The Mafia's Mistress

THREE

The blow was hard and toxic, causing Luciana to take a few steps back. She coughed, spitting out blood from her bruised mouth. Her opponent wasn't that big of a man, but her mind wants there so he'd got in a few punches more than usual. They didn't have much of an audience, not after the police had rounded some of them up a few weeks back.

"Luciana" a voice yelled at her, warning her of the incoming. Luciana dodged, giving him an uppercut and slamming her knee into his stomach. He groaned and fell to the floor with a loud thud, Luciana stood waiting for him to get up as she wiped blood dripping down her chin but he didn't.

He'd passed out.

"f**k yeah" the voice yelled again and she turned slowly to look at her friend, Alessandro who stood at the stairs to the ring. Her face lit up in a grin, showing off her bloody teeth. She stepped out of the arena as they dragged her opponent away for his much needed medical attention. "For a moment I thought he was gonna kill you". Alessandro exclaimed, grabbing a towel off the rack and handing it to her.

She wiped her face, smearing blood all over " I thought the same for a moment too". She bent over the iron sink at the edge of the changing room, washed her face and her mouth.

"There's a party tonight" Alessandro started. Luciana rolled her eyes. There he goes again. She'd met Alessandro a few years back when she was in highschool, he was the typical bad boy, the kind that rode bikes and all, they'd fought and she'd beat his ass clean. He was the one to take her virginity. They'd been friends ever since but things got complicated as they grew older, and she was sure it was tending towards feelings.

"I got to get home, dad won't be happy if I'm late" she replied, stuffing some clothes into her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Alessandro frowned " Bastards still alive?"

Luciana a chuckled, a dark sad one " unfortunately"

"I could kill him you know" he offered. she didnt say anything, they'd had the conversation over and over, the last thing she wanted was her ass in the foster system, she'd been there before and she most definitely wasn't going back. Alessandro opened his arms and Luciana found herself in them, he hugged her tight and kissed her forehead.

Soon Luciana was on the street heading home, it was dark and empty but she was used to it and her house was a few blocks away. Nobody bothered her on the street, one because they knew her at the fighting club and two, her father preferred the beating to come from him rather than anyone else, talk about good parenting. The house was dark when she arrived, she wasn't sure whether, it was good or bad. Slipping the door open, she slid into the house and shut the door as quietly as possible.

The light came on suddenly and Luciana found herself, standing in the midst of men, full grown men. Her father was one of them, with a menacing grin on his face. She knew what it was without being told, it was a game her father invented years ago, she was forced to play harlot for a few to alll the men he brought. Bile rose to her throat at the thought of it, and she felt the deep urgent to throw up.

"Dearest Luciana, welcome home, remember this game?" She didnt need to be told twice. She turned and ran like a girl. She could hear the loud screams and the thumping of footsteps as they came after her. She turned into an alley, and ran straight into the chest of one of them. He grabbed her off the floor.

"You filthy w***e" Luciana punched him in the eye and in his disoriented state, she pushed him aside and continued running. She ran until she came into an abandoned, gas station, pulling out her phone, she called Adrian but his phone kept going to voice mail.

"f*****g pick up you bastard" she cussed, calling him again. She gave up trying after the fifth time, and dialed his father instead, he picked up in one ring. "They're gonna kill me, come get me please".

"Where are you?" Dante's calm voice came over the phone.

"The gas station, down town, abandoned one" the words had barely left her mouth, when Luciana felt something sharp pierce her skin, her phone fell into the toilet and went off. She'd been stabbed through the f*****g door. She stifled her scream, climbed on the water closet and pushed open the window to the stall. It was possible they were waiting outside for her but it was better than being stuck in a small space with a Killer.

Luckily, no one was at the back, as she jumped down into a trash bin and climbed out, she continued running, blood dripping down her arm and cold haunting footsteps following her. A loud gunshot rang through the air and Luciana found herself running straight into the arms of someone. She tried to escape but the person pulled her close and tucked her head into his neck.

"It's me" Dante. She could recognize his voice anywhere and the smell of his perfume wafted through her nose. She burst into tears, burying her face further into him. "Take them" he ordered in Italian. "Shhh, it's okay, I got you".