Lennox POV
"You know, when you said that we're going raiding, I didn't expect us to actually raid a building."
Solace scoffed as he walked beside me along the empty corridors of the building.
"What did you expect?"
We stepped over the couple of dead bodies as we headed towards the lab. This whole place reminds me of the school Alex Rider was sent to in Point Blanc.
It's creepy as fuck.
The weird thing was, the place was big but there were only a couple of guards roaming about. The interior of the building was empty.
No, not empty. They were tipped off. The scientists already packed up and left.
"Well, for starters, I usually raid Ming's kitchen whenever I go to his house." I shrugged. "His mum made it clear that the next thing I enter their home and go straight for the kitchen, she'd peel me up and boil me for dinner."
I shivered at that thought.
"His mum sounds like an interesting woman." he chuckled.
"Yeah, she is." I agreed. "She's kind of like a mother I've never asked for, you know. Why are we here anyway?"
"Nachatomist." The underboss answered as he pushed open the final door down the corridor.
I tilted my head slightly. "As in like the people who made Delilah a killer and ruined her childhood?"
"Yeah." he confirmed. "We did a little digging about them. This is one of their labs- well, was."
He sighed and ran his hands through his gelled back hair.
I tucked my gun back into my waistband and went towards the computers in the middle of the room on a round counter.
"You hack?" Sol asked as he widened each unlocked door.
Inside the door was decorated with nothing but white. There were a couple of bunk beds in each room that were as small as a jail cell.
"Do you think that's where they keep the kids?" Solace asked.
I typed a couple of things into the broken laptop that was surprisingly still functioning. My fingers flew across the keyboard naturally as my brian guided my movements.
"I'm in." I announced when I got the passwords.
Anger boiled in my veins at the number of kids there were in this building. I scrolled down to find the end but the list of people kept going on and on, I'm starting to wonder if there's any end to it.
"Deli said that she and her friends took down this organisation, but there seem to be more people on this list than what she told us." I mumbled. "I don't think she made a dent in this organisation's experiments. I think she only met a small part of the organisation. The list goes on and on, I think it's a worldwide-"
I cut myself off at the same time Solace held a finger up for me to be quiet.
Our eyes made contact and we looked towards the last door.
As silent as a cat, Sol walked towards it and hit the butt of his gun against the security pad. He then pushed on the door but it was still locked.
We exchanged a glance.
I unleashed my gun from my waistband and joined him, standing as his backup as his shoulder opened the door.
Once.
Twice.
The door flew open.
We dodged just in time as something flew past us, inches away from our body.
The test tube landed on the ground a distance away, melting the concrete floor.
"What the-"
Before I could blink, Solace was in the room, cornering a woman against the wall. He had her back to his chest as he secured her wrist with one hand. His other hand held the gun to her temple.
A woman in white lab coat. A scientist.
"Where are the others." Solace all but asked.
The woman stayed silent as she struggled against his grip. Sol yanked the woman out and forced her on her knees.
"How many were here." he questioned. How many kids did they experiment on?
Solace was about to pull the trigger when I spoke. "Wait. Don't kill her." I said thoughtfully. "We can bring her back to the cell. We need questions, S- Capo."
I cursed myself for almost revealing his identity to the woman.
Does she know who he is?
Sol's jaw clenched and unclenched as he thought about it. I knew it was a hard choice for him. If I were him, I'd want to kill and burn down anyone who hurt Delilah too.
He gave me a nod.
He yanked the woman up not-gently-at-all and the scientist only glared at him, her gaze filled with hatred. Solace glared back, his gaze radiating the same hatred.
I couldn't help but wonder if they would turn into the cliche enemies to lover story.
—--------------------------------------
With my arms crossed, I leaned against the wall of the cell as Solace chained the woman up in the middle of the room.
I couldn't help but let the smile appear on my lips.
Delilah's older brother scowled at me. "What's so funny."
It's a miracle how all his questions sound like a demand every single damn time.
"Nothing." I shook my head.
I bit back another smirk when he kneeled down and chained the woman's ankles to the floor.
"You have a dirty mind, Lennox." Solace mumbled when he saw my smirk. "Don't think about doing anything like that with my sister."
I raised my hands in surrender. "Dude, I'm eighteen."
I have no idea how it relates to anything but who cares.
When I was five, I used to swear a lot thanks to this friend I have at school. Each time, my parents would scold me and my excuse would be because I was five.
I always got away with it.
"Exactly, you paedophile."
I gaped at him in shock. "Dude-"
"You said it yourself." he said with a smug smirk and mimicked my voice. "You're eighteen."
I grabbed the nearest knife from his 'torture table' and threw it at him.
Of course it didn't go anywhere near him because I can't exactly kill my girlfriend's brother. It hit the ground next to him and Sol burst out laughing.
"She's seventeen. Technically, she's still a kid." he gave me a pointed look.
I feel like punching the shit out of his smirk.
"Go to hell man." I rolled my eyes.
He scoffed. "Oh I definitely will." he agreed.
He turned serious. "Len, you can't tell Del about today. Not the scientist, not the lab, nothing."
"What–" I stood up. "No way, man, I don-"
"You can't, Lennox." he cut in. "Delilah's moving on from her past and she's happy now. And I want to keep it that way. And I know you want her to be happy too. Bringing this up will do no good to any of us."
"I promised her I wouldn't keep anything from her." I stressed.
"One last straw, Len. That's all I'm asking. We'll tell her if we get more information about this. I don't want to ruin her life."
I sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Fine."
We stayed in silence for a while. "It's late, I should get ready for bed." I mumbled.
"Yeah, okay. Goodnight." he gave me a smile.
I returned his smile. "Goodnight."
—-------------------------
Knocking softly, I opened the door to Deli's room.
"Deli?" I called quietly.
I entered her room to see her asleep on her desk. Her arms were crossed in front of her, her head resting on them. The alpaca I bought for her- fucking Lenpaca- sat on her lap as she hugged it.
Lucky fucker.
I chuckled to myself as I gently shook her shoulders.
"Darling?" I whispered.
She hummed absentmindedly, stirring a little. Deciding not to wake her up, I gently slid my arms around her back and another under her knees.
She mumbled something whilst I carried her to her bed.
I placed her down gently and placed her covers across her body. I then tucked Lenpaca in her arms and she squeezed it with a smile.
"Night, Lenny Boo." she murmured with a small smile.
I chuckled at that weirdass nickname and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Night, princess. I love you."
"I love you." she muttered back.
I switched off her lights before exiting her room, the smile still lingering on my lips.
"Gross." A voice said from my left.
Roman fake puked. "Cheesy assholes."
Mumbling and grumbling to himself, he slid into his room after saying goodnight to me. I laughed at his closed door.
Then I looked back at Delila's door, thinking about the girl sleeping inside.
It's only been a few months but his family was already like my family.
Gah, I think I'm falling for her.
Feeling on cloud nine, I went into my room and fell asleep dreaming about the lovely girl a few doors away.
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Stefano POV
I frowned down at my laptop screen.
A duck. Seriously?
Just as I was about to call Skylar in, she let herself into my office, with a wide smile plastered on her lips.
"I'm staying over at the mansion tonight." she announced as she closed the door behind her.
I rolled my eyes. "Why is there a freaking duck wallpaper?" I raised my eyebrow.
"Cause you love ducks, duh."
"Fuck you." I glared.
She smiled cheerily. "No thanks. I'll pass."
I scowled and flipped her off. Why am I even friends with her?
If someone beside my siblings gave me that stupid attitude, I'd have their brains shot out.
How did we even end up as friends.
"You ready to go? I wanna stop by McDonalds. I need some food." she mumbled. "Like a lot of food."
I can't believe I'm living with cavemen.
Half an hour later, we finally arrived back home.
Skylar wasted no time as she got out of my car, announcing that she's going to cry over Perks of being a wallflower while snacking on her burgers and fries.
I swear whoever enters the mansion will eventually become some oscar winning actors.
I did my usual routine of checking on my younger siblings.
Roman was hanging on to the edge of bed as usual. For some weird reasons, he only sleeps on the right side of his bed, his head always dangling on the edge.
Maxwell somehow fell onto the floor. I wanted to pick him up but he was sleeping so peacefully, I just threw his blanket on him so he wouldn't get cold.
For once, Rowan was in his room, asleep. What a surprise.
You know what's more surprising? He's not alone.
I chuckled to myself when my brother stirred slightly when I opened his door. His arms reached out and found themselves around Dean's waist as he snuggled his face to the other boy's chest.
Gross.
Closing the door, I went to check on Len next.
Despite not wanting my sister to date anyone at this age, I don't think I can ever stop her from seeing Lennox. That boy made a huge impact on our family- in a good way- and I'd be glad to call him my brother.
Len's room was freezing- I'm not even kidding.
"Thirteen degrees?" I scoffed when I checked the temperature.
Despite the cold, that boy was sleeping shirtless. His left arm was tucked behind his head and his right arm resting on his stomach. His blankets and covers were ditched at the very corner of his bed, pretty much holding on for their own life.
Lennox is just built differently, I'm telling you.
I planned to just let him be but the father instinct in me decided to check if he was cold.
That boy was freezing.
As if sensing me in his room, he stirred awake, rubbing his eyes groggily.
"Stefano?" he mumbled, trying to see through his unfocused eyes.
"Mm." I confirmed as I nudged his blanket. "I think you should get some warmth."
He shook his head with a yawn. "I'm not cold."
I think someone broke him. Delilah needs to fix him ASAP.
"Cover the damn blanks." I chuckled. "I don't need you getting sick."
He hummed and mumbled something under his breath but did as I asked.
Blindly, he threw the covers around his waist and went back to his sleep.
"Well, good night to you too." I said to him
"Night." he mumbled back.
Smiling, I left his room and went to the last room in my list.
After all these months, I was still hesitant to check on her. I would usually just open her door slightly to make sure she's still alive inside so I don't trigger her nightmares.
As I got closer to her room, I heard her crying- no.. she was screaming.
Panicking internally, I gently opened the door to her room and she snapped awake. Her hands flew towards her nightstand and she pulled the string, turning on her night lamp.
Her eyes were filled with fear as she pulled the hem of her shirt upwards, revealing her toned waist.
She let out a relief exhale as she saw that whatever she was expecting wasn't there.
I slowly closed the door, leaving her to herself but the sudden creak of her door caused her to snap her attention to me.
"Stef?" she said, confused.
I offered her a small smile as I poked my head in. "Hey, I was just checking in." I assured her.
She nodded. "I had another nightmare." she mumbled.
"Can I come in?" I hesitated.
"Yes please."
Slightly concerned and worried, I entered her room. I sat on the edge of her bed whilst giving her her space to think of what she wanted to tell me.
"Are you going to bed?" she asked instead.
I shook my head. I reached out and wiped the sweat off her forehead and gently tucked her messy hair behind her ears.
"I still have some things to settle. Do you want me to stay?"
She thought about it for a moment.
"Actually, I don't think I want to sleep." she decided with a yawn. "I'm not that sleepy anyway. And if I do go back to sleep..." she shivered at the thought of her nightmares. "Want some company?"
"Sure." I smiled. "But you'll have to sleep eventually, you know."
"I know." she mumbled.
Together, we headed to my office without speaking. The only sound could be heard was our soft breathing and gentle footsteps.
Back in my office, I sat behind my desk, my fingers flying across my laptop as I settled the financial statements of the recent earnings of our legal hotels and clubs.
My sister sat on her favourite little swing that we bought a while back, swinging back and forth, humming to herself.
She excused herself to get something from her room after a few minutes.
I looked up confused when she came back with a white envelope.
"Is this how you're telling you're expelled?" I frowned. "Or worse- pregnant?"
She gaped at me and burst out laughing. "Oh I wish."
When she was sober again, her expression turned serious. "You're the only one who knows." she said quietly. "I'm not ready to tell the others yet."
Still confused, I opened the envelope and-
My jaw clenched as I went through all the pictures. What the actual fuck.
Del swallowed visibly as she looked at me with fear in her eyes.
"Tell me." I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself.
Anger boiled in me but the look on my sister's face made me hold back the outburst. She stood in front of my desk, her arms crossing in front of her chest.
She looked so innocent and fragile, I just wanted to hug her and tell her that everything's going to be okay.
"I think it's Jonathon." she whispered, her voice breaking at the end.
I croaked my head. "He's in jail..no?"
She shrugged with a humourless laugh. "Maybe he got out..maybe they released him- I don't know Stef. I can't- I can't sleep knowing he's out there, watching me." she started shaking as tears slid down her face.
"I'm scared, Stefano. What if -what if he's really back and he can- he can get me. I don't- I don't-" her words were choked off by her sobbing. "I don't wanna-"
I was up immediately, pulling her to my chest.
"Shhhh." I calmed, running my fingers through her tangled hair. "I'm here, Del. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
"I don't want to be his victim again." she whispered.
"You wouldn't." I promised. " I wouldn't let you."
I carried her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist immediately, her face snuggled into the croak of my neck. I could feel her tears wet on my neck.
I walked us to my room and gently placed her on my bed.
She scooted a little, giving me space as I tucked both of us in.
"Sleep, principessa." I said as she nestled to my side. "You're safe. You will always be."
Her sobs turned into soft hiccups and sniffles.
After a few minutes of running my fingers in her hair comfortingly, my baby sister finally fell asleep again.
Not wanting to leave her side, I grabbed my phone from my night table and dialled for my brother.
Solace picked up after the third ring.
"Stef? What's up?" he asked.
I could hear some loud background music going on on his side. He's definitely at one of our clubs.
"I need you to do something when you're fully sober." I half-whispered so I don't wake Deli.
Sol scoffed. "I am sober, stupid. What'd you need?"
"I need all the information you can find on Jonathon Nandes. His middle name, his hobby, where he is now, his past life- everything about him."
"Jonathon Nandes." my brother repeated. "A'ight. And, aren't you supposed to be asleep?"
"Aren't you?"
"Touche." he chuckled before hanging up.
Putting my phone aside, I wrapped my arms protectively around my baby sister before falling asleep to her soft snores.
No one is going to hurt her ever again.
I swear it. No one.
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A long chapter here 🥳
Hope yall enjoy it hehehe