"Just breath. You look amazing."

"I'm not so sure, Bonney. I don't think this suits me enough." I nervously stuttered. I tugged the sleeve even lower, gripping the lace and smudging it under the pressure. It was already 19.55, only five minutes away from the fatal dinner with Bege Capone and his gang.

The pinkette was kind enough to lend me a hand with preparations, pinning some decorative pearls on the side of my hair and applying some light mascara as well lip-gloss that was equally red as the dress I was wearing. The attire shockingly looked quite decent on me; a bit tight on the hips. Luckily the décolleté wasn't deep as I thought it would be.

"Bullshit." she yelped, not caring for any manners whatsoever. "Just don't act all shy and you'll be alright. And stop complaining about your looks. I guarantee you, if not one then more guys will approach you tonight and try to...."

"Intoxicate me and kidnap me, so they could obtain enough money to buy new Dolce&Gabbana suits and high-quality wine as well party at extravagant night clubs?"

She laughed. "Omg, Y/n! You're really are nervous! I was more aiming at long lines of perverts trying to flirt with you."

"I highly doubt anyone have enough guts do it in Kid's presence." I mumbled, getting another grin from the pinkette, while we she was dragging me under my arm to the Grand Hall.

"I guess you are right."

The conversation laid down when we made a turn. The tender color of the walls and the wooden floor that widened the passage, gradually formed into a contrasting hallway. A semi-high ceiling and walls were now vibrant red, faces and symbols engraved into it. There were no more windows, only small lights radiated the necessary urge to see.

"Only one more turn." She hummed while I took a deep breath.

~~~

Two enlightened red columns stood in front of the dark elevator, where five more figures were waiting.

"They're here." One of them quietly hummed, capturing the attention of others and making them turn their gaze at us.

"Oi, you are late." Bartolomeo hissed to the pinkette, then beamed at me. His eyelids rose, when his eyes traced to my torso and then back to my slightly covered face.

"Oh, look, little bitch decided to dress up? Isn't that cute?"

"Bartolomeo, stop."

"No, it's ok Bonney. There's only thing that bothers me." I had assured her before I risked over to him. "How did you manage to get here? Did someone leave your cage open?"

"What. Did. You say?!"

"I mean...ever since I met you, you've been behaving like an asshole. Why don't you take a day off?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Nope. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm guessing it's hard to pronounce."

Bonney released me and walked towards her partner. Knowing the situation, she was prepared to ease his boiling anger.

"Bartolomeo. Calm. Down! And you." She turned to me. "Don't patronize him even further. His ego isn't big enough to handle such big words."

"Tch. When did you become so friendly with that bi..."Bonney immediately rose an eyebrow.

"...thing? "

I could honestly say, that my anger reached its limits that I had carefully built up over the years. Bullies in school, that I handled with such an ease, were nothing compared to this huge mafia boss that obviously didn't have nothing better to do than to antagonize a girl, half his size.

Now was the breaking point of my patience. And as I could deduct from the negative aura that gloomily lingered around him, it was his too. If it weren't for Bonney and her interference, we would have killed each other.

"Let's continue this talk a bit later, shall we?" The voice that trailed through the corridor was clear, a bit soothing, but nevertheless the presence of the unknown participant made the air harder to breath.

"It was fun on the beginning, but now it's just too depressing to watch." The unknown person's warmth spread around my back. That's when my body instinctively stiffened.

"Don't you agree... Y/n-ya?" His words pouring so quickly from his grinning mouth. I shuddered at the nickname I'd received.

My assumption then appeared wrong. It wasn't for the nickname. It was because of him...his way of talk...That made my mind loss control of all rationality and just take a sudden intake of breath and stumble backward, the point of my heel pressing into the black carpet.

My heart twisted and sunk with nerves when Law's slender fingers pressed themselves to my dress, his coldness spreading through the thin lace fabric to my spine. The same action felt parpable with a different person. With Kid the notion was unbearable but at the same time I craved for it. It had...an effect on me.

"..."

My silence made him chuckle in triumph. The chuckle tho...I couldn't deny. His voice was soft, calming, but something...maybe the way how he used it... made it ominous. It had a certain impact. It resembled to a cold-blooded killer's in the night, that was patiently waiting for his victim, luring it into the dark lair.

I subconsciously tugged my head towards him, only staring with cow eyes.

In contrast from Bartolomeo, he dressed casually, the black suit complementing his frame. Additionally he covered himself with a white long coat. His earrings were still present but came to the foreground due to the lack of his white, fury hat. He didn't even bother to brush his dark hair, but just let it untamed. His hair was lazily ruffled, the dark tips haphazardly pushed so they intertwined into beautiful chaos. His skin would be nevertheless perfectly tanned and spotless if it weren't for the black circles under his eyes.

I clutched my dress.

There it was again.

Immediately when I found something good about him, it turned into inexplicable. The red radiating light, that was reflecting from his bored face, absorbed all the details and only left sharp shadows, making the raven look sterner.

The flow of my thoughts was disturbed by the elevator's arrival.

Law smirked, his free hand nonchalantly going through his messy hair. "Looks you've been lucky. For now. But the night is still young. You will sooner or later start singing like a bird." He had assured before he barged ahead of us and was the first one that steed inside the dark machine.

Law arched a sly brow. "Shall we go? We are already running late."

~~~

It was 20.05. Law's partner, that went under the name Penguin, pressed his hand against a small glass panel. A sensor read his fingerprints, verifying it. The doors slid shut and the lift, steadily proceeded to go down, increasing the pressure that was knotted in my head.

One minute.

In that one minute of standing completely like stone, I held my breath and intervened my hands together. That is when a mild music started to play below us. At first was almost undetectable, the it grew louder as we approached the underground, my heart rate quickly surpassing the beat that was coming from the Grand Hall.

The dark machine slowly stopped and swiftly slide the doors open, revealing the semi- yellow enlightened space.

It took me a second or two for the new atmosphere to sink in, even thought it was right before my eyes. The fragile music, collective and calming, was coming from the back of the stage that was pushed back by the center's large statue, which reached the sealing, reflecting its golden cover all over the place. From the sealing, white, with hint of gold lanterns five times, if not even more, the size of a normal human hand, hung above the explicitly arranged tables, where some guests already sat, their hands full with glass cup filled with the tranquil beverage.

From the center, small columns rose from the ground, on each side a poker table was placed, some billiard tables as well, the floor plastered with a red rug and decorated with yellow spirals.

Just when I was about to gasp, while we were trooping slowly down the stairs into the crowd of swirling people on the red carpet and paintings on cream walls, I caught sight of a vivid, vibrant red hair and starkly paper-white skin, standing with folded arms between a bluenette and a huge, dark posture. His mouth was painted with black lipstick.

As if he sensed someone watching him, he gradually slid his gaze from Wire and traveled through the crowd until his yellow orbs caught mine.

In that moment I thought the whole world stopped moving. With steady eye-contact, he remained to gaze at me.

Is he angry?

The moment was interrupted by Bonney, which shook me from the side and whispered something to my ear. I lowered my eyelids, somehow thankful for the inconvenience.

"Y/n. This s your first time here, so act in low key. You don't wanna catch the attention of other businessmen here."

I narrowed my eyes at the neatly dressed man and women, spread across the Hall. "Who are even these people?"

"Bege likes to cooperate with influential people on different areas to gain access to multiple information. He loves having the upper hand in every given situation. Now, listen to my advice and join Kid. I'll be sitting with Bartolomeo over there." She tugged her head to the other corner of the room. "Be careful."

That was the last thing she uttered before she turned on her heels and dashed away. Not even a second later, a small tap on the shoudler caused my gaze to redirect to Killer, who was tastefully dressed into a tuxedo, nevertheless his hair still naturally wild.

"Y/n? Good, you are finally here. Come." I silently followed the blond to the group that stationed itself on one of the free places. I was only acknowledged by a short nod.

"Mousy. Sit there and be quiet. Don't move an inch." Kid demanded, not even trying to maintain a certain eye contact.

I was about to burst something back, but his cold eyes immediately made me shut.

As if he knew what my intentions were, he hissed under his breath. "If I were you, I would know my place. So, sit down."

My shoulders slightly slumped as I covered my face with the falling hair ad that almost threatened to mess up the make-up, which was applied numerous times.

Then something hit me. It's been there since the meeting...This anger. I was boiling in it. But every time I glanced at the aggressive male, my stomach crunched.

"I have the free will to speak, you know."

There was a dead silence and I could swear I'd seen Killer frantically shake his head, signaling me to stop.

But it was too late. Kid's face mottled crimson, his neck strained. I gulped at his reaction. But what happened next was something that made me squirm in my seat.

He growled. "Killer, Wire, Heat. Go. Tell them to start this shit as soon as possible. Everyone is impatient."

He was right. The guests were gulping one glass of alcohol after another, ditto emptying expensive cigarette packages, while periodically complaining.

Killer and the other two moved as one while I was eyeing the way they walked. Their shoulders were back like in some armed service.

"Mousy, you shouldn't be looking there." His stern, sharp expression deformed into a relaxed smug. Leaning back with hands behind his head, he grinned, exposing his perfect white teeth.

"You dared to disobey me, huh mousey?"

"I..." The left side of his black lip tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on his features.

"You know what such small shrimps like you get after that? I'll give you a hint."

Flinching from my seat, his arm extended, making my eyes shut instinctively, as he grabbed the jacket's collar and tugged me closer to his face. I saw only pitch black, but the fragrance was unavoidable.

It was a mixture of metal and faint smell of alcohol, but still fresh and pleasant at the same time. My legs almost gave up.

Focus.

"Open your eyes, mousey." He purred. I listened to him, and I could feel my heart squeezing the inside of my chest.

"A. Punishment." Kid whispered.

A smile dangled on the corner of his lips. I wanted to respond, but I was cut off by the familiar voice.

Dinner had now officially started.