Tyler Morgan

Tuesday is rainy and cold in turbulent and bustling New York City, exactly how I like it, a gray day, for a gray task. The name at the top of the list is Lucas White, a narcissistic traitor who found his own way to steal millions of dollars from the Capo dei capi* of the American mafia, Mr. Charles Harrison.

When night falls, I prepare for the job; killing, for me, is already as common as having afternoon coffee, or brushing my teeth. I put on a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, sweatpants of the same color, and dark sneakers.

Inside the car, I thought about everything I would have to do: eliminate the target silently and cleanly, without much blood or any kind of mess, find Lucas White's safe and take it to Mr. Charles. Nothing too complicated and nothing I haven't done before, without leaving traces or clues—that's my biggest trademark in the mafia.

The White mansion is sumptuous, gigantic, and getting past all the security guards unseen was an arduous task. But after managing to get inside the house, I come across a surprising oversight. Lucas White is eating alone and peacefully, sitting at his gigantic wooden table, no company, no servants, no security guards... Standing here silently behind him, I allow myself to analyze him for a few seconds, unconcerned, he doesn't seem to even imagine he's close to death, but unfortunately for him, everyone reaps what they sow one day...

Silencer attached, weapon cocked, I aim directly at the target's head and shoot—cold, cruel, and without any trace of pity, remorse, or anything of the sort. Target down, time to search the house for the notorious safe...

I start with Lucas's room; the house is immense, and I would never find my way around so well in here if I didn't have access to the mansion's blueprints, provided by the very architect who designed it. Every inch of the room is meticulously searched, but I find nothing; I do the same in the living room and again, nothing. Where else could a safe be hidden? The basement!

I walk to the pantry, which is a room past the kitchen; behind one of the iron shelves, I find the trapdoor that leads to the basement. I start going down the stairs and, honestly, I'm surprised by the size of this basement; it's practically another house, only underground.

I search, search a bit more, and when I'm about to give up, I find a door hidden behind a bookshelf—this must be it. The damn door is locked, and breaking it down would certainly make too much noise to remain unnoticed. I manage to find a way using some paper clips I find on one of the tables scattered around the place; I force the lock, and it opens.

The room is dark and the stench is horrible. I grope the wall for a light switch, and when I find it and turn on the light, the scene I'm faced with is deplorable and cruel to levels that even I feel pity.

"Fuck! What is this?"I let out, too loudly for my liking.

"Who are you?"Her voice is low and hoarse, weak as a little bird.

When would I have ever imagined finding something like this? The poor girl is locked in a sort of cage with thick, rusty iron bars, looking like a captive animal, dirty, ragged, stinking, and apparently too thin. What should I do? I decide to call Charles.

"Yes!"Charles answers.

"Boss, I'm at White's house, the target has been taken down, but what I found goes far beyond a simple safe..."

"What are you talking about, Ty?"

"There's a woman in a cage, in a secret room, inside the basement."

"And what do I have to do with that? It must be some sick fantasy of that cretin. Just bring me the safe."

"I haven't found any safe, sir. Nothing..."

"I am the safe."The low, hoarse voice speaks again, this time she stands up and walks to the bars, gripping the iron bars with small, dirty hands. "I am the key..."

"But, what the fuck is..."Charles starts to speak, but I interrupt him.

"She said she's the key to the safe, boss. I don't know what that means exactly, but it makes sense considering she's locked up here."

"Bring her to me, Ty. And this woman better not be lying."

"Right, boss."I hang up the phone.

"Who are you?"I ask, approaching the cage and examining the lock.

"I asked first, sir."She moves away and shrinks into the back.

"I don't think you're in a position to ask anything."I reply, surprised by the caged woman's audacity.

"Are you going to kill me?"She lifts her head slightly, and I can see her green eyes shine.

"Should I?"I force the padlock with the butt of my gun, and it breaks. I open the cage door and enter.

"Please, don't hurt me."She begs and shrinks even more.

Poor girl, so stunned, fearful, and fragile, who can blame her? Who knows how long she's been imprisoned here, under these conditions; I don't even know if she's well-fed, basic hygiene, she certainly doesn't have. I crouch down in front of her; before taking her, I need to make sure of what she said.

"What did you mean by"I am the safe"?"

"Lucas White is my father. Access to all his money is tied to me."She replies, without looking me in the eyes.

"What do you mean, tied?"

"Tied, literally. It's a kind of flash drive."She pulls her long red hair to the side and shows me a scar behind her ear. "He put it under my skin, but all the content erases if I die..."

Lucas White is truly a sadist; he thought of everything. He knew that if someone discovered his dirty little secret, they would kill the girl first and only then remove the flash drive. But why do that to his own daughter?

*Capo dei capi* The leader of all leaders or boss of bosses. The most powerful mafia boss, on whom all others depend.

"Alright, girl. I'll take you with me and we'll figure out a way to get that out of you."

"And then they're going to kill me, aren't they? Please, sir... I don't want to die."She finally looks me in the eyes and grabs my right arm with a good deal of desperation. "Don't let them kill me."She pleads.

"Girl, I can't guarantee you anything right now. The only certainty is that you're coming with me. But first, you're going to take a shower."

I stand up and extend my hand so she has support to get up too. I can't help but feel sorry for this poor woman, trusting a killer, begging for her life.

She leans on my arm the entire way to one of the White mansion's bathrooms; the bad smell coming from her is staggering, as is her weakness. Once again, I feel pity.

"Alright, girl. Just call me when you're done."

She doesn't answer, just nods, and I leave the bathroom, leaving the door open in case she tries anything funny. I hear the sound of the shower and smell the scents of toiletries. How did Lucas have the nerve to lock his own daughter in a cage? And what will I do now? If it was already hard to get past the guards alone, imagine accompanied by a weakened young woman... That explains the absence of guards inside the house; White was terrified they'd discover the girl.

"Yes."I answer the phone on the first ring, and it's Charles, the Capo dei capi.

"Ty, how are things there?"

"We're almost ready to go; I had the girl wash up first. She was in a deplorable state."

"Alright. Bring her to me tomorrow. It's too late today, and you know how Mrs. Harrison hates visits at this hour."

"And what do I do with the girl until then?"

"I don't know, Tyler. Figure it out, take her to your place. Let the girl have one night of peace before the hell she's going to live tomorrow."He says, impatiently.

"What do you intend to do?"

"I don't know yet. After all, she's a mystery. But, she probably won't make it out alive. You know how things are."

"Yes sir, I know."

"Well, now I'm going to deal with a matter with the Capo from Italy. We'll talk tomorrow."

After hanging up, I strangely feel bad for the girl. I've never cared about matters of life or death; I just do the job and that's it, but the young woman has already suffered so much. Maybe dying would be a relief for her.

"Sir, I'm finished."The weak voice speaks from inside the bathroom, and I go in.

"Heavens! You're naked."I turn my back immediately, but the image is already seared into my mind.

"Sorry, I don't have anything to wear. I figured I shouldn't put on the old rags."

"Wait."I take off my turtleneck sweater and hand it to her, left wearing only a black tank top underneath. "Wear this."

She takes the sweater from my hand and puts it on. I turn back to her and have a revelation: her beauty is stunning. Redhead, green eyes, straight nose, full lips. The girl looks like an angel—delicate, fragile, small, her slender body lost inside my sweater, too big for her.

Lucy White.

"Let's go. You'll have to do exactly what I say so we're not seen by the guards; otherwise, this will turn into a bloodbath."

We start walking towards the residence's exit. On the way, we pass White, fallen with his face on the dining table, and a trickle of blood runs from his forehead.

"Did you kill him?"She turns to me with a cold look.

"Yes."

"Filthy pig!"She approaches the corpse and then spits on it, exuding rage.

"Come on! We don't have time for this."I say and start walking.

We start hurrying through the shadows and darkest corners, trying at all costs not to be caught, but as I predicted, the young woman was seen by one of the guards. Time to cock the gun.

"Stay behind this tree and don't come out until I come get you, understand?"I say with a certain harshness and position her behind one of the gigantic trees in the mansion's yard.

A considerable number of guards start coming my way, and I have to concentrate absurdly to deal with all of them. In a confusion of shots, kicks, punches, and blows, I manage to knock them all to the ground, not before being hit by a razor on the right shoulder, near the collarbone.

"Fuck!"I press the wound with my hand and go looking for the girl. "Let's go, before more guards show up."

We get inside the car and I start it, finally safe. I still don't know if I should go to my house with this girl, but I also can't just show up at a hotel all bloodied, considering that 90% of this blood isn't even mine.

I look at the passenger seat, where the beautiful, slender redhead is sitting, huddled. The tips of her fingers and her lips are purplish; she must be freezing, considering it's December, the coldest time in New York. I turn on the car heater and close the windows, and see her relax almost immediately.

"So, you mean White was your father?"

"Yes, that monster."She looks at the scenery through the window.

"Do you know why he did this?"I need to find out as much information as possible.

"Because my body was compatible."She shrugs.

"What do you mean?"

"They ran tests on some girls before, but in all of them, the body 'rejected the intruder,' as the surgeon used to say; the body itself would expel the flash drive."

"And your father simply suggested it be you?"

"No. He convinced me." He said it wouldn't be a big deal, that it wouldn't hurt, and that my inheritance would be safe this way. That no one would ever find out.

"And you believed him, apparently."

"Yes, so stupid! When the healing began and the doctors saw my body accepted the flash drive's presence, my father was happier than ever. I heard him say: 'now the Capo can even kill me, but he'll never get the money back'."

"Son of a bitch!"I exclaim, and she gets startled. I have to keep her talking. It's still a long way to my house. "After that, did he lock you downstairs?"

"Not at first. I was 23 when it all happened; I had just graduated from architecture school."

"My father decided to lock me up when one of the surgeons started suggesting explaining this idea to other scientists, that it would be revolutionary. So he killed the doctor and hid me from the rest of the world."

"I'm sorry."I say, and it's true.

"What is your name, sir?"

"Tyler. Tyler Morgan, and you?"

"Lucy White. Is it hurting a lot?"

"What?"I look at her to understand what she's talking about and she stares intently at my injured shoulder. "Oh, this?"I point to the wound. "It was just a graze, I'm used to it, it's my job."

"Killing people? Or just my father?"

"People, but only those who deserve it."

She nods her head and silence settles inside the car until we reach the gated community where I live. My house is the last of all, the most secluded and also the largest in the community, with a dark stone facade and many trees around. I park the car in the garage and get out, open the door, and offer my hand to help Lucy get out.

"Where are we?"Lucy looks at me fearfully.

"At my house."

"Why are we here?"

"Because I couldn't go to a hotel in this state."I point to my bloodied body, I know that's not the answer she wants.

We proceed in silence into the house, I'm completely confused and lost with the presence of another person. No one ever comes here. We walk through the entrance hall and I take the girl to one of the never-used guest rooms.

"You can sleep here. In the bathroom, there are some bathrobes, they should be warmer than that blouse."I involuntarily look at the white, bare legs in front of me.

"Sir, can you give me something to eat?"She stares at her intertwined fingers and her voice sounds low and desperate.

"Of course, get dressed and meet me in the kitchen. Down the stairs, you'll go in the opposite direction from where we came."

I go down the stairs and walk towards the ground floor bathroom. I need to wash the wound, the pain is excruciating and too much blood has already flowed. Sitting on the toilet lid, I clean the wound with gauze and saline solution, then apply alcohol to sterilize it and give myself a few stitches my own way, cover it with some band-aids, and that's it.

When I get to the kitchen, Lucy is already waiting for me, standing next to the dark mahogany island, staring at her own bare feet.

"You can sit down, if you want."I walk towards the refrigerator and take out everything inside: cheeses, salamis, olives, fruits, frozen foods, anything she might eat. "There's everything there, feel free, eat as much as you want."

"Can I make hot chocolate?"She picks up a strawberry and puts it in her mouth, closing her eyes as she savors the taste. Why did that seem so sensual?

"You can."

"Do you want some too, sir?"

"You don't need to call me sir, Lucy. My name is Tyler, I already told you."

"Sorry. Do you want hot chocolate, Tyler?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

She grabs some ingredients from the counter and starts preparing the drink, fumbling a bit with the modern kitchen. I watch everything attentively, her small, tension-filled movements. She hasn't asked many questions about her fate yet, maybe she's afraid of the answer... But something about her fascinates me; she spent years locked in a cage and now she's here in front of me, trying to look strong and brave and failing miserably...

"Can I ask a question?"She doesn't turn to me, she continues stirring the chocolate on the stove.

"You can."

"What are you going to do with me?"She remains focused on her drink on the stove and doesn't look at me.

"I'm going to take you to the Capo. He will decide what happens to you."

"So my father's money, it was stolen from this Capo guy?"

"Yes."

"I didn't want to die, Tyler. Before the cage, I had a life, friends, plans..."She finally turns to me. "Please, don't let them kill me, I swear no one will ever know anything."

"It's not up to me, girl. I'm sorry."

She walks towards the glass cabinet, takes out two mugs, and serves the hot chocolate, tossing some marshmallows in.

"Here, I made too much, sorry."She hands me one of the mugs.

"Lucy..."I look at the drink in front of me and try to organize my words. "I'm truly sorry you're going through this. But I'm just the guy who follows orders."

"And I'm just the key to the safe."She smiles ironically. "Your chocolate is going to get cold."Sitting on one of the stools in front of the island, Lucy drinks her hot chocolate and eats some bread and cakes, with the saddest look I've ever seen.

I feel guilty. That's the truth, I always try to be as sincere and honest with myself as possible, especially when it comes to feelings. After all, with the work I do, I can't afford to have feelings, worries, or unresolved relationships; everything needs to be in order in my mind, otherwise, I'll go crazy. But the question is: Why do I feel guilty? It's not my fault, I'm just following orders, none of us would have ever imagined this situation. The only one to blame is that damned White! And what can I do to help this girl? Charles would never allow her to stay alive, maybe he would, if someone wanted to buy her as a wife... But she's not that young anymore, she must be around 26, 27 years old. Usually, buyers or auctioneers opt for much younger women. There's nothing to be done.

"Is it good?"She asks, looking at me.

"What?"I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize I had already drunk almost all the chocolate. Lucy looks at me, intrigued. "Yes, it is."I finally answer.

"Tyler, can I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead, girl."I roll my eyes impatiently, this will be over tomorrow.

"Can you take me outside?"

"Why do you want to go outside?"

"I like nature, I like to see cars, people, houses, anything that doesn't look like that cage and that basement."

"You'll be cold out there."Once again, I look at her bare legs that the bathrobe couldn't cover and her small, bare feet.

"I don't care!"