It's flashback time! *flashback sounds and screen does weird swirl to next scene*

Enjoy!

XOXO

- L



One month earlier

I peeked through the back door and my eyes widened at the sight.

There were five men facing the wall at the end of the alley.

I couldn't see who they were, their backs facing me. They wore black attire, the shadows making them seem more sinister as they were surrounding something on the ground.

I furrowed my brow at the sight. There was hardly ever any crime in this area, let alone had masked military-looking people. Who were these guys, the Men in Black?

The one standing in the middle was speaking in a language I didn't understand. Italian? Spanish? He was the only one dressed differently, wearing a suit.

He kicked something in front of him and it let out a pained gasp. I tried to look through the space between their legs to see, but was unsuccessful. The man continued to talk until he finally spoke in English.

"Everyone in this family pays in blood. A traitor such as yourself will pay with their life."

The man waved his hand and the men fell back against the walls of the alley. I took a good look at their stoic faces before finally seeing what was on the ground. I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop the scream from escaping my mouth.

There was so much blood.

A man laid there, severely beaten, bruises and blood coating his face and body. He was wearing a torn suit, holding his ribs as he spat on the ground. He struggled to stand up, but his injuries forced him to stay still.

I forced the bile down my throat, not wanting to be seen or given the same treatment. I trembled as I helplessly stared at the victim. My mind went completely blank as I scrambled to find a way to save him. I cursed myself for not having my phone on me, leaving it up front. I wanted to run, to flee the scene and get help, but my traitorous body was immobile.

One of the man's swollen eyes barely opened and looked in my direction. I held my breath. The door was barely open, but his penetrating stare told me that he was aware of my presence.

Scraping together the last bits of my courage, I pushed the door open just a little to let him know I was there. The man faced the man in front of him, not acknowledging me.

"Lorenzo, I don't know what offense I've committed. Your men dragged me here for no reason. It must be a big accusation if you're willing to get your suit dirty," The man rasped and my stomach churned as a trail of blood escaped the side of his mouth.

The man leading the group, who I assumed was Lorenzo, let out a chilling laugh.

"Yes, it so happens you have. I've been assigned to clean up the trash. Now I will ask you one more time, Angelo - this will affect how slow your death will be – who are you working for and where are the files that you stole?"

"And why should I tell you? To keep your family in control? To harm and manipulate how many others?" the man Angelo said, struggling to speak. From the pain in his eyes, he wasn't as unaffected as he appeared to be.

Family? Were these people part of a mob or gang?

Lorenzo crouched down in front of Angelo and made a growling sound.

"I knew we shouldn't have brought an outsider into the circle, but he insisted you would be of use to us. When our systems identified you as the mole, I couldn't have been more excited," I shuddered at the glee in his tone.

Lorenzo stood up and I finally got a glimpse of his face. He would have been very attractive if the cruelty in his brown eyes hadn't been so terrifying. He had tan skin and was well-built, shown off by his suit. His dark hair was gelled back as his lips formed a smile that would haunt me for days.

"I must give you credit though, it's been a while since I have faced an error in our system. And it's a mistake I won't make again. Men, show him one more time how long we can extend his torture if he won't give us answers."

The men stepped forward when Angelo spoke softly.

"Scatena la verità. Sblocca il cassetto. Enlightenment."

Lorenzo raised his hand to stop the men's advances as he looked down at Angelo. "What?"

"Scatena la verita. Sblocca il cassetto. Enlightenment," Angelo repeated, his voice getting louder with confidence.

"What the fuck does that mean? Enough of your damn riddles and answer me!" Lorenzo demanded.

Angelo looked at a part of the wall and repeated the same thing. He did this while looking at different parts of the alleyway before finally looking at me. His eyes burned against mine, looking at me with desperation and acceptance.

"Scatena la verità...Sblocca il cassetto...Enlightenment."

At that moment, I knew the message was for me. He accepted his fate and hoped that I sent the message. I felt his message bury into my soul and bore onto my shoulders.

But what did it mean? Was he an undercover agent? Do I call the police?

Lorenzo seemed to have had enough and pulled a gun from the side of his pants and pointed it at Angelo. I froze, my heart pounding as I struggled to move.

"One. Last. Chance." Lorenzo gritted out.

Angelo just let out a mocking smile.

"Fuck you, Lorenzo Diablo. I will never tell you. I accept my fate in hell with open arms knowing you'll never get your hands on it. The Diablos will finally fall. Scatena la verità! Sblocca il cassetto! Enlighten–"

A gunshot echoed through the alleyway and I screamed as Angelo slumped to the ground, lifeless.

As soon as the wail escaped my lips, my body stopped functioning. My eyes widened as the men's heads swung in my direction. I scrambled to get up, knocking the cardboard boxes down and making the door open wider. Lorenzo's eyes narrowed as he watched me cower in fear.

"Ah, hello, pequeña temblor. Unfortunately, I cannot let you go after what you have just seen. Apologies."

The gleam in his eye told me there was no sincerity. He pointed his gun at me.

"This will only take one second."

My fight or flight instincts kicked in and my legs began moving before I could even think. A cardboard box beside me was getting riddled with holes and I went to close the door.

"After her! We can't let her go to the police! I want her dead!" Lorenzo shouted through the door and I only had moments to get out.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

I ran to the front entrance of the store, grabbing my sweater and quickly putting it on as I crashed through the door. I heard the backdoor crack and knew they were only seconds behind me.

I needed to lose them, and soon.

Damn it, my phone! I forgot to grab it.

I dove into the crowd of people, putting my hood over my head as I speed-walked through the crowd. The street was busy this time of day, farmers' markets on the street for a fall event.

I thought I was finally safe when a searing burn came from my right side.

And then the gunshots never ended.

I barely turned and saw the Men in Black, now in masks covering the bottom of their face, pointing in different directions before drawing their weapons and firing without hesitation into the crowd.

Screams filled the air as people ran for cover, some falling to the ground and being trampled by panicked bystanders. The pain was bearable, but watching my blood soak my sweater made my anxiety rise even more. I held onto my side as I ran, my lungs burning. A man stumbled, holding a child to his chest as his arm began to bleed.

There were more shouts and cries throughout the street as I ran. People were in hysterics, trying to find their loved one or to save people dying on the ground.

"Dad!"

"Lily! Lily, where are you?! Lily!?"

"Someone call 911!"

"Wake up Mark! Stay with me! You can't leave me! MARK!"

I wanted to cover my ears, to die along with them, but I had to escape. So I kept running.

It felt like hours but in reality, it was only minutes when they finally stopped shooting and I followed pedestrians across different streets before the police arrived. First responders took one look at me and wanted to take me to the hospital. I insisted other wounded people go first before I did before I sat down on the sidewalk curb.

Everything was a blur. My mind was unable to understand how my world had crumbled in minutes. I could barely hear anything. Something was put against my mouth and I screamed and struggled to get it off.

"Her heart rate is too fast and she's not keeping still. We need to sedate her immediately. She's going to hurt herself and make the wound worse."

It was a nurse. I was at the hospital already? When did I leave? Something pricked my arm and everything went dark.

~*~

I watched the news from the hospital bed, the coverage the only thing I would find on TV.

Police officers came into my room and asked for my statement. I told them that I was leaving work and was on my way home when the shots fired. The truth was on the tip of my tongue, but the words stayed in the back of my throat before I could tell them what I witnessed.

Lorenzo Diablo had power and influence. What would happen if I told the truth?

The officers took my stuttering and shakiness to recovering from the shooting. And they were. But there was a darkness inside me that I didn't know how to handle.

They wanted me dead. If they found me, they wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in my head like they did to Angelo. I couldn't stay here and had to leave as soon as possible.

Why didn't I tell them about Angelo? Why did I have to run into that crowd? Why didn't I stop to help those people?

The hospital room was getting smaller and smaller as my breathing increased. Images of Angelo and Lorenzo overtook my brain.

"Scatena la verità..."

I grabbed my hair with my available hand, tugging harshly on my scalp. His voice kept echoing in my head.

"Sblocca il cassetto..."

I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, wanting the images to go away.

"Enlightenment."

I needed to get the hell out of this city.

~*~

It took three days to convince the hospital to let me go. The doctors advised that as long as I didn't put too much strain on my side, it would only take weeks to heal.

They gave me some pain relievers and a recommendation for a psychologist, but I brushed the latter aside. I had other things to worry about. I jumped whenever someone came into the room, waiting for the moment Lorenzo and his men would come in to finish the job. I had never been so grateful to leave such an open space.

It took me two hours to grab my things from my apartment. I only grabbed my essentials– some clothes, toiletries, my parents' belongings– and all the cash I had lying around. I left my phone and cards behind. I didn't want to be tracked, and from all the crime documentaries I watched, none of the fugitives wanted to leave a digital trace.

I had pulled out all the cash I could from my bank accounts and rented a crappy car under a fake name before leaving the city.

With only a couple thousand dollars to my name and the rental under a fake one, I left the state.

For the first couple of weeks, I resided at crappy motels and only rested for a couple of nights before driving onward. I stayed away from cities, choosing small towns or rest stops I would find on the highway. I kept a hood over my head at all times and a face mask, doing my best to conceal my face. I flinched at every sound or person in my vicinity. I couldn't relax, always looking over my shoulder.

In a motel in Montana on week three, I decided I wanted a fresh start. I couldn't live like this, but I couldn't go back to the life I had before. I needed to train myself to get back into society. During the day, I forced myself to go to public outings, surrounding myself with people. After a few days, I found I was comfortable in large open spaces. It made me comfortable enough to continue with my plan.

I thought about Angelo and prayed that he would understand that I couldn't help him.

How could I send a message I didn't even understand? Did it even mean anything or did he just want them to be his final words of peace?

I found that through all of this fear, there was no resentment toward Angelo. It was me that revealed myself to the men and caused the chain of events that would haunt me forever.

Could I live a life knowing that there wouldn't be justice for Angelo or the people in the shooting?

I pulled my hair as tears streamed down my face. I wiped my tears and pushed those thoughts away.

One day, I might learn the truth. But for now, I needed to ground myself before I could even consider helping anyone. If I kept thinking about it, I wouldn't be able to function.

So I repressed those dark thoughts and planned my future.

On week four, I went to an airport in Wisconsin and booked a flight to New York, far away from Los Angeles.

I closed my eyes as the plane lifted off the ground, carrying me to my new life.

~*~

Present day

Time seemed to stop as I waited for Damon's reaction. His face was stoic, his body stiff, as if he was ready to attack something.

Was he going to attack me?

We both sat on the couch staring at each other as I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking.

"P-please say something," I whispered, preparing myself for the rejection. His body language told me everything I needed to know. While he didn't show disgust in my direction, he was furious.

I looked down in shame, tears building in my eyes and tugged on my hair. I flinched as his hand grabbed mine, his hold a little tight but not enough to hurt.

My eyes connected with his eyes that were blazing with anger and sadness.

"I would never harm you, Rosaline, but I'm conflicted with myself. A part of me is ready to target and kill every single one of them," Damon gritted out, and my heart stopped. "But a larger part of me wants to stay with you. I don't want you to be a casualty of my anger, but I don't know another way to let go of the aggression building inside me."

His jaw tightened as he stood and stiffly paced the large room. He was like a predator trapped in a cage. "Go to your room and close the door. I don't want you to see me at my worst."

I gulped as I made a small whimper of protest, but Damon gave a pleading look of his own.

"Please, Flower. Give me one minute. Only sixty seconds and I will come back to you," Damon spoke gruffly and I didn't have it in me to argue. I shakily stood up from the couch and went to my room, filled with disappointment and despair.

I felt disconnected from him, like we weren't on the same ground anymore.

Before I could enter my room, his body pressed against mine, his mouth against my ear.

"I knew you hid your thorns somewhere. And I'm sorry that I can't control myself around you."

I turned quickly and pecked him on the chin, his body seemed to be relaxing at my touch.

"I'm grateful that you are honest with me when I couldn't do the same for you," I choked and Damon caught me as I slumped against him, sobbing into his chest. "All those people...I should've told you but I thought–"

"That is never going to happen, Flower, so don't even think about it," Damon cut me off gently and easily picked me up in his arms.

I wrapped my own around his neck, burying my face into his shoulder as he carried me into my room. When Damon tried to set me down on the bed, I clutched onto him tighter, refusing to leave the safety of his arms. Damon easily settled onto the bed, pulling me over to lie on top of him.

"How in the hell do you do that?" Damon muttered and I looked up to see him watching me with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I was ready to destroy the entire wing and all I needed was you to calm down." He looked at me with a reverent look on his face and I couldn't stop the warmth from flooding my cheeks. The distance I felt earlier disintegrated as his arms bound me gently to his body.

"I could say the same about you," I agreed quietly.

Damon rubbed my right side, the same area where my wound healed.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. The area feels sore sometimes, but it's a scratch compared to others." I whispered.

My eyes started to get heavy. After tonight's events, I just wanted to sleep.

"Do you think you can help me? Help me figure out what he meant?" I asked.

He was silent and I was worried he had fallen asleep when he responded.

"I think you'll find that our interests are aligned soon enough, but that's for tomorrow. You need to rest. But you have my word that we will find the answers you are seeking. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to save you." Damon said, pressing a delicate kiss on the top of my head. Feeling his lips tremble, I placed a kiss on his chin once more before laying my head on the crook of his neck.

"You are now. I've never felt safer in my life," I breathed out before I fell into a deep sleep, hoping that by tomorrow morning, he would still be there.