The Gang Leader's Desire

(Chapter 9) The Black Stars

I sit in bed the rest of the day eating the chocolate that Romeo had dropped when he walked in on me and Hunter, and watching horror movies on Netflix.

I keep expecting the guilt to come from hurting Ezekiel, but it doesn't, which makes me wonder if I did the right thing.

By the time dinner is supposed to roll around, I hear a knock on the door.

"Come in." I say knowing they would come in either way.

I look up as Bambi enters the room.

I smile, knowing I don't have to encounter another one of Romeo's outbursts.

"I heard what happened. You good, nothing is as traumatic as the first kill."

She must've been talking about the man I shot last night.

I nodded, "It's not as bad as you think, I don't feel any remorse for doing it." I shook my head, "I don't know, it's weird, and doesn't feel real."

"That's normal." She came closer and sat on the bed.

"It'll hit eventually, but for now you're fine."

I nodded, thinking back, watching my finger pull the trigger.

I still felt nothing, like it was a common thing for me to do, that it did not phase me.

"So, I was hoping that we could go over some of the rules you will abide by with us, along with who 'we' are." 

I met her eyes edging her to go on. 

"As you know, you have already killed and seriously hurt someone off your own actions, so if you do go to the police for any reason, you would spend a good amount of your life in jail."

I gulped.

There goes my first plan. 

"The rules, i'm assuming you could guess a few... First, no leaving unless authorized by Romeo or one of the Stars. The gang you are now apart of is called The Black Stars." She pulls her sleeve down to reveal a symbol tattooed on her inner wrist.

"You will get one tattooed on tomorrow. It's more of an act of territory and bond than an act of defiance. The 5 resembles the 5 higher powers of the gang. The Santarossa family. Which consists of Paolo, Elanora, Pipo, Alfanso, and as you know... Romeo." She lets me process it for a second before continuing. "Paolo Santarossa is the father of the family, he used to run the mafia, but passed it down to Romeo, as he is the eldest son. His wife is Elanora and Pipo is the youngest son of them all, he is 13. But they always have 5 family members."

"Have they ever had more than 5?" I ask. 

"No, they stop having kids after 3, and once the heir (Romeo) marries, they become the new blood line, and the siblings of the heir continue to add on members to the gang." She explains.

"What if their heir dies?" 

"Then the next in line would take leader."

"Don't they ever get worried that the next person in line will kill the heir?" 

"You ask a lot of questions, and yes of course they do, but it is what it is. Both brothers have a very important role that needs to be taken on, the mafia would crumble without either. They were raised for their positions, and the rest of us just hope the second in line isn't dumb enough to be greedy."

"Ok, one more question... What if the heir is a girl?" 

Bambi pauses, thinking, "I'm not sure, we have never had one."

Something about that made me want to change that. I was never a feminist or any kind of woman activist, but ever since I was brought here, I have been treated like I was nothing, and I am sure that they do that to a lot of other women, just brush them aside like they are weak toys that can be manipulated for their own pleasure. I wanted to show them that we are not just that. But I have no idea how.    

"Another rule, you cannot be alone anywhere besides your room."

"Easy enough." I say.

"I am sure you get the gist of the basic rules we have installed, so I am not going to go over them, but Romeo did enforce one more specifically for you."

I raised an eyebrow.

Oh Lord

"You can't talk to Hunter unadvised anymore."

I groan and fall back onto the bed releasing my teenage girl anger over boys.

"Why does Romeo have to be such a dad, he controls everything I do, I actually like Hunter, and enjoy my time with him, and Romeo has to take that away."

Bambi laughs and then says, "He can sometimes be very territorial with things he likes."

I prop myself up on my elbows, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Romeo has taken a liking to you, I can feel it."

"What? No way. Even if that was true, that's so unfair!" 

"It is true, whether you want to believe it or not. And I don't know if you have realized, but nothing about Romeo is fair. He doesn't even realize when he is protective, he just does things on impulse."

"Ugh, I swear to god he has like brain damage or something." I sigh.

She laughs, "He's a little off when it comes to his emotions towards people, but he is a very smart man."

"Child." I correct her.

She smirks.

"What is Romeo's deal with Hunter anyways?"

She clenches her teeth, "It's really not my place to tell you, I wish I could."

"That's alright." I say.

"But I strongly advise you not to get on Romeo's nerves, he can be very scary and violent when he is pushed around."

"Yes, I know."

"Just making sure... Also, if you break any rules or do anything that is against The Black Stars, there will be consequences, very harmful ones. I am not here to be your friend, as much as I enjoy talking to you, we are partners in this gang, and I am here to guide you along."

I nodded, understanding the terms.

I felt like I was signing my life away.

"Well anyways, here's your phone." she hands me a phone, "All of our numbers have already been put in, you can't call anyone else." 

"I assumed, but thank you."

She stands up, "It was nice talking, but I have got work to finish up, call me if you need anything." 

"Of course, thanks again." 

She walks to the door and leaves.

I turn the phone over in my hands thinking.

I never thought I would get a tattoo before.