I close an eye and aim my gun at the target.

'Stop fidgeting, Sean.'

The apple, balanced precariously on his head, wobbles.

'I am not fidgeting.'

I blow out a breath and steady my palm, my sight fixed firmly on the shiny red fruit.

'I am not going to hit you.'

Jay, Blade and Zach sit cross-legged on the grass. We are out in the lawns of my father's ancestral home, in Italy, testing out our shooting skills.

Zach snickers. 'Pussy.'

17-year-old Sean snaps. He pulls the apple off his head and glares at his friend.

'It's on my head, you damn fool! If Alex happened to miss – by chance, of course – I am dead! Dead as your stupid ex.'

Jay groans. 'That is not even a standard simile.'

'Whatever. If you aren't a pussy, go ahead and stand instead of me.'

Zach is quick. 'Alex won't like it.'

I grin. 'I wouldn't mind.'

Sean extends the apple to Zach. 'Here you go, bro.'

He mulls it over for a second. 'Nah, I'll pass. I've got to go to London, you know.'

'Pussy!' we all yell.

I flip the recoils of the gun, aim at the apple clutched between Sean's lanky fingers and fire. He lets out a strangled yelp and drops the apple.

'Oh, fuck.'

I pull back the recoils again. 'Language.'

'Oh, freaking strawberries.' He glares at me. 'You could've given me a warning.'

I cross my arms. 'And where is the fun in that?'

'I'm hungry.' Blade states, getting up. 'I am in mood for cannoli.'

We follow suit, and I curl the gun around my fingers. We enter through the backdoors to the kitchen, where Melissa and Gia, the maids, are manning the cooking.

'Wow.' Sean inhales, looking every bit a dog on a scent. 'Is that Bolognese I smell?'

Gia chuckles, all the while ladling up some of the sauce and sticking it into his mouth.

'I would die for this.'

'Well, I think you won't be needing the pie, then.'

My mother, Camila Fiorentino stands in the doorway, her eyes taking in the flurry of activity in the kitchen.

'Pie?' Sean looks at me, dumbfounded. 'There's pie?'

'Let me guess,' Jay grins, 'Apple pie?'

My mother laughs, ruffling his hair. 'Yes, apple.' She looks over his shoulder at me.

And frowns.

'Alessandra? What were you doing?'

I cross my palms behind my back, hiding the gun from her view. Blade nudges me with his shoulder, and when I reach to him, his palms are ready behind him, taking the gun and swiftly pocketing it.

'Uh, we were watching the gardens.'

She gives me a look, clearly not believing me. Mom never liked me meddling in the Mafia business, though she has absolutely no qualms in letting Daniele. It was one of the many reasons why Dad was my favorite.

'Wait at the tables.' She gives me a small smile. 'It's time for lunch.'

/////

The fifty seater dining table is made of polished oak, and is entirely filled with deliciously mouthwatering recipes of Italian goodness.

'There's no Pizza.' Sean mutters into my ear, his eyes scanning the length of the table. 'What good is being Italian if we cannot understand the value of pizza?'

I roll my eyes at him, before tipping my head at the men already seated at the tables. All of them acknowledge me, most of them returning my nods. I am the daughter of the Boss, though. I have my moments.

I smile broadly at the man at the head of the table.

Alessio Fiorentino sits proudly, emanating a sort of powerful aura, no one but he can pull off. He looks stern and bossy, like the Mafia man he is, but upon seeing me, his face brightens with a smile.

'Principessa.' My Dad calls. 'Take a seat, sweetheart.'

I let my eyes skim over the remaining, unoccupied seats. Dad sits at the head of the table, and the rest of the table is filled halfway from the other end. The seat to his immediate left is unoccupied, but I know for a fact that it is my mother's coveted position. The seat to Dad's right is occupied, and I quirk an amused brow at the occupant.

Daniele lifts his own eyebrow in response.

It's been two days since Dad picked him as his comandante. And he's been taking up the title pretty seriously. He is clad in a black suit, that looks gloriously good on him, but he must beat me at fistfights if he wants me to admit that. His bright blue eyes stand out, like neon lights, and he is arrogantly smirking at me.

That stronzo.

He thinks being the second-in-command automatically warrants the best seat.

Oh well, I'll get back for that.

I give him a sickly sweet smile, and walk over to his side, taking the seat to his immediate left. Jay sits to my left, Sean next to him, while Blade and Zach sit on the other side, tactfully leaving a seat for Mom.

Dad looks at us, smiling, but not exactly smiling.

'Zachary?'

Zach's head shoots up as if electrified, and it is almost comical.

'Yes, capo?'

'How's things going on with Londra?'

Zach practically glows.

'We managed to snag a five bedroom villa, not far from all of our colleges. Sean and Alex will have to drive, though, and she's booked a new Porsche.'

I grin sheepishly.

'Oxford's just around the corner, so I'll just walk. Blade's already signed us up for a nearby gym, and Jay's applied for his driving license.'

Daniele looks surprised. He leans over me to look at Jay.

'Again, man?'

Jay blushes.

Almost.

'I'll be so glad when all of you are gone,' My mother smiles, as she places the casserole on the table. 'Much less work.'

'Don't you worry, Madre.' Zach grabs onto a helping of sauce. 'We'll be back before you even know it.'

Little did we know, we were never to leave at all.

////

'Alex?'

'Hm?'

'You okay?'

I stop twisting Christian's ring around my finger and rub my eyes.

'Yes, Jay. Why?'

Jay stands right at my doorframe, leaning onto the door. His hair is swept to the side, and he scratches the back of his head.

'Can I come in?'

I shake my head, getting off the bed. 'Why are you even asking? Not like you used to do it before. Just get in here, idiota.'

'Come on. I want to show you something.'

'What?' I glance at the clock. It's eleven at night.

Jay grabs me by the wrist. 'Ssshh. Just come with me.'

He pulls me all the way up the stairs of the Casa, towards the terrace. The night sky is dark above us, twinkling with shiny little stars.

'Hey, Alex.'

They are all there, all four of them. Sean stands up, pulling me close to him and tucks me under his arm. Blade envelopes me from the right, Jay and Zach standing close by, with Zach not meeting my eyes. They know. They know I've been thinking about my haunting past, and they want me to share the burden with them.

We look up at the stars, just gazing at the bright lights silently.

'C'mon.' Blade gurgles in his thick manly grunt. He pulls out some bedspreads and sheets and we settle down on them, a mess of limbs. Blade's arm pass over my torso, Jay's legs are beneath my head, Sean acts as a human comforter, and Zach is Jay's personal pillow.

As we lay under the stars, silent except for our breaths, I am suddenly grateful for them. These four idiots, who would give up their lives for me. I don't know what makes me emotional, I think it's probably Rachel rubbing off.

'Alex?'

'Yes, Sean?'

'If I were to propose to you, right here, right now, under the stars, what would you say?'

And there goes my emotional moment.

'I'd say shut up and piss off, asshole.'

'Ha ha, Sean.' Jay props himself up, digging his elbow into Zach's stomach. 'Good try. But Alex always had the hots for me.'

I flip the bird at him.

'Well,' Blade begins, 'That leaves just you and me, man.' He claps Zach on the shoulder. 'Too bad that Alex loves my bod.'

I gag.

'So it's me, then?' Zach looks interested, though he still doesn't look me dead in the eye. Well, he wouldn't dare after the stunt he pulled earlier. 'That seems legit.'

'For fuck's sake, just shut the fuck up.'

Sean sits upright.

'That's two curses within the span of five seconds. Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?'

Blade snorts. 'I think her new fiancé is a bad influence.'

Jay shrugs. 'I knew he was a complete arse the moment I met him.' We chuckle. 'I'm serious. One look at the guy and I went, like, who's this dipshit?'

'Hey.' I protest weakly. 'For the sake of formalities, I should clarify that my future husband is not a dipshit.'

Four pairs of eyes blink at me.

'He's a prawn. A prawn with no backbone and head full of shit.'

We burst into peals of laughter. I have never felt this relaxed after... after Daniele. This feels familiar, like a forgotten feeling.

'Talking of future husbands,' Sean clears his throat, 'Shouldn't he have gotten you a bigger rock?' His eyes flit to my ring. 'That thing looks...I don't know, fragile?'

Zach grabs my palm, inspecting the ring. 'Hm. Precisely cut yet small diamond, costly. Slightly dull on the polishing, so I'd say it's a hand me down. Considering the owner, in this case Beneventi, who is somewhat short on cash, this would be a nostalgic relic he preserved. A family heirloom of sorts.'

I glance worriedly at Jay, trying to ask him with my eyes whether Zach took another shot.

Sean scoffs. 'That's Sherlock shit man. It's kinda cool when it's Cucumberpatch but totally creepy when you do it.'

Blade sighs. 'It's Cumberbatch.'

'Whatever. All I meant to say is, had I been the one who proposed, I'd have gotten you a rock the size of Dwayne Johnson's fist.' He is met with silence.

'Man, have you seen Dwayne Johnson's fist? It's huge. He's called The Rock, for god's sake.'

I twist the ring around my finger again.

'Chase mentioned that the ring belonged to their mother.'

Jay frowns. 'She's dead, isn't she?'

'I think so.' I look back at the stars. 'He doesn't talk much about his family.'

'There's another party coming this Tuesday, right?' Blade stretches himself, his hand almost hitting my face. 'Is he going to introduce you as his fiancée?'

'That's what I don't understand,' Sean taps his chin, his voice taking on a note of seriousness. 'Why fiancée? He doesn't even know her for long. I mean, calling Coral his girlfriend would have sufficed, if all he needed was an arm candy.'

I sigh deeply. 'I've been wondering that too. Christian has an ulterior motive. He probably thinks he can play me, bastardo.'

'Or rather he is using you as a pawn in a bigger game,' Jay says catching up. 'But the question is why?'

'I don't like this.' I turn and look at Zach, who is staring hard at the stars, his voice distant. 'I don't like this at all.'

'For once I agree with this doofus.' Sean sounds dead serious, something he never does. 'Know your game, Alex. Be careful.'

I twist the ring around my finger. I know my game.

But I want to know his.

////

I'm back to stay!

Hopefully.

I am thinking more updates!

Again, hopefully.

And, do check out my ONC stint, Point Blank. Kaitie would be a tamer, more humane version of Alex. 

See y'all in the next chapter, oooo.