Prologue 2

AS soon as Jasira rushed out of the house panting heavily, she suddenly stopped breathing heavily, her eyes scathing the environs for grandma Cara.

She turned left and looked down the street, turned right as well, and when she saw no sight of her, she took off.

She could hear the loud screaming and banging of the door being made by uncle Zach, and she smirked, that serves him right.

She continued running non stop till she was out of the streets. It was late evening and the atmosphere was airy, and the environs quiet and lonely. She smiled, that was exactly what she wanted.

She had ran so far off when she sighted a group of people running out from a particular direction on the opposite, and running towards her.

Huh? She stopped with a start, her eyes scanning through. What exactly was going on? 

She decided to go have a closer look, at least have an insight of whatever is after you before you begin running, right?

"Little girl, will you come back from where you are heading to?" An elderly man running out said to her.

She stopped and took a cursory glance at him, she sighted a drop of red substance on the collar of his white t-shirt, and wondered if it was really blood.

"Shit!" She cussed and continued running further.

As she ran, she ran passed groups of people running out, men, women and children alike. They were all screaming at the top of their voices.

"Jasira, get back", someone from the running people shouted.

"Huh? Who knew her?" She asked herself but never stopped as she kept her pace, running towards the scene.

The dirty roads were covered with various pieces of papers, shattered glasses, rotten fruits, dirty clothes and other stuffs.

Just then, she heard a gunshot, she flinched and abruptly stopped. Another gunshot followed, and she smirked.

Finally she got to the scene, right before her was Diamond Bank— the only bank available on the street.

People had already deserted the environs, just few men patrolled about the bank.

She studied them, they were heavy muscled looking men, all masked and carrying different kinds of weapons.

What! She instantly ran to a huge pickup van which parked by, just a few metres away, and crouched behind it. Then from her hideout, she clearly viewed everything.

The huge glass door which served as an entrance to the bank had already been broken, the security lights which always shone outside every night had been shattered into pieces, two of the bank's vehicles which were parked outside, had been damaged beyond repair.

My gee, this wasn't ordinary, or just a normal incident, then instantly, it hit her. These men are robbers, and they are robbing the bank, presently, like in her very eyes, jeez!

Then sharply, as if on instinct, she turned to take a good look at the van which was hiding her, boldly on the van was written; The Mambas Organisation.

Holy moly! She gasped. Mambas Organisation? Crap! That was one of the mafia gangs in their street if not the whole of New Jersey, not just one, it was the leading gang, the most powerful mafia organisation, being headed by the most fierceful mafia Lord ever known, Lord Lucario.

She had heard so much about him and his mafia gang, heard from her grandma and from the ‘johns’ she serviced. They always talked about him, and his gang, and how powerful they were.

And she guessed they were even more powerful than the police, because all operations they went, were always never interrupted by any security.

No one ever dares stand in their way, they always get what they want and get away with it.

Now, the fear of this organisation was the beginning of wisdom. Why had she not listened to the elderly man who had first asked her to turn back? Or to the unknown voice that asked her to get back?

Aw gosh! This was her last now, she was gonna meet her waterloo. How was she gonna escape?

Her legs were already aching as a result of the crouching position she had taken. She looked at the bank again, the men patrolling about were still there, patrolling.

No, she must have to leave, somehow or anyhow. Still in her crouching position, she began crawling towards the other end of the van, to see if there was any escape route.

As she moved, her right leg stepped on an almost broken glass, and it finally shattered, emitting an unpleasant sound into the still silence of the evening.

"Who is there?" A coarse voice asked, startling her.

She gasped, cupping her mouth with her hand. Who heard it? She kept silent.

"Who?" The voice came again, followed by the creaking sound of the opening door of the van.

Jeez, there was someone in there? Crap she never knew. The person who had earlier spoken, finally jumped down the van.

They were now on either sides of the van, Jasira on one side, and the intruder, on the other.

She looked towards the bank, the robbers were still busy, without thinking, she jumped out of her hideout and took off the opposite direction into a dark alley, and the man turned.

"Hey you, stop right there", he called and ran after her.

With all the strength she could muster, she ran having no knowledge of where she was running to.

The man suddenly took a sharp bend, taking another direction opposite him as well, and in a few minutes he caught her in his arms, she had actually ran into them.

‘Holy crap!’ she cussed and with a hard force, kicked her right foot into his bulging stomach.

"Ouch!" He mouthed and released his right grip from her, crutching his stomach.

Now she was partly free, mustering all her might she pulled out herself from his left grip and with a force, crashed landed on the floor.

"You little bitch", the potbellied man said as he lazily walked up to her still holding onto his stomach.

She instantly got up with a flash looking intently at him to know his next move. She was breathing heavily.

"You like that?" She asked, winking.

"Mmmmmh", he growled, still staggering.

Then her perky eagle eyes caught him stealthily slipped his left hand into his trouser pocket and in a flash, she kicked the hand off, a pistol fell out, and instantly, she smashed into his balls. 

"Ahhhhhh", he shouted into the silence of the evening as he felt stars coming out of his eyes, and then he crashlanded with a thump to the ground, his hands crutching where she had smashed into.

"Freddie!" Someone shouted from behind and she turned to behold a masked man coming towards them.

"I… am… dying", the man on the floor said, wincing in pain.

The masked man ran up to them and stopped, breathing heavily. He looked from Freddie on the floor to Jasira who just stood fearlessly, watching.

What! What bravery?

"How dare?" His coarse voice asked.

She instantly crouched down to pick up the pistol which had fallen from the man on the floor and he plunged forward, and in a daze, held her two hands in capture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The robbing operation was still going on when Mawthie decided to come out of the bank, to see how situation was outside. He came out in good time just to see Freddie, the one who had driven their van, jumped out of the van and rushed behind it, huh? What was that?

Then his eyes instantly caught something, like a figure dashing into the dark alley close by, and he watched Freddie followed, and then he joined them.

From a distance, he watched as the figure kicked at Freddie, and so much defended, trying to protect herself. Damn! This soul seems useful.

She had kicked off his hand which he had slipped into his pockets probably for a gun, then bent down to pick up the gun, and right there, he knew it was done for.

Instantly, he rushed towards them. Freddie was now lying on the ground, crouching his abdomen.

"Freddie", he shouted and ran up to them.

The little figure tried picking up the pistol and he rushed forward and kicked it off, then in a flash, held her two hands in capture.

He looked into the face and freezed, jeez! It was a female!

⚔️ The Mambas Organisation ⚔️

Lord Lucario sat on the largest midieval in the posh living room, a large hookah on a long side table beside him, as he smoked heavily.

Three men, dressed in long black cloaks stood around him, one sat opposite him, they were all muscular and heavily looking.

The large long doors opened and Mawthie entered, dragging along with him the little girl he had captured from the operation that night.

Lord Lucario watched as the little girl fought relentlessly to free herself from his grip as she was dragged along.

He walked up to the mafia Lord and took a stand right in front of him, then bowed.

"My Lord", he said, and left the girl, then took his arms behind him.

"Speak", Lord Lucario ordered.

"This little girl was found during the operation lurking around the scene, I have brought her to you", he said.

Lord Lucario snorted, then puffed out some smoke.

"So, did I send you to bring me a girl, or I sent you to bring me money? Huh?" He asked, his cold voice echoed in the room and Mawthie cringed in fear, even the little girl felt it.

The little girl stared intently at the most dreaded mafia Lord, Lord Lucario. Gosh! So this was him? Finally, she has met him huh.

"My Lord, I brought her to you because I felt she would be useful, I mean, you needed to see the way she had fought, and tried to protect herself. Freddie is in the sick bay as we speak because of her", he explained.

All the men in the room instantly snapped their heads at her.

Hmph, Lord Lucario scoffed and glanced at the supposed brave girl to take a proper look at her, she stood fearlessly, not cringing at his voice, not cringing at the sight of him, she just stood and watched on.

"Hey little girl, what is your name?" He asked her.

"Jasira", she shortly replied, looking straight into his eyeballs.

Lord Lucario was stunned and taken aback by her boldness. She didn't cringe or freeze as others have always done, she just stood there, fearless, staring directly into his eyes.

"Jasira who? Who is your father?" He asked, his dangerous perky eyes scrutinizing her.

"I don't know my father", she blurted.

Huh? Everyone in the room was taken aback, including the mafia Lord, who the hell was this brave little girl?

"You what? Then how did you come into the damn world?" He asked.

She blinked her eyelids.

"My late mom had birthed me while she was sixteen, she was a whore and so didn't know who had put in the sperm which gave birth to me", she said carelessly.

Jeez, who the hell was this girl??

Lord Lucario adjusted on his seat, then flinged away the pipe of the hookah he was putting into his mouth.

One of the men standing beside him quickly picked it up, and kept it on the small center table.

"You said your late mom? Meaning she is dead," he said and Jasira wondered if it was a question or a statement.

Well, she replied him.

"Yeah, she had given birth to me untimely. According to the story I heard, she fell from an upstair window while trying to protect herself from fire, because the house had caught fire. She died at the spot, but I was saved, and kept in the incubator till I became matured", she explained intelligently.

"Mmmm", Lord Lucario said nodding his head, admiring her high intelligence.

"Who told you the story?"

"My grandmother Cara", she replied.

"You live with her right?"

She nodded.

"Yes, but under bondage", she said the last sentence in a whisper.

He couldn't take his perky eyes off this little genius.

"So, what were you doing around the scene where the Mambas Organisation had gone for an operation? Aren't you scared to die?" He asked bluntly.

"Death is inevitable, Lord Lucario, nobody can escape it. It can come knocking at your door anytime, and besides, what am I still living for?" She rhetorically asked stretching out her arms.

Holy moly! The rest men gasped, Lucario was just dumbfounded.

"Jasira?" He called.

"Yes", she shortly replied.

"You will be in my custody, for daring to lurk around the scene of my operation. Mawthie", he called.

Mawthie who had already settled down on a couch got up instantly and ran to him.

"Yes my Lord", he slightly bowed.

"Take her away, to the basement", he ordered.

Mawthie obeyed and took Jasira along with him on the lead.

"We need her, she is a bundle of intelligence", he said to the others and they nodded in agreement.

*

*

🐝 Next Morning 🐝

Jasira sat on the setee gulping down the plate of omelette and vegetable pasta in front of her, she rushed the food with a haste.

Well don't blame her, it's been so long she ate something this delicious, the last time she ate this kind of food, was at old Sara’s house.

She had slept so peacefully the previous night at the basement in Lord Lucario’s mansion, bothering about nothing.

It was the most peaceful night ever. No Grandma Cara, no ‘johns’, nothing. Just a peaceful night.

She had woken up this morning and dashed into the bathroom, only to come out and saw some clothes on the bed and food on the center table.

With a towel tied around her, she began checking out the clothes and a young girl entered.

"Hi, I'm the maid", she said.

Jasira turned to see a beautiful young girl dressed in a uniform and holding a laundry basket.

"Good morning ma'am", she greeted.

"Morning, those are new clothes for you on the bed, and your food on the table. Lord Lucario sent them", she said.

"Oh… thank you", she had said smiling.

The maid then nodded and walked out of the room.

She was still eating when Lord Lucario entered, so quietly like a ghost.

He stood in silence and watched her eat so voraciously, he shook his head.

"Want more?" He asked.

Jeez! She looked up at him with a start, when had he entered? She studied him, now that she could see him properly.

He was huge looking, had dangerous perky set of eyes, slightly bearded, and tall, his face a little bit disfigured with scars. He was putting on a black cloak, and the cloak made him look more huge.

"Um yeah…" she gushed even before she could stop herself.

He snorted.

"Good morning Lord Lucario", she greeted.

He walked closer to her.

"Morning girl", he unruffled her hair.

"I will ring the maid to get you more", he said then sat on the setee opposite her.

"So, tell me about yourself Jasira", he said.

Ugh! Tell him about herself? How? What exactly?

"I have told you virtually everything you should know about me yesterday", she said.

He scoffed.

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Twelve," she shortly replied.

He nodded knowingly.

"You are too brave to be twelve", he snapped.

Just then, the door opened and the maid entered, carrying with her a tray. Huh? Jasira's mouth fell wide open, when had he rang her?

She walked up to them and bowed then dropped the tray on the table and left.

"Here, help yourself", he said to her.

"Thank you Lord Lucario", she said and drew the tray close to her, then began eating.

"You aren't going back to your grandmother," he said bluntly, expecting her to flinch or cringe.

But she didn't, instead her face broke into a smile. Jeez, he was taken aback.

"I'm grateful," she said.

Huh? Did she just say that? Like, she's willing to live with him, live with crime, live with someone this dangerous huh?

"Do you realize the implication?" He asked.

"Living with me is dangerous, you might not survive it", he said to her.

She looked up from her food and stared at him.

"It is better than being a whore, a thousand times better", and she turned back to the food.

"Jeez," he was forced to mutter.

He dipped his hand into the deep pocket of his cloak and took out a revolver.

"You know what this is?" He asked.

She looked at the revolver and then at him.

"Something I can use to blow off your brains within seconds," she replied licking her lips.

Jeez! Lord Lucario was more than mesmerized. His lips broke into a smile.

"Holy Moses! I so need you," he smirked.