Mafia Kings: Roberto: Chapter 48

I turned back to Mei-ling.

She still looked angry, but at least she didn’t pull the gun out.

I figured that was progress…

Even if the Smith & Wesson was still aimed at me.

“Why are you following me?” she asked angrily.

This was the moment I’d been waiting for, planning for, hoping for – the moment it all came down to.

I could have said, Because I want you more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire life.

That would have been true…

But it wouldn’t have been the whole truth.

There was no point going halfway.

Either she felt the same as me, or she didn’t.

So I decided to lay down all my cards on the table.

“Because I’m in love with you,” I said.

I heard her gasp, and she took the tiniest step backwards.

I moved towards her slowly. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. Never. I think about you every moment I’m awake; I dream about you when I sleep. I need you more than the air I breathe. You’re more precious to me than my own life.”

I was only a few feet away from her when she whispered, “Stop.”

There was no conviction in her voice.

If anything, she sounded afraid.

I didn’t know if she was afraid of me, or afraid of what she was feeling – and I didn’t care.

I stopped right in front of her, my face just inches away from hers.

I could feel the gun pressing against my stomach through the fabric of her trench coat.

“If you’re going to kill me, then go ahead and do it,” I said quietly. “You’d be doing me a favor by putting me out of my misery – because I can’t live without you. I won’t.”

She stared up at me. Her cheeks were wet – with rain or tears, I couldn’t tell.

Her lips quivered –

And then I heard a man’s voice about 30 feet away.

He spoke Chinese, so I couldn’t tell what he said – but I didn’t need to know the words to understand the leering tone in his voice.

I looked over Mei-ling’s head to see three scruffy assholes standing at the mouth of the alleyway.

The nearest one had spoken. His clothes were shabby, and he was in desperate need of a haircut and shave.

Mei-ling whirled around to face the stranger.

When he saw her, the leader laughed nastily and started walking into the alley. His two grinning flunkies followed close behind him.

Mei-ling yelled at them, her tone sharp.

The leader grinned and pulled something out of his jacket pocket.

There was a click –

And the steel of a switchblade glinted dimly in the gloom.

As Mei-ling pulled out the pistol from her trench coat and pointed it at the thugs, I thought, My friend, you just brought piss to a shit fight.

The three men shouted in surprise and took a step backwards.

But then Mei-ling’s arm began to shudder.

Not just a tiny tremble, but violent shaking.

If she had fired the gun, I wasn’t sure she would have hit anyone.

The leader’s expression turned from alarm to wolfish cunning.

Mei-ling shouted something at him, but I could hear the terror in her voice.

The leader smirked and started towards her again, testing her resolve.

That was when I decided to get involved.

I reached over and took the gun gently from her hand.

She released it without a struggle.

Then I aimed the gun right at the leader’s head.

He looked uncertain – especially since my arm didn’t waver in the slightest.

“Balls or head,” I said.

Mei-ling looked at me, her eyes wide. “What?”

“Ask him if he wants it in the balls or the head.” When she continued to stare at me, I said, “Ask him.”

She turned to the asshole and presumably translated what I’d said.

He looked surprised – then laughed and started cursing at me.

I didn’t need to speak Cantonese to understand.

You won’t do it, you fucking pussy!

So I pointed the gun at the ground beneath his feet and fired.

BLAM!

The alleyway echoed with the gunshot.

Mei-ling screamed –

But the three assholes screamed even louder. I was fairly sure at least one of them shit their pants.

In a country where guns were illegal and even street thugs rarely saw one, having a pistol fired at you was terrifying.

At least, more terrifying than it was in my line of work.

“What are you doing?!” Mei-ling shrieked.

I ignored her and pointed the gun back at the asshole’s head. His expression was vastly different from three seconds ago.

“Balls or head?” I asked again.

For added emphasis, I lowered the gun so it was aimed at his crotch.

The assholes in the rear turned and fled first.

When the leader saw he had been deserted, he glanced at me in terror –

Then bolted after them.

Once they were gone, I turned back to Mei-ling.

Her entire body was shaking as she stared at my hand.

I realized that not only was she afraid of the three thugs, she was scared of me –

Because now I had the gun.

I glanced down at it…

Then held it out to her by the barrel so the handle faced her.

“If you’re going to kill me,” I said, “get it over with quick.”

She looked at the gun, then at me –

But she didn’t reach for it.

So I put it in my pocket, stepped forward, wrapped my arms around her waist –

And pulled her against me as I kissed her in the rain.

For the briefest of seconds, she froze –

And then she kissed me back with wild abandon, her hands clutching my head.

My heart soared.

I had never been more overwhelmed with joy in my entire life.

We kissed for 30 seconds before she broke it off.

“We have to get you out of here,” she whispered. “Someone must have heard the gunshot and called the cops.”

I grinned. “Let’s go, then.”

She took my hand in hers…

Pulled me towards the end of the alleyway…

And then we ran across the street through the rain.