May 15th 2026, two little girls lay on my doorstep, broken, bruised, used.
Their small feet were bare of shoes and their clothes looked tattered, their small bodies malnourished.
They had a marking on their backs, the same marking I'd run away from ten years ago. The marking of the Bull.
Hands rushed towards them, nurses running around, the treatment room was prepped and the girls were carried right into the room.
All the while, I could only stare blankly at the doorstep, my mind had reeled to a stop. The noises around me dimmed completely and a numb ringing echoed in my ears.
Markings, in the Mafia world, were important in the sense that if you were taken or lost one looked at your marking and the person could know who you belonged to.
Two things would then happen.
If it was a weak Cartel and you were taken, you'd likely never be returned. But if it was a feared Cartel you'd be returned immediately.
This was where I thrived, seeing as most of the strays that came to me were either mere civilians running away from something or people from a weak Cartel.
Which was why I knew these girls had to be returned seeing as the marking belonged to none other than the second prime family in the United States.
The Mafia lord of the Bull House.
Don Constiano.
I had to take them back.
My mind screeched to a halt as past images flooded my mind. Stripped. Beaten. Used. Over and over again.
There was no way I could take them back, they traveled from countries away to come to me. In hopes for relief and all I could think about was sending them back.
I was the leader of the Doves, our arms were open to anyone seeking shelter and safety, we were a home to these people. A balm to their wounds.
How could I send them back?
We were supposed to be healers, comforters, protectors.
We were heaven.
These kids came all the way from hell to heaven and I was thinking of sending them back.
But I couldn't fight him.
I blinked back harsh tears, I couldn't fight him… even if I did, there was no way I'd win.
After the founding fathers gave me freedom from him, I knew for a fact that he wasn't happy about it but he was like a predator, waiting patiently for me to stumble so he could pounce on me.
After all the underworld was like the jungle, the rules of the wild worked here. A stronger opponent was allowed to hunt the weak. It was a way of life I'd been okay with till now.
I only had two options, either I could send them back or I could fight.
For someone like me, these were the cruelest options I'd had to choose from in years.
I was like a beam, a beacon, drawing people from far and wide. They looked up to me like I was some god.
How could they trust me if I sent those kids back. Kids.
For fucks sake, Don Constiano, they were kids. Do you have no heart?
I scoffed lightly as tears fell down my face, who was I kidding.
Does the devil have a heart?
I mean I was a kid also… did he care? No.
I guess the time had come, where I'd have to face my fears instead of running away from them.
There was no way in hell I was taking them back.
I was going to fight.
Even a man like Don Constiano wasn't immortal, I just had to think and fast.
He'd come for them, like a curse, he'd follow them to the ends of the Earth till his demonic claws wrapped around their necks again.
But I wasn't going to let him ruin them like he did me.
I was going to free them from this life, free everyone he'd enslaved from his wrath.
....
"Miss Nowells," Aria called, staring at me worriedly. "What do we do?"
I sat deep in thought, eyes hard, lips pressed into a thin line and brows furrowed in confusion.
The question wasn't what we'd do, but how we'd do it.
"We can't take them back Aria," Michelle said.
"But we can't fight Don Constiano," Aria shrieked. "Everyone here will be in danger, everyone… Do you understand Michelle? We'd lose everything"
"So… you're saying we should take them back?" Michelle replied, shocked.
"What can we do? It'll be their lives for the lives of everyone here"
"Aria" Michelle reprimanded in shock. "How could you so easily say something like that? These kids came to us. Kids… Aria" she drawled. Shaking her head in disappointment.
"You're saying we should toss them back to that demon" Michelle seethed in anger. "Have you no heart? What do you think the rest of the people here would think of us?"
Aria lowered her head in shame. "Please say something, miss," she said, quietly.
Silence ensued, the quiet clung to the air like disease, its stench putrid and rotten.
"Michelle," I called standing up. "Aria is right"
Michelle looked heartbroken, Aria unsurprisingly looked heartbroken too.
I knew she didn't mean it, seeing as her eyes held hope for something else after all she was thinking about the safety of everyone logically.
The Aria I knew would never think about doing something like that.
Their personalities were the reason why I chose both of them, Aria as my confidant… and Michelle as my second in command.
Where Michelle was honorable and loyal to a fault. Aria was logical, she was the brain of the Doves after all.
They both were my mind and my strength.
"But Michelle is right also, leaving our humanity aside, what would the people think of us, when they hear such a thing?"
"Miss…"
"We'll protect them. We'll fight, just like we did for everyone here. It's probably going to be much more difficult this time but we'll do as we always have, right?"
They both stared at me with awe in their eyes.
"I could kiss your feet right where you stand, miss," Michelle said.
"I'm so sorry…" Aria sobbed lightly,
I groaned, did I mention that she was such a cry baby, it was so annoying.
I walked up to her and pulled her in for a hug. "There, there, it's fine Ari, it doesn't make you a bad person, trust me" I said, patting her back tenderly.
"Are you sure, miss?"
"I'm very sure… after all times like these are when I need you" I turned to Michelle. "When I need you both actually"
"Instead of crying, why don't you figure out a way we can work this?"
She shook her head. "You're going to have to tell me the pla-"
"Miss Nowells," a voice shouted. We all looked to see a nurse, her eyes wide with fear and panic. "You need to come see this immediately"
I frowned slightly as we all rushed to the clinical room.