Property of the Mafia

[31] In Cold Blood

Of all the possible places we could have gone, the van's next and final stop happened to be at none other than the Tyrian residence. It was no surprise that the entire estate resembled a military headquarters more than anything else. The entire estate was a dull, unsightly grey color with the odd flecks and splashes of red sprayed in a couple places. I grimaced.

Lets think of it as a bad paint job and leave it at that.

And considering the dark panel had blocked out any view of the surroundings or path taken to get there, we were as good as being caged in this destitute place. Escaping or even attempting was probably not tolerated considering the number of members paroling the joint.Tarra and Levi had to live here their entire lives? Maybe that's why they were so messed up...

Alyssa had gone from sobbing to fuming along the journey and swore to get back the Tresora no matter the cost. The only time I could recall her ever possessing such a fiery aura was when she was almost failing a class in high school and studied non-stop for days to pass. Of course, she didn't only pass the exam, but she too, fell unconscious for several days thereafter. I could only imagine how disastrous, err, passionate her pursuits after men were...

Rei hadn't spoken a word to us after he had taken the Tresora, which only drove Alyssa wild with anger. She had begun to bang on the separating panel like a caged beast and screamed things along the lines of 'being used like dirty tissues' or 'toys that had lost their value'.

And though I should have probably been just as angry as she was, I just couldn't bring myself to actually be worried or frustrated---I couldn't really explain why, it wasn't as if I trusted Rei, or doubted the knowledge and capacity of the men that were probably absolute genius code breakers to determine the following secrets of the Tresora---but more like... as arrogant as it may sound, I felt like I was the only one who could solve it. Well... anymore, that was. There was no doubt in my heart that my father would have been just as capable if he still were here. And my mother---

The van suddenly came to a screeching halt and the dark panel lowered. To my surprise, Rei had already left the vehicle and now the rough-looking driver sneered at us with a full set of gold teeth.

"Kay, out yah go, little pups." He chortled, the back doors swinging open with a push of a button. "But I don't suggest you go too crazy, considering everyone else here is a helluva bigger nutcase than any of yah." He added with a hysterical whine, only to prove his point.

Alyssa and I slowly exited the vehicle, and Alyssa, in defiance, kept her arms crossed as though declaring rebelliousness. The air was a musty mixture of gunpowder and other sorts of chemical fumes. The rest of the gang hobbled out from the vehicle before us, equally disgusted and astounded by their surroundings. Though they had claimed to not be prisoners or criminals, being brought to a prison like this---in a way, made us all like war criminals.

The driver stumbled out of the van, laughing triumphantly until he abruptly fell to the ground in a heap. His eyes were still wide open and an unlit cigar tumbled from his cold, limp body. He was dead.

"Don't want a babbo like him wandering our turf. Useless punk."

My heart shuddered in my chest as an unknown man walked out from leading a series of marching troops towards us. Clad in dark, almost military-like garb and a hat perched on his head; this man reeked of blood and anguish. I could only imagine how many lives he had taken with the gun at the end of his arm, a silencer adjusted firmly on the barrel of the gun. Though I couldn't see his face clearly, he looked fairly young and handsome---almost scarily so. Dark, almost ashy blonde hair covered his eyes and the rest of his face remained frozen and monotone.