The Don’s Venom

Chapter 3

(Lily)

“I regret to inform you that we cannot hire you at this time.”

“What is a beautiful woman like you doing applying for a job like this? Do you know the dangers involved?”

“You should be wearing designer outfits on a private beach somewhere with a man who’s up to the task.”

And the latest one, “We cannot hire you because we believe a man will be better suited for the job.”

I felt my skin crawl in disgust as the interviewer swept me in an assessing gaze. I hated the feeling of being undressed by some pervert’s gaze. With all the restraint I could gather, I grabbed my bag off the floor and marched out of the interviewing room.

My jaw tightened with every step I took and suddenly the suit I had on felt a little too tight. Like I couldn’t breathe. I walked out of the company and hurriedly undid the top two buttons of my jacket, dragging in air through my burning lungs.

“Those bastards,” I groaned in frustration. “God!”

I ignored the curious glances that came my way from passersby and undid the rest of my jacket buttons. I know I was a ridiculous sight, having a meltdown on a sidewalk. But what was even more ridiculous was the level of gender discrimination I had had to endure in the past week.

I knew that getting a new job wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I hadn’t expected this level of blatant discrimination. None of the job had even given me the opportunity to take a physical assessment test or tested my combat skills or anything like that.

They just took one look and wrote me off as weak.

Weak and pathetic. Those were the exact words that bastard used back then too.

For a second, I considered returning to my apartment but decided against it. I needed to blow off steam and I knew just the place for that.

The drive to the arena took all of ten seconds, and except for the ominous rattle that came from somewhere in the hood of my car, everything was gradually settling when I arrived.

Tony was in the ring, sparring with a new face when I walked in.

“Okay? You look like you could kill with that glare, Lily. What’s up?” he called out, peeling off his boxing gloves.

I dropped my bag and jacket on a nearby stand and folded the arm of my dress shirt.

“I need a round. Been a long, shitty day,” I replied, walking into the ring.

“I take it the job hunt isn’t going well.”

“It’s…hell. It’s like those people take one look at me and just instantly write me off,” I blurted. “Like, is it a crime being a woman?”

“I mean,” Tony said with a playful smile. “They suck, okay? You’re badass at combat, very observant and tactical too. Don’t lose hope, dear.”

“But how will anyone ever know that when they just take a look at me and reject me? Tony, I need a huge bag. Like a gig that is more permanent and pays really well. I need to prove to myself and my parents and that bastard…”

“The one whose name we never say?”

I dropped the glove and plunked down in the middle of the ring. “I saw him, Tony. The other day, at my client’s funeral.”

“Are you sure it was him?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Last I heard, he was taking over his father’s business in New York.”

Tony shrugged. “Enough of all that for a second. There’s a job. My cousin who walks in the underworld mentioned it. But it’s dangerous. Some Don is looking to hire a bodyguard. But word on the street is he’s dangerous. Even the whole recruitment thing will be done on a secure server.”

I c****d my head to the side. “That sounds a little dramatic. But I’d take anything right now.”

Tony fished his cellphone out of his pocket and swiped away. “Sent you the link.”

My phone chimed loudly as the text came in and I hurriedly clicked on it. A dark screen popped up and I was directed to another site. I hurriedly grabbed my jacket and rushed out of the arena.

“But the round,” Tony called after me.

“Maybe some other time. Thanks, Tony.”

In the privacy of my car, I followed all the prompts on the website. A text came on instructing me to await a confirmation text. Dusk was already settling over the day as I drove on my way home.

I was excited and felt a renewed sense of hope and it was probably why it took me a while to notice it. I had a tail. Three similar looking black Sedan cars seemed to be tailing me. I looked through the rearview mirror and was indeed convinced that I was being followed.

I took the next turn and pressed down on the accelerator and they did the same. One was so close on my left now and I knew they were going to try to box me in. My mind instantly began to race as I increased my speed.

I was close to a traffic light now. It was green and all I needed was to get through before it turned red. Out of nowhere, a similar Sedan came out in front of me, blocking me in.

I quickly reached for the gun in my glove compartment. Suddenly, chaos descended. About half a dozen masked men jumped out of the cars. Before I knew it, one of them was messing with my car lock.

I was yanked out of my seat and pushed against the body of my car and my gun was knocked out of my hand. Just when they thought they had me where they wanted me, I rammed my elbow into the chest of the man holding me, knocking the breath out of him.

In the time it took them to react to my sudden attack, I sent a flying kick to another’s face. Soon as a third one was within arm’s length, I threw a straight punch to his nose, forcing him back. But a punch wasn’t enough to keep him away.

I saw a glint of silver in the darkness. A knife. He took a swing at me but I didn’t budge. Instead, I got into his space and caught him in an arm drag. I knocked his hand against the metal body of the car, isolating the armed hand long enough for me to deliver four clean punches to his face.

The remaining men took several steps back from me as I reached for my gun and pointed it in turns at them.

“Who the f**k are you people?”

They didn’t answer. Instead, one of them muttered something to the rest and the three men still standing grabbed their injured friends and raced towards their car. I let them go and watched as they drove away.

The loud chime of my phone suddenly startled me. The words on the screen brought a genuine smile on my face.