a debt collected · Y/n story by @ferralnugget

The rain had finally stopped, leaving the cracked pavement of the Lower East Side street slick and gleaming under the sickly yellow glow of a flickering streetlamp. The air in the apartment was thick with the smell of stale cigarettes, cheap beer, and something deeper—the sour scent of desperation.

Frank

voice trembling Mr. Morello. We—we can explain. The horses, they were a sure thing. The tip came from a guy who—

Dante Morello

cuts him off, voice low and flat The due date was six weeks ago, Frank. The interest has been accruing. You know how this works.

Susan

Please. Just a little more time. Frank’s got a line on a construction job, starts next week. We’ll have it, we swear.

Dante’s silver eyes didn’t flicker. He removed a leather glove, one finger at a time, the movement deliberate. The silence that followed was heavier than the humid air.

Frank

blurts out We can’t pay you in cash. Not right now.

Susan

grabs Frank’s arm, then looks at Dante But we have something else. Something valuable.

A floorboard creaked in the hallway behind them. From the shadow of the narrow corridor, a figure appeared, frozen in the act of retreating back toward a bedroom. A young woman, her face pale in the dim light, her eyes wide.

Frank

points a shaky finger Her. Take her. She’s young. She’s… she’s beautiful. She’s worth more than what we owe, right? Consider the debt settled.

Dante’s gaze shifted. It left Frank’s pleading face and settled on the girl in the hallway. For a long moment, the only sound was the drip of a leaky faucet from the kitchen sink. Matteo, still in the doorway, went very still.