REFORMATION (Sample)

Chapter Three

Andrea stealthily made her way towards the sound and stopped at the end of the alley leading into another corner of the alley and she came to an halt when she saw some men stepping out of a black car and as a weeping woman was roughly dragged out of the car and thrown on the ground. A little dog with a bloody muzzle was yapping up at the men and she heard it whimper when an older man kicked it in the side, sending it rolling away. Andrea pulled a side of her skirt up to reveal the little camera she always attached to her left thigh and pressing a button, she started taking photographs of the scene.

"My little baby." Giovanna cried trying to reach for her dog which had fallen on its side and had gone quiet. "My little baby."

"Shut your hole!" Gambetta yelled at her and struck her with the gun on the side of her face. Giovanna cried out in pain and fell to her side. "I would have loved to teach you some manners if I wasn't late for an appointment, you stupid bitch, but I don't have the time for such luxury!" He suddenly grabbed her chin, squeezing her cheeks as he roughly kissed her and that way, he pulled away from her and pressed the muzzle of the silencer of his gun under her chin and squeezed the trigger. Andrea gasped aloud as she covered her mouth with her hands to prevent her from crying out in shock. She saw the force of the bullet tear off the top of Giovanna's head as she fell to her side, dead and bleeding. "Clean up this place!" Gambetta said gruffly to his men as he handed the gun to Armando, grabbed a handkerchief and began to wipe the blood off his hands. "Burn her body along with her dog's and bury the ashes somewhere..."

"Yes sir." They chorused.

"Armando, you come with me." Gambetta said.

Andrea looked down and noticed a rat climbing over her shoe. She tried to subtly shake it off but the disgusting vermin held on. Growing irritated and impatient with the rat and trying to shake it off with more force, she swung her foot and accidentally kicked the trash can in front of her. She gasped when she realized what she had done as the heads of the men turned towards her direction at the loud sound of the can and saw her.

"What the hell!" Gambetta hissed.

"Hey, you! Come here!" One of the men started towards her but she turned and fled and three men in all chased after her.

"Make sure she doesn't escape!" Gambetta roared after them then turned to Armando. "I dont care what you do, find her and bring me her head! I want no witnesses!" When Armando noded, Gambetta turned to one of the Capos. "John, you come with me." He got into the limo and so did John. The driver pulled away immediately and headed for the club.

Armando turned to the two men left with him and said as he glanced down at Giovanna's body. "Put her body in the car and the dog too." He turned his gaze towards the direction, Andrea and his men had taken as he heard the other men hefting Giovanna's corpse into the car. Soon the three men came jogging back, panting. "Did you find her?" He asked.

"No." One of the men answered. "But we found this." He held up a lipstick in an handkerchief."

"Good." He said. "We'll send that to the forensics and perhaps she left behind a finger print...if so, we'll eventually find her." He smiled wickedly. "Pack up boys and let's get the hell outta here!"

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The bedroom window slowly opened quietly and Camille Roberts grabbed a bat stick beside her bed as she crept towards the window in the darkness and watched a pair of hands hold on to the window pane before someone heaved himself in and tumbled on the floor of the room and immediately, Camille switched on the lights and poised to hit the burglar with the bat stick when she stopped short as Andrea stared up at her, her arm held out to block the impending blow.

"For Christ sakes, Andrea!" Camille said in surprise tossing the bat on the armchair by the wall. "What the hell are you doing sneaking into my house like that?!"