Chapter 11

After a few days, I've been very busy in my life. In order for the band to rise back to the top again, we've been playing at small shops, and whatever club is willing to take us no matter how low they pay. It was hard convincing Daniel to do a single concert with such low pay but eventually, he gave up.

Other than fame problems with the band I've been trying to study in school but it's hard because every time I thought that I finally have time for myself girls would appear pushing questions to me about Jason but Russell would always save me by flirting with them. Yeah, he still flirts with girls but I don't really mind. I mean, that's what makes him Russell, even though I still hate it how he could easily get girls with his charms and not give a second thought about how he plays with their feelings.

And whenever I wasn't with them I would always head over to the White Dragons HQ and practice shooting the gun Victor gave me. I would always head straight to the underground shooting range once I've reached HQ but recently the other members have been talking to me lately. At times like this, I've forgotten that I was in a mafia headquarters and the people I was talking with are members of a high-ranking mafia.

Even Jason was talking to me but it was more about how to shoot a gun and how to protect myself when I get cornered. Other than that, there might actually be a chance for me and Jason to see each other equally. I'd even talk to Victor more and we've finally had a little taste of what a "father-daughter" bonding is like but I'll have to thank Michael for that since he's the one to help me get acquainted with everyone.

I don't even have enough time to go home and take a minute to rest. I would always leave Hunter with a full bowl of dog food and my clothes would be piling up in the corner, waiting for me to bring it to the washing machine.

But nothing beats the earful I get daily from my landlord. He would always yell at me for being late on my payment but thank god for Mr. Evans's sympathy for me that I still have a month to pay him rent. Mr. Evans may be a grumpy landlord but he still shows kindness from time to time.

Here I am now in the underground shooting range wearing soundproof headphones and wasting my 3rd round of bullets on a new set of a poster. I'm not bothered anymore whenever I use my Colt M1911A1 in target practice but every time I would hit a perfect bull's eye on the target I would always think of what if there really was a human standing there and I shot him. Thinking things like this would always send a small shiver throughout my body.

I kept on shooting until the barrel of my gun is completely empty. Sighing, I removed my headphones and I went inside the storage room and placed my gun back to its case. I slid my hand on the metal of the gun before closing it. When I closed the door to the storage room my phone vibrated in my pocket. I reached for it and checked on the new message Daniel sent.

SUBJECT: WHERE ARE YOU?!

MESSAGE: Richard, if you haven't noticed, our performance will start in a couple of hours. You better be here before that happens or else they'll go berserk.

Oh crap. He was right that there were only a few hours left before the concert. I quickly grabbed for my bag and my electric guitar in its case then started dashing out of the underground shooting range. I reached the lounge and ran straight to the door.

"Richard. Where are you going in such a hurry? Come on, I have a lot to talk to you about-"

"Sorry, Dave but I'm running late for my concert. Talk to you later."

I reached for the door and ran to the club as my life depended on it, which in truth, it really does. Just when we found a club willing to let us perform and pay us a high price, here I am running to that same club.

Jason P.O.V

I watched as Richard ran out the door after excusing himself to a member who talked to him. Just before he left I caught a glimpse of him pale-faced like he just saw a ghost. Thinking what he would look like when he saw a ghost and started running away really left me smiling a bit and a deep chuckle escaped my lips.

I remembered back to what he looked like when he arrived a few hours ago. He was pale and thinner than before. The small smile left as quickly as I started chuckling.

I know that he's been doing one work after the next, not even taking a few minutes to rest, but I won't stop him. It's his decision if he wants to overexert himself and it's his own fault if he happens to pass out one day.

The way I handle things involving his safety isn't very bodyguard-like but I never signed up to babysit this kid. The least I could do is to guide him along the way while keeping him safe and trained in the world of the mafia. I don't want anything to do with him so I keep my distance away from him.

Reaching for the beer in front of me and taking a gulp from it, I looked to my left and saw some of the members around my age chatting away about a concert tonight. Now that I think about it, Richard's concert is tonight as well but it might just be a coincidence. One of them caught me looking at them and smiled at me as held up a flyer.

"Hey Jason!" one of them called out to me. "I and the guys were talking about going to one of Richards' band's concert which is somewhere near here."

"So?" I said. "What's that got to do with me?"

"Well, since he's probably trying to have good terms with the group, shouldn't we show it to him that we don't hold any grudges to him? Here..." a member handed out a flyer to me. "And since you're in charge of his safety, shouldn't be there than anyone else?"

I looked at the flyer with no expression on my face and grabbed it from him. When the member went back to his friends I read the plain black and white flyer in my hand.

STEVEN WILLIS DANIEL ROBERTS LIN YANG RUSSELL SNOW RICHARD KNIGHT

"NIGHT RAID"

FRIDAY 4 CLUB ZERO

So the concert tonight was really his. Well, that explains why he dashed out of here like that. I placed the flyer on top of the counter and continued on my beer. I glimpsed back to the flyer next to my beer and focused on Richard's name.

His name isn't the same as the boss. I know that the boss's name is Victor White but I heard from Michael that Richard has never interacted with his father or anything involving the mafia until now. Anyone with a brain can figure out that anyone raised by their mother without knowing who their father is will end up using the mother's last name instead.

I also heard from Michael that the boss's wife was beautiful and kind and would never hurt a fly. Even her name sounds like she was a kind woman. Clara Knight. That must be where Richard's weak body and friendly personality came from.

I kept on looking at Richard's name until someone took it. I looked up and saw Michael there reading the flyer. A smile soon appeared on his face when he looked at me.

"A concert performed by Richard and his band? I just know that they'll blow the audience away." He placed the flyer back on top of the counter. "Aren't you going?"

"It's just one of his many concerts. I don't need to look after him knowing that he's with his friends. Nothing will happen to him." I looked up and saw the guys from before walk out of the lounge. "Besides, he's old enough to take care of himself."

"...It's a shame that I won't be able to attend Richard's concert since I have a busy schedule today." He eyed me intensely. This was one of the many small glares he sometimes gives me whenever I'm doing something he doesn't like. "And here I was thinking about how he can keep on supporting himself with this kind of career. He must have been skillful with his guitar until now. I'm curious how good he is with a guitar than a gun."

I know what he's trying to imply here. "You want me to go to this concert and look after him, don't you?"

"What? I didn't say anything. You're an adult now and you can handle whichever decisions you make but if it was me I would go there to check up on him."

After that Michael gave me one of his smiles and left me. I continued back on my beer until my glass is empty. Now that I've finished my beer, I had nothing else to do. I looked back to the flyer and focused on it, Michael's voice echoing in the back of my mind.

With a long sigh, I got up from the barstool and grabbed the flyer. I took my black leather jacket and fumbled for my key in my pocket and went out of the lounge.

Christine P.O.V.

Finally, I've arrived at Club Zero just enough time for me to hone my guitar skills before performing on stage. Because the others were waiting for me for hours and did their own practice they were now mingling in the crowd of people in the club and I was left alone in the room used for the performers backstage.

Some of their instruments were still in here. Steven's guitar and Lin's bass were leaning on the wall near the door leading to the stage. They must have already set up Russell's drum kit and Daniel's keyboard on stage because I couldn't see their instruments in the room.

I had only one thing to do and that is for me to focus on my electric guitar. Somehow my throat feels dry ever since I've arrived here so I've been drinking nothing but water bottles to focus on myself but then I've suddenly had the urge to use the restroom.

I set my plain black guitar aside and stood up from the couch. I left the room and headed straight for the restroom backstage but as luck would have it the restrooms were out of order so I had no other choice but to change my direction and head towards the public restroom where every stranger was currently making out.

I reached the dance floor and I immediately saw Steven because of his bleached hair. He was playing poker with some guys and from the looks of it. He is currently winning the game.

I continued on my route to the restroom until I saw someone with long black hair dancing like there's no tomorrow on the dance floor. Just there Lin was dancing and everyone cheered for her to go on.

I was about to walk away when I saw a familiar messy blond hair at the very corner of the room pinning a woman by the wall. With one glimpse at the guy, I could tell that it was Russell doing what he usually does in times like these.

I miss seeing everyone doing what they like to do, except for Russell. I went straight to the men's room and locked the door in the bathroom stall I was in and went away in my business. After I was done and checked that no one was around I fixed myself in the mirror. Arranging my wig, clothes, and washing my hands before I left the bathroom.

I was supposed to head straight back to the room where I should be continuing my practice but I stopped when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?" I turned and saw him standing there with one of his many smirks plastered on his face. It took me a while to get used to Jason under the flashing lights of the club. "What're you doing here?"

"...I'm here with my band." Somehow Jason's physique really matched one of those handsome muscular guys hanging out in a club partying with friends. But I just remembered that this was Jason I was talking about. He spent more time cleaning guns and riding his motorcycle than going to places like this or any places where he had to be social. "We're here to perform. As usual like the other places before this."

"You perform in places like these?" Jason said. I don't know but I felt like that he was insulting me. "And you have four others tagging along with you."

"Yeah," I told him. I was trying to insult him but I couldn't. I could never speak up to Jason. "Do you have a problem?"

"I expected that you play somewhere different that matches your physique."

"Places that match my physique? Places such as?"

"Something similar like a kid's birthday party or somewhere that has a sense of normality which you can longer have anymore no matter how hard you reach for it."

Just seeing his face was making me irritated. If I'd known that Jason would be coming here I would have been trying to keep away from him by now. If I were to be seen with him again girls might try and follow me again like the last time we were seen together in public. I'm not willing to let that happen a second time.

I turned away from him and I started making my way backstage. I'd better get away from him before someone sees us.

"Want to go for a drink?"

"Huh?" I looked back at him confused.

"I know that we've gone off at the wrong foot and I want to make it right. And since you're here, having free time to spare, I thought that you might want to talk for a while?" He looked so uneasy. Anyone could tell that he wasn't used to doing this kind of thing such as being kind. But I've got to admit, he kind of looks cute like that, forcing him out of his comfort zone.

Wait, what? Did I just call Jason "cute"? Well, he's handsome, I'll give you that, but I've never even bothered looking at him. I just judged him solely on his looks until now. Now that I think about it if I were raised as a normal girl instead of a guy, would I have fallen head-over-heels in love with him just like any other girl falling in love with handsome and muscular guys?

"And your answer?" I snapped back to reality and looked up to Jason, lights flashing in the background.

I was thinking about declining him before I gave it much thought. It's only been a month seen I've first met him, and I have to agree, things didn't go so well the first time we've met. He'd only talk to me if it was about how I should handle my life wisely now that I'm one of the members of the White Dragons or either he was guiding me about how to use a gun correctly.

As I was still trying to decide he let out a sigh and left me. I wasn't surprised. Of course, he would leave me, its Jason we're talking about here. I followed him through the crowd, and with him walking first, it was easy for me to walk through the crowd because of his large build. Unlike my small body, I wouldn't have been able to move in this crowd.

Jason took a sit on a barstool and I sat next to him. He ordered a beer and water for me. As soon as he said that the bartender quickly served us our refreshments then left us alone after that.

We stayed silent as we drank our drinks quietly as the music blared from the speakers. I thought he wanted to talk to me? Instead, we're here having one of our awkward silences.

"So," I started. The quiet silence between us might drive me insane if we had kept it up. "Why are you here? I know one thing that you're not here to protect me as a bodyguard."

"You're a big boy. You can take care of yourself. I'm only here to enjoy myself."

"You're here to enjoy?" It felt wrong hearing him say a word like enjoy. I've only seen him smoking his cigarettes when he's tired, drinking beer once a day, polishing the guns from the storage room, and driving his motorcycle to who knows where but I've never thought if he'd actually enjoyed doing those things.

"If you're thinking you know me and every single thing I do, you're thinking wrong. You may know some of me but not all. I too like to enjoy myself once in a while without thinking about the mafia."

How did he know what I was thinking? But that aside I've never known that he too wanted to get away from the mafia life. I've always thought that he really liked being one but I was wrong all this time.

I was about to talk to him when suddenly someone's hand was on my shoulder. I looked behind me and saw Russell there. When did he get here without me noticing it?

I was about to greet him but then Russell pulled me down from the barstool and led me backstage. I looked over my shoulder and saw Jason looking at me with the beer in his hand as I was dragged off.