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Chapter Twenty-Two

A/N: Enjoy this chapter! Thank you all to the 3K+ followers and over 1.6M reads! I honestly never thought this story would get this far, considering most first stories do not. Anyways! Sorry for the long wait!

[ edited, with tears, that a/n up there brought back so many memories ]

I need this man's phone number, address, social security number, name, and Instagram. HMU when you got it. ^^^

Don't forget to comment and vote!

- - - -

It was a déjà vu moment, really. The concrete floor beneath me; it was dark, pitch black and all I could do was hear. If this was what it was like to be deaf, then I am most certainly blessed. I couldn't imagine being deaf; not being able to hear music, birds chirping, people laughing. . . My moment of empathy passes quickly as I peel my eyelids apart, droplets of sweat dripping off my forehead and falling into my eye. I blink rapidly at the uncomfortable feeling, before eyeing the room that I'm in.

It was just like Liam's basement, all those weeks ago. The walls look at though they're made of concrete, just like the hard floor that I sit on. A constant dripping sound, one a running pipe would make, echoes in the back of my mind - if it didn't stop soon, I would surely go insane. The floor is damp and as I clutch my hands together, balling them, I glance down. Blood drips from cuts on my hand, dripping into the thin layer of water around me.

I feel like I'm in a daze, one many people have explained to me that happens once you consume one too many drinks. My tongue feels large as it presses against the back of my teeth, and blood tingles my taste buds. "W-where. . .?"

And then I see it; sitting in a metal chair in the center of the room, is Liam. His arms are wrenched in an uncomfortable looking position behind the chair, clearly bounded by a rope or wire. His head hangs forward, indicating to me that it was likely he was unconscious. Blood seeps through the wounds that were inflicted across his bare chest. He looked horrible; absolutely horrible.

"Liam?" I try to inch forward, to run to his side to help him, but I can't. Chains hold my ankles in place, binding me to my seated position on the cold floor. All I could do was watch, call out, and listen. "Liam?" I hiss a little louder, hoping to wake him from his pain induced sleep.

Fear creeps into the back of my mind when I don't hear his Italian accent whispering back to me. His chest moves, but hardly. Luciano's breathing sounds ragged and hoarse, causing him pain whenever he inhales.

A door in the far corner of the room is slammed open, causing both I and Liam to jump. His head snaps back and the condition of his face makes me gasp. Liam's right eye is nearly swollen shut, a black and purple bruise surrounding the area around it. His bottom lip is split in three different areas, a trail of blood running down the corner of his lip and entangling itself within his facial hair.

He looks tired, beat down, and on the verge of giving up.

Two men waltz into the room, the first one smiling wickedly. He wore an expensive suit, nice watch, and had dirty blonde hair - but he wasn't William. He was tall, taller than Liam and Rico. Blondie smiles at me, then turns to Liam. "How are you doing, this evening?" He chuckles darkly and without waiting for a response, slaps Luciano.

"Stop it! You ca-"

My words drown away once I tear my eyes away from Blondie. With my jaw hitting the floor, I squinted my eyes at the man standing in the corner, a hand on his hips.

Rico.

"You traitor! I swear to God when I get out of here I will slit your throat."

Federico makes a "rawr" sound, using the hand motions and all. "Feisty, me likey."

"You fucker."

Rico makes his way towards me, his face going in and out of my sight due to the ghostly shadows that dance around the dank room. He squats to my level, smiling. "Did you really think I was working for Liam, did you? The only, only Family I have to be loyal to, is the De Santis's."

I tear my eyes away from Rico, my bottom lip trembling. No, I didn't know everything about him, nor what caused him to become the monster he was, but I had begun to appreciate his friendship with Liam. If anybody would be hurt, it would be Luciano himself.

"Liam is your friend!" I turn, yelling at Rico, "H-he trusts you!"

"Yeah, well, we all make mistakes, don't we."

"You're a mistake," I mutter just loud enough that Rico could hear as he stood up. Tears fill my eyes as I lay there, his shoes now at my eye-level. "Go to hell, Federico. Something tells me you and Satan will get along just fine."

"Actually we don't."

I have to look up, craning my neck at an awkward position. His face was hidden, but I could see the hint of stubble on his face as he looks down on me. "And why's that?"

Rico drops to his squatted positon once again, and the smile that appears on his face could've made hell freeze over. His large hand clamps itself to my chin, twisting my head up. Rico's fingertips dig into my cheeks as he leans his head close.

"Because, I'm doing his job for him."

I was snarling, readying myself to shoot a disrespectful comment back in Rico's face, but a heart stopping howl of pain caused me to stop. Liam's back arches as his head falls back, a scream leaving is lips. I feel my blood - whatever is left of it - drain from my face as Blondie pulls back, tightening the long rope he has in his hand.

My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as I try to reach forward, only to be pulled back once again by the chains linking me to the wall. "Stop it! Stop it! You're killing him!" Liam's eyes droop as he leans forward again; the only reason he was still in the seat, was because he was tied there - if not, his body would've been slumped on the floor hours ago.

The same, heart wrenching scream echoes throughout the room as Blondie whips Liam three more times. By now, Rico had greeted his friend, standing beside Liam's chair. He smiles and yanks Liam's head up, nearly ripping a patch of hair out in the process. Luciano breathes and opens his good eye fully, eyeing his friend.

"I'm friends. . .with a monster," both Liam and Rico make eye contact as the words spill out of Liam's mouth. Luciano spits out a wad of blood before Rico takes a step back.

"Yeah, I guess you are."

I watch helplessly as Blondie continues his assault on Liam's back. His screams are choked on by tears, but I'm positive he was yelling my name.

"Faith!"

"Faith!"

"Seriously, Faith."

I shoot up from the bed, my hands immediately finding my sweat covered face. I felt as though I was standing in a boiler with six layers of clothes on. Blinking multiple times, adjusting myself to the conditions of the bedroom, I turn to Liam. He sits on the edge of the bed, his eyebrows touching. My mouth drops open, but closes quickly once I glance down, noticing his hand on my thigh. He didn't seem to notice.

"Oh my God!" I lean forward, my hands grabbing at both of his cheeks as I stare shamelessly at his face. I allow my thumb to run along the skin just below his eyes, a smiling appearing on my face when I realize all of it was just a dream. I drag my hands down his un-cut cheeks and stop on his chin. Even though his face was cleanly shaven, I could still feel hairs breaking through the skin. A muscle in his jaw tightens as I run my hand along it, before finally letting go and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" He completely ignores the fact that I just practically raped his face, jumping to the question at hand. Concern etches his features as I glance away, nodding rapidly. Even though I refuse to look at him, my face still heats up, due to the fact that I know he's still staring. "You aren't okay," He answers his own question as he drops his gaze to my hands - my shaking hands. "Faith, you're shaking," I jump slightly as his touch shocks me - literally. "And you're sweating like crazy. . ."

His grip on my hand tightens as he pulls me out the bed. My legs nearly buckle as he leads me quietly into the bathroom. I watch him numbly as he closes the toilet seat and nods, signaling for me to sit. I do as I'm told and begin to watch him go through a variety of white cloths, before picking one out and heading towards the sink, turning the faucet on.

My legs bounce, my fingers picking at my nail as I sit there and wait. A moment later, Liam kneels in front of me and rests a hand on my shoulder, limiting my movement. He takes the towel to my forehead, dabbing gently. I let out a relieved smile, suddenly not feeling as hot as I had been.

"You want to tell me about this nightmare," He speaks softly, dragging the cloth across my forehead. I drop my head, my eyes casted downwards, not wanting to look at him - but he arches my head back upwards with a finger. The cloth then drags down my cheek, repeating the same process on the other.

"You were tied up against this chair," I pull my top lip into my mouth and bite down, "And I thought you were dead; then this blonde man in a suit came in and behind him-" I swat at my head, a smile crossing my face as I lean backwards, scrunching up my nose. "-stop that!" Luciano chuckles softly, promising not to wipe the fabric down my nose again.

"Continue. . ."

"Well," I lean forward as we both resume our positons, "Rico came in after him. He. . .he was a part of the entire thing, Liam! He was just pretending to be your friend, when he really wasn't. And the blonde guy. . .he started hitting you with this rope, right across the back." I wince, my body stiffening as I hear Liam's cries of pain once again. "And you looked like. . .they just. . ."

"Hey, hey," Liam leans forward, catching the lone tear that spills out of my eye with his thumb. "It was just a dream, Fi." He pulls me into a hug in the process, causing me to stand up and rest my head against his chest. Tears leak onto his bare chest as I pull him closer. "You know what you need," He whispers softly, "You need a recuperation day."

"That actually sounds really nice," I mutter. "What does it consist of?"

"It consists of you, me-" Liam drops down to a squat like formation, and before I even have a clue what's happening, he wraps one arm under my back, the other under my knees, and hoists me up - now carrying me. "-and a bed."

I squeal, my legs kicking as Liam leads us out the bathroom and my bedroom. "Liam, seriously, put me down."

"Nope."

"Liam Elijah Luciano, put me down."

"No."

"Liam!" I continue to kick, causing no damage, as he leads me into his bedroom and slows to a stop. The humorous expression he has on his face indicates that he actually finds this funny. "Liam, put me down. Do you comprende?"

"That's Spanish," He deadpans.

"Yeah well, you es muy estupido."

"Still Spanish and that didn't even make sense," He sighs, "But si, bellissima."

I squint my eyes at him, "What did you just call me?" He just tilts his head and smiles, causing me to groan excessively. "Just put me down, will you?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I-" My words turn into a scream as I'm flung carelessly through the air, almost without effort. I bounce multiple times as I land on the mattress, before rolling and stopping, breathless. Once I roll over and brush the hair out of my eyes, I can fully take in the sight of Liam standing there, laughing. His ab muscles clench as he chuckles loudly, a wide smile spread across my face. "First things first, I'm going to get my revenge. Second, why did you bring me to your bed?"

I get my answer about three seconds later; once Liam hopped onto the bed himself, causing me to bounce in response. I glare at him sufficiently as he snags his pillows, lays his head down, and faces me. "I needed a nightlight," He responds softly.

"I don't glow."

"No," Liam says slowly, as if he was talking to a three year old with down syndrome. "But you make me feel safe," He closes his eyes, "That's what a nightlight does. It makes you feel safe, like you're invincible and nothing can hurt you. So you are my new nightlight."

I blink. "That's sweet of you and everything, but I would have no problem going to Walmart with you and buying a nightlight."

"What's Walmart?"

My jaw drops as I lunge forward, shaking his shoulders. "You do-"

"I'm kidding! Jesus," A smile creeps on his face, his eyes still closed as he hugs his pillow to death. I sigh as he falls silent. Slowly, I slip beneath the sheets and scoot over, distancing myself away from him.

He scoots closer to me.

I scoot away.

He scoots closer.

"Liam," I warn, sticking my hand out and touching your shoulder. He smiles harder. "If you move any closer to me, I'll fall off the bed."

Luciano scoots closer.

My breathing hitches as I nearly hang off the side of the bed. His smile grows even wider as he rests his hand on my thigh and squeezes, keeping me still. I can hardly breathe - in or out - as he opens his eyes again. They sparkle with mischief as he dips his head closer to mine and speaks softly and quietly, "Remember when I said I really wanted to kiss you about two hours ago?"

I nod, unable to speak.

"Good," He chuckles deeply, before bringing his head to the crook of my neck and placing soft, wet kisses on my exposed skin. His lips trail along my collarbone, before he leaves a trail of kisses across my jaw. My mouth falls open, but no sound comes from it. "I'm not good with words," He mumbles. The kisses don't stop; his mouth moves in a pattern, pressing soft kisses against my neck. Occasionally, his teeth would graze across my skin, but he never bit down hard. But as quickly as his affection started, it stops. He places one last kiss to my cheek, before rolling over and falling silent.

I blink six times, all within a second. My hand clutches the blanket, my knuckles turning so white I could practically see them in the dark. My jaw drops open, closes, then falls open again as I try and wrap my mind around Liam's actions. My lips form words, but my vocal cords fail.

"Earlier today," Luciano whispers, "You blurted out that you liked me; I didn't respond then. That, this, was my response."

- - - -

Men look twenty times more attractive when they're asleep. Liam slept on his back, a hand thrown lazily across his eyes, shielding his face from the rays of sunlight that stream through the curtains this morning. His white sheets come just up to his waist, exposing the rest of his bare chest. I was guilty of staring incredibly hard. His abs were so defined, I could trail my finger around each and every one of them.

I nearly jump back from my standing position beside the bed when his mouth fell open and he let out a groan. He tilts his head to one side, before falling silent. I let out a nervous sigh as I lean farther over the edge of the bed, my fingers clasped around a small bucket, filled to the brim with water; water and ice.

Curtesy of Liam's butler, Sebastian.

This was my fantastic plan of revenge. I'm not quite sure what I was getting revenge on again, but I figured this would turn out well. If it didn't turn out well, then, oh well.

Liam shifts once again in his sleep. His feet kick aimlessly, causing the sheet to bundle at his ankles. My breathing halters as the muscles in Liam's arm contract; they release a second later once he stops rustling.

This was my chance.

I tilt the bucket slightly, the water brimming one side of the bucket - threatening to spill. But the quick sound of vibration cause me to stop and shoot a glare at the interruption. One of Liam's phone buzzes widely on a nightstand beside his head. I lodge the bucket underneath my arm, propping my leg up to keep it from moving and lean over, eyeing the phones screen.

From: Hoe #5

Liam, are you home? It's important.

Bitch, what.

I had no problem finishing my earlier movements. I turn on a dime and dump the buckets contents all over Liam. He didn't exactly react the way I had anticipated. Liam covered his forearms over his face and kept his lips closed as I finished dumping the water.

But when his light brown eyes popped open, I knew I was done for. With pursed lips and an un-readable expression, he reached out for me. Somewhere between the time I fell forward and was rolled over, now lying on my back, I had dropped the bucket. Luciano's mattress was soaked as he rolled over, his hands pressing into my shoulders. I sunk deeper into the mattress.

Water dripped from everywhere; his hair, eyelashes, lips, and his chest. His hair was pressed forward, soaked to the bone. Liam makes a nose with his lips, causing more water to exit his mouth and fall around us. I cringed in disgust. With one hand, he runs his fingers through his hair, before finally being the first one to make a sound - a sound other than my surprised squeals.

"If you wanted to get wet Faith, you could've just asked me."

"Uh. . ."

Being pinned on the bed of a dripping wet man definitely didn't allow me to swallow that statement easily. I was fairly certain I was about to choke on own saliva when I started coughing. Liam lets go of me, allowing me to roll over on my stomach and sit up. Once my coughing episode subsides, I glance over at him. He's leaning over his phone, typing furiously - as if the screen was the person he was angry at.

"Everything okay?"

Luciano stands up and shakes his head like a dog, causing me to scream and duck from the water pellets heading in all directions. He chuckles, shakes his head once more, runs another hand through it, and stops. I was more concerned on his facial expression, so my eyes didn't fall to his shirtless chest and pair of shorts that were hanging on his hips.

He nods and turns, heading toward his dresser. I can't help but lay there, watching as his back muscles tense up as he pulls the drawer out and grab a pair of clothes. "Honestly," He turns and sighs, before closing the drawer. I turn away quickly as his shirt drops from his hand and flutters to the floor, causing him to bend down and swiftly pick it up.

His movements were slow, almost teasing, causing his ass to stay in the air much longer then it needed to be. My face flushes.

"Life just keeps fucking me in the ass without any lubricant."

My eyes widen at his analogy. "That. . .sounds painful." He brushes off my comment and his words, as if he doesn't want to speak about it anymore. Liam nods at me.

"What was that water for?"

"Revenge!"

"For?"

Welp, he had me there.

"I really don't know," I answer honestly, "I-"

"Luciano,"

Liam turns towards the door, pulling a white polo over his head in the process. "Si?" The door creaks open and Sebastian waltzes in, a drink on a platter. From my position on the bed, it looked simply like orange juice.

Sebastian nods politely at me, before turning and speaking directly to his boss. "Mrs. Luciano told me to tell you and Ms. Faith to hurry up, that breakfast was getting cold. Apparently, you four are eating breakfast together. And just a warning, she doesn't seem happy. She even called you by your middle name, Sir." Liam nods and turns to me.

"Faith, you should go get dressed." I was already in agreement, sliding out the bed and heading towards the door. But I happened to hear the rest of their conversation.

Sebastian holds out the tray and smiles, "Your daily morning Mimosa, Sir." Luciano smiles and takes the drink, sipping it slowly. He nods in appreciation.

"Goddamn, this is good," He chuckles again, taking another sip before continuing to wave Sebastian out, "You're dismissed, black butler." Sebastian just laughs before holding his arm out towards the door, politely allowing me to pass by first.

I got dressed quickly and managed to beat Liam to the top of the stairs. He had changed from his white polo, to a navy blue button up dress shirt. A black, expensive looking watch was wrapped around his wrist and the shimmering of a necklace caught my eye. Even his black dress pants looked expensive. I felt a tad underdressed in my jeans and plain shirt, but Liam assured me I looked fine.

The trip down the stairs must've been the longest one ever. It normally took a matter of seconds for me to fly down them without tripping and breaking my neck - or worse, embarrassing myself - but this time, was much different. Liam kept his hand on the lower part of my back, even despite the fact that I wasn't wearing heels.

I felt nervous as we hit the first floor. People in uniforms similar to Sebastian walked in and out of the dining room, carrying trays of eggs, pitchers of orange juice, and French toast so thick it put IHop to shame. Even Liam could feel my nervousness as he guided me to the room, his hand retracting itself the closer we got. But before we entered the room, I could feel him lean in behind me, whispering in my ear.

"Fi, relax. We aren't having breakfast with the Obamas."

His words eased my soul just a tad, but we finally slipped into the dining room and took our seats. A few seats had been removed from the length table, now it was only able to sit four. Melanie sat at one end, Michael Luciano at the other. I had to sit opposite of Liam - and there we had it, our seating arrangements.

The minute our chairs stopped screeching across the wood floor and the room fell silent, I knew something was wrong. Michael's behavior didn't bother me; he stayed silent, always eating and observing silently. But it was Melanie's that was most definitely off. Her cheery demeanor was replaced with an emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I was thankful when Sebastian came in and placed another one of those 'Mimosa' drinks in front of Liam. He then sauntered to Michael and handed him one. Next came me, he smiles softly and places the drink by my plate. "A virgin Mimosa for you, Faith. Liam told me you aren't keen on alcohol." My eyes flickered up towards Liam; he smiles slowly, taking a gulp of his own drink.

"You remember that?" I ask softly. His eyes sparkle as he nods and mouths his reply back.

"I remember everything."

That got a smile.

Sebastian placed Melanie's drink beside her, before walking over and standing beside Liam. I watch Luciano glance over the food and nod. "You're dismissed, Sebastian. Oh, and remind me to give you a raise, yes?"

"I won't forget, Sir." I could hear the smile in Sebastian's voice as he walked away, closing the dining rooms doors in the process.

Michael was the first one to begin eating, then Liam, and lastly me. Melanie, however, never touched her plate. Her hands stayed in her lap. She was staring hard at her plate, and her normally soft facial features seemed cold. She was most definitely angry.

"Liam," Her voice is soft as she looks up, her perfectly style eyebrows connecting together. If she didn't seem angry, I would've asked where she got them done. I wasn't sure what Liam heard, but he must've detected a tone in her voice that he didn't like - causing him to ignore her.

"This French toast is fucking amazing," He lets out a sound of enjoyment as he points his fork at the bread cooked and dipped in cinnamon. I watch, eating slowly myself as he shoves another cut piece into his mouth. Melanie's eye twitched.

"Luciano," Her angry tone was much more detectable now as she sat up straighter in her seat, looking very unpleased. Her plate remained untouched as she scoots a chair back. Liam keeps his eyes on his plate.

"-and these eggs, goddamn," I snicker quietly as Liam shoves scrambled eggs into his mouth, refusing to make eye contact with his step mother. She was boring holes into his temple with her glare.

I found the whole situation slightly funny, but when Melanie speaks again, the room falls silent.

"Elijah."

The dreaded middle name. Luciano sits up and drops his fork, his jaw working to chew the food he had in his mouth. I watch quietly from my seat as Liam brings a cloth up to his mouth, wiping gently before dropping it at his side. He folds his hands across his chest, twists his chair in her direction, and leans back, waiting.

She looks around the table nervously, eyeing both her husband and I. "Michael," She says softly, "Can you please give me and your child a few moments?" Mr. Luciano didn't need to hear anything else; he gathers his plate, stuffs the napkin in his shirt, grabs his Mimosa, and walks out the room without an argument. I bite my lip as she turns to me, "And you, can do the same."

I look at Liam for an answer. His eyes didn't even wander in my direction as he shakes his head, addressing Melanie. "Faith stays here." I was already scooting out my seat. I point a finger at the door awkwardly.

"I should probably go get an umbrella-" because shit is about to hit the fan, again.

Liam snaps his head in my direction, causing me to freeze mid-stance. The beautiful light brown that I had come to admire was slowly darkening; it scared me. "Sit," was all he had to say.

Melanie seemed clearly annoyed, but she didn't say another word to me. She turns to Liam and she starts out soft, innocent sounding. "You prided yourself on being the first person to breach the Trillion dollar mark, Liam; but you'll soon have to pick up your pride, because you'll be the first one to lose that title to." Liam just tilts his head and motions for her to continue, as if he has better things to do. "Ever since she-" Melanie lazily flips her hand in my direction, as if she couldn't take the time to point a finger at me, "-has come into the picture, you have completely neglected your company-"

"Bull-"

"It's not bullshit," She leans forward, "When was the last time you even went down to your office? Do you know how many calls I get a day regarding you? Ever since this girl made her way into your life," She nods at me again. I sulk in my seat, eyeing the conversation as if I wasn't even present. "Not only that, but because of her, my baby is in the hospital," Melanie pokes her chest, "My daughter is in the hospital because of that....that!"

Liam blinks, "Your daughter isn't in the hospital because of Faith. She's in the hospital because of me and she has a name, Stepmother."

"Oh?" Melanie leans back, a smug look on her face, "Then can you explain to me why a man had a gun pressed to her head?"

Liam glances at me, making me sigh. There was no way I could actually admit that Rosalie was hurt because of me, but Melanie did have a point. Those men were in no way after Liam, they were after me; they used Rosie as leverage to obtain me. In a way, it was my fault - and Liam was covering for me.

"Drug deal gone bad," He lies smoothly. Melanie's eyes partially close as she shakes her head.

"You don't do drugs."

"I sell them."

Melanie grates her teeth together as she shakes her head and stands. "If that means my daughter is in danger being around you, then she won't be anymore." I watch Rosalie's mom chug the rest of her drink before walking past Liam in a hurry, but she doesn't make it far. Luciano reaches out and grabs her shoulder, causing her to spin in his direction.

"Elaborate,"

I stand, too, already walking around the table and listening closely. Melanie smiles, "Rosie loves you," She jabs a finger at Liam, "And before Faith came, I could trust you to protect her. But from what I can tell now, that bitch over there has changed that-" Now, this hoe is lucky Liam is in my way because I swear, I would chuck this kni- "-You are more likely to protect her, than your own sister. So, here's what I'm going to do," Melanie takes a step back, "I'm leaving."

I move just enough to see Liam's expression. His face lifts as he shrugs, the effect of her words not nearly hitting him as close to the heart as Melanie expected. "I'll help pack your bags." Luciano turned, but it was Mel's turn to stop him.

"-and I'm taking Rosie with me."

Liam pulls his lips into his mouth and stares at her. At first, he didn't have much to say; he just seemed to think. He takes a dangerous step forward, causing me to feel nervous again. His voice drops two notches deeper as his eyes practically pierce her soul. "Over my dead body."

I think Melanie took his line a little too seriously.

Melanie swung with all her might, but missed drastically. Liam must've seen the slap coming from a mile away, because he ducks swiftly, catches her wrist in his hand, and nimbly whirls her around. The position was clearly inappropriate for a Stepmother and Stepson to be in: Melanie's butt now pressed firmly against Liam's crotch, but it definitely wasn't sexual tension that floated through the air. It was definitely hatred.

She let out a cry of pain now that her arm was twisted awkwardly behind her back, but Liam didn't say anything in response to it. "You are not taking that little girl from me, do you understand? And don't you ever speak to me like you have power over me." He lets Melanie go, but not before giving her a friendly shove, causing her to fall.

I inch closer to Liam, still slightly afraid that he was angry enough to hurt me. I stood a few feet away, but just enough that I could intervene if Liam got carried away.

Melanie brushes hair from her face as Liam takes a step closer to her. He bends his head and stares at her harshly. "You have nothing, Melanie. So don't you dare approach me like you do. This, is my house; you don't disrespect me in my house." Liam shoots a glance behind him, at me, over his shoulder. He takes an exaggerated long step over Melanie's body before exiting the doors a few seconds later.

"That was hot," I sigh dreamily.

Melanie's cries come loudly as they echo off the walls in the room. She still stays here on her hands and knees, her tears hitting the floor. For a second I actually felt bad, but then I remembered the name she called me and the blaming of Rosie being on my behalf.

I step up to her and bend down, a sympathetic look on my face. "Are you okay?" She looks up at me slowly, her mouth falling in a reply, but I begin patting my pockets excessively, causing her to question that.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Looking for a fuck to give," I throw my hands up and sigh, "I guess I don't have anymore, bitch." I head out the room and turn left.

I could already see Liam sitting on the edge of his sofa in the living room, shaking his head. Sebastian stood opposite of him, nodding and shaking his head, engrossed in the conversation. As I got closer, I could hear what Liam was saying.

"I don't have to provide for her," Luciano says, "She's Michael's problem, not mine. Honestly, they both need to go."

"Put..." Sebastian looks at me as I approach and lowers his voice significantly, "Put um, put Fantasma on them, Sir."

I really need to learn Italian...

Liam just shakes his head and waves Sebastian off as I smile up at him softly. "You okay?" He nods, but doesn't say much more. It was evident that he was still angry; the veins in his arms were still surging and his eyes remained dark brown.

The doorbell rings, causing both of us to whip our heads in that direction. Liam pushes himself up off the couch, his eyebrows furrowing even more when Sebastian walks back into the room, a grim look on his face. "Sir," He whispers warningly, speaking to Liam, "Do you have any weapons on you?"

Liam frowns, pulling the gun out of his secluded spot on his lower back and shakes it in recognition. Sebastian smiles at me, "Faith," He nods towards the gun in Liam hand, motioning for me to take it from him. I reach over slowly, my eyes locking on the expression on Liam's face. For a second, his features harden and his grasp grows harder, not allowing me to snatch it from him easily. Liam doesn't even glance down at me, but he stares at Sebastian, before finally letting go.

Sebastian sighs and steps to the side, "William? You can step out now." My heart drops as William steps around the corner, smiling widely at us both. His smile dissipates as his gaze lands on Liam and he clears his throat.

"Hi, Faith, it's nice to see that you're doing okay after the other night." He waves awkwardly, shooting his hand up and back down within the same second. I wave slightly.

"Hi."

"I um," William glances at both of us, "I came to apologize and talk to you both, for a bit," When Liam doesn't answer, I just nod and point to one of the sofas. He smiles, but instead of walking directly beside Liam, he takes the long way around - just to avoid the man that once considered him a good friend. Despite having worked with us the other night,the two were yet to be back to decent terms.

"I'm sorry," He starts out, glancing at both Liam and I - but he holds Liam's gaze longer than mine, "I'm sorry for even considering Michael's proposition. But I will admit, I'm stupid and my brain compares to the size of a goldfish," That got a smile out of me as he continued. Will turns to Liam, "But when I did try to turn the job down, at first, your father threatened me-"

That got Liam's attention. Luciano sat forward, listening intently for the first time.

"-He said that if I didn't go through with it, that I wouldn't see my 29th birthday; and I'm not sure about you all, but I really want to see my 29th birthday. Not only that, but the money he offered me was..."Will sighs, "A lot; more than you ever even thought of giving me, Liam."

I could see Luciano beginning to frown, but the gears in his mind were working, that was for sure.

Will continues, "-and... maybe I should've spoken to you about this sooner, but I wanted to leave this lifestyle. All the killing, drug dealing," William's eyes flicker to me, "The sex trafficking, I wanted to leave it all. I never told you my ambitions, but I want to go to school and finish college, get a Master's in something I enjoy and find myself a beautiful wife with a loving personality, nice hips, and long hair and marry the shit out of her. I want to have a family, but I don't feel like I could raise a family in...in this," I glance at Liam, honestly hoping and praying that he was listening to William pour his heart out. "I-"

"-You know how the mafia works," Liam clears his throat, "You don't just leave. You can't leave."

"No," William shakes his head, "You can't leave; you, this family, you are the Mafia. Me? I'm just a little side hand. I was never properly admitted and you know this." A muscle in Liam's jaw ticked as he sighs.

"You could've just told me that, that's what friends do."

Will runs a hand through his hair, letting out a nervous laugh, "Like I said, my brain is easily compared to one of a goldfish."

"At least you admit you're stupid," I speak up, folding my hands across my chest. "But I forgive you, William." I could feel Will's excitement practically bubbling over, but I could also feel the intensity of the stare Liam was giving me on my right.

Luciano swallows slowly, "You can leave William, go do what you want to do. And, if Faith can forgive you, then I guess I can too."

"Yay!" Will shoots up and embraces Liam in a suffocating hug. The look that crosses Luciano's face is of pure horror and mortification. "But I do want to help Faith, to show you that I'm serious. Once all of this is taken care of, I'll leave."

When Will pulls back, Liam begins straightening the sleeves of his now wrinkled dress shirt.  He then takes a step forward, gathering Will's attention easily.  The look on Liam's face read seriousness.  "William Preston, if you so much as breathe on me the wrong way from here on out, I will put a bullet through your left nut, is that clear?"

Will nods, his eyes wide.

I was beginning to laugh in hope of widening the mood, but as soon as things had begun to calm down, the tension was raised again.

"So," William clears his throat, "Since we're okay, kind of, and everything, I actually came here for another purpose."

"And what purpose could that possibly be?"

Will shifts his weight to his opposite foot and avoids eye contact with both of us.  Liam and I glance at each other.

"Well?" Liam tenses.

"Well..."

"William!"

"It's Rico..."

- - - -

A/N: i erased by old a/n and now i don't know what to say lmfao god i hated myself i talked too much

Is Faith really to blame for what happened to Rosalie?

William's apology?

#Fiam's moments?

What do you think is wrong with Rico?!

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