Mine (Still Editing!)

The humid Chicago air clung to Jezzabelle's skin as she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Is that it Belle?" Lidia's familiar voice asked, pulling her from her thoughts. Jezzabelle nodded, a small smile touching her lips.

"Yes ma'am, you can take the rest of the day off."

Lidia, her face a roadmap of gentle wrinkles, returned her smile. "Okay sweetie, I'm going to be downstairs with everyone else." With a rustle of her apron, she exited the room, leaving Jezzabelle alone.

Her bedroom, a sanctuary of plush carpets and soft light, seemed to sigh around her. With a clap of her hands, a ritual she'd adopted for starting new tasks, Jezzabelle made her way to the bathroom. The cool water from the shower head was a welcome embrace, washing away the day's stickiness and the ever-present weight of her father's protective gaze.

Seventeen years. That's how long Jezzabelle Johnson had lived under the watchful eye of Ben Johnson, the most feared gang leader in Chicago, the head of the Viper Gang. Her mother had passed during childbirth, leaving Jezzabelle as her father's sole legacy, his most cherished, fragile possession. He'd raised her like a hothouse flower, innocent and sheltered, surrounded by an army of bodyguards, her world defined by the walls of their opulent mansion. Her only real companions were Lidia and her children, a family taken in by her father, a safe haven in a dangerous world.

Now, as she stepped out of the shower, the promise of Los Angeles shimmered in her mind. Another 'business' trip with her father, but this time, it was LA. A place she'd only dreamed of, a place far removed from the shadowed streets of Chicago. A place where, for a fleeting moment, she might just feel... free.