I was uncomfortable the moment we entered this place. I was expecting Clark would bring me to a family restaurant but instead, he parked in front of a shady-looking building. There were people who looked like they’re from the mob, loitering around the place, smoking cigarettes and talking to each other.

I walked closer to Clark as we rode the elevator. It was rusty and dingy and I was scared that it might fall apart. Fortunately, it didn’t.

“W-where are we going?” I asked Clark.

He was casually smoking a cigarette.

“A place where we can eat.”

I paled.

“This place has a restaurant?”

Clark turned to me and grinned.

“Yeah, for people like us.”

“Huh?”

The elevators door opened and we got out. The corridor was dimly lit and there were some people leaning against the wall. I gasped after seeing a couple making out as we passed down the hall.

What’s this place?

Clark stopped in front of a red door. Two large men were guarding the door and upon seeing Clark, they bowed their heads at him and opened the door.

I followed him closely, getting scared at how the two guys gave me a nasty look. Ignoring them, I walked behind Clark and was awed the moment I entered the room.

The ceiling was high, with disco lights hanging, reflecting hundreds of different colors all over the room. There was a jazz music playing through the speakers surrounding the walls and in the middle of the room was a center stage, a crowd surrounding it while drinking what seemed like booze. My eyes almost budged out of its sockets when I saw three naked women sensually dancing to the music.

“C-Clark!” I half-screamed, half-whispered. “Where are we and what are we doing here?”

A waiter approached Clark and he led us to a vacant table, at the far end of the room where we could still see the stage.

He gave us a menu but Clark had already told him what he wanted to eat. It took me a whole minute to pick mine but the waiter was kind enough to wait for me. After we ordered our food, Clark finished his cigarette and lit another stick.

“Seriously, what are we doing here?” I asked, worried that we might be in a dangerous place.

“It’s one of your father’s place,” Clark answered. “Technically, you’re the owner of this place.”

I know my father owned a lot of places in the city but I still couldn’t get used to the idea of being one of the powerful families in the country.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“Because you need to familiarize yourself in this kind of situation. You’re going to manage places like this in the future.”

I was worried, I wouldn’t deny that.

Looking to the right, my almost jumped out of my chest seeing a couple being intimate in the table next to us. The woman was already half-naked, sitting on top of the man’s lap while he was sucking her breasts.

I peeled my gaze off of them. Good thing the music was loud so that I wouldn’t hear the sound they were making.

Clark noticed my distress.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

My face was red and I was sweating.

I’m really not comfortable with this place.

Clark saw what was causing my anguish and he smirked. Leaning close to me, he whispered, “are you getting aroused with what you’re seeing?”

I held my ear, backing away from him while blushing hard.

“N-no!”

“Really?”

I squeezed my legs together, telling myself not to look at anything anymore. Clark grinned and ruffled my hair.

“You’re not really good for my heart,” I whispered, looking down on my lap.

“The feeling is mutual.”

“What?”

--

The next morning, I arrived at the school early than usual. Isaac brought me to school since Clark was staying in his house with his sister. There were only a few students and deciding that I could spend my free time going through the photos I took from the cruise, I went to the library.

There was no one inside but the doors were unlocked. I entered and sat in one of the tables near the windows.

While browsing the pictures in my camera, my phone vibrated inside my pocket. I took it out and there was a message from Valery.

From Valery

After school, let’s go to Sweet Dreams Bakery! Okay?

I wanna eat macaroons. :D

I smiled. After what happened yesterday, I was glad that I could still live normally with my friends, hanging out with them and just having plain fun.

I sent her a text, telling her that I’m gonna come.

--

It was already the last class but I didn’t see Valery throughout the day. I texted her why she missed school but I never received any replies from her.

Few minutes later, class was over and everyone was getting ready to go home. I called her but she wasn’t answering.

I walked to Clark’s desk while holding my phone.

“Where’s Valery?” I asked.

He stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

“What?”

“She’s not answering my calls. She told me we’ll see each other after school but she’s not here.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders.

“Maybe she’s sick.”

I sighed. I’m getting worried about her.

“Let’s go to her house to check,” I suggested.

Clark made a face.

“Ugh, I don’t really wanna see -- ”

He stopped talking when my phone suddenly rang. It was from Valery and I quickly answered it to ask why she missed class.

But I froze, my heart almost stopping when I heard a man’s voice answering the call.

“If you still wanna see your little friend alive, you better come to Brisco. You have 30 minutes.”

“What did you do to Valery?!”

Ignoring my question, the man said, “you better hurry up, Orlov. She’s not looking alright.”

I gripped my phone tight and was about to curse at him but he already hang up the phone.

Clark raised a brow at me.

“Let me guess, someone got Valery.”

I trembled, clutching Clark’s shirt. Tears were forming in my eyes and I began to cry in front of him.

“W-what will I do?! They got Valery! W-why did they do that?!”

Clark looked at me with bored eyes.

“Because you’re from the Mafia and everyone close to you will be in danger because of who you are.”

No, no, please, not Valery. She’s my best friend, one of the few people who accepted who I really am.

If anything happens to her…I’m…I’m…

“What did they say?” Clark asked.

“T-they want me to come to…Brisco,” I answered in between my sobbing. “I can’t lose…Valery…she’s…”

She’s too important to me.

Clark smirked.

“Then what are you gonna do, boss?”

I’m scared. I don’t want to get hurt but the thought of Valery getting hurt because of scared me even more.

“I…I don’t know…”

“Are you forgetting something?”

I raised my head to look at Clark.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t I tell you? As long as you have me, everything will be okay.”

He held my chin, his eyes staring into mine.

“Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it for you.”

Valery’s smiling face flashed in my mind.

“...save Valery.”

Clark smiled.

“Got it.”

--

Clark parked the car in front of Brisco, an old inn in the outskirts of Moscow. The street was abandoned and it’s almost like a ghost town here.

It’s creepy.

“This is the Voronin territory.”

I looked at Clark, raising a brow.

“You know them?”

“One of the families in the east. They’re a small group but this year they’re aggressive in doubling their numbers,” Clark explained.

“Because it’s the war of the heirs,” I murmured.

Looking at the time, I found out that we only have 10 more minutes to save Valery to those bastards. I quickly took the seat belt off and was about to get out of the car to run inside the inn where my best friend was but Clark caught my hand. He pulled me back inside and I gasped out loud from how strong his simple tug was.

“W-what?!”

“What are you doing?” he asked, nonchalant.

I glared at him.

“Saving Valery!” I barked.

“And what do you think you can do to save Valery?”

I froze. Clark was right, what am I even gonna do charging to the enemy’s lair. I don’t know how to fight, hell I don’t even know how to hold a gun.

I stared at my hands and trembled.

I’m useless in the kind of world. I really am not fit to become a Mafia leader.

But what could I do?

What?

To save Valery, what should I do?!

“Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it for you.”

Remembering Clark’s words, I nodded to myself.

If I wanted to save Valery, I have to act that I’m going to be the next boss of the Orlov family.

Calming myself, I looked at Clark. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I pulled him close to me, staring deep into those blue eyes of his.

“We’ll save Valery and we’ll bring her back alive,” I ordered Clark who was surprised, “you have to make sure that those people will pay for what they did to Valery.”

He saw the fire in my eyes and he smiled in excitement.

“Okay, boss. But you have to come with me.”

I backed away from him.

“W-what? Why?”

Clark smirked.

“Let’s consider this as part of your training.”

--

Walking inside the inn, with Clark in front of me, was nerve-wracking compared to taking an exam and waiting for the result. No, this was far more different than something trivial as that.

I clutched Clark’s back as I looked right to left to check if there’s someone who’s going to see us.

Because if that were to happen, I’m sure Clark and I would be dead.

I was trembling like a little kitten while Clark was just casually traversing through the dark corridor, as if this was nothing to him.

Seeing him kill those people guarding the entrance of the inn, I still couldn’t get it out of my head.

I stared at Clark, thinking that this man was the real deal.

But even so I’m still in love with him.

I’m such an idiot. Why am I thinking about these kind of things when my friend was in obvious peril.

I needed to concentrate.

Valery’s life’s in danger because of me.

“C-Clark,” I softly called his name.

“What?” he asked.

We continued walking down the hallway with no sign of the enemy.

“Shouldn’t we call Isaac? I mean…there’s no way you can handle them just by yourself,” I suggested.

Clark stopped and so did I.

“If you know who my parents are, you won’t doubt my skills, boss,” he said, smirking at me. “You don’t have to worry. You don’t need Isaac.”

My eyes widened at him.

“What?”

Clark turned to the corridor to his right and when we peeked, we saw two guys guarding one of the doors. They were smoking cigarettes while talking out loud with each other.

My heart skipped a couple of beats.

“W-what should we do?”

Clark smiled at me.

“Watch and learn, Drew.”

--

I gaped in awe, not believing what I have just witnessed. Clark managed to take down everyone in a short span of time, shooting bullets to their heads. He doesn’t give them the opportunity to react, it was as if he’s a robot who calculated everything that could happen in the next minute or so. To see him action, I kept asking myself if he’s really just a bodyguard.

“It’s finished,” Clark said, looking at me.

I was standing by the door, watching him do his job. He wiped the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand, tucking his gun inside his coat to hide it.

The smell of death lingered in the air it was nauseating. I couldn’t dare look at the dead bodies on the floor because I’m sure I would puke my innards out if I see their fresh corpses.

“W-where’s Valery?”

Clark walked over to the person who was the only one left alive. He was trembling in fear, looking at Clark with sweat dripping down his face.

“W-wait! How much do you want?! I can pay you, I have a lot of money!” the man begged, kneeling in front of Clark.

I cringed when Clark kicked him on the face, sending him flying inches away from where he was a moment ago. He cried out in pain, holding his bloody nose.

“I’m not interested with your money,” Clark said, his eyes screaming in anger as he approached the man who was crawling away from him.

His desperation to live was heartbreaking but I couldn’t find myself to stop Clark.

“To think that you kidnapped Valery in cliche style. You call yourselves mobsters?” Clark spat in disgust, stepping on the guy’s head.

The man was reaching out for Clark, crying hysterically for forgiveness. His sobs filled the whole room and it was making it hard for me to look at him.

“Where’s Valery?”

“...I…l-let me…g-go…aaaaagh!”

Clark stepped even harder, drawing out more blood from the man’s already broken nose.

“Tell me what I want right now. Where’s Valery?”

With quivering arms, he pointed at the steel cabinet. It was in the far end of the room. I ran to it and opened the doors but it was shut tight. I began to frantically knock the cabinet. I was afraid to see Valery inside, dead.

No, she’ can’t be.

“Valery!”

I turned to Clark, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Clark! Open this now!”

“Move and I’ll decapitate you, you understand?” Clark threatened to the man before taking his foot off of him to walk to where I was.

Clark pushed me to the side and held the handles. I saw veins began to bulge from his arms as he forced the doors to open. He manged to tore it down, revealing an unconscious Valery lying inside the cabinet. Her hands and feet were tied with chains, her hair was a mess, her clothes were ripped apart, and she was bleeding in the head.

My heart tightened in pain.

She got hurt because of me.

Because of who and what I am.

No.

No.

Not Valery.

She’s the only person in this world that accepted me for who I am.

Clark was about to reach out Valery to get her out of the cabinet but halted when he noticed me walking to the man who was still cowering in fear on the floor.

“Why did you do this?” I asked, my voice shaking in remorse.

“...w-wha…what?”

I clenched my fists and glared at him.

“She has nothing to do with this! Why did you have to hurt her?!”

I kicked him back on the floor, pouncing on him as I punched him on the face.

I’m fuming in anger. I wanted to hurt the people who did this to Valery.

“Why?! Why?! Why?!”

My knuckles hurt while punching the man who was begging for mercy but I couldn’t stop. I was so angry, I wanted to let it all out.

“Drew!”

I stopped after hearing Clark calling out my name. Turning around to face him, I sobbed even louder, harder, like I wanted the whole world to know what I’m feeling right now. I didn’t care if Clark sees me as a coward, crybaby idiot.

I just couldn’t stop the pain.

Clark pulled me up, hugging me close to his chest. And when he did that, I cried even more.

“It’s okay, Drew. Val’s alright. She’s alive. It’s okay,” he cooed, kissing the top of my head while caressing my back to comfort me.

I hated this world for being too cruel.

I hated it.

--