The Mafia's Songbird

To survive in a world full of chaos, one must learn to embrace it.

It was hard- Callie knew that awfully well. She lived in a city where guns were easier to acquire than medicine, and where violence was the answer to everything. A place that the government has forgotten about and where the police worked for infamous crime lords.

To survive amid chaos was hard, and Callie was only barely able to hold her head above water. And with each passing day, she feels herself sinking further and further, deeper into the filth.

"Ugh, can you believe this?" Sienna asked with a sigh. She and Callie have been friends since they were teens. Now, they go to the same community college where the bulletin boards are riddled with dozens of warnings, curfew notices, and missing person posters. "You would think living so far away from the Ashen City would protect us from the scum that live there-" Sienna shook her head in disbelief. "But no, we still live in a nightmare."

Callie looked away from her beautiful friend, whose blonde hair she had envied for a long while. "It's not so bad," she said. "I mean, it's been pretty mellow these days."

"Not so bad?" Sienna asked in disbelief, whipping her perfectly styled blonde hair around to face Callie fully. "Callie, people have gone missing, and you work as a courtesan servicing those scum I just mentioned. I don't say this to belittle your work or anything, you know I love you. It's just that-"

"You don't approve of my clients." Callie smiled softly at her friend, before tilting her head endearingly, her luscious chestnut-colored hair swaying with the action. She knew Sienna was only worried. "I don't like them either, but they're tolerable, and they're paying for my education, thus if not for them, I wouldn't have met you."

Callie never resented her work or her Uncle Jimmy, who owned the brothel slash club, Euphoria. He took nine-year-old Callie in when her parents died in a tragic car accident, fifteen years ago, the same year of The Great Burning. Sure, the man was a sleazy old businessman, but he loved Callie's dad in his own way, so he couldn't give Callie up.

He was a shit father figure, but he provided for Callie's basic needs. Once Callie was old enough to bus tables, he made her work at the club. It wasn't until Callie was thirteen that she decided she wanted to work as a singer. Then, fast-forward six years later, Callie wanted to go to college. She would never have been able to afford it if she didn't work as a courtesan.

Nobody ever forced her to sleep with men for money, Callie did it to survive and further her education. In these dark times, a woman must learn to survive. And what Callie needed most was a way to escape this rotting place.

Sienna sighed and reached for her friend's arm, giving it a little squeeze. "You make a great point." Sienna slides her hand down Callie's arm to hold her hand. "Still, be careful, okay? I worry about you. And I don't trust your uncle. No offense."

Callie giggled, amused at Sienna's expression. "I'll be fine. Thank you, Sienna."

"Love you. I'll see you tomorrow," Sienna replied, letting go of Callie's hand before heading in the opposite direction. "Don't forget to buy our tickets for the senior party at the club next week! We may live in bleak times, but we deserve some fun!"

"Love you too, take care!" Callie waves goodbye now left alone among the dozens of pairs of eyes staring at her from the countless wanted posters on the board.

"Why bother printing these when the police have the mafia lining their pockets?" Callie muttered to herself, annoyed at how shitty the authorities were handling these cases.

Several people have gone missing in the past week, some of them were Callie's classmates. Though she tried to sound optimistic for Sienna earlier, Callie knew that things were looking bad for all of them living near the Ashen City.

It has been fifteen years since the Great Burning took place in the middle of the city of Santa Barbara. No one knows precisely what happened that fated day. Some say it was an accident, while some say it was done by terrorists. But there's one story people believe the most-the one where a man burned the city for revenge. Parents started to use it to scare children who liked to stay out late, saying a dragon would descend from the skies to burn and punish them.

Since then, the city was renamed the Ashen City after what was left. Hundreds died during the fire and every year, families would light candles around the perimeter of the city to honor those who died. But even then, the city and the surrounding areas became a hotspot for criminal activities. Some managed to flee, but not everyone could afford it. And those that remained, learned to live in dire circumstances.

With a sigh, Callie adjusted her backpack and starts to head home, her mind swimming with worry.

It usually took Callie twenty minutes to walk back home from school, but today she felt as if something was dragging her feet to go slower. But Callie knew she couldn't be late, she had a client coming in tonight.

The apartment that Callie and her uncle live in wasn't in the best neighborhood, so Callie didn't think much of it when she bumps into a heavy wall of a man. There were no thoughts in Callie's mind even as she falls to the ground, overcome with fear. She doesn't even bother fixing her white dress when it rode up to the tops of her thighs.

"I'm so sorry," said Callie. Striking blue eyes met her brown ones, and she immediately lowered her head to show submission. She proceeded to apologize profusely when she noticed the man dropped his cigarette. "Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry, I'll pay for it." Though she knew the brand might be worth more than what she earned in a week, Callie offered anyway.

Heart pounding, Callie braced herself for a strike that might come.

"I won't hurt you. Don't worry about it," the man said, surprising Callie with his deep, rich voice. The stranger walked past Callie, leaving a trail of a delicious scent that could only belong to someone who dripped money. But there was something about that man when he spoke that instantly sent shivers up Callie's spine.

Still shaking, Callie dared to sneak a peek of the stranger, only to see him get inside a pitch-black McLaren GT.

"Right. Definitely not from around here," Callie whispered to herself as she watched the mysterious man drive away. She didn't know who the man was, but she could take a wild guess and wonder who among her neighbors got involved with a loan shark.

But the moment Callie entered their apartment complex building, she knew something was wrong. It was awfully quiet on their floor, which was unusual given the families living there with their noisy kids. But it was silent as death save for the sudden bang of a gunshot coming from their unit followed by a pained scream.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Callie's panicked thoughts jump back to the man she bumped into. "Did he come from my house?" she muttered to herself, but wondering was useless. It was obvious there was still somebody inside.

Without another thought, Callie fishes her phone from her pocket in one hand and dialed 9-1-1, and with the other, she pushed the door further.

Callie carefully entered the apartment. She reached into her backpack for a small can of pepper spray she kept for emergencies such as this one.

'9-1-1, what's your emergency?'

"Someone broke into our house," said Callie, then without waiting for the operator proceeded to tell them her address. "Please send help quickly. My uncle is inside and I think I heard a gunshot."

'Help is on the way, ma'am. Stay away from the apartment for now. Find somewhere safe to hide until the police arrive-'

"What the?" a man's voice called out, and Callie immediately aimed the can and sprayed the stranger in his eyes. The assailant jumped back, screaming in pain. That was when another man popped out to check what was going on.

'Ma'am? What's going on? Ma'am?'

The second man, taller and meaner-looking than the one Callie just sprayed, stared at the phone in her hand before he shook his head and clicked his tongue. His eyes were gray and stared at her with a promise of death if he didn't get what he wanted. Callie felt her legs shake as he opened his mouth to speak.

"You called the cops?" he asked, disappointment evident in his voice, but something shone in his eyes akin to excitement. "That won't do."

Callie couldn't react in time. Within the next second, the man had snatched the phone away, throwing it against the far wall, crushing it into pieces. It was over before Callie could process what had happened. Before she knew it, she was pulled and dragged further inside.

"Who the hell are you people?" Callie screamed as she struggled against the man's iron grip. "Let me go!"

The gray-eyed man complied, throwing Callie forcefully to the floor. She yelped in pain when she landed on her wrist, trying to soften her landing. Tears threatened to spill over and through Callie's blurred eyesight, she saw the horror surrounding her.

Blood splatters decorated the kitchen floor as if someone had coughed up blood and saliva, puking all over the floor. The splatters continued across the kitchen until her eyes found the unmoving lump of flesh leaning heavily onto the dining table for support. It was her uncle, bloody and barely breathing from what Callie assumed was a heavy beating.

Injured wrist forgotten, Callie pushed up from the floor, "No! Uncle-" only to be stopped by the man shoving her back down to the floor.

He clicked his tongue and pushed her back down. His next words tuned Callie's blood to ice. "Sit down, pretty. I'm not done with dear old, Jimmy here. Be patient, dear. Then, you'll have your turn."

Callie stared in open horror as the gray-eyed man brought a glass of water over from the sink before pouring it all over her uncle's unconscious form. The coldness jolted him awake with a shriek of pain, undoubtedly from the many sores and open wounds he had sustained.

"Stop! Who are you?! What do you want?" Callie yelled in hopes of distracting the men who invaded their home. Three of them, she counted, including the one who took pepper spray to the face.

The man holding the glass stood up straight and cleared his throat before he wiped his bloodied hands across the front of his shirt. "Pardon me," he said before making a grand gesture of bowing to her. "Well, I'm Soren, and these are my colleagues."

It was the way the man called Soren spoke that told Callie something was off about him. There's a playful tone in his voice every time he speaks as if nothing ever fazes him, treating everything like a joke. His movements are big and satiric, but he showed no sign of weakness.

With big round eyes, a sharp nose, and thin lips, Soren looked like any other boy next door at first glance, but paired with that eccentric attitude and murderous aura, Callie knew she had to be careful.

Soren's hands flew open before looking at Callie with mock sympathy. "Apologies for the mess. But I think the blood looks lovely against that ghastly wallpaper."

Callie winced at how casually this violent man could talk about defiling her home. It may not be much, but she spent most of her life here. It meant something to her.

"Why are you here?" Callie asked, barely holding on to her strip of sanity. "What do you thugs want?"

The man had the audacity to look offended. "Excuse me, I'm not a thug. I'm a lawyer, if that helps any," Soren explained, unable to tone down the sass in his voice. But Callie wasn't interested, and honestly, she wasn't impressed. She was scared out of her wits and was frantically trying to figure out how to worm her way out of this situation. "I just tagged along with the boss. Said it was a special case. Then the bastard actually left me to take out the trash."

'Boss?'

That meant the man Callie bumped into earlier was indeed Soren's boss. That would explain why a man as wealthy as him would ever grace these sullied streets. But none of that mattered when she was about to be killed.

Soren stepped away from Jimmy and toward her. "We're just here to collect a debt this dear old man owes us. Jimmy here-" Soren reached back to grab her uncle by the scruff of his neck. The old man grunts in surprise as he was throwing down to the floor a few feet away from his niece. "Dear old, Jimmy snuck away when he lost all his bets during last night's game."

Callie's forehead scrunched in confusion. "Gambling? With what money?" she couldn't help but scoff in disbelief as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "The club isn't even doing that well. The brothel too... and I've been keeping... wait-" She cut herself off and then looked over to her uncle when realization dawns on her. A stray tear escaped Callie's eye as she stared at her uncle, who wouldn't meet her eyes.

The tension in the air rose with Callie's anger.

'How could he?' she thought. For the past few months, Callie hadn't been taking her salary, both as a singer and an escort, from her uncle. Since the club wasn't doing so well, she wanted to at least help out, even a little. So, she opted to live solely on the tips and gifts she received from her clients. But to think her uncle was spending the money, gambling in the city? Callie couldn't believe it.

Soren's confused look quickly dissolves into one of amusement as he registered the betrayal on Callie's face. "Wait, no way." Bellowing laughter erupted from his lips before Soren doubles over laughing at Callie's situation. "Oh shit, you really are scum, aren't you?" Still snickering, he added, "You had the gall to take the kid's money and squander it? Maybe you don't deserve to live after all."

"No, wait!" Callie yelled when the thug raised his fist, scrambling to her feet. "Please, just give us a few weeks to come up with the sum. Please!" Still reeling in anger, Callie forced herself to think of any other way to convince them. "Is there anything we could do?"

Soren turned his attention to Callie, deep in thought. He looked around the humble apartment with its scratched walls and peeling paint. He hummed, "An extension, huh? Well, my boss isn't patient. And for twenty-three million-"

"Twenty-three million dollars?" Callie's eyes bugged out at the amount. How in the hell did her uncle come up with that amount, let alone squander it in one night?

Soren's smug expression didn't waver one bit at Callie's surprise. The collector stepped away from Jimmy's beaten form and looked around the tiny apartment. "As I was saying, my boss, isn't patient nor is he the negotiating type. Plus, there's nothing here to take as collateral-"

"Take her!"

"What?" Callie shrieked at her uncle's words. She was about to mutter a string of profanities, but Soren all but growled at the room.

"How many fucking times are you going to interrupt me?" It wasn't just Callie who froze at his anger, but even the two other thugs he came with immediately shut up. The room's temperature dropped, and a sudden darkness crossed Soren's eyes, he was done messing around. "You." He pointed at Jimmy, taking a few steps closer to him. "Speak."

Jimmy picked his face up from the floor to open his mouth, with blood still running down his deformed nose. "She's worth more than all the women in my brothel combined!"

Callie stared at her uncle, hearing but unable to process what was coming out of his mouth. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, she couldn't even feel her own heartbeat racing against her chest.

Her uncle wanted these men to take her? That couldn't be right. She was his only living relative, surely, he wouldn't...

But he did. He sold her out. All the blood drained from Callie's face at the realization.

"Oh?" came Soren's voice, cutting through the haze in Callie's mind. When she raised her head to meet Soren's gaze, she was reminded of a predator, waiting... taunting his prey before moving in for the kill. But there's a glint of suspicion in his eyes, or was it pity? No one could tell, for it was gone just as soon as it appeared.

"Y-yes yes. She, uh, has high-profile clients. Y-Your boss would profit from her even."

Soren huffed out his disappointment, but it was clear he was also interested in the trade. "Huh, making your poor-what are you, his niece?" Callie could only nod when Soren addressed her. "Making your poor niece pay off your debt? Piece of shit."

Callie watched numbly as Soren kicked her already beaten uncle, but this time, she felt no remorse or guilt. She didn't even feel pity. How could anyone expect her to when he sold her off to save his own life? So, she watched unflinchingly as her uncle screamed in pain.

Callie looked at the dreadful faces of the men who stormed into her home and stole her freedom. They weren't men, they were monsters who took advantage of those beneath them. She felt sick to her stomach at these men who stood around talking about her future as if she wasn't there.

Soren's voice yanked Callie out of her thoughts. "How old are you, kid?"

"Does it matter, boss? Look at her, she's fucking ho-" That earned him a loud whack. One so strong that even Callie flinched at how loud the slap was.

Callie tried to open her mouth, but no sound came. She was petrified.

Soren stared at her, patiently waiting for her answer. After a few tries, Callie managed to find her voice again. "I-I'm not a k-kid. I'm twenty-four."

"A child," Soren countered, then circles her, letting his eyes wander up and down her body. "But not too shabby. Pretty. Very pretty."

Callie didn't move. She couldn't for she was trying to wrap her head around her fate. Soren, on the other hand, wasn't waiting. In one swift motion, he grabbed Callie and motioned for his men to move out.

"We're taking the kid," he announced. Then, to Callie, he spoke low into her ear. "Are you sure you don't want me to beat him up?"

"I'll go with you, but please don't hurt him. He's my only family." Callie turned her head to take a final glance at her uncle when Soren scoffed in disgust.

"You sure about that?" he added before heading toward the door with Callie in tow. Callie understood his reaction, Jimmy did sell her out. And the expression of relief and joy on his uncle's face after Soren agreed to their deal, Callie wouldn't ever forget it.

"Boss isn't gonna like this, Ren," one thug said. But Soren couldn't be bothered. There was a smile across his lips that would haunt Callie's dreams, and it told her that this man called Soren was more dangerous than he was letting on.

"Vin will decide what he does and doesn't like," Soren replied. "But I have a feeling he'll like her."

Callie's heart stopped. That couldn't be right. There was no way they were taking her to the most wanted man on the planet, right?

"Wait, what did you say?" she interjected at the risk of being hurt.

"What?"

"Did you say, Vin?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Vin, as in Vincent Baros?"

"Yeah."

And that was it. Callie's fate was set.

"I'm fucked."

Soren let out an unhinged chuckle at Callie's remark. As a debt collector for the mafia, he must have seen dozens of different reactions to the mention of Vincent Baros, but he somehow found Callie's reaction the most fitting.

"I knew I liked you. Sit tight."

He didn't need to force Callie inside the waiting vehicle, she went without resistance. Soren followed inside. With only the two of them sitting in the spacious backseat, Callie sat as far away from Soren as she could.

Callie didn't know what to expect once the car started driving toward the Ashen City. She had only heard rumors about it, and some stories from her university buddies who have dared to sneak inside for a peep at what life in the city was like. All their stories were horrifying.

For the first few miles, after the car drove past the border, Callie felt the anxiety grow in her chest. The place was extremely gray. Most of the buildings they passed were either destroyed or unlivable. And though the ashes from the great fire washed away after all these years, the memories are embedded into the streets.

But as the car drove closer to the heart of the city, the more it looked like its former glory. Ahead of them, lights had started to twinkle in the distance. Lights that grew and bloomed brighter the deeper into the city they got.

"What is this place?" Callie asked as the car slows to a stop. Outside, neon lights decorated the storefront of what looked like a nightclub. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, save for the looks the club goers sent her way.

"What, didn't your parents ever teach you about the Ashen City?" came Soren's reply.

Callie ignored his sarcasm, already used to it from her clients who belittled her. Instead, she answered, "They did. But back then, it wasn't like this. Santa Barbara used to be filled with people and their colorful lives. And now..."

Callie let the sentence hang in the air, and she watched Soren's sardonic smile dissolve into one of acknowledgment.

"Now it's better. Vin made it that way."

Soren turned and, with a tilt of his head, instructed Callie to follow him. Looking at the area closer, Callie remembered this place. Not the club per se, but the general area. She didn't remember much about the city, except for the places her parents took her to when she was a child. Especially the theater where they would watch plays and musicals whenever her father's schedule allowed it.

Suddenly, a memory of her father rose to the surface of her mind. The one where her parents promised to take her to the amusement park as an after-show gift because she played a lead role in a musical. They never got to go.

Callie shivered at the memory. It has been a long time since she recalled something so vivid. Maybe being in the city gave life to the ghosts and memories that still haunt her.

With the bass pumping louder and louder, Soren had to shout to be heard over the noise.

"Wait here," he said. "I'll be right back."

Callie couldn't be bothered to respond. She noticed Soren practically skip out from the corner of her eye, but she was too overwhelmed to say anything.

This was too much. The scent and heat in the club weren't good conditions, and Callie brewed in her emotions. Nasty emotions that she was forcing herself to get under control. But the booming music and writing bodies around her were too much.

So much has happened in the past hour, from spending time with her best friend Sienna to walking into her trashed apartment, and being sold out by her own blood relative.

"Sienna," Callie muttered to herself. She wasn't even able to say goodbye. Knowing Sienna, she would worry and start looking for her. Maybe her owner would be kind enough to allow her a phone call or two.

Suddenly, Callie laughed to herself. Her new owner was Vincent Baros, one of the city's most wanted. There was no way in hell he would be kind about anything.

"Oh, look what the cat dragged in. What's so funny?" Callie, lost in her thoughts, didn't notice three men had come up to her. "Are you new here, darling?"

She recoiled in disgust. Is this to be her new life? She refused to believe it. Callie was a survivor, she wouldn't let these dogs have their way with her.

The men looked at her with curious interest that immediately turned sour when Callie wouldn't speak.

"What's this?" the one in the middle said, sporting a mullet that didn't suit him and his slanted eyes. "Is she mute?"

"Soren brought her for the boss," came a reply from one of the thugs that beat up her uncle. Callie didn't notice that they followed inside the club as well.

Mullet guy was obviously drunk because he pushes past his two buddies and grabbed Callie's arm. With her injured hand jolted, Callie yelped in pain.

"So, you're Soren's girl, huh?" he said, then reached out to brush Callie's hair. Callie flinched away in both fear and disgust. She didn't know these people and what they were capable of, but she assumed the worst. In her desperation, she spared a glance at the thug who spoke for her, but he made no move to interfere. "How about you and I get to know each other a little better, sweetie?"

With a painful twist, Callie managed to get away, "Don't touch me!" she yelled and backed away from the group as much as she could.

Around them, the club was still in full-swing, uncaring of the harassment taking place a few feet away.

"You dare disobey me?" Mullet guy yelled, following Callie and delivering a hard blow against her face.

Callie didn't even see the blow coming. Before she could register what had happened, pain bloomed in her left cheek as she staggered to the floor. The impact felt like it shook her brain a bit with how powerful it was.

Before she could get her bearings, she felt the man yank her to her feet by grabbing the front of her dress, ripping it in the process, exposing her bra and midsection. Callie's screams overpowered the loud music as she tried to cover herself up.

"How dare you?!" she screamed and glared at the man and his little posse. "Don't fucking touch me!" she added when the group started to circle her, trapping her away from the crowd of people who had begun to notice the commotion.

Mullet guy opened his mouth to speak, but Callie could barely understand his words because she was pushed down to the dirty floor. Strong hands grab each of her arms, effectively pinning her down, helpless to their sinister plans.

"You belong to the boss." Mullet guy dropped to his knees to level with Callie, giving her a full view of his unpleasant face. "It's time you learned your place-" and he grabbed her left breast, eliciting an angry scream from Callie and causing the men holding her down to chuckle behind her. "Maybe I should break you in- tame you before you meet the boss."

Callie glared harder until she saw red. "I doubt your boss would appreciate that," she spit out, kicking and struggling to keep the man away from her.

"Quite a mouth on you, huh?" Mullet guy muttered before nodding to his men.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Callie struggled against their hold, but the men were too strong. They managed to put her into a kneeling position in front of their boss. Her arms were still firmly kept in place and this time, the men holding her had the gall to step on her ankles to keep her from moving.

Callie refused to let them see her tears, but the pain from her sprained wrist and the pressure on her ankles were too much. She cried out in pain and fear as she watched the man in front of her unzip his pants.

"Christ, what a bunch of animals," a familiar voice said, but Callie was panicking. She was about to be raped.

Struggling as much as she could, Callie saw an opportunity when the mullet guy exposed his filthy excuse of a cock. With what's left of her strength, Callie pulled her head back once the man was close enough and delivered a swift blow to the poor member.

Taking advantage of the man's poor screams, Callie twisted away from her captors' holds and bit hard on the only hand she could reach-the one on her shoulder.

Callie bit down so hard she tore the skin, but she couldn't care right now. She spits out the blood and scrambled away as best as she could. When she tried to stand up, a sharp pain shot up her leg from her ankle.

If it weren't for the strong hands that wrapped around her shoulders to steady her, Callie would have fallen to the floor once again.

Callie looked up with thanks on her lips when she was stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the most beautiful man she had ever beheld. With dark hair framing his striking blue eyes, Callie thought that she was seeing an angel.

It wasn't until she heard Soren speak again that the fantasy was shattered into a million pieces.

"See?" Soren said. "I told you she was spunky, Vin!"

Shivers ran down Callie's spine as she registered the notorious name against the man before her. Callie's heart hammered in her chest at the implications.

Well, people did say that the devil wore a pretty face.