Renzo:

⚠️ Chapter Contains Violence ⚠️

I watch sadly as Gemma collapses on the floor. It honestly broke my heart. It's like she recognizes us but doesn't understand how or why. When she collapsed on the ground; she ended up dropping her bag onto the ground. I look at the bag that is now on the ground and slowly smile internally to myself. She's made it much easier for me. When she said she hadn't really eaten much today Maximus with his quick thinking runs into the kitchen. Sly fox comes back with a damn smoothie with a bloody straw. Plus, cheesecake.

Who's not a sucker for cheesecake?

Gemma! You idiot.

Smartass subconscious!

Yeah! That's me jackass.

When she is finished with both her cheesecake and smoothie; Maximus and Valentino walk back into the kitchen with it. I glance through the doorway and see Valentino putting on gloves. He puts the glass cup in a bag, the straw in its own bag, the fork in its own bag, and lastly her glass plate in the last bag. He gathers all four bags and places them in a larger on. He takes off down the hallway in the kitchen and to the basement through his entrance way, where part of our lab was.

That sly fox.

Brilliant.

Valentino comes back up moments later and nods in my direction. Letting me know he's done it. We all move to the music room down the hall. Gemma looks nervous, like she's about to throw up everywhere. Vincent has her stand in front of him and face him. You can see her body slowly relax. When she starts to sing, it's like heaven on Earth. Gemma has one of the most beautiful voices. Her singing meshes and harmonizes well with Lee and Vin. It's like her emotions are pouring out of the song. When it comes time for her to leave, she tells us all goodbye with sorrow in her voice and walks out the front door. We watch as Gemma left in Lance's, who I learned earlier, car. When I turn around facing my brothers, I give them the look of 'You were saying?'

"Val is running her DNA and her fingerprints. It should be done within the hour. I think we should get the two boys that she is living with DNA and or fingerprints also. He has this gut feeling." I finally speak.

"Actually Ren." Gianni speaks up.

"Gianni and I got their DNA already. In gym class Lance forgot his water bottle. I had an unopened one and gave it to him. He returned the bottle after he drank out of it. I placed it in a bag and put it in my book bag because I also have this feeling. It should have his fingerprints too." Maximus calls out.

"Ashton bought a slurpie and apparently didn't like the taste of it. So, I took it from him and said I'd drink it. I ended up just dumping the drink out and placed both in a bag. I also plucked a few pieces of his hair when he nodded off in class. Don't even look at me. It was the best I could do at the time. But either or both should have his DNA and the other should have prints on it." Gianni adds with a shrug.

These two are just as sly as Valentino. They hand Valentino their bags and we all head down to the lab. Valentino doesn't talk. He can but he chooses not to. He's great with science and the lab part is his specialty beside guns and fighting. We watch as he begins to process each item. This big scary looking guy being gently with precious evidence would crack anyone up but, now isn't the time to laugh.

(Their lab. Mainly Valentino's lab. Lol)

Vincent's phone pings.

Moments later Vin's face pales and his phone soars into the air, crashing into the wall. Shattering his screen. Obliterating the entire phone. Everyone is staring at him in shock. He usually is the calmest one out of all of us. Well, honestly he has anger issues but he's still the calmest of us all.

"It said....... Gemma Bianchi from the age of 5 until months before she moved here has been in the hospital numerous times. Broken ribs, concussion, broken hand, broken arm, cracked skull, and a few suicide attempts. In other words that Gemma has broken almost every bone in her small body. Gemma has been abused." Vincent growls out.

Before we could even process what the definition of what molasses is, Val's machines start to print out whatever results it has. Seconds later his computers all start to beep. We watch as he types away and when he turns around, he looks like a ferocious lion.

"What does it say?" Dad finally speaks. You see, we already have our Gemma's DNA when she was a toddler in our system. Along with her handprints and footprints. All of us are actually in this system. It's dad's way of protecting us if something was to happen. It didn't really help when Gem got kidnapped but still.

"Dad used our Gemma's toothbrush with her DNA and put into our system, when she was 5. I used that to compare with this Gemma's DNA. Ran her fingerprints with the set we had from before Gemma was taken." Valentino finally speaks. His voice is so rough. Like it's painful to talk.

I mean I say it would be since he hasn't talked in years.

"And?" Matteo asks. His second computer beeps cutting his unfinished his statement.

"Fuck." Valentino says.

"DAD!" Maximus calls for him.

"What?" Dad asks.

"It's Lance and Ashton's DNA." Alonzo says while looking over Val's shoulder.

"That can't be." Max mutters.

"Tell us." Matteo whisper yells.

"Someone needs to call Uncle Luciano now!" Alonzo screams.

"Why? And what about her DNA?" I growl out.

"Somebody better start explaining!" Lucian yells.

"It's her. Isn't it.?" Vincent pleads.

We're all confused and want to know what Val has found. He is still in shock over something. You can see his gears running in his skull. His face is contorted, and he looks pained to even see whatever is on his screens. Before Val could tell us, Lee and Vin hit the ground screaming.

No! No! Not this shit again!

Matteo cradles a screaming tortured Vin. Julian picks up a panicked screaming Lee.

"She's getting hurt." Lee screams.

"I can feel my sister's pain." Vin yells.

"I think that should tell you something." Gianni says with his arms crossed.

Few minutes has passed, and Lee and Vin have quit screaming and have calmed down... Some not all the way though. Val's phone rings and I can see it's my old number. Val turns around and looks at me with his brow raised and a questionable look in his eyes.

"Why is your number calling me?" All heads including our slightly pained brothers Lee and Vin look over at me.

"Gemma. I gave her my phone because I just got a new one earlier. Answer it." I answer.

"That one was only a week-old Ren! How do you need a new phone already?" Matteo questions.

"Just answer the damn phone!" I all but scream.

"Hello?" Dad, Maximus, Matteo, Gianni, and I glance at the computer screen that has Gemma's stuff on it. Our mouth slack open. I swear the wind is knocked out of my lungs by an invisible Hulk.

It's her.

It's our Gemma.

It's my baby sister.

The little girl I always vowed to protect.

The little girl who I broke my promise to.

I failed her.

I failed my sister.

A tear begins to leak from my eye when I catch a glimpse of the other screen. Shit, dad needs to call his brother immediately!

"Valentino! I need your help!" We hear her painful cries.

"Gemma?" He asks confused.

Gemma was close to all of us. Therefore, Val isn't an exception. However, those two were thick as thieves. So was Leonardo, Vincent and her. Lucian was also like that with her even though they liked to fight. But those two, I think were the closest of us all. He was the one who was always with her during movie nights, they would share their favorite snacks, her first kindergarten dance. I was mad she picked him out of everyone, but Lee took Teo and Vin took me. No matter what she used to tell everyone she didn't have a favorite; we all knew Val was her favorite out of all of us. When she had nightmares, we would find her in his bed with his arm around her. Protecting her from her demons as she would tell you. After her first nightmare and him letting her crawl in his bed, he was her protector. Her knight. Her disappearance hurt us all, but it hit him the hardest. Maybe more than Lucian. He went from a happy, fun, talkative child to closed off and never uttering a single word.

"I need your help please!" She cries out. But Val never had time to even speak before she said something that would land us all on our asses.

"They're going to kill Lance and Ashton."

"You're on speaker Gem. Talk to me." Vincent calm as possible says.

You can tell he is still in agony.

"We.... I need someone to come to our house. They're going to kill Lance and Ashton." She sounds like she's crying.

She probably is fucktard.

"Renzo, our father, some of our guys, Matteo and Nikolai are on the way to your house. Where are you?" Leonardo yells from the other side of the room.

Dad and the rest run from the basement not leaving a chance for Flash to catch them. All that is left down here is Val, Lee, Vin, and I downstairs. We begin to run up after everyone. When I get to the top step, Max is screaming

"She's pulling in. I see her."

When all of us run out the house, we all notice that her once neat hair is now a messy, her face looks like it's been punched, her cheek has a handprint. She's wearing a hoodie that is ten sizes too big. That particular hoodie looks strangely familiar. Before I could make it to her, she collapses on our stairs.

I'm seeing red.

I gently pick up Gemma and walk her through our front door and head straight to our couch. I place her on her side and realize why that hoodie looked so familiar. The back of it says

Ren R 07

My football hoodie, she always wore it when she was little. That thing still swallows her whole. I quickly snap back to the current and start ordering everyone around.

"Maximus, Gianni, Lucian, Leonardo, and Vincent stay here with her. The rest of us will be going to get Lance and Ashton." I ordered.

"I already have the doctor on her way." Matteo calls out a few meters from the front door.

Before anyone could react quick enough, Matteo and Valentino are both already out the door. We all run behind a pissed off Matteo and a caged in lion Valentino. Fucking with someone we love will get you hurt. Fucking with our family will get you killed. We end up leaving five different cars. Matteo and Valentino are in front of me. Every time they whip into a different lane; you see four other cars swerving right behind them. Within minutes we pull up to a gated long driveway. This doesn't stop Matteo though. He takes his lifted truck and barrels through the gate. The gate doors shoot off into different directions. The guards that are, I'm assuming, supposed to guard this place, come out of nowhere with guns raised. Valentino is hanging out the window shooting at anything that is a threat. Doesn't he know his bulletproof vest won't have his melon?They could shoot him in the head. If so, that still doesn't stop the idiot.

Lunatic!

Runs in the family bro!

My jeep doesn't have its roof on because I had left it off the previous night. Dad is now standing up in my jeep's seat and is shooting at anything that is walking.

Now I see where Val got his lunaticness from.

I told you. Runs in the fucking family!!

Looking in my rearview mirror at the three cars behind me. All passengers are out the window shooting at any enemy they spot.

My brothers are just like dad.

Like I said. Runs. In. The. Family. Idiot!

Matteo decides not to drive up this driveway anymore. Matteo makes his own pathway. Through the lawn and straight towards the house. Matteo pulls up sideways near the front door. I pull up to a screeching halt directly beside Matteo. All our brothers follow suit. Once we all get out of the vehicles. We can hear screaming near the room with the ladder under it.

"Matteo and I will go through that window. The rest go through any door. Walls. Or window. Stay alert and be careful!" I order my brothers and my father.

Matteo climbs up the ladder first, this ladder still won't be tall enough for him to get into the window. That won't stop him because Matteo is the stealthiest one out of all of us. Well, except Valentino who you can't hear at all. I watch as he is at the top of the ladder. In one swift motion he bounces off the ladder and grabs ahold of the window ledge just above the ladder. When he pulls himself up, he carefully peeks inside and looks around. I'm accusing it's clear because he flips through the window and is now guarding it for me to get inside. I follow in his leaping footsteps and climb in right behind Matteo. We hear glass shattering and a lot of commotion coming from the third floor.

Maybe?

How many floors does this place have again?!

"Lance!"

We hear a boy's scream for his brother in the distance. More glass can be heard shattering on walls and the floors.

"Fuck you! Leave him alone and come get me you bastard." I hear more footsteps. They're pounding into the wood. We hear something being split open.

"Non vagare perché tua madre e tuo padre ti odiavano fottutamente coraggioso. Sei un patetico pezzo di merda."

Matteo steps into the hall and I cover his ass. The crazy fuck is going to get shot if he isn't careful. The whole area looks like Thor and the Loch Ness Monster has had a battle in here. We round the corner and come face to face with an unconscious boy. Matteo inspects the young man and nods. I barely hear the movement coming from my right. I stand protectively over this beaten kid and aim my gun at the intruders. Valentino and Julian come up into my view. Julian needs to work on his stealth because I know it definitely wasn't Valentino that I was hearing. I point my gun towards the ground. When Juls gets next to me, I start to give orders to my brothers.

"Juls, be careful but take this one to the car. He needs medical attention now. Don't stop, don't think. Hell, don't even shit your pants. Val, you cover his ass and makes sure he gets in his car safely. We need to find the second one. So, when Juls is safely in the car meet us back up here." I order both my brothers.

Juls has the unconscious boy cradled into his arms. Val gets in front of Juls and begins to search and make sure it's safe for Juls to get down the stairs. Matteo and I guard both ends of the hallway, making sure our brothers are protected. Once the three are out of our sights; Matteo and I begin to carefully search the rest of this floor. I can hear Juls leave as he is accelerating in the distance. I turn a corner and come face to face with my dad. We both lower our weapons.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!" Val's voice rings out.

Bloody hell!

Did Val teleport back into the house?

We all start to run towards the shouting. We sprint down the stairs until we hit the second level. I continue to run until I am behind the person holding the second kid.

"Put him down before I put a bullet in the back of your skull!" My voice roars.

The crazy bastard just chuckles like a mad man. Before I could shoot, the unknown man goes down. My view is clean, and Val's gun is still raised. Val has shot the unknown guy in his shoulder. Matteo walks next to the vile man and the poor boy. Matteo kicks the vile creature off the injured child. Val and dad stalk towards this evil person and that is when I hear dad gasp. It was like the air from his lungs was being squeezed out of him. Like he recognized this vile waste of space.

Does he know this creature?

Hell if I know. We will find out when we get home.

"Get him to our cells." Dad orders.

That might be a yes?!

Dad doesn't like abusers so maybe he just wants to punish this vile thing?

Maybe?

Val picks the wounded guy up by his one leg and starts drags him like a Raggedy Anne doll down the stairs. You can hear the echoing of his head bouncing off of each stair. That has to hurt.

I wonder if his brain came out his ear.

What the hell!?

Matteo cradles the barely conscious human in his arms and begins to walk carefully down the stairs. We make it to the cars with everyone already surrounding the cars. Nikolai has some female in a death grip by her hair. He slings her in the back of the car and scoots in beside her with his gun pressed firmly against her skull. Alonzo gets in the front seat and begins to drive off. Val and dad are in the other car with Val holding the child beating piece of shit down. The other car leaves and we are about to be right behind them. We gently place this one in my jeep and Matteo gets in the back to access the damage done to this poor child.

"Is Gem okay? Did she make it out?" His voice cracks. We both nod our heads yes seconds after he got the conformation, he passes out.

You can tell he cares for my sister.

Like he should.

Family protects family.

At all costs.

🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷 🌷

Leonardo:

⚠️ Section Contains Graphic Abuse (what they see on her body.). ⚠️

We watch our private doctor look over an unconscious Gemma. Gemma is on her side when the doctor lifts Ren's hoodie and her shirt up to get her stethoscope under it. The back of her shirt slowly rides up and all you hear is a ferocious scream.

"What the fuck is that!" Vincent screams.

I'm too in shock to even know basic math. She has burn marks going up her spine. Her bloody goddamn spine.

Nah!! I thought it was on her ass cheek genius.

I feel nauseated when I seen her back. Who does that to a person, a girl, a child, my sister? My father and older brothers are going make those sick fuckers wished they'd be tortured by the devil instead. The Rossi family is worse than the devil himself. Hell will look like heaven when my family is through with him. Lucian, who despises Gemma, even has a murderous glint in his eyes. I don't care how much he blames our mother's suicide on Gemma. She still holds a slither of a soft spot in his blackened heart.

Obviously she still does! They were best friends when we were younger.

More so than with us and Vincent!

Like I said they should have been twins instead.

The door opens and slams shut. Vincent, Gianni, and Maximus have their guns pointed towards the intruders. I watch as they slowly lower their weapons and more people in scrubs comes running into the room. I look at Vincent and we both have the same expression.

What the fuck.!?

Not even a minute later Julian comes running in with one of the brothers. This one isn't even stirring like he's dead looking. When Julian lays him down on the couch, the guy still hasn't woken up.

Is he dead!?

He looks dead to me!

"I have a pulse!" One of the scrubbed minions yells.

Julian hasn't uttered one word yet. He is just sitting with his head on his knees. Not even five minutes after Julian has gotten here, Teo is charging throw the house with another unconscious person. Ren is right behind him when Teo lays the guy next to Gemma. Val is dragging some guy who's screaming for his life. This guy's head is bouncing off the ground and the walls.

That has got to hurt my friend!

Obviously! His skull is crashing into a walrus's brick ass!

What the!!?

I don't know who you are or what exactly you done. But you sure have the devil reincarnated after you sir. Alonzo has got some female's feet while Nik is holding the bitch by just her hair. They bounced her ribs off the side of the table.

Ouch!

There goes her ribs!

There goes her breathing.

Well, shouldn't have done whatever she's done!

If I thought Val was bad; these two look like they're about to kill this bitch than do some voodoo shit to bring her back just to kill her ten more times. The rest follow behind them each one with murderous looks. Gemma and the last guy slowly start to stir. When they see Val and my other two brothers carrying and dragging these two fuck faces. Gemma's eyes get the side of saucers. She's trying to flip over the back of the couch with tears in her eyes. Vincent quickly blocks our sister's view and one of the brothers is scurrying into Teo's side trying to hide from these two.

It clicked like a light switch.

Those mother fuckers are the ones who were hurting my sister. Ren blocks his view of the fucktards in front of us. I quickly grab Gem, right before she could flip completely over the couch and do anymore damage to herself. I hold my baby sister into my chest for comfort and so she couldn't see those people anymore.

"It's okay. They can't hurt you."

"Take them to the cells!" Dad and Renzo's voice booms.

All you can hear is the guy's head bouncing on the concrete stairs that leads to the cells. All I want to do is burst into laughter. But, it would be inappropriate at this given time. Not even five minutes later Nikolai, Alonzo, and Valentino are back in the living room. When Gem peeks up from my chest; she spots the guys. Before I could even think about letting my grip go. She breaks it herself and starts to do a wobbly sprint. If she wasn't injured, I definitely would have burst into laughter. She run right into Valentino's chest. For a girl who's been beat daily, she has some major jumping skills. She buries her head into his chest and wraps her arms around his upper body with her legs wrapping around his waist. Valentino stiffens when she has done this. He isn't use to comforting contact like he was when we were little. We all just looked at her stunned. Out of all of us, she latched on to the one brother who was her favorite. Or I believe was her favorite. And she doesn't even realize it yet.

"I remember you." Her quiet voice could be heard in the silent room.

"I remember you too little Gem." Valentino says with a slight chuckle.

This cold- hearted fucking mute talked and fucking chuckled.

He cracked a bloody smile.

Wait, does she remember?

Does she remember all of us?

Vincent and me?

A/N:

Word Count: 4173

How are you liking this book so far?

What are your thoughts?

Have you got a favorite brother yet?

If so, who is it?

Have you figured out how Renzo placed the phone in her bag without her noticing yet?

I should have the next chapter out in 24 hours. I should... I hope.

Have a fantastic day or night!

XoXo :)

Edited: 5/24/23
Added a little bit to this chapter. Not as much. Edited the grammar and punctuation errors as well.

As you can tell so far from the few brother POV's they all talk to themselves in their heads like Gemma. Maybe it's a family trait or a small disorder. 🤷‍♀️ Have to wait and see I guess.

I'll edit more chapters tomorrow. It's already after 10 pm here. 🫶✌🏻