Editor's note: this submission contains scenes of incest or incest content.
*
It was almost 3 a.m. when a mafia assassin named Lucia came home after performing a contract. She had just shot a man at point-blank range without leaving a single shred of evidence behind. Part of the reason she was so good at her job was because with her beauty and femininity, no one could ever suspect that she was a stone cold killer.
Her usual routine afterwards was to put her clothes in a trash bag, tape it shut, and lay naked in a hot bath. The bag was on the floor as she laid in the tub. Her raven black hair was slicked back with water. A religious woman, she knew she was going to hell over the sins she had committed in her life. This was her father’s lifestyle and eventually hers.
And that’s where the trail needed to end.
With the amount of money she saved up, both legal and illegal, she could start a new life somewhere else. She had always dreamed of opening a small restaurant which represented her Sicilian heritage. In many ways, that’s how her life should have been, mingling with customers and sharing friendly banter.
Despite her mobster lifestyle, she had always considered herself a simple girl at heart. But that’s what this life does to a person. It corrupts your soul until you get murdered or end up in prison.
A woman like herself deserves better, she thought.
So does her son.
The thought of her college son suffering had always crossed her mind, especially during nights like this. How would Gabriel feel if she ever got arrested and sent to prison for life? Or worse, being killed.
Lucia never wanted anyone to feel sorry for her. She was addicted to this line of work. The money. The power. The adrenaline rush.
As with all things, it had to come to an end.
*
The boss was typically annoyed with 8 a.m. impromptu meetings, but Lucia knew that her good looks always put him in a decent enough mood. At that hour, the boss, Angelo, was still in his silk robe while she made her pitch.
“I’m leaving the family,” she said bluntly.
She was known for being a serious person when it came to business and it took a moment for the boss to register what this was all about.
Angelo laughed. “Is that right?”
“That’s right. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while and it’s time.”
“You took a blood-oath. Remember? Of course you do. No one ever forgets.”
The boss’s response was rigid, which is exactly what Lucia had expected before this moment. It was one thing to hold a gun to a man’s face, which she was used to doing. It was something else to be on the receiving end of one of Angelo’s icy glares. She had grown up fearing this man.
“I remember my oath,” she answered. “I think about it everyday.”
The boss sweetened his tone. “Lucia, why are we having this conversation? You’ve always been like a daughter to me. Take a week off. A month. Go on a vacation. When you return, never talk like this again.”
“I’m going on a permanent vacation from this life. I’ve made up my mind. You know I would never bring this up unless I was convinced to my core.”
“Can I ask why?” Angelo inquired.
“My soul. My son.”
“Ah, that,” he smiled. “I think we did a pretty good job keeping Gabriel away from this. Did he see something? Did he hear anything?”
“He’s not going to the cops or feds, if that’s what you’re worried about. My son doesn’t know anything incriminating. I swear.”
“Good girl.”
Lucia kept a straight face. “I mean it. I’m leaving.”
“And that’s, that?”
“It is.”
“Then you must understand how it works. I don’t even know why we’re having this talk. You want out? Too fucking bad.”
“I understand if you want me gone,” she said. “But leave my son out of it.”
The man smiled and pinched her chin. “You’re too beautiful to disappear. And I
never
go after family. Don’t ever insult me like that, my dear.”
“What is it then?” she asked. “Are you going to fuck me in the ass for a parting gift? Are you going to have your bodyguards rape me?”
There was a certainty in her voice. Where men are killed and sometimes tortured, women are often served with a much different fate.
“Neither of those things are necessary,” Angelo said, speaking in a regular tone. “But as we both know, I can’t just let you walk away cleanly. Not with everything in that pretty little head of yours. You know too much and I can’t trust you anymore.”
“I swear on my life, to God, to my family, that those secrets will stay with me until the end.”
“I have heard that too many times in my life. Being cautious has kept me in this business for a long time.”
She nodded her agreement. “I know you’re a smart man, Angelo. What do you want?”
“An insurance policy.”
A slow grin formed on the boss’s face. This was a man who had ordered countless executions of rivals. In secure locations, Angelo never had a problem laughing and speaking brazenly about his deeds.
In this home, Angelo usually spoke in vague generalities about things that were illegal. This time, he was blunt and firm about what he wanted and expected. The guidelines for her exit were clear.
Lucia, receiving the orders like a good soldier, accepted her fate.
*
On the night of the event, she wore a thin black dress along with heels on her feet. The nerves she felt were a lot different than performing a job. In fact, the feeling in the pit of her stomach was something new to her.
No one else was in the dining area of the mafia-owned restaurant as she stood around with her son Gabriel, who was wearing a formal suit. It was almost 10 pm and the employees had gone home a long time ago.
“I hope you don’t hate me,” she said at random. “But I understand if you do.”
In the last week, she had given Gabriel the shock of his life when she forced him to drop his college courses so they could move to another state. She knew that her son had a lot of friends.
He shook his head. “I’ll never hate you. It’s just…”
