A/N: Important Authors Note: Wattpad, on occasion, has been known to say that stories are Completed when they really aren't. People, in no way could I end this story right now. So many things have yet to happen; Michael is still breathing, that alone, should be a major clue that this story is not over! You'll know when it's over; trust me.
This is officially the longest chapter I've written, so drop a lot of comments!!!
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Sunsets are absolutely beautiful; the natural colors that the sun causes as it dips behind the horizon can be breathtaking, just like it was this evening. Lovely shades of bright orange, light red, and even yellow shown through the large window that was attached to my guest bedroom in the Luciano household. My fingers clutch around the drawn back silk shade as I watch the sun slowly disappear for the evening.
The presence of someone else in the room fills my intuition, yet I don't turn or welcome them. The rare colors that the sun provides has my full attention at the moment. I squint, its brightness just a little too much for my eyes as I sigh deeply, taken completely back by the gorgeous display. Just for a second, my attention falls to the carpeted floor beneath me, the shadow of whoever standing behind me overtaking my own silhouette.
I glance behind me quickly, jumping slightly at the proximity of the person behind me. My head practically hits the person's chest as I look up; Liam stands behind me, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his grey joggers. He seemed to be in the process of changing before he had entered my room; I could only assume that, because of the unbuttoned white dress shirt that hangs loosely off his shoulders. My blood pressure rises a few notches as I scan quickly over his torso. My eyes run along the exposed skin on his chest, stopping as they fall on his defined abs.
"I want a relationship like the sun has with the moon," His deep voice brings me back from my endless staring, my attention shooting up to his face. The reflection of the sun casts a warm strand of light across his face as he looks up and out at the sunset that had previously had all my attention. Inwardly, I let out a short sigh of relief that he hadn't caught me looking at me. Quickly I turn around and question.
"Why?"
"Because," Liam spoke with a raw emotion that I had never heard from him before. I jump slightly as a response from his quick touch, his fingers brushing along the exposed skin on my arm. "The sun dies every day just so she, the moon, can live."
My eyebrows furrow as I take a step forward, his chest no longer being my back support. I turn around, a confused expression on my face. My reply was intended to be laced with sarcasm, but that had failed; it sounded harsher, if anything. "You better not die for anyone."
"I'd die for you," Immediately my mouth drops open, readying itself for a quick response; but Liam lifts up a palm, laughing quietly and shaking his head, "Don't give me some crazy response or looking at me with that sly eye," He says, "I promised your father, your real father, that I would protect you; and if that means jumping in front a bullet, I'll do just that." I take a step towards him as I feel tears and heat rushing up to my face; Liam takes a step back. "I'm not afraid to die."
The worst case scenario leaps into my mind; Liam lying on the floor of tonight's party, blood pooling at his side. I clench my jaw shut, hoping that prevented the threatening tears from falling. "Liam! Liam don't leave me please," I would shake his body relentlessly, watching the light fade from his eyes. My own tears streaming down my face as Rico would rest an assuring hand on my shoulder, drawing me back from Luciano's lifeless body. I could picture myself reacting the same way he had reacted when Mary died; cradling her body in his arms, crying.
I turn away from Liam quickly as a lone tear slips out the corner of my eye, racing to the bottom. "Faith?" His voice was soft, filled with a hint of concern. The floor creaks as he takes a step forward, and before I know it he has his hands on my shoulders, turning myself around to face him.
"Y-you said everything was going to go fine tonight!" I peel my face away from my hands, not caring that the tears were streaming down my face at the moment. I sniffle and blink multiple times, trying to focus in on Liam's blurry figure. "You said everything would be okay; I don't want anything to happen to you, or Rico, or anyone!"
"Faith," Liam lets out a laugh; one that confuses me. I find nothing funny at the moment. He pulls me close in a tight hug, my damp cheek pressing against his chest. Liam rests his chin on top of my head, his words muffled. "I believe with all my heart, that nothing bad will happen tonight," Goosebumps rise on my arm as Liam runs his hand down it and back, before firmly pressing his hand on the palm of my back. He pulls me back, a smile on his face. "But, if something were to, I think you should read this." Liam grabs my hand, that was previously dangling at my side, and places a thin piece of paper in it. He folds my hand into a fist. "But only," He stresses, "Only if I stop breathing."
I nod as I wipe my drying eyes and take a step back. Knocking my heels together, I bring a hand up to my forehead and salute. "Sir, Yes Sir!" Taking a step forward, I extend my hand, my pink being the only finger sticking up. "Pinky promise?"
"I think we can do better than that," My body completely forgets everything it had ever been taught. I go rigid as Liam steps up to me, his hand reaching down to my chin, tilting my head upwards and to the side. He kisses my cheek, right where my cheek ends and my lips start - but surprisingly, he manages to avoid my lips. Liam's facial hair brushes against my cheek as he maneuvers his lips to my ear, causing me to shiver. "Promise?"
It takes me a good second to even find my voice. "Yeah, I promise." His lips split into a smile as he pulls back; and it was in that moment that it actually seemed like he was happy. Luciano is already stepping backwards, heading towards the door when he stops.
"You wouldn't happen to have a date tonight, would you?"
My eyebrows rose. "No...? How would I - - "
"Great, now you do." I could've sworn he winked before slapping the door frame and turned to leave; but that's when a ear-piercing scream comes from somewhere deeper inside the house. Liam's eyebrows furrow as he quickly exits the room, me closely following.
Rico's voice comes in clear as we walk closer to Liam's room. "I swear to God, if you move, I'll kill you." I bump into Luciano's back as he holds a hand up and peeks into the room. When he drops his hand, I step inside.
Federico stands unstably on Liam's bed, his arm shaking as he aims his gun towards the corner of the room. When I pear around the corner, I frown. There's nothing there.
"Rico, who the hell are you talking to?" Liam speaks my mind.
"There's a motherfucking spider in that corner."
I turn to Rico. "You can kill people, but not spiders?"
He squints at me, "Don't judge me."
Liam laughs as he reaches out, gently easing the pistol out of Rico's hand. He checks the bullets before dropping it to his side and pointing at the wall. "Rico, today is the day you face your fears; kill the spider."
Rico's normal tanned complexion turns ghostly white as his knees begin to wobble. "With what?" Shaking his head, Liam enters his closet and comes out a few moments later, a black shoe in his hand. Rico blinks. "You've lost your shit. I actually have to get close to it."
Luciano shakes the shoe impatiently as Federico reaches out and snags it, a fearful look on his face. "Yeah," Liam shrugs, "But I don't need bullet holes in my bedroom." Feeling defeated, I watch Rico slip off the end of the bed and takes a un-confident step forward.
"I'm bigger than it," He speaks softly, taking another step.
"He's more afraid of you, then you are of it." I say, hoping to install some confidence in the scaredy cat. Rico stops and turns.
"You want to place a bet on that?"
"Rico..." Liam says his name threateningly. He stands there, arms folded as he watches Rico take another step towards the frightening monster.
As Rico took each step closer towards the spider, it manages to crawl up the wall; but not out of reach at his height. About an arm's length away from it now, Rico stops and sighs. He swings his forearm a few times, getting warmed up; for a second I thought he was actually going to do it, but he stops and turns. "I can't! If I hit it, it'll jump back on me."
"Come on," Liam groans, shooting a look at his watch, "We have to start getting ready for this party."
"I'm going!" He practices his swing again.
"Stop being a bitch."
Federico tenses at Liam's words, but he doesn't turn around to address him. Liam doesn't stop as he takes a step forward, a smug grin on his face. "You are, you're acting like a bitch." Luciano laughs coldly, tugging at the hem of Rico's pants. "You grow a vagina over last couple days or?" The grip on the shoe Rico had grew tighter. "You're a coward; a coward."
"Shut up." Rico growls as he whips his head in Liam's direction. A vein leading to his neck defines itself as he pushes away from Liam and attacks the spider with no remorse or hint of fright. After the first hit, the spider was surely dead, but Rico didn't stop; he continued to hit the flattened bugs form into the wall, over and over and over again. "I'm not a fucking coward." At his last hit, Rico chucks the shoe in Liam's direction, before storming out the room with a huff.
I watch the door for a long, quiet second after Rico had stormed out of it. Liam was already picking up the shoe and grabbing a tissue to clean his gut smothered area of the wall. Shaking my head, I turn to Liam, frozen in place. "Why did you yell those things at him? That was...rude."
"Rico is a ticking time bomb; if you know what buttons to press, you can either set him off, or you can defuse him." Liam sighs, "He runs on anger, on emotion; and that's what makes him dangerous."
His words sink deep as I wrap my arms around my abdomen, hugging myself. "Is it bad to say, that I really don't trust him?"
"Why don't you?"
I shrug as I eye the door, then look back to Liam. "He's... I don't know much about him; besides, he's a killer."
"So am I." I didn't notice Liam closing the gap between us till it was too close; before I knew it, he was standing less than an arms-length away, a smirk on his face.
"Psh, yeah but you're...I mean...you..."
He raises an eyebrow.
"Well, I like you and you're trying to help me."
Liam frowns. "You what?"
"I li - " that's when I caught myself. Oh, shit.
His eyes are the first to go; averting their gaze away from mine. He then takes a step back and points towards the door, "You should probably go get ready." I had turned towards the door, then began to turn back to address Liam once more; but I didn't have the chance. By the time I turned around, Liam was gone.
His bathroom door clicks shut a split second later, leaving me alone.
- - - -
"You look like Elsa from Frozen!" Rosie giggles in glee as she pops her head from around my back, her reflection showing in the full-length mirror I stood before. Melanie nods from behind me as she pulls my tightly curled hair up, clamping it against my head with a hair-clip. She allows a few strands to fall down my neck before both her and Rosie take a step back and clap, saying the exact same thing, "Gorgeous!"
"We have to go now, Faith," Melanie smiles at me as she takes her daughters hand, "You and Liam will be leaving before us, but we should be there shortly!" I nod as they waltz out the room, Rosie speaking loudly about being Uncle Rico's date to the party.
I twirl around in front the mirror for a few more minutes, the fabric of the dress dancing in the opposite direction of the wind. The dress is sky blue - something Rico had insisted I buy during our shopping trip earlier today. He wouldn't let me try on any other color dress, slightly frustrating me. It was strapless and split mid-thigh, ruffling at the edges. The only concern I had was the fact that it lay delicately on the floor; I was not an elegant dress wearer, so tripping on it or getting it caught in my heel was a high possibility.
"That's a beautiful dress; can I get in it?"
On the rare occasion, Rico spoke with a fluent Italian accent; now was one of those times. He leans against the doorframe, his hands slowly disappearing into the pockets of his slacks. My face flushes at his flirty line, making him chuckle.
"I'm proud of you Rico, killing that bug and all." I laugh quietly to myself as I turn back towards the mirror, straightening my dress.
"Hah, hah," His fake laughter is obvious. Rico makes his way towards me, his hands fumbling with his collar and tie. "You wouldn't happen to know how to tie a tie would you?"
"Actually," I smile to him as he approaches me and drops his hands to his side. "My mom taught me how to tie one when I was 18. She said every girl needs to learn for situations like these." Rico chuckles, but never turns his head away. His facial hair occasionally brushes against my knuckles as I loop the tie over and pull it through, tightening it as I pull it against his collar.
I should've stepped away, but the deep look in his hazel eyes keeps me from doing so. "You like him, don't you?" I snort.
"No."
"Denial; the first stage."
"I'm not in denial." I fold my arms across my chest in hope that made me sound confident.
While Rico races through his thoughts, thinking deeply about a response, I let my eyes graze over his outfit; he cleaned up nicely. His facial hair had been recently shaved, his tie was now perfect - thanks to me - and his watch sparkled whenever a ray of light reflected off it. With his sleeves rolled a quarter way up his arm, his tattoo was partially visible. Then my eyes fell on his hands; and I stop. Taking in a sharp breath, I immediately reach out - almost without thinking - and grab them. The palms of his hands were soft, I remember that from earlier in the day when he had grabbed mine, but the back of them were another story.
Scars. Scars line the outside of his hand. They were short and jagged; some longer and more prominent than others. A few had reached his fingers, but they didn't seem to have had it as worse as the skin between his knuckles and wrist had. I felt like I had hours to analyze them, but in reality, it was only a few seconds. He retracts his hands quickly, and when I look up at him, the question that lingered on the tip of my tongue disintegrated under his glare.
His teasing tone went with the moment as he turns and heads towards the door, "You should hurry up; we're leaving in ten."
I grab my clutch, slip on my shoes, flip off the light and head out the door and down the steps. My hand clutches the rail the entire way down, finally stopping once my heel clicks against the first floor.
Liam wore a cream-colored suit with a ... yep, you guessed it... sky blue tie. A matching sky blue cloth was tucked into the pocket of his suit jacket. His hair was styled like usual, naturally – yet, not so naturally – tosseled look he seemed to love so much.
"Somebody call Jesus, because heaven's missing an angel."
I laugh, my face turning a tomato-like shade of red as he extends his arm for my likeness. Linking arms, he calls Rico and William in from the other room.
"Shit is going to go down tonight whether we like it or not," Liam starts, eyeing his two friends before glancing down at me for a second. "William is going to be outside, a few blocks down. I don't know how he did it, but he's going to hack into the camera system so he can have his eyes on us at all times. Faith, all I need you to do is not get close to Corinelli or Costello; they still want you dead." I nod. "And Rico," Rico perks up, "For the love of God, don't kill anybody that shouldn't be killed!"
Federico rolls his eyes as Liam and I un-link our arms and he takes a step back, addressing us as a group.
"Seriously; nobody and I mean nobody, dies tonight unless I tell you they die." He eyes everyone, even me; we all nod in unison. "And Rico, no drinking."
"I'm very creative when I'm drunk."
"No drinking."
Rico mutters a few profanities under his mouth before both he heads out. Rosie comes scrambling into the room, throwing her arms around Liam's legs. They whisper their goodbyes before Liam stands up and offers his arm out to me. I take a deep breath, before smiling and heading towards the door.
- - - -
Rico was drinking before we even found our seats.
The Staples Center had been decorated to the tee. The room was dimly lit, which caused Liam to tense to moment we entered. I watch his adjust the earpiece he had discretely tucked into his ear on the drive over. Rico does the same as he comes up on my right, a glass of wine tilted slightly to his lips.
For a moment we just stand there in awe, taking in the scene before us. Hundreds of people milled about the large arena, laughing and talking with fellow friends and acquaintances. Round tables decorated with white cloths sat over to the right, where large name-tags signaled which family sat where. On our left was a variety of long rectangular tables, each holding a different type of entrée the size of my finger nail. Glancing up and out, I saw a small stage that was still in the process of being set up, a group of chairs facing it; nametags were tapped to the back of those to. Women and men dressed in white and black floated about the room, offering the guests every type of wine and expensive, exotic finger foods.
"Whoa," I breathe out, taking in everything. Liam nods as he leads us both towards our table, the nametag clearly reading, 'Luciano', in gigantic bolded letters. As soon as we reach the table, I realize that this would be a very long night.
"Liam, Liam, Liam, look at you."
I turn my head at the accented voice. Liam pauses, his hand on the back of a chair he was ready to pull out for me as he turns around. A motherly woman wearing way to much makeup and having way to many plastic surgeries smiles at Luciano. Her dress was three sizes to tight, but surprisingly, nothing seemed to be sagging - if it could in a dress like that.
"Mrs. Pat, how are you?" And that is what ignited their conversation.
Rico was smiling at me when I turned around to face him, giving Liam and Pat their privacy. Federico politely pulls out my seat, allowing me to sit down, before he does the same.
A platter of small, delicately cut egg-salad sandwiches tempts me as I reach out, snagging about six. Rico eyes me, his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face.
"What?" I snap, popping one in my mouth, "I'd have to eat 200 of these to feel full." He just laughs; and for a few minutes I watch him. Rico leans back in his seat, his arms folded across my chest as he eyes the congregation of people - then his eyes stop, landing on one person.
The man was tall, dark, and handsome. His black hair was neatly combed back and held steady with jell. His back was arched perfectly as he leaned back, a look of curiosity on his face as he stared at the woman he was talking to. She was pretty too; but the fact that Rico wasn't staring at her, made me question whether he was gay or not.
Rico tears his attention away from the two as he looks back at me, his lips pursed. He takes another sip of wine before placing it down and looking at me. "So, you ready to dance?"
"Excuse me?"
"Dance," He nods towards a closed off section of the area, where people were yet allowed to explore. "There's going to be dancing; as in, slow dancing, waltzing - "
"I got that. But I don't dance."
He takes another sip, "You will with Liam."
I squint, leaning forward and whispering harshly. Liam was still behind me, conversing with the older woman. "If you even suggest us dancing to him, I will kill you in your sleep do you understand? I do not know how to dance." Rico just smirks before tipping the glass again, I roll my eyes, "I hope you get shitfaced drunk tonight, Liam will be pissed."
"I've built up a tolerance."
"You drink a lot?" I question.
"Does daily, count as a lot?"
I laugh, shaking my head as my motherly scolding lesson fills my mind. I understand drinking occasionally to unwind, drinking on dates, and even tonight - consuming a small amount of wine won't kill you - but drinking all the time, is inevitably killing you. I didn't want to sound like his mother, but I would answer.
"That's killing you, you know," I say softly, examining his face closely for his reaction. His features remained seemingly the same, but the sip he was about to take fell short as he rested the glass down, his hazel eyes meeting mine.
"I guess that means these are killing me to?" He slips his hand into his dress jacket, only to pull a popular branded box of cigarettes out and dropping them on the table. My eyes went wide; if I hadn't known, I never would've known. Other than the fading smell of cigarettes in his run-down apartments, Rico gave no signs of it. His breath didn't smell, nor did his clothes reek of the stench. Hm... When I didn't give him an answer, he just sighs and looks away, "Lana Del Rey said it perfectly, we were born to die."
If I had Superman's heat vision, I would've disintegrated the half-used box on the spot just from my staring. Question after question scrambled through my mind as I look up at Rico, frowning. "Why?" I breathe, "They're killing you. Why don't you stop?" He looks back at me for a moment, a look of unsureness crossing his hazel eyes; but he looks away just as quickly. "Here's a better question," I lean forward again, "Why do you smoke? Why do you drink?"
"Smoking is relaxing."
"So is yoga."
He shoots me a glare.
"And drinking?" I urge.
"Budweiser and Hennessy are always there when no-one else is." His voice holds a hint of sadness as again, he turns away, unable to look me in the eye. I laugh at his lame excuse and lean back, folding my arms across my chest.
"You have friends, why are you trying to throw yourself a pity party? And if you don't have friends, you have your parents."
I struck a nerve.
His fist slams down on the table as his eyes lock on to me. His mouth twisted into a scowl as the table shook, his nearly finished glass tipping over and spilling the rest of its contents out. Rico's voice was deep as he peeled himself off his chair, his palms on the table, and leaned dangerously close to me. "Don't talk about my parents like you know."
Rico is a ticking time bomb; if you know what buttons to press, you can either set him off, or you can defuse him.
This was probably a dangerous move, but I was ready to make it.
I glance over my shoulder quickly, noticing that Liam and Pat had drifted over to another group of people. He had a smile on his face, laughing and nodding along with the others. Once I turn back to the table, Rico was already sitting back down and fixing his tie.
My mouth fell open and the words were on the tip of my tongue; I was ready to utter bullshit just to rile Rico up once more in hope he spilled precious information; but I didn't have to.
His eyes were glazed over with tears as he ran his index finger along the edge of the glass cup; he did this for a few minutes before he spoke quietly. "I don't have parents. . ."
"Um, we all have parents."
"That depends," He flickers his attention towards me, his lips pursed in a line as his finger continued its journey around the cup. "What do you consider 'parents?' are parents just people that give birth to you, or are parents the ones that raise you?" I mull over his question for another second, pulling my lips into my mouth and then grabbing another sandwich.
"I mean," I sigh, shrugging, "I guess it just depends on how you feel personally."
"Well, two dipshits fucked, had me, and then that's it." He leans back in his seat, his eyes casted towards the floor.
"I'm sure. . ."
"I was born December 24th," Rico continues, "On the 25th, I was left on the porch of a small orphanage in Detroit, Michigan. I never even made it home; wherever home was." His hand slides down the cup and lands on the table, where he ran his fingers in circles, leaving a trail of condensation on the table cloth. "They never visited, they never called; and I never saw them. If they walked by me on the street, I would never know."
I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say, so I bit my lip and stayed quiet.
"I lived in that shit-hole for years; ten to be exact; then one day," He shrugs, "It burned down and I just remember running away from the building because they thought it would explode or some shit... I never looked back and eventually they stopped looking for me." Rico glances up, "I lived on the street for about a week before Mr. De Santis found me. It was crazy really; I was sitting on the corner of a street freezing my balls off when a really nice, black car pulled up beside me. By that point, it was easy; fight or flight. I ran." He laughs at himself now as he glances up and looks at me again, "Two men chased me for a few blocks before I got tired and stopped. They kept trying to pick me up and I just kept swinging and kicking them where the sun don't shine."
I tilt my head as Rico continues.
"They dragged me to this really tall man and he told me he would give me a better life; and then everything went black," Rico waves down a waiter and snatches two glasses of wine. He takes a long drink before speaking again, "For two years, I was stuck in a stupid routine. They would wake me up at a specific time and I would eat. Then these people would take me to a workout room and teach me self-defense, boxing, and all those types of maneuvers. I was taught how to use guns; everything about guns, they taught it to me. I shot guns, bows and arrows...everything." He laughs harshly. "Then they would throw me in a cold room for hours on end with no windows or food...nothing."
"What...what were they doing?" By now, I was completely intrigued by his story. I bore a hole into his forehead as I cross my arms and lean forward.
"You mean what did they do," Rico corrects me.
I nod, "Yeah, what did they do?"
"They created an assassin."
My chin hit the floor as I readied myself to respond, but a loud voice tore everyone in the arena away from their personal conversations.
"Thank you all for coming to Mr. Costello's business party, should I say? Before Ryan addresses the crowd however," The womanly voice spoke eagerly over the mic, "We would like to allow everyone to have time to slow it down a bit and dance. Now, don't be worried. After Ryan addresses the crowd, we can all go back to our seats and continue to mingle!" The mic screeches, causing everyone but Rico to wince as she places it down.
I'll Be by Edwin McCain was the first song that Costello had on the dancing playlist. My fingers were inches away from another sandwich when Rico shot up. His eyes were on someone in the crowd but he came to my side, pulled my seat back and smiled. "May I have this dance?"
"Only because I don't want you to feel bad that I rejected you."
The smile that crossed his face was absolutely opposite of the expression he held not even two minutes ago. He was good at masking feelings.
One smile can hide a thousand tears.
We reach the dance floor quickly, sharing it with a numerous amount of people. Everyone varied in ages; some young, some elderly - yet, they all seemed happy. I felt myself tense as Rico placed his hands on my waist and squeezed; I threw my hands around his neck.
"If I step on your feet, I apologize."
"Sh," He laughs softly, pulling me closer to him. I kept my eyes on the floor, moving as Rico moved. He was fairly good - better than me, obviously. The only misstep we had was when I nearly tripped on my dress, making both of us laugh. The song wasn't even halfway over when a deep voice tore Rico from my arms.
"May I cut in?"
Rico didn't say another word as he steps off and when I look up, Liam is smiling down at me. "Did I tell you earlier how pretty you looked today?" He chuckles and pulls me close, assuming Rico and I's previous position. Throughout the song, we practically hovered in the same place, just swaying back and forth - nothing too complicated.
"You did," I reply back softly. I let my eyes close as I breathed in, Liam's familiar cologne filling my senses. "You look good yourself," I add. I didn't want to sound self-conceited. We didn't share many more words as we enjoyed the moment; Liam pulled me closer, his hands tightening the grip he had on my waist as my head hit his chest. He dips his head near my ear, humming along with the song.
Right before the song came to an end, I manage to look up and glancing around Liam's frame. William stood by our table, chatting it up with Rico. I couldn't help but notice Rico lift his jacket up to the side, just enough to get a glimpse of a gun he had tucked in his pants. I felt myself jump and turn away, breathing a little heavier.
"Liam..."
As the song comes to a close, he smiles and lifts my hand to his lips, kissing it softly. "Faith," He breathes back, "Everything will be okay." We head off the dance floor as another song starts up; gaining my attention, he hands me a small device, smiling. "Put it in your ear; you'll be able to hear everything we say. And if you must, you may comment. Just in case we get separated once the shot goes off."
I had yet to think about the amount of chaos that would go down once Rico pulled the trigger. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Federico had managed to sneak a gun - through strict security. The place was crawling with security; they weren't hard to spot however - not with their bright white shirts, guns attached to their waist, and black pants.
I slip the earpiece in my ear, still adjusting it as we reach our table. Rico glances up from his phone as I look around, scanning the crowd for the familiar golden brown hair. He smiles as we both sit.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we would now like to invite you over towards the stage. Please sit in the section that was assigned to your specific family so that there is no confusion. Thank you."
Liam stands up quickly, his arm outstretched for me. Rico stood up at the same time, finishing off his 2nd glass of wine - or was that his third?
"Guys," William's voice crackled through our headsets, "Well, Rico preferably." Rico frowned and listened intently after his name was called, "To get upstairs to the suites, you'll need to take the stairs - no elevators. But, problem is, there are two uniforms guarding the stairs."
"Are there any other steps I can take to get up there?"
"Nope, those have been completely shut off; I think the stadium is doing maintenance on them. You'll have to get past these two guards."
"Wait," I turn to Rico, frowning, "What about your...guns?"
Rico laughs, "I put those up there days ago when we were scouting the place; don't you remember?" Oh yeah. My memory is amazing. I had already begun walking towards the direction of the stage with Liam when Rico called me. "Hey, can I talk to Faith really quick?" Luciano shrugged and let me go.
"Yeah, just hurry back, okay?"
I nod and briskly walk after Rico as he pushes open two double doors. We find ourselves in the part of the arena that held bathrooms, concession stands, shops and... yes, the stairs leading to upstairs. Like the information Will had provided us, two uniformed guards stood beside the two large doors, talking quietly to each other.
Rico turns around as I raise an eyebrow, curious as to why he needed me. He whirls around, causing me to take a step back. His jaw was clenched tight as his face held an angry expression.
"Why the fuck are you so clingy?"
Uhm...what?
I frown, crossing my arms across my chest, "I'm not clingy! You just asked me to come out here with you!"
"Yes," He laughs coldly, shaking his head, "You're clingy; not only that, but you're also a bitch."
Where did this come from?
"Excuse me?" I raise my voice even more as I take a step towards Rico. Bad idea. He took a step towards me, allowing him to hover over me. I back up slowly, suddenly wishing I was back with Liam again.
The ear piece!
But my idea went south when I saw the two guards staring at the two of us out the corner of my eye. Praise God for Peripheral vision.
I back up so far that my back hits the wall; I cringe. It was probably laced with every type of disease you could think off. Rico smiles as he leans forward, an unusual look in his eye. And that's when he does it.
He leans in and he kisses me.
I didn't have time to determine whether he was a good kisser or not; then again, I had never been kissed before either so many that wasn't a good idea. Bringing my hand back, I slap his cheek while pushing him away. My knee jerks upwards, making contact with a man's most sensitive area, causing a gasp of air to leave Rico's mouth. He doubles over in pain, groaning.
"Bitch, you're so dead." Then he lunges. He wraps his hand around my arm and pulls me towards him, but that's all he was able to do. The two security guards run to my rescues; one holds me while the other shoves Rico off of me. I fall to the ground, butt first.
Is Liam fucking deaf.
They toss Rico to the side easily as they bend down, eyeing me with concern. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
Through blurry vision, I see Rico smile and nod, before slipping through the doors the two men had been previously guarding.
He deserves a fucking Oscar.
I manage to convince the guards that I'm perfectly fine and that Rico was simply an abusive dick, before re-entering the arena. I huff as I find Liam after a few glances down random isle and I join him. Rosie stands beside him, followed by Melanie, then finally Michael who stands on a pair of crutches.
"How's everything?"
"Are you deaf?"
"No?" He laughs nervously, "Why?"
"Rico...he's..."
"A fucking genius, I know." Federico's voice spills into our ears as I groan.
"I'm going to gargle with alcohol once I get home."
"No offense taken."
Liam just looks at me with confusion before I shake it off with a wave of the hand. He nods as I turn my attention towards the man on stage. Ryan Costello. He's an older man with greying hair and wrinkled skin, but he didn't seem to fit within the 'elderly' generation just yet. His suit fit him perfectly and his voice was deep and projected greatly throughout the congregation of people as he spoke.
Beside him, stood his wife - who was easily in her late twenties; that gold digger. Then came his two kids; one man was older, reminding me of Liam, whereas the other was younger - probably seven or eight. He waves and says something into the microphone, allowing us to sit along with his family.
I lean towards Liam and whisper, "You're going to kill him with his family present?"
"Kill or be killed." Was his response. Liam bends down, coughing as he whispers into the ear-piece, "Rico, you shoot on my word; got it?"
"Got it."
My palms were beginning to sweat as I rub my hands together. Ryan Costello took the stage and my heart had never beat any faster than it was now. Liam chuckles as he places a hand on my thigh and squeezes, "You're tense," He whispers.
Yeah, well that didn't help.
"Jesus Liam, come on; I'm getting excited."
I laugh quietly before returning my gaze towards the stage. Ryan stands there, talking about his upcoming business and areas he wanted to start it out in. Then he began thanking his wife, parents, and children for where he had come.
"Mel, Rosie," Liam leans over me, making me sit back as he eyes them, "If anything happens, I want you two to make it out safely okay?" Melanie nods as Rosie ignores her brothers warning, He leans back and sighs, but never once does he let go of my leg.
" - I would also like to thank Peter Corinelli; Peter, where are you?!" Ryan scans to crowd as the people watching door the same, straining their necks as they attempt to get a look at one of the men that wanted me dead. Peter Corinelli stands from somewhere up front and waves, nods his head, then sits down. He looked to be about Michael Luciano's age; his hair was still grey-less and he was built well. " - And where is my favorite, Luciano? Are you out there?" Liam stands up and waves, also nodding before sitting down. The group of people eye Liam before turning their attention back to Mr. Costello. "I just want to send my condolences out to Mr. Luciano, who, from what I heard, had a bad accident the other night," Ryan smiles at Michael before his eyes land on me. He doesn't say anything for a split second, but that was enough to cause me to shiver.
Liam's hand finds my thigh once again as Ryan continues to speak, changing the topic to his upcoming business.
Luciano's voice was deep as he took his hand off my leg and folded his arms; he didn't bother to bow his head as he squinted his eyes and spoke to Rico. "Drop him."
There was a millisecond - one that I wished I could pause in time that happened once Rico pulled the silenced sniper rifle from his secluded position in one of the suites upstairs. It was the second the shot hit Ryan Costello, sending him flying backwards, dead before he even knew what had happened that was the quietest. The mass crowd of people had yet to react - it was silent, peaceful even.
But right before the screams and cries of pure terror erupted, I heard Rico's voice within in my ear utter two words.
"Gotcha, Bitch."
Then all hell broke loose.
- - - -
A/N: This is the longest chapter I've written at 7,200 words. I'm so sorry for the wait but here ya'll go! I had to break this chapter up because it was getting quite long!
Will Liam find out about Rico and Faith's kiss? Yes or no? Should he?!
Liam and Faith?
[ edit : idk why some paragraphs are indented and others aren't. it doesn't look like that in word, nor on wattpad when I have the ability to check out my chapter, so i apologize if it's annoying / looks weird. ]