The devil you begged for

007

ISLA

~•~

I had been in Lorenzo’s house for a week, doing nothing. I couldn’t continue like that. I had a life before my family died, and even if I wasn’t going back to my previous life, I was supposed to be looking into who killed my family. I probably wasn’t strong enough to hurt them but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.

I took a deep breath and stepped outside my new room. For some reason, it was right next to Lorenzo’s room. It was as though he was obsessed with watching over me. It made me wonder what exactly he wanted with me.

I walked over to his room and knocked once. When there was no answer, I knocked again.

“He’s in his office,” a voice from behind me had me turning around, startled.

“Oh,” my hand found my chest, trying to slow down my racing heart when I saw it was the teenage boy. I still didn’t know his name. I didn’t dare ask. I didn’t speak to anyone except Lorenzo and I barely even saw him. “Thanks.” I started walking away but came to a sudden stop and turned back to him. He was still standing there.

“I’ll lead you to his office,” he said before I could say anything.

I nodded at him with a smile.

“I’m Gregory, by the way,” he introduced as we headed downstairs. “You can call me Greg. Everyone calls me Greg.”

I nodded again.

He spared me a glance, then looked away as if he was holding back his words. When he couldn’t hold them in any longer, he stared at me. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Who could I talk to? What could I say to any of them? I didn’t trust any of them.

“It’s fine. After a while, you’ll gradually open up. For now, I can keep you company after school.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “You go to school?”

“Of course, I go to school. Boss would never let me handle weapons if I didn’t go.” My tongue poked the inside of my cheek. Coincidentally, I was going to talk to him about school. “I’m sixteen. I’ll graduate in two years. When I do, I’ll have more time to work for my boss.”

As I stared at him, I wondered what a sixteen-year-old was doing, working for the mafia. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen such a young boy in the mafia, but it was the first time I gave it a proper thought. Like mine, were his parents also dead? Did they get murdered? Did they get in an accident? Was his story as horrible as mine?

I wanted to know, but I knew I was in no place to ask such questions. I didn’t know how to navigate life with my father, my mother, and my older brother. That should have at least left me a manual. Sometimes, I felt like taking my life. I thought it would be better for me to join them, but the reminder that my family’s killer was out there… the fact that he could be very close… that thought kept me going.

I didn’t know how I would do it, but I wanted to avenge my family.

“We’re here,” Greg said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Just knock and wait for him to invite you in.”

He didn’t wait for me to thank him before he disappeared down the hall. I took a deep breath before I knocked on the door, subconsciously hoping he didn’t invite me in. I hadn’t seen him for a few days and I wasn’t exactly sure how to start the conversation. Then again, he wanted to know whenever I left his house. That was one of the conditions for letting me stay with him, so I had no choice but to bring it up with him first.

“Come in,” I heard him say from the other side.

I took another deep breath before I pushed the door open and my eyes met his immediately. Instead of the chair behind his desk, he was leaning directly against his desk. I cleared my throat and stepped in, closing the door behind me. He arched an eyebrow at my action.

“Uhm…”

“Just spit it out, Isla. I’m busy.”

I shook my head subtly. As usual, he was direct and spoke rather rudely. “I want to go back to school.”

He stared at me blankly.

“You said I should inform you before I go anywhere,” I explained. “I’ll be going to school regularly so I wanted to tell you beforehand. It’s my last year at college.”

“I know:”

I chewed on my bottom lip. Of course, he knew. After all, he and my brother were acquaintances. “So…”

He stared at me for a moment before he pushed off from his desk and rounded it to sit on his chair. “My men will drive you to and from school. If you notice any suspicious person around you, ask for their help.”

I frowned. “What could happen to me in school?” While the underworld wasn’t much of a secret, not many people in my college knew about it. Even my closest friend didn’t know I was the daughter of a mafia boss. Well, at least, I used to be. No one knew who I was so they had no reason to harm me, especially now that my parents were dead. They couldn’t use me to threaten my father anymore. They couldn’t use me to threaten anyone.

“If you’re not comfortable with being driven around, you can stay at home and learn some fighting skills.”

Learning how to fight sounded cool but I wasn’t going to drop out. My parents wanted to see me graduate. They wanted me to get a degree. They wanted me to live a life away from the mafia and the first step to doing that was caring about my school attendance.

I looked at Lorenzo, but he was no longer looking at me. He had dismissed me already and he didn’t need to say anything to let me know. I chewed on the inside of my cheek. He was way too authoritative. I doubted I would be able to last a few months with him. I would stay in his home for now. After graduation, I’d be gone.

If I ever came back, it would be because I wasn’t done avenging my family’s death.