The Beau & the Beast

2- The Master Of The House

"What the hell Bel, what's with you and books?"

   I looked up at Clocksworth who came strolling through the door of the library. "I like to read," I said without making a big deal out of it.

   He picked up one of the old dusty ones lying in a pile in front of me, "Greek Odysseus and Tragedies" he laughed out loud "the boss will adore you."

   "When will I be able to meet him?"

  Clock sighed before throwing the book away, making it land in the corner with a loud thud. "You have no clue what you're up against."

   I raised my eyebrows and shook my head, "Probably not, but I'd rather be here than out there."

   "Are you sure about that?" He grinned with that crooked charming smile.

   I laughed, "no, not really."

  Then he scratched his head and ran his fingers through his dark wavy hair, "so what are you running away from?"

   I shrugged, "the usual."

   "Let me guess, you slept with someone's girl and now they want to kill you."

   I shook my head with a wry smile on my face, "worse."

   "But someone wants to kill you?"

   "Probably."

   Clock got up slowly and stretched his body, "then maybe you really do belong here."

   "What do you mean?"

   "Our leader, he takes in guys like you and gives them a home."

   "Guys like you?"

   He grinned and shrugged a little, "fine, guys like us."

   "And what's the price for staying?"

   "Absolute loyalty." 

I frowned at his words, what the hell was this place?  Their boss, their master as Lu called him, was he some kind of mafia dude? 

My thoughts were interrupted by his curious glances, "how old are you Bel?"

   "Nineteen." I said with a shrug of my shoulders.

   "Family?"

   "Just my dad."

   "So why are you being hunted?" He asked, continuing his interrogation.

   I looked hesitantly into his eyes and bit my lower lip. Somehow he seemed trustworthy, but there was also something that felt off about him. Still, I decided to tell him some of it, but no details. "Because I took something from the wrong person."

   He crouched down in front of me to look me straight in the eye, "If you choose to stay, we will take care of your problems for you. You won't have to be afraid anymore Kid, and your dad'll be safe."

   I looked thoughtfully into his dark brown eyes, his pupils were unnaturally large and I suspected he was using a stimulant, maybe that's why I felt weird around him? "When can I see him? It's been several days."

   "When he's got time."

   I sighed and decided to change the subject and let my eyes wander, stopping at his arm and stated, "you have a certain fetish for watches, don't you?"

   He grinned again and showed both rows of his chalk-white and extremely sharp teeth, "I come from a long generation of watchmakers, but no one uses craftsmanship like that anymore. Everything is fucking digital now." He muttered, but still sounded cheerful.