The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

JAXON

I tap the tip of the burning cigarette against the ashtray after taking a few drags from it. I toyed with it against the edge of the tray but the sudden wave of anger that washed over me didn’t give me a chance to relish in the satisfaction I got from it, because I was already picking up the tray and throwing it against the wall.

The small object made a crashing sound against the floor, adding to the list of the destroyed objects littered across the dark room, whose source of light was the rays of moonlight that filtered directly into the room, through the windows.

It cast a dim glow on the disorganised space of my study. I walked away from the desk, squeezing my eyes shut and then, I dragged in a breath, puffing it out slowly. It felt as if a surge of volcano erupted within me and I was struggling to keep it at bay.

Knowing every nook and cranny of my study gave me the upper hand, coupled with the moonlight’s reflection in the room. I strode to the bar, crushing every broken bottle in its wake and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring a large amount into the tumbler.

I chugged the content down my throat, all at once.

My eyes were narrowed on my phone that was on the table and I exhaled, caving into the thought of calling her. I wasn’t going to, but the more I tried to convince myself that I could get through this on my own, the harder it became.

So, with a tired sigh, I snatched the phone off the table and slumped on the chair, placing her number on a dial.

She picked up on the first ring.

“Jaxon?” She sounded shocked. She couldn’t conceal the surprise that oozed off that one word. I didn’t miss the trace of sleepiness in her voice.

Guilt hit me in waves.

I breathed heavily.

“Jaxon, are you there?” She asked and my eyes fluttered shut. A tiny part of me was beginning to regret calling her.

“I am so sorry for interrupting your sleep.” I apologised.

“No, no, it’s fine. I told you that you could call me at any time, remember?” A hint of tease hung in her voice and I knew that her drowsiness had cleared off. I heard some rustling in the background and I knew she was trying to make herself comfortable.

“I know, Kendra,” I mumbled.

“Now, what’s going on in that head of yours? Talk to me.” She implored me, her voice maintaining its softness.

“I…”

“Jaxon, breathe.” She told me and I sighed.

“Peach and I had a fallout,” I began. Memories of our fight flooded my mind in waves. It consumed that I could barely breathe. Every word. Every lie. Every tear.

I could still hear her voice.

Her smell, when I sniffed her in. His smell. It lingered around me and it was suffocating me like a leash was strapped around my neck.

The look in her eyes when I told her I loved her and how she didn’t say it back, shattered me into a million pieces.

“What happened?” Kendra knew I zoned out but she didn’t take it personal. The tenderness of her tone made it more than clear that she was ready to listen to me, not caring if it was midnight.

“Peach lied to me, Kendra.” I wasn’t raising my voice but they came out, sounding so venomous, filled with so much anger and contempt.

Her soft breathing at the other end of the phone was my cue to continue.

“She looked me in the eye and lied to me. You can imagine having someone you love with everything in you, looking you in the eye and lying to you about something they know you will find out, sooner than later.” I chuckled mirthlessly and then, it morphed into a full-blown laughter, eliciting tears from me.

I let out a scream afterwards, banging my fists on the desk.

“She lied to me!” I yelled, teary-eyed.

“Let it all out. I am here. I am listening.” Kendra cooed, assuring me.

“She has been getting texts from a strange number for days and her sneakiness made everything so obvious. I tried getting her to tell me the truth but she wouldn’t open up to me,”

“I was very worried, Kendra and I know I overstepped by having someone track her phone, to find out what was really wrong. It didn’t end there__” I paused, running my fingers through my hair.

“I found out that her ex-boyfriend had been texting her!” My voice raised an octave higher.

“Maybe I wouldn’t be this pissed if she hadn’t arranged a meeting with him. She went there without telling anyone. Not even me. She allowed him to touch her.” My voice was infused with so much annoyance and I was hauling my tumbler at the wall in no time.

“Fuck!” I cursed.

“Kendra, I love this woman. So much that it fucking hurts!” I bellowed, unable to control the tears that dropped effortlessly from my eyes.

“He’s the reason she wouldn’t tell me she loves me. He is the reason she wouldn’t say it back to me. That fucker!” I hissed through my teeth.

She chose to break the ice at that moment.

“Did she tell you that?” She asked me, knocking the breath right out of me with that question.

“Well, she didn’t exactly say anything either!” I got defensive.

“Jaxon,” Her voice was soft and clear.

“Ashley loves you, and deep down, you know it too. She loves you so much, but I think the problem here is her not wanting to admit the fact that she’s in love with a crime boss.” Nothing gave me a mental whiplash than her last words.

“How did you know?”

“I do my research on my clients, Jaxon, and you are not exactly a hard man to find.” She chuckled. The shocking part of it was how calm she sounded. She wasn’t fazed, not in the slightest. If it were another person, they would be running for the hills.

“And you are not scared?” I arched a brow like she could see me.

“If I were, I wouldn’t have accepted to be your therapist in the first place. Call it curiosity, if you will.” She said without mincing words, but there was a hint of playfulness in her voice.

I had completely run out of things to say, so I just exhaled in exhaustion.

“You two need to talk, Jaxon. You need to talk things out with her.”

“Where are you?” She inquired.

“I am in one of my other houses,” I answered, monotonously.

“Go home and speak with your wife, Jaxon. You can’t stay away from her forever. I know you miss her and I am sure she misses you too.” Her voice was laced with pleas.

“Thank you for listening, Kendra.”

“I…” my voice trailed off and it hardened. “I will do as you have said.” That was the last thing I said to her before hanging up.

I threw my phone on the desk. I pulled out one of my drawers and retrieved a gun from it, shutting it close. I rose to my feet, going over to the bar to fetch myself a glass of whiskey before leaving the study and making my way to the basement.

__________________

I kicked the door open, making my footsteps as loud as it could be. I wanted, more than anything, to notify him of my presence. I made my way down the stairway that led into the basement.

The tiny bulb that hung in the middle of the dark, empty room, highlighted his bloodied figure that was tied to a chair. He was slouching. Dare I say falling off even? A sadistic smirk tugged at my lips at how battered and bruised he looked.

Duncan was already retrieving a chair in no time, placing it in front of him and I settled on it, dropping my hand, which occupied the gun, over the headrest.

“Tired, already?” I smirked, kicking him with my leg and he groaned out in pain. His limp head slowly moved up and I couldn’t help but smile at the bruises on his face.

It was nothing too serious. Just his busted lip, and pocket knife carvings on his face. His face had dried patches of blood on it but it was nothing compared to the red liquid that dotted the floor due to cuts on his body.

His brown eyes smouldered with hate. He couldn’t conceal it, eliciting a chuckle from me.

“Go–to–hell!” His words were incorrigibles, given the numerous punches he had survived.

I smirked.

“I am already in hell, Adam.” I tutted a little, giving a dismissive wave of my hands in the air.

“Now, let’s talk.” I sat up, propping my elbows on my knees. I watched him with utmost fascination, proud of the scars on his face.

“Why did you come back? Knowing what was involved?” I asked him, arching a brow.

For the first time since we started the conversation, his lips twitched in a mocking smile, revealing his bloodied teeth. I scoffed, pushing my back to rest on the chair and throwing my arm on it. My head was tilted to the side as I waited for his answer.

“You have seen her, Jaxon. She’s like a goddess. Who wouldn’t want such a girl?” His voice was hardening bit by bit, causing me to chortle.

“Knowing the risk involved?” I narrowed my eyes on him.

“Yes, knowing the risk. I couldn’t… stay away from her for long. I knew it when I signed that contract. I am just as obsessed as you are” He paused, casting me a wary glance.

“I just want my girl-”

The rage I had been trying to bottle up since I set foot into the basement came bursting through its confines. It swallowed me whole and controlled me because one minute I was seated and the next, I was on my feet, kicking the chair out of my way.

And then, I shot him in the ankle.

An agonising scream tore through his mouth, echoing throughout the basement and tainting its silence.

“She’s not your girl!” I bellowed.

“She was never even yours, to begin with. You just happened to have a chance with her and you screwed it up,” I marched over to where he was in the blink of an eye, closing on him.

“That woman was made for me! She belongs to me! She’s all mine!” I told him, jabbing my gun into his chest and my fist collided with his mouth, causing his head to jerk to the side, accompanied by blood splutters that soiled the floor.

“Look at me!” I ordered him. He didn’t comply, so I grabbed him by the jaw, digging my fingers into it. They were piercing it really hard. Loud wheezes and groans emitted from him.

“I told you to sign that contract that day. I paid you half a million dollars, you disgusting bastards!” I spat venomously.

“What did I say to you afterwards?” I demanded from him, throwing his head backwards. When he hesitated with his answers, I fired another shot at his arm and he screamed, thrashing around in his seat.

“Fuck!” He cursed.

“I am going to ask you one more time,” my tone was dead, yet laced with an edge. “What did I say to you afterwards?”

He choked out blood, coughing violently. I was ready to blow his head off but his wheezes held me back.

“You–said–you-you told me not to come back to town anymore.” He stuttered.

“So, why are you back now?”

“Because I want her back!” He snapped at me and that took all his strength, causing him to cough out blood violently. I crouched in front of him and chuckled.

“You want her back?” I asked, amused.

“You want my wife back?”

“Is that the reason you have been texting her? You didn’t even stop there,” I clicked my tongue. “You just had to lay your fucking hands on her!” I hollered, my voice infused with so much venom.

“You never should have come back to town, Adam. You should have stayed invisible. You shouldn’t have come after my girl.” I exhaled, running my fingers through my hair.

“You think youare all that? You won’t even know what hit you.” He scoffed. A smirk made its way to his lips.

“Oh, you’ll be shocked by what I think.”

“And about what’s hitting me? I dare you, Adam Ruiz. Give it your best shot.” I said in a frigid tone.

“Go to hell,” he said coldly.

“As I said, I am already there. Come join me.” With a psychotic smirk, I fired a shot at his second ankle, eliciting an ear-splitting scream from him. I kicked the chair off its feet and he fell to the floor with a thud, his back still strapped against it.

I rammed my shoe into the side of his face, applying pressure on it. He was choking beneath my feet but I couldn’t care less.

Worse, I wasn’t even satisfied.

“I’ll see you in your next life and even if I don’t, I will find you and kill you all over again for messing with my girl.” Those were the last words I said to him before blowing his brains off.

I shot him. Non-stop, channelling my anger at his dead body because he was the reason my home was falling apart.

A look of disdain marred my face and I kicked him aside, tossing my gun to Duncan.

“Get rid of him,” I said coldly and began unbuttoning my bloodied shirt, striding out of the basement.