The weight of the situation didn't quite hit until she was sitting in the back seat of a dark, tinted SUV, two horrifically large men in black suits sitting up front. They didn't say where they were heading, but Mira assumed it was somewhere secure and unknown to outsiders, a place where two of the most powerful men in the country could sit together in the same room without worrying about any sort of threat.

She glanced over at Adrian, who sat with his arms folded over his chest stiffly, gaze fixed on the window. She thought back to what he'd said before they left.

"Mira, I need you to understand that this is the limit to my power. If something happens, I won't be able to save you. I won't even be able to save myself. So don't try to outsmart them, play their game."

She leaned her head back, staring out of her own window at the passing buildings. There really was no winning with these guys; their solution always seemed to be to put a bullet through your head.

They arrived at what looked like an abandoned warehouse far outside the city bounds, the place looking like it was on its last leg. Unsuspecting for sure.

The two men opened the car doors for Mira and Adrian, the two of them stepping out and following the men inside. The doors opened, revealing exactly what anyone would expect; a nearly empty shit hole.

She glanced over at Adrian to see if he was as confused as she was by the warehouse's bland appearance, but he seem unphased.

They followed the two men to the back of the warehouse, opening the gates to an old, rickety elevator shaft, motioning for them to step inside. Only a fucking idiot would dare bare any weight on the rusty old thing, but Adrian stepped up onto it without a second thought. Mira hesitated before hopping on after him.

They closed the gates and pulled a lever, the shaft letting out a loud grown before shifting downwards. Mira stumbled a bit, but Adrian's hand caught her, steadying her before returning to his side. He had a stern expression on his face, eyes glued forward. He was nervous, she could tell.

When the elevator finally came to a stop, two new men opened the gates, dressed in the same black suits as the men before.

"This way." One of them said, turning and beginning down a long, narrow hallway. They followed him to a steel door where two men stood guard, their guns resting in a ready position.

Without saying a word, they stepped aside, pushing the large door open, revealing what looked like a conference room. At the center of the room sat a large round table, all of the seats occupied except for two.

Following Adrian's lead, she walked over to the table and slid into one of the seats, taking in the rest of the rooms occupants. She couldn't help but notice how thick the air felt, about to burst from the tension.

She didn't directly recognize anyone in the room, aside from Xavier, or she should say Elliot, and a couple that she instantly recognized as Adrian's mother and father. They all shared a striking resemblance, Adrian bearing his mother's same steely grey eyes, and his father's dark hair and bone structure.

"Welcome, Adrian, Miss Bonnano." Adrian's father spoke up, his deep, gravelly voice sending chills down her spine. Miss Bonnano. That name would take some time to get used to. The name of one of the most notorious mafia families in history.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, sir," Mira thanked him politely, careful when choosing her words.

"My name is Vito Genovese, and I am the current serving head of the Genovese family. This here is my wife Lillian. Over there is Mr. Thomas Lucchese, the head of the Lucchese family. We've heard of the death of your father Joseph Bonnano. Our condolences. With that being said, word is spreading like wildfire that he was killed by his own daughter whom he kept hidden from the mafia up until this point. But you say otherwise." He clasped his hands on the table in front of him, his eyes locked on her. If looks could kill, Mira would be dead as fuck.

"I have no proof, so I understand if you have your doubts, but this was the doing of my father's son, Leonardo. His ultimate goal was to become the head of the Bonnano family." She stated firmly, forcing herself to look calm and collected despite how horrified she truly felt.

"I see. Quite frankly, we don't care who killed Joseph. What matters is the information you brought us through your father's phone, and files you took from the Bonnano database. If Leonardo plans to move forward with his father's plan to take complete control of all five families, then we plan to find a way to stop him. There are two ways we could go about that; we could declare war and fight the Bonnano family until one side is left standing," He paused. "Or you become the head of the family, and put an end to this ultimate rule nonsense."

Had Mira not been so focused on keeping her cool and collected façade, her jaw would have dropped to the floor. She had no intentions on taking over the Bonnano family operations, she wanted nothing to do with them.

"And how exactly would we go about the latter?" Mira asked calmly.

"We catch Leonardo in his bluff, prove your innocence, and you take your rightful place as the head of the Bonnano family. The rest will be in your hands." His answer was vague, leaving Mira's question completely unanswered. She knew she'd have to prove her innocence, but how could she possibly do that when they had nothing on Leo.

"In order for the latter option to actually work," Mr. Lucchese joined in, his emerald green eyes meeting hers. "You'll have to follow us blindly. The less you know the better." This time, Mira hesitated. She had no reason to trust anyone in this room besides Adrian, so why would they think she'd blindly follow them?

Because you have no other choice.

"I see. And I'm supposed to take your word?" She pushed. A small smirk crossed Mr. Genovese's lips.

"Of course not. But we'll have a lot riding on this arrangement as well. You becoming the head of the family will spare us the bloodshed of a war of power. We're as dependent on you, as you are us." The words of a true businessman, just like his son. Mira clenched her hand into a fist beneath the table, her nails digging into her palms.

"Then I'd say the deal is fair enough. I'll follow you blindly, just as you will trust me blindly to follow through on my end." She agreed.

"Then it's settled, Miss Bonnano, from here on out, you will have the support of the Genovese and Lucchese families. We look forward to doing business with you."

***

The first thing Mira did when they returned to Adrian's apartment was make a break for the bathroom, not even to managing to close the door before throwing up the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"Scary bunch, huh?" Adrian leaned against the doorframe. Mira let out a long breath as she flushed.

"A scary bunch, who I also happened to sign my life away to." She frowned. "Do you think I made the right choice?"

"Well, given you probably wouldn't have walked out with your life if you declined, I'd say it wasn't a bad choice by any means." He shrugged. What did he mean she wouldn't have walked out with her life? Were they really going to fucking kill her if she declined. She leaned her forehead against the toilet bowl, closing her eyes.

"I need a fucking drink. Or maybe five." She mumbled.

"Unfortunately, I have an ungodly amount of liquor that needs to be drunk, so I guess I'll get two glasses." Adrian disappeared from the doorway and into the living room. Mira followed, watching as he reached up to his top cabinet and pulled out a fifth of grey goose and two wine glasses. Oh, vodka from wine glasses, how classy.

"You like orange juice?" He asked as he pulled a carton out of the fridge.

"Don't talk, just pour," She responded as she flopped onto the couch. Pickle's hopped up onto the couch next to her. She picked him up and pulled him onto her chest.

"Your lucky mama's so smart, you know that? You almost became an orphan," She said, the dog licking her face cluelessly.

Adrian walked over with the two glasses, filled to the brim, handing one to Mira. She took it and downed it in one go, the vodka stinging against her throat. Adrian made a face as he watched her.

"Damn, it's a marathon, not a sprint," He pointed out, but went ahead and took the glass back from her hand and poured her another. This time, she decided to sip it, knowing that if she kept knocking back glass after glass she'd wake up with the worst hangover.

"I wonder how the team's doing," Mira thought out loud. So much had been happening in her new life, she hadn't had time to think about her old one. If she could go back in time, she would slap herself for being an ungrateful little bitch. Yeah, she had her problems, but at least then people weren't actively trying to kill her.

"I'm sure they're struggling. From the article I read, you were their best player," Adrian responded. Mira's brows furrowed.

"Article?" She questioned. Adrian nodded, taking a sip from his drink.

"Yup, they wrote an article about Hillcrest High's struggle with their star player out for the season due to extenuating circumstances." Star player? She was flattered. She looked over at Adrian, grinning.

"So you've been keeping up with my personal life? Adrian, if you wanted an autograph, you could just ask. I'm right here you know." She pointed out, and Adrian snorted.

"Yes, I'm actually quite the fan."

She scrunched up her nose.

"Well that's unfortunate, because I don't do charity work." She gulped down some of her drink. As if, if anyone was out of anyone's league, Adrian was far out of her's. She'd never admit that out loud though.

"We should go to the roof," She said suddenly, sitting upright. Adrian looked caught off guard by the suggestion, but nodded.

They took their glasses and made their way to the elevator. They rode up in silence before emerging onto the roof, the sun having fully set, revealing a sky full of stars. She smiled to herself as they walked over to the railing.

"My mom and I used to sit out on our balcony every night and watch the stars," She said. Adrian looked up into the sky, his gaze following hers. "I like to think that she's up there with them, watching down on me from above."

When she looked over at Adrian, he was staring at her with a look of admiration.

"Wherever she is, I know she'd be proud of you." He smiled softly, reaching over and tucking a strain of hair behind her ear. Although his fingers had merely grazed her ear, it sent sparks throughout her body. She realized then, that this was what her mom had felt with her dad. The boy standing next to her was so incredibly broken, but god, so was she. He'd seen her at her worst, knew secrets she would never dare tell a soul, yet he never left her side.

Some people say that alcohol impairs your judgement. Even if it did, Mira's thoughts were crystal clear. She reached forward and placed a gentle hand against his cheek, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his.

They were soft against hers as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, craving the feeling of her skin against his.

"Mira," Adrian pulled away. "You know this won't work." He shook his head, a solemn look in his eyes. His hands were still on her waist, her arms around his neck.

"Trust me Adrian, I know it won't work, but if I let the one person whose managed to make me feel whole again go, I know I'd regret it for the rest of my life." She smiled sadly at him. He stared at her for a moment, completely dumbfounded by her words. Suddenly, he pulled her close, crashing his lips onto hers again.

Her body was overwhelmed with emotions, the only person on her mind him.

"Mira," He pulled away breathlessly. "I promise you, no matter what, no matter who, I'll protect you. I don't care if I have to take on the whole mafia by myself, I'll find a way."