The mansion ahead was something out of his worst nightmares. It reminded him too much of home, and the way he grew up. The brick walls surrounding the perimeter had an arch that resembled an opening, giant metal gates blocking them from entering the site. There was an intercom on the left wall next to the gate, but Jimin didn't press it. He didn't need to. They had a much better way of getting through the gates.
"Plant the charge," Charlotte said, two men in gear coming forward to do so.
Jimin stepped away and hid behind the brick wall, sucking in a breath to steady himself for the impact. There had to be at least two dozen men there if not more. Two dozen ready to infiltrate the mansion of a smaller mafia with information they needed. Jimin wasn't Charlotte. He didn't know what information they could possibly need, but he did know that this mafia had been making moves recently. Lots of them, and Jimin, like Charlotte, didn't want to risk them growing large enough to overthrow them. Even if they couldn't overthrow them, another war when they were already on the brink of one with Jericho would be a pain in the ass.
So, Jimin waited. He had an assault rifle in his tiny, gloved hands, him gripping it until he was sure his skin went a shade lighter than usual. By the time the two men shouted about the charge, Jimin and Charlotte were ducked behind the wall and ready to barge in. The explosion came moments later, and it was contained, a low explosive type that did exactly what it needed to without blowing up too much.
They charged right away, Charlotte and Jimin both donning protective gear that strapped around their bodies as tightly as possible. Jimin felt as though he was choking, but he knew having a bulletproof vest on would save his life. The rest of the team was the same way. They had dark gear covering them from head to toe. Some had helmets, others didn't. Charlotte had one. Jimin opted to go without one, mostly because he was assigned to the raid last minute. It was supposed to be Kayden, but Charlotte insisted that her right hand come instead only ten minutes before the raid commenced. That was how Jimin ended up with his gear strapped too tightly, no helmet, and no knife. He had to make due with what he had, and he'd prefer having the bulletproof vest over the helmet.
They stormed through the stone pathway leading up to the three story mansion. It had Victorian architect, fountains spewing water on either side of them. The front yard was massive enough that even after breaking in, they still had to run fifty feet to the front door. For now, they were met with no resistance. However, that would change soon enough. An ambush was likely awaiting them inside, and Jimin bit his inner cheeks as they neared the front double doors.
The doors had golden handles and dark spruce wood that contrasted the light, creamy paint the rest of the building had. The gray rooftops curved where the building became round to display its Victorian structure, windows with curtains in front of them littering each side of the building.
After a moments hesitation, a soldier kicked down the door, and the charge continued. Jimin and Charlotte were in the middle where they were most protected, their weapons raised and ready for enemy fire.
It came.
As soon as they stepped into the mansion, fire rang out, and Jimin couldn't see where it was coming from. The front room was enormous, a grand staircase nearly twenty feet away while wooden, polished floors were underneath them. It was a long hallway with three possible paths. One was directly ahead, and that led to the grand staircase. The next was to the left, where much of the fire was coming from. The last was to the right, where white double doors that were closed sat.
The left side was where Jimin got a glimpse of the kitchen. There were unarmored men inside, ducking behind the numerous counters and tables there. Jimin guided them through shouts to get into cover, and his team did, firing away at whatever they could. Charlotte got into cover beside Jimin, peeking only when it was necessary.
In a minute, a hush fell over the mansion. The enemy was outnumbered and out-gunned. The only sounds that came after the gunfire were pants. Gasping men reloaded their weapons and shifted to Charlotte to await further orders.
"Jimin, lead Gregory, Ali, Mark, and Zander upstairs. Sweep the floor. The rest of us will take down here. And be careful, you hear me?" she said, Jimin dipping his head.
"On it, ma'am."
Jimin obeyed her orders and took his assigned squad up the winding stairs, creaks sounding off from under their boots. They got to the second floor after taking slow footsteps and checking every corner, seeing nothing but an empty hall full of rooms on the left side. The right side was reserved for the second floor's balcony, but no one was out there either.
Dead ahead and to the left was where all the action was likely to happen, and Jimin used hand signals to communicate with his men. He crept forward and used his hand to guide them, his squad closing in on the doors. Jimin pointed at Gregory, then to the first door. Ali, then the second. Zander, then the third. Mark, then the fifth. Jimin took the fourth door out of the five, and in-sync, they got in position. A head nod later, they were bursting into their rooms and preparing to fire.
Jimin hopped inside the room only for him to lower his weapon. He almost dropped it. What awaited him was a child's empty bedroom. Wooden floors with comic books organized on a small bookshelf placed under the window directly across from him. A closet on the right that had its two sliding doors folded shut. A bed on his left that was full-sized, the bed unmade with a comic resting on the pillow.
His hands moistened with sweat under his gloves, and he let the rifle dangle uselessly by his side. A memory slapped him in the face until tears pooled up in his eyes. Only he didn't get the chance to dwell on the past. Instead, fury came in the form of a small body. A little girl hopped out of the closet with a baseball bat in her hands.
He had plenty of time to react to her swing. He caught the bat, disarming the girl and watching as she seethed. "Who the hell are you?!" she shouted, raising her fists as if that would do any good.
Jimin tossed the bat away and held his rifle up despite his mind screaming at him for doing so. "How old are you?"
"I don't talk to strangers, asshole!"
"Watch your mouth. Don't curse at me, you're just a kid."
"Motherfucker," she mumbled, keeping her narrowed eyes on him as her back hit the walls of her bedroom. They matched the palette of the rest of the mansion. White with wooden floors, a black carpet laid in front of the closet.
Jimin lowered his weapon and used the strap to wrap it around his body. He made it rest on his back, and he knelt so he was eye level with the young girl. "My name is Jimin. Seong Jimin. Now don't test my fucking patience and tell me your name and age."
She hesitated, then dropped her fists. "Ariel. I'm 13."
"Are you hurt?" She shook her head, and Jimin stood. "Come with me." She did, Jimin leading her outside. The rest of his squad was there, and they jumped at the sight of the kid. "She's a kid, leave her be."
"Sir, she's more than old enough to be a threat. We need to put her down."
Jimin let a carmine shade dribble into the corners of his vision, his hands squeezing the metal of his weapon until he swore he made it crack. He went in front of Ariel and held her behind him, his body trembling as he stared them down.
"You hurt the kid, I kill you. Do you understand?"
Although hesitant, they eventually agreed and let themselves go back into an idle position."They have a point, you know," Ariel said from behind him, running a hand through her long, brunette locks. "Why don't you just shoot me?"
Jimin's breath hitched on his tongue as it went in, and he almost doubled over into a coughing fit from the sensation. "Just stay with us, got it?" She didn't argue any longer, and the team continued their sweep of the upstairs only to find nothing.
The little girl was silent through it all, her dark eyes brewing with an emotion Jimin wished he could decipher. However, Jimin had to admit his eyes were similar. The thoughts brewing inside him made his lower lip quiver, his hands clammy, his focus wavering to the point where Ali had to take the lead.
No soul remained in the house. Each voice Jimin heard came from his squad barking information to one another, Ariel the quietest of them all. Ali led them back downstairs when nothing came, and Charlotte was creeping around the rooms. Her and Jimin's eyes met, and she stepped forward.
"Find anyth-"
Her voice halted when she noticed the kid cowering behind Jimin. Ariel's form was trembling, her fingers tangling together. "We found a kid, that's about it. Did you find the boss?"
"We did," she said, slowly. "Put him out of his misery, took his maps, secured the perimeter. The house is clear and I have a team digging through his personal belongings. Care to explain the kid?"
"Her name's Ariel. Lives here. Well, used to. I was thinking we could take her back to base and check her out, see if she knows anything."
At Charlotte's hesitant nod, Jimin took the kid and shoved her forward. Charlotte scanned over the 13 year old, clearing her after a moment. Ariel was escorted out by two other men. Jimin almost went after her. Almost.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" Charlotte asked. The edge in her voice alerted Jimin to the talk they would have later. The talk where Charlotte would scream at him for sparing a life as dangerous as a rival's. Kid or not, she was still old enough to pose a threat. But Jimin pushed that all aside, forcing a smile to spread across his lips.
"No."
~~~
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Charlotte's voice twirled around the walls of her office, Jimin sat in the chair in front of her desk while she was standing, her hands on the wood with her eyes narrowed on his body. There was no answer to her question. The truth was, he didn't know the answer himself.
"You take a kid out of mafia life and put her right back into it. What do you want me to do? Put her up for adoption? Abandon her on the street?" she asked, and each option she spewed out kicked him in the gut until the urge to vomit churned inside him. "What were you thinking? We have no way of taking care of her."
"She's like us, Char. No one to take care of her."
"And now she definitely has no one. We went there to eliminate a rival. That's it. That kid is a part of that rivalry, and you let her live."
"You... wanted me to kill a child?"
"Of course not," she said, slumping down in her chair and running a hand through her hair. "I wouldn't either."
"Then what's the answer here? What did I do so wrong that I deserve this scolding?"
Charlotte took a moment to recover, Jimin doing the same and mentally thanking her for it. There were a few beats where neither of them spoke, their lips sealed. Jimin fiddled with his fingers in his lap, attempting to ignore the moisture dripping down the sides of his face.
"She's more than capable of thinking on her own. She could be a danger to our operation," she said.
"I know. I just..."
"Jimin, I would never ask you to kill a child. Not you. You know that, right?" At his hesitation, she leaned across the desk and took his hand, forcing him to stop fiddling his fingers. And then, their eyes locked. "You know that, right?"
He finally nodded. "I still don't know what to do."
"You're my best man. I've swamped Kayden with work so he can make up for his misdeeds, and my other higher-ups are dealing with the aftermath of our mission."
"Charlotte," he said, and he wasn't sure if his voice was a warning or a plea.
"There's no one else I have. I'm not putting a grunt on this, I need someone I trust to-"
"I'm not taking care of her."
"Please, just for a little bit. I need to know that she's not a danger to our operation, and you're amazing at judging character. Just this once, I need you to take care of the kid. I'll help as best I can, but my hands are tied with Mr. Novak knocking on our door all the time."
He took his shuddering hand away, his eyes dilated and darting around the entire room. His tongue went dry, carrying the weight of the words he only dreamed of saying. Each syllable trapped itself in his mouth until he finally gained the courage to stand. Jimin placed his hands on the desk, mimicking Charlotte's actions from earlier by leaning down, hovering over her.
"There are two things in this world I wouldn't do for you," he said, his voice teetering between a whisper and a shout. "And this is both of them."
"You made the decision to take her, now it's your responsibility to take care of her until we find a better place for her. I'm sure I can find someone willing to take care of her. A patron, maybe. Until then, we need to ensure she won't harm us. You're my best man for that."
"I can't," he murmured, his hands curling into fists.
"Listen, I understand-"
"You don't understand shit!" At the sudden change in tone, Charlotte jolted back in her seat. Jimin was sure his eyes were a shade of scarlet that matched the fury inside him. "It doesn't matter how close you and I get. You'll never understand. I said I'm not taking care of her. That's that."
It went silent for perhaps too long. "That's that," she said, her voice a hollow shell of what it used to be.
Jimin stared at her, but her eyes drooped to the ground. Without another word, he kicked the chair behind him back, stepping past it and draping one leg over the other. The door seemed as though it was a mile away. His hand wrapped around the knob, Jimin pausing to see if she had anything else to say. Not a single word.
So, he walked away.
~~~
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Heartless || •OG• ✔️
Mystery / Thriller|| 18+ Enemies to lovers gxb and bxb || Infamous NYC mafia leaders Charlotte and Jericho have been rivals for years. However, all of that changes when one of the leaders of their Underworld is assassinated. The rivals are forced together and must re...
