Lucia - One Year Earlier

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The call with my mother ended quickly. A simple okay from myself, and then I hung up. I don't like her calls. Not the ones like that.

"Babes?" Ethan pulls me to him. "Are you okay?"

"Mum needs me. I need to meet her at Bocca Felice." His head tilts, and a knowing expression covers his face.

"Okay, well, I will meet you there shortly. Then you can let me know what happens, okay?" He looks at me, and I nod as his arms pull me in. With my head resting on his chest, I breathe deeply.

"I wish she had just told me on the phone." I don't understand her sometimes.

"Stop panicking; you have no idea if it is bad. Look, get sorted, go meet your mum, and I will be through in an hour, okay?" He stands waiting, and I nod.

He's right; I need to stop panicking.

My fingers rap against the chair. My mother never summons me unless it is terrible news. Strangely, she has summoned me to a restaurant, which means this is a big hit.

God, mum, couldn't you just tell me on the phone?

I hate waiting, when she called and said I had to be here in an hour, I rushed. Now, though, two hours later, nothing. My fingers continue to tap against the chair quicker.

Maybe it isn't bad if she's late? I feel sick. I don't know if it's the nerves from not knowing and waiting or from the amount of alcohol I consumed last night.

Resting my head forward, I take deep breaths.

One - Nothing is fixed

Two - Everything can be changed

Three - I can survive

Four - It's normal to feel like this

Five - Shit, what was five? Five - I still have my freedom.

The chanting seems to work, and my hands begin to steady. Hearing the creak of the door, I turn to it.

"Rose?" So this is big, as my sister is here. It has to be. I watch as she walks over and sits down, facing me. Her face is soaked. Turning to look outside, I don't see rain.

Tears, my body shudders, and I swallow loudly.

"Rose?" God, it's bad news, where is mum?

"Mum's dead." My world drops; sucking in a breath, I feel like someone is squeezing my lungs, not allowing me to draw a breath.

Each attempt I make fails.

"One - " I stop, this is fixed, this is fucking fixed! I can't change this. Grasping the table, my fingers dig into the wood, slowly numbing my fingers.

"Dad called, she left the house and..." Her words stop, I don't want her to continue.

One - Fuck, what can one be now?

"She drank too much. From the sounds of it, she had seizures and just died."

No. No. No. Sitting, I shake my head. No. No. No. I didn't even say bye! I didn't even say bye. I just said okay, I just said okay! My head falls forward, my chest heavy as I struggle to breathe. Grief and Anxiety don't mix, not at all.

"Lucia." Her word is muted, swimming through the sea of noise my pulse is causing in my ears.

There is a warm feeling suddenly around my shoulders.

"One - You can keep going. Two - You can survive this. Three - It's a small bump. Four - This feeling is normal. Five – Your mum loved you." Ethan's words slip through my mind.

He kept repeating it until I could focus again, his arms staying around my body. Looking up, Rose is still there.

"I will come back with you two. I can't face going home yet." She tries to smile, but her lips don't match her command.

Goodbye mum.

Fighting back the tears, I stand. Walking out, I stop.

"I'm going to get freshened up, actually." I turn and make my way towards the door. The sound of gunshots has me hiding; my eyes look around as I hear the screams of people. The screeching of wheels pulls me from my daze, a daze I wish I had stayed in.

My eyes fall on Rose and Ethan, their bodies unmoving. Crawling over, I grab them. Screaming, I shake them.

"Wake up!" The words screamed from my lips as I pull on Rose. "We are doing it together. Our own world, our own life. I need you so we can do it again!" My head falls forward. "You promised, you promised we would do it together." Crying, my hands refuse to let them go.

The sounds around me become distant noise as I realise everyone is gone. Everyone I loved, everyone who meant something. Gone.

I had promised her I would do it; I had promised we would make this world our own. My fingers slowly peel away from her body as I feel someone dragging me away.

Fighting against the grip, I get pulled back further and further until there aren't faces, just two bodies.

Please wake up. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I took so long to move and respond.

I'm sorry, Rose, this is my fault. It should have been me. It should have been me.

MARCO 6MONTHS EARLIER

I look at the pathetic, useless man before me. If you can even give him the title, man. He thought he had worked things out. He thought the loyalty I bestowed on him was unchangeable and nothing would destroy it.

Well, you're fucking wrong.

Drawing in the silken smoke, the taste of Daiquri hits me; as I breathe out, the cloud of smoke surrounds him.

"You burnt the loyalty I gave you. Nothing can bring that back." Rising from my chair, I take off my jacket, folding it and placing it on the chair.

His eyes watch warily as I remove my tie and roll up my shirt sleeves. Sucking in the silken smoke again, I lean into his face.

"So, you can try to earn it back. Get in the ring." His eyes widened, and I dropped the cigar to the floor. Stepping down on it, I wait, watching his every move.

The roll of his throat has me smile. It's slow and shaky, and he's trying to hold himself together and not swallow so loudly. My eyes observe those around me.

Dario is bouncing from foot to foot, itching to have fun. The crazy bastard has lost it, not that we will say that, though. No, he was born that way. I almost crack a smile at that thought.

Lorenzo is sitting. He's barely moved and kept his eyes fixed on Tommy the entire time. He's analysing everything, he can't just sit, no he has to analyse everything. To his right, by the drinks machine, is Matteo. His tongue glides across his lip as he peers at his phone, no doubt talking to Is, and knowing her, she will be taunting the fuck out of him.

My eyes go to Wayne. He's shifting nervously, but he's new, so today is a test of his strength and well…to see if he can handle shit.

"I'm waiting, Tommy. On your feet." Slipping from my shoes, I turn my back to him. A show that I don't fear that target I have on my back for being the Don.

I watch as Lorenzo walks past me, likely bored as fuck. I can't blame him. Taking a step forward, I hear the shot. As I spin, I grab my gun, aiming for Tommy; I fire, watching the bullet hit the centre of his forehead.

He falls, unmoving, I glance around, but no one is moving. Keeping myself calm, I look again. Dario, there is no blood. Matteo, no blood. Lorenzo, shit! Moving to his side, I pull him down, his hands pushing me back.

"Fuck off, asshole." I look at him with a firm face. "It's a graze, barely anything." He laughs, but I watch the wound gushing. Clicking my fingers, I am handing a cloth. Holding it against him, I sigh.

"You got to fucking close."

"That I did, brother; he shot me with my own gun." His chuckle ends in a groan. I watch as they carry him out to the SUV. He will be fine. It wasn't a fatal shot.

Standing, I look at my soldiers. These fuckers didn't even move quickly enough. My eyes slice across to the latest members.

"Loyalty is earned." I step forward.

"Loyalty can not be bought." I step over Tommy's body.

"Loyalty isn't for life." Leaning down into Tommy's face now.

"Loyalty lost is deadly." Closing Tommy's eyes, I straighten myself. Slipping on my shoes, I grab my jacket and tie. I was looking forward to caving his head in.

Apparently, though, he had other ideas. I turn and face the men.

"I have given you loyalty and brought you into the Cosa Nostra family. If you see that as a weakness on my side, well…it will be a mistake."

Sitting back in the chair, I face them. Mac stays close to me. My main man.

"I hope today has made you realise that coming into this family, getting loyalty, just to use it against me, won't get you far."

Sighing, I shake my head at Tommy's body.

"Those who pay to have you on their side are not giving you loyalty. They are giving you a death sentence. Once they are done with you…" Standing, I smooth down my suit.

"They will leave you just how Tommy is." Turning, I walk out with Mac behind me. I don't say anything else. Worry creeps up in my chest for Lorenzo.

Don't feel

Don't open up

Don't feel