Mafia: Neo Zone ► Lucas Wong ◄

Chapter 9 - Kick It → Mad City ✔

I didn't recognize any of the men, but from their expensive suits and the high-tech earpieces I could just barely see in the gloom, I knew they worked for my father. The head man leaned to the side, peering around Lucas to get a better view of me. The fear welling within me must have shown in my eyes, for he smiled predatorially and took a step forward.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." He proffered a gun to punctuate his statement. "Our job is quite simple, really: our boss didn't feel he was able to spend enough time with his daughter, so he'd like us to take her back for a little...chat." The men snickered. "So give her up, and you can go in peace."

Lucas didn't move or say anything, and I gritted my teeth together as if that would somehow steel my nerves. A footstep behind me made me spin about, gasping in surprise as two more men sealed off the other end of the alleyway. We were neatly trapped now, and they had us easily under their control.

"Speak up, little boy. We haven't got all night." The man pointed his gun at Lucas, an almost playful smile on his face.

Lucas tilted his head slightly to the side, exhaling softly as a smile touched his own lips. "I'm really curious what you would consider 'the hard way', because after that explosion, the police will be swarming this part of the city looking for any signs of disturbance. The minute you fire that gun, it'll attract more attention than either you or your boss probably want, and you might think your boss can simply pay the police to look the other direction, but his valuable time would still be wasted. Are you willing to deal with the consequences of pulling the trigger?"

The man drew a deep breath, considering before reluctantly sliding his gun back into the holster strapped around his shoulder beneath his suit coat. "There wouldn't have been much fun in just putting a bullet through your brain, anyway." He pulled a knife out of a sheath at his hip. "Your father's name used to bring terror to everyone in this city, and I'm curious to know whether you'll live up to his reputation."

As the other men pulled out their own blades, I felt resignation rise up within me. There were too many of them here. No matter how skilled Lucas might be, he couldn't take on five armed men at a time. It would be better if I just complied with them and went to my father. That way, Lucas would be safe, and there wouldn't be any unnecessary bloodshed.

"Lucas." I whispered, grabbing hold of his arm. He turned to look at me the moment I touched him, and I chewed on my lower lip at the intensity of his gaze. "I'll just go. Otherwise, you'll get hurt. It'll just be simpler to give them what they want.

He ran the tip of his tongue over his lower lip, and I thought I detected a hint of anger spring to life in his eyes. "There's no way in hell—"

Before he could finish the sentence, the lead man charged at him. I barely had the chance to inhale sharply when—as if he somehow sensed the movement from behind—Lucas pushed me to the side and sent a slamming kick into our attacker's ribs. As the other men moved in to attack, Lucas put one arm protectively in front of me, keeping me positioned squarely behind him and neatly herding me whenever he moved to keep me out of the line of attack.

With him standing in front of me, I couldn't really see what was going on, but judging from his awkward, jerking movements as he twisted about to beat off my father's men, he was greatly handicapped by my presence. My terrified brain told me I should duck down and hide. There was no chance for me to follow through with the thought, however, as Lucas kept pushing and pulling me. Then my back hit the wall.

As if that was exactly what he'd been waiting for, Lucas moved his arm from in front of me, crouching slightly into a ready stance. I pressed against the wall as best I could to give him as much space as possible, all but shutting my eyes in hopes that this was all some nightmare and that I would wake up soon. If they hurt Lucas...I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached.