Under Mr Mafia's Rule

Chapter 2 - The Lamb

Someone shook my arm softly. My eyes opened slowly.

“Aggy, wake up, they said Mr Callahan wants to see all of us,” Mickey said.

I slowly stood up and we both followed the crowd outside.

“Do you know why?” I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.

We piled into a room one by one, it looked like a training ground. Murmurs and whispers flooded the room as everyone stood tense, barely anticipating what was next.

Callahan walked towards a podium, his movement measured, unhurried as he came to a stop. Tall. Regal. Dangerous. The man's mere presence commanded the silence and utmost attention of the crowd before he even ordered it.

His eyes scanned the crowd, resting briefly on mine. Strange.

His gaze didn't last long for me to understand the hidden intent behind it.

“After days and nights of searching, we finally found our rat,” he said.

Two men brought forth a man towards the stage, hands tied behind his back. They dropped him on his knees. He was bruised, beaten, battered and almost unrecognizable.

My heart clenched inside my chest. No….. They did not.

He raised his head up slowly, his eyes searching, till they landed on mine. His lips curved into a tiny smile and relief flooded his eyes.

“He’ll be used as a lesson to anyone who thinks to betray me. To let you all understand that I am very good at finding a rat, even if it crawls into a sewer,” Ronan said.

One of the men who brought him in, walked slowly towards him, knife in hand.

My feet moved before my brain, weaving through the crowd as his head was snapped up forcefully exposing his neck.

His eyes found mine and hardened in warning. I stopped. Tears welled up in my eyes.

So he decided to be the lamb. I see…

The knife was placed on his throat. I immediately snapped my eyes shut.

“You will all open your eyes. This should serve as a necessary example that needs each and every one of you wide-eyed as you witness it. Anyone's eyes I see closed will be killed,” Ronan's voice rang out and almost immediately all eyes opened, including mine.

It was bad, I could almost taste the pungent smell of fear in the air.

His hands raised up as he stared, daring anyone, waiting for anyone to defy him. No one did.

I couldn't look away, my eyes glued to my comrade. Miguel.

His lips curved into a lazy smile as the knife came down alongside Ronan Callahan's hand.

Blood sprouted from his neck as they gutted him like an animal.

The f*****g bastard chose a blunt knife. He wasn't going to give Miguel an easy death, I realized, the knife struggled on his neck as his body convulsed for a few minutes.

Then he slumped. Lifeless. And all the while I never stopped looking.

Silence.

Then someone threw up, and all hell broke loose. I could hear some people crying, some peed themselves. While others stared in shock. I on the other hand, felt this deep sense of loss and rage, but I couldn't move.

Mickey held my arm crying softly.

I turned my head and stared at him.

Jesus, compose yourself Mara.

Slowly my eyes shifted towards Ronan Callahan and surprisingly, he was already staring at me or rather my expressionless face.

His lips twitched slightly, brow raised and then he turned around and walked out, the door slamming shut behind him.

One by one everyone left the room, I also followed the crowd to avoid suspicion. Behind us, there were people already moving his body.

I stared one last time, already missing his heroic heart and steady hands.

And I swore. That I would do whatever it took no matter how long to avenge him. I'll make sure his death doesn't go in vain.

I'll make sure I brought down the Bone cartel and the devil of a man named Ronan Callahan with it.

Mickey didn't let go of my hand, he walked quietly beside me. We were almost close to the room when someone blocked our path. A guard.

“Mr Callahan would like to see you,” he said, staring at me.

I wanted to question the order but I thought better of it.

I looked at Mickey and smiled reassuringly. “I'll be back soon ok”

And I followed the guard.

This room had a different vibe entirely. It felt calm.

The door shut behind me and I could feel my heart beat faster, I felt trapped.

Shit. Did I give away too much? Was he unto me already? Did he know I was a spy? My insides kept twisting and turning, a whole different world compared to the eerie calm that settled on my face.

“Sit,” Ronan ordered. I did.

He stared at me like a predator eyeing its prey, waiting, watching for one moment of weakness to strike.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

I frowned, confusion masking my features.

“I don't understand sir” I replied. Confusion laced in my voice.

He squinted his eyes staring at me as if he could see through my soul.

It's a trap I figured, this was all a game. The good thing was that two could play it.

“You do not feel enraged” he stated.

I smiled in my head. Tactic.

“I still do not understand sir”

He pulled out a gun. Opened and checked that its bullet was in place.

“Take,” he said. I took it with a slight frown. “Aim it here” he pointed to his forehead. “And take your best shot”

Silence. More silence.

“I cannot do that sir” I replied stiffly.

“Do you not feel like pulling the trigger and ending my life?” He asked.

“I don't see why I should, you haven't done anything to warrant such hatred from me that I would pull a gun on you” I replied, face straight.

“Well ... .I get the feeling I have” he said and smiled slowly, eyes hooded.

“And why do you think that sir?” I asked.

“A hunch” was all he said. Then he stood up straight. He walked towards a table in the room, pulled some papers out of an envelope.

“Agnes Fenton, age 22, born May 8 2003, no record of any friends or family members, no school record, no workplace record, no record of birth before Ohio, no record of your ties or how you ended up with the blood cartel. Personally I find you very strange and intriguing” he smiled.

He went all out with a double background check I see.

“I woke up on the streets one day with no memories of my past, the blood cartel found and took me in” I replied solemnly. “I apologize if such scarce details concerning my past has made you concerned and also suspicious of me, if I knew anymore, I wouldn't have failed to mention it”

Silence. He stared.

“Like I said, you intrigue me”

A pause.

“From now on, you will stay by my side, I've arranged a room close to mine, that's where you'll be.

You will go on missions with me.

Everywhere I go, you will follow.

So far you seem like you are well trained in mind, as for your body… we'll see how physically fit you are. Starting tomorrow you will report to the training ground. I already have someone in mind who'll shape you.

His gaze lingered.

“To become the best version of yourself, exactly the way I want you to be,” he added calmly.

I blinked. Why did I suddenly get the feeling he was thinking of turning me into some killer machine? I opened my mouth to say something but he beat me to it instead.

“Marco will escort you to your room, goodnight Agnes” he said. And almost immediately the guy that came to get me, whose name I know now is Marco, swiftly guided me out of the room.

My mind was basically a rollercoaster right now. This was the plan….but it definitely wasn't supposed to go this way.

Obviously I was closer to him than ever but under suspicion not admiration.

Well….. there was nothing I could do about it, I just had to use the situation to my advantage.