"What do you mean that there wasn't anything else?" Jesse slammed his fist against the table and glared down at Aidan. The stolen box of money was laid in front of him, but, for once, he didn't seem to care about his growing wealth. "You better not be screwing with me, Aidan. I'm not in the mood for games!"
A chill ran down Aidan's spine. Her whole body ached, both from her injured ankle and from the new bruises Jesse had given her upon showing him the crate. "I promise you that that was everything, Boss. The money was all the Vipers were guarding-"
Suddenly, Jesse grabbed Aidan's shirt and yanked her close so that they were eye-to-eye. "The Vipers wouldn't have had so much security for a few bills! They had something else and now, because you were messing around, they've probably moved it already!" He shook her roughly. "Where the hell were you anyway? You know not to wander off without my permission, so what were you up to?"
Sitting on a couch across the room, a blue-haired woman batted her lashes. "Aw, Jess, I'm sure she didn't mean no harm."
"Shut it, Audrey," Jesse barked, "She's my subordinate and I'll decide what to do with her. Besides," his voice lowered, "she's not a little kid anymore. Right, Aidan? You're already thirteen and adults like us got to take responsibility for our mistakes. You can't be coddled like you used to." He glanced down at the bandage on her leg. "So where were ya?"
Aidan swallowed hard. "Bartolomeo found me, Boss."
"What?" Jesse blinked.
She nodded. "He mistook me for a street urchin and took me back to his base. One of his three underlings wrapped my cut while he tried to pull information about you out of me." Aidan nervously locked her gaze with Jesse's, unsure what to make of his silence. For a moment, he did nothing, but his stunned expression slowly turned into a wild grin and he cackled.
"Only three goons? Are you serious? Ha! Those rumors must have been all talk then! Aidan, why didn't you say anything sooner?"
"Well, I-"
"Forget that. If you know where their base is, we can get them before they're settled and ambush 'em!" Jesse released Aidan, but his eyes still held a dangerous glint to them. "Lead the way and I might even forget about this whole incident, if you're good. Doesn't that sound nice?"
Aidan bowed her head. "Y-yes, Boss."
"Hey!" Jesse looked towards one of his men. "Get the rest of the main branch's fighters. We're paying Bartolomeo a house call." As the lackey scrambled to obey his orders, Jesse motioned Aidan to go in front of him. "After you…"
With more than a dozen thugs in tow, Aidan led the gang out of the apartment building they called home base and through the main streets. Unlike before, she didn't have to slink through alleys in fear of being spotted by the Vipers, but her heart still raced as Jesse stayed close behind her. The citizens they passed gave them no trouble, knowing not to cross the mob boss' path.
As they entered the abandoned district, Jesse shook his head. "Cocky little bastard," he muttered, "He even had the gall to set up in my territory. Aidan, how much farther?"
"Just up the hill," she replied.
"Alright. Listen up, boys! You give his underlings hell, but Bartolomeo is mine! I need to teach him a lesson about intruding on another man's land."
"We're here, Boss." Aidan came to a stop in front of the warehouse and turned, ready to bolt and get out of the fighters' way, but her leader clutched the back of her shirt tightly, holding her next to him.
One of Jesse's boots kicked the heavy door, shaking it on its hinges. Aidan felt his breath on her neck as he whispered, "You're gonna stay put until I know for sure that you brought me to the right place." He bunched the shirt in his hand, letting it ride up slightly as he kicked again.
A wave of guilt briefly took over Aidan as the door swung open. The tall blond, Gambia, looked down at her casually. They would have to face Jesse eventually, she reminded herself.
Gambia didn't appear fazed by Jesse. Instead of panicking, he calmly called over his shoulder, "Hey Boss, you're gonna wanna see this. The kid brought company." It only took a minute for Bartolomeo and the other two gangsters to show up behind their friend. Henry and Al visibly tensed, but Bartolomeo merely scoffed.
"I thought I told ya to stop biting off more than you can chew, kid." His red eyes scanned the group before looking Aidan over. "You get jumped or somethin'?"
Jesse stepped closer and pulled her higher. The back of her shirt now brushed her ribcage and as he threw her to the side, Aidan heard one of Bartolomeo's friends gasp, knowing the gang had seen her mark. The skull and snake tattoo was hard to miss, after all. "Do I need to explain more?" Jesse asked dryly.
"But...but she's just a kid!" Al's hands clenched into fists and he snarled at Jesse, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Jesse rolled his eyes. "Seriously? This is the way things are, idiot. You have to be willing to use what comes your way to your advantage or else you'll never survive in this business. Aidan needed me when I met her and now she owes me for it."
"What could you possibly need from her?"
"Al, shut it." Bartolomeo cut him off, using a quick glare to keep Al from arguing. As Aidan shifted and turned around, that same glare sent sweat rolling down her neck. She scooted back slightly, diverting her gaze to Jesse obediently.
"Aidan, stick around. I'll want a full account of this reported to the outer branches, so pay attention," he ordered.
"Y-yes sir."
Bartolomeo cracked his knuckles. "Guys, leave Jackpot to me. You can go to town on the rest."
"You got it!"
In a split second, the talking gave way to excited shouts. Jesse's fighters rushed forward, weapons ready. Jesse drew a dagger and lunged for Bartolomeo's throat. The kingpins instantly disappeared into the chaotic horde. Aidan squinted at the sidelines, unable to spot the rival gang.
Just then, from the far right, she saw Al punch one of the fighters. As a second man came from behind, gunfire rang out. The man crumpled at Al's feet, smoke still oozing from Henry's flintlock. In the center of everything, thugs were thrown flat on their backs. Gambia elbowed one enemy in the gut. A few more he smacked aside with his nunchucks. Blood, spit, and teeth littered the ground. It all went so fast, Aidan's head spun.
The brawl had stopped. Within a few minutes, all of the Jackpots' best fighters were out cold. Aidan could finally see Bartolomeo in the back of the mess. The dagger now in his hand, he kicked Jesse a few feet away. Jesse looked terrible. His shoulder had a large stab wound and both of his eyes were blackened. One of his arms looked bent unnaturally and he wheezed weakly. Bartolomeo, on the other hand, didn't have a single scratch on him from what Aidan could tell. Even his clothes looked unscathed.
"Hee ha ha! Now that was just sad! What happened to 'surviving in this business', huh? Huh?" Bartolomeo snickered at his own taunts. "What's the matter Jesse? Don't you have a back-up plan? Weren't you gonna 'completely trash' me?"
"Damn it..." Jesse coughed violently. "You freak of nature... You better be grateful to the Vipers. If I had gotten my hands on that devil fruit, I would have torn you apart! Don't you ever forget that!"
Bartolomeo's laughing stopped immediately and his head tilted. "Devil fruit?" He grabbed Jesse's jaw and dragged him closer. "There's one in this town?"
Jesse winced, but still managed to bitterly growl. "Who knows where it is. The members I sent after it came back empty-handed. It could be anywhere at this point."
"Hey Boss," Gambia called, "Aren't the Vipers the ones you said you ran into earlier?"
"Oh yeah..." Suddenly, Bartolomeo's eyes lit up. "Wait..." He looked over his shoulder at Aidan, who was still in shock over what happened. She snapped back into reality, however, when Bartolomeo knocked Jesse unconscious. She trembled as Bartolomeo smirked devilishly. "Oh! I think I figured out where the devil fruit is!" It only took one step from him to send Aidan racing down the hill and through the abandoned district, the image of Jesse's battered body seared into her mind.
"Do you want us to go after her?" Henry asked.
"Nah. I doubt she'll go far."
Gambia leaned against the warehouse wall, replacing his weapon into the front of his waistband. "You think she stole the devil fruit for herself?"
"I'm guessin'. It explains why that Viper was so desperate to grab her. Most guys wouldn't run that far for a bit of grub." Bartolomeo squatted next to Jesse's body. Something glittery caught his attention. A gold oval locket hung around the man's neck, a fancy black 'J' inscribed on the front. With a quick tug, Bartolomeo took the pendant, slipping it into his pocket. "I doubt the kid even knew what it was."
As he stood, Al dug his boot into Jesse's chest. "Bart, let me get rid of these scumbags!"
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead, hothead. Just remember to keep a couple of 'em. We still need them to tell us where the rest of his lackeys are."
Meanwhile, Aidan had reached the main road. Still running, she ducked into an alley and shrank into the shadows. She checked behind her, expecting Bartolomeo to be right on her trail. Instead, the only people she could see were the townsfolk going about their usual day.
She breathed a sigh of relief. At least the immediate threat was gone. Still, she had never imagined that Jesse would be defeated and so easily at that. Aidan rested her head in her hands. What was she supposed to do now? It would only be a matter of time before the other Jackpot branches got suspicious in their leader's absence. Once they learned that Aidan had unintentionally led Jesse to his doom, they'd come for her. Not to mention Bartolomeo would be getting ready to take over the territory.
Aidan's thoughts went back to the kingpins last words. They had talked about devil fruits, something she had never heard of before. It confused her why Bartolomeo had suddenly shown an interest in her, but at that point it didn't matter. All she cared about was staying well out of his way.
She paused as she caught sight of her shorts. The bottom hem was coming undone on one side. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a spool of black thread. Held down by the thread was a needle, already knotted at the end. With nimble fingers, Aidan expertly began stitching a new hem in place of the old one. The familiar motion was a welcome distraction.