You Belong To My Angel { Mafia Story }

Kiana

6 - Kiana

I stared at the door behind which he disappeared and collapsed. My hands were shaking like crazy and my breathing was fast and irregular.
I had tried to act relaxed, to hide my feelings. But...
"What a bummer!" I hissed, feeling insecure and angry.
Why did he have to be my boss!
And what did it all have to do with those men in the room?
God! One of them almost shot me.
Sick!
I took a deep breath and let it out again.
I had to calm down.
None of this was my business.
And when other employees entered the dressing room, I quickly got up and didn't let on that I was scared and confused. I put on my hoodie, jeans and sneakers, grabbed my bag and left that goddamn club.

***

The next few days passed quietly and I did my job. I diligently collected tips and was glad not to have to see that Nox again. The incident with the guns still weighed on me, but I tried to ignore it and lock it away inside me.
I had to work.
Work.
Work.
That was all that mattered.
The debts counted.
Yes.
I smiled as I looked at the screen on the ATM.
My salary was in the account. I withdrew the amount I had to pay to the money collectors every month and put the wad of notes in an envelope.
Relieved that at least that was going well, I met up with the usual characters at the usual place.
"Little Lou, everything okay?"
I looked at Jonny, one of the debt collectors.
I had been paying off my father's debts for three years now, ever since I was 17. Of course, the debt collectors knew me and that's why they spoke to me so casually. But I ignored it. I just wanted to pay off the debts and finally start my own life.
"Don't talk to me like that," I said, as usual annoyed, and threw the envelope on his lap while I leaned against the car and looked at Jonny and Chris through the window. Both in their mid-30s and actually quite nice guys. But I knew they could be different, and if I didn't pay the debt, they would beat my father half to death again. I couldn't bear to see that again.
"Oh, don't be like that, you sweet little mouse," Chris winked at me.
I rolled my eyes.
How they annoyed me.
Jonny counted the money and nodded to Chris.
"That's fine, little Lou, then we'll see you here again next month," he said, and Chris started the engine of her black Mercedes.
I watched them go.
Just a little bit longer and I'd finally made it.
Then I looked at my watch and ran to my second job - at a beach café.
I had to run to get to my morning shift on time. Out of breath, I entered the café and greeted my boss briefly before going downstairs. I quickly put on the uniform, consisting of a short, tight beach dress with flowers on it, and a flower in my hair, as my boss had requested.
Once I was dressed, I went upstairs and took the first orders. The nice warm weather meant that there was a lot going on. That in turn meant that there were also a lot of tips.
A few nice looks here, a few touches there, but only from my side, of course. I don't like being touched unintentionally, but I knew that men loved it when you touched them and got closer to them.
And so the hours passed and the sun slowly set.
"Kiana, you gave it your all again today. Where do you get the energy from?" my boss asked as she did the accounts.
I laughed and washed the last few cups.
"I have a goal, I think that feeds my motivation," I explained and dried my hands.
My boss was a really nice lady, she was divorced and had a little daughter. That's why she only ever kept the shop open until 4 p.m., because she had to pick her daughter up from kindergarten afterwards.
"That's right, you once mentioned that you would like to go to university, didn't you?" she asked, closing the cash register.
"Yes, exactly," I smiled, a little tired now.
I had another shift at the club tonight. I hadn't closed my eyes yet. But I needed the money.
"You're really hardworking. Be proud of that," she smiled at me.
I smiled back. "Thank you."

***

I yawned and stretched my limbs as I shouldered my bag and sat down on a bench. While I was waiting for the bus, I looked at my phone and scrolled through Instagram. My eyes kept falling closed, over and over again.
No, don't fall asleep.
Don't... fall asleep.
Not...
The honking of a car made me sit up. I looked around, confused, until I saw a dark gray Mercedes.
The window went down and a "Get in" sounded.
I stared at the person and recognized Nox, who continued to look straight ahead and blow the smoke from his cigarette.
I blinked several times and looked at my cell phone. Then I rubbed my eyes and looked up again.
Shit, I fell asleep!
"Are you stalking me?" I asked, annoyed.
Nox snorted and pushed his sunglasses down a little. "I've got better things to do. Now get in, Kiki."
When he called me by the same nickname as my half-brother, my body stiffened. I looked at my phone again.
Damn, I had missed the bus and would be late if I waited for the next one.
I looked back at Nox.
I didn't have a choice.
Still, I wouldn't let him see how much time pressure I was under, so I got up and walked over to his car.
"If you insist. And my name is Kiana," I said, rolling my eyes, and got into his car.
"I don't give a shit, Angel," he said and steered back onto the road. "If you'd rather walk, I'll leave you to it. Have fun. I don't really care. Just remember," he took a drag from his joint and then turned right, "that since I'm your boss, I have to go exactly where you have to go."
I rubbed my forehead.
Why is he such an asshole?
"No, it's okay, Mr. Super-Boss." I looked at the joint between his fingers. "Are you crazy?! How can you smoke pot while driving? What if the police stop us?!," I asked, stunned, and looked around frantically.