Struggling to break free as she gasped for air,l in an agonal manner, Temi's veins could be visibly seen.
Scoffing, he said;
"I don't understand why Scar Face and blonde rookie couldn't get you, little mouse...?"
Temi stared angrily back at him but couldn't reach out to him.
"Blonde rookie...!" One of his colleagues said as he chuckled.
"I like that name...!"
"Are you being sarcastic right now or you're being serious...?" Another of the members, younger than the rest asked.
Turning to look at the youngest person in the group, the guy that had laughed said;
"Does it look like I was joking in the first place...?" He asked as he pointed round at his face.
The younger guy nodded.
"You did laugh after all...!" The boy said.
All the other members stared at the boy with looks of different kinds in their faces...
Looks of confusion...
Looks of slight anger...
Some even had straight faces on as they all looked at him.
Temi's face was visibly red with the veins showing all over.
Narrowing his eyes at her, the leader said;
"Hey, what's going on, Big Muscle?" He first asked.
"It seems this girl's strong...!" Eyeing her a bit, the leader.
"Are you sure she ain't stronger than you, Big Muscle...?"
Tilting his head a little to the right, the guy asked.
"Pardon...?" Thee guy named 'Big Muscle' that had Temi between his arms asked.
"What are you, deaf?" The leader asked.
"W...What do you mean, Leo? I seriously didn't hear you...!" Big Muscle stutteredly stated.
Tilting his head slightly back up, the leader named Leo said;
"You really are deaf, Big Muscle...!" Leo said.
Big Muscle gulped slowly.
"It seems you're losing it, Big Muscle...!" Leo said as he tapped the shoulder of Big Muscle.
"What do you mean, boss?" Big Muscle asked.
Pointing at Temi, he said;
"The girl...!"
Big Muscle lowered his eyes down to look at Temi.
"She ain't feelin' it...!" Leo said.
Frowning, Big Muscle asked;
"What do you mean...?"
Leo looked away.
"You know exactly what I mean...!" Leo said.
Staring at her for a long while, the black haired leader tightened his lips in anger as he raised his hand and brought it forward with force and anger.
Hitting Temi hard in the gut area, he punched her several times until she was bloody on the floor.
Shaking his hand and entire arm, Leo looked down at Temi with disdain in his eyes as he smirked.
"Such a simple task, and Scar Face couldn't finish the job...!"
They all laughed.
"What a good-for-nothing...!" One guy said.
"Yeah, he's definitely gonna be surprised...!" Another said.
Laughing, Leo said;
"Exactly...!"
Saying this, they all stared down at Temi for what seemed like eternity.
"It's definitely gonna lift our status...!" Thee first guy that had spoken to Leo about Temi being an easy task said.
Leo looked at him, and with a small smile, he said;
"For the first time, you've said something reasonable...!" His voice was low.
The other guys laughed.
" 'Small of task for us...!' Remember...?" One if them nudged his arm.
Laughing together with them, the guy said;
"Yeah, you know I was definitely kidding when I made that statement...!"
"But look, it's come true...!" He added.
"We all know that you were definitely being serious 'bout it, so stop pretending, Marcos...!" One them, the closest to him said.
As his lips slowly lowered, his head also slowly began turning sideways until the smile had entirely disappeared.
Laughing as he placed his hand on the guy's shoulder, Leo said;
"B...you better be careful with Marcos...he's not someone you should be playing with on issues like this...!"
The guy named B who had earlier replied to Marcos looked at Leo as he spoke and then turned his head to look at Marcos who had a fierce look on his face.
"The fact that I haven't been given much of a task to carry out, doesn't mean I can't beat you up to the point where you begin bleeding here right now...!" Marcos said in a low voice.
Looking into both eyes, Marcos said;
"I'm not your momma's pet that'd have you thrash talk me like that, you hear me...?"
B could feel Marcos' hot breath on his skin now.
"Marcos...!" Leo called.
"You're new to this team...!" Marcos said, not minding whoever was calling him.
"You're a rookie...You're ignorant of the atmosphere you're in, so you better watch your mouth...!" Marcos said.
"Marcos...!"
Leo called again.
" 'Cause if you peradventure blab more than yourself...!" Scoffing as he popped his neck bones, he added;
"I don't think we gon' see even the corpse of your body!"
"MARCOS!"
It was Leo again.
Turning his head to the side to look who was calling his name, Marcos shot a deadly glare at him...
"What...?" His voice was husky.
Opening his mouth, but closing it back, Leo hesitated a bit.
'Is Leo scared...?' B couldn't help but ask himself with a visible frown as he saw Leo's reluctance to saying something.
"You don't have to be so frightening, the guy's just comin' up, so we gave to lead him the way...!" Leo finally manage to say.
"You don't tell me that, you tell the guys that, but not me...I ain't in for this little brat's bullshit...!" Marcos said as he turned and walked away.
"Where are you goin'...?" Leo asked.
"I'm leavin'...!' Marcos.
Leo scoffed.
"To where...?" Leo asked.
"To wherever's not close by, so I can get my mind off you guys...and that bullshit called the rookie that's with us...!" Marcos replied.
"And how are you gon' do that..?" B asked.
"Shhhh...!" The guy closest to him cautioned.
"When are you ever gon' ever learn to keep shut...?" Another guy snapped in a low tone as he slowly lowered his head.
"No, but it's the truth...!" B, still didn't get the signs his colleagues were giving to him as he looked at each of them.
"When is he...how is he gon' exist the plane when we're still in the air...?" He asked.
"It's so irrational...he's being irrational, I mean, we're still on the air, and you're giving us some 'heads-up' that you gon' leave to where you can get your mind cleared and then come back to the group...?"
"Yeah, leave, we don't need you anymore...!" B said.
Leo gave him a slap, he began bleeding from his nose.
Holding the side of his face that gad been slapped, B stared shocked at Leo, who had a stern look on his face.
"What was that for...?" B asked.
"That was for you keeping your mouth shut!" Leo snapped.
"And if you don't keep your mouth to yourself in this group, I swear to God you're not gonna like what you're gonna receive from me...!"
B only stared at him with his face red and swollen already.
"If you're gonna stay in this group, you're gonna gave to abide by the rules...!" And with that, he turned and left.
B stared at Leo's back in anger with his face red like as if it wanted to burst.
He expected somebody, anybody, especially the rest of the guys in the group at least to say something, but none of them did.
When he did confront them, he had received worse confrontation from his colleagues...
"Aren't you guys gonna say something...?" He charged angrily.
He was on the verge of crying.
"What do you mean...?" One of them turned to him with a frown.
"He slapped me and you guys are acting like as of you didn't see anything and aren't even gonna confront him 'bout it...?" B yelled.
Looking at his colleagues from left to right, he used his tongue to clean his mouth as he clicked his mouth.
Taking a step forward, the guy closer to B stared at him with his head tilted to the right as he said in a low voice;
"You know you're a newbie in this group, a rookie...!"
The rest of the guys closed in causing B to look at them in fear.
"We've been in this group together for over twenty-five years...!" Thee guy said.
"We've been together since we were little so we know each other real well and take each other as family...!"
"We in the brotherhood together...All of us...!"
"So does that mean I'm also in the brotherhood t...to...too...?" B asked as he held onto his cheek.
The guys burst into laughter as it made B feel like crying.
"Brotherhood? You?" Big Muscle asked as he laughed.
"You haven't even started the journey yet, and you're claiming to be in the brotherhood...?" Another said.
"You look like crying, little one, this brotherhood doesn't require cry babies like you...!" A different person said.
"Yeah, you look like you wanna cry...!" Someone else added.
Laughing a little, the guy that had been addressing B said;
"In this brotherhood, we don't need no tear filled dude...we made out of dare devils and the only thing that can can make us consider you as one of us is the amount of years you've spent with us, and you haven't even been with us for three months...!"
Staring at him for a while, he went on to say;
"We've been in this group together for years...!"
"Over two (2) decades, so we know ourselves...!"
"It ain't your pops that found us, we founded ourselves...!" The first guy said.
"We just needed support...!"
"This field ain't new to us...!" Big Muscle said.
"We ain't rookies in the job...!"
"But you don't have to be in this group for years before you can be a part of the brotherhood...!" A totally different guy said.
B's interest piqued.
"But you must've got to have the muscle...!" Big Muscle said.
"You've got to have the guts...we don't just need toddlers in this group, we need adults...matured ones that's got what it takes!" The first guy said.
"Yeah, so, if you know anyone that's capable other than yourself, let us know!" Big Muscle said.
Then they all bursted out laughing.
B really felt like crying right now, but he couldn't.
Trying really hard as he bit his lips, B tried to hold back his tears. He couldn't release them in front of these guys. He would be looked down on for the rest of his career with them...
But the tears did not slip past the eyes of the other guys.
"Little one, are you crying...?" The guy that told him that he didn't need to be with them for a long time asked.
This had thee rest turn their attention to him as they all paused and stared at him, studying him.
Taking a step closer, the guy that was closer to him and had initiated the confrontation looked at his face.
After a while, he reached out his hand to his face and using his finger, he brought out something.
When the guy had reached out his face to touch B's fave, B flinched a little.
Scooping something with his finger, the guy brought something to his face.
Looking down at it, it was a tear.
'Crap...!'
B stared at the tear as he slowly moved his eyes up to meet his colleague's.
Looking at him as he lowered his eyes back down to the tear, B raised his eyes up and down again some few times before opening his mouth to say something but the words couldn't form.
Turning to face his colleagues, the guy said;
"He was already crying even...!"
Saying this, he showed them the evidence of the tear on his finger as they all laughed.
'I hate this guys...!' B felt like stabbing this guy right now.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Walking up to Marcos, Leo said;
"Man...!"
Marcos didn't turn back...
"Bro...!" Leo called out as he placed his hand on Marcos' shoulder.
"If you don't control that little pest, I wouldn't hesitate in helpin' out...!" Marcos said in an angry tone.
"Dude, I know you don't like his attitude, but you're just gonna have to work with him for a while...!" Leo said.
"Work with him for a while...?" Marcos scoffed in disbelief as he looked away.
"We need the brains, and he's got 'em...!" Leo said.
"Trust me, you're not the only one who doesn't like him...!"
Marcos looked up at him.
"Yeah, the guys hate him, but they just don't wanna show, because, trust me, Big Muscle would take him out just once, let him speak in his direction...!"
Marcos stared at Leo.
"C'mon dude, we've been friends for a long time...you can't leave me like this, you're my bro...!" Leo said.
Looking down as he pulled out some gloves and wore them , Marcos said;
"You're the only reason, I'm letting that guy off easily...!"
"I know...!" Leo said.
"And also the reason I'm still in this group!" Marcos said firmly.
Leo stared at him.
Walking past him, Marcos said;
"I owe you a lot...!"
"But just tell the dude to watch his mouth...!"
"And you also have to watch your reactions too...!" Leo said.
"Don't let his words get to ya'...of not you're gon' be at the losing end!" Leo said.
"Just let him know to watch his mouth...most especially to whom he talks to...!" Was Marcos' reply.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Marcos turned round.
"I'd do as you say, if you'd also do what I tell you to...!" Leo said.
Marcos stared at him for a while.
Placing his hand on Leo's which was on his shoulder, Marcos said;
"I'd try my best...!"
When they met with the others, they found B to be looking dull and moody.
Sensing this, Leo asked the person closest to him;
"What's up with him...?" Although, he asked, his voice was low.
Turning his head to see who Leo was talking about, the guy crossed his arms in front of him as he shrugged and said;
"He got the insults of his life from the boys, so he knew his place best...!"
"He thinks we're all on the same level 'cause we in the same group...!" Leo chuckled.
"You know as much as I do that he ain't supposed to be in the group...!" The guy said.
"If it hadn't been for the mago mago that they had done, he ought to be learning with the babies right now...!" Leo said, causing the three of them to laugh.
Marcos stood closer to Leo with B directly opposite him. Stealing a glance at him, Marcos shifted his eyes to whom Leo was talking to.
His head that had been lowered before, slowly lifted itself as his eyes met Marcos'.
Turning his eyes away from Marcos', B went on to look at Leo.
After a while of chatting amongst themselves (except B), they all laughed and then with their hands in their pockets, whilst some folded them across his chest, they all stared down at nothing in particular (or they each had their minds somewhere else)...