What She Doesn't Know

Chapter 7

Derek entered into Mr. Moretti's office with a sense of unease. Isabella had comforted him a bit by her joking around about the personality of Mr. Moretti. Now that he was alone with two of the most intimidating men in his life, he no longer felt secure.

He jumped when he heard the door slam shut behind him. His head swiveled only to see Rafael behind him. The man he was looking at was a lot less intimidating than the man behind his desk.

Irony filled him as he thought about it due to the fact that Rafael had just defeated him in a boxing match. As if reading his mind, Rafael rolled his shoulders back while the corners of his mouth turned up in mockery.

He returned his attention back to the man who stood behind his desk. His arms were uncrossed as the palms of his hands kept his weight up as he leaned over.

Derek watched his every move, terrified of the actions Mr. Moretti would take. Derek had never done anything unlawful before; he supposed it didn't necessarily matter whether he had been in trouble with the law before as he took into consideration the actions Moretti took.

The only reason as to how Derek had heard about Mr. Moretti was because of a classmate who spoke of a man more terrifying than the devil himself. Catching Derek's attention, he asked the kid about it.

Since then, he was able to come into contact with Rafael through the boxing arena. He had asked the owner if he knew anyone that went by the name of Moretti.

He clearly remembered the anxious expression on the man's face as he pointed over to, who he knew now as, Rafael. He hadn't understood the anxious vibes the over was emitting, but now that he's in Moretti's presence, he understands full-heartedly.

"Derek," Mr. Moretti's voice reverberated through the room, "take a seat." He held his hand out to the black leather chairs that stood in front of his desk.

Approaching the chairs hesitantly, he lowered himself into the seat and was surprised by how comfortable they were. Of course, he thought to himself, this is just another way to get his prey off their game.

Rafael made his way over to were Moretti stood and folded his hands in front of his waist as he took a wide stance. Moretti had yet to sit down or to even change his position.

"Derek, you expressed quite an interest."

He sat up straight in his chair. Although he felt small and insubordinate to the men before him, he would not allow himself to express his feelings. "Yes, sir. I would like to work for you."

A slight chortle passed through Moretti's mouth; yet, his eyes held nothing but accusation. "I wasn't talking about the job, kid."

A confused expression marred Derek's features.

Mr. Moretti walked from behind his desk to the front and leaned back on it with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes set into a glare. "I need to know that I can trust you."

"You can, sir. I promise."

Moretti scoffed. "Your word means nothing to me unless I can trust you."

Derek's eyes searched Moretti's for clarification. He needed to remember that he was no longer in high school but in the real world where everything was run by the mafias. It was a necessity for him to realize that they were the ones who chopped a grown man's dick off they didn't pay for their drugs and guns and women for in full.

"I'm still not sure if I understand, sir."

Leaning forward, Moretti spoke calmly to the teen in front of him. "Your allegiance will no longer be to your parents, siblings, friends, not even to the fucking United States of America, understood?"

Gulping, Derek shook his head in agreement.

Moretti was still not satisfied. "In order to know for sure, you will be put through a series of tests, and if you fail even one, you won't see anything of this world again."

Derek shook his head in agreement again. He was practically shaking in nervousness in his chair. "What will they be, sir?"

A wicked grin crossed Moretti's face. Instead of answering, he turned back to Rafael and twitched his head in the direction of Derek. Rafael moved fluidly and stood behind the kid with his hands secured firmly on his shoulders.

Surprised by the action, Derek jerked up but Rafael kept him down. "What the hell." Dread filled Derek's system as his eyes flitted around the room to find no way of escape.

Moretti grabbed the back of Derek's head and yanked it back to hear the satisfying yelp of pain escape his mouth. Moretti's brown eyes glared into the soul of the kid before him.

It was the first time Derek felt the adrenaline of fear rush through his veins. His classmates were correct in saying that Moretti was the personate devil in the flesh. Warm liquid trickled down his leg.

Leo's jaw ticked as his nose was attacked by the stench of urine wafting its way up into his nose. His hand gripped the kid's hair even harder to which the kid clenched his teeth. Tears threatened to escape his eyes, yet he knew better than to display his emotions in from of Mr. Moretti. The kids at school told him as such.

Derek's eyes attempted to meander anywhere and everywhere else other than Mr. Moretti's deadly glare. His actions proved to be difficult as Mr. Moretti leaned closer and Rafael pushed his shoulders down further to which it caused more pain.

He felt the pressure on his head lessen and flinched when he caught Mr. Moretti's hand being pulled back in his peripheral vision. As a result, Derek clenched his eyes shut and scrunched into himself like a turtle as he anticipated the attack of a forceful hand.

A rough hand came in contact twice, slapping him gently - as if Mr. Moretti could be gentle - catching Derek off guard. He peeked through his eyes to come in contact with a cold look from Mr. Moretti. A smirk tugged at the edge of Mr. Moretti's lips.

Derek was about to ask a question pertaining to his confusion towards Mr. Moretti's actions, but Mr. Moretti leaned against his desk and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Smoke?"

Shaking his head slowly with a mixture of confusion, Derek spoke, "No, sir."

"Good." Mr. Moretti threw the pack away in the wastebasket next to the desk. "Leave. I have important business to tend to." He pulled out his phone to check the time and cursed when he realized it was getting late. He had a shipment to ship off later.

Derek looked at him with surprise written all over his features.

Glancing up from his phone, Leo noticed the kid was still there. "What? Do you need a formal invitation?" He pointed with his phone towards the door. "Leave!"

His legs set to work as they scrambled to lift his body up from the chair. He practically sprinted out of the office.

Rafael looked over at his boss. "You gonna let him in?"

Leo scratched his jaw as he thought about the correct decision to make. His eyes formed into slits, a recognizable feature that occurred whenever he thought about something on an in-depth scale. His mind measured the causes and effects of allowing the kid into the Mafia.

For one thing, the kid is resilient. For another, the kid is a pussy, pissing his pants when nothing happened to him. On the other hand, he could put up a fight, and with more training from Rafael and himself, he could be proven very beneficial to the Mafia. Unfortunately, the kid had people who loved him back at school and friends he seemed to trust. That would have to be rearranged.

The kid also couldn't hold eye contact for shit, which proved him to be what he is: a kid.