CHAPTER 27 The Auditor

*Joy*

"Come on. We need to pay and have Dan stamp and sign our forms," Cristos said. "Then tomorrow we can pick up our building permits and start creating our magnificent works of art!"

I winced as Cristos uttered Dan's name. Liam's influence had provided good positions for his friends. Daniel Williams was currently the town's Auditor.

As we went down the stairs, the sounds of our shoes echoing around us, I glanced at Cristos and felt calm. My men were well aware I was quite capable of protecting myself, however they were also aware the rage I had kept bottled up inside all these years was waiting to be unleashed. They weren't necessarily concerned of the dangers that Liam posed, they were only protecting me from myself.

When I met them, Cristos, Sebastian and Xavier acted like a bunch of regular college boys wanting to finish their education, but in reality, they were much more than I had ever anticipated. They were the underbosses of the Blood Disciples, the ruling party of the west coast mafia.

Their fathers sat at the tippy top of the food chain, both revered and feared, as brothers who swore an oath to never betray the other. This oath was instilled in their eldest sons who at the day of their births acted as one unit.

In the mafia, respect is held at the highest regard. There is no room for entitlement, privilege, nor special treatment and even though Cristos, Sebastian and Xavier were born to rule, it didn't necessarily mean the leadership would be handed to them on a silver platter. They had to earn their way to the top and their fathers made sure of it.

They started young each with a skill honed to perfection.

Xavier was the marksman, an expert on weaponry, a cold-blooded torturer and killer. Although all three of them were trained to kill, Xavier made it look like art. When I first started hanging out with them, I always wondered why Sebastian or Cristos would always use Xavier to threaten their rivals until I heard the story of how he singlehandedly eradicated a subordinate mafia family for disrespecting his father. After that, no one else dared spit on the three bosses unless they wanted their whole family dead. Xavier was said to be seventeen at the time and used his SAT review as an alibi.

Cristos was the infiltrator and hacker. He was the master of disguises, a witty impersonator and if needed, he could be invisible as well. He admitted he did find the source of the nude photos of Joan Summers, unfortunately whoever Liam or Cris had hired had gone into hiding... somewhere outside the country.

Sebastian was the brains and the diplomat. There was no disagreement he couldn't fix. No problem he could solve. More importantly, there was no plan of his that has ever failed. He was precise and accurate in all of his decisions which catapulted all three of them to success.

Having spent some time in the underground fighting pits, Sebastian was also a great fighter.  He is an undefeated champion with exclusive bragging rights that no opponent of his has ever struck his handsome face.

Although they didn't want me to be part of their world, it was inevitable. After I had killed a capo who snuck behind Sebastian, I was given the name Shadow, because my shadow was the last shadow the capo saw after I pierced his brain with a pithing needle.

I'm not a cold-blooded killer, no. I had only killed that one time. I love Sebastian, Cristos and Xavier with all my heart and there is nothing I wouldn't do to protect them.

*Love*... Until this day, it's still hard to believe that these three wonderful men adore me.

"Virtue? Is everything alright? You have been smiling at me like a loved-struck teenager. Don't tell me you have the hots for me? Girl, you and I are made of the same stuffing," Cristos said loudly, bringing me back to the present. I playfully slapped him on his arm.

"I was just reminiscing of a time at Lake Tahoe," I sighed dreamily, a wistful smile playing on my lips.

"Oooooh, it sounds hot! You have got to tell me all the juicy details. Right after we pay our fees, that is," Cristos said, winking at me. I giggled.

*Reminisce we shall*.

"Dan! Yoo-hoo! Daaaaan!" Cristos called out through a hole of a glass partition which had "Auditor Assessment" printed above it. I grimaced. Here comes another monster of my nightmares.

Cristos was calling out so loudly that we began to attract attention. I pulled on his sleeve trying desperately to get him to lower his voice.

Yet, his incessant yelling happened to be productive. The door to the cubicle opened and in came a man of medium build and short light brown hair styled heavily with product, wearing a casual long sleeve light blue polo shirt and brown stretch chinos. He was busy tapping on his smartphone as he walked in, but after he was finished with whatever he was doing, he placed the phone in his pocket, sat down and focused his attention on us.

Daniel Williams had changed. Gone was the young teenage boy who had a bad case of acne, crooked teeth and thick glasses. In front of me sat a presentable, smartly-dressed young man with an air of confidence which wasn't there before.

"Chip, I thought that was you. How can I help you?" Dan asked politely. His light green eyes shifted to me, surprised to see a new face. "Oh, and I see you brought a friend. Is she visiting?"

"No, silly. She lives here," Cristos said, flapping a hand at him. "Virtue, this is Daniel Williams, New Salem's Auditor. Dan, this is Virtue...." Cristos' voice trailed off as he took a quick look at my form, "Sullivan. We're here to get building permits."

"Virtue Sullivan?" Dan crossed his arms in front of his chest and paused to think. "I remember Lisa had a permit made under your name for the old Taylor house. So you were the one who purchased that house. Well, why do you need another permit, Virtue?"

"I want to open a small boutique at the commercial space beside the grocery store. I was hoping to get all the construction done just in time for the spring formal. Aside from the usual ready-to-wear clothing, I plan to sell and rent gowns," I answered him quickly. He nodded his head.

"Of course. Lisa was here with Nicole a while ago. She already sent me a copy of your contract. She just needs you to sign. As an added bonus, she took the liberty of getting you a permit. So, you are good to go. All you need to do is sign those papers," he explained, smiling brightly, showing me his nice straight teeth. "That just leaves you, Chip. I hope renovations won't keep the thirsty public out of their favorite watering hole."

"Actually, I'm only having a few things done. You know me, I'm not a 'do-it-yourself' kind of person, so that's why I need a permit," Cristos replied, smiling sweetly while batting his eyelashes.

As Cristos and Dan made witty banter, my thoughts wandered off to the night at the boy's gym. It was hard staring at this new Dan...polite, well-spoken, fashionable... and knowing he was that same teenage boy. The teenage boy who ripped my white gown apart, the gown that took me weeks of hard work to make. The teenage boy who tied me tightly to the vertical bench press and when the others were done with their fun, stuck the end of a mop inside both my vagina and anus. The same teenage boy who used my ravaged body as baseball practice.

"Coach says I suck at batting," he said so close to my broken face, I could smell his bad breath even if my nose was covered with my blood. "I always strike out. Well, not this time." He then began laughing maniacally.

I didn't understand him at first, but when I saw the brown baseball bat in his hand, I actually pissed myself and began trembling uncontrollably with fear.

After breaking my leg, my arm and fracturing a couple of my ribs, he screamed "Home run!" obviously pleased with himself. He threw the bat on the floor and gestured to the others to get dressed and fix themselves.

"Come on, let's go before someone notices we're missing from the dance. We'll just leave her here. Tomorrow, the janitor will find Joy Taylor dead."

The last thing I heard was their cheerful laughter and the gym doors closing behind them. They left me tied up, bleeding from my injuries, gasping helplessly for air while with each ragged breath, I felt each painful affliction on my brutalized body.

I surreptitiously glanced at Dan and watched how he laughed and chuckled at Cristos' every remark. Each time he laughed it was as if I was being beaten with a baseball bat all over again.

I clutched the handle of my purse, squeezing it tightly with my fingers, as I felt my anger simmer inside me.

It would be so easy for me to grab the collar of Dan's nice blue shirt and smash his face repeatedly against the polished glass partition that separated the both of us, staining the glass with his blood. After breaking his nose, I would take that nice pen he was using and insert it in his eye. Just imagining it gave me such a thrill, I couldn't help, but smile.

I will never forget the sounds of their laughter. I often wonder *if I were to do to them the same things they did to me*, *would they laugh* *so happily*? I hope to find my answer soon.

"So Virtue, Ladies' Night at the Buzzed Pub tonight. Will I see you there?" Dan asked out of the blue.

"Aaah, yes! Lisa asked me to come and so did Chip...who is my new bestfriend, I must add," I answered, grinning.

"New bestfriend huh? Chip here owns the pub. He'll do anything to get more people to come by his pub for a drink. And you should stay away from Lisa. She drinks to get drunk," Dan warned me.

"Isn't that the point?" I argued, confused.

"Tipsy, not drunk," he answered, winking at me. "Rule of thumb, leave the pub with your dignity in tact. Well, at least some of it. If I see you later tonight, your first drink is on me."

*After tearing my insides with a mop and breaking so many bones in my body, buying me a drink is the least you can do for me*.

"Woah! Talk about cheap! Buy her a drink some other time, not when ladies' drinks are half off," Cristos reprimanded Dan. "Anyway, thank you, Dan. Virtue and I will be back tomorrow."

Cristos took my hand and led me outside. It was already late afternoon and I had to drive home, unpack my groceries and get ready for dinner.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll walk you to your car," Cristos said then he leaned down and whispered to my ear. "Keep the knife in your purse. You might need it later tonight. If one will be there, they will all be there."

Suddenly, a male voice called out from behind us.

Shit! I almost forgot about Noah.