You wouldn't believe it, but housekeeping came for the bodies later that morning.

I was standing near the kitchenette, sipping on a glass of orange juice when they knocked on the door.  They entered without a response from me.  I gave them a soft smile behind the rim of my glass, sipping my juice loudly as the two women stepped in.  They gave me a smile before quickly moving to the two bodies that littered the floor.

"So," I slurp my orange juice, "you guys do this a lot?"

They both give me a quizzical look, before turning back to the dead men and bending down.  With one grabbing the shoulders and the other gripping onto the legs, they were able to combine their strength and lift the men onto the cart they had brought.  I wasn't about to question just how they were going to roll this cart down the hallway while managing to dodge guests and other unaware employees.

"They don't speak English, Ms. Mitchell," Liam strides into the room, his hands fumbling with his necktie.  He greets the women in their native language and turns back to me, his lips pursed.

"Ms. Crawford." I correct him while resting my glass down. I lean my weigh against my hip, allowing the counter to support my weight, "So, let me understand something, you use women – and men – that cannot speak English fluently—"

"—that cannot speak English at all," he corrects.

"—at all," I state and fold my arms across my chest, "and you have them do your dirty work?"

Luciano's jaw sets as the women stand to their feet and wipe their hands off on their aprons.  They tug at the cart as they pass us.  Liam's attention drifts to them as he nods, murmurs something in their language – something I assumed was a thank you – and slides each of them a hundred-dollar bill.

Once they leave, I stick out my hand, expecting a sum of cash for myself.  All I get from Liam is a bored, annoyed look.

He leans forward on the balls of his feet, "Correction," then he leans back, "They do my dirty work, because yes, if something were to ever get out and they were to be interrogated, it's highly likely that once the police realize they can't even say hello in English, that they'll send them on their way.  Police are not only lazy, but people in America also seem to think that anyone who can't speak their language is stupid."  His eyelids close a little as he finishes and stalks off, brushing by me, muttering something about hating this country.

I clear my throat and turn around, extending my hand and wiggling my fingers, hoping he gained the hint.  I lift my eyebrows, "Don't I get a little incentive for keeping your murderous ways a secret?"  Luciano takes a step towards me, his eyebrows creasing together.

He slaps my hand as it hangs, suspended between the space between us.  His fingertips brush against my palm; they were definitely rough enough to cut my skin.  Someone needs to recommend him a brand of moisteriz—

Liam leans forward, lowering his voice as if we weren't the only ones in the room, "You would never reveal my murderous ways, not considering I'm saving your life," He pulls away as I ball my hand into a fist, feeling paper crumble underneath my touch.  My heart skipped a beat.  "Finish packing and meet me downstairs in the lobby once you're done, we're leaving."

I waited until he slammed the door to un-ball my fist and glance at the bill that he had slipped into my hand.

I was disappointed, but not surprised.

It was a dollar.

- - -

The first thing I spotted when the elevator doors parted and the lobby can into view, was police. A bunch of them were huddled by the rotating doors, while others were grouped off in pairs, interrogating a few of the tourists.  Two women dressed in uniforms were standing off to the side, crying.

I stepped out slowly, dragging a practically empty suitcase behind me.  I did my best to survey the area, searching for Liam.  I thought I had seen him a few times, but only to come to the realization that there were a few other men that could wear a suit like him.  I passed by a group of mourning employees and stopped walking when I saw it.

My mouth dropped as a group of people crowding around a body on the floor parted.  Air left me like I had been sucker-punched and an overwhelming feeling washed over my body.  "Oh my God, Mary!"  I could see her lifeless body from here, laying at an unnatural angle.  Her eyes were open and from where I stood, I could've sworn she was staring at me.  I went to rush towards her, when arms enveloped me, pushing me in the opposite direction.

Whoever it was, they were warm and their hug was comforting.  Bless their heart for listening to my muffled rant, "But—why Mary? What happened? I just talked to her—who would kill her?" I paused once I realized we had stopped moving.  I pull my head out the chest of the figure and I glance up, my eyes landing on William.  His smile was calming.

"She was shot earlier this morning," his expression grows serious, his smile fading, "The resort couldn't reach Liam, so they contacted me."

"But who would kill her?"

"I have my theories, that it's the same person that wants you, Ms. Mitchell."

I whirl around at the voice and stomp my foot, "Stop calling me that."

Liam Luciano's eyebrows twitch into a frown, "Oh, are we reverting to child-like techniques to get what we want now?"

I let out a breath, stepping back into Will's embrace, "Someone you cared about died, stop acting like a dick."

It was only after I said it did I notice the redness of his eyes.  It was subtle, only noticeable under close examination.  He'd been crying.

Liam dismisses me, lifting his chin as he addresses William, "The police are going to stay around to investigate a little more, but Faith and I's plane leaves shortly, so we must go.  They say they'll catch who did this, but they won't..." He pauses, thinking, before adding, "I will."

~ ~ ~

I had called dibs on the window seat on the ride over to the airport at least 101 times; but it was obvious when we took our seats, that Liam didn't know what 'dibs' meant. He plopped down in my window seat without a word, or glance, in my direction.

He propped his elbow up against the window, rested his head in his palm, and remained silent. I huffed annoyingly as I sat down in the seat next to his. We sat in silence for a moment or two, watching as people filed in the aisles and took their purchased seats. What surprised me the most, was that fact that we weren't flying in first class.

Sure, you can say this luxurious life style was starting to get to me.

I leaned towards Liam and lowered my voice, "Why aren't we flying first class?" Liam blinked once, then twice, before speaking.

"Why fly first class for extra money, when you can fly like this, for less?"

I shrugged. "I just thought you would fly first class."

"First class is heading to Atlanta with us, right?"

"Yes."

Liam turned, now eyeing me. "Then there's no reason to pay extra."

Okay, sure, he made a valid point.

A soft, "Yeah," was my only response as Liam returned to his stone cold position by the window. He stared out the window and refused to utter a word.

Ten minutes passed as passengers continued filing in, filling the plane with constant chatter. Children bounced up and down,smiling at their parents as they took seats. "No! Daddy! I want the window seat!" The father, who was apparently nicer than Luciano - I mean really, who isn't nicer than Liam - let his child grab the seat of their choice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for choosing Delta Airlines. We will be taking off in fifteen minutes-"

I shot a glance at Liam and mumbled a quick,"Fuck it."

I wanted that window seat.

Annoying mode: on.

"Liam?"

No answer.

"Liam?"

Still no answer; I craned my neck just enough in his direction to see if he was preoccupied. I looked at his ears. No earbuds. Then I glanced up at his eyes. They were closed. But there was no way in hell he was asleep, at least not yet.

I tapped him on his shoulder. No response.

So I tapped him even harder. Nothing. "Liam?"

"What."

Finally - damn. "Can I please have the window seat? I hate sitting in the aisle; I always sit next to the weirdest person on the face of the earth." Liam turned and faced me, his brows furrowing. "Besides, I get car sick when I don't sit next to the window!"

I wasn't sure whether he was already fed up with my whiny tone of voice, or he was justbeing extra generous today because without another word, he pulled himself upoff the seat. I slipped into his warm seat behind him, turning my head safely so his ass wasn't in my face for the split second and sat down.

Liam plopped down in - what once was - my seat and sighed. We stayed silent for a moment or two before he turned to me. "Carsick? We're in a plane."

He'd been had.

And the facial expression he made when he knew he'd been tricked was priceless. I giggled as now, I, turned and stared out the window. I could see Liam pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking his notifications. I sighed and let him be; some people could be very touchy if you stared at them while they were on their phone.

I turned my attention towards the sky, frowning as clouds rolled in slowly. Hopefully we would be off the ground before the rain started.

"How's your neck?"

I knew the question was addressed towards me, but now I just needed to figure out who had asked. I shot Liam the most shocked look I could muster up, my eyebrows raised.

With my eyes squinted, I tilted my head. "You care about my well-being?"

Liam didn't find it funny. "You had an assassin wrap his arm around your neck last night and almost choke you, so yes, I'm checking on how you're doing."

I brushed a finger along the bruised skin, pressing down gently. Grayson hadn't held back when it came to his grip. It only truly hurt when you put pressure on it. "It's better." I couldn't tell if Liam believed me or not, his facial expression never changed.

He adjusted his position in his seat and raised a hand. Even though he advanced slowly towards me, I still flinched. And before I knew it, my head was pressed against the side of the plane.

Liam laughed. "I'm not going to hurt you..." He brought his hand up to my neck, his fingers brushing coldly against my skin. I closed my eyes, grimacing at the pain I had anticipated. I could feel his index and middle finger traveling down my neck, putting pressure occasionally on the red skin.

I reopened my eyes when his fingers detached themselves from my neck. "I have something you can put on the bruise; the pain might still be there, but the skin won't be so red," he said.

This is where you insert the wide-eyed emoji to describe my face. "Thanks...?" I said warily. Liam had already turned his attention towards the back of the seat in front of him, his jaw clenching and unclenching as we waited. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, how are you do--"

"Fine," He cut me off with a tense, forced smile.

A burly, greasy looking man dropped into the seat beside Liam. He smelled like fried food, but I couldn't determine which one. And not only was he reeking, but he was a talker.

"Hey," He greeted Liam.

I muffled a laugh as Liam turned uncomfortably towards the man. His smile was currently a grimace as he nodded politely."Hello." The look on Liam's face looked pained; I kept quiet and listened to their struggling conversation.

"Where are you flying to?"

Luciano shifted in his seat. "Well unless this plane separates mid flight, I'm fairly certain we are all headed to Atlanta."

I elbowed Liam in the side and shot him a look.He could at least be kind to the man.

The burly man, who I heard introduce himself as Ralph, ignored Liam's sarcastic response. I couldn't determine whether he did it on purpose, or couldn't detect sarcasm used at its finest.

Ralph was nearly bald and appeared to have a thin layer of dirt on his skin. He reminded me of that character in Charlie Brown with the blanket. Dust followed him around everywhere. The image made me laugh.

Their conversation hadn't even ended once we were finally up in the air.

"Who's that pretty little lady?" He seemed to lean forward as well as he could with his beer belly, shooting a thick finger in my direction. I smiled politely, but returned to my view of the sky.

"That's Faith," Liam introduced myself for me. I noticed he kept last names out of most of his introductions. Ralph sat back in his seat.

"You two are cute together-"

We aren't-

Liam interjected my thoughts and spoke up for me."We aren't to-" but Ralph didn't seem to care.

"-I don't have a girlfriend."

Liam shook his head. "Why doesn't that surprise-"Elbow. This time, Liam shot a stern look in my direction, practically screaming at me to 'stop it'. But I would refuse to watch him harass and degrade this poor man.

"What do you do for a living, Liam?"

Oh, this will be interesting.

"I have a degree in business." The perfect answer. I nodded in approval at Luciano's response. "And you?"

"I work at Mcdonalds."

"I didn't see that one co-"

Elbow.

It was confirmed on this day that Liam Luciano had absolutely zero, zilch, nada people skills.

Their conversation lulled as both of them pulled out their phones - Liam, the iPhone six; Ralph, the construction worker flip-phone. Two different pay grades, two different men.

I smiled inwardly as I rested my head against the window and exhaled. My eyelids were getting heavy as I watched Liam. He unlocked his phone, tapping quickly, and I recognized the text messaging thread. The words were too small to read, but I could tell from the bubble color, that he had texted this person a lot - without receiving a reply.

His fingers danced along the keyboard before hesitating over the send button, which he pressed a few seconds later.

I fought sleep for the next fifteen minutes. I was almost in dreamland when the ruffling of a bag of chips from beside me kept me awake. Ralph was fumbling with the opening of a cheese puff snack sized back. He struggled for a moment with Liam glaring at him out the corner of his eyes the entire time, before finally ripping the bag open.

The smell of processed cheese churned my stomach in a horrible way as I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

Luciano reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of earbuds, untangling them quietly; something Ralph, seamlessly, didn't know how to do.

Being the polite person that he was, Ralph shoved the open bag of puffs in Liam's face, chewing obnoxiously. "Hm?" He offered. Liam stared at the contents of the bag as if the puffs were about to come to life and attack him.

"No thanks-"

"You sure?"

"Yes-"

"But-"

"-Carbs." Liam turned and shot the man the coldest glare he could muster up, before Ralph dropped the bag from Liam's face.

I fell asleep for the first time in what felt like forever, with a smile on my face.

~ ~ ~

"I said you could only spend 200 dollars."

The plane ride from Bora Bora to Atlanta flew by for me as I napped. But once we landed and realized we had a few hours before our flight to California departed, Luciano took me shopping. Well, he hailed the cab and came with, but we practically separated once inside the mall.

"Don't break a sweat," was all Liam said before he turned and left me alone...in a mall... He was mocking me, reminding me of my last encounter at a mall.

I could've sworn I saw his shoulders shaking a she walked away. He might have a sense of humor; a very cold one.

Oh yeah.

He also said I couldn't spend more than 200 dollars. And that is what we were arguing about as we walked through LAX,luggage in tow.

"I did," I looked up at him, "I spent 298."

"What's the difference?"

"Two dollars."

Liam never looked down at me, but I could hear the sigh he let out.

"I mean, I had racked up 200 dollars by the time I hit Victoria Secret," I stated, defending myself, "But then I went in there and found the cutest hoodie ever, and well... I thought about how you hit me, yelled at me, then very easily killed a few dudes in front of me, and well...I caved."

"But 98 more dollars?"

I stopped walking and crossed my arms. Liam didn't seem to notice until he was a few paces ahead of me.

Rude people cut in between us; the airport capacity easily maxed by now. The crowds and lines were insane.

Liam turned and looked at me over his shoulder,beckoning me to come. I wasn't going anywhere until I made my point.

"For a billionaire, you sure are a penny pinching dick."

He blinked once, then twice. "I'm a billionaire because I'm a penny pinching dick." His answer didn't suffice, but when he turned and continued walking, I jogged to catch up.

There was no way in hell I was getting lost inhere.

We walked for what seem like thirty more minutes before breaking out in the LA sun. The heat was intense; and I found myself blocking the sun with my arm, keeping it out of my eyes. Liam had already been prepared; a pair of ray bans already on his face.

"Stay close," He muttered as he cut me off and walked down the sidewalk, looking for someone. Hundreds of thousands of cars seemed to have their flashers on, looking for a relative, friend, or significant other they were picking up.

But it wasn't until my eyes fell on the black limousine that I sighed. I'll bet 400 million dollars that that is our ride. And sure enough, I was correct.

My luggage was thrown into the trunk - including my brand new clothes, which I didn't plan on dropping anywhere this time - and we crawled into the back of the posh car.

The leather was a tan color; and the seat circled the interior. A coffee table sat in the middle, and a small refrigerator was pushed off to the side.

I, myself, had slid all the way towards the mini window in the car wall that separated the passengers from the chauffeur. There was no reason as to why I did it, but Liam seemed to want his space.

For the first ten minutes of the ride, I stared out the tinted windows. Stores went by in a blur, including people and other cars. I leaned forward ever so much, just to see the trees that lined the road beautifully.

That got boring quickly.

I sighed as I pulled away from the window and sat up. Liam was lying across from me, his feet propped up on the table as he slouched in his seat. His eyes darted back and forth as he paid attention to whatever was playing on his phone.

He didn't seem to notice me and truthfully I didn't think he would care; so I looked away in attempt to find something interesting.

My options were limited considering I was in the back of a limousine - which, I noticed, did not have a television.

"So," I broke the silence. "Is like...this your limo?"

Liam didn't look up. "My family's, yes."

"Cool," I mumbled. And that's when I raised my head and looked up at the ceiling. The top of the car seemed to be made with a velvet material - it looked fancy and expensive, but that isn't what caught my attention.

It was the speakers and a few buttons, which I identified as 'play', 'pause', and 'stop'. Interesting.

Reaching up - which was a struggle for me because of my height - I tapped the 'play' button.

I didn't recognize the song that had started playing, but immediately froze when Pleasure P started singing. "Turn around, let me lick you from your neck down to your naval; cause Shawty you look great-"

Liam looked up from his phone, his eyebrow cocked.

"-Forget the bed; I wanna lay your body right here on the table. So just hold it steady-"

I watched Luciano sit up and jab - what I assume- was the 'stop' button on his armrest. "William was probably in here last," I wasn't sure whether Liam was talking to me, or just out loud, but I nodded.

And with that, Liam slid back down into his comfortable position, and pulled out his phone.

I tilted my head as my thoughts consumed me. I wonder what type of music Liam listens too.

Classical? No.I definitely can't picture him listening to Mozart.

Rap? Well, he is angry a lot. But that doesn't necessarily mean that.

Pop, maybe?

I shrugged. Liam was truly a book you couldn't read.

"Why were you mean to that man on the plane? He didn't do anything to you." My question was the definition of random; but it had been bothering me the whole trip. Ralph, who I admit - was very annoying -but sweet all at the same time.

"Who was Ralph?"

Liam's question, to answer my question, was confusing. "What do you mean? The guy that-"

"I know who Ralph is, trust me; I'll never forget. But who was he?" Liam dropped his phone on the table and sat up. He dropped his foot to the floor and looked up, looking me dead in the eyes.

"I don't...understand," I mumbled. "He was just being nice-"

"You're so trustworthy," Liam laughed.

"Should I not be?"

"-And this is why we're different." Luciano shook his head. "I trust nobody but myself; and considering your life is on the line at the moment, you shouldn't trust anybody either."

"But-"

"But, but what? He asked too many questions. The Costello and the Corinelli family have money; they can hire anyone to do anything - including following us, following you."

"He didn't exactly look like a secret agent-"

"And that would make the perfect 'secret agent', would it not?" Liam stated. He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair.

I sighed and pulled my feet up on the chair,hoping to get comfortable. Liam didn't look away, even when I tore my eyes away from his. "You're just paranoid." I muttered.

"I have to be." Our conversation ended with that reply. Liam, like me, rested his feet back on the coffee table and closed his eyes.

The sound of the car engine, cars honking, and general road noises echoed throughout the enclosure we were in. For five minutes I listened to that, my eyes closed; but that's when I heard a couple buttons being pushed and music began to play.

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

I didn't see that one coming.

~ ~ ~

A city.

That is what the Luciano estate looked like from my vantage point in the Limo. I couldn't count how many gates and security people we passed as we drove through the richest neighborhood I had ever seen.

All the houses had their own unique touch and flare to them; whether it was the color or the decorations outside, but they all had one thing in common - their size.

We took a couple turns and stopped at one last gate. When the chauffeur confirmed this was his stop, the car continued to drive up the hill and eventually we stopped.

Liam pushed the door open for me and gathered his stuff together. I slipped past him and landed on the concrete beneath me; In early lost consciousness when I looked up.

"Are we in California or London, England?" I joked.

To my left was grass as far as the eye could see.Multiple people sat on lawn mowers, cutting the grass in a neat pattern. To my right was a six car garage; each separated by their own door.

The house alone had a Victorian style to it; it was utterly gorgeous. I turned around as Liam exited out the car. "You grew up here?"

"Unfortunately."

A couple men came by, greeted Liam, and opened the trunk; taking our luggage out and whisking it away.

"Unfortunately?" I laughed. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "Half of the world would be grateful to live in a house like this."

Liam shook his head. "It gets old after a while."

I was about to reply and argue, but I didn't have the chance too. The front doors opened and a couple walked out and down the steps. We met them halfway, and I fell back and off to the side awkwardly. I didn't want to ruin their reunion.

"Hey Mel," Liam smiled wider than I had ever seen as he bent down and wrapped his arms around the woman. She was beautiful - long jet black hair and eyelashes to match. Her makeup was subtle, but just enough that you know she had tried. She wasn't skinny - not by a long shot - but she definitely looked like she worked out on a daily basis.

She wore a black dress and simple heels, earrings too. Who wears that In their house?

When his mother pulled away, I then noticed the towering figure behind her. It was clear now where Liam got his looks from; his father.

Mr. Luciano stood at an easy height of 6'2 - just an inch or so taller than his son. His shoulders were broad - or maybe his shirt was just a tad too tight. His hair was slicked back by gel and his facial features were strong and defined. Comparing the two, Liam had softer features."Liam," His voice was deep, laced with a thick Italian accent. Sexy, if I must add.

"Michael."

The tension was clear between the two. They appeared to be more businesslike, than father-son like.

Liam pulled his hand away - and I couldn't help but notice him wipe his hands on his pants as he turned to me. His cheery smile was gone as he pointed to me. "Mom, Dad, this is Faith. Faith-" He pointed to his mother, "Melanie Luciano-" then he pointed to his dad. "Michael Luciano."

His father seemed to scowl, the complete opposite of Melanie. "Hi," She greeted and came closer, giving me a friendly hug. "It's nice to meet you, Faith."

"It's nice to meet you to, Mrs. Luciano."

"Please," She grimaced, "Call me Mel."

We broke away, and a silence fell over the four of us. Michael was staring intently at Liam as they shared some sort of telepathy.

Melanie seemed to notice as she stepped forward,seemingly ready to break up any fight that was about to happen. "Michael,please," She said warningly. Liam's mom rested a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder, tugging him away.

"I'm okay, Mel," He finally stated, "Just surprised it took Liam seven years to finally have the balls to bring another girl home."

I wanted to warn Mr. Luciano not to talk back -or even talk smack - to Liam, but I had a feeling he knew the consequences and he wasn't scared.

"I'm sorry I don't bring girls home every night and fuck them when you're in the next room-"

"Liam." Melanie's sweet and cheery tone was replaced with warning.

"-I'm sorry, but I'd preferably not want to pull a you." Liam finished.

I raised my eyebrows. Oh my.

"Don't talk back to me." Michael took a step towards Liam, Melanie still holding on. She was leaning up towards him,whispering something in his ear.

Liam, who didn't seem to be one to do what he is told, didn't stop. "You might help with the company, and you might consult me on everything happening underground, but that does not mean I will take relationship advice from you-"

"You don't need relationship advice from me," His father laughed, "The girl is dead; and last time I checked, you weren't in a relationship." That's when Michael turned and actually acknowledged me. "She's a red-head too? Way to move on, Liam." Michael laughed darkly and shook his head, before turning and marching away, Melanie in tow.

When the front doors banged closed, I turned to Liam and said the first thing on my mind. "Wow...he's a dick."

Liam didn't reply immediately, but eventually he did - when he found his voice again.

"Where do you think I got it from?"

~ ~ ~

A/N: least he admits it.