… you useless piece of s**t. You're a f*****g joke," Roger seethed, narrowing his eyes to Rose.

Maybe Rose is destined for hell, her whole damn life. Living a life of sin, hurting so many people who didn't deserve to be hurt.

Rose began wheezing, doing her best to regather her strength. "I wanted better for myself. I need to get better." Rose sighed, her voice dropping slightly to a whisper. "But I knew from the moment I met Roger, my life would turn upside down."

Ang sandaling pananahimik ng dalaga ang nakapukaw ng atensyon ni Jimmy.

"Rose, are you okay?"

She nodded and approached him, "You don't even know me, Jimmy." Rose sighed.

"Talk to me with respect, Rose," Jimmy hissed. "I'm the one who taught you things you didn't know yet, ako rin ang nagdala sa inyo sa organisasyong ito para may matuluyan kayong magkapatid at ako rin ang nagpakain sa inyo."

Napayuko si Rose sa lahat ng kanyang narinig. "But look at what you've made me, Jimmy. Look at what you've done to me!" Rose snapped harshly.

"If you don't like the rules, you know there's a graveyard out there, we can toss you inside," Jimmy snarled.

Rose let out a bitter laugh, "What the hell were you even thinking bringing this up to me, of all people?" She was on her feet now, fists clenched tightly, nails digging painfully into her palms in an attempt to calm herself. Her eyes were wide open with a manic glint that had her shaking in rage.

Jimmy takes steps closer to Rose, closing the gap between them. He spat the face of Rose, then he grabbed hold of her neck, and began squeezing it. Rose began struggling for air as the wind began knocking out of her lungs. She doubled over, gaining the strength to retaliate.

"Enough!" Rose shouted in front of Jimmy's face. "T-tama na!"

Rose grabbed his arms to prevent him from moving forward any further, and she was grateful when he remained frozen in place. His eyes were wide and shocked. He couldn't look at her now.

Jimmy let go of her and stood still a moment longer. Then he stepped backwards, giving Rose enough room to breathe once more.

"Enough? Yeah, you're right," Jimmy sighed. "Stop these nonsense arguments. I'll deal with our boss. We need to get out of here." Jimmy breathed, folding his arms.

Jimmy looked for everyone. When they saw each other, they all nodded their heads in agreement. The six men walked down the dark hallway in total silence, listening to the muffled sounds coming from behind a door on one side of the corridor. Jimmy and Rose breath hitched when they hear what sounded like someone is talking.

Inabot ni Jimmy ang kanyang kamay para buksan ang pinto ngunit pinigilan siya ni Rose. "Don't touch it," she said. "We don't know if anyone's inside, so we should be careful." Jimmy took Rose's advice and turned the doorknob slowly.

Sumilip si Jimmy sa loob ng kwarto at napabuntong-hininga nang makita ang dalawang taong nakahandusay sa sahig na walang malay. Mabilis niyang isinara ang pinto at nagtago sa likod ng malaking crate sa harap nito.

Rose was standing on her toes trying to peek inside the room as well. "Who's inside?" She asked quietly.

"It doesn't seem like anybody else is here. I can't see anything." Jimmy shook his head.

Rose sighed. "Okay. Well, let me try to listen at the door.'" Jimmy nodded and went back over to where she was standing.

Pareho silang nakatayo habang nakikinig sa ingay sa paligid. "Talagang may mga tao sa loob ng gusaling ito. Anong nangyayari?" bulong ni Rose pagkaraan ng ilang sandali.

"They're saying something... and I think there is another person with them."

Rose turned around to face Jimmy. "Can you hear them?"

"No," he answered. "And if we stay quiet, maybe they won't notice us," he nodded slowly and they both crouched down behind the crates. Their eyes never left the door in front of them.

"Is that another voice? It sounds like another person," Rose asked curiously.

"Maybe it isn't, just like a whisper. I don't know…" Jimmy grabbed hold of her shoulder to stop her from getting closer to the door. He leaned forward and placed his ear against the door. After several seconds of silence, there was suddenly shouting in different languages.

Jimmy felt a hand on his arm. "Jimmy, halika na. We should go now," Rose whispered, dragging him backwards as they made their way to the door. Napahinto sila nang makita ang isa pang bangkay sa sahig.

Suddenly, Roger came, "What's going on here? Who are they?" he asked, kneeling next to the other person.

Jimmy followed him and saw what was left of the man. His eyes were wide open and his body was still twitching slightly. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Jimmy wondered who else had until…

"Walang tao sa loob. Naka-lock ang mga pinto," Roger explained, turning back to face them. "Dapat walang laman ang lugar na ito."

"No," Rose said suddenly. Her tone seemed urgent, and Jimmy found himself nodding along with her, "Look!" she pointed at the corner of the room.

Roger turned to look at where Rose was pointing and then back to them, "You think there might be someone behind it?" he asked, his voice laced with caution.

Jimmy thought about all the dead bodies in the hallway outside, the one whose body was lying on the ground.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Rose's voice cracked slightly at the end, and Jimmy realized how afraid she really was.

It didn't sound like Rose who always put everyone before herself, not like Rose who always got her own way and took any risks necessary to make things better.

"I don't want anyone else to die tonight. Let's just leave it alone." Rose pleaded, but Jimmy could see that she knew that her suggestion wouldn't make anyone happy, neither their boss, Roger.

So, he did what he was best at doing. He ignored it until someone had already decided it for them. "Alright, fine." Jimmy sighed.