His verdict

Many minutes passed without anyone could pronounce a word, they were just there with their mouths open while staring at that improbable scene wondering if it was real or not, they weren't used to see something like this or maybe they just never expected to see such a thing.

Volga sighed, wiped out the sweat on her forehead and with a proud smile she turned around towards the three spectators, took her time to savor their shocked expression before she called them, "hello, are you still with me?" After she caught their attention, she asked the two girls to help her to transport Jamal to her car, "he's pretty heavy so maybe you can help, you know? With superhuman strength, it must be easy for you".

Natasha and Carla looked at each other and were forced to accept the reality that Volga just beat Jamal, a feat they couldn't manage to pull off even after so many days of attempts.

"So... you actually did it," Natasha said as she was walking towards Jamal.

Volga stared down at him, scratched the back of her head as she admitted, "well, I won't lie, the drug did play a major role. To be honest, I'm still pretty shocked that he had kept that much strength despite inhaling a great dose of that sedative gas, he did defend himself well, but I'm sure it was just a matter of time before he collapsed by himself. I just had to give him a good and clean hit so I could claim my victory".

Natasha easily lifted Jamal by grabbing his hips and placed him on her right shoulder, which didn't miss to surprise Volga as it always did whenever she would witness such a similar display of those girls abnormal strength, "he looks so light in your hands", Volga uttered while staring at the young woman carrying the unconscious man to the car.

Volga wandered her sight around until she found what she was looking for, "it seems he came here using that vehicle", she said to Andre while pointing to the motorbike, "are you able to drive it back to Jamal's home for me?"

Andre stared at the motorbike for a couple of seconds before he turned and nodded to accept her request, "yeah, sure".

But the latter seemed not convinced so she asked again, "do you know how to drive that thing?"

The young man shrugged as he said, "I will figure out".

"That's not very reassuring you know?" Volga sighed, but she accepted anyway. She left him and walked, with Carla, toward her, and there Natasha was attaching the seatbelt around Jamal after placing him on the front seat beside the driver.

After she finished, Natasha stepped back, stared at the man before she turned toward Volga, "Hey, do you know when he is supposed to wake up?" Her voice sounded slightly worried while her face seemed rather calm and serene.

Volga took a pensive expression while stroking her head as she responded, "well, I don't really know. I have to admit that I've used a pretty strong sedative gas. I needed to ensure my victory after all".

"That's just how you're desperate to join this mission, Boss?" Carla said, which was more of a remark than a question.

"Well, you shouldn't worry about that. You just know how resilient that guy is, I'm sure he will wake up soon", Volga replied with a sudden cheerful tone. She grabbed Carla by her cheeks and squeezed them as she was scolding her, "and you. You sure became bold when you talk to me, where are your shy side and the respect you used to show me, huh?"

"I'm showwy" she tried to articulate, she started to rub delicately her cheeks after Volga let go of them.

She patted her shoulder and walked around the car to take her place on the driver seat, after she installed herself and put on her seatbelt, she tapped on the car door as to tell them to hurry and get in. The two girls empressed themselves to take their places on the backseats and together they left for Natasha's house.

Once they arrived, Natasha was carrying Jamal like a giant teddy bear and as she was walking toward the house Carla ran ahead to open the door for her. She went to place him, laterally, on the couch and almost immediately Volga asked Carla to go grab a glass of water in the kitchen and bring it to her.

She arrived a minute later, Volga and Natasha were around Jamal staring down at him as if they were expecting him to open his eyes at any moment. The young woman handed the glass of water to Volga and the latter proceeded to plunge one of her hands inside to make it wet and placed it above Jamal's head to let the drops fall on his face. She repeated the process three times before they started to see some reaction from him.

He started to slowly frown before he began to move his head to both sides until he finally opened his eyes.

He blinked a few times before he started looking around him, looking confused until his eyes landed on Natasha's face. From there, it seemed that his memories from last previous events were coming back and it would accelerate whenever he would land his sight on someone else, he then immediately stopped when he saw Volga's face.

He stared at her for a moment before he closed his eyes and slowly sat up, the people around stepped back to let him some space. He kept his eyes closed and stayed quiet for a moment before he let out a long sigh and slowly raised his head to stare up at Volga.

"So you ended up doing it, huh?"

"You mean what? Beating your ass? Yeah, that's right, I did that" The woman harbored a large smile while boastfully placing her hands behind her head.

"You know? You're not supposed to look so proud after cheating to get the win" Jamal shook his head while holding himself to smile too.

"I feel no shame about that. A win is a win. Don't expect your enemies to fight fairly against you", she shrugged.

And Jamal was forced to recognize that she was right, he was too confident, as such, he let down his guard and the result of it was this memorable defeat.

Volga's smile wore off, she took a more serious expression when she went to take the seat in front of him. "So? I hope you will respect the terms of the contract and you will raise no objection".

Jamal joined his hands and lowered his head as he asked, "Do you really want to do that? Did you properly discuss that with Don? Does he know the amplitude of the risk you're about to take?"

"Yes", she spat while rolling her eyes, "we have talked and he said he's okay with that", she paused and smiled, "I'm sure you didn't expect such an answer from him".

The man looked at her looking at the same surprised and confused, showing that he indeed didn't expect that. Jamal was sure that Donald was enjoying that life he had with Volga as much as she did if it was not even more, so he couldn't why would he agree to let her in such a dangerous mission.

"Because apparently, he understands me more than you do", she replied as if she had just read in his mind, and then with a lower tone of voice, almost like a whisper, she admitted, "he even understands me more than I do".

A moment of silence passed before Jamal reacted. He took a deep breath while clapping in his hands, as if to highlight that he had made up his mind, before he declared, "well, as to how I see things are, I have no right to stop from joining in". He stood up, took the few steps towards her until only one meter was separating them and he extended his hand for her, "we will be counting on you from now on".

Volga looked at him in the eyes and tried to figure out what was he thinking, she didn't sense any sort of anger, frustration, or even irritation which meant that he didn't have any ounce of resentment for her even after she tricked him so shamelessly. She stared at his hand for a short moment before she finally held it, Jamal pulled her to make her stand up and once their eyes were at the same level they ended up shaking their hands.

Volga, at that moment, had a rise of enthusiasm after seeing that they just made up, she couldn't control herself and before she knew it she jumped at him and hugged him.

Everyone around gasped in surprise.

"No no no and no, I'm not allowing it" Lina shouted just after she arrived in the living room and witnessed that scene, "I don't what's happening here but I think that's enough, now get off from her," she said as she started pulling on Jamal's arm.

Volga quickly let go of Jamal and had a step back while looking very embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean... to make it weird".

"Don't worry it wasn't weird. It was lewd" she replied to Volga as she was clinging on Jamal's arm, she moved her head toward Natasha and began scolding, "you. How could you be here and let that happens in your watch, you could have at least do it yourself", she then turned toward Jamal and pinched him before she told him, "and you. How dare you to get a boner from another woman than me".

"Wha-" Jamal instinctively touched his pants to check if he did had an erection before he quickly collected himself to ask Lina what was she doing there.

"Hein? Yeah, there was something important I needed to tell you... but I forgot, never mind, it was sure not that important" Lina said while making the gesture of brushing it off, "most importantly. What do you think about-"

Two dramatic coughs coming from behind Lina, they all turned around and, at the entrance of the living room, they all saw Matteo standing there.

He took some steps forward, took his time to stare at everyone in the room one by one, took a deep breath before he declared "It was me who had something important to say. The enemies we are about to fight, they will make a move very soon".