The Mafia's Secret(Book 1)

Chapter 10 ✔️

SCARLETT

        The second the board was in sight, anger consumed me. Caleb was right. I was as good as dead now. Xavier had no intentions of letting me off easy. The board proved it. There were four arranged fights and then the rest of the slots were blank. Volunteer slots as my brother called them. Up first was Jake and I. He wouldn't be hard to beat. It made sense to put him first. Make him feel like he had a chance before being eliminated completely. It was a common initiation in games. Make them fight first to see if they can beat the weakest player. If only they had told Jake he was about to get his ass whooped. He would be hurting for weeks, just like I had.
        Next up was Tyler. He had already beaten the shit out of me once. I was still laced with bruises from his ruthless strikes. He was a cruel man. The only reason for it was because of the beef he had with Zayn. Zayn had kicked him from his gang after he found out Tyler was secretly working for Xavier. He had told him everything about our little gang. Tyler had tried getting me in the hands of Xavier before by drugging me at the bar. I was lucky to have been saved in time by Nathaniel. Although it wasn't really luck since my rescuer was my abusive ex boyfriend. He was a sadistic charmer so I had fallen for him...again.
        Terrance was Tyler's twin brother He was nowhere near as sadistic as Tyler but he was twice as strong. He was extremely loyal to Xavier and would do anything he asked. Terrance did have a nice side of him when no one threatened the crew. It was rare to see since there was always someone threatening someone. There was no way in hell that I could beat him since he was always fighting someone and he never lost a fight. I barely had any muscle. All I had was strategy thanks to Zayn, who made sure I knew how to use someone's muscle and size against them.
        And then there was Darren. With Darren, well, I was just dead. He was one of the best fighters I knew. The only one who could beat Terrance. Xavier had given me a death sentence by putting me up against him. Darren had a lot of unreasonable hate towards me. Something clearly caused by something Xavier had told him.
        I regretted losing myself in my thoughts the second something slammed into the side of my face. I would have been knocked off balance if Tyler didn't have the tight grip on my arm. Once I looked up, Xavier was standing inches away from me. Nothing but anger was leeching off of him as he leaned in close to my ear. His breath was hot and unpleasant as he did so.
        "If you survive this, I'll keep my word that my men will leave you alone. Maybe this way you'll learn to keep your mouth shut. Now get in the ring. I won't ask a second time." Pulling my arm away from Tyler's grip, I got into the ring where Jake was already waiting. Xavier leaned against the ropes. "You know the rules. Fight until one of you is down. No tap-outs this time. I'll decide when the fight is over. Refuse to fight and I'll put a bullet in your head."
        I knew Xavier's words were directed at me. Jake was too submissive to refuse listening to any orders given. Looking straight at Jake, there was fear behind his eyes. This was his first official fight and he was about to lose horribly. I couldn't help but be curious on how close of a bond the two had. It seemed odd for Xavier to put his time in making sure Jake could fight. It didn't matter now since Xavier was basically forcing me to beat the poor boy.
        My thoughts were quickly interrupted by Jake stepping forward, attempting to throw a punch into my ribs. It would have been a direct hit if I hadn't moved in time. His knuckles only grazed my side. I would have had no intention of striking the boy, but there was something about him that was different. He was angry. Angry about something. What it was, I probably would never know. so I just kept dodging his punches and tripping him until I knew for certain that he was truly trying to do his best.
        By the time I had Jake pinned down, he had given me a few minor bruises in my ribs and arms. My knuckles were bloody and swollen as I pulled Jake to his feet. He was dripping with sweat and blood. His breathing was heavy and fast as I leaned him up against the ropes where Caleb started to separate the ropes so Jake could step through.
        "Did I say stop?" Xavier said as he shoved Caleb away from the ropes.
        "That's enough, man. Jake isn't ready for the fight you want and Scarlett. Well, she shouldn't be fighting at all and you know it. Whatever the hell she did, it isn't worth giving her and Jake a death sentence. Not when the person you really want is still out there."
        It only took a split second for Xavier to grab the collar of Caleb's shirt aggressively, getting into his face. "If Jake wants to be in the gang, he has to fight until he's either dead or unconscious. That's the rules. Now are you going to lecture me or are you going to shut the fuck up? Because like it or not, I'm in charge. Not the other way around. Now–" Xavier pulled his gun out, entering the ring. Within seconds he had the barrel of his gun pointed towards my forehead. "–Fight or die. The choice is yours."
        I knew he was lying. I had no choice. I'd rather just let him kill me now than fight for him. Especially since he completely changed the way Round Robin worked. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Everyone knew it, they just didn't have the balls to challenge Xavier like I had done. They didn't want to risk getting killed or kicked out of the gang. Despite all that, Round Robin was supposed to have the winner in the next challenge, not the same damn name every round. I would never last that long. Getting beaten so bad you can't move a muscle, is the worst feeling in the world. Physically and mentally. One would wish they were dead by the end of it.
        I lacked the ability to care about what happened next, so without hesitation, I stepped right up to the gun. Once it was right against my forehead, I stared directly into Xavier's eyes.
        "You can kill or threaten me all you want, but we both know you don't have the guts to pull the trigger. You made Darren kill his own sister because you couldn't!"
        I had done the same thing he had just done. I had given him a choice. Kill me or look like a phony. It was extremely risky to speak out in front of a crowd but I saw no other choice. I just wanted to make sure Xavier wouldn't get Jake killed. Especially when he didn't deserve to die. He was just a kid with most likely no outside family.
        Xavier lowered the gun, looking over at Terrance who had been watching from a distance. He mouthed something to Terrance. Terrance nodded in response, leaving with a smug look plastered on his face. I didn't dare move for what felt like minutes when small begging yelps of pain filled the air. Nina. Once she was in sight of the ring, Terrance tossed her forward. She had no time to recover before Terrance grabbed her by the back of the neck, forcing her to her feet. She cried out in pain but said nothing as she stared at Xavier in fear. Stepping towards her, someone grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms together as they clamped a hand down over my mouth.
        Xavier took a quick side glance at me before pointing the gun at Nina's head. Without a word, he pulled the trigger. I tried to scream but the hand was clamped too tightly over my mouth, making nothing but muffled noises. Watching in horror at the blood pooling beneath Nina, I slammed my elbow as hard as I could into the gut of the person who had me. Once I was released, I spun around, swinging a right hook into the face of Terrance. Once he was off balance, I grabbed the gun from his holster. Without a single bit of hesitance, I moved the gun under my chin. Tears started to well in my eyes at the very thought of ending myself before seeing Zayn again but I quickly blinked them back. It would be better in the long run. Zayn would be safe and I wouldn't have to deal with any of this—this bullshit.
        Xavier stepped forward, snickering. There was a glint of guilt in his eyes but it was gone and replaced with anger in a split second. "Put the gun down." I could hear the demand and authority in his tone. The warning it gave off.
        "No. You want me dead anyways. So why don't I make it easier for you? I'd rather kill myself than let you do the honors. I might as well end this here and now."
        He stepped forward so without hesitation, I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.