| Sep 23 - 03:03:32 |
|
| Post Reply | Post new topic | Page: 1 |
| Passion | Started by: Marietta on Aug 28, '08 22:55 |
|
Early morning was always quiet and serene in Detroit. Before any of the city vehicles started causing congested traffic, before any of the factory workers started their daily grind, before any of the mobsters began to commit their crimes there was a one or two hour window where the city held an unbreakable silence that Marietta Rossi adored. In her early years of her crime life she would often wake up from her restful slumbers and walk the streets alone, gazing at the darkened, gray buildings that towered above the pavement below, or often ducking into a diner for a quick cup of coffee and a small muffin on the side. Her love for those hours of solitude had not changed in the slightest since she had moved to the city and started up her own crime syndicate, though her morning routine had. Delilah and Lily, her two closest friends and associates, had forbidden Marietta from walking alone and without a guard ever since a small assassination attempt upon her life had sent the entire family into an uproar. Though she had protested many a time she was fine, the girls had thought otherwise. Finding bodyguards to be too imposing on the solace she so often sought she had bartered until they all settled on an escort from her own crew. Yuri Kazakov, a transplant from Russia with only a very basic grasp of the English language that proved to be quite comical at times, was to join her in her travels. For the most part Yuri allowed Marietta to her thoughts, which is why she so readily accepted the man. He had begun his post earlier that week, and so far today was no different than any of the others. The overcast sky caused a slight chill to the air as the pair walked along, Mari nibbling at a muffin and Yuri walking with his hands tucked deep inside the pockets of his slacks. Neither of them spoke except for the occasional comment on a business or building they passed. As they neared the Detroit River they slowed down their pace, taking their time as they ducked down an alley and began to make their way back towards the headquarters. What happened next took both parties completely by surprise. Marietta grinned to herself as she took another bite of her Blueberry Delight from Pino's Bakery, thinking to herself that maybe Yuri wasn't as bad company after all, when a sound echoed from behind them; the sound of footsteps and something metal being dragged upon the dirty path of the alley. Exchanging a glance with the Russian, Marietta slowly turned on the spot with wide eyes, digging with her gloved hand into the pockets of her warm overcoat, searching for her handgun. "RAAAAAAAAH!" A man in shabby clothing immediately sprang towards her, screaming and raising a crowbar above his head. "GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY!" he shouted before swinging the metal rod towards her blond head. Holy hell! Inhaling sharply and jumping backwards to avoid the blow, a piece of the muffin lodged itself inside of Marietta's throat. Her eyes widened as she realized she was choking, and coughing hard backed away against a dumpster, dropping the rest of her breakfast. Yuri, always quick to take care of danger, strode forward and wrapped his hands around the man's throat, backing him into the side of a brick building. The man's face began to turn purple and he dropped the crowbar, grasping at the bear-like grip. "Let... go!" he gasped. With a puzzled look Kazakov turned his head over towards Marietta. "I let go?" Staring at him in horror Mari shook her head yes. With a glare at the assailant Yuri released his grip and dropped him. The man immediately fell to all fours and began panting heavily as her Russian companion turned back to her. "Boss lady OK?" No... Marietta wheezed, pressing both of her hands to her chest in a gesture for choking. Help... can't breathe... "I help, Boss lady." Walking over to her he raised his hand and pulled her away from the dumpster, bringing his fist down upon her back. The impact caused Marietta to cough in surprise, a piece of muffin flying out of her mouth and skittering away down the alley. Taking a deep breath of air the green-eyed woman stood up straight and stared at the soggy piece of bread. Oh sweet Jesus that was scary. Moving her line of vision from the pastry she turned to view the culprit who had tried to mug her. Tough guy, huh? she said, curling her lip and striding over to him. Pulling her leg back she launched it forward to give the man a swift kick in the stomach, causing him to moan in pain. "Haven't you heard of never kickin' a man when he's down?" he said, tugging on her ankles and trying to pull her down with him. Yuri moved immediately over, grabbing the man by the back of his shirt and lifting him to his feet. "OK, I kill now?" he asked simply. "NO!" the thug responded, his hands still pressed to his stomach where Marietta had kicked him. "Please, please don't kill me." Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest she stood in front of the dirty man and shook her head. You just tried to attack me and take my money. Why should I let you live? The man's eyes began to rove around the alley, from the dumpster to a bag of rotting fruit, to Marietta herself. A strange look crossed his face as he pulled one of his hands from his stomach and pointed at her. "Hey! Yeah, hey! You're that dame! The one that just got made Mob Boss of Detroit, right?" With a tiny blush creeping up on her face Mari signaled to Yuri to let the man go. He did so, dropping him back to his knees and stepping between Marietta and the thug. With the Russian man between herself and the strange man she still did not feel safe, so she took a few steps backwards until she was a comfortable distance away. Yes, that would be me... "Gee," he said, scrambling to his feet and attempting to fix his hair with hurried hands. "I didn't mean any harm, Miss. Just a case of mistaken identity, that's all." He attempted to flash a winning smile towards the pair, straightening his clothing and shuffling awkwardly. Mistaken identity, huh? Marietta said, feeling no good-will towards the man. Whatever. Just make sure it doesn't happen again if you know what's good for you. Nodding at Yuri she turned to continue on her trek back to the headquarters when suddenly the man spoke up again. "Hey, hey! One second!" Raising her eyebrow and turning back to the man she leveled him with a stare. This better be good. He fidgeted for a moment, putting his hands into his pockets and tilting his head. "Well, ya see, I a'int got much going for me other than crime, really, and I was wondering, since you got yourself a family and all..." Blinking several times Marietta gave a small laugh. What, you asking for a place in my business? "If you would be so kind to oblige..." Ha! Fuck no! What do you think I am, stupid? You just tried to smash my face in, kid. Why in the hell would I let you into my crew? "Trust me," he said with a shit-eating grin. "I'm a real valuable asset in things like this." With a loud, exaggerated scoff Marietta took a few steps closer. Oh, is that right? Explain to me how you're valuable for something other than target practice. You've got two minutes. The man blinked a few times and cleared his throat. Silence echoed for a few seconds later. Impress me! Don't waste my time! Marietta snapped, tapping her foot on the ground in impatience. "Oh! Uh... I'm really loyal and trustworthy!" She shook her head in rejection. Any trust I would've had for you died the second you picked up that crowbar. And loyal? Loyalty is over-done. Everyone thinks they can be loyal and then stab you in the back, or in your case, in the face. "Bah. Don't let that one little mistake ruin us, sweets." Narrowing her eyes into slits she shot invisible daggers at the man, causing him to gulp and kick his foot against the pavement. "I uh... I have tons of experience." 'Tons'? If you had tons of experience you'd already have a job, asshole. Try again. "I make a good amount of money!" the man said with a smirk, looking up at her once more. ...Do you? Is that why you're wearing a... Marietta wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes at the man. What is that, a burlap sack? "These are my working clothes." Uh huh. Besides, I make plenty money on my own. That's not all I'm looking for in a potential employee, you know. "I'm reaaaal good with a gun! I could be one of your, whadda ya call 'em. Hit men." He made a pistol with his hand, snapping his thumb towards Yuri and making a small "pow!" noise as he did so. Yuri furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at Marietta. "I kill now?" Shaking her head at him with a frown she turned back to the punk. I highly doubt that you're good with a gun. You missed me with a crowbar, what makes you think you could hit me with a bullet? "That was just unfortunate timing on my part, sweetheart." Don't call me sweetheart. "Understood, miss." There was a slight lull in the conversation where the three of them stared at each other. Marietta bit the inside of her mouth to keep from saying anything catty, but the way things were looking this day was not starting off on the right foot for her. Thinking over the meetings that she had lined up for that afternoon she eventually broke the silence with a sigh. So is that everything? "Well I dunno, you gunna let me join?" Ugh. Look kid, I'm sure you're good at demolishing cars or packing bags of apples or whatever your day job is, but the thing is, you just don't have what it takes to be apart of my organization. His mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?! Why not?! I said, Miss, I'm loyal, I make money, I can shoot..." Yeah, but that's not the problem. Where's your zest for life? "My what now?" he said, his shoulders hunching as a confused expression crossed over his face. Marietta sighed again and waved her hand around casually, grasping for the words to better explain what she was trying to say to the man. The... oomph you put into your every action. The absolute love and devotion to waking up every morning in this lifestyle. Eagerly running off to commit your crimes because for you, there is nothing better and nothing more than this Thing of Ours. Like, tell me: what do you see yourself doing with the rest of your life? "I, uh, well, I think I want to make money..." No, not what you want, but what you want to become. "I want to become a member of your crew. ...That the right answer?" No. It's not. This is exactly what I'm talking about. You can't see past the end of your own nose. I want people who have the drive to succeed, who want to make something of themselves. The type who set goals and accomplish them, for me, sure, but mostly for themselves. "Yeah yeah, I can do all that. But I'm trustworthy, too..." You really don't get it. I don't care if you can make money or shoot. Everyone else I have back at my building would do that stuff too, if I asked them. Hell, if I just wanted money and people who could carry a gun I could go on down to the docks and purchase some. Men and women like that are a dime a dozen. "So what's the problem, then?" Kid, what I want are individuals who can be different. I want to be approached and be 'wowed' straight away. I'm looking for people who can set themselves apart from the million other ladies and gentlemen trying to make it in the mob life. I want mobsters who are well spoken, eager and who love every single part of this life. I'm not looking for an army of money making Hit men. I want individuals who can add their own distinct voice, their own original ideas into helping me shape the family- and the rest of Detroit- into something special. Does that make sense? The man stared blankly, his face screwed up in concentration. "Long story short..." Long story short no, sweetheart, I don't think you're what we're looking for. You're just as forgettable as many others are. "Damn," he said, kicking a pebble against the brick wall opposite him. Marietta gave a small smile and nodded her head. Today's not your day, apparently. Best of luck to you. She turned once more to walk away when she suddenly heard the scraping of metal against pavement once more. Whirling around she caught sight of the man trying to raise his crowbar above his head to strike her, seconds before he was tackled by Yuri. Fuck kid, you ever learn your lesson? He responded with a grunt, Yuri using one of his hands to press his face into the pavement. His legs kicked out at the Russian in an attempt to struggle free, but the man was ready for him, standing up and dragging the man with him. "I help Boss lady." Yes, thank you, Yuri, she said, straightening her coat and looking down the alley. We should probably get going now. It's getting late. "OK. I kill?" he asked, nodding earnestly. Marietta couldn't help but grin in spite of herself. Do what you have to, she said with a laugh, turning for the last time and walking the length of the alleyway. "No, please no!" she heard the kid mutter before a loud gunshot echoed off the buildings around them. The woman didn't stop walking until she had reached the sidewalk once more, glancing to the left and right of her and admiring the business. Silently Yuri joined her, tucking a gun into the waistband of his jacket. Kids these days, eh? Mari remarked, shaking her hair off of her shoulders. No respect, and certainly not enough passion. Well, he had passion, but the kind to kill me, not be an asset. Her mouth twisted into a frown and she took a deep breath, the morning air slowly beginning to turn; the sun beginning to burn off the cold. "Stupid," Yuri nodded in agreement. She smiled up at the man. You're exactly right. He was stupid. It'll take a lot more than just a smoke and mirrors show to be an important member in our faction, was the last thing she remarked before the pair resumed the rest of their morning walk. |
|
| Report Post | Tip |
| Settle down, young lad. I'd get a sponsor or a little more ranking before approaching Marietta again. You might regret it! You got spunk kid, I'll give you that. And you seem to want to show respect, but some of us in her crew might take offense to a no-name civilian with a presumptuous spirit. We're a little protective around these parts if you catch my drift. | |
| Reply by: SMITH-X at Aug 29, '08 14:10 | |
| Report Post | Tip |
| yeah you do sound like your patronizing her then being a kiss-ass, my advice stay silent denver untill you gain some knowledge | |
| Reply by: jet_li at Aug 29, '08 14:49 | |
| Report Post | Tip |
| Post Reply | View All Threads | Page: 1 |
How much do you want to tip for this post?
Minimum $20,000
Minimum $20,000
