Becoming the Mafia Don's Pet

"I'll pay you back. I swear." My father's voice rings out through the large living room of our five-bedroom mansion, his ears and nose red from shouting and begging for his life. His face is turned towards the ground, not looking at the person he was pleading with.

My father, Andrew Collin and the rest of my family, which included my mother, my younger sister, my younger brother and I kneel down on the ground amidst our furniture, a deadly cloud hanging over us and suffocating us, threatening death. Still, we stay put, neither of us bothering to even think of an escape at the moment because we know that if we do, we would all die.

Three men tower above us, one of them sitting on one of the chairs while the other two stand behind him like minions. They have sneers combined with smirks on their faces and what I could only assume were loaded guns in their hands. Their eyes are trained on us, somehow taunting us to try and make a move so that they would have a reason to react. None of us were that stupid.

"Come on now. We've given you six months and still you haven't paid back half of what you owe. The Costello family doesn't take kindly to swindlers, Mr. Collin. You of all people should know this." The man who sat down, says clearly, the scar on his mouth prominent with every word he spoke.

"I know and I am sorry for the delay. Things at the company got held up especially with the federal audit and the lawsuits. I just haven't had time to get the money out from the company coffers but..." My father pleads his case but is cut off by the man with the scar.

"Too many excuses Andrew." He shouts as one of his men shoots the glass table in the middle of the room causing it to shatter and us to flinch at the sheer power of the weapon in his hands. They want us to feel fear and we do. I scoot over to my little sister, Natalia and hold her hand as a comfort to stop her from trembling. Her lip quivers and I can tell that she is trying her best to keep herself from crying. I glance at my junior brother who just stares off into the abyss as if he wasn't in the room with us. He’s in shock and who could blame him when these men burst through our doors in the middle of the night and threatened to kill us all.

I turn my gaze back to our father. A man who was at the top of his game in the business industry. Someone who had won awards and was revered for his business prowess. A man who always taught me never to bow down to anyone. The man who now kneels at the feet of these men, begging as snot rolls down his nose. I am disappointed. Not so much because of the fact that he was doing everything he taught me never to do but also because as a hostage I had just heard how my father was where he was today due to all the illegal dealings he had done for the mafia. The mafia that he now apparently owes a huge sum of money. It was a slap in the face for the family to find out this way but there was nothing any of us could do. It was already too late.

"I can assure you and Mr. Lucius that when this is all over, the money and any interest that I have incurred will be paid in full including royalties." My father bargains.

"That sounds promising, but my boss made it clear that the waiting time was over. So, it's either you hand over the money or you hand over your head and don't worry about your wife. I'll make sure that she's taken care of once she becomes a widow." The scarred man speaks with pride, glancing towards my mother and waving at her. I feel my stomach churn at the sight, but I bite my tongue.

"Please, I beg of you."

"Your children too. I see you have two daughters and a boy. The girls would do nicely, and the boy could even join the Costello family. What do you say?" The man joins my father in the hopeless bargain as he smiles from ear to ear.

My father raises his head to meet theirs, tears now running down his eyes.

"I will pay the money, just please leave my family and spare my life. I'll do anything."

The scarred man places a hand on his chin, seemingly thinking about it before he drops his hand.

"If we were to take your pleas into consideration then we would need some collateral to make sure you pay up."

He stands up and walks towards my mother, grabbing her by a fistful of her hair when he closes the distance between them.

"Maybe this wife of yours."

"Or this one." He casually says, as he leaves my mother and grabs Natalie by her arm, pulling her hand away from mine. She whimpers and tries to fight his grip but there is only so much a fourteen-year-old girl could do.

"No" I screamed out, wanting him to stop.

"Leave her alone." I whisper under my breath when his attention turns to me, and I feel fear creep up my spine. He drops Natalie to the floor and takes two steps towards me, grabbing my chin and lifting my face for his viewing pleasure.

"Oh, this one's got a mouth on her. What if we take this one? Think she'll do well?" He asks, staring into my eyes.

"Take me instead." My father shouts out, causing the man to leave my chin and turn his face away from me.

"Then how would we get the money, old geezer? Like we said, we need collateral. So, pick one."

The man gives his ultimatum and at that point, we all knew that my father had an impossible choice to make. One of us would be taken. That was a fact. My father glances at all of us, grief and regret in his eyes but determination on his face. A minute of tense silence passes before his eyes land on me. He mouths the words, I'm sorry to me before my brain registers what is going on. My eyes widen at the revelation. No. He chose me. How could he choose me? I was his first child for Christ's sake. Why would he choose me of all people?

"I'm sorry Emilia. I just need some time, and I will get you back." He says with a solemn tone as my mind spins.

I don't get a word out before someone grabs my hair and pulls me off the floor like a rag doll, my sister's screams serving as background noise.

"Let go of me." I shout at the top of my lungs while kicking my legs in every direction to get free.

"Feisty one." The scarred man whispers into my ear, his breath tickling my neck.

"Let go." I shout out again, not wanting to be anywhere near this tout.

I open my mouth but before words can come out, I feel a sharp sting spread across my cheek. I freeze; my mind too stunned to speak as I realize that I had been slapped by my captor.

"Behave or you'll be taught to behave." The man whispers once more in my ear.

This time I do what I am told, tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

"All right Andrew. You have a week to pay back the millions of dollars you owe, if not, she belongs to the Costello family, and we will come back for your head."

"A week is not enough. Please." My father begs as he latches on to the man's leg in slight defiance. The scarred man kicks him off and looks down on him condescendingly, his hands still on me.

"Think about that next time before you think of borrowing from a mafia family and aren't able to pay up."

The man breathes on me, making me shiver for a second time before he continues.

"We'll be taking our leave now. One week Andrew or she's ours. Don't forget it." He ends the conversation as he pushes me towards his lackeys who grab me by my arms and legs and carry me out of the room. I jerk my body and fight against them, desperately trying to get free. The slap I had received earlier was nothing compared to what I knew they had in store for me, and I was not willing to find out what it was.

"Dad, help me. Dad no. Mom. Please. Let go of me!"

Despite my cries and that of my sister, the men take me away easily and as I am thrown into the back of a jeep, my freedom being taken from me, I let the tears fall. I cry because for some reason I already know that I won't see my family again. My life was over, and my hell was just beginning.