Victor's Girl: A Mafia Romance

by Sparsha Kadri

  “Sorry, I got a little too excited,” she replied with no ounce of regret. Ira rolled her eyes; of course she had figured that out.

  “Can we do it later, My shift is about to end soon and by the way what are you doing here, Suhas told me you were on leave today.” and it was really not like her to come here on the day she didn’t have to work. In fact, she barely came in on the days she was supposed to work.

  “Yes I am; just stopped by to collect something from my locker and then to my surprise I saw you here and couldn’t help but come here and talk to you. I missed you know,” she left out the detail that she had thought that she was not going to be returning but now that she was back she was really glad. She took a step back letting her move around the now empty cart.

  “So, will you be working at the club as well?” she asked her as she followed her into the restroom. The memory of what had happened the last time she was here made her stomach crawl, which reminded her that she hadn’t seen the manager since morning and someone else had been filling his spot.

  “What happened to the douche bag?” she asked her.

  Kajal shrugged in response, “He resigned and left town with his family.” Ira let out a breath she did not know she was holding. At least now she can sleep in peace knowing that he had kept his promise. Does that mean he would keep all his other promises too?

  “Ira, I’m talking to you,” Kajal nudged her out of her thoughts.

  “Dude, you have a whole lot of explanation to do. So tell me what is he like?” She asked her, wriggling her eyebrow at her.

  Ira frowned at her not understanding to whom she was referring to, then she realized that she was talking about Victor. “He’s fine,” she replied vaguely hoping she would give up but she didn’t.

  “Come on, don’t be such a prude. Tell me what was he like? And by the way, he’s super-hot. I mean, like mighty hot.”

  Ira blushed as the memory of their first time flashed in before her eyes. “Yes he is hot,” she admitted shyly and Kajal realized that her friend was not going to share anything with her but she knew how to get information out of her.

  She sighed, “Fine, don’t tell me anything. At least tell me what you think about the new manager?” she asked her as she watched her change into her cute baby pink top that Victor had picked for her the last time he had taken her for shopping.

  “He’s fine, seems like a nice guy but I feel they could have considered Suhas. He was waiting for that opportunity so bad.” this was completely true. After the unplanned departure of their former manager, they had thought or more likely hoped that Suhas would be appointed as the new manager but the owners had brought in a new one instead.

  Kajal shrugged, “Not everything happens the way it should, love. Anyway, we still have a lot of time so maybe we can catch some Chinese food before going home?” Ira wanted to decline but it was not every day that they got a chance to have some girl time.

  “Fine, but we will have to hurry up. I need to be home before 8:00.”

  She frowned at her, “Is he keeping tabs on you?” She demanded her tone laced with concern,

  “What, No! Stop asking such ridiculous questions, okay. He’s treating me right in every possible way, period.” Ira shrieked in disbelief, her voice all defensive and annoyed. One thing that she had always liked about Victor is the way he treated her. He didn’t demand her or try to dominate her but instead, he took good care of her without rubbing it at her in any way. God, he’s such an angel.

  Kajal held her hand up in mock surrender; she had never seen Ira like this before, it was both cute and a little bit unsettling to watch her like this. “Okay tiger, you are acting like a protective Mamma Bear, that’s cute,” she told her, her voice laced with amusement. Ira sighed; of course, she hadn’t missed the amusement in her voice.

  “Can you wait for me outside, I’ll sign the attendance sheet and meet you there,” Ira asked her, keeping her around would simply mean more questions. At least in a restaurant she can stuff her mouth with food and avoid talking at all. She collected her things and went to the manager's office to sign the attendance sheet. The new manager had left early in the evening so she was saved from the awkward pleasantries.

  She walked out of the store from the staff exit and found Kajal waiting for her with an unreadable expression on her face. “Why that face?” she asked her with concern only to realize that they were not alone in the shady alleyway. Ira felt the presence of an unfamiliar man standing about a foot away from her; she curled her eyes to the side trying to get a glimpse of the man through her peripheral vision.

  A tall man dressed in dirty jeans and a grey shirt stepped out of the shadows flashing her his yellow uneven smile. He studied her from head to toe and his smile widened. “They didn’t tell me you were this hot; no wonder why that bastard is so smitten on you.” Ira glanced at Kajal and found her backing away, great now she was going to abandon her here alone?

  But then she gestured to her to do the same. The guy looked a little too drunk but she was not willing to take the risk. She took a step back carefully making sure she does not make it obvious. But it was too late he had already got alarmed and that's when she noticed the knife in his hands. Panic washed through her and with a sudden burst of adrenaline she turned on her heels and ran as fast as her feet could take only to be grabbed by her hair.

  “Shouldn’t have done that little slut, now I…” he did not get to finish his statement as he was plucked off her and smashed into the pavement. She turned around and found Kevin standing behind her with an unreadable expression on his face and four other men standing behind him. Her eyes met with his for a brief moment and he glared at her, “Go get inside the car now,” he demanded pointing to the awaiting Range Rover and she did not think twice before doing as she was told.

  CHAPTER 18

  “Who do you work for and why did you attack her?” Kevin demanded as his men pinned the scumbag against the wall. They had dragged him back into the ally so that they could deal with him in peace. God, that girl was trouble with capital T. Ever since she had walked into their lives all she had brought in was trouble. First, she distracted Victor and now she’s making his boys run around the city playing hooky.

  The man spat at him, “Like you don’t know.” He grunted letting out an unnecessary menacing laugh which did not make him look one bit intimidating but it did earn him a hard punch on his stomach.

  Kevin rolled his eyes, “I’m not a twenty-year-old girl to scare me off with that third grade acting of yours. So stop wasting my time and tell the name of your master or I will have to put this bullet into that thick skull of yours.” he warned him, gesturing to his gun resting on his hand.

  The guy visibly paled at the sight of it which was odd because he was a fucking assassin which meant only one thing that those morons had sent some random lowlife for the job. Did he really think he would be getting out of this without a scratch, he had dared to mess with Victor and now he was about to see what happened to those who messed with him.

  “Okay fine, I’ll tell you the name but don’t kill me.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed his face. He turned to Paul and gestured to him to start. Paul took out his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and opened the camera app. He clicked on the video option and pressed the record button, capturing the footage of the live confession. Victor was very particular about maintaining evidence so that tomorrow his actions would not be questioned, not that anybody dared to question him.

  The man looked around with wide scared eyes not understanding what was going on. Kevin shrugged, “I have a lady waiting for us in the car and Victor will not be happy if we make his girl wait.” he told him, trying his best to keep his tone calm and composed. Honestly, all he wanted was to unload all his bullets into his skull and go home.

  The man whimpered like a dog as he tightened his grip around his throat. Did he really think he could put his hands on Victor's girl and get away with it? “M-Markus.” He blurted out a
nd the minute the name was out of his mouth his fingers moved to the trigger and he shot him three times.

  He let go of his lifeless throat and the limp body dropped to the ground. “Get rid of the body and clean off the DNA evidence here, especially hers. Get the CCTV footage of the camera around here deleted. See if there were any witnesses and take care of them.” he instructed Paul who simply nods in response.

  He stepped away from the body and wiped his gun with his handkerchief and put it back into his jacket. ‘So much for an uneventful day,’ he muttered under his breath and made his way towards the car. The girl was waiting in the back seat and he let out a sigh of relief at least she did not try to run away or do anything stupid.

  He opened the back passenger door and slid into the seat next to her. “Roger, straight to the club.” He instructed and the driver turned on the engine and put the car into motion. He turned his attention to the lovely young girl and sighed, she really was beautiful no wonder why Victor was so obsessed with her if she was his, he would be too.

  “What you did today was extremely stupid. If I wouldn’t have followed you here you would have been dead.” She cast her eyes down not wanting him to see the shame in her eyes. He was right; it was really stupid of her for not taking the threat seriously. She had never really understood the depth of the mess she had created until now.

  Her stubborn desire to stay her ground had now cost a man’s life. She was not an idiot; she had heard the gunshots and the bloodstains on Kevin’s clothes were enough for her to know what might have happened. Kevin noticed the uncertain look on her face and he knew that his words were impacting her. Good.

  “We had to put him down, to send a message that anybody putting their filthy hands on you would not be spared,” he told her in a feeble attempt to make her feel better. He knew that this was the second murder she was witnessing, and it surprised him how a young girl like her could be this calm even at a situation like this.

  “You didn’t have to kill him,” she argued and a smile cracked into his face.

  “This is how things work in our world, Doll. Get used to it because things like this will keep happening and there’s nothing anybody can do about it,” he told her in a no-nonsense tone. If she was going to be a part of their world let her get familiar with their way of life.

  “He adores you, you know,” he stated after a long awkward stretch of silence. He felt bad for being a jackass to her earlier. She sighed, “I know that,” she replied, she closed her eyes and leaned into the plush leather seat trying to fight back the tears that threaten to escape her eyes.

  “Then trust him, I’ve never seen him like this with any girl the way he is with you. When we told him that you were not in the penthouse he panicked and only relaxed when we found your note. He sent me here to keep a watch on you and bring you back home safe.”

  “I don’t understand what you are trying to tell me.” She told him honestly, of course, she knew that Victor cared about her. She cared for him too, scratch that she loved him. She loved him so much that his darkness did not bother her, she didn’t care about what kind of a life he lived. The only thing that bothered her is that he probably was not ready for the future she wanted with him.

  “Because you have no idea what you are doing to him. I don’t know if it’s good or a bad thing but you are distracting him from his job.” he closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, “You are making him week and that’s not good for any of us…” he paused when he saw the look on her face, crap did he say too much?

  Ira did not utter a word, she didn’t know what to say to him or if she should say anything at all. She didn’t know if whatever he had just said was a hate-filled rant by a jealous best friend or was he telling the truth, a part of her didn’t really care about it. Her sole focus remained on how she was about to face Victor.

  A huge part of her knew that she was in a lot of trouble; he had strictly warned her last night about not doing anything stupid and yet she had gone behind his back and done exactly that. She had broken his trust and the guilt was eating her up from inside.

  They spent the rest of the drive-in silence and the minute they reached the club she practically ran out of the car and into the building ignoring Kevin’s demands asking her to wait for him. After her awkward conversation with him, there was no way in hell was she going to spend even a second more with him.

  It was no secret that Kevin was not a huge fan of her and tonight he just confirmed it. She took the elevator to the penthouse and found Victor waiting for her in the living room. He was pacing around like an angry predator and an unfamiliar expression haunted his beautiful face. She hesitated to go to him for a brief second but then their eyes met and all her doubts faded away.

  She ran to him and put her arms around his neck capturing his lips with hers dragging him into a quick passionate kiss. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her engulfing her warmth into his arms. All the worries and uncertainties he had been feeling was gone as her perfect lips drew him into her spell.

  He slowly released her lips and pressed her into his chest sucking in a heavy whiff of her intoxicating scent. He was so scared that he had lost her but now that she was in his arms everything was fine. He held her close to his chest for a long minute completely lost in his happy daze until realization hit him square on his face.

  He pulled away from her instantly, his eyes burning into her’s. He was furious; she had broken his trust by leaving even after his clear instruction to not go out on her own. He noticed the uneasy hesitation in her face but he did not care. When he says something he expects his words to be taken seriously.

  “Explain yourself, Angel. Why did you leave when I had clearly asked you to not to step out of the penthouse till we sort out the situation?” he demanded, not bothering to mask his annoyance.

  She paled at his tone and for a minute she could not find her voice, “V-Victor I can explain,” she stepped close to him trying to hold him in her arms but he took a step back shaking his head. She had never seen him this furious before and the worst part was she totally deserved it.

  She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, “I was worried that if I don’t go back to work I might lose this job as well.” she told him honestly. Anger shot to his eyes and his lips pressed into a thin line, “So what? I’m taking care of you as well as your family so why do you need this job? As long as you are mine you don’t have to worry about anything.”

  “What will happen to me when you get bored of me and leave me? I was only trying to…” she paused realizing that she had just said that aloud.

  Victor’s jaw clenched and his fingers curled into fists, “Is that what you think of me?” he roared his voice booming with rage. She did not miss the hurt in his eyes and it was now that she realized the harshness of her words.

  “You think I’m some kind of a moron who is using you for sex? Is that what you think of me?”

  Tears rimmed her eyes as she realized how ridiculous her thoughts were and how stupid she was to actually bring it up. “Look that’s not what I…” he raised his hand gesturing her to stop right there.

  “Answer my question, Ira. Is that what you think of me?” he growled letting his anger surface.

  She swallowed hard, all the arguments that she had planned in her head made absolutely no sense to her anymore and she shook her head in defense, “No, I don’t.” she told him honestly.

  “Then why did such a thought even enter your mind? I never stopped you from anything unless it was for your own safety. Then why did you even think that I’m using you?” he demanded, calming down a little.

  “I was scared okay, all of this is perfect too perfect and I’m scared that one day I will wake up and everything will be gone,” she told him honestly.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and for a minute he did not know how to react. Should he be mad at her for assuming that he was taking advantage of her or take her in his arms and assure her that he had no intention of letting her go, ever
?

  “What I’m I to you Victor?” The question came like a blow to his gut and he stared at her with wide blank eyes. What was she to him? He did not know. This was the one question he had tried to avoid from the day he had first laid eyes on her.

  No girl had ever made him feel the way she did and after what had happened today he knew for sure that this girl meant so much more than a usual affair yet he did not have an answer to her question. A part of him did not want to give her one. He feared that she would leave him if she realizes he was not capable of giving her what she wanted from him.

  He quietly stared at her watching a number of emotions cross her beautiful face but one emotion that stood out was sadness. Her sorrow-filled eyes burned into his, demanding him for answers, answers that she probably was never going to get. More tears rolled down her cheeks and he was heartbroken to see her like that.

  “Say something please,” she pleaded; her words barely a whisper but he still would not answer. He just stood there like a statue, his eyes cold and distant. Her heart sank as the reality finally sunk into her. “What I’m I to you Victor?” she demanded again, her tone filled with authority, a tone that made him flinch in disbelief. He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, “I don’t know,” the words were out of his mouth even before he could think it through.

  She took a step back and then another and then another. She had made her choice and this time she was going to stand by it. If he wanted her then he had to tell her what she meant to him or else she would spend the rest of her life with the mere memory of the relationship they shared, but she would never come back to him.

  “Where do you think you are going?” he demanded snapping back to reality. “Away from you.” she shot at him her words wrapped in pure pain. “Find me when you figure out what I am to you.” She turned around and walked back to the awaiting elevator ignoring his demands to come back to him.

  CHAPTER 19