Maverick Niccolo Morelli(Wild Men Series #32)

Prologue

The room was dim-lit. Red was the color of the illuminating lamps hanging on the bricked walls. Everything inside the room is red and so are the people sitting comfortably on the couches, waiting for the execution of the said event.  
On the mini table found in one corner are two black whips that will be used for the test. This will test your endurance, loyalty, and integrity. A test that will surely make an ordinary person cry in pain and give up if they don’t have a strong will. Three hundred lashes will be observed during this initiation — that means, the people who are present are probably going to join the session. They are the seven founders of the organization; the Feodus. 

“Are you ready?” maangas na tanong ng isa sa pitong lalaking kanina’y nakaupo na nakapaligid sa kanya. If he wasn’t mistaken, his name was Patricio “Trace” Dimagiba. Napatikwas nang bahagya ang itaas niyang bibig and formed a smirk nang maalala ang pangalan nito. 

Patricio! Patricio!

His name seemed to echo in his mind. He was top-naked. His recruiter Elliot Hart told him earlier to remove his shirt as one of the rules during the initiation. His hands were tied above his head. Tanging ang suot niyang faded ripped jeans ang natira na pinaresan ng brown leather ankle boots. 

“I’m not here if I wasn’t ready, Patricio!”

Not a second after he answered, naramdaman niya ang sunod-sunod na hagupit ng hawak na pamalo ni Trace. It was a bunch of stripped leather cords, rolled with a knot at the end. Pero hindi siya natinag dito. It was nothing compared to the pain he endured since he witnessed the tragic incident happened when he was nine. According to the people around him; his clients, business partners, his sidekicks, para siyang batong deka-dekada na pero hindi natitibag ng kahit anong unos o bagyong dumaan. 

“You should fucking know who is the boss here, moron! Call. Me. Boss!”
Trace raised his voice, commanded him. His face was just an inch distant from him. He saw how his jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth with anger. He succeeded to trigger him. Elliot told him about Trace. Ayaw nitong tawagin siya sa pangalan niyang Patricio. 

He wasn’t intimidated. Napangisi siya rito. He run his stares from his long dishevelled hair, which you’d think hadn’t been combed in a decade. Then their intense stares met. Nagsukatan sila ng tingin. Pero hindi siya nagpatalo. Nobody has ever been able to scare or shake him.
But of course, he knows what he was doing. He has a purpose why he was here at the Agrianthropos City. He swallowed his pride kasi kailangan. He wanted an allies to acheive his goal; his vengeance to the devil who brought his family to their tragic demise. 

He was a mafia boss. A leader who was named with many cacodemonic titles which even made him showed more how formidable and fearless he is. Pero wala siya sa teritoryo niya kaya kailangan niya ang tulong at proteksyon ng organisasyon. 

“Yes, Boss!” he responded while he tilted his head slightly and eyed on Trace’s annoyed face nang pabalik na ulit ito sa kan’yang likuran to continue the lashes. 

“Don’t be too confident, Morelli. we just started.” Sabi nito sa kan’ya nang may diin ang bawat kataga bago may kinuha sa isang sulok. 
He shifted his stares na bahagyang nakayuko para sundan ang mga galaw nito pero agad din siyang napaangat ng tingin when he scourges him from behind. Hindi niya mabilang kung ilang hagupit ang tumama sa likurang bahagi ng kan’yang katawan at mga binting nababalot ng kan’yang suot na pantalon. Ang alam niya, ramdam niya ang bawat panggigigil ni Patricio sa kanya. 

He gritted his teeth simultaneously as he clenched his fists to endure what he was going through. 

“Kaya pa ba, Morelli?” 

Isang tinig na nagmula sa isa sa mga founders na nakaupo sa isa sa mahabang sofa na naroroon. He was Lev Petrov, the previous leader of the organizatiom turned adviser kung tama ang pagkakatanda niya sa sinabi ng kan’yang recruiter na si Elliot.