The Boss' Son

“I’m sorry for your loss, Andre. Your father was a great man and he left behind a glorious legacy,” Ricardo said to his new Capo.

Andre and his men were all gathered in the cemetery of the massive estate, laying his late father to rest in the ground beside the graves of all his predecessors. The sun was setting and it shimmered against the beautiful flowers around, giving the scene a multi-coloured glow that made Andre look like an emotionless robot, adorned in his elegant apparel as he stood there with a bland expression on his face.

“There’s no need to lie to me, Ricky. My father was never great; quite the opposite,” Andre said dryly, “He was a weak old man who was spineless and couldn’t make the hard decisions. All he was good for was abusing and hurting people who couldn’t fight back.”

Ricardo, along with the rest of his soldiers were shocked to hear Andre speak so disrespectfully about his recently deceased father.

“Look at what the Red Cobras have become under his rule; a mediocre clan living on past glory,” Andre raised his voice so everyone could hear him, “I've been waiting patiently for him to die and now, the day has finally come. Under my rule, a lot of things are going to change and the first of those things is my father’s underground business of human trafficking,”

“What?!” Ricardo asked, surprised to hear his new Capo say this.

“When this clan was first founded, we struck fear in our rivals’ hearts and made our fortune from selling arms, drugs and fraternising with corrupt officials in government offices but now, we sell people like we’re slave owners. That won’t happen anymore because I’m abolishing it.”

“Andre! I must advise against this. This business is our main source of revenue and if we stop, the Red Cobras will fall. I cannot allow this,” Ricardo warned him.

“You were my father’s right hand man, Ricardo,” Andre said to the older man, “you served him well and now, it’s time to serve me…or at least, you should but unfortunately, you won’t because your loyalties don’t lie with this family, does it?” He asked with a raised brow.

“What– What do, what do you mean by that?”

“I know about your dealings with The King’s Gold, Ricardo. This clan’s fiercest enemy who you have chosen to support. You didn’t think I would never find out, did you? For so many years, you’ve been conspiring with our rivals to just to fill your own pockets. You even have your own warehouse filled with little orphans that were stolen from Romania. That is the highest of treasons,” Andre said and raised his palm.

The soldiers around all raised their semi-automatic weapons and pointed them at Ricardo, ready to gun him down right there.

“Andre,” Ricardo spoke panickedly, “You’re making a mistake. I am still a loyal servant of this family. Yes, I may have done certain businesses with The King’s Gold Mafia but I never disclosed any of our family secrets to them. I never betrayed you or your father.”

“Then, I suppose our warehouse that was ransacked last year wasn’t your doing?” Andre asked.

“Well…I, I,”

“My father was too trusting and he didn’t suspect you, but I did and I investigated the incident,” Andre moved closer to him and whispered demonically, “I hate the trafficking business and the only thing I hate as much are fucking traitors. Say hi to my father in hell when you get there.”

Andre walked away from Ricardo and his armed thugs stepped in front of the man.

“Don’t do this, Andre. I can fix my mistakes. Please, give me another chance,”

“I don’t give second chances, Ricardo,” he waved his hand and several rounds of bullets rained on Ricardo, causing him to stumble backwards until he fell into the hole in the ground where Andre’s father’s coffin had been placed.

Two of his men stayed back to fill the hole with sand while the others followed their new boss. They reached the outdoor garage and Andre got into one of his SUVs.

“Where to, boss?” His driver asked.

“Ricardo’s secret warehouse, Jay. We’re going to put an end to this,”

He and the other three cars behind him all drove out of the estate to perform the first task for their new leader.

They drove off the upper east side of Manhattan for almost an hour until they got to the slums of Wall Street. They entered a sketchy neighbourhood and after a while, they made it to the warehouse. Andre’s guards were the first to step out of their vehicles and after they were out, he got out as well.

Jay, his driver and most trusted soldier walked over to the warehouse door and knocked on it. A man answered from the other side of the door and asked who it was.

“We’re associates of your boss, Ricardo. We’re here to pick up the package,” Jay said.

The man undid the locks and just as he opened the door, Jay blasted him with his shotgun, sending him flying back into the warehouse. The other guards inside heard the gunshot but before they could arm themselves, Andre’s soldiers stormed the warehouse and filled all six guards with bullets before they could even get to their feet.

After the shooting was over, Andre strutted into the warehouse with a stale expression on his face; unmoved by the blood and death around him.

“They’re behind that door,” Andre told his men as he pointed.

Two of his men went over and slid the door open. There were about thirty children inside the dark room and they all looked so terrified. Andre was a ruthless killer but he had never been able to hurt the innocent despite how hard his father tried to mould him. In his mind, women and children were innocent and deserved to be spared, but he didn’t have the same soft spot for men.

“Get them out of here and make sure they’re well taken care of,”

His men rounded the children up and took them outside into their cars. Andre looked around the warehouse and was satisfied with what he had done.

“Let’s go, Jay,” he said.

They turned to leave and as they walked toward the exit, Jay heard a rustling sound come from a closet in the corner.

“What was that?” Andre asked.

“There’s someone in there,” Jay said and readied his gun.

He slowly approached the door and when he reached it, he opened it and pointed his weapon into the room. What he found in there wasn’t what he was expecting.

“Is it another child?” Andre asked.

“It’s a young woman..."