Chapter 1

If I go for a head shot he'll have the advantage of a free aim to my stomach but if I go to kick his legs he'll be able to drag my legs down thus a relatively sore landing on my back.

Stuff it.

 I'll just improvise. Lunging for a dodge he follows my movement falling for the trap, the second he's low enough I elbow hiIm in the crook of his neck. As he groans out I take no time to wrap both arms around his bald head and knee him in the groin. Collapsing pathetically to the floor in a heap of sweat and blood the bell rings out calling a knockdown. Grinning I garb the towel chucked at my side of the arena, wiping off the sweat that has drenched my neck and face. Tonight's crowd was relatively small which is usual for a Monday night. I unwrap the white tape around my knuckles and re apply on top of my newly found blisters and broken skin on my hands. Exhaling out loudly I get cut off when I hear a faint clap behind me.

"So it's yet another victory for you Miss Lily" Eddie slyly says smiling towards me leaning against the entrance door.

"You know it" I smirk and hop down from the stage. I head over to the metal bleachers set around the generally large fighting arena and grab my bag and make my way over to the coordinator, who is already snarling at me knowing full well why I'm coming over smugly.

"It's called a hustle sweetheart" I say whilst winking at him and extend my hand arrogantly. Huffing the old man reaches into his pocket and stuffs $800 in cold hard cash into my hand. Tossing it up and feeling the satisfying weight of money in my grasp I blow a kiss and turn around.

 "I tell ya if you weren't so feisty and annoying I wouldn't allow ya to fight I swear" grunting in the background. Mr Withers Loves the crowds I bring in too much to stop me fighting.

I quite literally won all the tournaments tonight after arriving so he can go shove his opinion where the sun don't shine that's for sure.

Chuckling to myself I feel hands ruffle my hair.

 Eddie is an annoying shit sometimes. 

"You owe Josh $150 from this morning princess so you'll have to tone down the cocky attitude for tonight", Eddie says laughing behind me.

Great I totally forgot that dweeb won last nights bet.

 I thought our gang leader, Tristan, was going to be a no show for another month and I might've said he probably died in the heist in Italy couple of days ago. Which in my defensive could of been a very plausible scenario. With saying what I did also implied I had doubt in our "oh holy mighty leader" led to the groups disagreement and me and Josh put 150$ on the table.

Hell when isn't he mister grumpy pants on the phone. I mean I've never met the angry man since I joined a month ago but I don't get an overly excited enthusiasm too see my Boss. Whilst he was caught up in his billionaire luxuries somewhere in the Bahamas I was trying to sound as manly as I could over the phone for a phone interview for the mafia group. No doubt when he finally comes to inspect this oh so mysterious "Andrew" and find out I'm a girl- well can't say it'll be sunshine and rainbows.

 I'm thankful i haven't met him yet though, what I've gathered from the other guys is, he is arrogant and obnoxious. 

Cracking my knuckles at the thought I can't wait for the day where I can finally teach that tight ass a lesson for patronizing me for my work abilities being the only newbie in the combat sector and I'm a woman. I'm stuck punching my pride away for now and owe Joshie boy money.

After heading to the change rooms  I put on my grey sweat pants and a red singlet. Tying up my auburn hair in a messy bun I look at my reflection I see my dark prominent freckles brushed against my pale cheek bones glistening from the residue left of my sweaty face. I take my right blue eye contact lens out and wash my face and look up straight into my mismatched eyes. I have one blue eye and a brown one. I'm insecure about it I guess and I'm hiding it from the boys because the last thing I need is for them to as questions. Finishing up I put my contact lens back in my right eye and squint a few times before heading out. 

I'm not there to "sell" my life to this gang, which essentially is what you sign up to do. I have my walls built up and keep my answers short and sweet. No harm no foul. The guys and me have this mutual understanding not to pry. 

My gang members can't know about my past and about my brother, that alone could get myself killed. 

In simple terms, my brother is a fugitive to my gang. As a relative to a fugitive my gang wouldn't hesitate to kill me if they found out I was a connection to anyone remotely counted as an enemy. 

My aim is to use my mafia group, MTVM, as leverage to locate my brother.I need to get the gang comfortable with me enough to go work in their hacking department where they hold every imaginable thing in their illegal database. With their resources I'll be able to track down the places only I know where my sibling could be. I will be able to sneak away, do what I have to do to, and live an under the radar type of life. 

When my gang finally understands my intentions I'll already be miles away so they won't be able to track me down. 

 I really fucked up any chances for an actual life didn't I?

Not bothering to indicate to Eddie that I'm done I just slink out of the arena and make my way to the car park. Eddie will be out in a bit anyway, he's just probably talking useless smack about me to Withers. I always have to keep my eye out for Eddie, he is the biggest threat to me at the moment. He's always been the most responsible one, and second in command to our Mafia leader but is always asking personal questions about me. 

Walking over to the Audi 5 parked out front I lean on the car  and put my earphones in. Zoning out always helps my mind from exhausting thoughts.

Finally I hear Eddie unlock the car and I instantly jump in and settle in by leaning against the window.

I faintly hear Eddie enter the car and buckled his seat belt. He hasn't made any move to start the car,  after a good minute I turn to him and see he's staring at me seriously. Great I can just sense his infamous attempt to get me to open up to him.

Ha, in his dreams. Giving him my best resting bitch face I strongly hope to hell he drops it but no avail.

Sighing out I tug my earphones out.

"If you don't mind I was quite enjoying the song MIND YOUR BUSINESS so you better have a good reason for interrupting me" I state irritated.

"Lily you've got to pull yourself together I mean it's great that you have a distraction mechanism but it can't be like this forever. Look, I know You have things left unsaid about where you cam from in your life before us but you have to understand as the second in command I'm letting you off easy. Whenever Tristan get's his dick out of girls and his ass back to head Quarters you can bet your ass nothing will be looked over, especially considering he doesn't know his new Employee is in fact a she." 

Brushing back his brown hair looking straight ahead with an unreadable expression written on his face. 

Eddie lets his emotions control his perspective on people to much sometimes. I've only been in the gang for a month but I've already started to get a pretty good  understanding of how the boys work. 

"Eddie, unless you want to keep gossiping and paint nails and shit quit the questions", I snarl.  A low hum resonated in the car's engine as he drove us back to Moretti Residential Apartments, our head quarter's and where agents like myself lived.  Angrily shoving my earphones back in I can't help but feel small tugs of nerves about finally meeting Tristan Moretti. He is after all, is our leader. 

The apartment building was actually owned by Tristan and his cousins Josh and Eddie.  Eddie is  second in command and because  Josh is the youngest out of all the Moretti boys he will uptake second in command if anything happen to Tristan or Eddie. The ranking system is very enforced which makes it all the more irritating.

So, how on earth did I Lily Collaway end up in the Mafia?

Well it starts off with the fact I was brought up in a loving household of four. Me,mum, dad and my older brother by 6 years, Kevin. My brother was a drop out and started to get involved with illegal errands with guys in a local gang. Fast forward a couple of years of our parents lectures and fights with him, just after my 11th Birthday he never came back home.

 Months after his disappearance my parents had to pay the debt my brother owed. That bastard ran off  in hiding while he scapegoated his own fucking family. One afternoon my mother pretended to play a game of hide and seek and said not to peek until i heard the doorbell ring, no matter I hear. Quickly hiding in the laundry cupboard I soon found out with the wails and screams outside my mum and dad had been tortured to death.

I had no where to go, no family that could take care of me so the only option for my 11 year old self was living on the streets for a couple of weeks. 

 I was caught by police and taken to a Foster care on the outskirts of Melbourne not long after. I sneaked out most nights to the boxing gym, so I could gain my strength and focus on something other then the hell hole I stayed at. The staff at the boxing gym pitied me so much they offered to use their equipment if I cleaned the equipment at night. 

At 13 I started getting involved in tame street fights to ear a bit of money on the side so one day  I get revenge one way or another for the people who killed my parents who include my brother. On thing led to another I ended up beating a local champion and who was in his late 30's. He was very impressed with my skills and introduced himself. Rick was like a father figure for me he helped me through my pain without asking questions and taught me every night for 4 years to use guns, make shift bombs and combat fighting. Rick always praised me about the fire I have to get where I want to be. At 17 and failing school I not only was met with the mysterious death of Rick but being kicked out from Foster care and was forced to go on the doll. Renting a 50$ one room studio which was falling apart kept me through till my 20th birthday this year and a very interesting street fight against Josh. Obviously being a girl and  winning in combat against Josh made him offer an "exclusive job for life" that pays well. Having a decent idea i'd be joining in some kind of gang I am willing to sacrifice whatever it takes. Lo and behold that was a month ago and now I'm living in a multi-million dollar apartment working for one of the biggest Mafia's in the world.