His Obsession

3 | Pretty Bird

Leena Rigaliz

"I'm sure you have questions" He spoke as he threw punches on his punching bag while I sat and watched. 

I stared at the ceiling, he had yet to tell me what he needed me to do today, kept me questioning my own fate. 

"Ask away" He answered glancing at me. 

I brought my head down to look at him. 

"Your name?" I started simple, before really asking. 

"Matteo Alessandro Cordova" He replied.

"What do you do?" I asked 

"What's your definition of a monster?" He asked

"Headless horsemen" 

He chuckled 

"I do what I have to do" 

"Why do you have Emilia?"

"Because Emilia's only paying off what she stole" 

"Stole?"

"Oh your BFF didn't tell you? She's a fucking thief too who stole from my clubs a while ago. Her father turned her in, inconveniently like father like daughter" 

"What happens when she pays it all off? You'll let her go right?" 

"Oh fuck no. This isn't the federal fucking law, she dies. You don't steal from me and do fucking community work to make up for it" He answered. 

"You said if I do what you say you'll let her go"

"And I will, but if you don't hold up your part she won't have any part to hold" 

I stayed quietly unable to fathom what was happening. 

"Cat got your tongue?" He asked deeply chuckling, I had no idea how I got into this mess. I looked away from his stare. I didn't know what I was doing, where I was, or who Matteo claimed to be.

"Okay pretty bird let's go" Matteo announced as he grabbed my forearm leading me out the room, soon walking into another into what looked like a shooting range. 

There were men surrounding every corner of the room. Each with their own fully-loaded sniper I assume. 

He pulled a gun from a contraption in the wall checking if it was loaded. 

"Try anything and it'll be the last breath you take" He warned as he looked at the men around the room they all nodded in compliance to him about unspoken orders. 

He handed me the gun and watched me like a hawk pulling his own from his halster.

"Shoot, if you miss I'll kill you" He ordered nonchalantly.

"What? I've never even used a gun before!" My stomach dropped I couldn't even feel my own legs anymore. 

"Look's like you're just going to have to rely on luck then pretty bird" He smirked as he pointed to the target with his gun.

"Now shoot" He ordered. 

My arms were shaky, my fate in my own hands. I couldn't even shoot for God's sake. This was not how I intended to die. 

Emilia was counting on me even if she didn't know it yet, so after taking a few deep breaths I pointed the gun up to the target my eyes stuck there. 

This could have all been avoided if I had just fucking minded my own business. 

"Shoot the fucking gun pretty bird" Matteo ordered getting impatient with the minute. 

And with all the confidence I ever had I shot the gun. Closing my eyes as the impact of the shot made me stumble back a little.