The clinic was on the third floor of a building downtown. They were closing. According to the information I got. Lydia is always the last one out. And as soon as I walked in I saw her. Moments like these make me curse the life I had to live. I've always kept all the people I met and lost locked deep inside my head never to be thought of again. Cause when I do it hurts too much.
Lydia became my family. The third in our trio of sisterhood. For a year it was just us. Lydia, Sienna and me. She had no family just like us. It didn't matter that she had no family by choice. She was as alone in the world as we were. Seeing that no one was able to track us down at that time we stayed. I worked from home mostly and Sienna went to the local school. All was good. Until one of Giovanni's men saw and recognized me when I went to pick up Sienna from school. In the matter of an hour the whole place was crawling with them. I couldn't go back. So I kept going. The last time she saw me was that morning before she went to class.
It's been two years and she's still the same. " I thought for sure you'd have grown a couple of more inches since the last time I saw you." I said.
She startled dropping the files she was carrying. Colour leached from her face the minute her eyes landed on me. "Nila!"
I rushed her and just like that we were crying. "Nila. How.... ?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I'm mumbled. Too chocked up to offer anything else. "Can we talk?" I added.
"You're here. I can't believe you're here. Is it safe? Can you stay? Is anyone following you? " she asked.
"It's safe for now. And no. No one was following us. It's okay. " I told her looking at Liam.
"Who's that?" she asked finally noticing him.
"Well. That's a long story. I'll tell it to you as soon as we get out of here."
*********
"You're shitting me. Right? You married him!" she shrieked.
"Shhh. Calm down. It's fine. This is the third time I've explained it to you. You don't have to yell." I told her laughing. We were all alone at a bar that apparently my husband owns. The place was cleared out before we got there. Boy. The joys of being a super rich mafia lord. Even the bartender was gone. Liam was enjoying himself playing his part and we were sitting in a booth at the far back.
"You want me to calm down. You married Damien Evans, Nila! You inherited the Giovanni empire. And Xavier is still after you. You remember the last time he almost cau..." she ranted.
I pinched her and hissed "Shhh. He'll hear you. And I don't want to remember the last time he almost caught me. Five innocent people died because of me. That's why I need your help. Your family..."
"No, no, no, no, and hell to the no. Not my family. No, Nila." She said.
"Look. I know it's alot to ask. I know. But you're my only chance. Lyd. The only chance I have of getting rid of that bastard. If I can just talk to your father." she made as if to interrupt me so I amended. "your biological father. If I could talk to him and convince him to give us his vote. Xavier will no longer have any more power. He'll be taken out by...."
"No no no. Don't tell me by who. TMI. You know I never get into these things." She clapped her hands on her ears and I couldn't help but laugh again. "Come on. I'm sorry. I won't go into any more details. But know this. By helping get into the compound. You're saving my life.".
She went quiet for what felt like hours but was just a few minutes. Then she stood up, grabbed a beer and a mountain dew from behind the bar then slammed them in front of me." I know I'm going to regret this but hell you're my best friend. There's nothing I won't do for you. Let's do this."