Running From the Mafia Boss

I thumped my way along the sidewalk. A scowl seemed to have been permanently fixed onto my features. After being forced to sit an extra two hours in that stuffy detention hall with twenty other loser’s who all suddenly think themselves rebel of the school because they happened to get one detention, I’m pretty pissed off. The only good thing that seemed to come out of it was that I finally managed to learn ‘detention hall guys’ name.

“Logan.” I mused over it, testing it on my tongue, picturing his sneering face in my minds eye.

“Logan.” I repeated feeling it roll of my tongue disdainfully. I had to admit, I liked the name it was rough and strong, which resembled him. If he hadn’t claimed it first I might have called my kid Logan.

I huffed and threw my head back staring toward the clouds. The white hot anger I had felt earlier had diminished slightly and was now more like a simmering pot of revenge. I wanted nothing more than to exact my revenge, I wanted to embarrass him, I wanted to watch him squirm. Everything about him infuriated me, but the worst part was the fact that, that was what he wanted me to do.

He wanted me to get so angry that I’d loose the plot and hit him, he wanted me to do something stupid so that later on, he could point and laugh at my rashness.

I would surely regret it later, but it would make me feel so much better I really don’t think I care.

“Barbie there you are where the hell have you been?” cried Rowdy, bounding down the steps of his front porch. His smile was warm and when I caught it I couldn’t help but smile too.

“Detention.” I grunted kicking at a random stone on the pavement. Rowdy grinned and shook his head playfully.

“It was to be expected.” He shrugged reaching over the garden fence to ruffle my hair. I protested immediately which only made him do it more. He grabbed me tightly and managed to persuade me into a head lock in the middle of his front garden. He laughed out loud as he succeeded in messing my hair into oblivion. I squirmed and slapped at his hands, trying to make my way up to his face.

After what seemed like a lifetime of hair ruffling he released me. I dead panned the minute I looked into his mocking eyes. Another round of raucous laughing erupted from his mouth.

“Rowdy have I ever told you, you are an arse.” I smirked combing my hands through my hair and searching the ground for the bobble he pulled out.

“Many a time,” he replied wiping a stray tear from his eye before handing me what I was looking for, “but you love me too much to mean it.”

“Feeling’s can change.” I warned trying and failing to give him daggers.

He grinned boyishly at me before hopping over the fence. I shook my head at his showing off, but secretly I was impressed. The fence came up to my hip and he hopped over it with one hand like it was nothing, I remember when I had asked him to teach me how to do it. I fell on my face and caught my clothes on the wood more times than I could count. After that, we decided it was better that I just used the gate.

“Where are you off to?” I questioned rolling my weight onto one hip.

“To do whatever your daddy tells me,” he conceded opening the driver’s side of his Jag, “D’you wanna tag along?”

I stared perplexed. I’d never been asked to ‘tag along’ in something Rowdy had done. In fact if I hadn’t asked I probably would not even have a clue about what sort of business my father was in.

“Would you mind?” I asked. Really I was fighting myself from running head first into the front seat, I was so curious as to what he gets up to. But I couldn’t go if it was something I would only get in the way of.

He smiled lopsidedly at me and nodded.

“Sure, it’s nothing much exciting and I haven’t had proper time to hang out with my little Barbie.” He replied sliding into the car.

*****

“So detention huh?” he asked fiddling with the radio.

I nodded.

“Yeah the first hour because I was late, but I really don’t see how that was fair cause it’s only my second day I’m bound to get lost once or twice and the second hour because some arse decided to make me late.”

“Some arse?” he smiled, “want me to take care of him for you.” He winked making a right turn into a street I had no memory off.

I sniggered and shook my head.

“Nah Rowdy it’s fine, I might keep that offer in mind though yano if anyone else get’s on my case.” This time it was my turn to wink.

“Anytime Barbie, at least detention’s better than the time you threw that desk at your biology teacher.” He teased, turning another street corner.

“You still remember that?” I cried suddenly recalling the incident.

“Yeah course I do, I was the one that had to come pick you up and I was the one that had to calm you down.”

“Yeah but that guy was a dickhead.” I stated feeling no guilt or remorse for the act that I committed.

He laughed again filling the car with its warm sound.

“Yeah because that’s always a good excuse.”

I nodded solemnly staring at the street lights we’d stopped before.

“So what exactly are we going to do?” I asked turning to face Rowdy.

“As I said nothing much exciting, your dear daddy wants’ me to meet up with one of his business partners to collect some money” he shrugged seemingly uninterested in his task.

“Sounds like a whole bucket of fun.” I replied watching the street signs as we slowed. We were in a car park, classic mafia rendezvous point. Although as we approached the other mafia lot didn’t look at all threatening, they smiled and got out of their car on seeing Rowdy.

Rowdy smiled too and stopped the car as soon as he could. He climbed out eagerly and hugged his friends, I followed suit smiling.

“Rowdy, I haven’t seen you in a long time my friend, where have you been?” asked the tall stranger. His accent was thick with Italian and he smoked a large fat cigar. Again I couldn’t help but think about mafia cliché’s. Rowdy replied in his clearly American accent before motioning to me.

“And this, this is Leonardo’s daughter.” He finished hugging my shoulders.

The tall stranger’s eye’s lit up eagerly when he saw me and he immediately stepped forward to shake my hand in both of his.

“Miss Ferrari, I have heard all about you.” He said staring deep into my eyes, “and I must say you are a beauty.”

“Thank you.” I smiled soaking up his complements like a sponge, I was a sucker for anyone who complimented me. Even if he was just doing it because I was the daughter of his rival gang.

“I can’t stay for long, Barbie and I are hear for the money and then we have to be off, Tina’s making dinner tonight.” He said holding his hands up as if t say sorry.

“Awww Rowdy we must catch up sometime. I haven’t talked to my old buddy in such a long time I forget what American’s sounds like.” He laughed clapping Rowdy so hard on the shoulder that the both of us were sent rocking. One of his associates handed forward a brown envelope which looked about to burst.

“Cheer’s G, I’ll make sure to call you sometime.” Called Rowdy turning us round to head back to the car. I smiled and waved goodbye before following, I climbed quickly into the car and shut the door. I watched the rival gang watch us through the windscreen as Rowdy backed up and drove off.

The tall dark one apparently called ‘G’ didn’t stop looking at me as we moved. And I made sure not to stop looking at him, the first one to look away was the weaker one. I’d grown up living with a bunch of mafia bosses I was bound to pick up a few tricks to get me by.

“What do you think?” asked Rowdy as we drove over the speed limit to get home in time for Tina’s dinner.

I shrugged, “they were just what I imagined them to be.”

Rowdy nodded out of the corner of my eye, “you know Barbie, one day your gonna have all this business. It’s gonna be you ordering people like me around and it’s gonna be you dealing with guy’s like him.”

I frowned. I’d never thought about that before, I’d never thought about what my life would be like when my dad finally kicked the bucket. But he was right, when dad did die the business would go to me. I’d be the one sitting at home sending all my goons out searching for the bastard that tried to kill someone close to me.

“Yeah, I guess I never thought about it much Rowdy.” I replied staring intently out of the window contemplating my future. I wonder if I had a choice, I wonder if I could give the business over to someone else, like Rowdy. Or if I was stuck with it, forced into a life of crime and murder. If I became the boss I’d be in more trouble than I am now. I’d have allot more weirdo’s out there trying to kill me.

“You sure you’d be ready for something like that?” asked Rowdy slicing through the silence that had engulfed the car.

I sighed, “I honestly don’t know.”