Mobster Boy

3

Pic of Hideyoshi on the side >>>

"I...I want to stay with Chance." I decide after much thought. 'Since he's in charge, he's got to know what happened with my parents.' The leader of the gang is clearly appalled. It's the first genuine emotion he's expressed all night.

"What? Absolutely not. Pick one of the crew." He growls, his scowl deepening.

"Chance, you ARE one of the crew. Technically speaking." Hideyoshi pipes up, a smile on his face.

"Fair is fair." Phaedra agrees, nodding along with Hideyoshi. Sensing the odds are in my favor, I press on.

"It just makes the most sense." Visibly irritated, Chance crosses his arms and I have to fight the urge not to smile or laugh.

"Well, you..." I cut in quickly.

"I'll...cooperate. I swear." His jaw clamps shut, cold blue eyes holding mine for what feels like centuries.

"...Fine." He raises a finger, stopping me before I can say anything else. "One condition. You don't speak unless spoken to. Got it?" My eyes narrow. 'The nerve of him.'

"As charming as ever, Chance." Marcus laughs. The rest of the gang look on in interest, gauging my reaction. Swallowing a retort and my pride, I nod once. Almost instantly, Hideyoshi hoots in derision.

"Oh wow! He's already got him trained." I shoot him a dirty look, but noticing Chance's hard glare, I stay quiet. 'I can't give in. Not yet.' If I want any chance of finding my parents, I have to play along. Or else Chance might get rid of me...permanently.

"Just come with me." Chance's head twitches, gesturing for me to follow as he leaves the private casino. Caught off guard, I take one last look at the room behind me before I leave. The entire gang looks back at me with expressions ranging from incurious to amused. "What are you waiting for? Move it!" Chance barked. I try my best to keep the same pace as him, but it feels more like I'm chasing after him with his long stride. The mansion is almost dizzyingly large. 'This place is beautiful...but dangerous, like the people who inhabit it.' We take an elevator to the fifth floor, and step out into the hallway. "In here." He opens the door to the room at the end of the hall. Stepping in after him, I try to scan in my new surroundings but I'm slightly overwhelmed.

"Is this...your room?" A few details stand out to me immediately: a cello resting on its stand, and pristinely kept motorcycles propped up near the balcony overlooking the ocean with a breathtaking view. 'I wonder if the cello is just for show. I doubt it. Chance doesn't seem like the kind of man to take up space with frivolous things.'

"Tch." I'm brought back to reality at his annoyed tone. "Okay, looks like we need to go over rule number one again. If you're going to be my responsibility, you speak when spoken to. You keep out of my way. And keep your dog away from me, too." I ball my hands into fists, but otherwise don't do anything. 'Being a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu won't get me anywhere with a man with a gun.' Going over to a liquor cabinet, he pours himself a glass from an unlabeled bottle. He takes a sip, but the amber liquid does nothing to soothe the stiff set of Chance's shoulders.

"Now let's get to the point. I need you to tell me where your parents are." My stomach tightens up in a knot of fear and the postcard practically burns me through my pants pocket.

"I already told you I don't know where they are." I reply, but I can tell he doesn't believe me.

"Bullshit." He tosses it out casually, without a single inflection to his voice. "They're your parents. You expect me to believe they just walked out and didn't give you an explanation?" I tense.