Chapter 25 #3
“See, that’s the thing. You niggas always think y’all got a choice. This my shit. And what the fuck I say, goes.”
My seat belt clicked, freeing me from the seat.
“Don, I sweardaGod! Ahhhhhhh shiiiiit!”
The copter shifted, and since I was no longer suspended against the seat, I flipped out. The air rushed through my fingertips as I tried to grab on to it to stop myself from falling.
“Fuuuuuuck!”
The world flipped as my body tumbled through the cold air that blasted against me.
All of my senses were heightened and tanked at the same time.
My stomach lurched at the realization that I was deadass plummeting through the blue and white sky that I was just looking at.
The helicopter shrank above me, now mimicking a buzzing insect.
Wind squealed in my ears, and my vision blurred as I thought about the inevitable.
The ground was going to meet me, and I’d be nothing but a pile of blood and guts.
He should have at least let me kill Stella before I died.
“Arrrrgggghhhhh!”
The world was zipping by so fast that all I saw through my weary eyes was blue.
My heart was beating rapidly, and I swore I was having a fucking heart attack.
Then, a violent tug that jerked my entire body slowed the fall.
I was yanked upward with brutal force. The freefall had come to an end and was replaced by a gentle sway of a canopy.
I looked up and could’ve pissed myself from happiness when I saw the parachute.
The fabric spread wide above me, but my adrenaline was still surging.
The loud gusting calmed, but now the silence was deafening, broken only by the whisper of the breeze.
I’d never thought of this element of the Earth as a threat, but today had shown me that wind was no fucking hoe.
Blinking, I was able to see where I was falling now. The brief respite under the canopy shattered as I realized the fucking ocean loomed below. Panic clawed through my throat as I peered down at the unforgiving stretch of dark water.
What the fuck?
“Shiiiiiiiit! Stop, stop! Reroute! Re-fuckin’-route!”
I began kicking my legs, but it was no use because a mere second later, my body landed in the water with a harsh splash.
The impact had me wheezing as the cold water caused a physical shock, stealing my breath as I dropped into the depths.
The parachute, once my savior, was now turning into a fucking hinder, dragging me down, the cords tangling around my limbs as I fought against what I assumed was the ocean waves or lake jetstream.
“Ugggghhh!” I drew in water, choking. It was salt water, which didn’t tell me shit since I knew most of the water on Earth was salt water.
I was in a desperate struggle, battling against the suffocating weight of the parachute, the icy grip of the water, and the growing fear that this was about to become my watery-ass grave.
I couldn’t go out like this. I still needed to fuck Glow a couple more times before I’d be somewhat okay with dying.
I tried my hardest to untangle myself from the cords, but the more I twisted, the more tangled I became.
Each second that passed was a fight, and each breath was a victory as I clawed my way to the surface.
Every time my head bopped out of the water, I was happy as fuck to see a glimpse of the sky.
Just as I broke the surface again, gasping for air, the parachute lights tightened. A jolt of pure terror ripped through me as I pulled backward with unnatural force. I tried looking back as water slapped me in the face while my arms flailed.
“Whatdafuck?”
A dark shape breaching the surface was behind me. The few breaths I had left my body as I watched a fin slice through the water. It wasn’t just any fin, but a big-ass gray, triangular fin.
“Is dat a fuckin’—”
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
There was a fucking shark behind me. Its teeth tore through the nylon as he pulled at the parachute that I was tangled in.
A white object floating on the surface made me snap out of the fear that had temporary paralyzed me.
With all my might, I sacrificed breathing to remove myself from the parachute.
My legs burned, my muscles screamed, and the world faded to black as my lungs began to give out.
Then, I felt free. I felt free as a fucking bird but had no time to celebrate.
Swimming to the surface, I sucked in the salty air that drifted over the water but surged forward.
Not knowing if the shark would come back and finish me for his meal, or if he had friends nearby, I turned into Michael Phelps, arms smacking the water in the direction of the white blob, which was a boat.
I’d never swam so fast in my fucking life.
I needed to take Shio’s advice and get my ass in somebody’s gym if I made it out of this water alive.
Feeling as if I was making some progress, I made the mistake of looking back and saw the sharp-looking fin heading toward me.
I sped up my strokes, praying that I would see my mama and sister again.
If I did, I was hugging them first and killing Don’s ass immediately after.
This shit wasn’t worth no fucking mob membership.
It damn sure wasn’t worth a fucking Ferrari that I couldn’t even afford the maintenance on.
Spotting the ladder, I grabbed it and pulled myself up, only to slip back into the water. The shark was inches away, so I hoisted myself up the silver railing with all my might. At the same time, the boat nudged away from it, and the shark rammed its cone-shaped snout into it.
Dropping onto the floor of the boat and landing on my back, coughs erupted from me. With my hand on my stomach, I felt like I was hacking up every piece of intestine in my body while trying to stabilize my lungs. I’d made it. I’d fucking survived this shit.
The deck was warm beneath my wet body, so I didn’t rush to sit up.
The polished wood was radiating the sun's heat, and I was thankful that it was a sunny day because had it been raining, my body would’ve been freezing against the chilled wood.
The smooth surface calmed me—a stark contrast to the chaos I’d just escaped with the cold water doing nothing but causing panic.
The gentle rocking of the boat produced a soothing rhythm, almost acting like a lullaby, soothing my racing heart.
This shit was for the fucking birds. I couldn’t wait to cuss my brother out for even suggesting I join this fuck-ass mob.
I inhaled slowly and deliberately as I tried to regain control of my nervous system.
Above, the sky didn’t look so threatening now that I wasn’t falling from it.
This was the craziest shit I’d ever faced, and I couldn’t see how this could be topped.
However, I had a feeling this was just the beginning since Don had told me habitats, which was plural.
“Good morning, Tunan!”
A voice had me sitting up and looking around.
I instantly missed the heat from the wood as I looked out before me.
I was on a yacht that was big enough to cast a shadow over the ocean that was serving as the boat’s backdrop.
Elegant wood with fancy fixtures on the deck shone in the sunlight, reflecting the sky like a mirror.
Sleek lines defined the boat's silhouette, and had I not been alarmed when I jumped on this bitch, I’d be impressed with the craftsmanship given to the boat.
Still, there was no sign of anyone as I scanned every surface before me.
“I’m not here with you physically, Tunan, but I’ll be your guide throughout the training.”
“Who da fuck is dis?”
“It’s me… Scarlett.”
Scarlett Rinaldi. Princesspa Cuppacio. Ezio’s favorite. Matteo’s wife. My cousin.
We’d been properly introduced at the hospital, and I could see now that every single Cuppacio was attractive, regardless of the race of their mother. Many of us lucked up because our mothers were even more beautiful than the Italian motherfuckers.
“What da fuck is dis shit, Scarlett? Don ass tryna kill me?”
Wet clothes clung to my body as I stood on the sleek deck. She’d said she wasn’t here, but I was still looking for her. There were steps that led to the undercarriage or probably the living quarters, but I stayed my ass planted right where I was. I needed to see where I was going.
“This is your induction into the Rinaldi Mob.”
“I thought marriage was the induction?”
There was a white towel on a padded bench behind me, so I snatched it and dried my face, trying to get the water out of my ears.
“Marriage was merely a requirement, but in order to fully become a member, there are a series of survival courses that you must complete.”
“I did the one in Egypt.”
“Making a blind man see challenge. Yes, that was only one. You are behind on a few more, so you will complete them all today.”
“By myself?”
“Yes. But no worries, cousin. I’ll be here with you in spirit, guiding you, sort of like you did with Shio in the pyramid.”
Deciding to sit on the bench, I placed my head in my hands and groaned.
How was it that the other niggas had a chance to space their shit out, but I had to do all of mine in one day and without a fucking team? That shit wasn’t fair. Don must’ve thought I was fucking Captain America.
The boat rumbled and began to surge in the water. Just like in the copter, I saw no one driving the yacht as the room where the captain was supposed to be was empty.
“Dis shit ain't even worth it, on God.”
“You’ll do fine, Tunan. It's all a game of instinct. You use your God-given tools to get through this, and you’ll come out a victor.”