_cjma Mafia Story

Chapter 17: Finale

The next head of mercenary? CJ? What's happening??

You stare at CJ, hoping for an explanation, but his head is bowed down in shame. Where's his father? Your heart stops as you think of the possibilities. Did Gwen force CJ to kill his own dad, then join her? What exactly happened?

The crowd cheered at the announcement and soon what you could only describe as a party had erupted in the garden. CJ stood next to Gwen as she interacted with the people, but he remained quiet, beaten. Eventually, Gwen signals the guards to send you and Fash back inside. You see Gwen and CJ briefly argue before he walks up and tells the guards to leave.

He brings you down to a bare room that has bars on the windows.

"CJ, what happened? Where's your father?" You ask, begging him to reply.

His eyes fill with sorrow as he refuses to return your gaze.

"I had to make a deal. To protect him, to protect you. It was the only way she'd let him go."

Your heart sinks. He offered his servitude in exchange for our lives. 

"CJ, I'm-" you pause, trying to find the right words. "I'm so sorry. When I called your father, I thought I was helping us get out. I hope you know I wasn't working with Gwen." 

You feel rage build up inside you. Gwen played me. She tricked me but I'm the one who walked right into her trap. You can't tell if the rage is directed towards Gwen, or yourself for being so stupid. CJ could probably tell where your mind was going, as he reaches out and holds your hand. As soon as you feel his hand, your anger washes away. You look up at him, but he still refuses to look back at you, yet somehow you know he's still there for you. You squeeze his hand, hoping that'll give him enough strength to carry on. 

As he leaves, closing the door behind him, you can't help but let out a little "I love you". He pauses for a while, looking at you, before closing the door. You hear the keys turn as he locks the room and you are suddenly left alone with Fash, once again. You slump onto the bed and close your eyes, trying hard not to let any tears form. After a while, you doze off, but are quickly awakened by Fash, who is crouched by the door.

"Y/N, come here, you need to listen to this." From the bed, you can already hear muffled arguments, and as you approach the door, the words become clearer. 

"He'll never be loyal to you, not when that girl is still around. If you let her go, like you promised, he'll just keep looking for her." said a stranger's voice. 

You hear Gwen reply. "I'm not killing an innocent girl. Besides, making him angry will only cause problems in the future. Who knows what he'll do." Surprisingly, you can hear fear in her voice, as if she's scared of what this stranger will do. 

"My dear Gwen," says the voice, but the words that would usually have been considered endearing sounded like poison, filled with hidden threats. "Do not forget who put you here, who opened your eyes to your father's betrayal. The deal was that you would take CJ out of the picture so that my son could take over as head of the clan." 

At those words, your blood runs cold. His son?  Before you have time to think, you hear the door unlock. You and Fash rush to sit on the bed, as Gwen and an older man walk in. Gwen looks incredibly unhappy as she walks forward.

"Y/N, Fash. Allow me to introduce Mr. Vasquez." Paolo's father? He orchestrated all of this to get Paolo in power? 

Mr. Vasquez smiles, probably at the shocked expression on your face. "Yes, I'm Paolo's father. You must be the girl he's been talking about." He takes a step towards you, but Fash intercepts him. Fash opens his mouth to say something, but before anything can come out, Mr. Vasquez swiftly punches him right in his wound, leaving him gasping for air. You let out a small whimper as he stands right in front of you. You look over to Gwen, who now refuses to meet your gaze.