After Dark (Mature) *Completed*

Twenty Three

"Good evening, signora."

Serenity weakly nodded at the kind faced man before climbing into the back seat. She noticed it was the same Audi she'd first seen Angelo in- the thought making her sick- but the driver was new.

"Angelo told me to take you back to the house, but I suspect that's the last place you want to be right now. Shall we go for a drink instead?" The suggestion made her ears perk up. She smiled softly at him through the mirror- her heart warming at the man's attempt to cheer her up.

"I'd really like that, sir."

"You can call me Frank, sweetheart."
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"So I went back to the camp, mind you still covered in horse cacca, and I went to bed. Never told a soul what happened." Serenity laughed at the story. Frank had been entertaining her with his old camp stories. He was quite the adventurous kid.

"God, times seemed so much simpler then. Now everyone seems to want to record everything." She rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her sweet tea. Although they'd come to the bar for liquor, they both ended up having a large sweet tea and a tray of fries.

"Well, tesoro, you can argue it's a good thing as well. You people are more connect than us old folks can ever hope to be. The spread of injustice and wrong doing won't be through the weekly papers and word of mouth, like our generation, it spreads like a wildfire over the entire world in milliseconds." Frank was a baby boomer, born in Verona, Italy in 1958. He was born into a family with strong ties to the Mafia and although he'd always wanted to be an astronomer, he gave it up to run his family's side.

"That is true. Our world isn't as big anymore." Before they could continue their conversation, the door to the bar slammed open and Angelo stormed inside. His face was tense and the men behind him carried large weapons. The sight made her feel sick.

"Whatever happens in this life, tesoro, I want you to know one thing." She broke her stare at the men to look back at Frank. He had such a calming aura that she almost instantly felt her nerves settle.

"I want you to know, my Angelo loves you. Regardless of any trials you two may encounter or any obstacles you may face. Turn to him as a safe haven." The statement made her freeze. Was she talking to Angelo's father? Although they did share a resemblance, she chalked it up to culture.

Heavy footsteps approached their table and she quickly bowed her head. She wasn't ready to face him yet.

"Babbo." Angelo greeted his father first and now that they stood embracing, Serenity could tell how much Angelo did take after his father. As they pulled apart, she focused her gaze back on her drink.

"I'll give you two some time. Come on, guys." Frank ordered the men to follow him and they all turned like robots to follow.

"Wait!" She called after him, springing from her place on the wooden chair. She slowly approached him unsure if what she was doing was appropriate.

"I-I just wanted to say thank you. I...uh I really needed this." Her words were soft and timid as she thanked him. The warm smile on his face made her feel better and she quickly stepped into his embrace when he opened his arms.

"You need anything, anything at all, you can call me." The solid, loving embrace brought tears to her eyes as she remembered the hugs she used to share with her own father. He'd died of cancer the day after she'd graduated from the academy.

"Thank you." She whispered once more before releasing her grip on him. His eyes held a look similar to the one her father gave her the day of her graduation- it's resemblance causing the unshed tears to race down her cheeks.

"You're a strong woman, Serenity. The world has much to offer you. Go seize it." He spoke, placing a kiss to her forehead, before turning to exit. Wiping her face, she turned back to the table, and reluctantly sat down in her seat. Angelo now took the place of Frank.

Her eyes glanced up at him to see him staring down at her with a look filled with pride and love. Although her heart warmed at his gaze, she turned her head away. She could never forget what he'd done.

"Bella. Look at me." His tone was soft and sent warm tingles across her skin.

"Angelo, I really don't want to talk right now. Please." She pleaded unable to meet his eyes once more. The apology was already playing in her head and she'd become tired of it. All she wanted was silence now.

"Okay, then listen." Her head snapped up at his words. The smart remark aching to slip from her mouth but she stopped herself as she saw the smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry, okay? I took it too far. I acted with my own intentions in mind and I didn't think through on how my actions would affect you. The situation is being handled and I assure you no one will ever suspect you were anywhere near it, hell if it comes down to that, I'll confess it was me." He reached across the table and took her hand. His eyes were filled with truth and it slightly put her at ease.

"But, bella, as much as I love you what happened today cannot happen again. I need you to be strong. This is the life we live and-"

"No, Angelo" she pulled her hands from his at his statement, "this is the life you live. This shit had nothing to do with me until you forced me into it. So I'm sorry if I didn't react accordingly, but I haven't been killing people for sport, so cut me some slack yeah?"

Her tone took on a more snarky edge as she finished and leaned back against her chair. Angelo stared down at her with mixed emotion, his jaw was tight, so she knew he didn't like what she'd said.

"Alright. Fair enough." He nodded slightly. "But you've also killed someone before so the theatrics weren't necessary."

If looks could kill, Angelo would have been buried six feet deep right now. Noticing his mistake he opened his mouth to correct himself but Serenity quickly threw the rest of her tea in his face- followed by the glass hitting him upside the head.

"Since you love to bring it up so much, yes! I've killed someone, in fact I've killed 23 people in my line of work, but let's get something straight. None, and I mean not one, of those 23 people gave me the option to spare their life. It was me or them. I've never killed anyone for fun. I've never killed anyone to make a statement. I've never killed anyone who's done me wrong. Most of all, Angelo, I've never killed someone I knew. So excuse me for being a little emotional. I guess they don't teach that in the Mafia."

His grip on the table was so strong his knuckles were white and the wood cracked. Serenity took a deep breath and sat back in her seat. She crossed her arms across her chest and met his intense gaze. The look on his face told her he was utilizing every ounce of self control right now, but she had no doubt he'd never put his hands on her.

"We're leaving. Get up." He ordered finally releasing the splintered wood. Looking down, she noticed the palm of his hands dripping blood. She rolled her eyes and pulled out wads of napkins from the dispenser.

"Here. You're getting blood everywhere. You need to be more careful." She scolded before gently placing the napkins along the cuts. The white papers quickly turned red and she swapped them out for new ones.

"Serenity."

"What?" She answered in irritation as she continued to wipe away the blood dripping down his hands.

"I love you."
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