{THIRD PERSON}
Zhara realized that nobody had come to look for her while she was getting attacked by Vincenzo's men. And it made her really consider why she was here. Who was she here for?
Herself, or Zion's family?
None of them truly cared about her, and that wasn't new to Zhara.
She didn't need anyone else in this life.
She would leave the way she came.
Alone.
Her heart raced as she walked through the bloody mess of the quiet warehouse, wondering where everyone went. The dim lights did little to hide her crimson-coated figure. She could only imagine how frightening she looked. How horrific the sight of her was. The thought only made her smile grow larger.
The Russian man she had encountered beforehand was now dead on the floor near the stairs, and she knew she hadn't been the one to finish the job.
She was the last to leave the stairs.
Someone who wasn't with Zion must be there as well. And she wouldn't be surprised if they were watching her right now.
Reaching up to her ear, she found that her earpiece was missing.
It must've gotten knocked out when she was attacked.
Fuck.
She could only hope she didn't walk right into another crowd of Alphonzo's men.
She kept walking until she got to the corner that led to the main part of the warehouse, and that's when she heard voices. She halted, slowly peaking around the wall to see where they were coming from.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips parted.
Zion, who was accompanied by all three of the groups they had walked in with, was surrounding Zhara's father. Matteo, along with many other of Zion's men, had guns pointed directly at Alphonzo's head.
Everyone looked deadly. It was almost scary to Zhara.
She couldn't exactly make out his facial expression, but she knew he was probably furious his stupid little plan got disrupted.
Now if only she could make her way to-
A hand grasped her face, silencing her, and yanking her away from the corner and back into the darkness.
She immediately threw her head back to disable her captor, but the person, probably a man, ducked out of the way. She was spun around, face-to-face with an unfamiliar man. Men, actually.
There were two, one had an eyepatch, and the other she recognized.
They were both humongous and looked like they could crush her. Mr. Eyepatch man had messy blonde hair and a scarred face. The other one was dark-haired and looked aggressive, not wasting a minute to back up his friend.
The eyepatch guy put his finger to his lips, motioning to her to be quiet. He then got closer to her, attempting to whisper something to her, but she pushed him away in fear.
The other man came up behind her, making sure she wouldn't move.
She was frantically looking back and forth now, trying to free her hands from the other man's hold.
"We are not here to harm you," Eyepatch whispers.
His statement does nothing to calm her down.
"I'm Simon, this is Gideon," he points to his acquaintance. Zhara glances over her shoulder, immediately remembering where she knows him from.
She nudges Simon's hand away, trying to speak. He complies, pulling away so she could talk.
"Quero?" was all she said, and Gideon nodded, obviously not much of a talker.
The man from the picture of the casino.
She glanced down, and that's when she saw it.
The tattoo.
The Lions' tattoo.
On his neck.
What the fuck.
She turned to Simon to check for the same thing, and there it was again.
Simon's good eye watched her every move. She recalled the first location they went to in Italy, where they found the remains of an eyeball.
It was all matching up. They brought The Lions back to the underground.
"I thought you all were supposed to be dead," she whispers, bringing her hands up to her head.
"Good," Simon affirms, "That was the point."
Zhara, for the first time tonight, was genuinely lost. She had no idea what her next move was supposed to be.
She furrows her brows at them, "I'm really fucking confused."
"We'll explain later," Gideon says, motioning Simon over to peak over the corner. They see what Zhara had seen. They share a look, and it worries Zhara.
"But right now, we have vengeance to seek."
~***~
Zion watched emotionlessly as his men got through the last of Alphonzo's men. On some mental level that he didn't realize he had, he knew what this was going to do to the people around him.
Flynn separated himself from the crowd, falling behind with Zion.
"Where is she?" Flynn asked, disappointed that he even had to bring it up.
Zion snapped out of his thoughts, glancing over at the man. When Zion couldn't form an answer quick enough, Flynn frustratingly ran a hand through his hair.
"I knew you would fucking pull this shit," he stopped walking, forcing Zion to stay back with him.
It was rare to see Flynn lash out, and most of the time, it had something to do with the well-being of Zhara.
"You know, I thought when you signed that goddamn contract, I could trust you with her," Flynn seethed, "But I was so fucking wrong. All I wanted was to see her happy, and this is what you do to her?"
Zion knew what he was talking about.
"It's not just today, Armani. It's every single fucking time. You take her for granted," he holds himself back from putting his hands on Zion, "Zhara doesn't deserve this bullshit."
"Where is she, Zion?" he snaps, an awful look in his eyes, "Where the fuck is Zhara?"
His question was proving his point.
"You're too caught up in your shitty revenge plan, you forgot about her. You push her around and make her do shit for you just to leave her behind..." Flynn shoves it in Zion's face, making him see what he did wrong.
"You need to be held accountable," Flynn shakes his head, "I hope it's worth it, you fucking piece of shit."
Flynn walks off, probably going to look for Zhara. Zion is left standing there, speechless. Flynn has never spoken like that, not ever.
"If I spoke to you like that, I would've been dead by now," Isaiah pipes in, "But I didn't look back to make sure she was there, either, so...I'm at fault, too, Capo."
The worst thing was, a part of Zion was still aching to put his hands around Alphonzo's throat.
But Flynn's words forced Zion to think about what he really wanted. He couldn't ignore what he wanted for the future anymore. It was right in front of him, and he had to choose.
"Di Maggio is out of the room, you're cutting off his only exit," Cobra speaks over the earpiece.
This was it.
~***~
{ZHARA}
"Gideon's going to come in on the right, you follow me," Simon says, pointing to me.
I nod, watching as Gideon went up the stairs to walk around to the other side. We hear shouting coming from the group in the middle, and my heart starts to race again.
I am not about to miss my father getting shot in the head.
"You're using me as bait, then?" I question, walking toward the spot we are coming in on. Simon follows me.
"You could say that," he quirks a smile, and oddly enough, it doesn't unsettle me.
I look up from our hidden spot behind the corner, and I see Gideon on the opposite side. He gives us a nod, and Simon prepares himself with his gun. I really don't see the point of interrupting this whole thing, but they're the ones that have organized this whole thing to begin with.
Gideon cocks his gun, then looks over at us one last time before moving forward. We do the same.
We can hear the shocked silence caused by our sudden presence.
The first thing I see is my father's back towards us, Zion staring right at me, and all of the people on our side with guns aimed at Alphonzo. I make eye contact with Isaiah and Liam, but Flynn is nowhere to be seen. I panic.
My father notices everyone's eyes moving off of him, and turns to face us.
Seeing my father for the first time in a few months isn't how I expected.
I still fucking hate him.
Alphonzo grins like a psychopath, "Zhara."
I watch as Zion's expression changes, and I realize how bad this looks.
He thinks I've betrayed him.
I'm not on his side of the gun.
"Alphonzo," I stay behind Simon, waiting for him to do something next.
I had no idea what was going on, and neither did Zion.
My father takes a step toward me, and Isaiah fires his gun just to the left of Alphonzo's foot. My dad freezes, looking over his shoulder at Isaiah. I look at him as well, but his eyes avoid mine.
That doesn't sit right with me.
"Don't fucking move," Isaiah orders Aphonzo, who looks back over to me with a smirk. I glance over at Gideon, trying to figure out the next move.
I observe my dad. His beard has gotten scruffy, and his eyes are sunken in more than usual. He's still tall and scary, but all I see is someone who I used to know.
My father wasn't always bad. He wasn't always this evil human being who hurt everyone in his path.
He was good once.
I barely remember those moments, though.
I was very young, and my brothers hadn't been alive long enough to notice it either.
As I'm looking at him right now, I can't believe that this is what it has come to. Part of me is glad that this is some sort of revenge I get to have. I get to watch him suffer for the death of my mother. I get to watch him suffer for what he did to me and my brothers. For what he did to everyone.
But I also pity him.
I pity the reasons his life changed.
The reasons he suddenly became the person he is. A person clouded by greed and power.
He's still my father, and no matter what, he was a part of my life.
Alphonzo Di Maggio raised me to be who I am, but also who I never wanted to be.
My mother is gone, and nothing is bringing her back. The faith and hope for my life are gone, and revenge will not fill those gaps.
I just hate that he ended up like this. Because what if he could have been a good father? What if he could have been a good husband? A good leader?
There is nothing I can do now. He has dug his grave, and now he must lay in it.
Simon looks back at me and motions his head toward Alphonzo.
He wants me to walk toward the guy they're all trying to kill?
I raise my eyebrows, but Simon just nods and motions again with his head. I take a deep breath, and then step out from behind Simon. I keep a good five-foot distance from him, but Alphonzo just watches my every move.
The whole point of my role is to distract him, so I'll do just that.
"You're working with Russians?" I ask him quietly, but I know the others can hear me fine.
Alphonzo's expression never falters.
"You're too smart for your own good, figlia," he shakes his head.
[daughter]
"I knew you were a traitor, but I never knew you would run for the other team," I look him in the eye for once in a long time. His emotion changes.
I made him mad now...
"You don't know anything about business-"
"Oh, please. The business that my brothers have run for years now?" I cut him off, still walking parallel to him. He's slowly turning, following my figure.
His back is turned to Simon and Gideon.
My father hates his leadership being questioned, and this is where I know I have him beaten.
I glance behind my father, noticing Zion watching my every move. He probably has no idea what is going on.
"So, who is it?" I question, crossing my arms against the blood on my jacket, "Sergei? Volkov?"
Alphonzo chuckles, it's a sound that has always frightened me.
"You are my blood, Zhara," Alphonzo points to his chest, "I do what's best for my family."
My lips part. I can't actually believe he just said that to me right now.
"What's best for your family?" I raise my voice, "Who is your family, Alphonzo? Because I know it isn't me. Or Ajax. Or Rowen. Or Hayden or Koven."
Gideon pulls out a short rope, handing something to Simon. Then I realized what their plan was. The whole hunt to get to Italy they left for us, was to get Zion and me here. But they knew they would be the ones to disable Alphonzo for good. This was to give the Armani's closure.
"Or Lora."
That does it.
Alphonzo makes his move, and for a middle-aged man, he's still quick, but Gideon is quicker.
I don't back up. I watch the pure anger on the man's face. I see the trigger in his eyes. He knows what he did to my mother. And he's guilty.
And somehow, knowing that he feels the way he does about her is better closure than his death.
Right as he tries to swing, Gideon throws the rope around his neck, jerking him back. Simon knocks out his knees, forcing him onto the ground. I watch as my father grunts, trying to throw himself out of Gideon's hold, but he quickly accepts the fact that he won't.
I lean forward so he's the only one to hear what I say.
"You have no family, father. Not anymore," I whisper, and my head pounds as I look into the eyes of the person who hurt me the most.
He struggles to breathe with the rope constricting his airway.
"I'm sorry it had to be like this," I say so quietly I doubt he even hears me, but I back away anyway.
"Cuff him," Gideon motions to Simon, who fixes the handcuffs around Alphonzo's wrists. He can't move. He won't move, he knows he's done.
I drop my arms, feeling the weight of them get heavier. Zion's men aren't even holding their guns up anymore, and they all look just as confused as I did earlier.
I watch as Gideon drags my father toward the Armani's. Zion and Matteo suddenly look like they did the night my mother was killed. And it haunts me. My hands tremble, so I hide them in my pockets, just like I hide the emotions I'm feeling right now.
Their merely a few feet away from Alphonzo, who I can imagine is grinning in their faces.
He's always been a douchebag.
"You choose what to do with him, but we are ordered to come with you," Simon tells Zion, who finally looks up from my father.
My heart hurts, but not for Alphonzo.
Matteo looks to Zion for the answer, and Zion pulls out his phone.
"Get a cell ready at the safe-house," he demands into the phone, and whoever he is talking to seems to understand immediately. He turns to Gideon and Simon, then motions for them to follow Matteo who walks toward the exit. They do, and so do the rest of the men.
I back up, turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
I'm going to find Flynn since none of these people have enough respect to look for their fellow members. But hell, what's new with the Armani's? They're a family full of selfish pricks.
"Zhara."
My body halts and my eyes close. His deep voice echoes throughout the empty building.
I wait, not moving a muscle. If he wants to tell me something, he'll say it.
But then I remember...
I don't wait on anyone.
I keep walking.