Nikolai Dimitri Leonov

"How the heck did he get away?" Livia demands, but it wasn't intended for anyone but herself. She couldn't blame her brothers and she knew both she and I had done the best in the situation. There were two of us against nine men.

And only one had gotten away. It was a win in my books, but I knew how hard Livia's council was being on her and the issues they had about her last raid, even though it went fine.

The most major issue, though, as it was clear he was the man in charge. All the other people we have taken into custody were nothing but lackeys who couldn't tell us anything.

"He slipped out the back door." Romeo inserts himself into the conversation. He was still tied up while Livia and I were releasing the others. It was clear he wasn't a priority, as no apprehension was evident on his face. Livia had gone to Martino first, so I went to Matteo instead of Dante out of spite. I didn't like him, so he could wait a couple more minutes.

Livia directed a glare at her slightly older brother. "Thank you for that astonishing revelation, Romeo. I wonder what I can do with such astute information."

"Livia," I warn. Romeo was amused by her sarcasm, but I could tell it was bothering the others. They were all shaken up and not taking this the best. Livia meets me with the same glower she had sent Romeo, but she must read something on my facial expression because she dissolves the fierceness running through her. Once we get all four brothers out, we pull them through the halls quickly, but they still see the knocked-out men slumped against the wall.

"What did you do to them?" Romeo asks sounding delighted. He had been in the room when we started fighting them, but we had moved the combat away from their view. "Are they dead?"

The men hadn't been wounded much. We had made quick work of knocking them out, but all of them had cuts and bruises in view of the boys. It didn't appal me anymore, but from small-town boys like these, the sight was gruesome.

"Don't sound so elated." Livia remarks, "And no they're not dead, just merely passed out."

"Oh," Romeo sounded dissatisfied and I couldn't help the sound of amusement that spilled from my lips.

He was so much like his sister, and neither of them had acknowledged it yet.

"Your father is waiting for you and your brothers. The cops are here?" I remind them that we have to rush.

"Are you guys going to be in trouble?" Matteo frowns.

"No, why?" Livia asks like it was the dumbest question anyone had ever asked her, walking ahead of the group in case we run into any more danger, just like I was behind everyone.

"The cops are here, Livia," Martino tells her like she was dense for not understanding his twin.

"We're in Italy; you seem to forget this has been the family business for years. The fortuitous ones in this country eat out of the palm of my hand, the rest eat the crumbs I drop."

Livia glided through the estate, no longer concerned by the fact her brothers were kidnapped just minutes ago. As of right now, I wasn't worried about her. She would be fine and this wouldn't affect her, as she dealt with the repercussions of everything that had happened. I would only worry for her in a couple of hours when she slips into her bed and remains alone in her thoughts. That's when the panic over today would hit. I knew this routine all too well.

As soon as we stepped out of the building we all hardened, Livia and I specifically masking our emotions from the public and the brothers, because I don't think they expected so many people to be around.

Police officers lined the block, and then there were dozens of Livia's soldiers, the men that did her building. With just a flick of her head, Livia instructed the group of her men to enter the building and go locate the trail of men we had left behind.

Angelo remained leaning against his car, just after the crowd of men. The older man's eyes scan his daughter first and I don't know why I felt satisfied that Livia was still his priority, even though his sons had more of a chance of being hurt. Maybe I was just selfish for Livia and wanted the most for her. Angelo's eyes trailed over the four boys next, seeing they were also unscathed; next his eyes filtered over to me and sent Livia and me a nod of approval before jumping in his car and leaving.

This was hardly the place to make any scene. All workers here might be in Livia's pocket, but they're still spectators and news reporters around and we couldn't risk the coverage. I ushered the boys forward into the waiting SUV. Livia sits in the passenger's seat, so I take that as the cue to head to the driver's door. The boys clamber into the back. All of them were quiet as they processed everything that had gone down in the evening. o

It was barely even ten at night and so much had transpired today, Livia's showdown with her consligeres, the boys meeting their grandfather, and just all things that happened at the gala.

We drive through the quiet Italian streets. Lights were still on in restaurants and houses, but there was a calmness in the atmosphere that was so unlike what we were all feeling.

"Are you guys hungry?" I ask into the car. We hadn't even made it to dinner before everything started going terribly.

My question somehow caused Martino to burst out laughing, the unruly laugh that is impossible to control and causes everyone to join in. Livia looks back at her brother with a stunned look and then turned her head to look at me with a questioning look. Her dumbfounded expression made me let out a couple of chuckles while Martino's laughs causes his twin to follow suit, Romeo lets a couple out as well and Dante sits there with a smile on his face as he looks at his brothers.

Livia is the only one of us not laughing. She sits shaking her head as she stares at us all like we're going through a psychotic break, but even she can't help the grin that pulls across her face.

I pull into the drive-through and get everyone's orders. Between the six of us, we order a lot more food than we could probably eat, but I think we all need it. The night seemed less troublesome now; we were all disregarding everything that had happened. There was a lot of chatting now, mainly done between Livia, Romeo and the twins. They were interacting just like siblings and I don't think any of them recognised it.

The light-hearted chatter was broken by a phone ringing, Livia's trademark ringtone resounding through the car.

"Oh no," she whispered, dread in her tone.

"What is it, Liv?" I ask curiously, but my body tautens like I was getting ready for another fight.

"I don't know." She tells me, but picks it up. All five of us were watching in anticipation as she answers the phone. She listens to what the person on the other side of the line is saying and gradually her facial expressions go from worried to livid. She speaks, but I'm the only one that understands the Italian she's sprouting off. "What? Where are they? I'm on my way."

She hands up the line and instead of looking at any of us; she opens her messages and starts typing rapidly.

"Ximena?" I ask questioningly.

"Drive faster, Leonov." She demands in the tone I was used to from Livia, cold, calculated and overall determined. I hadn't realised how much our dynamic had shifted until this very moment when I was spoken to exactly how I remembered her from a year ago, how she was when I arrived here.

"Liv?" I try again, but I don't get an answer. Ignoring all the murmurs from the boys in the back, I speed up getting to the Di Vittorio estate faster than I should have. "What's going on?"

As the car stops, Livia looks into the backseats where her brothers were watching her expectantly. We were all wondering what was happening now. "Your mother has disappeared." She stops and waits for a reaction, but she doesn't get much. I think we all knew she wasn't yet done. "Your sister and father are gone, too."

She hops out of the car immediately after telling the news leaving the boys shell-shocked and most likely abandoned but as I finally looked at my own phone which had been incessantly buzzing more than normal; I knew I didn't have any time to help Livia with her issues as I had to get back to Moscow and deal with my own.

Happy Friday my lovely readers

So what do you all think of this chapter? A little bit of an unexpected ending there I hope. Lots and lots going on and I hope I can get a new chapter out soon

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Ara <3