I sat in the limousine with Dante and his girlfriend. I don't know her name, I didn't care enough to ask. Dante is a serial dater. He wanted to have someone he could rely on. He didn't realise he had already found it in the mafia. We're a brotherhood.

Dante would just let people walk all over him. People like that get chewed up and spit out in the mafia, that's why Ace and I always have to look out for him.

The limousine stopped outside a huge building with huge, cream coloured, concrete pillars in-front of the door. The pillars and building had intricate designs carved into the concrete. There was few windows but they all stretched up the building with a black cross in the middle. If anything, this building reminded me of an old church.

I stepped out of the vehicle to see other people entering the ball. You had to show your invitation to enter with your name scribbled on it. Then you had to show your ID, and you were allowed in.

Normal citizens have attempted to enter before, but they're always caught.

I approached the security, showing them my invitation. Technically I didn't need one because I was Ace's right hand, but I brought it, just incase.

The ballroom was huge. It was elegantly designed with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Dante and I approached many different people, attempting to make alliances for Ace's mafia. Our main focus was weaponry, we were running low on guns and we needed to befriend smugglers who could sneak us thousands of guns. Thankfully there was many people here who were considered some of the best smugglers in the world.

Most of the mafia men in this room were cold blooded murderers. Many women would be kidnapped from this ball, but a lot of people wouldn't care as they didn't have wives.

"Where is Ace, they're taking their time?" Dante stressed as he stood with his hands behind his back.
"It won't be long now before they come. It won't be long before the main event Kai is throwing either" I voiced, taking off my suit jacket. We had to be prepared, I had a gut feeling that this wouldn't end well.

I had known of Kai's dislike towards Sofia as Ace began to grow closer to her. Kai didn't believe in marriage, he only married Denice because he had to. He didn't believe in love because he has never loved anyone. Not Denice, not his mother, not even Ace.

I watched as Dante walked over to the chocolate fountain which was at the very back of the room and poked a strawberry with a skewer. He grinned as he dipped it in the chocolate and ate it.

"10/10" he muttered, chocolate on the edges of his cheeks.
"How do I deal with you?" I laughed, shaking my head.

The next thing I knew the doors had open and everyone was whispering. It was Ace, Sofia, Denice and Kai. The room fell silent as they entered the building.
"As you are" Kai announced, before whispering something to Ace.

"Where's your girlfriend?" I asked, curious to know where our dates had ran off to.

"I don't know, where's yours?" Dante asked in retaliation, he seemed offended by the question. I shrugged carelessly.

There was a heaviness in the atmosphere, I almost couldn't breathe. I didn't know what was going to play out, but I knew it wouldn't be good. Last year, they had everyone give blood to the mafia as some kind of cult shit. Kai's mafia always reminded me more of a cult, than anything else. I hope Ace's was going to be different.

Several moments had passed, and before I knew it, Kai was grabbing people's attention.
"Attention, everyone your attention!" He demanded, as he stood on a little stage by the left hand side of the room.

"A All of you are somehow apart of our mafia, whether it's from being apart of the main branch or being an affiliate" Kai was almost reminding them.

"So, remind me of our most definite rules" Kai grinned with a sadistic smile.

"Our mafia before love,
Our mafia before life,
The only way out, is to die" I chanted along with Dante and Kaylo who had joined us. The chant was a little cliche in my opinion but it made Kai ecstatic.

"So after reading out our most definite rules, this is what this years event is about. To prove your loyalty, this years event is........", Kai looked towards Sofia and said something, yet I couldn't make it out. I could see that Ace was in a trance. He would have to do it. He'd have to kill Sofia. We could finally begin the search for Andrew again.

"I want you to slit the throats of the person you brought here today. Our most valued rule is that, this mafia is the most valued thing in your life, so prove it!" Kai hissed demandingly to the millions of people in the hall.

I thought I would be happy. I thought I'd be glad that Ace would have to kill Sofia and that I'd get my revenge but I suddenly felt dizzy. This was sick. Too sick. I couldn't comprehend what he had asked us all to do. I couldn't imagine if I had brought Deja with me. I would've had to kill her. Now Ace has to kill his fiancée to be. It was truly disturbing, even for someone like me, who was fazed by nothing.

This intertwined into peoples lives past the mafia. This was deeper than just killing a random person. You were killing people that you loved, people who were innocent.

When you kill people for the mafia, you know you're killing murders and criminals. We are all criminals. I feel less shame knowing I'm taking the life of someone who isn't a good person.

I knew I would have to kill that girl I brought today, and she probably had parents who were waiting for her to come home. I would feel no remorse though, I must do what I have to. I wouldn't hesitate either, I'd give her a quick death.

"To kick off the night, the first person will be Dante Firmanch" Kai announced and I watched the colour drain from Dante's face. I knew he didn't want to do it, but none of us had a choice.

I watched as Kai's men grabbed Dante's girlfriend and dragged her to the chair that was in the centre of the room. Everyone had gathered around, to watch the slaughtering. I could've been sick but I knew I had to act like I didn't care. I wasn't allowed to care.

Dante's girlfriend kicked and screamed, all the way to the chair. She sat with tears streaming down her face, yelling things that nobody could understand. One of Kai's men handed him a knife and Dante looked at me.

My heart was pounding out of my chest. He would have to do it.
"Do it Dante, you know you have to!" I yelled amidst the crowd, yet I don't think he could hear me. He just stared at me with a knife in his hand, his face filled with shock. I didn't think he was going to do it. I didn't think he had the strength to do it.
"Slit her throat!" Kai ordered, from the top of the room.

Before I could blink, Dante had ran the knife along her throat. I watched as his girlfriend clawed at her throat, blood spilling everywhere. There was blood on the chair, on the tarp, on Dante. It was like something from a horror movie.

Slowly but surely, the girl had stopped moving. She was dead and Kai laughed. He laughed. Dante was stood frozen in place, the bloodied knife still in his hand. All he could do was blink. I walked up to him, and pushed him into the crowd with me. The people staring at him weren't helping at all. The men dragged her body away, and Dante watched in horror.

I glanced across the room to see Sofia looking away.

"Very good Dante, next up is Alex Anderson," Kai announced, and everyone looked around in confusion. Nobody knew my real name, I was known as Ice.

I knew I had to encourage my friends to do it. I knew I had to be the one who was ruthless, merciless. I had to show them that it could be done. It was that, or death.

(It's a two parter you guys ~ Antonia)