Loving the Bodyguard [Complete]

VII

Dedicated to VanessaApekey

"The Initiation ritual is not your entry into the Mafia; its rebirth into the family."

____________________
Ace

The Victorian styled incandescent lamps flickered, casting ghastly shadows against the walls. I dragged my hand along the old tunnel walls, picking up moss and grime. The floor crunched beneath my shoe, sounding like the crunch of a lollipop between my teeth. The tunnel network was a labyrinth of infinite paths linked. My eyes struggled to adjust in the dim lighting. Breeze streamed through the creaks and cracks that had formed in the ancient walls.

My skin shrank beneath the sleeves of my linen shirt. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the long chamber. They used the tunnel network for drug smuggling in the nineteenth century. Nowadays, it was an escape tunnel and connected with many private cottages owned by the Hernandez Mafia.

Water droplets dripped from the underground supply line in a regular pattern. It was an irritating sound that stung my ears. The sound echoed through the tunnel, almost giving me a minor migraine attack. An unbearable rotten odor spread in the air that resembled the smell of decaying flesh. Dominic Hernandez, my so-called father, walked beside me. The only sign of his presence was his dark silhouette against the floor. The tunnel was like an escape from reality that transported me into the Mafia world of the nineteenth century.

"Ace! Stop here and follow me," Dominic whispered like the low wind's sigh.

I stopped on my heels and watched his silhouette move. He moved straight, two steps ahead of me; I followed him like an obedient dog. Then, we reached a diversion in the tunnel, and he turned left. His footsteps were light and barely produced any sound. Then, we reached another diversion, and he turned left again. We kept on turning left and right.

My mind failed to analyze the complex tunnel network. It was the kind of maze that never had maps; only your instinct and experience could guide you to your destination.

Dominic suddenly came to a halt. I stopped on my heels and observed my surroundings. The filthy tunnel path was no longer visible; instead, a rusty iron door with a rectangular slot welcomed us. He tapped the door, thrice with his knuckles.

"Password," asked a masculine voice.

"Hail Hernandez," Dominic responded.

The iron gate opened with a heavy thud. A skinny, tall man stood in front of us. Bright fluorescent light blinded my vision; I almost blanked out and shielded my eyes with my arm.

"Ace! Get in, or I'll leave you to rot in this tunnel with rats," Dominic barked.

"Yes, Boss," I answered blandly, following him inside the door.

Dominic stood on the wooden platform, a rummer of sparkling champagne in his hand. His facial features stoic, his emerald-green eyes had a hint of persuasion. Caporegime and Consigliere from Dominic's Mafia sat on a long table. Each of them held a rummer of wine, rum, or whiskey. Various food items ranging from chicken roulade, apple pies, clam chowder to paella and tortilla everything lay on the table.

Dominic cleared his throat and said in his deep adenoidal voice, "My fellow Mafia members, today we've gathered here for the initiation ritual of Ace Billings, one of my most trusted men. He had proved his loyalty towards us, and now he'll be a part of the Cosa Nostra. I appoint him as the third Caporegime.

"I would like Ralph Hernandez, the Underboss, to be the inductee of this ritual."

I laughed inwardly; Dominic Hernandez addressed me as his trusted man rather than his Illegitimate son. He had spent years of his life criticizing the fact that I was born out of wedlock that too from another woman.

"Underboss, You can begin the ritual." He stated in his deep adenoidal voice.

Ralph passed me an icy glare and got up from the chair. He started moving towards the wooden platform with staggering steps. His pupils had dilated; his skin was pale and resembled the almost translucent skin of a porcelain doll. They had placed a wooden chair on the platform in front of it was a small table. A woman stood beside the chair. Her lips tainted with a crimson-red gloss. She wore a body-hugging black strapless dress that ended above her knees.

Ralph joined me on the platform and said, "Sit on the chair."

I slid the chair and sat on it.

The woman in the body-hugging dress winked at me. She focussed her chestnut eyes on my face. "Your grey eyes are mesmerizing," she whispered feebly.

I kept my expression neutral and focused on the items placed on the desk in front of me. A dagger and gun was placed in front of me. Small stainless steel needles were placed in a glass ashtray beside it was a photograph of a saint.

"Ace Billings, Today you'll become an official member of the Cosa Nostra. Your life will no longer be your own.
Do you still want to be a part of the Cosa Nostra?"

"Yes, Underboss," I answered, speaking the same words that were drilled into my mind from childhood.

"Here we proceed with the ritual," he said and picked one stainless steel needle from the ashtray.

"Keep your palm on the table."

I followed his instruction and placed my palm on the table. Ralph bent down and pricked my finger with the needle and squeezed until the scarlet fluid oozed from my finger. A stinging sensation spread in my palm. Then, he placed the picture of a saint in front of me.

"Let you blood stain the photograph," he muttered under his breath.

I wiped the scarlet droplet on the picture. The blood stained the face of the saint.

Ralph took out a lighter from the pockets of his pants and let the photograph catch the flame. He placed the photograph in the glass ashtray and let it burn.

"The drop of blood symbolizes your birth into the family. You are a part of us until your death.

"The gun and knife are your friends and one day the gun and knife will mark your end. The Mafia will govern your life forever." Ralph emphasized.

The Mafia will not govern my life. I am the Mafia. The Mafia is me. Getting into the Mafia is just the beginning.

The woman in the body-hugging dress bent forward and planted a kiss on both my cheeks.

A sudden flash of light, an enormous explosion blazed in the distance. A part of the roof fell with a heavy thud. High-pitched alarms broke out. Screams, Shouts overtook the silence. Orange flames erupted like a volcano. The Mafia men ran like chickens lost in a field. Red-yellow fire twirled around the room. The wooden table caught fire; black smoke clouded my vision. Adrenaline raced in my body like wildfire in the Californian forest. My mind struggled to process the chaos.

"Ace Billings, your death has arrived." a low voice rumbled in my ear.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Hope this chapter wasn't boring. I wanted to give insights of the Mafia world.

Action awaits in next chapter ;) Don't forget to vote.