Simply Sinful (Boyxboy)

6) Gianluca the Mobster

My eyes opened to screaming. It was becoming deafening yet I couldn't make out any of the words. It was as though a wild animal going on a rampage several feet from my room. My room? As my eyes adjusted to being woken abruptly, I took a few tentative looks around. Nothing was familiar.

I rub my eyes silently wishing that my eyes were mistaken or that this was some kind of lucid dream. One more glance around, I noticed that even the bedspread was different. In the place of my slightly worn Walking Dead comforter was a plain blue satin sheet.

Where am I? The words infiltrate my sleep muddled brain. Pieces of last night revealed themselves. Kissing a strange man. Undressing him then myself. What did I do? Soon my thoughts turn to Abel. I wonder what he would think of me if he found out about my one night stand. I shake my head and immediately regret it.

My head thump with each movement. I raise my hand and start to massage my temples. Who cares what Abel thinks. I remove myself from the covers and look for my discarded clothing. I dress as another scream pierces the recent quiet. The wall vibrates with the force of it. I walk to the door and place my ear against it. It doesn't help.

The words of the person talking are all jumbled. Hesitantly, my fingers wrap around the door knob. The door opens and my eyes dart to the left and right. Nothing but empty space fill the hallway. I straighten my body and walk towards the noise. As I get closer, I can make several people Gathered at the front entrance.

"Tell me once more," a voice booms, "how something like this happens." His arm juts out and strikes the wall. The people standing before him cringe at the sound it makes. "Well."

The man's back is to me. His head looks down at something before him. Small tremors wrack his body. I can tell he is struggling to keep his temple in check. So far his attempts are failing.

"Boss," the man starts, "I swear I didn't know." "Didn't know." He lets out a harsh laugh.

"I swear. She said she just wanted to go to a quiet place to make good on her promise. That's all." He is pleading, but it lands on a deaf man's door. "What's stopping me from killing you?" "Please boss. I've always done everything you asked."

"So." "Gianluca." A new voice enters the conversation. It belongs to a woman. The man in front of me turns to face her. She walks forward, her blond hair billowing around her.

"Perhaps we should give him a chance to explain everything clearly."

Gianluca? I remember my aunt mentioning this name. I take a few steps closer to get a better look. The woman's gray eyes watch my approach and give me a wink. She turns her attention back to the man.

"We should hear him out. For all we know he might have been seduced by that woman," she says. She pats him on the arm and returns to her original spot.

"Mother," he starts, "we'll lose the respect of our followers if we are too lax."

"Luca," the woman says. She sighs before speaking again. "I never said you couldn't kill him. I'm simply saying we should know all the details before you do."

"Fine," Gianluca says before looking back down at the man. "You have 20 minutes to explain yourself."

I find myself staring at the woman. I was sure she would be the man's saving grace. I was wrong. Her head swivels in my direction. Her gray eyes bore into me. They search my face. She smiles. My own eyes refuse to break the eye contact. I watch her as she watches me. I've seen those eyes before.

Those gray eyes watched me with such seriousness the night before. I focus on the man again. I shake by head from side to side as I finally realize the truth. I'm looking at the back of the man I spent the night with. Who is he? He can't be a killer.

I lean against the wall as my legs threatens to give out. My breathing becomes uneven. Don't pass out, I tell myself. My body fails to obey and my vision begins to dim. I silently fall to the floor. Breathe in. Breathe out. I focus on my breathing. It helps and my breathing isn't labored anymore. I stay where I am and listen to the conversation going on around me.

"Boss, I'm sorry," the man says. "I met her the other night when she was leaving the party. She was complaining about not having enough money. I asked her what was wrong. She told me nothing. I believed her. I asked when we were going to have a little fun. She told me right now if I could find a place with no one around."

"So you thought taking some bitch to my stash house was a good idea?"

"She told me it had to be someplace close. It was the only place I could think of. She swore she wouldn't tell anyone."

"And you believed her?" His foot connects with the man's face. The man's head snaps back and he falls to the floor. He coughs; it sounds wet as he tries to get himself together. He spits blood onto the floor beside him then wipes his mouth. His feeble attempt at wiping the blood away is futile. More blood pours from his mouth when he open his mouth again to speak. He coughs again.

"What I did and what happened later could have been unrelated." He chose the wrong words. His face shows fear once he realizes that he said the wrong thing. "I mean," he pleads, "I never saw her use the phone. I even blindfolded her."

It's a lie, even I can tell that. Gianluca must have known the same thing. He kicks the man again and again. The sound is sickening each time his foot connects with his skull. The man is crying and begging for his life. I cant take it anymore. The entryway is rapidly filling up with the smell of copper. Before I know it, my feet are rushing forward. Tears slip from my eyes.

"Stop! Please," I beg. Several set of eyes looks at me including Gianluca's.

"What did you say," Gianluca asks.

"He can't take anymore. So, please stop, you'll kill him."

"That's the plan," he laughs. He reaches into his waistband. I see a flash of silver seconds before two gunshots are heard. Three others share the same fate as the man on the floor as Gianluca's bullets find its way to their heads. Their eyes are downcast as if they already knew what was going to happen.

His mother's eyes never leave my face. I'm screaming. The sound is foreign even to my own ears. This isn't happening. I try to reassure myself. Gianluca stalks towards me.

"Have someone clean that up," he calls to someone behind him." His lips kiss me. I turn away. He uses his free hand to make me look at him. He trails kisses along my jaw. "Did you know about this?" His words are said against my skin.

"About what?" My voice is low. I'm afraid to make him angry. "I don't know anything." His hand rubs my cheek before he slaps me. His hand moves lower, massaging my neck.

"Did you know?" What does he want me to say? I shake my head. The massage ends. He wraps his hand around my neck. "Did you know?" His hand squeezes with each word. I'm panting. My lungs are unable to take in the amount of air I require. I grab his hand and try to pry his fingers from around my throat.

"I should have known it was too good to be true. How could I be so stupid? You're not him. You're just an imitation." His gray eyes tear up. Sadness is replaced with rage. The hand on my neck lifts me a few inches from the floor. His mother looks on as my head hits the wall behind me repeatedly.

"Please," I choke out. "I don't want to die." I can feel a warm liquid flow down my neck and down the back of my shirt. So this is it, I wonder. I close my eyes then open them again. This isn't happening. I'm at home sleeping. I just need to wake up. The pain is unbearable. My vision darkens once more. I try to focus on the figure walking over.

"That's enough Luca," it says. My body is falling as I submit to the darkness.