My father sold me to the Mafia King-Chapter 149/The Secret Armory

Chapter 149

Robert’s Point of View

This girl never ceases to surprise me with ideas that often defy the boundaries of logic.

I looked at her; she was fuming, her chest heaving with sharp, jagged breaths: "Are you saying I’m insane? What do you expect me to do in this godforsaken place? Just sit around like a fool?"

I leaned back in my chair, my tone provocatively calm: "You are my personal assistant, Julie. You already have work to do."

"Personal assistant?" she shot back with biting sarcasm, crossing her arms. "Doing what? Bringing you a cup of coffee so I can burn you with it?"

I couldn’t help a cold smirk as the memory of that incident flashed by. "A cup of coffee and you burned me... if you held a gun, I suspect no one in this club would be left alive."

She huffed, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a nervous, jerky motion: "It was an accident. Don’t exaggerate!"

I fell silent for a moment, scrutinizing her earnest features. There was a spark of defiance in her eyes that was impossible to ignore. I asked in a lowered voice: "Do you want this that badly?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "I want to learn."

I knew perfectly well this wasn’t a good idea.

Putting a weapon in the hands of someone as rebellious as Julie was bordering on suicide. Yet, I found myself weakening before her persistence in a way that made me comply almost unconsciously. I stood up from behind my desk and said curtly: "Let’s go."

She stood up quickly, her eyes widening in disbelief at my sudden surrender: "You’re really going to let me?"

"Yes," I said, walking toward the door.

She stopped abruptly, asking cautiously: "And are you the one who will teach me?"

I turned, raising an eyebrow in disapproval: "Yes... were you expecting someone else for the job?"

She faltered, her fingers twitching nervously: "No... I just asked."

We descended to the lower floor and headed toward the gym. She looked around skeptically: "Are you going to teach me here?"

"Just follow me," I said, nodding toward the wall.

I walked to the wooden paneling on the right side and pressed a small button hidden masterfully in the corner. Suddenly, a section of the wall shifted with a faint mechanical hum, sliding open.

Julie froze, astonishment painting a picture on her face: "Is that a secret door?"

"Yes," I said with a cryptic smile, gesturing for her to move forward. "Come on. Step inside."

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Julie’s Point of View

The idea of Robert being the one to teach me wasn’t a good idea at all. I had expected him to just give me permission so I could go back and beg Max to train me, but his decision caught me off guard.

When that secret door opened, I felt a surge of stupidity how many hours had I spent training in this gym without noticing this hidden passage?

I followed him into a vast white room.

The opposing walls were lined with weapons of every type and caliber, arranged with a terrifying precision that looked like an exhibition for death. If a war broke out here in New York, this arsenal alone could arm half the city.

On the far side stood wooden silhouettes of human targets, waiting for lead.

"Are you ready?" Robert asked in a quiet tone.

I nodded, still trying to process the environment. He walked to the wall and pulled down a small black pistol, its weight looking suitable for my hand. "This is good for your initial training," he said.

He positioned me at a specific point, handed me the weapon, and stood directly behind me. In that moment, my body went rigid. He was so close just like the day he kissed me.

I felt a sudden heat racing through my veins, and my breath hitched. His proximity triggered conflicting emotions fear laced with something else I didn’t yet understand.

I shook my head violently to clear my thoughts while he whispered in my ear, his voice deep and resonant: "Do you remember what I told you last time?"

"Yes," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "Steady the weapon, flip the safety, lock my eyes on the target, and pull the trigger."

Hearing myself speak those words made me recoil inwardly; I remembered every syllable he’d told me as if it were engraved in my memory.

"You’re a bright student," he said with unmistakable admiration.

He steadied my hands with his massive ones, then suddenly pulled them away, placing them on my hips to adjust my stance.

I felt his touch burning through my skin despite the fabric. "The stance starts from the feet," he said seriously. "If you stand incorrectly, your balance will waver and you’ll miss the mark."

He placed his hands back over mine as I gripped the gun and whispered: "Do you see that point in the middle of his head?"

I locked my gaze on the silhouette. "Yes," I breathed.

"Now," he warned, "don’t tremble and don’t hesitate. Your target is stationary; you must be stationary too so you don’t miss."

"Yes... I’m steady," I repeated, almost like a self-hypnosis.

"Now... fire!" he commanded.

I pulled the trigger, and the shot roared through the room.

My body jerked from the recoil, but I didn’t fall; Robert was behind me like a mountain, and I leaned my back against his chest without realizing it. I looked eagerly at the silhouette the bullet had landed very close to the center point, but not quite inside it.

"I missed," I said with a faint hint of disappointment.

"A good start," he replied, still close. "I think you have a natural talent for weapons."

I couldn’t help it; I laughed mockingly at his description: "Natural talent? With weapons? Please, stop!"

But I suddenly caught myself. Was I laughing with him? I immediately straightened my features and took a step away. What’s wrong with you, Julie? Have you forgotten who this man is? Are you laughing with the monster who destroyed your life?

Robert looked at me, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious spark. "Another round?"

"Yes," I answered firmly. "Of course."

We did it again. The same rhythmic movements, the same posture that let me feel his breath behind my ear, the same touches adjusting the angles of my body every time. I was getting closer very close to that cursed point in the center of the silhouette’s head, but the bullet refused to settle exactly in the middle.

After several attempts, he gently lowered my hand. "That’s enough for today."

"That’s it?" I asked in disbelief.

He raised his eyebrows. "It’s been an hour and a half, Julie!"

My eyes widened. Really? Had all that time passed without me noticing at all? Now I was beginning to understand why people found the Mafia life exciting; it swallows time and space, making you forget the world beyond the barrel of a gun. "Fine," I surrendered.

He stepped closer, his presence weighing on my chest before he spoke. He asked in a low voice with a strange inflection: "The doctor told me you were crying hysterically last night."

I avoided his eyes, twisting my fingers nervously. "It was just a respiratory crisis... nothing more."

He fixed his gaze on my face as if trying to read what lay behind the words. "Are you okay now?"

"Yes, I’m fine," I said, trying to regain my composure.

He leaned in even closer, until I could almost feel the heat of his breath. "Are you sure?" he whispered suspiciously.

He was asking as if he truly cared, a touch of softness in his voice that made my heart flutter for a heartbeat.

But I suppressed the feeling instantly and answered curtly: "Yes."

He pulled away suddenly, his features returning to their usual coldness. "Fine... I’m going to the office now. There’s a party tonight; customers will be coming."

The memory of that ill-fated party flashed in my mind the night I stood on stage and sang for the first time. I asked hesitantly: "Do you want anything from me? I mean... do you need my help?"

He stopped and looked at me sternly, then said coldly: "I need you to stay in your room. Do not leave it. At all."

I frowned. "What? But why?"

"Just do as I told you!" he replied in a tone that left no room for debate.

He left the room, leaving me drowned in my thoughts. I smiled bitterly. Since I was officially "locked up" and everyone would be preoccupied with the noise of the party and serving customers, this was the perfect opportunity I’d been waiting for.

I will take advantage of this distraction and sneak into Sarah’s room she doesn’t go to the party because she is for Robert’s eyes only.

Today, and only today, I will make her pay for snitching on me to Robert... I’ll show her that Julie is not easy prey to be toyed with.