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{THIRD PERSON}
Zhara sat on the patient bed while glancing out of the rain-covered window. New York's weather had been the least of their problems recently, but she guessed that now it just wanted some attention. The tornado warning issued for the state proved her right.
"Ow, watch it," she smacked Cobra's hand when he laid it over the soreness of the fresh ink on her thigh. He pursed his lips and glanced up at her before continuing with his art.
She took a few seconds to admire the complete section of the tattoo while Cobra was distracted. According to the professional, Zhara shouldn't stare at him the entire time because the feeling of Zhara's attitude through her glares would throw him off his game.
Drama queen.
And yes, Zhara had let Cobra finally tattoo her, complying with the deal they made practically a week and a half ago. And she was bored as fuck. So what better entertainment than a personal ink master show in front of her.
"Stop staring," he scolded her, not even looking up once. She rolled her eyes, but turned away and rested her head on her hand.
"Don't roll your eyes, Bird. They might get stuck up there," Cobra teased, brushing the needle against her skin to create shade. She sent him a glare, knowing he could sense it.
Zhara watched as the cars flew by on the streets, looking like small objects from the hospital window view.
She couldn't help but admit she missed him already. And she definitely missed his lips.
Smiling softly to herself, she sighed under her breath and leaned back on the bed. Just as she finally got relaxed, it was only minutes later when the door opened, and she thanked whatever higher power that Cobra wasn't easily scared. One wrong move and the entire tattoo would be fucked.
Her head snapped over in that direction, seeing Inan and Liam walk through the doors with a few bags in their hands and mildly confused looks on their faces.
The look on Inan's face snapped Zhara back into a few days ago. She cringed internally at her past breakdown, trying to forget it for good.
Cobra flashed them a cocky smile, and Liam narrowed his eyes at Zhara.
"How the hell did you get in here?" Liam put the bags down in the empty chair in the corner, watching Cobra carefully.
"I have my ways, Russo," Cobra smirked, going back to his work like nothing happened. Liam wiped the look off his face and shook his head in disbelief.
"Does the Capo know about this?" Liam pondered, looking at the in-progress ink work on her leg.
"He will soon," Zhara shrugged, causing Liam to look even more stressed-out than before. Inan sat down in the chair next to the window, keeping his distance from her. She couldn't help the guilty feeling rising in her throat, lumping like a rock.
It choked her with the memories she loathed.
"You're lucky he didn't see you in here," Liam shakes his head at Cobra, to which the man just smirked.
"Yeah, yeah. You won't tell him, though, Liam. Right?" Cobra teased, knowing that the Capo wouldn't care much because it was someone he was aware of.
Liam crosses his arms, acting like he didn't hear the statement.
"Are you two close now or something?" Liam raises a brow at the girl, looking between her and the artist. She ignored his question, as did Cobra, much to her appreciation.
"Do you have any food?" she asked, tilting her head on her hand in his direction. Liam looked down at the bags and nodded back up at her, forgetting the fact she changed the subject. He handed her one of the bags, to which she immediately searched through curiously.
She found some packaged food and some pre-made portions as well.
God bless whoever made this.
She was quick to pull out one of the most appetizing dishes and open it up, digging in.
~~~
Zion nodded his head, listening to Adelaide's motherly lecture about how he should've planned this out better so Zhara wouldn't have gotten hurt, and that if she wasn't allowed to go see Zhara in the next twenty-four hours, Adelaide would shoot Zion in the foot.
"Are you even listening to me?!" Adelaide shouted, throwing her hands up as she paced in front of Zion's desk.
"Yes, sister. I've been listening for the last fifteen minutes," he passively states, crossing his arms. Adelaide narrowed her eyes before taking a long deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
She pushed her hair back with her hands, staring intently at the ground as if she was convincing herself not to kill her brother.
"She is awake and stable, Addie. She's been moving around and eating, she's going to be alright," Zion stood, walking around the desk to his sister. The words he spoke were barely coming from his heart and he knew it, he was just trying to convince himself also.
Adelaide glanced up at him, noticing his sudden movements toward her.
Yeah, he had definitely changed.
Zion comforted his sister in his arms, something she hadn't felt from him in a long time. Scratch that, she hadn't felt that ever.
"She used to watch Oscar and Omar, and you thought that was bad. You thought everything she did was wrong," she mumbled into his stupidly expensive suit. Adelaide disliked the way they all treated Zhara.
"I know," was all he could respond with, not ready to admit certain things.
"I have no friends here without her," she added, which made the same tight feeling in his ribs grow.
"You have Gio," he assured, mentioning the husband she loved unconditionally. Adelaide shook her head into his chest.
"He's a man, you're a man. None of you would understand," she explains, pulling away from him.
"Understand what?" he asked, leaning back against his desk. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to get into another argument with him.
"Things you never needed to worry about, Zion. We all know you have your own problems, but sometimes we have problems that only we can relate to," she points out, meaning her and Zhara by 'we'.
He still didn't really get what issues she was getting at, but maybe that was for the best.
"I will find you time to see her in the morning, yes?" he told her, and she nodded thankfully before there was an impatient knock on the door. Both of their heads snapped over in that direction, knowing that none of their own family would knock like that in their home.
Adelaide started towards the door, going to open it to see who it was.
"Adelaide," a warning, not a threat, Zion called her out.
She stopped, turning back to him. "What?"
He shook his head at her, walking in front of her to the door first. They couldn't take any chances that might risk anyone's safety.
He opened the heavy door, revealing Rowen, one of Zhara's many brothers. Adelaide tensed behind Zion, and now she knew why he stopped her.
"We are leaving," was all Rowen said before glancing to Zion's side at Adelaide, the one he had grabbed at the meeting.
"Back to your side? Or Milan?" Oh, yes, Zion knew of their father's escape plan in case everything went to shit. Zion smirked when Rowen's face dropped.
"Our side. We won't be going to Milan unless our father-"
"See, that's where you're wrong," Zion moved to the side, nudging Adelaide out of the office before she could retaliate, and as expected, Flynn came around the corner and into the office behind Rowen, shutting the door with just the three of them inside.
Rowen glanced over his shoulder, to which Flynn tilted his head mockingly at him.
"No matter what, your family will remain in the States. I don't care what Alphonzo wants, all of you are not permitted to leave the country. It's in the contract," Zion states casually. Rowen clenches his fists at his sides, not enjoying being told what he can and can't do.
"Then why wasn't it brought up until now?" he retorted, asking as if Zion was stupid.
Zion scoffed, looking directly at Rowen as he stood up straighter.
"You won't contact Zhara unless she does so first," he started, "and none of you will ever show your disgraceful face around my city again."
Establishing his role was something Zion did often, probably because it worked every time.
Rowen wondered why Zion cared so much about what the girl did now, but it wasn't enough to get him to ask the Armani Don.
"Now get out," Zion snapped his head toward the door in a quick motion, waiting for the feeling to hit when he knew he had the Di Maggio's under his control for good.
Rowen muttered curses before exiting through the same door he entered, and Zion knew he wouldn't be coming back unless it was his lifeless body.
"Why so strict, Capo?" Flynn smiled, sitting down in the empty chair next to the table. Zion gave him a blank look before turning around and going back to his desk, throwing the man a file with a few names written on the outside.
"Take care of it. I want them dead by midnight," he changed the subject, to which Flynn complied, letting him ignore the things he needed to come in contact with on his own.
"Any specifics?" Flynn questioned, knowing that sometimes the kills were different. Zion tried to think for a second, rubbing his temple.
Zion missed her. And it hurt his mind more than ever.
"Make it hurt."
~~~
"Are you relieved?" Inan asked as she looked through the bag of books they brought her. Her eyes slowly trailed off of the spine of the old book she had in her hand. The leather of the cover felt nice on her skin.
"No," she said simply, glancing away from Inan's questioning gaze. He sat down on the edge of her bed, forcing her to pay attention to his next question.
"He's not dead yet," she adds to her answer, setting the book in the 'keep' pile.
"Who?"
"My father. You heard what I told Zion, right?" she looked up at the dark-haired man, "I won't rest until he's dead."
Inan nodded, remembering the things Zion had told him.
"So, what now?" he asked, truthfully and genuinely concerned for her.
She had no idea.
What would she do now?
She could barely walk without feeling some type of pain...how was she going to even get near her father?
She repeatedly told herself she was still alive for a reason. Obviously she had more to accomplish in this life, because if not, the universe already had multiple chances to kill her.
"I don't know," she whispered.
She had no idea what to do next.
For real this time.