SALVATORE'S POV
(Before Elias escaped)
I rolled my shoulders out ready to get the information needed from this little punk Elias Karlsson.
One of our shipments went wrong a couple of weeks ago, and this guy was found in the area.
It didn't help his case that he was the heir to the Swedish mafia. We've never had a big issue with them, but we've also never had an alliance.
We've tried talking to him, but he refuses to give anything up, so we've decided to use some harsher methods.
We're not psychos, we would never kill a child even if they were guilty.
I know we're all dreading telling Alina about the mafia. I doubt she will be ok with our occupation, but no one can ever really leave the mafia since the business is typically brought down the generations.
It's better to embrace it and face it head on than trying to hide from it as it always catches up to you eventually.
We've sat down with all our boys and told them about the business, and asked them whether they want to directly take part or not.
They've all agreed on their own terms. We would never force our children to do something they don't want to do.
"Are you finally ready to speak?" I asked him with a menacing face.
He stayed silent as he glared at me.
"Look son, i can see your young. We don't want to cause any harm to you but we need answers!" I urged him.
We only really hurt and kill people who aren't innocent or have personally attacked or wronged us.
"We cant let you go until you give us some information"
I crouched down in order to have eye contact with him, but he just spat in my face.
I sighed as i stood up, having to keep my eldest son from full on attacking him.
He's very protective of us all. Especially Alina.
I wiped my face, not giving up on him just yet.
"You need to cooperate with us, or we can't help you!" I urged him
He snarled in return.
"You're the one who kidnapped me from my family. They are probably worried sick!" He said, obviously upset about the whole ordeal.
"Unless you can give us some evidence or something useful then we can't let you go. If you have stolen our shipments then there will be hell to pay." I replied.
"I didn't steal anything!"
"I'm not saying you did, but you were in the area, are you telling me you saw nothing?"
He gulped in reply.
We're getting somewhere!
"If you tell me who it was then i can let you go and this can all be forgotten" i said.
He was our only informant, as the cameras in the area were cut out, and our men saw nothing, but we've already talked with them.
He's our last resort.
He shook his head vigorously.
"I can't tell you, they..they'll kill me and my family if it leads back to me" he said with a scared look in his eyes.
I felt bad for him, i really did, but i had a business to run.
"Listen if you tell us who it was then we'll let you go" i promised him.
He shut his eyes, and shook his head.
I sighed as i gave my boys some boxing gloves, nodding towards them.
You might think this is harsh, but Elias' grandfather broke my Rocco's arm, and beat him badly many years before.
It had caused some trauma for Rocco.
Sadly the old man died before we could properly deal with him.
I wont take my fight up with his grandchild, but it does restrain my remorse a little.
I wouldn't let them beat him with their bare fists, for his sake and theirs. They're also not allowed to go full out, just rough him up a little.
I let them have have a couple of minutes before i ask him again.
"JUST TELL ME, AND WE CAN BOTH BE OUT OF THIS MISERY!" I shouted at him not wanting this to have to go on longer than it has to.
He was still a child after all.
"HOW ARE YOU IN MISERY!? YOU ARE LITERALLY BEATING ME UP!" He screamed at me.
"Because I don't want to hurt you! I'm just doing what needs to be done! Surely you understand that"
I saw him nod solemnly after a moment. Not everyone enjoys the mafia life, but things need to be done.
I'm sure he's done some similar stuff like this that he's not proud of but has to be done.
I cannot allow whoever stole my shipments to get away with it. If I do it will allow others to think they can do the same, which they can't.
I intend to stay as the most powerful mafia, and that means having respect from everyone and taking shit from no one.
I saw Elias' eyes widen. I looked behind me and saw nothing. I shrugged it off, thinking nothing of it.
At the same time Rocco decides to leave as he has some exams tomorrow.
Me and Matheo wont be long after him. If he doesn't comply by the end of the night, i honestly don't know what to do.
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(Present)
I get up from my position within the kitchen and kiss my wife, telling her that I'm going to wake up Alina.
It's 9 a.m already, she typically wakes up a lot earlier.
I let her sleep in not thinking anything of it as she must be exhausted. Her body needs all of this rest in order to heal properly.
I knock on her door hoping she's up as I'm free all day, so we could possibly spend some time together.
I frown as I get no answer.
"Alina, are you awake" I ask but get no reply.
I see that she's still cuddled up in her blankets, so I let her be.
It's now 12pm, she has to be awake, surely!
I heard a grumble from under the covers.
"Alina, bambina are you ok? You've been asleep for a real long time" I asked her as I rubbed her back from on top of the duvet.
I didn't get a verbal reply, only her face moving so it was squished between her pillows facing away from me.
"Alina, are you ok? Do you need anything?" I asked worryingly.
I could see that her eyes were open but she wasn't replying.
"Do........you want me to.....leave?" I asked hesitantly. It was the last thing I wanted to do but I would respect my daughters wishes.
My heart broke a little as I saw her nod.
"Okay, just uh let me know if you want anything, anything at all!" I said
I nodded to myself and cleared my throat as I left.
I guess I'm free for the day.
I decided to go back down to Athena.
She asked me how Alina was and I replied truthfully, that she seemed ok just tired and that I'd be checking on her throughout the day.
My wife then decided to make her a special lunch to lift her spirits.
I bet she couldn't wait to get back to school, I know Alina and I'm sure that she's bored to death having to stay in bed all day, even if it is in her best interest.
"Salvatore, when are we going to tell Alina about our business?" My wife asks me looking shaken up as she stops cutting up the vegetables.
I comfort my wife as I shake my head unsure on how to answer.
"I don't want her to find out from someone else, I'd rather come clean to her" she continued.
I agreed completely with her.
The main reason I had put off telling Alina was because I was scared.
I am scared.
We just got her back, I don't want her to be scared of us; her family.
I understand we aren't the best people in the world.
Sure we've only killed bad people, but a death is still a death.
Alina has such a pure soul, I don't want to tarnish it.
But I also don't want my daughter to hate me.
I need to come clean to her.
I just don't know how to go about it.
What if she doesn't want to live or even be in the same room with us?
What if she saw us as monsters?
My heart would not be able to handle that.
I sighed as I looked at my wife.
As I was about to reply, my second eldest Marco came running into the room with a panicked look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
His face got even paler as he stuttered out "Elias, he's.......gone."
"What do you mean gone!?" I asked, not believing what he was saying.
"I mean that everything's there except him. He nowhere in that room. He's vanished!" Marco continued looking panicked.
"Shit!"
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Elias left with no trace.
We checked all of our cameras. They're mainly in the front of the house as that has one of the few exits that aren't as heavily guarded.
We don't have many cameras by our heavily guarded places or to the entrance of our cellar as we don't want to risk getting hacked and our enemies being able to find out where we keep our prisoners.
All of our men are trustworthy; we've already spoken to them and they saw nothing.
There's only a couple of ways he could have left and none of the exits are showing anything.
We needed him. Without him we're stuck, as we can't go around accusing different mafia's of doing something they haven't done.
That's a dangerous game, one I will not risk my family to play.
I put my head in my hands and sigh.
"What the fuck!" Romeo screamed as he entered my study with Matheo and Adrian in tow.
I just raised my eyebrow in response. You get used to these outburst with 6 kids.
"You want to tell Alina about the business!?
"Listen son, there's no point keeping it from he-"
"Yes there is! She is 14, she shouldn't be caught up in all this!"
"Adrian's 14, and he knows" I replied looking at Adrian who looked uncomfortable in this whole ordeal.
He looked at me with fire in his eyes "It's different and you know it"
"That's a bit sexist don't you think" Matheo said butting into the conversation.
"Shut up Matheo, you literally agreed with me on the way up here!" Romeo said starting to bicker with his brother.
"I didn't say I didn't agree with you, I'm just saying you should put a stop to those sexist comments or I'll be telling my feminist group; Alina and momma"
he replied as Romeo rolled his eyes trying to get back to the conversation.
"Listen boys, I plan on telling Alina soon. She needs to know and I'd rather it come from us." I tell them.
"Yeah, and what if she hates us? What if she despises us, and can no longer look at us?" Matheo asks looking nervous.
"We're not good people dad, Alina doesn't need to know about that side of us!" Romeo continued.
"Let me ask you this. Have you ever fully put your hands on anyone innocent?" I asked him.
"Well ,no I haven't bu-"
"Are the people you've put your hands on pricks like the people who hurt Alina?"
"Well yes, basically"
"There we go. You haven't done anything wrong. If you have, then you did it on my accord. I'll take the blame for all of it. So if Alina has anyone to despise then it will be me, ok?" I reassure him.
"I love you dad but I still don't like the idea. She's has such a pure soul!"
"I know son, I don't like the idea any more than you do but it has to be done. Imagine her coming home one day hating us and accusing us of being killers and liars all because she found out from a kid from school and not us. We want her to trust us don't we?" I tell them all.
They all hesitantly nod and leave my office as I start to make my way to Alina.
I hope my daughter will still see me and the others as her family after this.
If she doesn't, I don't know if my heart will be able to take it.
ALINA'S POV
Killing bad people, is it such a bad thing?
I mean they probably deserve it.
You know like rapists and abusers.
I think Emma and Jason did deserve it.
I didn't deserve the abuse, I remind myself as I look at my black and blue abdomen that's starting to heal.
As I look at the countless medication for the pain and the injuries themselves. The cast and the bandages.
But innocent people, they don't. They deserve none of this.
What if my family got someone innocent confused with someone guilty?
How do they know if they are guilty?
I sigh as I continue to overthink.
I didn't have to for long as I make eye contact as my dads head pops into my room, a serious expression on his face.
Shit.
A/N- I know this chapter is a bit boring as it's a filler chapter but I hope you can stick around and continue reading as the next chapters will be much more interesting. She will be back in school in the next chapter where we meet the love interest!
Please let me know if you enjoyed the part, please because I don't know if this part is as good as the others.