I already knew what was happening as soon as Josh hit the floor. My only other thought was to get the rest of my family to safety first. Once I reached the front of the room my heart felt like it stopped as I saw Sean clawing at Joshs body, screaming and crying. The amount of blood pooling on the floor confirmed it all.

Josh was gone.

"Sean," I called out to him but wasn't sure if he heard me over the screaming going on around us. "Sean!" I yelled out and finally moved over to try and pull him away.

"No! No! Stop! We can save him!" He yelled as he tried to get away from me and back over to Josh's body.

"Sean he's gone! I need to get you, mom and dad to safety!" I yelled at him and finally got a good hold on him to yank him away. The look on his face when he was finally turned towards me made reality sink in more.

Josh was gone.

"We'll come back for him when I know it's safe." I said softly and he nodded his head, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. I turned to my parents who were huddled in the corner and quickly grabbed them.

"Where's Fawn?" I asked my mom. Last I saw her, she was right beside her but as soon as I made it over to them the bitch was gone.

Which didn't sit right with me.

My mom looked on each side of her before looking at me confused and shocked. "I...I have no clue. She was just right there."

"Maybe she ran for cover as soon as..." my dad started before stopping himself, realizing his next words probably weren't going to help the situation.

"Alec!" I heard someone yell and I looked up to see Alfie and Oli running over to me.

"What the fuck are you guys doing here?" I snapped. I clearly came here alone so how were they here so fast?

"Boss told us to stick by close with a group of men in case Fawn tried something." Alfie said and paused when he looked to the side. "And clearly she did." I didn't miss the bewildered looks from both my parents at the accusation. They had no clue how Fawn really was, but today would be the day they found out.

The day when everyone found out.

"We've secured everyone in the venue and have them safe inside. The rest of the guys are scanning the place to see if they can find the shooter." Oli said and I nodded my head.

"I'm taking them home." I told Alfie and he nodded his head. "Have someone come for his body. We'll start planning once I know everyone is safe." Before anyone could make a move, the sound of sirens

"We'll take care of it. But if you're seen here during this, it'll just make things worse." Oli told me and put his hands on my shoulders. "As soon as the police leave, we will call you." I pursed my lips as I found it hard to argue back. If the police saw me here with a dead body, they automatically were going to know something was up. And then we'd have another issue on our hands and I couldn't put Sean and my parents through anymore.

So, with a nod of my head I took off behind the building with my family following behind. There wasn't any time to check in to see how anyone was handling this, so I made a mental note to do so once things calmed down.

We made it to my parents car and quickly climbed in. My dad insisted on driving so I settled for sitting in the back with Sean. We were silent in the car as it started and pulled out of the parking lot; only hearing the sirens in the back. I didn't miss how Sean kept his eyes glued on Joshs truck as we left the scene and headed down the road. I waited a while before speaking up.

"Take a left up here and we can head back to my place to figure things out." My parents were quiet before my dad looked at me from the rear-view mirror.

"I think your mother and I are going to head back home. We need some time to ourselves."

"But I need to make sure you guys are safe. What if-"

"It'll be okay dear," my mom said softly and reached back to touch my knee. "We all are going through different levels of shock at the moment. I don't want any tensions to rise."

I furrowed my brows but didn't question them. "What about you?" I asked my brother from where he sat staring out of the window. His hands were covered in blood, along with his suit and his face was flushed and glistening from his tears.

"I'm gonna go home" he answered quietly.

They were afraid.

Even though I could offer them all the protection in the world, they would rather take their chances. Because clearly after today, I can't protect anyone.

I closed my eyes and tried to collect myself. I wanted to break. I felt like my heart was being trampled over repeatedly. Josh was another brother to me. He'd been there with me through every single downfall and happy moment. We watched each other grow into the men we only ever dreamed of becoming. Even with our fights and spells of not speaking to one another, we still would always come back around to rekindle the friendship.

And he was gone. In an instant.

My parents dropped me off at the mansion and I moved to hug Sean goodbye, but he coiled in on himself and it only saddened me more. Just when he was getting better, he was now all the way back at square one. I gave them a small wave and smile as they drove off before heading into the house. I knew Milo would be in his office, so I planned to go see him but he surprised me by waiting inside at the door.

The moment I saw him, I wanted to fall apart. I wanted to collapse on the floor and scream. But I couldn't.

There was no time.

I had to find Fawn and put a stop to this now. Before she killed anyone else I cared about. Milo walked over and gave me a smile, obviously knowing if he were to hug me right now I would crack.

"Let's talk in my office, yeah?" I agreed and followed him up the stairs. Passing other members, I knew the news had traveled to some in the group already. Josh didn't come over here often, but when he did he brought a cheerful mood to the whole mansion and brightened even the most hardened people to smile and laugh.

Once inside his office, Milo closed to door and immediately put a finger to his lips. I stared at him confused and he moved over to his desk and put his hand under it. I heard something click and watched as a bookcase on the side of the room open slowly. He motioned with his head for me to follow him and inside was a medium sized room with a few pieces of furniture. He waited until I walked in to close the door and then spoke.

"I have reason to believe Fawn has bugged most of the mansion. So I had this built quietly and quickly so we could have somewhere to talk privately."

I said nothing and looked around a bit before moving to the couch in the corner and flopping down.

"Why target Josh? He was innocent." I questioned because I still couldn't wrap my brain around it. "There were three other high profile people at the event and they decided on him. It doesn't make sense." I placed my head in my hands and leaned forward on the couch.

"It doesn't have to make sense." Milo stated and I couldn't help but lift my head and slowly turn it to look at him. He met my cold glare with an equal stone look.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" I asked and he made a face like he couldn't believe I was asking him that. "No, tell me just what the fuck you meant by that, Milo. I just lost someone that was like a brother to me and you're going to act like my grief and questions are inconvenient."

"What I'm acting like is that you seem to think this kind of thing doesn't happen on a day to day basis." I scoffed at that and he moved from where he was leaning on the wall to sit in one of the chairs. "Seriously Alec. You think that I haven't felt your pain before?"

"Last I checked, you still had your best friends." I mumbled. Minus Miko, he still had Oli and Alfie. Granted they were also my friends, they knew him longer.

"When I was ten years old, I watched a boy I grew up with get shot while we were playing at the park. I remember the fear and panic at having his blood and brains cover my face. Two years later, I watched my Aunt and cousins be tortured by a rival gang - their limbs broken and torn off. Their skin flayed from their bodies. All because the gang wanted my Uncle to bow to them and show mercy. I remember the agony in his eyes as he watched his family be brutally murdered on a tape that was mailed to us - with the bodies being delivered to our doorstep two days later when he didn't comply. I remember finding my Uncles lifeless body hanging from the ceiling of his office when he couldn't handle the pain of losing his family." I closed my eyes in frustration and exhaustion. I knew what he was trying to do, and it made me angry that he even needed to explain this to me.

"The point is Alec, this is what happens when you join this world. It's not some fantasy world like the shows and movies depict where you join a crime family and you're instantly safe. People die everyday. Good people. Innocent people. But we have a responsibility by being apart of this lifestyle to bring justice for their deaths and get revenge."

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't know if I can keep doing this Milo. Just when I think we're finally going to catch her in the act, she's three steps ahead."

I was mad. I was exhausted. I thought Rudy was a piece of work, but Fawn is taking the cake. She's smart and she clearly paid attention to everything her father and brother have done. Pretending to be nothing but a stuck up snobby girl who only cares about money and expensive items - when in reality she was probably the most cunning and dangerous person in her family. There just had to be something that could give me the leverage I needed to catch her. To make her spend her days in constant fear that she was being watched and would have nowhere to run and hide. The feeling that no matter what she did, she was going to get caught and have karma rain hell fire on her.

Everything that happened after my conversation with Milo was a blur.

I felt like I was on auto-pilot. I said goodbye to Milo and decided it was best to stay with Sean. He was completely crushed and trying to get him to eat or do anything other than sleep was a struggle when I didn't want to do either of those activities either. My parents did the best they could to help, but even they were in shock.

Milo had the funeral home that took care of the groups funerals handle Josh's, that way we could know exactly what was happening.

Then there was informing Josh's parents. He never had a great relationship with them, hence why they weren't at the party, but seeing his dad fall to his knees after Sean and I told him the news solidified that even through rough patches, sometimes your family is still your family.

Sean got better after a couple of days, he was doing therapy twice a day to help cope with the sudden loss. He was eating and continuing his progress with his anxiety and depression because he knew that was what Josh wanted.

But I was finding it hard to keep going.

Josh was with me since were were kids. He'd been there with me through my whole life and now he was gone.

Because of me.

And because of that bitch.

"Alec." Milos voice was soft as he entered the room. It was the day of the funeral and I was supposed to of left thirty minutes ago but I couldn't get up from the bed. I was dressed and ready, but I couldn't move. I didn't want to see him in the casket. I didn't want to see him laying there dead while that cunt gets to keep breathing and walking around. She's the one that deserves to be in the casket, not him.

"Your brothers been calling and asking where you are."

"I'm not going." I told him.

"Alec—"

"No, don't start." I snapped. "Tell him I'm going to find her and make her pay. I don't deserve to see him or say goodbye when I haven't brought justice into why he's the one gone." I stood up, grabbing my jacket and left the room without another word. I knew Milo was behind me because I could hear him on the phone with Sean. I left the front door open and walked to the car, climbing into the drivers seat and starting the engine while Milo made his way over. He finally made it to the car and got inside, still on the phone.

"You heard him? Yeah. I know. I'm sorry I truly am. Of course, I'll make sure he goes. Love you too Sean." Hanging up, he turned to look at me but didn't say anything. On the ride to the mansion, he grabbed my hand in his and I wanted to pull it away but I didn't have the energy.

I was pissed off to no end.

Why did she keep coming after my loved ones? Why was it always me that got her wrath?

Now she was about to get mine and honey, it's ten times worse than the shit you've been throwing out.