The Badass Mafia Boss Queen

There were other guards lined in the trees. I saw heads popping through other trees every once in a while.

“Is this what you do all day. Stand here?” I asked swatting mosquitoes away and rubbing my arms. It was getting a bit chilly and buggy in the shade that I looked back at the warm, bug-free house with longing.

Standing in front of the porch was Alessia, straight face with phone in placed on her ear, obviously answering a call.

“Oh, no.” Hugh exclaimed and pointed at a head that popped out about thirty feet away. “Sometimes I get to stand over there too.”

In my head, I was trying run a math division. The approximate size of the property divided by the thirty feet that separated each guard would equal the number of big men with guns that I had to worry about and then I remembered that my math skills were barely amazing.

“How many of you are there?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“There’s just one of me, Ugo.” He told me, wiggling his eyebrows. “But if you mean other guards, I don’t know. It varies from day to day, from week to week. Since this morning, probably thirty or forty, maybe more. This is the most that I’ve seen here so far.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stand in the sun.” I suggested, casually, after another chill or bug tickled the hair on the back of my neck.

He shrugged. “Sure it would, but we’re not supposed to.” He pointed at the sky. “Too many guys, too many guns, attracts too much attention. If someone were to fly above us. You never know who might be watching.”

“What exactly are the guns for?” I asked in the most innocent manner.

“Keep people out, keep things in. Not really sure. I just know to point and shoot when I’m ordered to.” Hugh took another puff of his cigarette.

“You don’t know what you’re guarding?”

He glanced down the line of trees. “Nope. And I don’t want to know.”

I had a hard time believing him. “Aren’t you curious to know why you have to stand here all day with a very big gun over your shoulder?” I asked him.

He was starting to look uneasy. “Ugo,” he said as he bent closer to me, “don’t ask questions about what goes on around here. I’ve gotten some pretty nasty stares for doing just that. Just know that this is not a church and the people here, they don’t react well when people meddle in their business.”

He leaned further in, his chilling voice becoming barely audible. “Listen, from what I gathered from a reliable source, you’re very lucky to still be alive. The people after you could’ve killed you or you could’ve been finished you off after what you saw. But here you are. Count your blessings and do what you need to do to stay alive. Play the game, keep quiet, and pretend you don’t see anything.”

I gulped. He took a second and finally forced his lips into a smile. “Just stick by me, and you’ll be all right.”

“Thanks,” I replied in a whisper.

I didn’t know how to feel or if it was right to swallow everything He said. But in all, fear did grip me that I started taking prolonged breaths to calm the drumming pulsation in my veins. He finished his cigarette with an eventually relaxed smile.

“How did you come to be here.” I asked carefully, keeping my voice low.

“I knew a guy, who knew a guy,” he replied, winking at me.

“And now you work for Hollis.” I mused.

A puzzled look came over him. “Hollis. Who’s that?”

“Uhh sorry I thought I heard someone mention that name. I must have been wrong.” I lied.

Hugh shrugged and didn’t seem to notice my blunder.

Hugh and I spent the rest of the afternoon shooting the breeze, staying away from the taboo topics and the best thing about him was that he talked enough for both of us. It was great to listen to him and block all the other stuff out.

I didn’t notice how cold and hungry I was until the sun lowered and we were approached by another guard who had come to switch spots with Hugh and ignore me. Wow!

Hugh bellowed as we walked back to the house, “That was the fastest shift I’ve put in yet since I started working here. You should keep me company more often.”

I smiled “Want some tea?” I offered as we got to the corridor that would lead to the backdoor and upstairs.

Hugh hesitated. “Nah I’m going to hang with the boys at the back. They’ll get jealous if I don’t spend time with them.” He stood for a while, his eyes hopeful. “See you tomorrow?”

I gave him a devious smile. “Maybe.” More guards started filtering in through the front door. The incoming guards wouldn’t allow more than a furtive glimpse in my general direction. Hugh had already disappeared through the back and I started heading upstairs but stopped when I remembered that I needed someone who’s fingerprints were registered on the door scanner.

Alessia appeared immediately behind me, still with an unsettled facial expression. “Reina.” She greeted and climbed the stairs to the door.

“Do you always whine like a kid when things don’t go your way?” I threw at her and she shook her head.

“I apologize for my behavior.”

“Alessia come on, I’m not mad at you and you shouldn’t be mad at me either. I was bored sick and needed something new for a change. Surely you should understand, since you’ve been stalking me for the longest time.”

She nodded and we entered the apartment through the second door. “Dinner is ready.” Alessia announced before I could ask the source of the sweet aroma in the room.

“Why exactly is Hollis not back yet, it’s been days.” I bitched.

Alessia placed the bowl of soup on the dinning table, before looking up. “Would you like me to call the boss, Reina?”

“Yes,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

She nodded and pulled out a cellphone from her pocket. Stepping closer to me, she placed the cellphone to her ear while I rested my gaze on her. A few seconds later, she stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She shook her head and made to step away from me. But I grabbed her arm and dragged the phone off her ear. Placing the phone to my ear, I heard a female voice from the other end of the line.

“You just have to call him later, he’s taking a shower.” The anger that surged through me was overwhelming. I couldn’t place why I was angry. Was it jealousy or something else, I had no idea, but I was boiling.

“Give my fiance the damn phone.” I barked. The irritation was eating deep into me that I couldn’t keep calm. I was so vexed that I wanted to spite the woman with the phone.

“Your fiance?” The voice from the other end of the line queried.

“Yes.” I bit out. “Hand the phone to him now.” Alessia shook her head, warning me not to go through that route but I was too vexed to give a care.

“What the hell!” I heard the lady from the other end of the line scream.

The call got disconnected alongside more screams and I nodded, satisfied. One thing was certain, whatever she is doing with Hollis would either get ruined or require patching.

A win for me. Small wins, another one in the bag. I gave the cellphone back to Alessia and headed straight to the dinning table.

Nobody has the monopoly of madness.