Crisis Of War

{ LXX }

'Why does Rio not see it that way?' I lock eyes with Alessio and wonder how much he knows about us.

'You were seven when you leaked your mother's location,' which ended up killing Luciano and your mother, 'while we were out there already torturing people at that age.'

Sometimes Adriano thinks everyone in this lifestyle went through the same phases as us. That everyone started torturing around five, that everyone had their first kill around the age of ten, and that we all went numb around our fifteenth.

But not everyone had it like that.

Sure, almost all of our lives were similar in events. Loved ones dying left and right. But people dealt with it differently.

'He just expected you to keep your mouth shut.' I say as I shrug it off, not knowing why Adriano doesn't forgive him already. 'I didn't know they would hunt her down and kill her.'

I look away at his words, not knowing if I should comfort him or not.

Because as far as I know, his relationship with Natasha wasn't great either.

'Like I said, you were just a kid.' The basics of this lifestyle are easy.

Trust no one, stay in your lane, and don't just go around killing people

He trusted the Steels with some information because he didn't know better. He probably didn't do it on purpose, he was just a kid back then.

But I get Adriano's anger too.

He killed his last parent, as much as he despises the man as a father, and it left him with barely any family left.

Because my father lost it after his brother died. Which made all of our lives miserable.

As if Alessio telling the Steels his mother's location started an old fire between the Steels and us.

It was a new reason to start yet another war.

I look up again, watching as he stares out of the window as if he's trying to find the answers there.

'Maybe this will make him see that you're not as bad as he thinks you are.' His lip curls up a little, but he doesn't want to believe it yet.

I'll make sure to try my best and explain to Adriano that Alessio got me out of there to begin with.

And if it wasn't for Alessio, I would've been dead.

We don't say a word to each other for the rest of the flight. Not until we get to the ground and head to one of the cars waiting outside.

'Don't forget to breathe, Leo,' He jokes as we both get in the car, 'I didn't save you to die out of stress.'

'Just shut up and drive.' If my body didn't hurt as much, if my leg didn't feel like it was being stabbed a billion times every time I moved, I would've taken the other car and driven home myself.

But he insisted on bringing me home, which I don't mind. As long as he just gets me there as soon as possible.

'Calm down, I'll get you home.' He rolls his eyes and starts the car, waiting for me to fasten my seatbelt before racing off, not looking back at his staff at all.

I look outside, noticing we're driving to a location we haven't been in for a while.

A house that we barely used after my parents got killed.

'Is this the address they sent?' I ask, slowly turning to look at him. He simply nods and stares at the big gates, his eyes widening a bit.

'This place is huge.' It shouldn't bother me that he seems impressed, but it does. And he notices my confusion, before adding, 'We only have one mansion, which is half the size of this place, and a few compounds that look like abandoned houses.'