The King's Executioner | Mafia Dark Romance | Book 2

11. The Lioness in the making

Sofia

The day I agreed to be trained like everyone in the Moralez household, Val couldn't contain her excitement. Though I wanted to resonate at her level of enthusiasm, I failed.

Val had roped a trainer for me which only added to my already piled up anxiety.

I was sure that my brother, Santos, must have sold her the idea that I was good with guns or was a trained woman.

The only thing I was good at was eating.

After a heavy breakfast, I was escorted by Gabriel to the basement. He remained quiet through the walk, smiling at brief intervals while I blabbered. The dim-lit basement echoed with my questions for which Gabriel either gave a nod or a hmm in response. Unlike his sister, Gemma, he wasn't the talker.

The room at the far end of the dark basement tunnel had reinforced steel doors. It roared when opened like a lion awakened from his sleep. Behind those heavy doors was a room that stretched till where my eyes could travel.

"Come," Gabriel spoke over his shoulder, walking us in.

My steps dragged behind him as he pressed a clicker, rendering a soft smile.

The corners of the room vibrated. The floor shook, ejecting artilleries that remained hidden behind the faux walls and floors. At the end of the room, life-size mannequins sprang up. Some even swung from the roof.

I looked around, feeling the rumbling of those machines revving the room to life. Gabriel held my elbow and moves me back. He directed the remote at the spot we stood at.

Out came a gun. A machine gun, to be precise.

"Oh, she is early!" Gemma's voice came floating.

Gabriel, who donned a stony expression, smiled upon her entry. He placed a peck on her forehead, sliding the clicker into her hand.

Gemma placed a playful punch on his arm, whispering, "Glad to see you in one piece."

Though the siblings spoke nothing further, I felt their love. Their care for one another.

Gabriel was away on business and all the while, I had seen Gemma's worry for his wellbeing. She would constantly check up with Antonio about Gabriel and his scheduled return.

Walking over to my side, Gemma punched the last few buttons on the remote. A few more hidden artilleries sprang up.

"So..." she murmured to herself.

"My teacher is late," I said.

Gemma's eyebrows twitched. "Aww you poor thing," she stroked the side of my face with her knuckles. "Val didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I looked around the area when Val walked in. She held a box in her hands and a crooked smile on her face. "Tell me what, Gemma?"

Gemma ignored me. She moved across the steel table near us and strapped on a pair of gloves. Fetching a gun from the table, she walked back. Her otherwise casual walk was replaced with a more serious one.

Yes, a serious walk. One where a woman looked scorned and wanted revenge. Or at least that's what Gemma looked like.

She placed the gun on the table and looked at me.

As I extended my hand to pick it up - SNAP.

Gemma snapped my knuckle and twisted my arm. Turning me around, she shoved my hand over my back. A jolt of pain shot through my side. I yelped. "What are you doing?"