Leandro POV

The air was thick, a layer of discomfort settled in. Now that the truth was out, there was no denying that there was no piece of our mother left behind. In her place was this vile woman.

My brothers and I looked to each other, Alek and I silently communicating. We may not always get along, but we have always had the ability to tell what the other was thinking.

We nod to each other, our plan finally made.

And suddenly, a gunshot rang out, slicing through the tension in the air. A strangled scream escaped Iris, my eyes immediately drifting to her, making sure she was okay. It seemed, however, that she was unharmed but the same could not be said for the one who'd been the victim of the gunshot....

A little while before

It always baffled me how the fucking mafia has so much of paperwork involved, should we not be more concerned about leaving behind a paper trail? You would think someone would have realised how much of a trail we actually leave behind, but it turns out that sometimes people can just be plain stupid.

I've been sitting behind my desk, trying to get through the seemingly endless pile of paperwork that's been sitting on my desk for a little over two weeks when my phone suddenly vibrates.

I sigh, not bothering to check it until I finish reading through this specific document. After all, if the message was so important, the person would've called.

Twenty minutes later, the document has some added changes when I finally pull out my phone. Regret immediately fills me as my blood runs cold at the words I read.

Why the fuck would my mother, or well, birth giver be taking Iris out? And why was I not made aware of this before? Sure I didn't check my phone when the message came through, but my guards should have fucking reported it to me the second they left the gates.

I'm out of my office before I know it, a feeling that I'm unfamiliar with that can only be panic consumes me. I send a quick SOS to the rest of my brothers as I race toward our weapons room.

A few minutes later, the rest of them come crashing into the room wondering what's wrong.

"Why was Iris alone today?" I ask, my voice cold as I grab one of my rifles.

"I uh... She was alone?" Luka winces, looking sort of sheepish.

"Yes, fucking alone. And now she's gone." I glare at him, making the boy shrink under my stare.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Alek asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Adrianna, or mother dearest - whichever title you prefer - Took her. I've been trying to get ahold of the pair of them since I found out about five minutes ago and they're both not answering. We all know that Adrianna definitely has no sort of good intentions if she's alone with Iris."

Once my words sink in, the idiots I call my brothers immediately register the danger our sister is in, because they finally begin to gear up.

I don't wait for them, I'm out the door and informing papa that Iris is in danger before even the first of them is ready.

I hop into my jeep, a team of guards joining me in my car and another following me out as I try to gain access to Iris's phone tracker only to find that it isn't working.

Instead, I track her based on the little chip I had installed in all her footware. It's weird, and everyone knows it, but it seemed like something that wouldn't usually be taken away when someone is kidnapped, so I had someone install it.

The chip has a special type of software that'll work no matter the circumstances, which makes it great if there's any signal jammers or dangerous situations since the thing is practically indestructible.

The tracker reveals that they're in a place called Kingsway hotel which has me pausing for a second. If you kidnapped someone, why the fuck would you take them to a five star hotel of all places? But I'm not about to question Adrianna's stupidity, not when she might have just made it a lot easier than expected to find Iris.

I already know that the rest of my brothers are following me, and so is mi papa, even if he loves Adrianna, there's no way he'll ignore the fact that his precious daughter has been kidnapped. There's no doubt that he's probably checked my GPS.

A few minutes later, I'm parked in front of the hotel, and about to storm in when all my brothers and papa finally show up. United as one, we make our way into the hotel, the receptionist immediately pointing us in the direction of the elevator before gesturing upward.

Sure, the whole thing screams 'set up' but none of us care, not when Iris's life is the one on the line.

So, seeing as none of us care about our lives, we pile into the three elevators and make our way to the highest floor. My stomach twists, and I know for sure that today is not going to end the way I'd hoped it would.

The second we're upstairs, Adrianna screams, the elevators having led us directly into the room. This hotel seriously needs to review it's security. Iris is sitting in a chair, her eyes dazed as though she's been drugged. Knowing the psychopath that is my mother, she probably has, in fact, been drugged.

"Well, it seems little miss Iris did manage to signal for help before I cut her off from the world." She sighs, smiling in a way that manages to creep me out.

"Adrianna, what is the meaning of this?" Papa questions, his voice sceptical as he tries to hide his feelings of hurt.

"I've hated the bitch since the day she was born, I've never wanted a daughter and then she was born. But you were so happy that I tried to love her, I swear I did, but all I felt toward her was inexplicable loathing. So, I partnered with Antoine, got kidnapped but he was supposed to let me go, fucking piece of shit never let me go though, and the rest is history." Adrianna explains, making papa go pale.

Before anyone could react, Adrianna picks up a gun from god knows where and starts waving it around.

The air was thick, a layer of discomfort settled in. Now that the truth was out, there was no denying that there was no piece of our mother left behind. In her place was this vile woman.

My brothers and I looked to each other, Alek and I silently communicating. We may not always get along, but we have always had the ability to tell what the other was thinking.

We nod to each other, our plan finally made.

And suddenly, a gunshot rang out, slicing through the tension in the air. A strangled scream escaped Iris, my eyes immediately drifting to her, making sure she was okay. It seemed, however, that she was unharmed but the same could not be said for the one who'd been the victim of the gunshot....

Down went papa, causing Adrianna to scream.

"No, I didn't mean to do that!" She screeches, throwing her gun to the floor.

But it was too late, the damage had been done. Blood began to pool on the floor as my brothers rushed toward the dying man, I, on the other hand couldn't care less about him.

Ignoring Adrianna, I make my way to Iris, pulling her into my arms, when she makes a gesture that indicates that she wants to see papa. With a sigh, I carry her to him, watching as she cups his face.

"Papa, don't leave." She whispers, the words being the loudest she can manage to speak. Whatever the fuck Adrianna put her on must've been potent if she's like this.

"I love you, mi amore, and I'm sorry we haven't... We haven't spent much time together." Papa replies, his voice as weak as Iris's.

He then looks at the ceiling before he speaks again. "I love you all so much, boys."

Then, his eyes close, never to be opened again...

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Hiiiii, so I'll be honest, I wanted to kill off Leandro or Carmine when I started this chapter, but then I realised I love them too much.

So, the dad it was. Lol.

Anyway, WE'RE ALMOST AT 15k reads! I still remember when I had five in total what the heck.

We're at 14.8K right now, but like that rounds off to fifteen so.....

Anywho, enjoy y'all's holidaysssss, Christmas is soon, so to those who celebrate, enjoy your day!

I don't, I'm Muslim lol.

Anywhoooo, buh byeeeees
Love y'all!