A/N: before we begin this chapter, there is just a few things I want to address beforehand. The first being that even though this is a mafia story, that certainly does NOT mean it's based on any true happenings. There are things that don't actually happen in the real world in my book so please don't take it to heart when I write my characters to do something that a 'normal' mafia member wouldn't.

And secondly, my story is FREE for one reason and one reason only. For YOU guys. I would hate for my readers to be blocked with a paywall to read something that is meant to be free. Please never forget that.

And last, I am so sorry for my absence. I had a bad hand injury recently and it was very hard for me to type anything and I tried using speech to text but that was a disaster lol. But the pain in my hand has since subsided and I can finally type properly so with that said, let's get this show on the road!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

N o e l

Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why...

Why is this happening to me?!

All I could do was sit in despair as I looked around the room I'd been confined to. That bastard Sid...I should have known that he wasn't interested in things like 'catching up'.

My first suspicion should have been how he got my number despite us having not seen each other in probably years but hearing his voice had immediately startled my thoughts.

He'd sounded so distraught...

It sounded so believable at the time, when he spoke about father, his tone was heartbreakingly sentimental to the point where I felt like he needed a hug.

Maybe not from me but y'know, the guy needed a hug or something but that's not what he wanted. All he wanted was for me to visit him and like the idiot I am, I fell for it and agreed.

Why am I so stupid?

Now, as I look at Sid that was in front of me, it only confirmed that I truly did not know who this stranger was, even if our blood made us 'family'.

Apparently, Sid had been talking about something but I'd been so occupied panicking in my head that I could barely pay attention.

"Now all we've got to do is get Eros here as well" Sid said and that was enough to break me out of my panic.

"You really shouldn't do that" I quickly blurted out and Sid gave me a glare that could anyone six feet under in seconds.

"I'm sick of people telling me what I should and shouldn't do. I especially don't want to hear it from some dumbass that can't tell even they're being lied to" Sid said, each malicious word stabbing my heart as they fell from his lips.

Sorry for caring about your feelings??? You know what, whatever.

"I'm serious. You do not want to be on his bad side, the man is clinically insane" I said, disregarding Sid's words in order to move the topic.

"You think I'm afraid of a nut job? If that were the case I wouldn't be able to stand the sight of my own face" Sid said and I just leaned my head against the wall.

Of course he's crazy.

You can't get a crazy person to listen to reason so I was a quickly running out of negotiation options here but it seems I won't even be given a chance going off of Sid's next words.

"You're only a bargaining chip in all of this so if you just shut up and stay put, then you'll get out of here alive" Sid said before leaving the room, slamming the metal door behind him.

God please end my life right now...

No, this is no time for the coward act. I had to think of a way out of here and while I was no where near the level of escape artist that Cole was, I'd like to think that I've learned from him.

I had managed to make a few calls earlier before my phone was confiscated, unfortunately, none of the people I dialed answered. Just my luck, right?

Anyways, the first thing I needed to think of was an exit.

My eyes drifted around the room, the only window in the room was locked and barred with planks and screws. There were no noticeable vents that I could see. It was also obvious that the only door leading out of here was made of metal and tightly locked.

Jesus, Cole makes this look so easy, how does he Houdini his way out of these things?

It was then that I remembered something...

My life alert!!

I'd never even heard of such a thing until Silver had given me one, telling me that I would probably need it some day since I always seemed to get in 'trouble'. I hardly believed that was even true but I guess I could only be thankful that he had given this to me since I really am in a bind here.

I took out the alert device that was tucked under my shirt, it was attached to a string that one could easily mistake for a simple necklace.

Thank god Sid thought me so incapable of defending myself that he left my hands untied.

Once I press it, the cops will be alerted immediately and then these guys will be done for. Mentally patting myself on the back, I pressed the button.

I watched in anticipation as a small red light flashed on and off for a few seconds before turning off permanently and I stared at it in horror.

What does that light mean...?

Is the device...dead?

Oh great, Silver gave me something that doesn't even work. Why did I even bother in believing he would give me this for free?! That bastard is getting a piece of my mind if I ever make it out of here.

I huffed as I sat on the ground. I guess I'm back at square one...

~*~

C o l e

It'd been a particularly long day today. Having Jean and Cinder talk my ears off while having to catch Myles up to speed on everything had rendered me tuckered and in need of some peace and quiet.

Sure, they were my friends but there was certainly a limit to how much talking I can do in one day.

As I checked my phone while in the car with Johnny who was driving me home, I noticed that I'd missed a call from Noel. It must have been from when I was in my seminar, I always kept my phone on silent during that time.

Figuring I could just call him later, I checked any other messages I had which simply consisted of numerous pictures from Harvey that are supposed to be funny in a sequential way but I never really get them.

Harvey calls them 'memes'.

"Okay, Mr. Azure. We're home" Johnny said and as usual I thanked him before heading out of the car and up to the house.

The lights were still out when I walked in so that was a telltale sign that Eros wasn't home, not that he would ever be home this early lest he had a day off.

After placing my bag upstairs, I figured I could have a snack before having to work on my paper. Though my face fell in disappointment when I opened the fridge and saw I only had one pudding cup left.

Damn, should I save it for after dinner? But I want it now...

Deciding that I'd just ask Eros to get more, I grabbed the cup and a spoon before heading to my room.

I had managed to get a decent chunk of my paper finished before a few knocks on the front door caught my attention.

I checked my watch and saw that it was certainly evening, Eros usually didn't get home til late night. Not that he would need a key anyways and I doubt he'd forgotten his. Harvey always obnoxiously pressed the door bell until one of us answered so I knew it wasn't him...

Jamie and Mikhail hardly ever came over either so this really had me wondering who was there. With caution, I walked to the front door and looked through the peephole.

Oh...it's this guy.

Upon recognizing who it was, I opened the door only enough so that he could see my head as I looked at him.

"Eros isn't home" I stated and Silver shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm not here for him" he said and I narrowed my eyes.

"So...?" I trailed and Silver crossed his arms, staring down at me with an impassive look.

"Your brother is missing and just a few moments ago my tracking—...his life alert device went off" He said and that's when I had decided to finally open the door wider.

Taking the opportunity, Silver marched on in and I followed after him once I closed the door.

"Life alert...?" I asked warily and honestly, I was a bit confused. Is that some kind of medical thing?

"You don't know what that is either? Oh goodness, you two grew up in a box" Silver grumbled.

"You know what, never mind that. The fact of the matter being, I need your help. I hear you're quite the escape artist so getting your brother out of whatever predicament he's in shouldn't be any problem right?" Silver said and I found myself frowning at the man.

"Not to sound reluctant or anything but why do I have to be the one?" I asked.

"Because those people are looking for you" Silver said as he poked my chest.

"So wouldn't it make sense that they only took him to lure me out there? That's his family, and while I'm not one hundred percent certain, I don't think they're actually going to harm him" I said.

Silver's expression had become confused the longer I spoke so I decided to stop and let him speak.

"You're actually colder than I give you credit for. You're basing Noel's life on the off chance that they might actually give a shit about him?" Silver asked and I sighed.

I knew I was bad at getting my point across sometimes but now, it was showing prominently.

"What I'm saying is that I'm not exactly good at the whole negotiations thing, that's Eros' job" I said and Silver seemed to relax a bit as he nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry about playing negotiator, I won't allow the situation to get that far. Those bastards have no idea that we know exactly where they are" Silver said.

Pausing for a moment, I tilted my head as I looked to Silver.

"What is your relationship with my brother?" I asked.

This entire time, in the back of my mind, I've been wondering why this guy was here and why did he seem so concerned about Noel. He was a mafia leader and as terrible as it sounded, I'm pretty sure he had much more important things to handle.

"Why do you ask all of a sudden?" Silver asked and I crossed my arms.

"Answer my question" I said firmly and Silver chuckled.

"I hardly think that's any of your—"

Upon noticing my stare, Silver finally let up with the playful attitude.

"...business. Well, jeez, if looks could kill I'd be a million feet under" Silver said and he sighed as he rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess you could say something along the lines of one sided courtship" he said.

Courtship...? He's trying to date Noel?

That's not something you hear everyday.

"You don't seem to like my answer" Silver said, my face giving away more than I thought I could conceal.

"I don't understand it" I said and Silver shrugged.

"Well, I don't really know what else to call it either. I just fancy him" he said unapologetically.

Seeing as this wasn't exactly the time to have a prolonged conversation about Silver's...feelings(?) for my brother, I decided it'd be best to move on.

"Okay" I said curtly but Silver didn't seem to accept my answer.

"That's...it?" He asked carefully.

"Unless you have an additional explanation, then yes, that's it" I stated.

"Oh cool, I thought I was going to get the 'if you hurt him I'll kill you' speech. You're such a nice little brother" Silver said and he went to touch my shoulder but I quickly brushed his touch off.

"I'm not against it" I said bluntly.

Silver's smile immediately dropped from his face, his hand retracting from my personal space as he put a surprised face on.

"...huh?" Was all that fell out of his lips so taking his moment of surprise as an opportunity, I pulled out my cellphone.

"I'll call Eros and get him up to speed" I said before stepping a short ways away.

"What the...? Was that a threat or not?" Silver's voice faded as the ringing of the dial tone was louder than it.

"Good evening, darling. I'm actually a bit busy but I didn't want to let your call go to voicemail. Is it okay if we can speak later?" Eros said, his voice soft as he spoke and I knew that he must have been in some kind of meeting if he was asking to call me back.

I didn't really think this could wait though so I just continued on.

"I won't be more than five minutes" I said and I wasn't exactly expecting Eros to say no.

He usually never said no to me and although it was bad to take advantage of it, I figured I'd be forgiven for it in this instance.

"Hm...alright" Eros said.

I listened as Eros excused himself from whoever he was with before waiting to hear that I was okay to speak again.

"What is it?" Eros asked and I quickly explained the situation to Eros who stayed quiet as I relayed it.

"Seems like we should just allow them to do as they please" Eros said.

"You sure...?" I asked.

"Yes. It's a hostage situation that can go wrong should we do something wrong, it's best to let them think they have us where they want us. They don't know about Silver so we have the biggest advantage of all" Eros said and I nodded despite him not being able to see me do it.

"Okay. I'll handle things here with Silver and explain the rest to you later" I said and with the seal of approval from Eros, I hung the phone up.

After I finished explaining the short conversation I had with Eros to Silver, I found myself feeling a bit tired from all the back and forth.

I was already exhausted from talking at school, now I had to have an elaborate chat with Silver who didn't like details being left out.

"I feel like we just went through hell and back just to enter it again" I said with a sigh.

"It won't be that like that. I'll handle everything on my own, the only thing I need you to focus on is getting Noel out of there" Silver said.

"How exactly do you know where he is?" I asked, remembering that he had mentioned something about a device called Life Alert.

"With the power of a semi useful tracking device. I had to make it look like the real thing so constant tracking wasn't exactly up for an option. However, since Noel pressed the little button on it, I was able to obtain his precise location and every prolonged stop he's made within the last 24 hours" Silver said, his face firm as he spoke despite the words coming from him sounding extremely disturbing to any normal person.

Why exactly did Noel allow this psycho to befriend him?

"We should start devising a plan" I said and Silver nodded his head.

"We're only going to need three things" he said as he held up his hand.

"Distraction, incentive, and obviously, a trump card" Silver said as he counted the things off.

"I can help with the distraction part" I said and Silver shook his head.

"I don't want you doing distractions, you're supposed to find Noel while the diversion is ongoing" he said.

"I don't mean me" I said and Silver looked at me quizzically.

"Who?" He asked.

"There's only one person that can pull a good distraction off and that's Harvey" I said and Silver seemed wary at first but nodded.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. I guess I'll trust you on this one" he said.

"Now, for the incentive. We know that their goal is you, but it's obvious that their previous attempts to nab you have not worked so instead of bringing you there, they want you to make your way to them. Which means Eros may be a potential candidate for people they can use against you" Silver explained.

Yes, that too was not surprising but I wasn't worried one bit. Just as Eros has placed his faith in me, I held the same sentiment towards him.

"Eros will let whatever plans they have for him happen and from there he can protect Noel until you can make your way to where they're being held" He said and I let out a dry chuckle.

"He's not gonna like that" I said and Silver shrugged.

"He'll get over it"

"Now the trump card, is me. When things 'go south', I'll be ready with a few of my men to help you guys" Silver said.

"I'm sure they have security" I said and Silver nodded.

"That's where Harvey comes in. We'll need him to distract the guards while my guy hacks the system. It'll probably last for ten minutes but that's all we'll need" He explained.

"You should let Mikhail help your friend, he's as Eros puts it 'the mafia FBI'." I said and Silver snorted.

"What kind of...you know what, I like it" he said with a shake of his head.

"Okay, the base of the plan sounds alright for now. When Eros gets here, he can tweak it to his tiny heart's content" Silver said.

"All of this to save Noel...he'd be thrilled to hear we're going all out for him" Silver mused with a chuckle.

Despite knowing that it wasn't really my place, my feelings got the best of me for once as I spoke out.

"My brother's naive at times...and even gullible, so please don't misunderstand me when I say this" I started and once I had Silver's full attention, I continued.

"If you have no intentions of being serious about him, don't contact him again after this" I said, looking the man directly in the eye, his own blue ones staring back with a serious look that I'm only now seeing for the first time since he's been here.

"It sounds cruel but it's better to cut it off sharply then allow things to linger. The moment he begins to accept your affection, then it'll be too late to save him from any kind of hurt you'll cause him" I finished as I crossed my arms.

Silver was uncharacteristically quiet for just a brief moment before a smile graced his features.

"I really do think I should take your advice" he said and the way he paused had already told me his answer before he'd put it into words.

"But I'm afraid I can't" he said and I nodded.

"I understand" I said and once again, Silver's demeanor changed like a chameleon's color.

"I don't have a solid impression of you yet but so far you seem to be a good kid, it's no wonder Eros is so crazy about you" Silver said.

"I'm twenty five" I said with a frown and Silver let out an airy laugh.

"That's basically a kid. I'm thirty you know?" He said before pausing with a quizzed look on his face.

"Now that I think about it...if Noel's older..." he grumbled.

"Is he older than me?" He finally asked and I shrugged.

"Don't get your hopes up" I said which made Silver give me a shocked look.

"You can joke around?" He asked and I just gave a weary smile.

"He's twenty eight" I said, deciding that the small piece of information would be my peace offering.

"I see..." Silver said.

I wasn't really sure what this guy's intentions were but as he said about me, I could say that I also had no firm opinion of him yet.

I just hope that it will be a good one.