In His Shadow

Chapter 1

Author's Note;
Dedicated to my dear friend and classmate who enjoys the italian mafia type of works and reading like me. Hopefully you enjoy this, A. I haven't written in a long time, despite that I'm hoping you'll enjoy this. :)
- N

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Venice, a beautiful city in Italy where tourists visit whenever they have a chance, a place of beauty and love. Streets filled with children laughing and playing games, adults hosting their shops and selling cheap souvenirs as to trick the tourists to buy them for a higher price.
Cloudless blue summer sky coloured the background of almost all photos the tourists would take, the sun shining and bringing warmth to those who sunbathe and swim in the pools of many hotels in Venice.

Though, as beautiful as it is, Venice hides darkness only it's residents know of yet dare not to think of because they wish to live yet another year, to see the rise of another day and fall of yet another night. In one of the many alleys, in one of the darker parts where old shops and torn down houses hide away from curious eyes lies the truth, reality of the modern world.

Places where scum of the Earth gather and play their games, home of where kidnappers take young women and prostitute them only for the women to get killed within few days after being used. A place where drugged homeless people live and theft is the only way of surviving.

Viola was a young woman, she lives in her fathers home in one of those many dark alleys and streets, she doesn't know the name of the street, she doesn't remember it. She doesn't even know the name of her mother, only of her death, of her non-existence, her absence throughout most of her life.
Viola's father was one of the worst people she'd ever known, he was an alcoholic who'd bring a different woman every night home, a man who'd wake up in the morning and hit Viola if she didn't make any food, worst of all is that the women he'd bring would always steal his money and leave right after she's done with her job.

Viola's mother, died when Viola was two years old, she barely remembers what exactly even happened, considering it's really all just a blur besides the sound of gunshots and voices of several men. She wasn't that attached to her mother, she didn't dare even think about her because her father would most likely beat her for thinking of her mother.

XX/1X/20XX

Rain hit the ground loudly as she ran through darkness, only a few lit streetlights being her only guidance. Her lungs getting less and less air as she ran for her life, gunshots following her tracks and yells of men who meant danger to her life. Viola entered a building and ran up the almost fallen apart stairs and to the rooftop, where she sat under a small piece of wood left from what was once a roof, trying to cover herself from the rain. Breathless from running, tired from the wild chase and fearful of her discovery. Viola unzipped her jacket and pulled a wallet from the inside pocket that she stole, upon opening the wallet she found a nice amount of money, a few credit cards and an ID card. She took the ID card and inspected it, upon seeing the picture, she understood the commotion she had caused. She pickpocketed "Dante G." or, by his underworld name "Joker".

Viola felt panic overflow her as she realized, Dante, was the son of Elio Riccardo, who was the head of the leading Mafia in Italy which was stationed in Sicily and South Venice, far from the public eye, hidden away where even the maps don't show routes to such destination, where such place is seen as non-existent.

Her heart sank as she figured what her fate was now, death.

Her heart rate increased and breathing became harder, she was losing control over her body as tears started to flow out of her eyes along the raindrops which rolled down her cheeks. She was having a panic attack, she didn't know what to do. She tried to calm down but it wasn't working.