Property of the Mafia

[10] An Old Friend

"This is not the sort of situation I wanted to be in!" I exclaimed, fumbling about hopelessly as the thunking on the door only grew louder and more vicious.

"Um, um...." I stared down at Arc, who had finally stopped moving and lay limply on the floor.

Ares was still sobbing uncontrollably, singing like a serenading cat next to him.

"Ares, are you okay?" I asked quietly, watching Ares as he stared up at me with wide, doe-like eyes.

"I'm scared. What are they going to do to us?" He sniffled, his eyes brimming with tears. He was acting like a little seven year old!

"Err, don't worry Ares, go hide yourself somewhere and I'll take care of it, okay?" I reassured him, unsure if I could keep my promise. Ares nodded slowly, wiping his eyes as he darted off into the jungle of plants. He was pretty obedient as a seven year old.

"Oh, boy. How am I going to move you?" I complained, grabbing Arc by the shoulders as I dragged his limp body towards the plants, straining to pull him quickly as I saw the door fall down promptly as I barely managed to conceal myself within the plants.

"What is this? Ha, they sure have weird hobbies, stupid punks." A man bellowed, his voice raspy and harsh. He sounded like a dying donkey. The lights flickered on, momentarily blinding me.

"It's called a greenhouse. Idiots." Another voice responded. I was surprised at the tone of voice: soft, melodious, and elegant even as they scolded them. A girl?

"So, did you get the mission down? Got the clothes?" She added in a quieter tone. I could hear the clack of her boots as she marched across the floor. Through a tiny crevice in the plants' leaves, I watched the black figure scan her surroundings. The lights were so blinding that all I could make of the men were outlines that contrasted with the cement background.

"Yeah. But I don't see why we had to go to so much trouble to get a bunch of junk. Clothes, really? We want to get somethin' a little more... substantial, you know?" Another voice responded, disgruntled.

"I know." She responded with irritation. "You think I'm interested in a bunch of rags? Course I'm not! But the stupid brats today want this stupid brand-name stuff. Besides, we specialize in counterfeit, so it's perfect to make our next batch of goods with. Surprised the Viridians were interested in this kind of stuff, though." She laughed, swatting at some of the leaves as though she knew we were there.

"I'm hungry." Ares whined softly, a few metres away from me. I could hear him softly whimper.

"Shh! Don't say anything. If you're good, I'll buy you, uh, pancakes later, okay?" I hissed back, pulling the limp Arc closer to me. Ares nodded in response, and I sighed in relief. Why did I have to deal with this? Weren't they my enemies anyways?

I gasped, realizing that I had completely forgotten my original purpose. Staring down at Arc's tranquil sleeping face, I gulped, eyeing the small vial in his chest pocket. Should I just take it now while I had the chance? But what if he woke up and the intruders attacked us?

"Oi! Keep a lookout, kay? Something seems fishy about this place." The girl shouted at her henchmen, and I could hear a hustling of footsteps as they frantically began searching the premises. I bit down my lip, nervous and on edge as I heard her footsteps edge nearer.

Arc and I were underneath a table, and the leaves of some plant draped over the edge to conceal us. However, I wasn't very comfortable with Ares whispering and muttering to himself. Would he give us away with his senseless rambling?

I glanced down at Arc, who still seemed to be deeply asleep.

It's now or never!

I swiftly aimed for the vial in his front pocket, only to be suddenly jerked downwards by the wrist. His eyes flickered open, and he twisted my arm in the opposite direction, shaking his head.