Little Mafia Boy - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

{Nico}
I was having a hard time looking Sera in the face. I should have been angry at her. I should have felt betrayed and hurt inside because she chose Eli but I couldn't. I knew that I wasn't exactly a perfect person in her eyes. We made a silly deal between ourselves, and my father since he first brought up the idea of marrying Sera, but that's all I ever thought it was. I'm also to blame for thinking lightly of Sera's feelings in the beginning. Of course, Eli was also at fault for exploiting Sera's feelings and getting into her head.
When I told her I would free the both of us from Eli, I wasn't lying. I was determined to get Eli locked up as soon as possible so he would be gone from our sight. That was the only way I could ever see any of us happy again. With Eli out of the picture I imagined Sera would make things right with Dan and perhaps they would start dating. As someone who looked up to Sera like an older sister, I really only wanted the best for her. Even after everything that went down.
However, things didn't seem to be going that smoothly. We were all around the center table again back in the detectives building. Sera was at one end of the table with a cool and collected look on her face. She didn't look like she was going to start talking anytime soon about Eli's whereabouts. I mean, sure, all we had to do was wait until he called again to give us his location but it would be ideal to sneak up on him when he wasn't expecting us. That way we could have the advantage. Also, we didn't even know when he would call back. The phone was in my pocket safely put away from Sera's reach.
"She's not going to talk, is she?" Junky asked as he sat on top of the table right next to Frederik, who was sitting on a chair. "I say we take Tea's offer and use a bit of force on her."
"We're not going to behave like Eli." I said glaring at Junky. "We won't stoop down to such lengths."
"It would just be a few quick punches, Nico. That can not be any worse than what your freak of a brother could be doing to the other two right about now." Junky pointed out with a bored expression as he looked down at his nails instead. "Besides, you're the Mafia for Christ sake. It's not like this is something you've never had to do."
"To strangers, yes. Never to people I'm close with. People who I consider like my own blood."
"I don't really see the difference between a stranger and her at the moment." Frederik said clasping his hands on his lap. "I figured you'd be a bit more harsh on this girl. I didn't really think you'd value her life now that she betrayed you."
Junky smiled, "Right?! I was definitely thinking the same, like, I half expected the inner Mafia to come out of Nico there. I thought we'd witness a murder today. I've always wondered how the Delacroix deals with dead bodies. I've seen how a few other families dealt with them but the Delacroix is one of those that keep to themselves. Everything is so hush-hush." Junky started rambling again for the hundredth time that day that only worked to irritate me. "Ah, but back on topic. I seriously didn't expect the future boss of the Delacroix to have human emotions towards some girl."
"Hey." I said in a warning tone towards Junky. "Despite what she's done, Sera is still apart of my family. I don't give a flying fuck who you people are, don't talk bad about her. Only person in the room allowed to do that is me. She is not 'some girl', got it? Her name is Sera. Learn it."
Frederik slightly rolled his eyes. If I hadn't been looking in his direction then I would have missed it. "Sorry if I have no interest in learning the name of some girl who threatened Lion and Damien."
My eye twitched hearing Frederik refer to Sera in that condescending tone again. "Sera never did. It was Eli."
"Quite frankly, it's all the same to me. She's still on his side. That means, if you connect the dots, that she must have known about it."
"For the record," Sera finally spoke up for the first time since we had all been there "I didn't even know who all your real identities were before today. I wouldn't even have known that guy with the long hair had a kid if I hadn't overheard Frederik, or whatever your real name is, telling Nico at the parking lot."
"and you expect us to simply believe you? For all we know, we're all just eating straight from Elisha's hand." Frederik said glaring at Sera.
Junky nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm definitely taking Winter's side on this one, sweet-cheeks, not that you expected me to do any differently."
"Hey, lay off."
"Seriously, Nico, I get it." Junky said putting his hands up in mock surrender, "You're both really close but the fact of the matter is that she can't be trusted right now."
"Oh? So, you guys can be trusted?" I asked getting defensive over Sera. "You're only helping because it benefits your case with the F.B.I. How the hell am I so sure you won't throw me under the bus once we get Eli?"
"As tempting as that sounds, we wouldn't-" Junky tried but I cut him off to make my point.
"See, but I don't know that. If there's anybody I can't trust in this room, it's you people."
We all stayed silent looking back and forth at one another. My words began to sink into the rest of the detectives, "Okay. Okay." Tea spoke up feeling the tension arising in the room. Being their leader, she probably felt it was time for her to step in and calm the situation. No matter what we did, arguing wasn't getting us anywhere. We all knew this yet we were letting our emotions get the best of us all. The rest of the detectives also looked anxious that Lion hadn't called either of them since he left the parking lot. "I was never going to punch Sera, Nico." She said, probably feeling she needed to reassure me. "I don't really have any incentive to get physical with her."
"I would hope not." Erin said looking a bit grumpy. It was also the first time she spoke since we all settled in. "I couldn't handle you getting physical with anyone besides me, Tea."
"I don't date co-workers, Erin. We've been over this."
"Really? I don't remember having a conversation about that with you." Erin responded stubbornly.
"That time was a drunken accident."
There was obviously a lot I was still missing about the group of detectives and quite honestly I had no desire whatsoever to find out more. I was really adamant about keeping our lives completely separated from one another. It was bad enough that I found out Lion had a four year old kid and now that there was something going on with Erin and Tea. When all of this is over I really didn't want to be associated with people who worked with/for the F.B.I., seriously, I couldn't see that going well for me at all. Not to mention I was technically indebted to Tea and the rest for looking into my father's medicinal tea, despite it coming back negative. A deal was a deal after all. I couldn't just go back on my word.
Mikhail's father, Jeffrey, coughed from behind Frederik and Junky as he came downstairs. "Is this the girl that kidnapped Mikhail?" He asked staring Sera down as he tried to look intimidating. Obviously it didn't work as he was the first to look away from her eyes. He walked around the table and sat beside Tea and across Frederik.
I had forgotten that they were still all here. Jeffrey, that Wayne guy who stuck too close to Mikhail's father to be considered 'friendly', and Dylan. Jeffrey refused to go home, considering his home was burnt down, and insisted that he would stay with us and make sure his son was alright. He had probably been up stairs taking a breath of fresh air. Though it was very commendable for him to suddenly act like a caring father, his face just worked to irritate me. Then again, everything was quite irritating at the moment.
"No." I said sarcastically with an eye roll, "This is just some random girl we picked up on the street that we decided to bring back here and question her pointlessly."
"Hey, I get that you're in a bad mood but so are we." Dylan said stepping beside Junky and placed both his hands on the desk, "Bring down that attitude of yours, will you? Jeffrey here is just upset and worried, as he should have every right to be. You're not the only one that cared about Mikhail and Max, okay?"
I glared at Dylan and almost praised him for standing up to me so boldly. Though, of course I didn't. Instead I said, "Oh? You cared about Max? I thought you were just fulfilling your disgusting fantasies with an underage kid." Okay, so I admit I was taking my anger out on the wrong people. I needed to vent but I couldn't bring myself to do that to Sera with other people around us. There were things I wanted to privately talk to her about.
"I-" Dylan said as his face flushed red with either anger, embarrassment, or both. He looked at Mikhail's dad with wide eyes as he realized how that sounded to an outsider. Dylan shook his head rapidly and tried to save his face, "I didn't do anything to an underage kid! I wouldn't dare!"
Wayne raised his eyebrows up questionably but stayed quiet on the subject. Jeffrey decided to speak up, "I could probably get you a lawyer that I've known since high school. We go way back."
Dylan gaped with his mouth wide open. "No! I'm telling you I haven't put my hands on Max! I don't need a lawyer!"
Junky looked quite amused with the turn of conversation but Frederik didn't. "I frankly don't care who you do or don't sleep with and whether or not that person might be underage. What I do care about at the moment is finding a way to get the upper hand in this cat and mouse game." and for once Frederik and I were on the same page.
"The game hasn't even started officially." Sera said with a small smile that tugged at one side of her mouth.
"Game?" Jeffrey asked with a concerned look. "Is that what my son's life is to you people?" Wayne put a protective hand over Jeffrey's shoulder as he stared me down. I had to admit that he looked quite intimidating, but not enough to actually scare me off.
"Don't ask stupid questions." I told Jeffrey, "I wouldn't even be here risking my own life if Mikhail meant nothing to me. Also, try to remember that Mikhail isn't the only one taken captive by Eli. Max is there as well and I know, for a fact, that we can trust Max into keeping both Mikhail and himself safe."
"No offense," Junky said "People around you end up taking their very sharp knives and plunging them right into your back."
"Max wouldn't." I turned to look at Dylan in surprise. He voiced exactly what I was going to say. "Max would never do that to Nico. As much as I hate admitting, Max really looks up to Nico as if he were a God himself."
I gave a small nod to Dylan and looked back at Jeffrey, "There you have it. Dylan might have exaggerated a bit but you get the gist of it. Max is a smart kid. You can put whatever faith you have in him."
Jeffrey let out a long sigh. He looked reluctant to leave it at that but he really had no other choice. He probably understood my feelings for his son better than anyone in the room. He was just having a hard time accepting that I, the next Mafia boss, was in love with his son. I knew that I wasn't just going to have his blessing, not that I really cared for it, all of a sudden and we would all live happily ever after. This wasn't a fairytale. It was the real world and in the real world people think Mafia members don't experience love the same as regular citizens. It was a very subjective way of thinking and I didn't hate them or judge them for thinking that way. Surprisingly enough, when I was younger, I too thought that falling in love was impossible for me.
"But-" Jeffrey started.
Wayne cut in, "Calm down, let them do their job. They've done a lot for the purpose of finding Mikhail so far."
Jeffrey looked up at Wayne and then sunk deeper into his chair, "You're right. Sorry."
Frederik took that time to talk, "contacting Lion would also be ideal right about now. I don't feel right potentially going after Elisha without him here with us."
Junky looked at Tea, "I hope they're okay. Has Lion called you, Tea?"
Tea flinched softly and looked down at her phone. "Not yet." She looked back up at sera and asked with a soft and tired sounding voice, "How did Elisha know about Damien? It took us a few years of working together to find out Lion had a wife and kid."
Sera simply shrugged and said, "Elisha's contacts are his secret. He has his ways of knowing things. I don't pry into his business. I've never needed to."
I scoffed lightly, "You were too busy prying and telling him mine, I suppose?" I regretted saying those words as soon as they left my mouth. I hadn't meant to say anything in front of everyone else. Though, smart ass remarks were one thing. I wasn't about to ask her questions with a whole lot of info about our past.
Sera looked down at her lap and said, "It's no use lying to you now. Yes, I told him everything."
I shook my head in anger and slight disgust. I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Sera had actually gone and told Eli everything. Then, it struck me. If Sera had told Eli everything then that would mean he knew about Max's past. Sera had been right beside us when Max was telling us about his parents and what had happened before I found him in the streets. That would mean that Eli, more likely than not, knew who Gregory was already. For all I knew, they could have been in contact before. It then felt like no shock to me that Gregory had called me that morning to, out of nowhere, tell me he had found Sera at Dan's house. Considering Sera looked like she hadn't been expecting us, Eli had thrown Sera under the bus to throw me off his tail, or keep me busy a while longer. Eli had probably not been expecting Lion's contact to find Sera at all so I suspected Eli contacted Gregory to assure that I would find and follow her.
"I figured as much." I sighed softly as I leaned back against the table. I didn't have the patience to just sit around and wait obediently like some dog. However, Eli hadn't left any other option and Sera wasn't going to give away his location. "I still don't have it in me to blame you but don't think I've forgiven you." I told Sera without looking at her.
"because that makes sense." Dylan muttered under his breath.
"It would make sense if you used your brain." I fired back at Dylan. "Brainless Four-Eyed Donkey."
"What did you just-"
"Potty break." Erin suddenly declared as she stood up and walked away with a yawn.
"Thanks for letting us know". Junky sarcastically told Erin and then turned to us, "Can you guys stop biting at each others throat? Just go fuck already. There's some serious sexual tension between you two and it's a bit overwhelming."
"Junky, shut up." Frederik said smacking the back of Junky's head
"I felt it, too." Wayne said raising his hand softly and then dropped it. "Trust me, I know sexual tension when I see it."
"Yes! Someone else who understands me!" Junky said and reached over the table to clasp hands with Wayne, "It's all up in this room like, 'BAM! I hate you but I also really want to bend you over this table right now. After that I would love to screw you against the wall!' Right?!"
"Yeah, I mean, it's hard to ignore the tension between the two." Wayne said with a nod. "I wouldn't mind watching."
"That's what I've been saying!"
They both looked completely ridiculous holding hands over the middle of the table and talking about Dylan and I in an intimate scenario. I grimaced at the idea and even felt like I might puke. Though, I chose to ignore them both whereas Dylan tried to defend himself. Seeing as I didn't have the patience to bicker uselessly I took out the cigarette pack and lighter from my pocket I had bought on the way back. I had quit when Mikhail and I became official because he disliked the smell it left on me. Being stressed and nervous made my fingers twitch and my cravings for a cigarette resurface. I was sure Mikhail would have a problem with it but I would think he'd understand.
I lit my own cigarette and then removed it from my lips to blow out the smoke. I offered everyone around the table a cigarette, which I would normally never do, and the only one to take a cigarette was Jeffrey. He handed me back the box and I lit his cigarette with the lighter. I stuffed both the cigarette box and lighter back into my pockets and looked around the table,
Tea looked about ready to strangle Junky who was making the most noise. Wayne and him were picking on Dylan who was trying to defend himself. Frederik looked so over the whole situation as he held his index fingers on his temple. Sera looked completely calm as she was staring at the wall across from her, spacing out. Jeffrey, surprisingly, seemed to be enjoying the whole thing.
Not in some kind of twisted way, but perhaps because he hadn't been so close with people after his wife passed. It was only ever Mikhail and him together in that house. Rather, even if they were both inside that house they never really spent quality time together. Or so Mikhail told me. Being in a room with both energetic people and quiet people alike must have been something new for Jeffrey. The smile on his face made me see him in a different light almost. Of course, I still thought his plan of leaving Mikhail without talking it over with his son was absolutely selfish and disgusting.
"We really aren't getting anywhere with this." I stood up straight, "We should take a break before I actively break all of your noses for even breathing the wrong way."
"Someone has a temper~" Junky sang with a smile as Wayne and him weren't holding hands anymore. They were back at their original positions.
"Do you blame me? You're all acting like children when we have real issues."
Junky put both hands up, "Ay, don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm just trying to get the room lively. Your grim expression brings down the mood."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm going out for fresh air. I really can't stand any of you for a second longer."
"A break could do us some good. We can't really decide anything now as Elisha still hasn't called." Tea looked at her phone and then said, "It's twelve in the afternoon. We can take shifts in watching Sera."
"I won't run away." Sera said, "Elisha would be angry if I acted on my own."
"Of course you won't. A puppet can't move without the puppeteer moving the strings." I said and blew out smoke slowly. I turned to look Sera in the eyes. She had a small, painful smile on her face. I was the first to look away to see Erin walking back to the table.
The room was growing colder by the second as everyone was on edge, except for Erin who had just arrived, "This is so awkward." She said looking around at everyone.
"I'll be outside." I said walking away from the table. I wanted nothing more than to go back to when things were simpler. Back to the days when my mother and I were living our days in peace. Of course I knew that wasn't going to be possible. I was running away from the task at hand. I knew it, hell, everyone at the table knew it. I didn't care though. I wanted to think things through and clear my mind before I said things that I couldn't take back.
* * *
With all my free time I had actually dropped by the hospital to see how my father's condition was. At first, Tea was reluctant to let me leave because she thought Eli would call while I was away. I wasn't going to let some detective tell me what to do so I left the phone with her and went to do some cigarette shopping and hospital visiting.
When I got there, father was in bad condition. The doctor assigned to my father told me that they actually found a slow working poison inside his body. I was told that that particular poison isn't common at all and hasn't been tested in the lab because it's only found in the black market, which is hard for normal civilians to get their hands on. The doctor speculated that my father must have been given small amounts at a time throughout the years. Which would explain why my father became so ill slowly and without a known cure. So, basically, what the doctor was telling me was that father was far beyond saving. There was nothing that they could do to save him. His body was too weak and fragile to endure surgery to remove the poison. There was nothing I could do. I was too late, again.
As I took in the information and sat by my father I realized there were so many things left unsaid between us. We never said the word love to each other but looking back on my childhood I knew that it was always there. Though unspoken, my father did care about me. He didn't have to take me in when my mother died but he did. Sure, he treated me harshly but that was to be expected from a Mafia boss. It was that tough love that made it possible for me to take blow after blow in life and still be able to stand tall. He wasn't a bad father despite how he did everything that Naomi asked of him. I now understood why he would give his everything to her. He was weak, he needed someone to depend on. Father never was one to show his weakness to neither Eli or I.
Sitting by his bed in a daze was all I could do. Knowing that my father was going to die and I had something to do with the acceleration felt absolutely horrible and I didn't think I had the right to cry. If I hadn't been born then father would have had to pass down his leadership to Eli. Eli would never have gone off the walls seeking revenge and Mikhail nor Max would be who knows where probably getting abused physically and emotionally. I was really starting to believe Eli when he said that everything I touched died. I was falling deeper into my self hate before I even realized it.
I just sat there for hours not knowing exactly what to say. Too scared to hold my father's hand and too scared to talk to him incase he could actually hear me. What was I going to say? I'm sorry for being born. I'm sorry that I broke your family apart. I'm sorry that I caused you many troubles because I am a bastard child. Despite what I thought, that would be like spitting in his face. It was disrespectful to apologize for being alive to the very man who granted me life. Also, Saying I love you to my father felt so foreign that I couldn't open my lips to say those three simple words.
I stayed by his bedside until his very last moment. There was no miracle or God shining down on us. Father never regained consciousness for even a second and I never said the things I needed to say off my chest. He simply stopped breathing. The high pitched noise of his heart monitor broke me back into reality. The harsh reality was that my father was dead and I was to blame just as much as Eli and Naomi. I couldn't bring him back to life even if I wanted to, so I did the next best thing that I could think of.
I went home as quickly as I could to catch Naomi but Naomi had already ran off with a huge sum of my father's money, which technically was now mine. Immediately, I sent a few members who worked under me to go out searching for Naomi. I then fired all the kitchen staff and the house doctor for not doing their job diligently enough. I got rid off all the house workers who were hired by Naomi or around the time Eli arrived. I made sure to get rid of any rats that were still lurking around. After that was over and done with I told what was left of the house workers and members of my father's passing. Members that have been under my father's ruling for years shed a few tears as the man they looked up to passed away. Anger and the want to avenge my father shined brightly in their eyes. I gave them a few words of gratitude for their loyalty and a promise to do the best I can for the Delacroix. It felt surreal to be the new boss but at the same time empowering to know that as my father's son, these people now looked up to me. They were all in my care one way or another and that terrified me.
It was like my emotions were clashing against one another inside of me. Sadness, anxiousness, anger, excitement. I wondered if I was really cut out to lead everybody.
I didn't stick around long but promised everyone I would be back as soon as possible. I wanted to right my wrongs with Eli before I officially accepted my role as the Delacroix boss. I wasn't in the mood to handle any legal business just yet. I solely wanted to focus on finding Max and Mikhail without involving the Mafia yet. The last thing I wanted on my hands was the blood of more unnecessary deaths.
After all that was finished and I arrived back to the detectives building I laid out on top of the table and took my turn to keep watch on Sera. My right leg was propped up against my left knee. I was staring more at the ceiling than I was actually watching Sera. She had taken a nap on the chair and was still asleep. Tea offered letting her nap in the office but I denied it. I didn't want to give Sera even a small window of opportunity to somehow contact Eli. Call me paranoid if you must, I won't deny that I, a hundred percent, was.
I had nearly gone through the entire fifth pack of cigarettes by the time it was Nine P.M. I had gone to buy more when I left earlier knowing that it was going to be a long day of waiting and, boy, was I right. Not even a single call from Eli in the last nine hours. One would think that he had jumped off the side of the earth and vanished; that would be amazing if it truly happened.
Lion had eventually called Tea back. Apparently, Lion had picked up his son from Lion's mother's house which was out towards the countryside. He had stayed a while to check the area and make sure no one was stationed at her house. He apologized for not calling sooner and blamed it on the bad cell reception. His team looked relieved to find out Lion's family was safe. He was on his way and would arrive soon according to Frederik's calculations.
Dylan, Wayne, Jeffrey, and Frederik were by the snack station fixing coffee and gossiping on the couch like old ladies. Junky and Tea were talking business, plans and strategies, while they waited. Erin was watching something in Tea's office. I was betting that it was most likely some kind of documentary again.
I was hoping that staring at the ceiling would give me some kind of answer but it never did. I still hadn't cried from losing my father and no one else in the room was even aware of what happened. I was hoping it would stay that way. I didn't need anyone to pity me or apologize for something that they couldn't prevent. Besides, their words of sentiment would only work to put me in a worse mood than I already was. I lit a new cigarette and let my free hand fall on the table. I was contemplating whether or not to wake Sera up so I could talk to her when two pairs of footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. I sat up on the table and blew out smoke from my parted lips.
"Damien! Quit running down the stairs! You're going to fall!"
Sera sat up straight, alert. I followed her gaze to the stairs to see a small kid with brown hair and hazel eyes. He wore a dark green jacket, a yellow scarf, and bright red gloves. His bottoms were purple pajama pants. It was painfully obvious that Lion had been the one to choose his mismatched clothing.
"Damien!" Junky said running over to the kid and picking him up. "Hey, buddy. I've missed you." Junky rubbed noses with Damien.
Damien laughed and held Junky's face still with both of his hands on Junky's cheeks. "Me too, uncle Chiro!" Being a kid and not being able to pronounce things correctly, Damien ended up adding an 'H' to Junky's real name, Ciro.
Tea and Frederik came over and took turns holding and welcoming Damien. Even Erin came running into the common area to see Damien. Lion arrived downstairs and ran his hand through his hair, "I don't even get that big of a welcome."
"Jealousy doesn't fit you, Lion." Frederik said taking Damien away from Tea almost as soon as she held him. "Isn't that right, Damien?"
Damien smiled cheerfully, "Yeah!!" He giggled as Frederik began kissing his cheeks. It felt out of character to see Frederik being so kind and open with a small child. I could have sworn the guy didn't know what an honest smile was.
Lion chuckled and took off his own sweater. He hung it up and locked eyes with me. Lion immediately started walking towards me and I felt like I was going to get punched again by an angry dad. Instead, he plucked the cigarette out of my mouth and stomped it out on the floor. "Don't smoke when my kid is in the room."
"There was a nicer way of doing that." I pointed at the cigarette under his shoe.
"Who are you?" Damien asked. He was next to Lion's leg now, looking up at me.
"The boogeyman." I smirked and saluted the kid, "How do you do?"
"Why do you talk funny?"
"Damien, we don't talk to strangers like that." Lion said placing his hand on Damien's head softly.
"Sorry." He apologized and I waved the kid off.
Lion looked at Sera and she immediately flinched. His eyes were stone cold. He was clearly mad about his family being threatened. "Dami, go watch T.V. in my office. I have something important to talk about. Adult talk."
"No! Daddy! I want to stay with you!" Damien said clinging onto his father's leg.
A very small smile threatened to spread on my face. Watching Lion interact with his son reminded me of my own father. He would never allow me to whine like Damien currently was as I was older but our very first meeting was different. Father hugged me tightly and whispered 'Welcome home'. It made me feel wanted for the first time after my mother died. I pushed the thought of my father out for now because I refused to start crying in front of the detectives and seem weak.
"Uhm," Jeffrey said taking a step forward, "I can watch him, if you'd like." Lion looked unsure so Jeffrey added, "Damien reminds me a lot of Mikhail when he was younger."
Lion took a few seconds and nodded, "Okay." He bent down to Damien's height and said, "Go with the nice uncles, okay Dami? They're going to play and watch movies with you in my office."
Damien looked reluctant to leave Lion's side, "okay." He eventually said with a pout.
"Hi Damien." Jeffrey said reaching his hand out for Damien to take it. Damien did and Jeffrey took him to Lion's office alongside Wayne. "How old are you?" He asked.
"Four."
"I'll go with!" Erin offered following behind. "I want to finish watching my eight hour documentary on the jungle."
Dylan stayed behind in the common room with us. Tea waited until Wayne closed the door to the office to talk, "Was Momma B okay?"
"Yeah." Lion said sighing and dropping into a chair, "She was fine."
"Lion, you know I don't usually question the choices you make but why did you bring Damien here. Wasn't he safer at Momma B's home?"
"I'd rather have Damien around me where I know he's safe. Besides, Momma B suggested I take him back. We couldn't be sure that there wasn't anybody watching her house. I dropped her off at her friends bar slash home. Having a kid inside a bar is bad for business." He looked at me and asked, "What happened after I left?"
"Eli said he'd call at a later time with instructions. We've been waiting all day and still haven't received a call."
"You guys didn't think to try calling him instead of just sitting around like fish out of water?"
"We tried but Elisha must have shut off his phone." Frederik told Lion, "The call won't go through. We can't do anything else besides wait around."
"Ms. Mute here won't tell us anything important." Junky brought up referring to Sera.
"Hm, I see." Lion stood up and reached for something inside his pocket. "That's because you haven't given her purpose to talk." He walked up to sera and placed something near her neck. Upon closer look I realized he had a switch blade in his hands. "So, how about it? Feel like talking yet?"
I stood up with haste and latched onto Lion's arms. No matter how strong I thought I was, the strength of an eighteen year old couldn't compare to a guy that must have been in his mid to late twenties. "Don't you fucking dare."
"Lion!" Tea exclaimed with surprise.
"let him be, boss. You can't blame him for his urgency on locating Elisha." Junky said with his hands crossed over his chest as he stood beside Tea. Junky whistled and then said,"Well, when you put it that way I suppose we didn't really try as hard to get her to talk."
"We did but Nico held us back." Frederik added.
"I won't say anything about Elisha's whereabouts if that's what you're hoping to get out of me." Sera told Lion. She didn't even flinch when Lion lightly placed the blade against her neck.
"This isn't the way to do things!" I shouted at Lion as I tried pulling his wrist back, "if you kill her now who knows what Eli will do to you or your son!"
"I'd love to see the son of a bitch try."
"No need to offend anyone's dad." Junky added.
"Listen to Nico." Sera said ignoring Junky and kept her eyes on the wall in front of her. "It's better to follow Elisha's instructions."
"Like hell I'm just going to sit here anxiously bitting my nails in wait. I never said I would kill her, kid. Making her bleed a bit won't kill her."
"Hey, hey. This is crazy. I thought you guys were the good ones in all of this?" Dylan said with wide eyed as he kept his distance.
"We're not either." Frederik said, "We do as we're paid to do. Need information on the person you've been stalking? We won't turn money away. Want to find a missing person? Sure, if you got enough cash. Want all the dirt we can find on a businessman so that you can be number one? We don't judge as long as you've got the greens. Planning a murder and want us to find out their schedule from day to night? We'll do it for the right price. Do you get it now?" Frederik ran a hand through his hair and stared at Dylan, "Now, threaten our family and consider yourself as good as dead."
"Don't scare the kids." Junky said with a small smile.
"So, baby face, you'll talk now won't you? I'd hate to leave a scar on your thin, pretty neck." Lion asked putting his free hand on top of Sera's head lightly.
"Hey, asshole. You so much as leave a single scratch on her and I'll make sure to kill you myself."
"Yeah? Some little snot nosed kid is going to do that? I seriously would love to see you-"
"It's not like I don't understand your feelings. I do." Sera said cutting Lion off. "Someone really important to you was threatened and you're angry. However, attacking me and going after Elisha blindly would be a completely idiotic move. The moment you close in on Elisha, you're on his grounds. Not following Elisha's orders now would make him angry and then whatever he does to retaliate is out of my hands."
"Hearing you praise Elisha is really getting on my nerves." Lion said inching the blade closer.
"Lion! Stop!" I pleaded as I was about five seconds away from kneeing him where the sun don't shine. Yes, it wasn't a very pleasant thing to do considering I too knew how badly that hurt but I wasn't about to let Lion cause Sera pain. As I winded my left foot back, I was being considerate in using my least dominate leg, all of a sudden a phone ringing made everyone freeze in place. Sera went into her back pocket and took out Sera's phone that I had left with her earlier. I took that chance to snatch the blade away from lion and threw it across the room. He glared at me but I didn't bother with him.
"It must be Elisha." Tea said holding out the phone to me.
I didn't even bother in giving her a sarcastic remark. I took the phone from her hands and answered it as quickly as I could. "Eli."
"Hello, brother." I immediately felt goosebumps grow on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "My apologies for calling so late. I was getting the preparations for your arrival finalized."
"This isn't some stupid party, Eli. You do realize that you're going to jail tonight, don't you?"
"I wasn't made aware, no." Eli replied back, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Nico: I won't be going to jail tonight. Not if you want to see your beloved Mikhail and little Max alive again."
I slammed my free hand hard on the table, making a few people jump around the table in surprise. "You let them go. They have nothing to do with this. The thing your after is my life after all, isn't it?"
"Indeed, it is." Eli easily confirmed. "I can't just let them go though. See, they're my own life insurance."
"Where are you."
"Ah. Not so fast. Let me talk to Sera first."
"Why would I let you talk to Sera?" Sera perked up when she heard Eli wanted to talk to her. "She has nothing to do with this anymore. She isn't your puppet-"
"Nico." The way he said my name shut me up instantly, "My patience is running thin. Put Sera on the phone.
I let out an angry huff of air and put the phone to Sera's ear without letting the phone go. Sera realized I wasn't going to hand her the phone so she kept her hands on her lap, "Elisha? Right. Yes, I'm okay." A smile broke on her lips and I realized just how much Sera worshipped Elisha. "Of course. I know the place. Okay. I promise."
I brought the phone back to my ear and said, "Time's up. Tell me where you are."
Elisha didn't say anything for a few seconds. He broke into a small chuckle, "Demanding things of me comes with a price, brother, and I don't think you're willing or ready to pay it." I shivered slightly from his laugh and Lion gave me a questionable look that I ignored, "I already notified Sera of my new location. She'll lead you to me. Oh, and Nico? Only Sera and yourself better show up in front of me. I don't want to see any of the government dogs or your new detective friends, understood? If I see them then I will not hesitate to hurt either Mikhail or Max."
"Eli, wait!" I said quickly as it sounded like he was going to hang up on me, "let me hear their voices... Please." I added quickly remembering what he said about demanding things from him.
He sighed and said, "Very well." I heard a door opening and then what I thought sounded like waves. Another door opened and I heard feint voices talking. "Here's number one."
Max's voice sounded disoriented, "Nico..
"Max! Are you okay!?" I asked hurriedly. Dylan's eyes opened widely and he leaned forward.
"Don't be idiotic. Don't come. I can.. I have everything under control. Don't worry."
"How can I not, Max? It's okay. I'm coming for you. Just wait a bit longer."
"Don't-" Max started to say.
"Time's up." Eli mimicked me from earlier. "Here's you're beloved darling."
"I'm sorry." Were the first words Mikhail said to me. His voice sounded so broken.
"For what?" I asked trying to keep my own voice calm and even.
"The chain you bought for my birthday is broken."
I frowned deeply and dug my hand into my pocket and tightened my grip on the necklace without bringing it out for the others to see. "Don't be stupid. I'll buy you a hundred more if it's so important to you. I don't care about the chain. What's important to me is that you're okay. I promise I'll come to save you."
"You'd be walking into a trap." Mikhail said with a weak voice.
"I know. I know that but I'm still going." It was hard for me to be sentimental on the spot with everybody watching me intensely. "I'd walk in a land mine if it was the only way to get to you."
"How touching" Eli said. I wasn't even sure if Mikhail had heard what I had meant for his ears, not Eli's. "You know they're alive now. I'm expecting you in no more than an hour." and he simply hung up.
"Well?" Frederik asked.
"How are they? Okay?"
"Sera knows the location. Eli said that only sera and I are permitted to go. If he see anyone else then he will hurt them. They sounded broken but alive. We have a time limit. One hour"
"I'm not staying here. I will not let Elisha escape." lion said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going."
"We have to alert the Captain. The F.B.I. have been after Elisha. We finally know his location. This is a good opportunity to catch him." Tea said moving towards her office.
"No!" I yelled and grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Yes." Lion said and grabbed my arm that was holding Tea. "Let her go. I'm not letting you stand in my way of putting Elisha behind bars. Now."
"Didn't you hear me? Eli will definitely hurt, or even kill, them if you go."
"We won't let that happen, Nico." Frederik told me. "We'll stay hidden. Taking us with you will be a great advantage. We can provide assistance from a distance. Junky is a great shot. We can't let this chance pass us by."
He had some point in his words but was I really willing to trust them? Taking backup with me if I didn't involve the Mafia sounded like a good idea at first but I wasn't sure if they had what it took. Junky was a complete idiot from what I've seen previously. He almost got himself killed by Sera at the parking lot and I was suppose to trust him to point a gun in my direction? Frederik didn't look particularly useful in the given situation if he was only good with electronics. Erin only watched documentaries all day. Tea was apparently the leader but honestly Lion acted more like the boss and now Lion was too emotional to properly lead his team now that his son's safety was involved. However, if I had to be honest, I did feel better having them around.
I dropped Tea's arm and then Lion dropped mine. "Fine, but if the F.B.I. Fucks this over for me then I will make sure you guys pay for it."
"I'll get Captain on the line." Tea said and ran into her office quickly.
"Woah. No need to threaten us, Bud. We're all playing on the same side of the court today." Junky said with a small smile. "Most of us anyways." He turned his direction towards Sera.
"Where are we going?" I asked her.
"The docks." Sera answered.
"He's planning on fleeing?" Frederik asked, "I thought his objective was to take the Delacroix?"
"Plans can change." Sera said, "Oh, Junky?"
"Yeah?" He asked with an eyebrow raised curiously.
"Remember when we talked about the game not officially starting?" He nodded and she responded, "Well, game on." Sera started laughing hysterically.
I shook my head knowing that if I wanted to know what Eli was planning I would have to ask him myself. Lion checked his watch and then said, "Junky and Winter, you're coming with. Junky get whatever weapons you need and Winter-" he grabbed keys and tossed them to Frederick, "You're driving."
Frederik caught the keys easily and nodded, "Right."
"Got it." Junky said and went off to do as he was instructed.
"You-" Lion turned to Dylan, "Are you coming with?"
I was surprised that Lion had asked Dylan to see if he wanted to go and I was actually shocked when Dylan refused, "I, ugh, no. I should stay." Upon closer look I realized that he was shaking in his spot. I had forgotten that normal people would be too scared to go towards certain death with a psychopath.
"Okay." Lion said, he had also noticed Dylan shaking in fear. "That's fine. I could use you here looking after my son." Lion placed a reassuring hand on Dylan's shoulder. "Nico and Winter, come with me. We should discuss our plan and go over it quick and then revise it in the car."
I followed him but not before giving Dylan a pitiful look. He talked so big before and now when it truly mattered, he was backing away like a coward. If he couldn't even handle this then I couldn't see Max and him lasting long together in the future at all. This for sure wouldn't be the last time something like this would happen to Max as long as he was a member of the Mafia. Max was out there experiencing Hell on earth and Dylan couldn't even gather his strength to attempt to save him. Dylan looked away from my eyes with a guilty look. I shook my head at him and walked away.
Whatever. Dylan. Not going meant I had one less person to worry about getting killed. I expected myself to be filled with worry, but I wasn't. I was as ready as I was ever going to be to save Mikhail and Max and place Elisha behind bars for good.