The alley smelled of rot and rain as Joseph kneeled before five men dressed in black.
He could say he was shocked and ashamed of getting caught like this.
They were the goons of the underworld, from the mafia, and he knew exactly who sent them.
Damian Volkov.
He'd been running from them for weeks. And when he thought he was finally free, that he had escaped the debt he owed to the mafia, they caught him.
Now he had nowhere left to run.
A kick landed on his face and he stumbled backward until cold brick scraped against his spine. His breath came out in ragged gasps, and he could taste the metallic tinge of blood on his tongue from the blood dripping past his split lip. One eye was already swelling shut, purple and angry.
That was enough for Joseph to face the reality that they had finally caught him.
For weeks he had moved from motel to motel, sleeping in his car, looking over his shoulder at every shadow.
He realized a bit too late that they only let him run around to see how far he could go.
"Well, well," one of them mocked, stepping forward and grabbing a fistful of his hair to force his head up. "Look what we found. Thought you could outrun us?"
A gun pressed against his cheek and he began shaking uncontrollably.
"I- I was going to pay, I swear!" he stammered. "I just needed more time."
The men burst into laughter.
"More time?" another repeated. "You've been given time Joseph, and there's been no results, not a single pay. What are you going to do with more time uh, run around like a stray dog?"
A kick landed against his ribs. He crumpled to the ground with a broken groan.
"Boss doesn't like being played. You should have known what you were getting yourself into when you came to ask for money." One of them sneered.
He curled in on himself as another blow struck his back. Pain blooming everywhere at once, everything blurred at first, before he could finally see clearly again through his swollen eyes.
Finally, one of them crouched in front of him, tilting his chin up with the barrel of a gun.
"Or…." the man drawled mockingly, "do you perhaps have something to bargain? Maybe…just maybe, we'll let you live."
The alley went quiet except for his labored breathing.
Joseph thinked deeply through the pain, there had to be something he could do to at least get himself out of this horrible situation.
Desperation wasn't enough to describe what he was going through at the moment. He was more than desperate. He kept thinking, of what would be of him if he didn't think of a solution to get him out this. Until an idea came to his head.
"I have a daughter!" he suddenly shouted.
The men paused, and their gun lowered slightly.
"You have a daughter?" one of them asked, amused.
"Y-yes!" he rushed out, words tumbling over each other. "She's twenty-three. Very beautiful. Lives down Arcade Street. The tall blue building. Apartment 407." His voice broke. "You can have her. Just–please, please let me go." He sobbed, holding on to one of the men's foot.
He kicked Joseph away immediately. "Get off you wrench." He sneered with disgust.
The men exchanged glances quietly, then one of them gave a subtle nod and stepped away, pulling out his phone as he walked toward a sleek black car parked at the mouth of the alley.
The rest stayed behind to keep their eyes on Joseph.
A boot slammed into the man's side, forcing a cry from his throat.
"You better hope the boss likes your offer." one of them sneered.
"Or you're dead meat."
Their laughter echoed off the brick walls, settling dread deeper into Joseph's bones, adding to the shock and realization of what he had just done.
"I'm sorry Elena." He whispered to himself.
—
The man who had walked away stopped beside the sleek black car parked at the edge of the alley and knocked twice on the tinted window.
A second passed and the glass rolled down smoothly.
Dim streetlight from across the street filtered inside just enough to reveal the sharp outline of a jaw, the shadow of high cheekbones and the faint glint of a watch at his wrist.
Damian Volkov.
"Spider." he said calmly.
The man straightened instantly. "Boss."
"Has he finally decided to pay?" He asked.
"No, boss." Spider hesitated briefly before speaking again. "But he's offering something else, his daughter. He already gave us all the information we need."
"He has a daughter?" Damian asked after a while.
"Yes, boss." Spider confirmed.
"And is she of age?" Damian asked again.
"She is."
"Good," Damian said at last. "Put her up for the auction this weekend."
"Yes, boss."
Spider turned to leave, but he froze immediately and looked back when Damian called him again.
"Kill him." Damian ordered and the window rolled up before Spider could even say a word.
And in the dark alley, on that quiet night. Two gunshots were heard, ending the life of a greedy man who thought selling his daughter was the only way to save himself.