161 Meters Down

The Mafia Boss

Kristina had been calling the mafia boss 'the man' for quite some time now. Ever since she regained consciousness, his last words pertaining to her did not fade away. Instead, it was encrypted in her mind – a reminder that should she dare screw up, it would be her life screwed up next.

With her wrists bound, she followed the trio quietly. They trotted in the dimly lit hallway connected to the small, dingy warehouse that the staff almost never used. She had listened to the three talk around her in a language, not of her own.

"Wh-Where are you taking me?" 

Her voice was hoarse and her throat was scratchy as soon as she opened her mouth to speak. The restrained weeps took a toll on her vocal cords.

Tessa asked not because she did not know, she asked because she wanted to know how they learned about it. Of course, she knew where they were taking her. After all, the submerged 50 meters of Poseidon Hotel was her turf ever since she started working there.

The three stopped walking. Simultaneously, Rogelio, Bernardo, and Sebastian turned their attention towards her which Kristina accepted with a big gulp. She held her breath as she waited for their answer.

"We are not going back up there when we can use a shortcut, lassie," said Sebastian. 

His tone was even as if he was explaining it to a five-year-old child, something that almost made her glower... if she was not that keen on keeping her life away from their loaded guns.

A scoff followed Sebastian's words. Rogelio loomed over her. His dark brown eyes hovering over her were menacing. "You got the gist now, bitch, so let's go. Boss Lucas will kill you if you waste his precious time."

"Tonto! You dare speak of our boss's name in front of the señorina!" Bernardo slapped the back of Rogelio's head before he glanced warily at her.

Rogelio grunted as he swatted Bernardo's hand away from his nape. "So what? Dead men tell no tales, right, Sebastian?"

Sebastian gave Kristina a once over before he nodded his head. "Aye."

Rogelio and Sebastian, who were both holding the tanks they would be using for the dive, walked ahead of them. Bernardo sighed before he turned to her, his eyes held pity, something that she really needed right now. "Let's go, señorina."

Kristina's footsteps were heavy, but her heart was heavier. The fact that she would die after they used her was clear to her. For her, the further she chose to follow them, the closer she became to her impending death. The thought of having a bullet in her hole was one thing, but it was not the thing that was making her quiver with the mere thought of dying... it was the thought that she would leave this life as a good-for-nothing person who could not even protect her little sister.

Did she matter in this world?

No. 

She was a failure who kept on disappointing those she held dear. And now they were gone because she was her.

The thought of meeting her sister, if there was indeed heaven or hell, made her chest tighten. 

She could not breathe.

Kristina's train of thought was cut off when the clanking of the tanks took her back to reality. The bright room was the complete contrast to the dingy warehouse she was first placed.

"Hey, bitch!" Rogelio called her, snapping her attention towards him as she stopped walking to take in where they were. He nudged his chin to the cluster of tanks on the tiled floor. "Get working."