The Don's Cursed Outcast

003

He had ordered his men to literally toss her into the limousine like a rag doll. She sat opposite him fixed on the seat like a mannequin, too anxious to move. Correction though, her reason for being anxious wasn't because she was in a limousine with Michael Forraine, after all they were alone. Somewhat.

He had told his men to stay back at the hub while he, his driver and her embarked to the isolated run down part of Ashville to judge her truth.

"Zakai, step on it"

The dark haired man nodded in acknowledgement and the speed at which the cab was going accelerated.

Michael sighed and slid his mask off his face. Under the bright inner car lights of the limo, Melody looked up and observed his features for a moment, seeing not only this time his eyes and lips but his entire face. He had a pointed nose that angled itself in cut precision and a jawline that put the male models she had read of in the Great Gabby's magazine to shame.

"Time to take this regal bad boy off" he muttered and took off his black hat revealing his bright dark red hair. She had never seen natural red hair of that intensity before. It was akin to the colour of blood.

Blood.

Her heart jumped when she noticed the crimson splashes and fingerprints on the seat of the limo, a few inches from where he sat. And the blood had pooled in a small puddle on the ground too. Michael followed her line of sight and hissed internally.

"You didn't have this cleaned up Zakai?"

"After I dropped you at the hub, I went to dispose of the body and get the car cleaned. I was in the process of doing just that when I got a ring that you requested for the limo back"

Melody gulped and glanced up at Michael, she just heard his driver talk about disposing of a body like it was a casual thing. This.....this was the reason why mafia's made her sick to the core, their inhumane way of bloodshed was repulsive.

"But before the end of today, ensure to get it cleaned. Noted?"

"Yes Boss"

The driver named Zakai responded. He didn't even seem like a regular driver and that was what made Melody even the more uncomfortable.

***

The rest of the drive was quiet and the more quiet it became, the more overwhelming it was for Melody. Nana had warned her to stop stealing, she had promised Nana that she hadn't in the past years and the woman believed her, but how would Nana feel when Michael would march in unto their hut and spill everything.

She guessed that was the price she would have to pay, If she made it out of this spared somehow. But the next heist, she would plot would be with a lesser powerful figure and completely full proof. Maybe should target a high ranked politician or a popular multi product trader, or maybe a magistra-

"It looks like a disaster area" She heard the driver murmur. He slowed the limo to a halt and went outside to hold the door open for Michael. The man swung his long legs outside and whispered something inaudible to Zakai that made him turn to glance at her. She shifted awkwardly in her seat.

"You, out" Michael said, making a come hither motion with his palm. Immediately reminded of how she was dragged into the limo she pulled herself out without wasting time, standing beside Michael and Zakai.

One sniff of the air in this place and Michael could understand why she looked how she looked. No one could possibly be a hundred percent healthy in such an environment as this. Even the air had a weird scent, something inclined with. . . . .urine maybe.

"Wait in the car Zakai" Michael said, tucking his hands in his pants.

The platinum blonde haired man nodded and slid back into the limo, keeping his deep blue eyes on them from behind the tinted windows. She couldn't help but unconsciously stare back.

"You aren't counting on Zakai to save you are you?" Michael whispered teasingly as he ran a finger along his ear cuffs, despite them not moving out of place.

"No, I don't need him or anyone to save me because I know my truth. I wouldn't be trying to steal from you if nothing was wrong with Nana"

Michael didn't say anything in response to that. Whether she proved him wrong or not, a penalty would still be given. The magnitude of the penalty though, unknown at the moment.

-------

The dark streets of this part of town were lit by erected street lights and were mostly empty, except for the passing stray dogs, kittens and rats, they hadn't seen many people so far. The few tattered children he saw playing outside barely saw them as they walked by, too invested in their hide and seek to notice.

Michael followed Melody on high alert as she led him through the crumbling streets. Where they had stopped hadn't been too far from where she lived and so in a short period of time they had started approaching her abode.

"Over there" she pointed to a ramshackle hut that stood out like a dying breath in the desolate neighborhood. It could barely be described as a home, sadly.

She led the way, fiddling with her fingers while Michael continued to follow her till they passed through the un-gated entrance and stopped in front of the partially chipped wooden door. By norm it was locked and so she had to call for Nana to come and open it.

"Nana, it's me, Melody" she spoke, giving the handle of the door a light giggle.

Michael turned to her, he had noted her name now.

He stayed silent and waited for the door to be opened.

Three minutes later and she was still knocking and announcing her presence, Nana hadn't come to open the door. She hadn't even heard any shuffle of movement from the inside.

"Maybe she is asleep"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Your voice is loud enough, you've been dragging this door handle long enough, and the walls look quite thin. Even an ogre would've woken up by now"

She looked up at the night bulb that hung above the door. Anytime Nana went out in the evening, she would put it off, but it was on presently, brightly shining even. Which meant that the woman was inside.

Michael wasn't one for losing his patience quickly but at the moment he was. If that door didn't open in five seconds, then he would break it down himself. He looked down at his leather watch.

Five. . . . . .

Four. . . .

Three. . .

Two. .

One .

He pushed the girl aside and with a strong tug he ripped the door off its hinges, literally. Melody's mouth formed a giant 'O' as he tossed the door aside on the ground and stepped in with his hand resting on the hilt of the gun in his trouser pocket.

She couldn't even get a word out, he just ripped off their door, how would she get another door from the neighbourhood carpenter, with what money. Michael didn't care, he just kept looking around for the supposed ill woman.

Melody was confused though, had Nana truly gone out?.

"Please wait here Mr Forraine" she said stretching her palm out to him, her tone laced with hostility "I'll go into the room and get her". Michael gave no response and relaxed against the wall. He couldn't wait to see if this 'ill' woman was 'truly' ill.

----

She made sure her face was free of makeup and her robe was at least less crumpled before parting the curtains that served as a door and entering inside. The flicker of oil lamps revealed Nana lying on a thin mat on the ground, her aged caramel skin and tired body illuminated under the soft light.

"Nana, I had been knocking for a while" She whispered with her lips pressed into a line as she crouched near the grey haired woman.

"Nana?" She called out slightly, shaking the woman's shoulders to wake her. Michael needed to see her to confirm that she was telling the truth. But Nana didn't move, she didn't even stir.

"Nana?, Nana wake up, there's someone outside-----"

She had shook the woman's shoulders a little too hard and she rolled to the side, her flabby arms limply falling to the sides. Melody's eyes widened in horror as she crouched down and held Nana's neck, trying to feel a pulse or something.

"Nana, Nana wake up, this isn't the time for your funny 'i can't hear you because I'm still asleep pranks'. Nana wake up"

Despite her plea there was no answer, tears started forming involuntarily at the corner of her eyes as she placed her ear directly on the woman's chest. Trying to fish for a heartbeat, but there was none.

Her scream alerted Michael who rushed into the room with gun in hand. He scanned the room with sharp alertness and looked down when he noticed her clutching a person on the ground and screaming 'no' at every interval.

Melody broke into an ugly sob as panic rose within her. The doctor had said that Nana would be fine as long as they carried the surgery within a week and two days, so why then....why then was her heart not beating anymore.

"Nana, you have to wake up. Nana, you have to wake up!!!!" She screamed grabbing the woman's waist "you promised me, you promised me that you'd be fine and that you wouldn't let anything happen to you because you didn't want to leave me all alone here"

She screamed, pulling her hair and digging her nails into her palms. Her eyes were blurry, her thoughts were blurry, her hair was spinning, her heart was aching, and her soul....her soul had been shattered.

"She is dead?" He echoed. He walked towards her to check for himself, bending beside Nana's body. There was no pulse in her wrist, no heartbeat, and her body had gone cold. She had been dead for hours.

"When did you leave the house?"

"I-In the.....in the..." She struggled to speak, her heart was clenching unbearably and her sobs were muffling her speech. "In the afternoon, around t-three o'clock"

Michael checked his watch, it was eight thirty six pm. This woman had likely passed away four hours ago due to the condition of her corpse. He looked around and saw the pills and prescribed medicine that lay around her on the desk near the wall opposite them. In truth, she was ill.

His gaze shifted back to Melody, she looked utterly shattered with a runny nose, wet eyes, and messy curls sticking to her tear stricken face. The girl was broken and he could see it, just like he once was twenty years ago.