The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

I tossed and turned in my sleep all night. I couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes. The irrational fear of someone lurking in the shadows and coming to get me ate at me so much that I couldn’t sleep. On the other hand, I would have chosen to step out of the room and get some air in by taking a tour of the hotel, but I couldn’t do that because nowhere felt safe. Not even the confines of my hotel room. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was out there, watching me and waiting to grab me at any moment.

I was so sure that if I stood up from this bed and headed to the mirror to check out my reflection, I wouldn’t like what I would see in the mirror. So, I just lay in bed, utterly weak and emotionally exhausted. My limbs were hurting, my head was pounding, and every bone in my body felt like it was going to snap into two. At this point, I didn’t even think there were any tears left for me to cry. I groaned and rolled over to my side, grabbing my phone from my nightstand to check the time. It was just 6 am. I exhaled and thought of what I could do to distract myself today, but I couldn’t come up with anything. To distract me equals getting up from this bed.

However, something felt so wrong. So, so wrong and I couldn’t place it. I couldn’t shake off this terrible feeling that gnawed and ate at me, telling me that something was so off. It just made me feel so uncomfortable and so disturbed and I knew a part of my reluctance stemmed from the fact that my mind was plagued by this feeling and somehow, I just wanted to stay in bed and not step a foot outside of my room because I wasn’t interested in seeing how the day wouldn’t turn out.

I pushed the duvet off my body and garnered some strength to get on my feet. I slid my legs into my flip-flops and sauntered into the bathroom. I picked up my toothbrush and spread some paste on it before dipping it into my mouth and started brushing. My eyes strayed to my reflection in the mirror and I just couldn’t keep my eyes off it. I looked miserable. I have always been strong on washing my hair and giving it the utmost princess treatment. I have always loved to take care of my skin, keeping it smooth, fresh, and radiant, but what I saw right now, in the mirror, staring back at me, scared me so much that I began to doubt if it was truly my reflection.

I looked like shit.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

But then, I decided that this wasn’t the time to start moping about my physical appearance. I washed my brush and tucked it in its place, ambling into the shower cubicle. I peeled my clothes off my body and took a warm quick shower. Once I was done, I blow-dried my hair and used a lotion on my skin, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. I plopped on my bed and ordered breakfast through the intercom.

The doorbell rang in no time and I sprung up from bed, skipping to the door to get my food. I opened the door and mumbled a greeting to the guy at the door, taking the food from him and locking the door. I grinned at the sight of pancakes, syrup, strawberries, and grapes, alongside some scrambled eggs and a jar of orange juice. My mouth watered at the thought of digging in, but before I had the chance to dig in, my phone rang and I groaned, rolling my eyes before picking up.

It was a group call from Ivana and Dawn.

Oh, I missed them.

“Hey, bitch!”

“Ash, sweetheart!”

The girls yelled in unison and I giggled, waving at them. Dawn had her hair pouring over her shoulder, sporting a wide smile and soft makeup on her face. Her blue eyes sparkled with so much life that it nearly made me jealous of how happy she was. Ivana, on the other hand, had her blonde hair in a messy bun, rocking her bare face that had a striking glow without makeup.

The girls look so good!

Oh, and well, I look like shit.

“Hey, girls,” I sighed, flashing them a weak smile. Ivana’s smile fell and Dawn arched her brows.

“Hold on, Ashley, where are you?” Dawn queried, her eyes lingering on the wall behind me. I palmed my face in frustration, deciding not to hide the truth from them anymore. We have all agreed after what went down that we wouldn’t keep secrets from each other, ever again.

“I’m at a hotel,” I sighed.

“Hotel?!” They screamed, their eyes as wide as saucers.

“Yeah,” I mumbled dryly.

“What are you doing at a hotel?”

“Are you on a solo getaway thingy?”

“No, girls. I’m not on a solo getaway shit. Listen, I lost my job and my house the same day. Remember the Mafia boss I told you about? Yeah, he is behind the whole thing. Something about getting what he wants.” I rolled my eyes at the end of my statement.

“Babes, why didn’t you tell us?” Dawn asked, softly.

“No, seriously, this guy is a psychopath! What the hell does he want from you? Okay, that’s it. We are calling the police!” Ivana snapped and I shook my head in response.

“I already said no police,” I countered Ivana.

“Yeah, I agree with Ash,” Dawn said dryly and Ivana shot her one of her death glares.

“We should kill the guy. I know where we can hide the body.” Dawn gave a half-shrug and my eyes went wide with shock. I wasn’t the only shocked person. Ivana stared at her like she had grown two heads.

“Dawn!” We shrieked.

“What?!” She retorted.

“Gosh, you girls are unbelievable. We are not killing or arresting anyone. I will figure this out myself, is that clear?” I asked, sternly. The duo exhaled and nodded their heads.

“Alright, I will talk to you girls later.” I smiled at them, waving at the screen.

“I love you!”

“I love you!”

“Love you too,” I grinned and hung up, falling back onto the bed with a light groan escaping my lips. I sat up immediately and dug into my food, munching on every bit of the food that was on the tray. I furrowed my brows when I realized I hadn’t gotten any calls from my parents in days and that was weird. If Dad didn’t call, Mom would. I dropped my pancake and picked up my phone to dial their numbers but none of them were going through.

“That’s odd,” I mumbled under my breath, a pondering look marrying my features. I thought about going over to their place but I brushed it off. Silly me. I should have collected Julia’s number the other day. It would have come in handy. I shrugged casually and continued eating my food.

I’ll just keep trying to reach them.