Chapter 2

The time was eight o’clock when Julius came inside my office with sad news. I read the paper that he gave to me and dropped it on the table, feeling bitter that I had let the love of my life come into my life of crime and violence.

“We have to leave right now, Julius.”

“Why, boss?” Julius was confused.

I could clearly see the confusion on his face.

“I can’t continue putting the love of my life in danger. The kind of thing we do to survive every day is something she is not caught up for.”

Julius nodded understandingly, his eyes showing the weight of his own guilt. “I understand, boss. But where will we go?”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I don’t know, Julius. We’ll have to figure it out as we go.”

Julius nodded again, and we both stood up from our chairs, ready to leave the office. As we walked out onto the street, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness and regret. I had always known that my life of crime would catch up to me eventually, but I never thought it would come to this.

As we walked through the crowded streets, I felt like everyone was watching us, judging us for our past mistakes. It was a feeling I had grown used to over the years, but now it felt heavier than ever.

We hailed a taxi and got in, and as we drove away from the city, I was thinking about all the memories I had made here. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad.

Julius broke the silence. “Boss, do you think we’ll ever be able to come back here?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, Julius. Maybe someday, but for now, we have to focus on staying safe.”

We drove for hours, the sun slowly setting in the distance, casting an orange glow over the landscape. Eventually, we found ourselves in a small town surrounded by fields of wheat and corn.

We checked into a small motel, and as we sat in the room, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe.

As the days passed, we tried to figure out our next move. We couldn’t stay in the motel forever, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go.

One day, while we were walking through town, we saw a sign that caught our eye. “Help Wanted: Farmhand.”

I looked at Julius and nodded. “Let’s give it a try.”

We applied for the job, and to our surprise, we were hired on the spot. We spent our days working on the farm, tending to the crops and animals. It was hard work, but it felt good to be doing something honest for once.

As the weeks passed, we started to settle into our new lives. We made friends with the other workers on the farm, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was a part of something good.

But the more I felt like I was a part of something good, the more I missed the old life I had with Julius.

“I can’t continue living like this, boss,” Julius complained one day. “We are bigger than this. You are a king, boss. You shouldn’t have left your throne because of a small misunderstanding.”

“I did what I had to do,” I tried to explain to Julius. “They threatened to kill the love of my life if I didn’t quit the game.”

“So, you left the game because of a simple threat?”

“It wasn’t a simple threat, Julius. They knew how much she meant to me, and they used that against me. I had no other choice.”

Julius sighed, clearly not satisfied with my explanation. “But now, we are living like peasants. We need to get back into the game.”

I shook my head, feeling conflicted. “I can’t put her in danger again, Julius. I won’t risk her life for anything.”

Julius seemed frustrated, but he didn’t push the issue any further. We continued working on the farm, but I could feel the tension building between us.

One day, while we were out in the fields, we saw a group of men approaching us. They were dressed in suits and looked like they meant business.

One of them, a tall man with a scar on his cheek, walked up to us. “Are you the owner of this farm?”

I shook my head. “No, we are just workers here.”

The man looked at me for a moment before nodding. “We need to speak with the owner. Can you take us to him?”

I hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do. But something about the man’s demeanor made me feel uneasy.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that. The owner is out of town at the moment.”

The man’s expression hardened. “I see. Well, I suggest you tell him to come see us as soon as possible. We have some business to discuss.”

With that, the man and his group walked away, leaving us standing in the middle of the field, feeling more uneasy than ever.

“What do you think that was all about?” Julius asked, his voice low.

“I don’t know, Julius. But I have a feeling it’s not good.”

As the days passed, the tension between us grew. Julius kept pushing me to get back into the game, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I had made a promise to myself, and I intended to keep it.

But, as much as I tried to ignore it, I knew that our past would catch up to us eventually. And when it did, I wasn’t ready for it.

“You are the Don, right?” The man who had asked me about the owner of the farm some weeks ago looked into my eyes with curiosity.

“What do you want from me?” I moved away from him as his men surrounded me.

The man smiled and rubbed his lips. “Take a walk with me, Don. We have some things to discuss.”