Tessa's eyes widened so much on the ground, unable to believe her hot red ears.
The silence is deafening right now, obviously because no one expected that kind of turn.
The mobsters had their mouths hung in a circle, and the faces of the others showed how shocked they were.
"Did he just say that?" Rook muttered.
"You heard right" Nichole replied beside him.
"Something seems off," Blaze said.
"Who cares? He's in!" Bullet shrugged excitedly.
Rachea is currently unsure of how to feel.
Everyone in this clan is aware that Enzo is cautious and calculative to a fault. He never does anything without a profitable reason, so this is just bothersome.
As for Usman, he's busy wondering why Enzo suddenly changed the rules all for Tessa.
Is there something he doesn't know?
This only made his hatred for him grow stronger, and he might just kill him faster than he had planned.
Bianca just smiled and left the place, then Sin followed her.
Tessa looked up slowly, sweat still cascading down her face to her neck.
Her eyes met with Enzo's, and she surely saw him smirk again.
It's like the smirk is part of his face whenever their eyes meet. This will be the third time he'd be witnessing it, and she wondered why, even in her spent position.
"To your feet" he ordered, and she gulped.
Will she be able to stand up with the way her legs and arms are aching and shaking right now?
She started trying to stand, but she fell back.
Dante who has been silent finally spoke up...
"Are you seriously taking him in? HIM? Look how weak he is, and he didn't even pass the simple trial"
He was giving Tessa a bitter look as he said each word.
"You know you seriously don't have to talk, right Igor?" Enzo faced him.
"Or what?" Dante scoffed.
"I am the head trainer here, and this is my ground. On my grounds, you follow my words, my rules!" Enzo spat authoritatively, his eyes lit.
Dante went silent, and Enzo smiled...that poisonous one.
"You have the full authority at the clinic, and you don't see me complaining. Push yourself off my business" he said.
"This isn't over" Dante replied, storming out of the place.
Eight immediately followed him, and then the crowd started thinning as mobsters started leaving too.
Tessa tried standing again, and this time, she did it successfully, facing Enzo who was like a mountain in front of her.
She couldn't help but smell his scent in the chilly morning air.
He smells woody like this season..like winter... He smells like snow, and it's cold.
His eyes levelled her up, and she moved uncomfortably under his scrutiny.
His eyes are like fire, and it's like he's staring right into her soul. It's uncomfortable, but she never once looked away.
She stared back at him, eyeball to eyeball, and Enzo's brows tightened meaningfully, squeezing her in.
She jerked like she remembered something immediately.
"Thank you...for taking me in," she said, smiling a bit before bowing.
"Properly," his chilly voice said, and she looked back at him quickly.
He's glaring now, and it's not friendly.
He has never looked friendly. His expressions could compete with the devil's, but this one is scorching.
"I mean...I..
She stopped talking at this stage so she won't blabber rubbish, then her eyes found Rook and Nichole in the crowd.
Loud-mouthed something to her, and thanks to her sharp instincts, she got it immediately, so she faced Enzo fast.
"Thank you, Master" she bowed, and Enzo looked down at her through his lids...
"Your training starts tonight," he said, and her eyes widened.
"But... But...I...
He was already walking away before she could finish the statement, and she had to bite her lip so hard.
She has not recovered from her aching limbs and legs, so starting training tonight means death.
"You made it, bro!" Rook joined her with Nichole.
He hugged her before she knew it, and she reciprocated, smiling.
"Thanks for the support," she told him.
"What are friends for" Rook chuckled, releasing her.
"Welcome to the clan," Nichole said surprisingly.
"Thank you, Nick" Tessa smiled, and then Bullet and Blaze joined them.
"Hey, pretty boy!" Bullet beamed.
"You're the twin warriors from yesterday," Tessa said delightedly.
"Twin warriors?" Bullet frowned.
Blaze stayed silent, it seems she's an introvert like Nichole.
"Sorry, but you both love wearing the same thing, and your auras match. You look like twins" Tessa said.
"We're besties" Bullet replied.
"I knew it," Tessa said cheerfully.
"But hey, you're so damn hot," Bullet said bluntly, and Tessa smiled awkwardly.
"Thank you."
"Can we have him all to ourselves? He's our roommate" Rook pulled Tessa to his side.
"But he'll be training with us. He's our master's boy anyway" Bullet said, winking at Tessa.
"See you at night, it will be fun!" She added, leaving with Blaze.
"They must be really good," Tessa said as she watched their retreating backsides.
"Yeah. They're the best snipers in this clan. Whenever they hold a gun, they don't miss. You're lucky you'll be getting trained by them" Rook said.
"Seriously?" Tessa's eyes brightened.
"They'd teach you about guns, Master Enzo will take care of the fighting part" Nichole spoke
"But my body still aches from the press-ups, and he told me training starts tonight" Tessa replied.
"Then you need a massage, and I'll help with that" Rook held her shoulder from behind, and Tessa grinned, leaving the ground with him and Nichole.
On their way out, they walked past Racheal, and though no words were exchanged, Racheal's eyes communicated with her, and she smiled before going out of sight with the boys.
Racheal stopped and sighed, her mind heavy with thoughts.
'I hope you survive with me, baby sis' she thought.
*
CLAN POOL*
Though it was designed for everybody, Bianca took over already, so no one has access to this place except her.
It's her favorite place to be, even more than her suite. She spends most of her time here.
There's a dartboard glued to the wall at the other end of the room, and she practices her arrow plays there.
Every child of the Ivanov family has something they're specifically good at since they were kids ...
While she's good with arrows, Mira handles knives, Sin handles the hacking, and Dante handles needles and guns.
And as for Enzo...
Apart from pottery, there's hardly anything he can't handle.
No one trained Enzo like the rest of them.
Enzo only woke up one day when he turned ten and decided to become untouchable, and he did it.
He trained himself, and that's why she'll always respect and look up to him.
Just like everyone else, Enzo is her favorite sibling.
She released the third arrow from the bow, and it flew to the dartboard, hitting the center.
She smiled satisfactorily, water dripping from her bikini bra.
"Bravissimo!" A playful voice said behind her, and she turned with a scowl to see who she expected.
Sin.
It's like he has something against clothes cos he's still wearing only his shorts, and it's hugging his midsection tightly, his cock protruding.
"Go wear something, asshole" Bianca rolled her eyes and started walking out of the pool.
Sin stood by the edge, and she raised her hand. He took it and helped her out, then he picked up a towel immediately, throwing it at her face.
"Sinclair!" She shouted, taking the towel off her face with a glare.
"I hate my full name and you know it. Sin is hotter" he winked.
"Oh please" she wrapped the towel around her waist and sat on the recliner, fingering her wet hair.
Sin settled beside her.
"What do you think Enzo is gonna do with the new guy?" He said.
"Micah? I think he took him in because he tried. Come to think of it, he did 99 out of a hundred, it counts" Bianca replied, taking another towel to start drying her hair.
"Enzo? Come off it Bianca, we both know he never bends his rules for anybody or gives anybody a chance. He's a tricky bastard" Sin said.
"Whatever. I just hope he didn't take him in to kill him" Bianca shrugged.
Sin took the head towel from her and started drying her hair for her. She relaxed and enjoyed his hands
"Is there any mission tonight?" She asked.
"Yeah. Enzo is meeting the Wild Boars with Bullet and Blaze" Sin replied, and instead of drying her hair, he suddenly tied the towel around her face.
"Sinclair!" Bianca sprang up, but before she could control her feet, she fell back into the pool.
"Enjoy the rest of your day, Bianca" Sin laughed, walking nonchalantly out of the place.
Bianca struggled for a minute before she was able to untie the towel, and she threw it away, cursing Sin under her breath.
"Can't believe he's two years older than me, thak skunk!" She spat angrily.
*
DANTE'S SUITE*
Mira was smiling knowingly as she took each step closer and closer to the suite, and when she arrived at the door, she didn't bother to knock before opening the door, but before she could go in, Eight came out.
"Dante is currently busy, you can't see him," he said straight, and she relaxed her face.
"So I have to book a meeting before I see my brother now?" She said expressionlessly.
"You can come back in an hour" Eight insisted, and she smiled, suddenly raising her hand to his face.
Immediately she touched him, and he stepped back, but she pulled him back to herself with the front of his shirt, their faces almost touching.
"You know what I like about you? Your bluntness. What if I tell you I want you as my bodyguard instead? Would you leave Dante for me?" She whispered, her words hitting his face.
"No" he replied bluntly again, and she released him, pushing him back with her full palm.
"You're garbage" she muttered.
"Thank you" he replied, and she relaxed her face again before talking...
"The Wild Boars' mission, tell him mother handed it to Enzo already," she said, and before Eight could answer, Dante stormed out of the suite.
"What the fûck did you say? The mission was mine from the beginning!" He spat
"Not my problem" Mira crossed her arms behind herself, walking away.
Dante ran off, all the way to the house of Ivanovs where the parents' office is.
As expected, he met Yulia on the seat, but Sergei was nowhere to be found.
It's even better cos he's worse than Yulia, and Yulia is the one he wants to talk to anyway.
"What do you mean by the mission is taken away from me, mother?" He asked, and the woman looked up from the pile of papers in front of her.
She slowly removed her glasses, smiling with her lips.
"I thought we made the rule that greetings come first before any conversation?"
"Don't even talk about rules right now when you're breaking them too! The mission is mine! Take it back from Enzo and give it to me!" He yelled.
Yulia rested back on her chair, giving him a critical look before speaking again.
"Wild Boars can't be handled with slippery hands like yours. I changed my mind only because I didn't want you to get hurt, Dante"
"But I can do it!! It's been two fuçking months since I went on a mission! It's always Enzo, Enzo! Enzo! I feel fuçking useless!" He yelled.
"You're still not over your jealousy of him?" Yulia lifted her brows, her words coming out with much ease.
"Mother!" Dante snapped.
"Out, Dantr" she sternly said, her eyes changing.
"Mother...
"Dante!" She hit her palms on the table, and he scoffed before storming out of the office.
He was fuming and boiling as he walked away from the house, his palms folded on each side of him.
"I'll destroy you, Enzo. Wait for it"
*
5:30*
Dinner was taking too long to come, so Tessa decided to visit the kitchen by herself.
She needs to load herself with enough food before her training starts tonight, and she can't risk it.
She was on her way to the kitchen when Usman crossed her, and she sighed.
"What again?"
"You managed to get in, Micah, and it's all good, because you'll be dead soon," he said with a toxic smile.
"I'm starting to get tired of the suspense too. When are you killing me?" She replied, faking a scared expression, and he came closer, leaning into her ear to whisper...
"Keep acting superior like that, but always remember I'm stronger than you, and that's not for joke," he said, and Tessa blinked as he left her, walking away.
She stood there for a moment too long, then she made faces, mocking his expressions, then she noticed a blade stuck on the wall.
It's the blade Enzo threw at her.
She moved closer and removed the blade, then she started checking it out on her fingers.
It's so damn sharp and slim, still stained with her blood, and she felt the chills.
He threw this at her? What if it gave her a deeper cut?
What kind of human is he?
As if to answer her, Bullet and Blaze came out of their residence, and they got in a black sports car together.
Enzo joined them, putting on a black leather jacket as he walked towards the car.
Rook talked about the Wild Boars' mission... Are they going for it right now?
He looked her way, and she quickly stood at attention, saluting him like a soldier.
She cursed herself for doing that immediately.
Enzo smirked the devilish smirk again for the fourth time before getting in the car
He drove out with the girls, and Tessa dropped her hand from her head slowly.
Was that stupid?
Yes.
And what's with his smirks?
She smirked too, imitating him before continuing her journey to the kitchen.
*
A DOCK, 7 PM*
The black car pulled to a stop on the rusty ground, and Enzo came out with the girls at the same time.
The clan trades with several cartels, and Wild Boars are one of the biggest, so this is not their first meeting, but The Pakhan sensed a wrong click at their end, which is why he sent Enzo instead of Dante to avoid unnecessary mishaps.
The two girls stayed on his right and left side, and the sound of the waves crashing against the pier rent the air as he rested in the car, occasionally checking the time on his pocket watch.
He's getting impatient.
"I kept wondering why you took Micah in when he didn't pass. You don't do things without a reason" Blaze broke the silence.
"Of course I don't. I'll keep the reason to myself...for now" he replied point-blank.
"He didn't do anything wrong, did he? Are you planning to kill him?" Bullet asked quickly.
Before he could give her a reply, Wild Boars appeared.
They're supposed to be five like their usual number in past meetings, but it's just one man right now.
Despite that, Enzo straightened up, zeroing his eyes till the man got to them.
"Where are the bags?" Enzo questioned.
"I'm afraid I'm not here to trade today, I only wanna talk" the bald man replied, adjusting his coat.
Bullet made to attack him, but Enzo stopped her with a glare, so she stepped back.
"And you think I'd leave the comfort of my manor and come here only to talk?" His arctic eyes returned to the man.
"I don't think it's forbidden to talk to your trading partners once in a while. It'll be a harmless talk, in my car" the man replied seriously.
"Lead the way" Enzo replied, and he did.
The girls tried following too, but a rise of Enzo stopped them, and they stayed back beside the car, watching him leave with the man.
He walked behind him, taking each step with glaring nonchalance, and soon, he saw the man's red car waiting at the other end of the dock.
"I guess you parked your car that far for a purpose" he knowingly said, and the man turned back to him.
"Yeah, and also because we'll never be entering. The only place you have the right to enter right now is hell. Goodbye, Enzo Ivanov" he smiled, and Enzo looked around.
Just like he suspected, the dock is surrounded by the remaining Wild Boars, all aiming for him with their handguns.
He looked back at their leader in front of him and let out a satanic chuckle before holding his shoulder.
The man froze at the grab, and Enzo leaned in...
"It's a pity you're going to hell before me. Bye" he whispered, and the man's eyes widened as something beeped in his pocket.
When he was talking to Enzo beside the car earlier, Poe slipped a lightweight time bomb into his pocket without his knowledge.
He started panicking as he tried to remove it with shaky hands, but immediately Enzo stepped back, and the bomb exploded, blasting the man to pieces.
His arms, head, legs, intestines... Everything went scattered on the dock ground, and at the same time, his team surrounding the dock began firing.
Bullet and Blaze retaliated almost immediately, bringing them down as bullets began raining like crackers.
Enzo got his gun and covered himself with one of the dock pillars, shooting from there and bringing them down too in large numbers.
Bullet and Blaze might be the best snipers in the clan, but he taught them, and that makes him the brain behind everything.
He's the mastermind of the best, so together, the three gave Wild Boars a freak show, and three minutes later, they all went down, leaving just Enzo and his girls at the now bloody dork with bodies lying around them.
"Thanks for telling me to plant the bomb, master" Blaze smiled.
"Their whole cartel should be wiped out, for real," Bullet said.
Enzo only entered the car, seething with undeniable rage as the girls joined him.
Blaze drove them out of the dock, and Enzo glared throughout the ride.
The fact that Wild Boars did this boldly only means they have support from other cartels
They didn't do it alone, and slowly, he'd bring everyone involved in this attack to their knees.
Blaze drove into the clan an hour later, and they already met Sergei waiting in front of the house of Ivanovs.
The girls returned to their residence, but Enzo went to him, and the man looked up to him.
"As expected?" He asked.
"You're not the only one with enemies in the underworld after all. They were solely after me" Enzo replied, his voice thick.
"But you took them down, as usual" Sergei smiled proudly, patting him on the arm.
"I'll handle the rest. I know where to tackle" he said.
"No. I'd like to handle this myself" Enzo replied, and Sergei nodded at him.
He finally left, and Sergei smiled again before entering the building.
From a distance, Dante stood with Eight under the shadow of an orange light.
"He obviously got attacked," Eight said.
"What do you mean? I would have taken them down too if I were me who went on the mission. Leave father and mother to their biased preferences, I'll get back at them soon" Dante replied.
Eight sighed, his breath heavy.
*
GENERAL TRAINING GROUND, 10 PM*
Rook and Nichole sat at a safe distance, watching the interesting scene in front of them with keen faces.
Bullet and Blaze are currently teaching Tessa how to use a gun, and she's catching on so fast to her amazement.
She mastered the use of a handgun within an hour. Blaze taught her that one.
Right now, Bullet is teaching her how to use a sniper rifle, and it's heavier than she expected.
She was breathing heavily as Bullet balanced the merciless metal on her palm.
"Control your breaths," Bullet told her, and she held it, focusing on the red dot.
"Regulate your heartbeat" Bullet addressed again, stylishly rubbing Tessa's neck.
Tessa tried to regulate her heart rhythm, and her eyes focused again.
"Think of someone you badly wanna kill with a sniper, and pull the trigger" Bullet's final order came, and Tessa closed her open mouth.
She shadowed her eyes at the red dot, and she conjured up the image of her bastard ex-boyfriend as the target.
She pulled the trigger, and it flew straight to the red dot, hitting the target.
"Yes!!!" Rook sprang up ecstatically.
"You're good, Micah" Bullet stroked Tessa's hair fondly, and Blaze smiled.
"You're better than I thought"
"Thank you" Tessa smiled proudly.
She can't wait to tell Racheal about this.
"Buddy!!" Rook finally got to them and hung his arm on her shoulder like his habit.
"I'm proud of you Micah" he winked.
"You're doing well," Nichole told her, and she stuck her hand with his.
The girls had to retire to their residence after that, then Rook and Nichole had to leave to rest early since they have a mission with Sin tomorrow.
Tessa waited at the ground for more than an hour, hoping Enzo would show up, but he never did.
It got worse when it started snowing, and she's not a friend to cold at all.
Luckily for her, her jail room was secluded when she was still in jail, so it was warm, and now she's not having it at all.
She stood and started jogging around the ground to blow off some steam, but she couldn't keep up for long before coming back to the starting point.
She went down in position, and despite the pain tearing through her aching limbs and arms, she began doing press-ups again.
She hadn't even arrived at 20 when the ache became unbearable, so she made to stand...
"Continue" the inhumane voice came behind her, and she swallowed.
When did he even get here?
She waited for hours, and he had to arrive at the wrong time?
"Yes, Master" she replied with difficulty, continuing the exercise.
The cold ate deeper and deeper into her system, and the more she pressed, the more she grunted.
She got to 35 and made to rest her arms...
"You do that, and you're out of the clan. I took you in, and that only means your life belongs to me," Enzo's firm voice said behind her, and she gulped again at the meanness.
"But I...
"You wanna get stronger? Then show me what you've got. Go on" he ordered, and she breathed out, steam escaping her mouth as she continued despite the pains.
The cold got worse, and she started thinking about what it'd be like to die of hypothermia.
She's gonna die at this rate and this motherfûcker here won't give a fûck.
At the same time, she wants to get stronger.
Didn't she come here to achieve that?
'You came to get stronger, not to die' the annoying voice in her head boomed, but she ignored it and continued her exercise.
Her elbows shook as she did the fiftieth press-up, and it felt like her heart would burst out of its confines.
She's hot and cold at the same time.
She's shaking and red, too...
Everywhere is dark, and at the same time blurry...then white...
Her eyes closed, and she fell, passing out as sweat bathed her skin and snowflakes filled her hair and clothes.
Enzo's movements were slow as he walked to her, and immediately his pair of brown boots settled beside her, he crouched beside her body, and his lips twitched so fast as he stared down at her.
"Micah?" He said, running his droopy eyes through her body thoroughly.
"Could have fooled me" he muttered.