The Mafia's Favourite Toy

t clutched the strap of her worn leather bag, her other hand gripping the pole to steady herself against the erratic lur

she wasn't even sure would pay her rent this month. The client was demanding, though the

at the garbled announcement of the next stop. She counted two mor

old laptop he was trying to resurrect, or the latest gaming console he'd somehow traded for online. She loved his restless energy, but it worried

ething about them immediately set her nerves on edge. Maybe it was the confidence in their stride or the way

sement above the seats. She could feel them though, their presence oppressive as th

uldn't come

ighting on the platform was as harsh as it was unreliable, casting shadows that seemed to re

under her breath, the sound swallo

The chilly November air nipped at her skin, and her boots click

o

ight pedestrians. Her apartment was only a few blocks away, and she told

le of the store's door, a h

d before her, dressed in a sleek black suit, his face sharp and a

said, his voice

is lips felt

ng person," she replied, st

ked. "I don'

ho was this man, and h

" she said firmly.

wo more men appeared, boxing her in. The fluorescent lights above the

it has to be," the man said, his

ce was steady, though her h

his head slightly, as if studying he

drained fr

what you're

reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a sleek ph

f a store, reaching into a cash register. Elena recognized th

orld

id he do?" s

rdening. "He stole from the wrong people. My

a step closer. "You're g

her shoulders. "I don't have anything to gi

is smile chilling. "This isn't

ice cut through the tense air, smoot

's en

Red Sea, and a figure

y, his dark hair neatly combed back. But it was his eyes that he

duced himself, as though

the Moretti family, a man whispered about in

ver her brother had gotten into, it