A/N: Sorry for the wait for this chapter! School started and we all know how teachers like to assign work all at once! Here's the next chapter and enjoy the lovely cover up there!

edited, barely.

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My heart was racing as beads of sweat stuck to my forehead. I push the sleeves of my grey GAP hoodie to my elbows as I run a hand over my head. My purpose was to knock the hood off of my hair as I ran; it had been blocking the view behind me. Cold rain hit my cheeks and for a few seconds, the feeling actually stung. I taste salt as I swallow harshly, my own tears mixing in with the earth's natural water.

I stumble on a crack in the sidewalk before regaining my balance, my arms flailing. I make sure not to slow down, not even a bit, until I'm positive I have lost the person who was following me.

The man who was following me, to be precise; he was tall, muscular, and built. His profile was hard to decipher with the hood of a zip-up jacket that was tugged closely around his face. I was able to get a glimpse of jet black hair that was pressed against his forehead, damp from the rain. He hadn't spoken a word, but I was already deathly afraid of him.

I continued to run, my calves burning from a strain they weren't used to. Water splashed up in my face as I stepped into pools of standing water. "Stop," I mutter mainly to myself, knowing good and well the man following me couldn't hear my plea. "Stop!" The words are forced out of my mouth as I stop, ready to give in. My hands are pressed against my knees as I double over in exhaustion.

I turn my head to my right, staring down the sidewalk that had previously been behind me. There's no sight of anyone; no movement, no cars, no sign of human life.

My head whips into the opposite direction, scanning the lighted areas under the street lamps for any movement. But there is none. I see nothing, but I heard everything.

"Faith Crawford?" There was no hint of an accent that kissed this man's voice as I slowly, turned around. He stood there, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his ragged pair of jeans. He tilts his head upwards, the dim light hitting him at such an angle that the right side of his face stayed hidden. His jawline was sharp, so sharp in fact that if I wasn't petrified, I would run my finger across it just to see if it left a flesh wound.

The hood that covered most of his face fell back just a little, allowing me to get a good look at his eyes. They were no lovely shade of blue, or the popular color of grey that had women swooning, but they were hazel. The color of his eyes were nothing special, but the intensity of them kept my attention.

I blink once, before taking a frightened step backwards. "I've seen you before." I don't remember where, I don't remember when, and I don't remember who I was with, but there was no way I was wrong.

I had seen this man before.

"What do you want?"

He chuckles at my question, his lips peeling apart only to show the straightest, whitest teeth I had ever seen. They were the epitome of perfection; the long, hard work of a dentist had paid off. His smile lines were noticeable as he shook his head and took a step closer.

"I'm here to kill you."

I was never one to scream; but I screamed tonight. I shot up from the foreign set of pillows my head was previously resting on as I slapped the back of my hand to my forehead. My face was warm and damp from my perspiration. I let my mouth drop open as I heave in cool air, my lungs screaming in thanks. My heart thudded repeatedly against my chest as I grip at the shirt I had fallen asleep in, as if that were to slow the racing of my most vital muscle.

When I turn to my right, my heart nearly jumps out of my chest. Liam is sitting up, his hair sticking in every-which direction, his eyes half closed, and his arms raised in front his chest – palms outstretched towards me – in a defensive position. His mouth flops open, but his words are delayed. "What the fuck."

That's about exactly how I felt about this entire situation, not just the dream. Liam and I found ourselves sleeping in the same bed for "protective" reasons, as Luciano said. His trust for Will had always been a little sketchy and with Michael Luciano wandering around the house freely, Liam thought it was best I stay as close as possible. I had agreed, but never did I imagine finding myself waking up next to him.

Luciano's morning voice is almost unnaturally deep. I turn my attention away from him, eyeing the room before me, then finally, returning my attention to Liam. He's sitting up in his bed, running a hand through his hair. The room is dark, he's shirtless, and I can't help but notice the way his arm flexes at such tiny movements. He runs a hand down his face as I turn away, my heart still beating erratically. But now, I can't determine whether it's because of my dream or Liam, who still manages to look ready for a photoshoot in the wee hours of the morning.

"Are you okay?" His words come out as a near groan as I pull my bottom lip into my mouth, tears on the verge of falling once more. I look out into the depths of Liam's room and I can see him, my mind continuously playing tricks on me that I, quite frankly, don't find funny. I can still see the sharp features of his face, the cruel smile that his lips portrayed, and the gun that was nestled in the leg strap that his thigh supported.

I close my eyes, reopening them a millisecond later in hopes of keeping the tears from falling. "My dream," I whisper and turn to Liam, who scoots closer to me, his eyebrows connected. "This man was chasing me." I take in a deep breath of air, exhaling slowly in order to calm my rattled nerves.

"Sounds like just a bad dream," Liam finishes, "I'm sure you're fine."

"No," I shake my head so hard my vision becomes blurred. I knew what I saw. "I've seen him before, I know I have." Luciano sits up at this, focusing more on my words than before.

"What did he look like?"

"Well," I close my eyes, hoping the action will help me concentrate and remember, "He...he looked like the man that was trying to kill us back in Bora Bora."

Liam frowns momentarily, "Grayson?"

I just nod.

He shakes his head and says, "It was just a nightmare, don't worry about it."

Liam lies back down, his back towards me as he scrambles back under the crisp covers. I blink, my mind reiterating his words of attempted comfort, but I can't help but feel as though it wasn't just a nightmare.

I snag the lone blanket that sits at the bottom of Liam's bed, pulling it back up to me for my usage. I lay down, my back facing the mattress as the sound of rain fills my ears once more; this time, sleep doesn't come.

Time passes slowly – it feels even slower because I can't face a clock and read the time, the electricity still out from the storm. I blink for the first time in what feels like days. Occasionally I would flip over to one of my sides, then to the other, only to end up in the same position I had started from.

I clear my throat before speaking softly. "Liam?" I call his name three or four times, but never did I get a response. His body was still, his shoulders rising and falling evenly as I glance at him. Assured that he was asleep, I speak to myself.

"I hope you know you're the worst thing to ever happen to me. But, as of recently, you can be pretty cool. You're funny to; it's nice knowing someone that can match my sarcasm."

I smile softly as I think back to some of the thing's Luciano has said.

"But, I did forgive you for everything you did because I see you're a nice person. I do want you to know though, if you ever fuck with me again, I will tell all your mafia friends that you play Mario-Kart with a seven year old."

Laughing quietly, I shake my head against the pillow. I've lost it; I'm talking to a man that's sleeping.

"So, remember when you told me your favorite movie was Ted, you liked Italian food, and then something about the color back? Well, technically, you never told me your favorite color. You just said that people told you, you had no soul. So, you still have to answer that question. I knew you're curious, so, just to inform you, my favorite color is blue; sky blue, to be specific."

I roll over, clutching the blanket in between my fingers as I close my eyes. It seemed as though tonight, I would have to fight sleep.

"Blue."

My heart, for the third time that night, leaped against my chest as a voice – that didn't belong to me – broke the silence.

Oh, shit.

I bite my lip, ignoring the fact that my face was reddening by the second; embarrassed by the fact that Liam had heard everything I had said.

"Blue?" My voice almost cracked as I reiterated his response. "Are you just saying that because that's my favorite color?" I could hear the smile in his voice and mentally I pictured him nodding from behind me.

"Maybe."

I laugh softly as the room falls silent once more. Liam says nothing more about my random ranting I did a few minutes ago. I clear my throat once more.

"What's your favorite song?" I question. Silence follows, and I was positive Liam had fallen asleep this time. His answer came delayed, but at least it came.

"Back to The Start by SoMo."

My eyes go wide as I sit up quickly. I find myself slapping Liam on the shoulder as he brings his hands up to his face, laughing. He curls into a ball as I hit him once more, "You horny, little dog!" Luciano cackles at my name calling as he continues to keep his hands to his face.

When I pull away, Liam sits up, his mouth open and a string of words already flowing out. "And we live for that rush. And we rush for that love—" I held up my hand, hoping Liam took the hint to stop. It's not that I wanted him to stop, no; it was the first time I had heard him sing, as little of the lyrics he performed, he was good. Very good.

"Please, let me just sleep."

"You don't want me to serenade you with a Somo song?"

"Preferably no," If it were possible for my face to get any redder, it did. I drop back to the bed, giggling softly as I pull the blanket up to my neck and close my eyes.

I felt Liam do the same behind me, but it wasn't until I felt his hand on my waist and his breath on my neck that makes me go rigid. "Hold me softly," I close my eyes, and for a second I feel at peace; at least, until Liam finished making his point. "I'll keep going, till your screaming and you're sore."

I practically flip out the bed, my blanket still clutched tightly in my hands. My feet entangle with it as I stand there, eyeing the bed. Liam lays there; laughing so hard his own face is turning red. He chokes out, "That's it, I'm done. I'm sorry."

He stifles his laughs as he rolls back over to his side of the bed. My eyes squint and I stand there for a few silent moments, making sure Liam had no more tricks up his sleeve. I climb in bed once I'm sure Liam is done; this time, sleep comes.

But not with the assumption that the lyrics Liam was humming belonged to Chris Brown and his song, Take You Down.

~ ~ ~

Liam Luciano didn't even have to try to be attractive; and quite honestly, that pisses me off.

The day was beautiful; like many of the days in Los Angeles are. The sun was out, but not the humidity. My weather channel app informs me that the temperature is at a beautiful 82 degrees, with a slight breeze. It was quite noticeable by the time Liam, Rosie, and I parked and began walking the streets of downtown, that other people had been informed of the lovely day ahead.

I had thrown on a simple pair of coral skinny jeans and a white, tank top before pulling my hair into a high pony tail. I swiped the mascara brush along my eyelashes once before calling it a day. As of right now, ten minutes into our journey from the car to the shops, I had gotten one nice, young gentlemen to glance at me – which only caused me to look at my shirt in hopes there was no stain there.

Liam on the other hand, had been bombarded twice now for autographs. He wore a pair of khaki cargo pants and a white dress shirt. His shirt was unbuttoned fairly low, and he rolled the sleeves a quarter of the way up his arm. Multiple times I found myself staring at the way his shirt hugged his shoulders; I also found myself muttering 'Thank you Lord', a few times.

Rosalie bounds up the crowded sidewalks as she points into the window of a toy store. I laugh loudly as I watch her press her palms against the cool glass, then her face; sure to leave an imprint of some sort. "Whoa," she said the word with such emotion that I felt as though I had to stop and see what she was swooning over.

"We have to get going, come on." Liam tore Rosie from the window by grabbing her hand and walking away. He had been quiet most of the morning, seemingly caught in a world that rotated around his thoughts. I have to jog to catch up as we pass by shop after shop.

"Why are you in such a rush?" I make the mistake of resting my hand against his bicep. It gathers his attention, but mine also. I let my hand fall to my side as I clear my throat. "Really, though," I glance around, extending my arm out towards the stores. "It's a gorgeous day, let her enjoy it."

Liam stops and takes a deep breath as he lets go of Rosie's hand. She scrambles away from him, another item in a window calling her name. My attention remains on Liam, but I can tell he's struggling to keep his eyes on his little sister and on me. He shoves his hands into his pockets and focuses on his little sister. "I would love to just come out here and let her waste my money on ken dolls and expensive ice cream, but we have a meeting we have to get to."

"A meeting?" I step forward, frowning. He never told me about a meeting. "What meeting?"

"With a friend," His emphasis on the last word made me nervous. We walk towards Rosie who pulls away from the window and grabs her brother's hand.

"Can we come back here one day?"

"Of course," was Liam's answer as we continued to walk up the slight incline.

I practically kept my head down the entire time, letting Liam and Rosie walk ahead of me; but it wasn't until I looked up that I stopped. "Oh my God."

Luciano turns around, his eyebrows raised; but it wasn't until he saw the shop that I was currently leaning against and staring into that he groaned.

No, it wasn't Victoria Secret.

It was heaven.

It was Tiffany and Co.

I'm inside the shop before Liam can even threaten me.

I have stalked their website for years, but never had I been inside one of their stores.

I turn in a half circle as I take in the store. It was beautiful. The sound of a bell ringing nearly pulls me out of my state of awe. I hear Liam mutter, "Stay close," to Rosie as he approaches me.

"I can die now; for I have seen the inside of a Tiffany and Co. store." I sigh dreamily as Liam steps around me, his hand running along one of the many glass showcases.

"Calm down," he deadpans. I watch him lean over the glass, glancing closely at something. "Three thous—" I quickly race to him, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up," I hiss, "You're supposed to act rich when you're in these stores." Even at my warning, his eyes are wide as he stabs a finger at one of the rings.

"Three thousand dollars for a ring?" His voice is much lower now as he speaks, "If I tap the diamond will Jesus appear?" I roll my eyes, hard, as we continue our journey along the expensive jewelry.

I scan over multiple bracelets, rings, and necklaces. Liam stays closely behind, mumbling constantly about a price tag. I glance over my shoulder, slightly annoyed, "You're one of the richest men in the world and you're complaining about a few grand?"

"That's the reason why I am rich," He states, and I have no response because he's right. He has to be careful with his money.

He allows me to glance over a few more rings before calling my name and nodding towards the door. Rosie runs to him a second later, her hand already latching to his as we bid a few employees goodbye and left.

The next few stops we made were short, sweet, and to the point. Liam dropped Rosie off at a day care. According to Liam, he knew the manager, who politely took Rosie off his hands for a few hours. Next, it was the diner.

The diner was called 'Freddy's' with the words, 'A little piece of Italy' beneath the title. The inside was as typical as the out. The diner was decorated in the colors of Italy's flag: green, white, and red. Small tables were seated in the middle of the fairly large restaurant. Off to the side sat a few booths.

"Hello, welcome to Freddy's—" The young, blonde waitress smiled widely at both of us, but she kept her eyes mainly on Liam. She starts to lead up to a seat for two, which is smack in the middle of the diner, but Luciano speaks up.

"We'd like a booth."

"Oh, sure, Sir—"

"That booth."

Not only does Liam command her to switch our seats, but he points out which seat he wants to sit in. Maybe it was a tad picky, but I could understand why. The booth we were led to was out the way and in the far corner of the restaurant.

I slide into the seat opposite of Liam as the waitress sets down our menus. She smiles as she pulls out a booklet of papers, then her pen. She glances at me, and then turns to Liam. "Do you know what you would like to drink?"

Luciano blinks as he glances up from his menu. "Do you have no manners at all? Ladies first; and last time I checked, I'm the one with the dick sitting at this table." Her face seems to flush as Liam calls her out. She whirls on her heels as she glances at me, not even taking the time to repeat the question.

"I'll have water." I close the drink section of the menu and set it down on the table, watching as she scribbles my words on paper. I watch her turn to Liam as he clears his throat.

"I'll have water and a black coffee; thank you—" Liam doesn't even squint as his eyes lock onto her name tag and he smiles, "—Melissa." Melissa nods and sashay's away from our table quickly.

Liam and I make eye contact for a bit before I break away and glance out the window. Hundreds of people pass by the window, everyone going about their own lives. Many people begin entering the restaurant at the lunch hour. The diner we had been in just ten minutes before was quiet, but now it was lively; full of other people holding their own conversations.

"Who are we meeting here?" I address Liam as my gaze falls on the entrance. People continue to file in; small families to cute, honeymoon fazed couples.

Another waitress drops off our drinks, tells us she will be back to take our order, and briskly walks away. Luciano manages to thank her before she leaves us completely.

I wrap my hands around the cool glass, feeling the condensation of the drink stick to my hands. Liam takes a gulp of water before resting the cup back down and running his tongue along his upper lip.

"We can't just sit around anymore," he says. "I already have William ready to help; this man, he's the last one we need to complete the circle."

"Oooo," I laugh teasingly and in awe, "What do we need them for?" I press the cup against my lips and tilt it upwards, allowing the water to fill my mouth.

"We need them to help us commit murder."

I choked. I started choking so bad however that people were beginning to look my way. My hand slammed against my chest as Liam looks at me, confusingly. "Who are we murdering?!" I squeal once my coughing session dies down.

"Ryan Costello and Peter Corinelli."

I bite my lip as I look away. "I don't want to kill them," I keep my voice low, matching Liam's tone.

"This isn't a game, Faith. If they kill you first, I can't tap the 'restart' button," His words were cold, harsh even, but true. Liam jabs a finger behind him at the door. "If you don't want to kill them, then you might as well leave because I see no other way."

I train my eyes to follow the direction in which Liam's finger is pointing. I do it, just to keep myself from looking into his eyes – because I couldn't. He knew he was right, I knew he was right – I was just too stubborn to admit it.

I had already had my reply ready, 'Alright', was what I was going to say – but that word lodges itself in my throat as the door opens and sunlight pours in. I can't see the man at first but as he steps out the light, I feel my heart rate pick up and anxiety beginning to set it.

It was him. Grayson. The same man that haunted my dreams not even twenty-four hours earlier. The same man that admitted to being sent to kill me in the hall of a Mall. The same man that not only broke into our hotel suite in Bora Bora, but proceeded to murder his two partners after agreeing to give Liam just a little more time.

It was the first time I was able to really see him, to scan over his youthful features. I took note of his jawline, the stubble that covered his chin and roamed over his upper lip. He looked young, only to look younger as he approached the table and shot me a smile. I took note of the tribal tattoo that was etched the entire way up his left arm. It wasn't until he reached the table did I realize one thing – he was just a boy. There was no way he was too much older than myself.

I tensed, silently, watching as Liam pushed himself up from his seat to embrace the young man. Young murderer, sorry, murderer.

I scoot over, allowing Liam to take a seat beside me as Grayson drops down across from us. Our booth is silent as I lean back, suspicious. Liam clears his throat, his fists banging against the table as he rests them down.

"I would introduce you two," he begins, "but—"

The young murderer across from us shoots me a pathetic excuse for a smile. "Faith Crawford, adopted mother's name is Susan, adopted father's name is Ian. You were 14 when your sister, Ellie, was—" He cuts himself of, his gaze drifting over to Liam, then back to me, "died."

"Impressive," my tone was bland and absolutely un-impressed, "tell me something you can't find on google."

"You're right handed."

"The majority of the population is."

A grin washes over his expression as air escapes through his nose. He dips his head, his shoulders gently shaking in a laugh as he looks to Liam, "She's funny, I like her."

Grayson's expression quickly changes, his lips pressed together as he leans forward and lowers his voice, "You have a scar on the bottom of your right foot."

I tried to hide my shock, but it was nearly impossible. The scar on the bottom of my right foot was practically impossible to be spotted by the naked eye. I clear my throat. "How did it get there?"

"You stepped on a Lego."

I was rendered speechless as I pressed my back against the booth, bewildered, confused, slightly freaked out. Liam was trying his best to suppress a grin and when I turned to him, he pretended to wipe at his upper-lip, hiding a slight smile.

"He's good," I nod in Grayson's direction.

"That's why I want him to help us," Liam replies.

"But why him?" I question, an edge to my tone, "Liam, he's working for Corinelli to capture me, then kill me."

"I know what he's doing."

"Then why him?" I let my question linger in the air, drifting amongst the silence in our group, "Out of all the assassins you probably know, why him?"

Liam doesn't respond, which only irks me more. I lean back with a huff, watching as Luciano adjusts himself in his seat and leans forward, "You already know why I called you here. Peter Corinelli isn't the only person that wants Faith dead. With Peter still believing you're working for him, it'll give us a little more time to deal with him. You just make sure you continue to contact him, to make it appear as though nothing has changed."

Grayson nods.

"Ryan Costello," Liam drops a manila folder on the table, a paperclip keeping a small, wallet sized photo of the older man attached. "I'm sure you've heard of him and his family. If we were truly keeping a rank, his family is easily on the list as the third most powerful in this nation, following my family and Corinelli's. Our financial statuses might vary by only a zero, but we do have something in common," the two men at the table glance to me, "we all want the girl."

"Next week Wednesday, Ryan Costello is holding a huge ball at the Staples Center. It'll be crowded, definitely the best place to take him out. I'll go over details later," Liam states, "but the one thing I'm certain of, is that you'll take the shot." Grayson's facial expression hardly changes, "You know how this works," Liam slides over a plain, white envelope, "I always pay in advance."

The younger man doesn't reach out for it, "How much?"

"700 grand."

"And what if I miss?"

Liam let out a breath, finding the question posed funny, "You won't."

"Cause I don't."

He snatches up the money without another word and without a goodbye or a backwards glance, he stalks out the restaurant, dodging waitress and patrons with ease. I shift in my seat, feeling anxious and nervous.

"I can't believe you just hired an untrustworthy, sly, murderer who was – mind you – already working for our enemy to hurt me! Do you really trust him enough to keep his word? To turn his back on his other employer to work for you?"

Luciano's gaze resides on the door as the man pushes it open, exiting the facility. "He's a friend," was the simple answer I was given.

"What makes you think he won't turn his back on us?"

"Honor," Liam states breathlessly, "We have something him and Corinelli don't have."

"And what the hell is that?"

"History."

Liam motions for me to follow as he slides out the booth and extends a hand to me, helping me to my feet. I take a step towards him and lower my voice.

"I understand this man, to you, might be a friend. You two have history, honor, but if you can answer this question for me, I'll stop bothering you about this."

He nods and waits, the muscle in his jaw clenching.

"Out of all the assassins in the world, why him?"

Liam almost looked confused at my question. His eyebrows touched, his lips curled downwards in the form of a frown. His lips part and he hesitates, only allowing an unsure breath to escape.

"Well, that's easy—"

"—then answer it."

"Out of all the assassins in the world, Ms. Crawford, one has to be the best."

I frown, then it clicks. "You mean, that bo—that man who can be no older than me? He's?"

"He's the greatest to ever do it, Ms. Crawford," I watch Liam as he begins to walk away, laughing while he does so, "The scariest part about that though, is that he hasn't even hit his prime."

~ ~ ~

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update! But seriously, I've been writing this chapter since 12 pm (EST) and I'm like brain dead. I definitely wanted to get this chapter out today so yay!

I just want you guys to know that with school, the chapters will be coming out a little slower but I haven't forgotten it! So, let's try and get this story to 1 million reads? I will seriously scream because....I just will. I think I'm tearing up.

This section below is where I'll rant real quick.

Have you ever been laser tagging?

There's 2 types of people when you laser tag. The chill ones that just hit people and not give two shits (this is me), then there's the ones that believe they're in the middle of a military raid in Iraq. They're shouting codes words and ducking and dodging like they're in the Navy Seals. Like relax people, it's a 15-30 minute session, get a hold of yourself.

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