** REBEL SIMMONS POV **

Two weeks.

Two fucking weeks since I felt a slight sting of disappointment realizing that my bed was empty, a tantalizing musky scent left of the sheets. At first, his rejection was unsettling, but that unease gradually turned into resentment with a sprinkle of hatred as the days passed by. The most interaction between us being the awkward glances shared across the dining table.

The twins knew about my little excursion with their older brother. They locked me in my room for 7 hours until I told them what happened. Natalia and Isa were shocked by their brother's behavior, yet were furious at him for avoiding me.

I had the same mundane routine everyday:

Wake up. Shower. Eat. Talk to my mom. Attempt to recover the Russian members data from his phone. Either watch a movie with the twins or hang out in the recreation rooms. Awkwardly eat dinner with the family. Work on my Dodge Demon. Sleep. Repeat.

It was the 21st of December. Almost a month since I've arrived in Italy. Giana and Florence were insisting that I stay for Christmas Eve, so I booked my plane tickets to leave late in the evening on the 24th to return to Seattle.

I stared at the burner phone from the Russian member as I pulled my hair in frustration. My cheeks flushed at the memories that flooded my mind of that night two weeks ago. I quickly pushed them to the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand.

There was a rhythmic knock on my door. I walked over, grateful that Dante finally gave up on upgrading the locks. I unlocked the door and swung it open to reveal the twins, who held nervous expressions on their faces.

"Hey, Rebel." Natalia said nervously as she scratched the back of her neck.

"Yes." I said, skeptically raising my eyebrow at the two.

"We feel bad for asking, but Dante is literally losing his mind trying to interrogate the Russian member. It's been almost a month, and none of us were able to get any information from him." Isa said as she looked down at her socks.

"We were wondering if you could.. um.. try interrogating him." Natalia mumbled.

"Sure." I said in a dull tone, feeling annoyed from hearing their older brothers name.

"Really?!" The twins cheered in unison as they looked at me astonished.

"Yeah, why not." I said shrugging. Might as well blow off some anger from the past two weeks. I know it probably isn't the healthiest way to deal with my anger, but at this point I could really care less about living virtuously.

They grabbed my hands and pulled me down the hallway towards the garage.

"You're driving." Isa smirked as we got into my Dodge Demon. The engine roared to life, the sound momentarily deafening.

I peeled out of the driveway and drifted the corner, causing the twins to yell in excitement. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as we sped the entire way to the warehouse, eventually coming to a stop in front of the barren building.

"So, have you ever interrogated someone before?" Isa asked as we exited the car.

"Nope. Any pointers?" I said in a bored tone as I locked my car and shoved the keys in my pocket. 

"This Russian member is name Skinkoli. He's ruthless, and has a long track record of rape, murder, abduction, he's practically the spawn of Satan himself. They call him The Skinner, because he skins his victims alive." Natalia explained as we entered the warehouse.

"He's a stubborn bastard, that's for sure. We've tried everything, water boarding, electrocution, fuck, Dante practically beat him to a pulp, and he still isn't talking. He's arrogant, and is easily angered if you push his buttons correctly." Isa said seriously as she opened a door revealing a flight of stairs. We descended down into the basement, the stench of blood and death lingered in the air. It was dimly lit, with only a few lights suspended from the ceiling granting us sight in this deserted dungeon.

"Just a heads up, Rebel. He's in there right now with Skinkoli. Are you okay with that?" Natalia asked in a concerned tone.

"I honestly don't give a fuck." I said coldly with a small smile as they nodded towards a massive metal door.

I took a deep breath as I pulled the handle, and opened the door, revealing the grotesque sight within.

Skinkoli was tied to a metal chair, his ankles and wrists were restrained. His body was shirtless and drenched with blood. His face was disfigured from what I assumed were the continuous beatings he endured.  Tattoos covered his chest, the Russian writing shining through the crimson stains on his body. Dante was wearing a black button up dress shirt, and his sleeves were folded up to his elbow displaying his muscular inked arms. His knuckles were bloodied, and his stance was tense. He punched him in the face once more before he heard the door close. He looked up at me with a deadly expression painted across his blood smeared face. His crystal grey eyes were cold and emotionless,  I have to admit, he looked quite intimidating.

"What the fuck are you doing here." He growled at me while Skinkoli coughed up blood beneath him. 

"The twins sent me." I said calmly as I walked further into the room. He quickly walked over and closed the space between us with his long, powerful strides.

"What the fuck could you possibly do?! If you would have done your fucking job, we'd already have the information we need." He whispered menacingly as he got in my face, our noses practically touching. I rolled my eyes and pushed him to the side. I grabbed a chair that was flipped on its side from the floor, and set it right side up in front of Skinkoli. I took a seat in front of him. My legs were spread, and my elbows rested on my knees.

"Oh this should be good." Dante scoffed sarcastically as he leaned against the back wall with his arms crossed.

Unbeknownst to them, I was fluent in Russian. I tilted my head slightly, examining the quotes on his chest. Most were Mafia affiliated, others were tallies of what I presume were his death count. The words on his chest contained clique sayings like "death before dishonor", "omertà", "family over all", but one in particular caught my eye.

Irvina. Forever protected. It was above his heart, written in bold letters reaching the middle of his chest.

Interesting.

"The big bad Don sent his little bitch to do his dirty work? How cute." Skinkoli said as he weakly laughed. I heard Dante practically growl at his words. His accent had a certain accent and pronunciation to it, giving it away that he was from central Russia. The flag on his chest with "Moscow" engraved underneath is gave me an indication that's where he's from.

"Oh trust me. I am much worse than him."  I said in fluent Russian. His eyebrows raised in surprise at the sound of his native language.

"Are you aware that it's the 21st of December already? This last month went rather quickly, don't you agree?" I said with a slight smile as I stared at the pack of cigarettes on the table at the other side of the room next to Dante. He looked at me in silence.

I walked over to the table and pulled one out. It was a bad habit of mine since 18, but I only smoked on occasion due to the lack of money to buy the damn things.

I put one in my mouth and struck a match and slowly inhaled. Dante eyed me in curiosity as I made my way back to my seat.

"Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year." I lied, leaning forward again. "It's beautiful, really. A time where mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers come together." I said as I exhaled. His jaw clenched slightly at the mention of a sister.

Don't let excitement announce things prematurely. Be silent until you are sure; and even when you're sure, don't give too much away, I remembered from Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"Such a shame you won't be spending the holidays with your... loved one." I said emphasizing my words and taking the chance at the fact that he had a sister. He snarled and spat blood onto my jacket, the exact response I anticipated.

"Such a shame indeed, I heard Christmas is absolutely breathtaking in Moscow." I said as I took my jacket off and hung it behind my chair, leaving me in a black tank top.

"Fuck you!" He yelled as he jolted in his chair, another reaction confirming my assumptions of his hometown. "Xavier will end you all! Your deaths are nearer than you think!" He rapidly said in Russian.

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance...

"Xavier who?" I said as I inhaled the smoke of my cigarette.

"You stupid girl. Xavier Pavlovski, the leader of the Russian Mafia. He will end the Vino family, and take what is rightfully his." He said pridefully, you can tell he respects and honors his Mafia more than anything.

"I highly doubt that." I said leaning back, reeling him in.

"He's spent years in hiding, stupid girl. What did you think he was doing huh? Mourning? Fuck no, he was recruiting, gaining numbers and loyal followers. He has thousands of willing men at his disposal." He spat coldly, his accent thick and precises. He was making this too easy. His eye slightly moved away from me as he spoke, indicating either a lie or an over exaggeration. 

"Psh. Even if Pavlovski has the numbers, the Vino's are impenetrable." I said calmly as I puffed on my cigarette.

"That's where you're wrong, little bitch. Pavlovski has everywhere, including your 'impenetrable' little fortress. He sees everything. He knows everything. He can't be stopped." He laughed menacingly as I sat forward. The look in his eyes told me he was telling the truth.

"In two months time, you and the rest of your disgusting family will be wiped from the face of the earth." He said tilting his head forward. He had a smug smile stretched across his bloodied face. Skinkoli most likely didn't realize that he was feeding me information in his pathetic attempt to intimidate me.

"Well, this conversation is leading me nowhere." I lied. He already disclosed so much information: the motive, the size of his forces, that we could potentially have a mole in the Italian Mafia or a breach in our security, that he is after something the Vino's have most likely their empire, and he plans to attack in two months. I stood up and threw my cigarette to the ground, stomping on it with my boot. Skinkoli watched me, as he continued to smirk at me, thinking he has won this interaction.

Attack him when he is unprepared.

"You know, I might just take that trip up to Moscow." I said playfully looking down at Skinkoli. I could hear him intake a sharp breath.

"Might as well bring your sister here so you two can enjoy the holidays together." I smirked as his face paled and I started to walk away.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER YOU BITCH!" He screamed as he trashed in his chair. I stopped walking and turned back around.

"With whom does your loyalty lie, Skinkoli? Your beloved sister, or your precious leader?" I asked calmly.

"FUCK YOU!" He said as he continued to thrash in his chair.

"I was trying to be generous, perhaps even bring her back here alive. But since you're being such a rude and uncooperative guest," I said walking towards him, tilting my head slightly. 

 "I suppose bringing you back her skin will do."  I said calmly as I roughly grabbed his face so his dark eyes met mine.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the technique. You weren't just handed the title of 'The Skinner' for no reason." I said coldly. His heart rate increased under my palm, I had him right where I wanted him.

"DON'T YOU DARE GO NEAR HER YOU CRAZY BITCH!" He yelled desperately.

"Tsk tsk. So stubborn." I said releasing his face roughly by pushing it slightly to the side.

"I'll be sure to record her screams as I skin her alive, as a keepsake for you." I said in a deadly tone as I once again began to walk away. 

"A Vino can't just stroll into Moscow without us knowing. You'll be dead before you even step foot on our land." He spat as my footsteps echoed though the room.

"Good thing I'm not a Vino then." I said as I looked over my shoulder and smirked, making Skinkoli breath increase. I was backing him into a corner, and he walked into my psychological trap. I caught a glimpse of Dante looking at me, his eyes slightly wider than usual and his face hard. My hand clenched around the handle of the door as Skinkoli finally spoke.

"France. You'll find him in France. He will be attending the Balle des Enfers in February. He plans to attack then." He spoke out hesitantly. "Please, leave my younger sister out of this, I'm telling the truth." He begged, his eyes soft and vulnerable. I could tell he wasn't lying.

"No promises." I said as Dante walked towards me and we exited the room. Leaving Skinkoli screaming in the darkness.