Chapter 4 - The Gangster Clan: A close encounter

The next morning I decided to do a little work outside, since it was a weekend. I came out of my room with a tight short and mini-top. I found my parents on the dining table.

“Looking sharp,” Dad said with a smile,

“Morning Dad,” I greeted him,

“Morning sweetheart,” he responded and continued with his tea,

“Where are you going?” mom asked from the dining table,

“Morning to you mom,”

“Morning Love,” she smiled and turned serious, “but where are you going?” she asked again,

“To work out.” I replied,

“You never work out,” she said to me,

“I have always worked out, mom. I just stopped when I came home,” I responded to her,

“Well, I didn’t know that,” she said with a hurtful look,

“They are a lot of things you don’t know about me mom. So don’t feel bad, you get to find out in no time,” I replied and Kissed both of them on the cheek, “see you later,” I said and zoomed out the front door.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” Mrs Rust, grunted as she sat down with a slump,

“No need to feel bad,” Daniel encouraged her, “You’re doing great.”

“Easy for you to say,” she spat out smacking him on his head,

“Hey…” he called but she was already upstairs. “This happens when you marry a woman stronger than you, I hope Sophie doesn’t turn out like that,” he murmured.

“I miss this,” Sophie Murmured, “When last did I exercise my born like this?” just as I was still questioning myself,

“Sophie Rust?” someone called out to me,

I turned my head left to right, but saw no one, “Seriously, I thought I just heard my name,” I murmured aloud,

“Of course you did,” The voice came again, “Sophie it’s me!”

“Me, who?” I zoomed up, “A ghost?” I whispered, is there even something like that? Right… you believe mafia exists but not ghost. Good call Sophie “Sorry ghost I’m still alive,” I yelled back.

“Ghost? Are you crazy? Look up for crying out loud.” The voice said,

“Up?” I murmured as I raised my head to find that the house opposite where I stopped to take a breath… at the balcony was “Natalie Kova?” I hurried over to the place, “hey you…”

“Hey back at you,” she said smiling,

“What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you weirdo,” Nat replied, “Please… you’re not stocking me, right?”

“Huh and why would I do that?” I responded staring at her from the ground field outside,

“Well, because you’re standing out there,”

“Seriously Nat! If you ask me if I was stocking your father…. Now that is a ….”

“Oh shut up, you’re disgusting.” she said brushing my words off, “But On a serious note, what are you doing around here?”

“What do you mean? I live like four blocks away from here,” I replied to her questioned,

“What, you live close by?”

“Yeah!”

“I didn’t know that,”

“Me neither,” I said with a smile, “Anyways come down let’s do some exercise together.”

“Is that what you’re doing?” she asked,

“Yes… It’s going to be fun,”

“I don’t know…,” she said then halted, “Fine… Just wait there for me,”

“Sure,” I replied with a grin.

Natalie, hurried and put on her gym cloths came running down from the stirs, just as she was about to open the door, “Where are you going?” A muscular voice asked from the sitting room,

“Oh Dad! Hmm nothing, just going for a run,” she replied nervously,

“A run?” he asked,

“Yes.. You know like stretches and all that,” she responded,

“Why would you need to do stretches and run outside when there is a room full of equipment for excises inside?” he ask with a suspicious tone, “Natalie?”

“Ugh .... Fine, I’m going with a friend.”

“A friend?”

“Yes Papa, a friend from school, she is waiting outside,” she said pointing to the window,

“Outside? For pit sakes Natalie, what did i tell you about inviting people to the house?” he said with a raised voice, hos expression became steamed

“I didn’t invite her, she lives like four blocks away from here,” Natalie replied to her father, a little irked,

“Four blocks?” Alexander moved a bit to the window with hands on his gun… he slide it open a little and found a surprising scene of a brat standing outside in the sun with her arms and legs in the air, he couldn’t get a clear picture of her face. Well if she is from this community, then they is nothing he can do about it, as long as she doesn’t cause any harm. Sighing, “Fine… but stay where i can see you. Understood,” He warned

“Sure dad thanks.” Natalie said and walked out to find Sophie throwing her hands in the air, “What are you doing?”

“Oh! Exercising,” I answered,

“You do realize, you are throwing punches in the air, right?”

“It’s called muscle exercise.” I replied,

“You’re wired,” she spat out

“Coming from someone who spends close to two hours getting ready for a run, that’s a compliment.”

“Shut up… beat you to the field,” she blurted out and zoomed off,

“Hey… that’s cheating,” I called out and zoomed after her.

Kova sighed as he watched his daughter zoomed off with the new friend. He turned to the guard, “I want you to find out everything you can about that girl,” he said, “I can’t deal with an inside spy right now, got it?”

“Yes boss,” he replied and left.

“Relax Alex!” Ruska steel Kova’s right hand man said from the balcony, “I don’t think anything can go wrong within the community, so, you don’t have anything to worry about.” He smiled,

“You seem so sure,”

“Of course Boss, if that girl is indeed from this community, the she has to be a child of one of the high officers, so nothing can go wrong.” He sighed and sat down on the sofa, “and besides, I think it’s okay if she had a little fun. I’ve never seen Natalie this happy,” he added, knowing that Kova would do anything for his children, ‘a gangster with a heart’ you could say.

“Have you heard from Russian?” he asked all of a sudden, with a serious expression.

Sighing, then again gangster would always be a gangster, “Yes, boss,”

“And?”

“And everything seems okay, for the now,” Ruska replied,

“Good, inform London to keep an eye out as well. Any sudden unwarranted movement, they are to open fire, understood?” he commanded,

“Yes boss,” he replied and glanced at his hand, “Do you want me to put Michael to sleep?” he requested,

“No… I’ll do that myself,”

Sighing “But boss don’t you think…”

“No Ruska I don’t think, I’ll take care of my kids myself with my rules and nothing else.” He replied coldly,

“Wow!” Ruska replied stunned, “You didn’t even let me finish,” he complained,

“I don’t need you to finish anything.” He turned his cold eyes at him, “why are you still here?” he snapped

“Right, I’m leaving,” he responded and stood up,

As soon as Ruska left, Kova turned to the wall clock and grunt, he picked up his phone, dallied Nat’s number, it rang for a while, then she picked, “where are you?” he questioned,

“Ugh…at the field dad, I told you I was going for a work-out,” A tiny female voice replied from the other end,

“Right, and I think it’s enough now, return.” He commanded,

“What? But dad, it’s not even been an hour since I left the house…” she complained,

“Your point?” he demanded jadedly

“We’re not done. I’m here with Sophie, and we still have…”

“Natalie Kova,” he called, cutting her off, “You have thirty-second to return or you’ll be grounded for life,” he snapped and hanged up the phone.

It’s not even been up to two seconds since he hanged up, Natalie came running into the house all out of breath, “I can’t believe you just said that dad, is it a crime to want to play with my friends?” she questioned,

“You are not supposed to have friends, Natalie.” He replied without turning to her,

"Why not? Since I can remember, you've always been saying that…I'm not a kid anymore, Dad. Just because I am a gangster's child, doesn't mean I can't be with other people. I want to make friends," Nat asserted, her eyes locked onto her father's, a defiance burning in them.

"And I said you can't," Alex replied, his voice firm, his expression unyielding.

“Why can't I?” she questioned, challenging him, her tone laced with frustration and a longing for normalcy.

His silence hung in the air, heavy with unspoken reasons and the weight of their dangerous reality.