A/N here's another update :) It's final weeks and i have been studying nonstop for finals. Now it is finally spring break <3
My cousins and I walk into the office, not daring to break the already tensed silence that engulfs us as we walk in. We separate and sit closely to our parents. Uncle Leonardo sits in his leather armchair before glancing at us.
"Let's head towards the living room actually." He decides after he notices how crammed we are in his room, which can hold around five people comfortably. "But first, Celeste and Roman, sit down." He gestures to the two leather chairs across from him. Celeste and Roman exchange looks with our cousins and me. We offer shrugs before leaving them with our uncle inside the room.
All of us walk stiffly to the living room, not really knowing what to expect. I've never been to a family meeting. Most of my cousins, with the exception of Lia, Niccolo, and Lorenzo, has never attended a family meeting either. Still, this is a meeting with everyone, even our younger cousins. That is, after Celeste and Roman get "debriefed."
I make eye contact with Robin, who mirrors my tight, confused expression. Any idea? I raise an eyebrow at him. He merely shrugs, None whatsover. At least, that's how I interpret the shrug.
By this time, the sun has set and the ceiling lights create a dim, cozy setting in the living room. We manage to fit the fifteen of us onto the couches. There's five couches, each seating at least three comfortably. In another time and place, I would have believed the excess amount of couches were unnecessary. However, our family gathered altogether so my uncles rented a larger vacation house.
I glance at everyone around us, my eyes roaming for any hint to what will occur. My aunts and uncles appear to be normal. There's a nice ambiance but I can see the thin layer of tension. I am still unsure what to expect.
Finally, Leonardo walks in with our youngest cousins. Celeste seems unimpressed while Roman looks relieved. Roman has always been a bit short tempered and impatient.
"Now that everyone is here, it's time to begin." Leonardo continues.
"Well, what are you waiting for? If you don't tell them, then I will." Dante interrupts, saying what I'm thinking.
"It's a long story. This will take some time to tell." Leonardo seems unfazed as he responds calmly. I always observe in awe at how calm Leonardo appears as he interacts with the family. For the boss of a chaotic Family, he sure handles it well. I would have snapped long ago.
"As an update, since I know some of us have not heard the family talk since they graduated from high school but there used to be four big families who controlled the nation: the Gagliardi family, Robustelli family, Sapienti family, and finally ours, the Ricca family. Then, the three families were wiped out because of a man named Alfredo Acerbi. However, after some dealings with the Acerbis, they are nothing more than a memory. The Gagliardi, Robustelli, and Sapienti continue to exist despite Acerbi's efforts. The four of us coexist under a shaky alliance, but alliance nevertheless. The foe we are going against does not fall under any of the families, but each of us have had dealings with him in the past. He's part of an organization that many of you have heard of. I will go more into that afterwards."
"All choices and decisions come with consequences and responsibilities." He pauses, "In our youth, we made multiple tough decisions--many of which may have been reckless and impulsive of us." My uncles chuckle at this statement, but it quickly dies.
"We have not dealt with this man in a very long time. He went underground and has been keeping a low profile for many years now. We have recently received news of him resurfacing and there is word that the Ricca family is next on his hit list."
"This is the worst thing a parent wants upon their children." Tony shakes his head. "Our past should never get you involved. As your parents, we should never ever put you in harm's way." He sighs and rubs his weary eyes.
"There can be multiple people behind this organization, or it can all be the doings of one man. We aren't sure, but we do know that we will find out. The man who is directly involved goes by the name of Lucian Barsetti. That's the name we know him by, but he has assumed multiple personas. We are narrowing down his whereabouts, but this will be a long process." Leonardo picks up.
"After lengthy discussion, we decided its best to hide Robin and Naomi in our dominant city Rinza." Everyone looks to us."It's the first plan of action that we must go through with."
I didn't expect the situation to turn this way.
"Why?" I look to my parents. Surely they have a lengthy and detailed explanation to this.
"Despite the fact that we don't want to lay blame on anyone, your father and I did play a huge role in this whole situation." My mother speaks up in a serious manner.
Robin and I both hold a slack-jawed expression as this is a change in events. Oh this is like a whole family drama. Sign us up for the next television show.
"Again, Vivianna, you shouldn't assume full responsibility." My uncle Leo cuts her off sternly.
"It still doesn't change the fact that Jacob and I, or at least I, played the most present role." She shoots back with raised eyebrows.
"It's not like we weren't present when it happened." Tony speaks up.
"Ahem." My father clears his throat normally. He breaks his silence. "Must we start this again? And in front of our children no less. Let's continue with why we are here."
My father's piercing gaze silences everyone as he takes over. "We believe there will be a direct attack on either my wife, me, or our children." Cue dramatic music and zoomed in face of my dad.
"Attack as in a hit on us? As in drive by shooting? Or do you mean the "i'm going to beat you up" attack." I ask curiously. Then, I forget another option, "Or do you mean the "i'm going to kidnap you" type too?"
My cousins look at me like I'm crazy, which I am, but that's not the point right now. My aunts and uncles don't seem fazed at all.
"The old-fashioned hit if they can. They've done worse." My father answers in a serious manner, disregarding my semi-flippant manner. When I get nervous, I tend to lean towards my sarcastic, sassy side. It's a very unsavory nervous tick of mine.
"Who are the 'they' that you are referring to?" Robin finally speaks up. Judging by the change that takes place in the adults' eyes, we were not going to look forward to what we were going to hear.
"The Central Intelligence Agency."
"What?" Robin and I blurt in surprise. I think we misheard it.
"A branch or an organization in the CIA. It's top-secret, classified information but yes, the CIA."
"So, it's us against our country." I'm confused.
"No, this organization is a only a sector but they don't follow CIA procedures exactly. They were part of the organization that I used to head but then they branched off and became their own sector. There was an accident that occurred a few years back, which led us all to believe that everyone perished in it. Yet, the sector seems to have thrived underground."
"This sector shouldn't have even existed to begin with but the then director thought it was a necessary evil. Little did he know."
"Do we get to hear the details pertaining to said organization and your involvement?" I say very carefully after much deliberation.
This was all new information reaching my ears at once. My father was supposed to be the owner of a machinery shop, but I knew that was only his side job. Robin and I weren't stupid so we did find out he worked for the CIA; however, we never truly found out what his exact position was until after high school graduation. Yet, all he told Rob and I was that he dealt with recruitment of talented individuals under the CIA. As the director of his department, my father made multiple connections all over the globe, and I am now assuming that this Lucian Barsetti worked with him. Thus, I'm beginning to understand why Barsetti is a dangerous man.
"I can only say so much because the more I say, the more danger you are in. My father says after a pause. "I know how this sounds, but I-we all need to think this through. There is not any room for impulsive decisions anymore."
"Now, going back to the safety issue..." My mother elaborates on the topic on hand. "We've decided it's better if we all stick together back in our home city. The pros outweigh the cons and we have exhausted all other choices."
"I understand what you all are getting at, but you're asking us to put a stop on our careers right here. Not all of us have decided to walk down the family business lane." Lia's clear voice enters the room. "We can all have an input on this decision, right? This is what this meeting is for? To discuss Barsetti and how to ensure the safety of our immediate family members."
"That is correct. We have been in your positions before, so we know exactly what we are asking each and every one of you." Tony slows his words down as he speaks.
All this time, I'm trying to process all the information. I'm currently in the most important time of my life. I would almost say it's the prime of my life as I'm in the middle of college. I cannot take a hiatus; that is a lot that my family is asking for. I want to continue my education and graduate in due time. Will I even be in danger on campus with over 40,000 students? All of us can handle ourselves. My parents took Robin and I to self-defense classes, and that's only the beginning. Yet, I do know the dangers that they are talking about.
I'm conflicted. Do I get a say in this? From what I'm hearing, they want to listen and hear our opinions but their decision seems final.
I glance at the scene around me. Everyone discusses the topic at hand in a concentrated manner. The atmosphere isn't tense, but it's definitely not casual. I can see my cousins really getting into the conversation, which makes sense since it is our lives we are talking about.
I glance at the ocean outside the window. It's almost pitch black outside, except for the lights illuminating the pier and the oil rigs far away.
I squint outside the windows as I spot a flash of light, almost like a beam. Perhaps it's headlights? I don't think much of it until I see a pair of headlights closer to the windows. I think it's a car driving on the sand?
I don't know why but there's something off. My parents always tell me to trust my instincts.
"Hey dad?" I call out. When he seems preoccupied, I raise my voice more,"Hey Dad." He looks at me questioningly.
"Do people drive on the sands at night so close to the houses?" I point to the pair of headlights now coming closer at a rapid speed. My dad squints and stands up. Everyone in my family starts looking in his direction.
"GET DOWN!" My father yells suddenly as we all throw ourselves down onto the ground or for any cover. I throw my body over the coach and squish myself next to the cabinet. Rob and the twins had the same thoughts too as Rob throws himself right on top of me.
A second later the windows shatter to pieces. My ears ring at the sudden explosion. Bits and pieces of glass bounce off me. I gasp as a huge shard of glass whistles past my ear and stabs itself an inch away from my face.
I gulp and sit up straight, aligning my back to the cabinet. Rob and the twins sit next to us side by side stiffly.
There's a quiet that settles over us, a quiet before the storm. I can see Tony, his wife Ariana, and my mother huddled down the hall to our right. How did they get over there in a split second?
And here comes the storm. What sounds obviously like a torrent of bullets start to hit everything in the house.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the quick return in fire. Niccolo and Lorenzo whip out their Glocks and aim it towards the shooters. Rob and I wince as wood chips and couch material fly all over the places. I wince as I feel objects impaled into my body.
Shots continue to shatter everything around us. I peek from the cabinet and see my uncles and parents returning fire into the darkness.
Then, it ends.
There's a slight hesitation as we are unsure whether everything is clear or not. After a few minutes and some of my family members head out to check, I hear someone say, "Clear."
Everyone comes crawling out of their battered hiding spot.
"Anyone injured?"
We look around and see everyone is accounted for, battered and scraped, but accounted for. I gaze at the damage the shooting has done. There's not a single intact glass or object in the house anymore.
"Uh...Naomi?" I snap my attention away from the scene to the speaker behind me. Niccolo's eyes are directed at my right shoulder. I look down and don't see anything in particular.
"What?"
"Oh shit." I turn around to Roman looking at me with wide eyes. "You've got a chunk of wood in your shoulder."
"Oh." I glance at the back of my shoulder. It wasn't as big as I was made to believe.
"You've got a huge cut on your thigh." I point at Roman's injury, which is bleeding more profusely than my injury. Roman proceeds to rip his t-shirt, which is already ripped enough, and wraps it around his wound.
"There. All treated." He flashes his pearly whites.
"You want to help me with this or should I pull it out myself." I cock my head towards my shoulder and ask anyone who's willing to do it.
"Naomi," my mom calls out in that mom-tone of hers. She raises her eyebrow at me and gestures me over. "Let me treat that for you." She's already treating my dad's wounds along with my uncles.
"Thanks mom." I smile and head towards her way. She treats me quickly as soon as she's done with the others.
Uncle Tony stands up and surveys the scene. "This is going to be a fucking mess to clean."
Dante looks to him, "Who says we need to clean it?"
"True, but I'm also not just referring to this actual mess." Tony replies. "That was one hell of a warning shot."
"It's been a while since I've felt the thrill of danger and death." His eyes light up.
"Oh no you don't," Ariana looks to her husband.
"I'm kidding. It's just a joke. We are too old for this stuff." Tony chuckles and swings his arm around Ariana's waist to pull her closer.
"It's been a while since we've experienced action firsthand huh." My mother finishes bandaging Roman's thigh and gets up.
"Let's show Barsetti how strong the Ricca family is." Lorenzo states seriously, but fails as a smile finds it way up his face.
"Cheesy." Niccolo coughs simultaneously.
"I tried." Lorenzo shrugs with an unashamed smile.
I collapse onto the bullet-riddled couch and sigh. It's great that our family is back together, but this is one hell of a family gathering.
__________
A/N
At last, an update!
College has been very rough. The quarter system moves very fast and my freshmen year is already over! I can't believe time passes so quickly. I try to update as much as I can, but obviously I'm lacking in the updating department. Please be mindful...
but also, THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE PATIENT :) i've gotten so many messages from patient people and i'm always so happy that those of you are actually waiting :) i'm really sorry for the wait though. I would hate waiting for a chapter too. That's why I write chapters, but I don't always publish them :/ It's a very slow process.
Thank you once again for all the support! All of you make my day.
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