Bob

My phone rings as I'm about to leave my office to help Melody with cleaning the diner. The caller I.D reads Jason Blunt. I roll my eyes and contemplate if it is worth picking the call because I know he is just going to feed me with excuses.

My real name is Daniel Stone, but I go by the aliases Bob Stewart and Vladmir. Regular folk know me as Bob-the charming and charismatic owner of Bob's Eat 'N' Grillz, but in my other world, the mafia world, I am known as Vladmir, the ruthless mafia boss of the Sidenno Mafia, one of the biggest mafia families in the United States.

However, I stepped down temporarily and let my brother take over while I focus on other business ventures. This does not stop me from getting involved in the administrative duties of our organization: I make sure the shipments of our weapons are brought in on time, oversee the sale and delivery of drugs in the black market and I'm a weapons specialist.

Jason is our go to guy when it comes to the delivery of ammunitions and drugs. I don't know how that kid does it, but his 'products' are top notch and he is always on schedule too. However, there seems to be a delay in Beijing so my ammunitions are late. It's been months now and I'm getting impatient and angry. Time is money and I do not tolerate tardiness at all.

Jason is lucky my henchmen didn't blow his brains out on Sylvia Street that fateful night. The only reason why he's still alive is because he is the best of the best and I only want one thing-the best.

I answer the phone angrily. ''Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't send my men over to your house right now and kill you.''

''Okay, Vladmir listen. It's not what you think. I already told you that the shipment got delayed in Beijing a-and I-I'm sorting it out. Please give me more time,'' he pleads. All I've ever given him is time.

''Jason, I believe I've given you enough time. Where are my merchandise?'' I spit back.

He shakily responds. ''Mr Vlad-.''

''Look, I don't care about the shipment delayed in Beijing. That's a YOU problem. I've paid enough for the extra cost."

He asks me if I would be open to Patricia delivering the weapons since she apparently knows people who would be able to sort out the issue in Beijing. ''No I don't want Patricia to deliver it. She and I are through.'' I sigh over the phone.

''But-''

''Get my fucking weapons or we'd have a repeat of last time and I'm sure you don't want that. Bye.''

I run a finger through my unruly hair, anger coursing through my veins. Another day, another excuse. Curse my liking for this boy because if not, he'd be fucking dead. I hear the sweetest tune from the most melodious voice and I smile knowing exactly who it is.

Melody.

The most amazing person I know.

I twist the knob of the door hurriedly, desperate to see her. If there's one person that can dispel my anger, it's her. She turns her head once she hears the door open, her pearly whites fading into view along with her work outfit. No matter what she wears, she always looks beautiful. She could be wearing a paper sack and I'd still think she's beautiful.

Melody exudes such natural and effortless beauty that it stuns me how I was able to bag a girl, no not a girl, a woman like her. She may still be in highschool but she is wise beyond her years. It shows in the way she talks and the way she carries herself with such grace and confidence.

My past girlfriends can never compete with her.

I've always wondered how she'd react if she knew me-the real me. I don't want her to get mixed up in my world, and so far, I've tried my best to keep her away from my mess. But how long can I keep this up for? Sooner or later, everything is going to blow up in my face.

I guess it's sooner because Patricia is back from Paris. That complicates things for me because they've met and I don't trust her. She's a snake and snakes are not to be trusted.

If you fuck with both sides of opposing families, you're a snake, and snakes are meant to be stepped on.

''Hey, babe. Didn't see you there.''

...

The car ride is surprisingly silent. Usually, Melody would fill the car space with very specific details about her day, but she is being reserved today. She is the first woman I've ever really loved since Patricia. I wasn't completely honest with her when I said Patricia cheated on me with a co-worker. She did cheat, however it was not with a co-worker. It was with a member of a rival mafia. I'd spare you the gory details, but long story short, I killed him in Paris, on her birthday after I caught them having sex in her Parisian apartment.

But, Melody is not a two-timing bitch like Patricia. There are a lot of things I love about Melody-she's fun, sweet, kind, witty and genuine. Most women I've dated have only been interested in my money and not me so it's really hard to find a real one these days.

Dare I say, she looks like the woman I would want to spend my forever with.

''Are you good?'' I ask concerned. She looks at me and smiles but the smile does not reach her eyes. ''You know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?''

''Have you been completely honest with me, Bob?'' she asks out of the blue. What is going on? Where is this coming from?

''Right from day one,'' I say cautiously. I need to thread carefully at this point because something tells me that she's not happy. When Melody is not happy, then I'm in trouble. Metaphorically. ''I would never lie to you about anything. We are a team, remember?''

She blinks twice. ''That's what I thought.'' Unbuckling her seat belt, she makes an attempt to exit the vehicle. ''Pull over. I want to walk home.''

Confusion is written all over my face as she still struggles to exit the vehicle, tugging at the door handle. She looks exhausted and angry for some reason and I can't seem to figure out why. ''It's 11:00 pm. I can't let you walk home alone in the dark. It's dangerous.''

''I said pull over.''

I did as she instructs and pull over to the side of the road much to the annoyance of some other road users. She continues. ''Bob, I don't think we are being completely honest with each other. Remember we said that there'd be no secrets between us? Well it feels like you are, no we are, hiding things from each other. You know I'm the type to lay it all on the table so I'll start; a guy from school has tried to kiss me…thrice. I didn't kiss him back out of respect for our relationship. There, that's me being honest with you. Now tell me your truth.''

To say I'm stunned would be an understatement. Why is she telling me all this now? ''So he tried to kiss you and you're informing me now? Really, Mel?'' I ask in a calm tone. Who is the fucker? I'm trying to control my anger and jealousy because I can tell she is upset right now, but what I really want to do is punch the fucker who tried to kiss my girl.

She looks at me in disbelief. Did I say something wrong? ''The whole point of me telling you this is because I'm not a fake bitch. Plus, there's something you're not telling me. What are you hiding, Bob?'' Melody scrutinizes me with her eyes but I'm too hung up on the fact that someone tried to kiss her.

''So the fact that he ''tried to kiss you'' is inconsequential?'' I scoff. ''If the opportunity did not present itself, where you ever going to tell me?'' I wish she had told me the moment the first kiss happened so I'd hunt the guy down, kill him and bury his body without a trace. No one touches what is mine.

I'm no saint, and I'm keeping bigger secrets, but it's only to protect her. She can't find out about who I am or else she'd be in great danger. I have a lot of enemies, it comes with the territory, and if they find out that I have a weakness (Melody), they'd use her against me.

They might even kill her or hurt her mum and sister.

''Don't flip this on me,'' she yells. ''All I'm asking for is reciprocal honesty and if I can't get that, I'm not going to sit here and argue with you. I'm walking home and that's final.'' She gets out of the car, her bag and jacket in tow, and slams the door.

We can't end tonight like this.

The chill air hit me like a brick as I chase after her. It's September and Bridgewood gets really chilly around this time of year. The forecasts say that winter is going to come soon, so I guess this is a prelude. ''Babe, can we sort this out, please?''

She ignores me and continues walking but I continue my pursuit behind her. Her house is a solid twenty minutes walk from where the car is parked and I don't want her walking alone. Her neighbourhood is far from being the safest one around and there's a lot of criminal activity that goes on in the shadow of darkness.

I would know.

She abruptly stops and turns to look at me. Is she crying? ''Bob, I just need time to think about things, yea? I want to walk home and reflect on a lot of decisions I've made so let me be.''

''Babe, I-''

Suddenly, we hear gunshots and we both freeze. ''Melody get down.'' I yell. A bullet misses her head by a nanosecond and hit a tree. As it whips past her, I notice that the bullet is a Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP). There's only one mafia family I know that's fond of using such.

The Floretini Mafia.