THE MAFIA’S SINFUL OBSESSION

Tessa wiped the last ring of condensation off the bar counter and heaved a sigh. Lingering in the air was the faint scent of whiskey and cigarettes. The bar had been unusually quiet tonight, but the muted hum of a football match on the television and the occasional shuffle of the drunk man in the corner nursing his final drink. The sign outside, which was worn and almost dangling, read "RO SI'S" with an''s' missing from it. She did not bear to change the quiet weary sign due to nostalgia. It had been her father's— a quiet man who, despite his shadowed past, had a love for dusty books that no one ever read. He had hidden his bookstore behind the facade of a bar and Tessa had since refused to let go of this tradition after he died or, rather, after he was killed. Tessa shook away the memories that flooded in involuntarily. She forced her attention back to the mundane task of closing up for the night. Unexpectedly, the old jukebox crackled to life unexpectedly, a hunting melody filling the empty space. Tessa frowned, her hand instinctively moving to get a hold of the baseball bat she kept under the counter. The sound wasn't normal. Neither was the shuffling sound that ensued outside her back door. That was quite unusual. This caused her heart to pound as she edged towards the door, her movements cautious. Through the glass window, she could see the alley bathed with a faint orange light from the overhead heart lamp. She could see a lean man in a white shirt barely tucked into his pants dragging himself towards her building. His shirt was soaked in blood that was almost so visible under the orange glow from the overhead light. Torn as to her next action, Tessa hesitated. She had promised herself not to get involved in anything troublesome, a lesson she had learned the hard way, and this one sure did look like trouble. But seeing the small man crumbling to the ground, blood slowly pooling beneath him, she pushed the door open. "Hey!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the alley wall. "Help me." He gave a strangled reply barely even audible. Tessa stepped closer to the injured man, the bitter and uncomfortable stench of copper hitting her nose. He was slumped almost close to the wall, his breathing shallow and his face pale and slick with sweat. She quickly couched beside him, her hands shaking as she searched for her phone. "Stay with me, I'll call the ambulance—" "No." He harshly grabbed her wrist with surprising strength. "Please, no hospitals. They'll find me." Tessa looked around and back at the man, even more scared than before, "Who? Who will find you?" There was no reply from the man. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive, pressing it into her palm, his blood smearing her palm in the process. She could feel the metallic warmth sticking to her skin. "Take it," the man was almost breathless as he spoke, his eyes desperate, "Keep it safe. Don't let them—" A sudden and violent cough wracked his body and his head lolled to the side. Tessa was shocked by stupor and chills poured down her spine. She stared at the flashdrive, her mind racing. Her instincts screamed at her to drop it, to run back inside and to forget that this incident ever happened in the first place. She scooted away from the lifeless man still in a daze. She could not wipe from her memory the sheer desperation that shone distinctively. The faint sound of crunching footsteps echoed from the other end of the alley. Tessa's heart almost stopped. She immediately shoved the flash drive into her pocket, with her pulse racing. A dark figure stepped into view, his face obscured by the dim light. His presence 2as strong enough to send chills down her spine despite the fact that he hadn't said a word. Tessa was deeply regretting ever coming out of the bar. Her legs felt numb and great trepidation crawled into her shoulders. Tessa backed away slowly, her hand tightening around the door handle. "Smart girl." The man said finally. His voice was smooth and unsettling. She did not see his face clearly, but she was sure he had a sinister smirk plastered on his lips. Was he the person that the dead man had been referring to? "But not smart enough to stay out of things that do not concern you." The man took a step closer and Tessa shoved the door open, ducked inside and slammed the door shut behind her, twisting the lock. She stumbled back as her chest heaved. Her ears strained for any sound of pursuit. Silence. Well, except her thumping heart. She rubbed her chest and shut her eyes. It thumped so painfully she thought it'd fall into her stomach. Her free and trembling hand fumbled for her phone, dialing the number she hated to call the most, more than anything else in the world. "Damien, it's me," she said, barely keeping her voice from shaking. "Tess?" The grouchy voice came up. He must have been sleeping. "What the hell? It's the middle of the damn night!" "I need your help, someone just died outside my bar." She said in a rush, her words stumbling on each other. "What!" She could guess right that he immediately sat up and had now fully awoken, "I said, someone is dying outside my bar right now." She repeated herself. Damien's voice sharpened,"" Did anyone see you? Did they hurt you?"" Tessa shook her head despite not being on call, "No, but... I think I have something they might want." She glanced down at her pocket, the weight of the flashdrive suddenly feeling heavier than it should. "Tessa..." Damien's voice dropped to a whisper, "I don't know what it is but whatever you've got, you need to get rid of it now." She swallowed hard, "Damien, I think it's too late for that right now."