"Never tiptoe through life. Let them hear every fucking step you take." -Unknown

~Recap~

Matteo's POV:

"Okay, well, we've been here an hour. Where is Lila?" Gio asks.

We all look at each other as subtly as possible.

There's no getting out of this one.

"What is it? What are you not telling us?" Alessandro replies, his voice darker than I had heard it before.

"Well, you see..." Enzo starts.

"Hurry up. Spit it out." Alessandro interrupts.

"We don't know. We don't know where she is or when she will be back." Angelo blurts out quickly.

Alessandro's eyes darken, as to Gio's.

"You find her and you bring her home. NOW! IF SHE HAS EVEN ONE SCRATCH ON HER HEAD I SWEAR TO GOD YOU WILL ALL BE IN BIG TROUBLE!" Alessandro shouts. "YOU HAD ONE JOB. TO KEEP HER SAFE. AND YOU FAILED! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW WHERE SHE IS!"

Fuck.

We are fucked.

~Now~

Rocco's POV:

Three days later.

It's been three days since Alessandro and Giovanni have arrived and they've been fuming with Enzo for letting Lila out of his sight.

Enzo tried to explain how she would sometimes disappear for days at a time, that it was just her making trouble, but that didn't help his case. He got shouted at by them both for being so careless with her and not disciplining her enough, not raising her well.

Now, after knowing that this is a regular occurrence of hers, they've resulted to just waiting her out, knowing she will come back.

They also checked the security cameras to find all her sightings in the house and in the past two months she's only been at the house for a total of 45 minutes. If Alessandro and Giovanni were not fuming before, they were certainly fuming then. Even with their cold, neutral expression, you could tell they were angry.

Incredibly. Angry.

Now, we're all sitting in the living room, mindlessly watching whatever's playing on the TV.

Alessandro and Giovanni had moved into their old room. They shared one since it was the biggest room. It was right across from Lila's room and on the opposite end of the corridor to the stairs.

Suddenly, I hear the front door open.

Someone besides me turns the TV off. The door shuts and I see small feet head up the stairs, however the footsteps are silent.

We walk to the front of the steps and see Lila's retreating figure, heading towards her room.

"Wait here. We'll see where she goes and then talk to her." Alessandro says.

We all listen, however ten minutes later, when it's apparent she isn't coming down for a while, we head to the kitchen island and wait on the bar stools. Eventually, Giovanni spots her small feet coming back down the stairs and we all head over.

She hasn't seemed to have spotted us yet, which is strange considering she was usually very observant, especially after the kidnapping. However, who knows how she could've changed since I've seen her last.

She certainly hadn't grown much. I internally snort at her lack of height.

As she's about to open the front door, preparing to head out again, a cough sounds from next to me.

Alessandro.

Then, he says, "Well, I think it's time we have a chat."

She's fucked now.

Lila's POV:

"Well, I think it's time we have a chat."

Shit.

"Ummm... hi?" I reply, unsure what to say.

I get unamused looks in reply and an eyebrow raise from Giovanni.

"Kitchen. Now." Alessandro replies in the coldest voice I have ever heard him speak in. I hear gulps of fear from some of my brothers, and even though I am scared too, I don't show it, continuing with my emotionless facade.

Alessandro, Rocco, Matteo and Elijah walk to the kitchen first whilst Giovanni, Lorenzo, Angelo and I remain in the hallway.

I'm still processing their arrival.

What. The. Fuck.

Who. What. Where. When. Why. How.

Well I guess we know the "who" considering it's Alessandro and Giovanni. Thank you, Linda. Very helpful *cough cough* (not).

They look the same as they did before. The same as four years ago. Only a little older and more tired, however still the same.

There is no way I can go in there.

No way.

Absolutely none.

It would be like a death wish.

There is no way I am ready to meet the two brothers who abandoned me when I needed them the most, giving me some half-assed excuse of "companies needing their help". They could've just told me it was for the Italian Mafia instead of lying but it seemed they still didn't know I knew. I've known since I was 5. Literally 5. There were guards everywhere, everyone was holding guns or knives or some sort of weapon, even if it was concealed in suit jackets or holsters, away from the view of me and Lena. We always had body guards and my dad did a lot of work in Italy, as did my older brothers when they became old enough. Plus, I could speak Italian, as could Lena, so when they started talking about stolen shipments, attacks and raids, we put two and two together and figured it out. It's a shame they didn't know I speak Italian really, just shows smartness considering they did all teach me. My brothers and father taught me Italian and my mother taught me French.

Back to the point, bitch. Jeez, sorry. No need to use that language on me though.

We. Are. Still. Not. Going. In.

No way.

No way Jose.

Still stuck in my thought process, having an internal battle with Linda, I am brought back once again by Alessandro's stone cold voice, shouting "Lila. NOW."

I've never heard him so angry before. I look to see my remaining brothers gazing at me, Giovanni raising his right eyebrow at my unwillingness to walk to the kitchen.

They've waited behind with me to make sure I don't run away. They know my tricks. Shit.

Lorenzo has moved behind me to the door, presumably to stop me running out of it, whilst Giovanni stands by the stairs, preventing me from running up them. Angelo just stands at the side, staring at me like he's trying to figure me out. No one can figure me out, mate. I can't even figure myself out.

I sigh and give in, knowing this chat is inevitable.

Slowly, I walk to the kitchen. Literally as slow as a snail.

I still can't get over the fact that they're here. They're back.

But for how long...

Eventually, I arrive at the kitchen and sit down in a seat. Everyone else is spread round the table also, leaving no free spaces.

"So, would you like to inform us of where you've been for the last three days?" Alessandro hums.

No. Not particularly.

"What, no greeting? How are you, Lila? It's been so long! What've you been up to? Nothing?" I reply.

I receive only unamused stares back.

"Come on, Lila. I don't have all day. Where were you?" Alessandro repeats.

"No where that concerns you." I answer back in the coldest voice I can muster. I can see if definitely surprised all the faces in the room. Looks of shock at my cold voice AND my decision to talk back to Alessandro, avoiding his question.

"Two things. When I ask you something, you REPLY! I don't care if you don't want to tell me or not, you just do it. Secondly, you DO NOT talk back to me, young lady. I am you're oldest brother and you will treat me respect. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" He shouts.

"S-S-Shiver my timbers." I mock.

I can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears.

"I don't think you understand how serious this was. You LEFT HOME FOR THREE DAYS, LEAVING NOTHING! NOT EVEN A NOTE! YOU REFUSED TO ANSWER YOU'RE PHONE, NEITHER DID YOU ASK YOUR GUARDIAN FOR PERMISSION. YOU WERE STUPID AND RECKLESS AND I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU! DON'T MAKE THIS DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT I CAN FIND OUT MYSELF! NOW JUST TELL ME WHERE THE FUCK YOU WERE!" He screamed.

"No." I replied calmly and coldly. "You can try and find out where I was, but I can assure you that you won't be able to. And as for where I go, I don't need PERMISSION to go ANYWHERE! This is my life and my body and where I go concerns none of you. You gave up the right to care when YOU LEFT WITHOUT CONTACT! Things are different. So no. I will not tell you where I went."

With that, I stormed out.

He left me. They left me. They have no right to come back after all this time and pretend to care.

I won't do it again. I won't love someone and then have them betray me again. Because losing them is too painful. My walls are built up all around me and they won't come crumbling down. I. Will. Not. Break.

Well, dear reader, there it is!

She finally met her brothers!

After much anticipation I must say!

There will be much more with her brothers to come, almost every chapter from now on!

The rest of the book will be how she grows and the relationship between her and her brothers.

Will they rekindle their relationship?

Will her brothers help her when she is in need?

Keep reading to find out!

Until next time, dear reader!