Chapter 25: Options
Theresa remained silent as she tried to process Alfred’s last statement.
“He is a Mafia? Reverend Alfred is a Mafia? My suspicion was right after all. Reverend Alfred was the one behind all the criminal activities.” Theresa thought to herself and fear gripped her.
All the years she had spent working as a crime agent, she never thought that she would encounter a Mafia.
The room was as silent as a graveyard. Alfred stared stonily at Theresa as he continued smoking.
Although, Theresa was scared but she shook the fear off and she said. “So, reverend Alfred was just a fake reverend all along, you’ve been fooling everyone in Los Angeles.”
Alfred let out a chuckle, “Yeah. And everyone in Los Angeles still sees me as a devoted and Godfearing reverend.” Alfred replied with a wicked smirk on his face.
“Can I ask you a question?” Theresa said.
Alfred scoffed, “I am not the type to answer questions, but I’m gonna give you this golden privilege to ask.” He said, “Who knows, this might be the last question you’ll ever ask.” He added with a wicked smirk.
Alfred’s statement sent shivers down her spine, but she ignored it and asked her question.
“Why did you choose to disguise as a reverend?” Theresa asked.
“The answer to your question is obvious, sweetheart.” Alfred replied, “I chose to disguise as a reverend to hide my real identity and to cover up my tracks,” he paused and he let out a wide grin. “Who in the world would ever think that a reverend engages in criminal and dangerous activities?” He asked, rhetorically.
“Me.” Theresa answered in her mind.
“Is that the only reason why you chose to disguise as a reverend?” Theresa asked again.
Alfred remained silent, taking another drag from his cigar while maintaining eye contact with Theresa. He blew out smoke from both his mouth and nostrils, then he answered .
“No, I also have another reason, but that’s personal.”
“What could be the other reason?” Theresa thought.
The room became silent with neither of them saying a word.
“I still find it hard to believe that you’re reverend Alfred.” Theresa said after a long silence.
Alfred said nothing in response, instead he took out a cigar box from his pocket and he took out one. Clamping it with his lips, he lit it with a lighter.
He took a long drag from the cigar and he puffed out smoke directly on Theresa’s face. Theresa’s face twitched in anger as the intoxicating smell of the cigar hit her nose.
Alfred took another drag from his cigarette and he blew out smoke, giving Theresa a long stare, then he started.
“I am the head of the Gilberto family, one of the richest mafia family in the world. Our organization are stretched out even to the far East. We’re everywhere, having businesses and companies worth millions of dollars. I’ll stop there so you won’t get confused. The Gilberto family is a big organization.”
“He is a Mafia boss! I am fucking sitting in front of a Mafia boss!” Theresa screamed in her head as beads of sweats formed on her forehead.
Theresa remained silent with her gaze fixed on Alfred. She was a bit scared, but she didn’t show any sign of fear.
“Heard you shot more than ten of my men dead.” Alfred said with a soft chuckle, “How did you do it?”
The question came as a shock to Theresa because she didn’t see it coming. She never thought Alfred would ask her that question.
Theresa quickly masked up her shocked expression so Alfred won’t be suspicious. “How did I do what?” She asked, acting clueless.
“How did you shoot that gun?” Alfred repeated with a stony stare, “It’s impossible to shoot a gun without being trained to. So, Where did you learn to shoot a gun?” Alfred asked.
“I guess I was just lucky.” Theresa replied with a sly smirk on her face.
“Lucky?” Alfred scoffed, “Killing more than ten men isn’t luck!” He roared angrily. The look on Alfred’s face was scary, and If looks could kill, Theresa would be six feet below the ground.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Anyone in Theresa’s shoes would have been shaking in fear. But Theresa remained unfazed, with a fearless look on her face.
“My men told me all your shots were headshots.” Alfred said, “An amateur can’t perform an headshot, so tell me, who the fuck are you?” He asked, removing a pistol from his waistline and pointed it up Theresa’s throat before whispering under clenched jaw. “Tell me who you are and who sent you, or else I’ll blow off your fucking skull!”
Theresa sat frozen with her heart banging hard agianst her ribs while her brain worked like a ticking clock; thinking up something to say.
And whatever she was going to say would either save her life or cause her to loose it because she was sitting in front of a Mafia boss who had a gun pointed up her throat — which is why she needed to use her words wisely.
“You’re right!” Theresa blurted out, “I was trained to shoot a gun.”
A wicked smirk formed broke out of Alfred’s lips, “Now you’re talking.” He said with a wider smirk, “Who trained you?” He asked.
“Before I came to you, I was an homeless lady.” Theresa said.
“Yes?” Alfred urged for her to continue.
“Back when I was homeless,” She started, “I joined a gang of thieves who taught me how to fight and shoot a gun. We stole loads of valuables and killed a lot of people,” Theresa paused, exhaling deeply, then she continued her fake story, “I was sick and tired of the life I was living. My conscience judged me, each and every fucking day. And that was the reason why I came to your church to confess my sins.” Theresa concluded her fake story.
Theresa waited for Alfred’s reaction while praying in her heart that he should believe her fake story.
The air was a bit tensed with the room falling silent as Alfred bore his raging brown eyes into Theresa’s gaze. Then his face lightened up with a smirk of mischieve before saying, “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Theresa answered, boldly.
Alfred removed the gun underneath Theresa’s throat and he sat erect on his chair, crossing his legs as he swinged his gun with his finger.
“Thanks goodness!” Theresa said, inwardly.
“On a normal day, Theresa,” Alfred said, “I would have killed you without thinking twice–” He paused and took another drag from his cigar, then he continued, “But you’re special and I love special people. That’s why I am gonna give you two options right now.” He added.
Alfred dragged in hard on his cigar, then he threw it on the floor, crushing it with his shoe. He stood up from his seat and buried his hands deep in his pocket, then he paced around the room with his head held high.
“Theresa,” he called in a cold tone, “The first option is to join the Gilberto Mafia organization and become a member of the big family.” He
“What’s the second option?” Theresa asked with a raised eyebrow. Alfred walked to her front and stood over her, his eyes hard and directly set on her face.
“Reject my offer and I’ll send you straight to the land of the dead!’ Alfred replied with a low threatening voice that sent shivers down Theresa’s spine.