Chapter 1
ASHTON
Thin.
Thick.
Thinner.
Thicker.
Calmness radiated inside of me as my eyes watched the streaks of blood flowing down the floor, across the basement. My inner beast roared with gratitude for giving him the satisfaction it long desired for. My itching fingers felt the warmth radiating within them but not enough to completely stop the restlessness within me.
Blood.
Murder.
The only two things that brought me peace, that brought calamity within my world. How ironic, no? The thing that destroyed my fucking world to ashes today cocoons me in its warm embrace, allowing me to feel powerful, dangerous, and fucking ruthless.
My eyes snap at the man as his pale skin glows under the light bulb attached and his eyes gaze into mine. Half empty, soulless, tired.
But I don’t care.
I don’t fucking give a shit.
You disrespect me once? I give you a warning. You disrespect me again? I kill you.
As simple as that.
There is no in-between.
I don’t give second chances, I was never the one to give second chances.
One of the rules in my game was to fucking respect me and to not dare question my authority. I am the boss, the Pakhan, the motherfucking king, not you, not the other way round. My orders meant law and whoever decides to break it after swearing in loyalty? They fucking die.
By the Pakhan himself.
Me.
I looked into the man’s eyes who was beaten badly, bruises decorating his body, muscles peeking out of his legs when from that area, his bones could be seen. His hands, face, arms, and hair were full of blood. But ironically? My blood.
His blood was on the floor, flowing down like waterfalls cascading down from above, like a storm ravishing within the misery of people, like a fucking curtain draping over the lives of those people who once lived happily but later had their entire world burned down to ashes.
Gone.
Empty.
As if never existed.
I had been there too, and I didn’t like it one bit. I fucking hated it, loathed it, detested it. And I was on the path of vengeance. Vengeance for my own sanity, my mental health, my peace and so. Much. More.
My eyes snapped to his chest which was moving slightly with his slight breaths. Poor soul. What did it deserve to be in the body of such a bastard? What did it do to deserve having a knife being driven through itself. Very poor thing.
I looked at him again when he whimpered. He whimpered, I laughed. He groaned in pain, I revelled in his pain. This was how it worked.
You swear your loyalty to me, I give you everything.
You fucking betray me, I take away everything.
He whimpered again when I chuckled, my own voice sounding deadly to my ears, fucking satanic. I tightened the gloves around my hands, held the knife and walked up to him. He was shivering when as I opened my mouth to speak, Massimo, my second-in-command interrupted, “Boss.”
My head turned towards him, anger roaring within my veins for his interruption when I was sure I could have snapped his neck in half, “WHAT?”
He whispered the recent events in my ear when my fists clenched, my eyes turned into slits and my muscles tensed in my body as a new wave of anger raked through my body, dominating every cell within, wanting to let the inner beast lash out as dangerously as possible. My head swirled with all the possible torture I could inflict upon the bastard when my eyes went back to the bloodied man in front of me.
His eyes were a bit wide, hope rekindling in them, hoping that the news might distract me enough to let him go. But too sad, he read me a bit wrong. I always knew when to and how to manage fucking situations, one could never deter me away. Never. Fucking. Ever.
What I learned since a young age was to have my entire control over my fucking nerves. To never let them rule me as kings don’t let anyone else or anything else rule.
We had our own throne, our own power, our own fucking show. And hence? I always kept my nerves under control, never once snapping under the pressure of it. The rules were always like this: Learn to remain calm when nothing is.
So I fucking was.
I was fucking calm when I was anything but.
I chuckled at the hopeful ray dancing naked in his eyes when just as my chuckle was registered in his brain? He lost that ray too. Poor thing. Going away in hell in all black-and-white.
I stepped closer when he tried to struggle against the chains hanging him against the wall. He tried to thrash and move away from me, wishing that somehow the chains could snap, the back wall could magically crumble so that he could run away. But too late and too unfortunate. This never happened.
I stood close to him as he whimpered, his sighs of defeat leaving his body when I cocked my head to the side and looked at him, placing the blade of my signature knife on his cheek, right into the muscle that I had torn.
He had no skin, no hefty amount of blood left. Only a bit of blood and muscle. And ofcourse, bones. Bones that were peeking through, wanting to have a look at the face that gave them a chance to see the outside world. To see how fucking tainted it was, smeared with the devils, roaring with the horns. Thriving in the flames as water tried to desperately pass.
If I had to explain? This would somewhat be the definition.
He groaned in pain when more blood dripped down his chin as I spoke, my cold, dark and authoritative voice booming around the cellar, as sure as ever, as loud as ever, as fucking ruthless as ever, “I love to kill,” his eyes widened as I bent lower, coming to his eye level, “it calms me down.”
He was shivering when I dragged my knife down his neck and harshly made a cut, cutting off one of his veins when a strangled cry of pain left his mouth. Dragging it further below, I laid it over his opened chest, prying the layers apart, glancing inside as I saw his rib cage. Menacing daggers gifted his lone of sight when I chuckled, “Feels alive, right?”
A dark joke meant at such times made the mood even better. Denser, more deathly, more fucking toxic.
Satanic, as I liked.
He shivered, his entire being shivering when I clicked my tongue, “A bit late for that, no? I warned you once, and you decided to conveniently ignore. That’s exactly how I’ll conveniently ignore your pathetic whimpering.”
I lowered down till his eye level, grabbed his hair and pulled his hair back harshly as his head hit the wall behind, little jagged pieces of cut out knives attached there, his screams illuminating the chambers of my heart to see his blood dribble down. He closed his eyes shut in agony when I bellowed at him, “LOOK AT ME!”
He grimaced in anger and managed to open his eyes when I seethed out, fury dominating my veins, controlling every part of my well being as I let it take the best of me. I let my inner beast roar at me for it wanted release, it wanted to sharpen its claws and tear apart flesh and muscle when I gladly gave it the satisfaction. Not one life, but two. The other was waiting for me.
“I don’t like my commands to be questioned. I am the motherfucking boss here, not you. I command, you listen. I tell, you fucking obey like a loyal fucking dog. You questioned my commands once and I warned you. There is no second warning here. You questioned me again?”
He poorly whimpered when I let my eyes turn into slits and let him see all the anger swirling within them. He tried to beg for mercy when I chuckled, my chest rising and falling from the action.
I gave no mercy.
I was never known for that.
The Italian Mafia came under my rule, I was the ruler, the boss, the Pakhan, the fucking king. Kings never show mercy.
Mercy is shown who has a beating heart coloured with feelings. I lost that privilege a long time ago, darkness consuming my veins, decorating my walls, entering my life and camping there like a caveman. It became my best friend, my fucking toxic best friend that would drain me, weaken me, attack me but still? I would use it to be the strongest I could ever get. The deadliest to ever exist. The ruthless to be ever known. I was Ashton Romanno, and I was known to never spare once my order was out which was challenged. I gave no mercy, no pity, nothing at all. A gun in the waistband of my pants everytime and a moment that I needed to use it. Just that. I was always looking for just that.
And that’s when my eyes went to the poor bastard tied up, a wind of confusion gathering his eyes. Will I forgive? Will I eventually leave? Will I kill? Will I let go?
But everyone knew, my death count was too much. Way too much for even me to remember.
And so, tearing apart his chest flesh with my hands, I broke his rib cage, him screaming as if his skin was on fire when pulling my hand back, I plunged the knife deep inside his chest, the blade sashaying its way inside his heart as I twisted and turned and pushed it in further to properly see that organ tremble against its restraint and die.
I watched.
I fucking watched it slowly come to a stop till his chest no longer moved. Till his whimpers no longer filled the air. I watched, understood and came to terms with it.
Standing to my full height, I twisted the knife one more time before leaving it there. Turning around, I saw Massimo looking at me, his face void of any expression, completely blank and masked. Just like I had taught.
Giving him a glance, I started to walk outside, “Let’s meet Trevor now.”
SOPHIA
It was annoying.
I swear.
The morning alarm with my mother’s screams for me to wake up were seriously annoying the hell out of me. Who does that? Who starts screaming at a person right just when they wake up? Especially from a great nap I may add.
Last night was pretty exhausting as the memories and the tiredness resurfaced in my mind. I had to give three shifts just to earn extra money to make sure that no one starves during dinner or goes to sleep hungry. Mum was already getting dressed to leave for her date and munchkin was ready to go to school. My little sister is the only one I find adorable due to which I started calling her munchkin. She is beautiful, amazing, a sweetheart and to be fairly honest, the only beautiful blessing in my life, worth living for and worth working hard for. So, cutting it short, I had to do three shifts and was so tired last night that I just passed out. Today was another hectic day and I just had to get on with it.
Getting ready, I looked in the fridge to see that only Munchkin could have breakfast and hence I made it for her. As soon as the little devil giggled and ate all of her chocolate sandwich with a glass of milk, we waved a goodbye to mother and I picked Munchkin up to drop her to school. It was so freaking hot that I could feel America burning when holding her hand in mine, we started walking.
The scorching blazing heat was burning up my skin, beads of sweat were forming on my forehead, neck and on the tip of my nose. My clothes started clinging to me as to how hot the weather was. I looked down to see munchkin already sweating profusely but we couldn’t help it. We had no car, no bicycle, basically no form of any transportation, and the cab was costly and the only earning hand was me, so I couldn’t afford too much expenses after basically running a whole home. Jogging for about fifteen minutes, we finally reached the school when kissing her cheek and hugging her tightly to me, I waved her a goodbye and went to the cafe to start my day.
ASHTON
“WHAT THE FUCK?” I slammed my hands hard on the desk not believing anything I was hearing. How can it be possible? I had placed all of my fucking trust in him making him not one of the most trusted, but still somewhat of a trustworthy man I had, but I had never anticipated that he would betray me.
“Throw him in the basement. I’ll personally attend to that fucker”.
“But boss-” I threw Massimo, my right-hand man, a questioning glare and it was enough to shut him up as he quickly backed out to carry out my orders.
Five million dollars’ worth of drugs. FIVE MILLION! And he handed it over to the Russians, our biggest enemy. The fucker thought that I wouldn’t notice it but he forgot who he was playing with. I was known for being the most ruthless and cold hardhearted person alive on this damn earth and I guess it was time to give him another reminding as to on whose path of his loyalties, they lost their brains. Straightening my black button-down shirt to camouflage the blood stains, I wore my sleek black coat, readjusted the cuff-links and turned around to grab the gloves that I would use to torture him. I hardened my chin bone to add ruthlessness to my facial features and made my way out but not before grabbing a bottle of alcohol which I’ll generously pour on his open, bleeding wounds to remind him of his mistake, to remind him who he betrayed and to remind him who was the real boss.
At last, there was a reason energies left the depth of bones upon hearing my name.
There was a reason burning embers stung like a bitch upon the mere sight of me.
And at last, there was a reason, I lived up to my name, Ashton Romanno.
*
I trudged down the stairs in pure anger and hatred for him. I was trained to grow into the heartless monster that I am today. I loved to spill blood and watch people scream in agony as the life slowly left their bloodshot eyes. Especially those who defy my orders. Two things I never allowed under my rule was dishonesty and disloyalty and the fucker just did the exact same thing.
The basement was chillingly cold and dark, just the way I liked it. Reaching his cell, I nodded to the guard who opened the door for me and I stepped in. There he was. All tied up, bloodied and beaten badly. His head hung low, his shirt was ripped to pieces and I could see several blood stains on his bare, bloodied chest. My footsteps didn’t wake him up which further boiled my anger. Nodding towards Rafael, one of my guards, I instructed him through my nod to wake him up. One slap was all that was needed and he woke up with a stir.
Shakily, he raised his head and his black orb eyes met mine and I smirked to see the light vanish from within them just to be replaced with nothing but fear and complete horrors and I liked it. I liked it when people feared me. That’s just how I ruled. You take my name and people used to cower in fear. I fed on fear and drank from the goblets of vile horrors. That’s just how I am.
I took a few calculated steps towards him to slowly instill the fear within him when reaching near, I bent till my face was merely inches away from his and uttered the only deadly word in a mere whisper which I knew would send rapid waves of chill down his fucking spine, “Why?”. That was all I had to say before he started crying. Another pathetic thing to see which further spiked rage within me. I was an impatient man and did not have time for all of this movie bullshit.
I slapped him right across the face and said, “I am asking you one last time Trevor, why? You fail to give me an answer, you know the consequences.” and with a sneer I added “Alas, you were one of my most trusted men so you know what happens when you disobey me.”
He remained quiet. I gave him another minute to speak up but when his head hung low and he didn’t, I’ve had had enough. With a low growl of disapproval and annoyance I asked for my knife. The signature knife which I always use just to slash across a person’s throat once in a swift, clean motion and they will be lying dead at my feet. As slowly as I could, I started to tear his skin apart. First the arms, then the stomach and finally the cheeks. Layer by layer.
As slowly as possible, I peeled off each film of his skin for him to undergo the agony of the thin threads peeling away, so that he could feel each sting of throbbing pain in the depth of his bones.
His screams resonated through the room but they were music to my ears. It eased me, calmed my satanic murderous of a heart down when I enjoyed this particular playlist. I spared a glance his direction and chuckled. Dare to disobey me and go against my orders! I bent low and looked at him again, “I’m giving you one more minute to speak up, you filthy dog. You fail to do so………..surely you know I can do worse.” He started whimpering but I couldn’t care less. He defied me.
The fucker was too loyal to the Russians that he didn’t speak up. Rolling my eyes and heaving a tired sigh, I opened the bottle of alcohol and took a swig, letting it burn in my throat before I started pouring it on his wounds when the sound of his screams and the sizzling of his skin were assorted yet enjoyable.
I kept the torturous act for full three minutes, emptying two full bottles when I decided to give him a break. Anyone passing by would have had nightmares if they were to see his state right now with more than half of his skin gone and the rest, all bloodied and bruised up but at the moment, I needed answers.
“Trevor never have I ever given someone this much time as much as I’m giving to you and I myself am astonished as to how I gave it. You have two minutes exactly till you tell me why the bloody fuck you betrayed me or I wouldn’t stop at any lengths to torture you.” I shrugged my shoulders, “I may even end you today, so fucking speak up.” Obviously I’ll end him today but I had to use the word ‘may’ to make him think that maybe he had a chance of survival but obviously there wasn’t. He shivered but remained silent. Such a scum!
When I couldn’t take it any longer, I rolled up my sleeves, and asked for the pliers when opening his mouth, I roughly started to cut all of his teeth unequally and in a rush making him scream in agony. I deliberately yanked away his molars and premolars knowing how fucking bad it would hurt. I took one of the knives which were on the table and viciously made as many slashes and cuts as I could on his body so that his bloodied flesh could be seen.
Blood oozed out in spurts, his arms and legs shook from the pain but I wasn’t the one to stop. Raising the knife, I struck it down harshly in his open muscle when he screamed as much as his lungs could allow for the air to be screamed out. His shouts and cries calmed and encouraged me when I kept torturing the fucker. Subsequently, I felt a hand on my shoulder which instantly brought me back to my senses just to see that Trevor was unrecognizable.
There was a pool of crimson red blood surrounding my feet, he was screaming too loudly to a point where I started having a headache. My black shirt was soaked in his worthless blood. My hands were bloodied and there were beads of sweat on my face. I was breathing heavily when I decided to give him a break. If I wanted, I could kill this fucker right away. A bullet through his head was all that it would do but I was genuinely curious as to why he did what he did.
Taking a step back and cleaning my hands with a handkerchief I bellowed in anger, “Trevor, as much as you are wasting my time here it’s better that you speak up or I’ll make you pay for wasting my this time as well.” I was actually amazed to see him breathing but quiet. He didn’t give in. As much as I wanted to kill him, I wanted to know. Suddenly an idea came to me and I knew the exact thing which would make him speak up.
Turning to Rafael with a smirk on my face I said, “Bring his daughter, Elizabeth here. The one with the lung disease-” and with a pause I added, “To ME’ emphasizing the ME. That ought to shake Trevor when he suddenly brought his head up and whimpered a weak no. Obviously, I would do nothing to his girl. The child had no fault and shouldn’t be punished for something the father did and obviously I would never hurt a child or make her see any of this but Trevor didn’t need to know that.
“What did you say again?” I growled in a deep voice.
“Please no, boss. Not my daughter.”
“Who the fuck are you calling boss may I ask?”
“Boss I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was forced. I had nothing in my hands.”
To say that I was mad would be an understatement. I was furious. Furious beyond anything. Taking a deep, calming breath and in a dangerously cold voice I spoke, “Trevor, you have bloody five minutes to explain to me why the fuck you did what you did or you know………you’ll hate the consequences. Hurry the fuck up as I don’t have all day and night to babysit a fucker like you. SPEAK UP!” I roared in anger and I was glad to see him recoil in fear.
“He-he, he threatened me boss. HE-he said-”
“Stutter one more time and you’ll see why they call me the don of death. And for your fucking information, you already gave me the idea that you were threatened because being forced means nothing in a mafia until it comes with a poison of threatening. Just fucking look at you, did you speak up when I forced you? No. Did you decide to speak up when I threatened you? Fucking yes. So don’t go in circles and repeat bullshit to me with synonyms attached to it, I need the whole fucking story.”
I crossed my arms and looked at him. He took in a deep breath and started, “He threatened me boss. He promised to kill my child if I failed to provide him the drugs. I already have lost one child; he couldn’t make it into this world and I couldn’t lose Elizabeth. Especially when she was fighting her lung disease. He promised he’d hurt her and I had to protect her boss. I had to protect her.”
There was a different sort of penurious begging in his eyes, a realization that he once had of having an incoming feeling of losing a battle that was never meant to ever start in the first place if he hadn’t opened the gates. Hopelessness clouded his eyes, spread through his body and engulfed his whole heart, enough for him to destroy his own position which could easily be saved if he didn’t make such a stupid mistake.
He was an open book for me to read, as clear as glass because failures could be easily recognizable as the scent of gloom always hung over their heads, taunting them, mocking them, laughing at them with every step they took, with every breath they breathed.
It?
It fucking kills people. Rips them off of their own life. Trevor was in a pathetic state, crying, sweating and with blood still dripping onto the floor, spreading in uneven concentric circles.
I thought I couldn’t get any angrier but guess I was wrong. Taking my suit jacket off and carelessly discarding it on the floor beside me, I stepped in front of him, bent low just to be at eye-level with him and when finally, after fifteen seconds he managed to bring his petrified face up? I fucking slapped him right across the face, the sound echoing around the basement, making a big, bright red burn on his cheek. I was angry. Beyond angry. And a filthily dangerous one. My anger was always a dangerous one but it wasn’t my fault, my fucking past was.
Putting both of my hands on the side arms of the chair I spat out at him with all of my rage, “Are you really that stupid or slow-witted, you piece of a sorry pig? You work under me, under my mafia with the emblem of it burned in your fucking arm, you work under THE Ashton Romanno. The one people fear a lot. The one people hope to never cross paths with. No one wishes to disobey me or upset me. You have been working under me for thirteen goddamn fucking years you bloody asshole and you are still such a piece of worm shit that you cannot see through things?
I gave your medical fee for your child, didn’t I? I arranged a private hospital for the girl, didn’t I? I made sure that proper doctors were attending to her, didn’t I? I made sure she was being handled with care, I made sure the equipment’s being used were sterilized. DIDN’T I???” I ended up shouting in anger and he just nodded his head which was hanging low which further infuriated me. I hate it when somebody’s not looking at me when I’m talking to them. Slapping him again, I seethed out, “Look one more time downwards and I’ll personally make sure you keep looking down for the rest of your goddamn life.”
He faced me again when I growled, “Now use your words Trevor, didn’t I do all of these things for your daughter?”
“Yes boss.”
“Then why the bloody fuck did you think that the Russians can give your daughter more safety? You were under my wing constantly, your loyalty lay with me, so how were you so damn sure that they will keep their word? How were you so sure that they wouldn’t end up betraying YOU once their work was done? How were you so sure that they would keep a TRAITOR HIMSELF IN THEIR VERY OWN MAFIA?” I shouted.
The fucker was silent. I could see the million wheels turning in his head, all of them finally pointing towards the fact that I had a point. Taking in a breath, I spoke again, “They literally know you work for me and they know that you BETRAYED ME, then if you betrayed a person like me, obviously you will also betray them if some other party threatens you and this is your weak point which will make you unsuitable to be in any mafia and they would throw you out. They will never take you in as you have this weakness which is the main thing that can destroy a mafia in seconds so obviously, they would never take you in or do any bullshit, this is so obvious.
You could have come to me Trevor and you could have explained the situation to me. If I can heavily guard so many of my bases, clubs and hotels, is guarding and protecting your daughter that difficult for me? Is it too hard for me especially since I have been doing that for God knows how long? Answer me.”
“No boss.”
“Then why the fuck did you run to the Russians like a stupid dog?”
“I panicked and got scared boss. She is my only one. I couldn’t lose her. I’m sorry boss. I’m so so sorry.”
I just looked at him and saw the pathetic man inside him. He was weak, unstable and a major major disadvantage for me. No matter how much I wanted to end his life, I also didn’t want to because his daughter was in a critical condition and needed both of her parents and if she knew that she isn’t going to meet one of them ever and that he is gone, knowing how much she was attached to her father………it would crush her. It would kill her but sadly that wasn’t my problem anymore. If her father himself didn’t think about her, then who am I? If her father himself weakened the gates of my mafia, then I absolutely couldn’t do anything in this matter to save his kingdom when he ruined mine.
Yes, the girl needed him but it is very obvious that a strong mafia cannot have a weak soldier in his army. A person who could easily shake up and spill everything out? Gurgle it all out and raise his hands in surrender? I just couldn’t keep him. He had been working under me for too long so being strong should be a very easy task for him but if even after thirteen years, he was THIS weak? Then, he had to leave the mafia and the only way out of it was death. As simple as that.
I slowly bent down and placed my hands on the sides of his chair when I looked at him, “You are pathetic and as useless as any low-level mafia even wouldn’t want to keep. As much as your daughter does wish to see her father again, I sure as hell cannot put my entire empire on stake and get it ruined by a scumbag like you. I told you the day that you joined that I wouldn’t go lenient and that I hell wouldn’t tolerate dishonesty and that lesson wasn’t supposed to be forgotten till you breath your fucking last and thirteen years definitely doesn’t do the trick. What I can promise you is that your daughter will remain safe and I will pay for her medical attention but I hell wouldn’t let you leave this cell alive. It’s not in my book of rules which you were clearly familiar with.”
“But boss, my daughter-”
“Is not my problem. You should have thought of this before you took the step that you did as you knew the rules when you joined. No forgiveness over breaking any point in the million that I gave.” I then pointed my finger at him, “You betray, you pay. And you Trevor? You, so fucking will.”
I stood up when he started begging me a lot to leave him be and to let him see his daughter but for fuck’s sake. I didn’t need such weak people that could easily come under threats and give it all away. Weak people have no place in strong organizations.
And hence, raising the gun at him, I cocked it back, smirked at him and whispered, “I’ll make the price of betrayal that you pay be easy for you. Quick, sweet to me and so horrifyingly painful for you for a few seconds.” and with a bang I shot one bullet straight through his fucking head as his head was whipped back with the force until he lay dead with his eyes staring at the ceiling, with no life left in them.
I unloaded the gun and placed it back in the waistband of my jeans, turned around and was about to leave when I addressed Massimo, “Get my suit clean whenever.” He whispered a yes boss when as soon as I exited the cellar with Trevor’s dead body inside, I saw the other man in the other one sitting on the floor, locked up with hollow, sunken eyes. He had stolen my money to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. He had been receiving his punishment for six months when I decided to let him go.
Massimo followed me when I spoke, “Today I’m leaving you Matteo as the punishment is over for now. Remember this is your last chance. You fuck this up again, I’ll fuck you up worse than karma can sort your shit out. You need something? Ask me. Something is troubling you? Tell me. You are supposed to inform me as to whatever the fuck is happening around here and whatever threats you too can sometimes get. You dare to go behind my back again or deceive me or double cross me?” I waited for the shudders to go through his whole body when I completed my threat, “I’ll make sure that you are buried sixteen feet into the ground while you are still breathing. Next time, I wouldn’t give a flying fuck as to who the fuck here needs you. Either prove your loyalty or I’ll put a bullet through that useless skull. Got it?”
He shivered at I don’t know, maybe the coldness of the cell or from my voice or the atmosphere that I created but he responded a yes boss.
Turning away, giving a curt nod to the guard I took one last arctic glance at him to show how much I meant what I said and then I went up to take a shower and clean of all the blood.
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Full book is on Amazon, under my pen name, “A.ZChaudhry.”
