I woke up the next morning, with a bad feeling.
The feeling where you can anticipate danger and horror that will soon fall before you.
Turns out I had passed out on the sofa last night, popcorn half way out of my mouth, top half hanging off of the sofa with the blanket draped over my torso.
Just by waking up like this, I knew one thing;
Theo didn't get home.
Ever since I was a baby up, if I didn't fall asleep in a bed, he would carry me to a bed and let me sleep there.
His excuse was 'I'm not listening to you talk about back pain'
When in reality it was 'You're gonna be in pain, move.'
To get up, I let my legs follow the top half of my body and slid the rest of the way down the sofa.
I then laid on the floor for about ten minutes.
I'm very lazy when I wake up.
Once I managed to rise from the floor, I stumbled my way upstairs, then got in the shower.
I shaved, washed my hair, and washed my body, leaving me smelling like strawberries and vanilla.
I got dressed in a white cotton cropped jumper, a pair of black skinny jeans and my black converse. I added my rings, apart from the little crown one that I never take off since I was already wearing it.
The crown one is a silver band, in the shape of a little tiara, with diamonds on the curves.
I never take it off.
I then put on my thin silver chain, which holds all the charms I've collected over the years.
As I was about to tie the last braid in my hair, a knock came from the front door.
I tied the last band and then grabbed my little leather backpack. Inside is my book, and a few bits of code I had hand written. And fluffy socks.
Don't ask why I need the fluffy socks, I just do.
I opened the front door with keys in hand, since I was planning on going out anyway.
But I was faced with the same men from yesterday, the one I talked to directly in front of me.
"Ms Mayers, sorry to disturb you but you need to come with us." He says, dressed in a different navy suit and black shirt.
"What? Why?" I asked, glancing around at the four of them.
"We were instructed to bring you to the hospital." He informs me.
"Why?" I asked again.
"Your brother Theo has been injured." The man added.
My whole body froze in fear.
My mind was numb.
And my body was paralysed.
"Is he okay?" I whispered, my hope crushing slowly.
"Yes Ms, but he still wants you there with him." The same man answered.
Just as I was about to ask if I would be safe, I got a message from Vito on my phone.
Go with the men, they're telling the truth. -Vito
"Fine, let's go." I said as I followed two of the others to the black jeep across the road.
I felt the presence of the two men behind me, standing a bit to close for my liking.
"If you'd sit in the middle please." The man with the American accent asked.
I did as he asked, and sat down in the middle. Then, the two men who walked in front of me sat at either side of my body, effectively making me look like a toddler with the size difference.
"Which hospital are we going to?" I asked as he took off down the road, further into New Jersey.
"A private hospital, owned by your family's business." The American replied.
"Vito and his sketchy work." I mumbled, but a bit to loud since he added.
"Your other family's business. The one your mother had."
I remember when I was six, I asked my mom what work she did. We always had enough money, allowing us to own a villa in France, just outside of Paris by the beach.
We had a large garden and many cars. I also remember seeing a few men dressed in the same suits as these walking around. But they never went inside the house, and it was rare you actually saw them inside the gates.
When I asked her this, I saw the view from multiple security cameras around our home. There was at least twenty, since it was a spacious villa but not too large.
No where near as big as Gio's house.
When I asked her, she sat me down on her knee as she hugged me from behind.
"Ton père travaille pour le gouvernement américain et je fais un travail spécial. Lorsque vous serez plus âgé, vous aurez également la possibilité de le faire."
Your Dad works for the American government, and I do special work. When you're older, you will have the option to do it too.
When I asked her what she meant, all she would say is, I'll understand when I get older.
But in all the years I saw my mother work, I never got any evidence that she owned a business. Whenever she took me to work with her, it'd be at a large restaurant in Paris, where I got to learn how to cook from the chefs.
My mother always disappeared once she took me to the kitchen seating area, so when the chefs were on break, they'd take me over to a part of the kitchen where no one was working, and teach me how to cook.
If my mother owned one restaurant, and I know it was one since it was the only place she took me, and could afford, how the hell did she get a private hospital?
All the way in New Jersey too?
We had never even been to America, not with her anyway. It was dad who brought us here after she died.
I was broken out of my thoughts when the man next to me tapped my arm. That was when I noticed the car had come to a stop and he was holding the door open for me.
I shuffled across the seats and out the car, to be welcomed with a three story building, made entirely of black out glass and black brick.
"Liv!" I heard a voice shout.
Turning my head to the side where the decorative hedges were, I saw Vito. He was dressed in a black V neck shirt, and a pair of grey joggers, looking like he had been up for hours with a cigarette between his lips.
"You can go now." He told the four men who had followed me over to him.
"We were instructed to stay by her side." The American responded.
"I'll be fine. Thank you for everything." I said, giving them the go ahead to leave.
With a bit hesitation, they all left, leaving just me and Vito.
I didn't even get the chance to turn around fully before Vito's arms wrapped around my much smaller frame in a bone crushing hug.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." He mumbled into my hair as he picked me up from the ground in a hug.
I didn't was any time in hugging him back, surprised at Vito hugging me.
For the first time too.
"I'm sorry." I muttered as I clung onto him like a koala.
"Don't be, I get why you left. But don't do it again." I said as he set me back down on the floor.
"What happened with Theo?" I asked as he took my hand and guided me inside, putting his cigarette out on the ashy trey on top of the public bin.
"He was shot." He told me, quickly adding on when he saw my panicked face, "he's fine though, it was just his arm."
We walked inside the private hospital, his arm wrapped around my shoulder and into his comforting embrace.
Despite not wearing his usual full black suit, Vito still had his stone cold expression on his face.
The walls of the hospital were a light grey, the tiled floors a darker version. There were a few nurses and doctors scattered around the building, including men and women wearing either navy suits or red ties. They were all stood against the walls, stoic expressions on his face.
He guided me to a large room at the end of the corridor, where I saw Leo, Luca and Andrea sat outside.
Once he saw me, he didn't waste a second.
Dressed in a pair of black and red basketball shorts and a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt, he ran straight down the corridor towards me.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight to him as he held my like you would a baby.
He leant my head on his shoulder as he kissed my temple, forcing me to wrap my legs around his torso to keep my up.
"Thank God." He mumbled at the side of my head, with a sob filled voice, he added "Please don't do that again."
"I won't, I'm sorry Luca."
Realising he wasn't about to let me go, Andrea and Leo hugged me from behind. Muttering how much they missed me.
"Where's Rina?" I asked when I noticed my sister's missing presence.
"She had to stay at home." Vito answered, after the other three shared skeptical looks.
"Where's Theo?" I asked after a few moments.
"He's in there, I'll take you." Luca answered.
He opened the door, still carrying me. I turned my head, to see Theo sat up in the hospital bed, glaring right at Gio, who had a face full of remorse.
"Theo." I called, grabbing his attention.
Luca took me over to the bed, and sat me down at the side.
As soon as I was put down, Theo wrapped his unbandaged arm around me and pulled me into a hug.
"What happened?" I asked as Luca left the room, but he didn't go to far as I saw his shadow under the blinds of the glass door.
"Some asshole tried to jump me, after I battered him he shot me as I walked away." He explained, a small grin on his face.
"You're okay though?" I asked, as I sat back slightly away from him.
"Yeah. You know nothing can kill me." He smirked.
But I wiped that smirk off of his face as I repeatedly smack his chest.
"You-smack-scared-smack-the-smack-shit-smack-out-smack-of-smack-me!"
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!" He yelled as he tried to block my hits.
"Dickhead!" I shouted one last time before hugging him.
"We need to get you tested for bipolar." He mumbled as he hugged me back.
I just smiled, enjoying the embrace of my brother.
Till Gio decided to talk. "Liv? Theo?"
I didn't respond, but I turned my head to look at him as he sat in the corner of the room.
"I shouldn't of lashed out like I did." He started, "I'm just not used to the fact that I didn't get to watch two of my children and be there for their childhood. Especially when there was another man raising you. So I'm sorry, because I know that what I did was wrong."
Theo and I sat in silence, acknowledging each word Gio spoke in apology.
I felt Theo nudge my side, silently telling me it was up to me what we did.
"You may be our father, but you're not the dad we grew up with." I told him. "And if you can't accept that, then there's nothing else to say."
"I understand." He replied, a solemn loom on his usually emotionless face.
"Then you're forgiven." I told him.
He looked at me with a smile, then turned his gaze to Theo. He watched my brother's face for a few minutes, then nodded his head, telling Gio he was forgiven.
"So you'll come home?" Gio asked in a fearful tone.
"Yeah." I answered for the both of us.
Smiling, he stood up and came over to us. I let him kiss my temple before he opened the door to the hospital room.
As soon as he did, Luca and Leo came barrelling inside. Leo stood at Theo's side, cradling his head to his chest.
That was when I realised it was the first time the younger ones were allowed inside room.
I laughed at the grimace on Theo's face as Leo hugged him, careful of the fresh wound on his left arm.
Then I felt my body being lifted off of the bed. I looked behind me to see Luca was the one lifting me up. He sat down on the chair by the bed, and sat me down on his lap.
He hugged me from my side as he held me close to his body. I just relaxed and put my head in the crook of his neck.
It's clear he needed this moment more than I did.