◆ Blackmailed By The Boss ◆

◇ KEL ◇

The scream we heard sounded a lot like it was Mrs. Falco.  Did someone harm Miles' mother?  The ominous thought formed goosebumps onto my arms.  The hairs on my nape probably stood up now.

It seemed impossible that someone would dare hurt her.  Like Mr. Falco, she had bodyguards tailing her everyday.  Gun-carrying security staff surrounded the estate day in day out.  Who in their right mind would dare touch the Falcos in their own territory?

As my brain tried to come up with a couple of flimsy guesses, Mr. Falco directed his steadfast gaze at his nephew and only son.  "Charr, Maxim, cortile sul retro. Va' a dare un'occhiata." His lowered voice sounded imperative again.

[Charr, Maxim,  backyard.  Go take a look.]

"Pappa—"

"Faccia come le dico!" Mr. Falco shouted and glared at Miles.  The boss kept his brows furrowed while he gripped his gun.

[Just do as I say!]

Ricchar and most of the bodyguards rushed out of the basement to check the commotion upstairs.  Their heavy footsteps up the concrete stairway echoed throughout the dim, cold space we were stuck in.  Except Miles.  He was here of his own accord.

"Pappa, let it go. I'll take care of it," Miles said in a calmer tone, sighing loudly afterwards, his hands keeping my body still and secure behind him. He would grab my forearms every time I'd try to take a step closer to Niccolo, who remained mostly immobile in tight restraints.

"È lui. Leandro."

[It's him. Leandro.]

After hearing the guy's name, Miles didn't have to be told twice.  His posture stiffened.  Then he hastily turned to face me, eyes wide and alert.  "Stay here." He held my face and kissed me quick.  "Just gonna check on Mamma."

"Okay." I watched Miles rush towards the stairs after he gave his father one last look.

"Vai solo a cercare tua madre, bambino." Mr. Falco nodded faintly to Miles who just took out his gun before disappearing from our view.

[Just go find your mother, boy.]

God, please...help.  My chest started to constrict again.  Although tonight wasn't the first time, I just wasn't used to seeing Miles carrying a gun.  As if he was meaning to hurt someone.

Hopefully his Mamma Eleana and Enzo were okay upstairs and that it was all a false alarm.  Hopefully it was just a stray dog startling one of the maids.

I glanced around the room. Two young guards and Alessio stayed below the stairs, holsters unfastened, faces stiff.

As he slouched beside the unbelievably calm hostage, Mr. Falco pinched the bridge of his nose, appearing exhausted now.  Then the boss sighed to himself.  He did look tired—the lines on his jowls were deepened by a frown and his beard didn't hide half of his slightly drooping cheeks.  The dark circles around his eyes told me he hadn't been sleeping well lately.

Sometimes I imagined being a mafia boss like him would allow little to no rest.  If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have much peace of mind left to get a good night's sleep, either.  "Please just let us leave."

"So you could turn us in?" Mr. Falco squinted at me now.

"I wasn't..." I swallowed the lump of apprehension suddenly forming in my throat, my breathing turning shallow.  Crap.  I was so tangled in this mess.  But I knew I shouldn't panic or start sobbing in fear in front of him.  "I didn't tell anyone anything about you, Signore."

"Okay." Mr. Falco chuckled.  "If you say so."

"Please. Just let us go. They're gonna be waiting for me in New York."

"Sure." The boss put his gun back into his holster. Thank heavens. "But explain to me why you went to Serbia, because Maxim was just worried sick about you."

Crap.  Of course he knew I went to Serbia with Enzo.  Was he just testing me? Perhaps Mr. Falco was just testing me if I would tell the whole truth or not.  I stood not too far away from the boss, and I could clearly see his shadowed eyes void of any sincere emotion.  Except wrath.

"It wasn't... I-I asked for Lorenzio's help to find someone," I began to explain. "We ended up in Belgrade. I only wanted to talk to his contact in Belgrade."

"What's the contact's name? Do I need to know?"  Mr. Falco asked as he stared at me.  Then the entire basement fell totally silent again.  It was a chilling kind of quiet.

Please just stop hurting people, was what I wanted to say.  But I opted to kept my mouth shut.  I didn't want to tell him the person I met in Belgrade was actually Ilya, who could very well be my biological father.  The man didn't mention anything about it that day, but Miles and Niccolo had filled me in not a while ago.

To make matters worse, Ilya was one of Mr. Falco and the Tomassinis' biggest competition in the drug trafficking business.  Strange, small world.

"See, Mykaela, I don't believe you're lying to me through your teeth." Mr. Falco stepped closer towards me now, his eyes no longer narrowed by his growing suspicions.  "But I'm not so sure we could trust you enough to let you out of here alive."

"I-I wouldn't do that to you, Sir."

The boss ignored me, then turned his attention back to the hostage and choked Niccolo with his bare hands.  "Mi tradisci nel peggior modo possibile, ragazzo."

[You betray me in the worst way possible, boy.]

"Signore—" I held my breath as my legs felt like they were about to buckle.  I badly wanted to help Nicco,  protect him from the boss, but Alessio shook his head slightly while he stared at me, as if to warn me to stay put.

[Sir—]

Niccolo tried to pull away from the big boss but the guards kept him immobile.

"You're smart enough to make the right decisions, and make sure your family stays out of this mess." Mr. Falco walked towards me after he stopped choking the life out of Niccolo.  The next second, Niccolo was left curled up on the floor and coughing nonstop.

"Certo, Signore." I stood my ground and kept my breathing and expression calm.  The boss stood in front of me for a moment, eyeing me to see if I would flinch.  "I wouldn't lie to you, or betray your trust," I muttered in reassurance.

[Of course, Sir.]

"I wouldn't want to harm your precious little family, either, just because of this setback. But I need you to stay with Maxim. Closely." Stefano continued to stare at me.  Cold, gray eyes...they showed nothing but apathy and conceit.  "You could work for us after you graduate. And since Lorenzio also seems to be fond of you, I'm sure you'll do fine here."

Work here in Italy for the Falcos? Permanently?

"No, Kel." Niccolo tried to sit up now, but only after he coughed up some blood. "He's lying."

"Sta' zitto!"

[Be quiet!]

Bang!

Oh shit.  Mr. Falco's gun.  He just shot at Nicco.  My blood ran cold.  My legs definitely felt like buckling.  My stinging eyes immediately darted to Niccolo.

He stayed in a fetal position on the floor, arms chained behind him, chest heaving under his sweat-stained shirt.

Now sitting on the old desk in the corner, Stefano grinned like a certified maniac.  He didn't shoot Niccolo in the head—thankfully.  But the dangerous glint in Stefano's eyes assured me I wouldn't get out of this estate alive if I admitted knowing about his illegal transactions with the Tomassinis.

Definitely,  I should not trust his word, as I'd been told.  The man was a volatile, murderous mob boss, after all.  Allegedly, for now.  "W-What about them?"

My Mommy Tilda. Jill. Baby Meesha. David. They didn't deserve this.  Lies. Chaos. Enemies brimming with hate...

"Your family? Safe, of course." Stefano lit a cigarette. Despite the lack of pretense in his no-nonsense tone, the overconfidence in his words failed to stifle my anxious thoughts.

Even his own son didn't trust him, or anything he said.  Why should I?

"Kel, just go home." Niccolo continued coughing, the veins on his forehead and neck protruding against his sweaty skin.  The chained handcuffs keeping him hostage just left a dull, persistent ache in my chest.

"How safe?" I crouched beside him and checked his pulse.  Racing.  Respiration still above normal.

The guy was drenched in sweat, grimy from head to toe.  Watching him cough up blood just made my breathing hitch.  He could die right here, right now, in this cold, eerie, mold-smelling basement.  But no one seemed to give a shit.

Should I call for an ambulance?  Crap.  This place was too remote.  I just hoped Mr. Falco wouldn't shoot Nicco in the head or...do something much worse.  Much more torturous.  "Slow, steady breaths. We're going straight to the hospital," I muttered to Niccolo while I checked his vital signs.  So far, all normal except his heart rate and slightly abnormal respiration.

"Mykaela, agreed?" Mr. Falco sighed. He was now busy on his phone, as if he couldn't care less about this lifelong blackmail he was forcing me into, as if he was merely asking me to say yes to a quick, easy request.

"I need some insurance, Sir."  I ignored the muffled noises of people yelling somewhere upstairs, knowing the Falcos had enough security men and ammunition to protect Miles, Ricchar, Enzo and everyone else outside.  Mr. Falco was a longtime arms dealer, for crying out loud.  Allegedly.

"Brava, Mykaela." He let out a guttural laugh and squinted at me.  Mr. Falco touched his temple as his darkened eyes focused on my face. "You'll go places with that brain and common sense. I'm sure." Then he frowned slightly and glanced away.  "I just wish my son had the same."

[Good, Mykaela.]

I stayed beside the hostage, full of distrust but left with no other choice. "I keep my word, Sir."

"I'm sincerely counting on that." Stefano grinned and focused his attention on his phone. "I don't want to harm you or your family. Maxim likes you too much."

His momentary glare and tactless words just gave me arrhythmia.  The loaded gun stuck to his hip didn't calm my nerves, either.  "I'll work for you. Just please keep my family out of this." I dropped my gaze to the floor and slightly bowed my head, hoping it was enough to show my respect and submission.  Between the two of us, he was the one with the loaded gun and a myriad of paid henchmen.  I shouldn't question his authority in any way.  "That's all I ask."

"In exchange for your loyal service, they remain safe wherever they are, living their simple, quiet suburban lives." The man's voice drifted into a monotonous mumble now, his lopsided grin leaving smile lines on his stubbled face.  It didn't assure me that he was actually pleased with my response, though.  "I will keep them alive, as long as you do what you're supposed to."

◇