3– Underboss

Hunter pulled up in front of Hector King's mansion. He could see Joe waiting at the sliding gate. Joe was wearing a beige hoodie and khaki pants with white sneakers. He always had the best sense of style.

A few feet ahead, Hunter could see Joe's batted 2008 Opel Cadette parked. Yes, Joe might wear the latest sneakers and always stayed on top of fashion trends, but he seemed stuck back in time when it came to cars. He always said that the best car models were the ones made before 2009. What a joke. And since he didn't have a solid reason for keeping his worn out car that was handed down to him from his grandfather, everyone just assumed that he was stingy and didn't want to spend on gas or anything else for that matter unless it was clothes and alcohol.

Hunter got out of his 2019 Mercedes Benz and pulled off his shades as Joe raised a hand to catch Hunter's attention as if Hunter would miss him in plain sight. Hunter looked up at the blazing sun and then clumsily pulled off his leather jacket and threw it on the passenger seat. It was only 11 in the morning and the sun was already so hot.

He was wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, black and white sneakers and a black Porsche cap. He shut his car door and walked over to Joe.

“You good?” Joe asked him.

Hunter nodded and then they shook hands.

“You?”

Joe shrugged as the electric gate slowly slid open. “I'm good.” They walked into the gate. “Just hoping Hector won't get too upset about me shooting Grayman.”

“Woah…” Hunter put a hand on Joe's shoulder. They stopped walking. “You are not thinking about telling him that, are you?”

“The phone was on loudspeaker, maybe he picked it up—”

“No. I don't think so. Just don't say that. He wanted me to take down Grayman and that's what I did. Let's keep it like that.”

Joe studied Hunter for a few seconds.

“Why can't we just tell him? What if he finds out?”

“Don't be stupid Joe, how will he find out?”

“We don't even know whether or not that house had cameras. What if they do and we make the news? Sure, the world wouldn't know it was us, but King would know exactly which one was you and which one was—”

“No. We stick to the story. It was my assignment, I choose the story we tell King.” Hunter uttered. “Besides, this assignment was very personal to King. He wanted me to take down Marcus Grayman, he won't like it if we tell him the truth.”

Joe shrugged. “Cool.”

Joe was Hunter's best friend but Hunter always had a dominating personality over him, and everyone else, because although he was just part of the family and didn't really have a specific post, he was the closest man to Hector King, their boss.

The two men continued up the steep driveway ascent. They greeted the two big built security men at the door who then stepped aside and let Hunter and Joe open the front glass door into the mansion.

The mansion was typical rich people decor, with ornaments that would make one a hundred thousand if they stole and sold just one of the ornaments. But there were cameras everywhere, so Hector King told Hunter. The cameras were hidden and only a specialist would know where to find them. As a result, Hunter too had no idea if there really were cameras, or it was just a lie to keep everyone that walked into the mansion at bay.

The two men made it up Hector King's large spiral stairs. As they neared the top Hunter realized that he needed to start working out again, he was almost out of breath from all these steps.

They then walked down two passages and took a left turn in the third passage. The second door to their right was Hector King's study. On either side of the study door was a statue of an angry looking lion seated on a throne.

The study door was electric, there was a door knob and a keyhole but that was just for show. The door could be opened only two ways, by Hector King pressing the open button from underneath his desk or biometrically. There were only two people whose fingerprints were registered to unlock the door to the study. Hector King and Hunter King.

Hunter laid his thumb gently on the little blue screen until the screen turned green. After two abrupt beeps, the door slid open. Joe stepped in after Hunter.

Hector King was seated behind his desk, hands clasped, grim, as if he had been waiting for the men all morning and they were late. But no, the appointment was at eleven thirty and the men were fifteen minutes early.

“Take a seat boys.” Hector King motioned. Hector was sixty-two years old but still looked fit and younger. And since he was bald and shaved off all his facial hair, he didn't look a day over fifty.

Hunter took a seat opposite Hector and Joe took the seat next to Hunter.

Hector regarded them for a few seconds before speaking. “So, what happened?”

Hector was asking the both of them but in actual fact, Hunter was the one being addressed.

Hunter cleared his throat and said, “The mission was successful, sir.”

“I know. But there were two gunshots. Did you kill the kid too?”

“No, sir.”

“So what happened?"

Joe and Hunter exchanged looks.

"Well, the boy came downstairs while you were still talking to Grayman and then Grayman pulled out a gun and aimed it at me.”

“It's crazy that the son of a bitch was packing at that time.” Hector smirked as if that gave him satisfaction. “Must have been expecting us for years. And here I thought he was sleeping peacefully every night. Anyway, continue.”

“And then he told the boy to go upstairs and ask his girlfriend to call the police. So, I tried to talk him into giving up his gun so we wouldn't harm his child, he eventually gave in and that's when I popped him.”

“I heard two gunshots.” Hector said.

“Yeah, I shot him twice just to make sure.”

Hector stared at the two men for a while and then beamed. Even though Hunter was close to King, it was rare to see Hector smile.

“Where did you shoot him?”

“Headshot and then behind the head after he fell.”

Hector nodded and leaned back in his office chair. He looked please.

“So, what did you do?” Hector was addressing Joe now.

It was a few agitating seconds as Hunter waited for Joe to answer. Hunter knew that Joe would never stab him in the back but today he was a little sceptical. Probably because Joe was already upset about the kid story and also that he was scared that there might have been cameras.

Hunter was so close to cutting in and answering in Joe's place but then Joe spoke.

“Just backed him up, sir.”

“Backed who up?”

“I backed Hunter up.”

Hector then looked from Joe to Hunter, “I am so proud of you!”

He opened a drawer and took out a stunt bottle of whiskey and placed it on the office table.

“Go get yourselves a glass over there, boys, so we can make a toast.”

They both stood up and walked back towards the office door where the table with glasses and whiskey bottles stood. As they each took a glass from the table, their backs towards King, Hunter and Joe simultaneously locked eyes.

“Relax man.” Hunter whispered. “It's sorted now.”

“I hope so.” Joe said, giving Hunter an unsure look and then they both reverted back to King, who stood up with the bottle in his hand as they approached. He poured some whiskey in their glasses and then set the bottle back on the table.

“There's ice in the fridge but I'm drinking this clean today because today is an auspicious day.” King said. “You're welcome to get yourselves some ice but only after we make this toast.”

Hunter smiled at Joe to get him to loosen up. Joe smiled back, Hunter could see that he was still not hundred percent sure everything was now fine but he looked a lot less worried now.

“Today, we make a toast to Hunter King. For taking down Marcus Grayman after we've been looking for the bastard for nearly 12 years.

“Hunter finally took him out. I wanted you to do it because it makes me so happy seeing that little boy with holes in his jersey slowly turn into a real man. And you know how this makes me feel?” Hector King looked at the ceiling dreamily. “I can't even find a better word. Proud seems like an understatement.”

The two men laughed but awkwardly.

“And for this, I'm promoting you, Hunter King, to underboss of the Black Souls Mafia. Cheers!”

Hunter King couldn't believe his ears.

King raised his glass and then gulped down his whiskey. “I couldn't wait to do this in front of everyone. But I will make the announcement tomorrow morning. Tonight, you boys need to go and celebrate this good news.”

Hunter was ecstatic! He had dreamed and waited for this position since he was seventeen years old. In his mind, he thought he'd have to wait decades to finally get this position, but here he was, at twenty-five, being promoted to underboss. He had to G****e it, but he was sure that he was now the youngest underboss of a mafia group in all of history.

He raised his glass at King with the biggest smile he's had all year but when he turned to Joe, he did not see the same excitement reflected back. Joe looked unhappy and was not even afraid to show it in King's presence.