#1 | The Aftermath - Phantom Rider Series

#8 | Baby, I'm a Gangster Too

Mila's POV

I closed the garage door behind me and headed up the stairs, juggling grocery bags in my hands. It was late, but I decided to make dinner for Matt. I wanted us to part on good terms before he left for his flight.

That was my rule: always say goodbye on good terms. You never know when life can be cut short. I'd seen too much death in my short life.

Dinner turned out nicer than I'd hoped. Matt brought me a large bouquet of roses, and we drank wine, chatting about his job. For once, I didn't mind. When he left, I felt like I loved him. Saying goodbye always made me nostalgic.

"Hey, babe, is he gone?" Alice's voice chirped through my phone the second Matt left.

"Alice, you can't be so happy right away!" I laughed. She always checked his flight logs to time her calls perfectly.

"So, what plans do you have for tonight?" She expected something exciting.

"Sorry, I'm really tired. I had a long day," I said, killing her excitement.

"Yeah, what was so important today that you can't go out with me for one drink?" she insisted.

"Fine, I'll come out! But only for one drink. Before that, I need to do something if you don't mind."

"What is it?"

"Job. Sergei called about a security breach at the warehouse. I need to check it." The exhaustion hit me.

"Can't someone else do it for you? Lately, you've been taking everything on yourself. Let our people handle it," Alice said with concern.

"We've lost nine people already. I can't trust anyone at this point."

"Oh, so you'd rather go get yourself killed? What a smart idea!" Alice's sarcasm was clear.

"You can come with me if you like," I offered, knowing she was a great fighter.

"No, I'm already dressed up!" she refused.

"Then you'll have to wait!"

An hour later, I arrived at our weapons facility. Something was off. The back door was open, yet the place seemed deserted. Then I heard it - a faint sound of footsteps approaching. I held my gun close, ready to shoot.

A shadow emerged from the darkness. "Of course," I muttered. It was him. If anyone made more noise in the underworld than I did, it was Bill.

"Are you one of those weird stalkers who can't let a woman go?" I aimed my gun at him, finger on the trigger, trying to provoke him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you act like I've been following you?"

"Haven't you?" I teased.

"Well, well, well," Bill drawled, his voice low and dangerous. "Mila, the infamous queen of the streets, thinking everyone is obsessed with her."

I squared my shoulders, refusing to show fear. "I didn't think you'd come out to play so soon and alone. You must be very brave." I mocked him.

"Play?" he repeated with a sinister smile. "I'm here to take what's mine."

"What would that be? Your pride?" I kept mocking him.

It was the first time I'd seen him face to face since our initial encounter, but he'd already managed to make a mess of my operations - killing nine of my men and taking over our deals. I was already sick of him.

There were unwritten rules. I could shoot him, but that wasn't how these games worked. Behind every killed man stood at least five more. Behind him... I feared would be a long trail of bloodshed. So shooting him was not an option, and he knew it.

He came closer, not even glancing at my gun. With one quick motion, he snapped it out of my hand. I almost let him, unsure why.

I aimed a series of punches at his chest, feeling the satisfaction of my fists connecting to his body. Bill stepped back, looking at me as if he were above me. It infuriated me.

Relentless, I jumped at him again with desperate hits. This time, he caught my wrist and pulled me close, his breath hot on my face. He was so drunk. Our faces were inches apart, but I refused to back down. I kicked him, demanding a fight.

"Is this all you've got?" he taunted, eyes glowing with sadistic delight. "I expected more from you."

I twisted free, using the momentum to land a solid kick to his side. "You talk too much," I shot back, dripping with sarcasm..

His smile widened as he blocked my next strike, pushing me hard against the wall by my neck. I gasped as the air was knocked out of me, but I didn't let go. With a quick move, I elbowed him in the ribs, then followed up with a punch to his jaw.

"You'll regret this," he spat, blood trickling from a cut on his lip. "But I'm enjoying our little dance," he laughed coldly.

The fight grew more intense. I could feel the heat radiating off him, his eyes darkening with each strike. There was an electric charge in the air, a strange, twisted connection. He grabbed me again, his grip like iron, and threw me to the ground. I rolled, avoiding a knife swipe aimed at my throat.

Scrambling to my feet, I grabbed a nearby metal pipe, swinging it wildly. Bill dodged, but it gave me just enough time to regain my composure.

He finally cornered me, delivering a brutal punch that knocked me to the ground.

"Shit! That hurt so bad," I thought.

"Pathetic," he sneered, looming over me, looking like a monster. "Is this the best you can do?"

I wiped blood from my mouth and looked up. "So, you're the one who hits women then?"

Bill's expression suddenly changed. "No, that's my brother. I hit enemies, and my enemies aren't human."

The warehouse door cracked open, spilling street light into the building. His face suddenly didn't look so monstrous after all.

Gunshots erupted in the building. He ran immediately. I ran too - in the opposite direction. You never know if those were my people or his.

The answer was both, as other side doors erupted with similar intensity. I fled the building, bullets whizzing past me. My people would handle it. Alice always took care of things her way.

I didn't stop running until I was far from the warehouse. My body ached, my pride was wounded, but I was alive.

Bill's cruelty was no surprise, but I had to provoke him to reveal his vulnerabilities. His thirst for power made him dangerous, but it also made him predictable. He was emotionally weak. Those little cracks in his cold-hearted persona shone through every time he started talking. Today I learned all I needed about him to take him down without him even knowing it was me.

"Alice, where the fuck are you?" I called her.

"I'm drinking a margarita. Well, sweetheart, did I prove my point?" Her voice was full of pride.

"What did you do?" I snapped. "Did you send Bill to the warehouse?"

"I might have given his people a hint or two..." she laughed.

"Are you sick? I could have gotten killed!" I yelled.

"Yes, that was my point! So next time you decide to go somewhere alone you think first." Her tone turned serious. "Don't worry, our people arrived way before you both did. If he'd done anything to you, he'd be dead instantly."

"Alice, I sometimes don't understand you," I exhaled heavily.

"Now, come to the city. I'm bored," she laughed again.

"Alice... I might have a black eye because of you!" I tried to guilt-trip her.

"Oh, so he does hit women? What a surprise!" She was sarcastic again. "If anyone asks, you can always say it was Matt. Then no one will have questions."

"Hahaha, sooo funny, Alice. Sooo funny..."

"What? It's not like he..." She stopped herself. "Fine, I'll pick you up and let's do some makeover magic first."

"I hate you sometimes!" I didn't lie.

"I love you too!" she replied.