Chapter 37
Rosana had fully recovered and was now back to training. She fought more, learned how to fire a gun quickly and more precisely, and also used other weapons like blades.
She was given a little introduction into the Mafia world by Enzo who took his time reading out the codes and conducts, as well as the rules.
“No one has broken the rules in years.” He told her, puffing out smoke from his mouth and nostrils. “It equals death”
Rosana scrunched her nose and shook her head. “Why does everything end in death? They are humans and are bound to make mistakes”
“Sorry, My Lady, mistakes are not allowed in this world. You either stick to the rules or die. Painfully”
She shook her head and looked around, imagining everyone dying if they made a single mistake. No doubt, Sergio would not waste time ending any of them. He just had to put them in his cell or the freezing room, or the white room.
How many more rooms did he have? She wondered.
“Is there no other way around it? We do not have to keep killing people.”
He chuckled and looked at her. “As I once said, My Lady, there is no in-between. If we all fail to keep certain rules, we are dead. If we keep them… We keep breathing, and f*cking, and making money”
****
The next morning, Rosana prepared and went down to the training facility as instructed by Enzo. He had told her that the introduction was around the corner and there were more important things she needed to learn other than fighting.
“Who are these men? Why are they tied up?” She asked once she walked in to meet the two men.
They were tired but didn’t have any cuts or bruises on their body. The fear of them getting killed gripped her as Enzo sauntered into the facility, a stick of an already lit cigarette stuck between his lips.
“These motherf*ckers committed an offense,” He said, answering her question. “And you are going to be the judge.”
“The judge?”
“Yes, My Lady. You are a queen and you should know how to make the right judgment. One that would bring us no troubles in the future”
The first man had stolen from them while the second man had sold the products allocated to him but refused to send in the money. Rosana took a deep breath and looked at them with pity.
“Well… We forgive them. I am sure they will not make that mistake again.” She spoke confidently and shrugged. “He must have stolen to feed his family… I mean, who would not?”
Enzo smiled softly and pointed at the second man. “And this son of a b*tch?”
“He… He must have needed the money for something personal or urgent. We may never know”
“And what is your final judgment, My Lady?”
She gulped and stared at the men who looked deadly and dangerous. Their offense was punishable by death and she knew that perfectly. Enzo had already told her how things worked in the Mafia world but… What if she saved them and gave them a second chance?
“Release them. Let them live!”
“As you wish, My Lady!” Enzo smiled and signaled the other men to do as told. “Let us hope they make good use of their second life. Because they will be f*cking dead the next time. Agreed?”
Rosana looked at the men quietly. With squared shoulders, she replied. “Agreed!”
*****
Three days later, Rosana walked into the training room and was shocked to see the men she had saved and many more covered in blood. They were all badly wounded and dismantled.
“What is going on? Why are they here? I saved those two some days ago!”
“And look how many more we have here!” Enzo replied with a smile. His voice, a quiet venom.
“I… I do not understand!”
Rosana was starting to quiver. The look on Enzo’s face was something she had never seen before. He looked pissed and deadly at the moment. What could’ve gone wrong? She wondered.
“I told you to make the right judgment. One that would bring us no troubles in the future” Enzo replied and turned to look at her. “Turns out we have a handful, My Lady. And they are all gonna die, screaming and begging!”Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
She still couldn’t understand.
“Those two b@stards went off and ran their c? ck sucking mouths. They said some wh? re let them get away with what they did and then they went at it again. Only that this time, more motherf*vkers joined them”
Rosana couldn’t believe it. She had so much confidence in the men and trusted they would never do such a thing ever again. But she was wrong and she had failed too.
“And you know why?” He asked and continued without waiting for her response. “Because they believed the rules had changed and they could always get away with it over and over again”
“I…”
“Not your fault, you did not understand. But now you will.” He turned to the other men in the room. “Chop off their heads and let everyone know that we are not weak motherf*ckers. Anyone that breaks the f*cking rules, dies!”
Rosana gasped. She had never seen this side of him before. “No, please…!”
“You do not want them to die quickly, My Lady?” He asked her and turned to the men. “Alright, take them to the cell. I will grind their legs and feed them with it before killing them off. Slowly.”
The cell? No, she couldn’t let that happen. She had been there before and she had seen things she couldn’t easily forget. The animals, the cages, the torture equipment… No one deserved to be there.
“No, not the cell…”
“The freezing room then” Enzo announced, already pissed. The men had bitten more than they could chew and it was in his place to crush them to pieces.
“Not the freezing room!”
“Alright, the furnace. They will stay there and feel their flesh burning off slowly. And oh, they will scream very much” Rosana tried to protest but he turned and faced her squarely. “This is what happens when you make the wrong judgment. They will see you as a weakling and try to take advantage.”
“Our enemies are lurking around these walls. Once they see we have let the tiniest of your guards down, they will strike. And as always, they will fail. You need to start acting like a powerful Mafia Queen, just like your King. They cannot see you as a weakness”
Rosana bit her lips and turned to look at the men who had been dragged away. She had done the right thing by saving their lives only for them to turn around and bite her fingers. What kind of world was she getting into? She wondered.
“I cannot be as ruthless or heartless as your brother or any of you. I do not want to be Queen if it would mean getting blood on my hands”
“You do not have much choice. You will always get blood on your hands, My Lady”
She gulped and looked around. “But they are innocent!”
“They all know the rules but they decided to break them. You do not stroke them because they are enemies, not allies. Always remember the first rule.” He paused and continued. “Do not trust anyone. You might end up dead or… Other people will end up dead because of your mistake”