- 4 4 -

"Anton." I said breathlessly as a sob broke out of me and in the next moment, I found myself crying uncontrollably in his arms while he rubbed my back soothingly and kissed the top of my head.

"You're here, you're really here." I whispered clutching onto his shirt, and in a strong, muffled cry, I carried all the suffocation which I did not have the ability to tell in words.

"I'm here darling, I'm right here and I'm not going back." He reassured me just when a familiar click was heard and in one swift movement, I was behind Anton's back, staring at Roman's hard face as he pointed the gun towards him.

My soul nearly dropped out of my body when Anton took out his own gun without hesitation and pointed it towards Roman.

The last time I was in a familiar position came rushing back to me as I quickly stood in front of Anton.

"No, stop!" I yelled, both their gazes snapping to me before softening considerably.

"Heather who the fuck is this?" Roman growled from behind me as I looked into Anton's eyes, silently pleading him to put the gun down.

Thankfully, after a moment he looked back at Roman before speaking.

"Roman Angelo. Heard so much about you. Glad to finally meet you. Although I didn't expect to see you with her. And Shirtless." He added lazily before scrutinising my attire which wasn't much either.

Great.

"Or you with him." He added looking at me thoughtfully as I walked over to Roman and put a hand on his gun, lowering it as he looked up my eyes, confused.

"It's okay Rome." I whispered and held his hand, squeezing it gently as he relaxed a bit before I walked back over to Anton and looked at him expectantly.

He rolled his eyes before lowering his gun and tucking it into his slacks as his arms went around me again.

"I missed you so much darling." He said as I sniffled.

"I missed you too." I mumbled into his chest because boy he was tall.

"Heather." Roman called out to me and I immediately pulled away from Anton and looked at him briefly before turning to face Roman.

"Roman, I'd like you to meet Anton Solonik Elias... My eldest brother." I said introducing him and saw his eyes widen a fraction as he looked at Anton intently.

"I thought Alexander was your brother." Roman said regarding Anton closely.

"He is. And so is Anton. Alex is younger than him." I informed him.

"He was... shot..." I said frowning as my eyes widened and I pointed an accusing finger at Anton.

Wait just a second.

"You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be dead." I whispered as Anton caught my hand.

"But I'm here." He told me firmly as I narrowed my eyes at him and took a step back.

"How can I trust you?" I asked him with a narrowed gaze and heard him sigh.

"I was shot, yes. But never killed." He confessed, making my head hurt all of a sudden.

"No. This can't be possible. I saw you. You died. They said you died. You took the bullet for me. You were killed, I saw! You're not supposed to be here!" I yelled, overwhelmed from this new revelation.

"I didn't, darling. I survived. Barely, but I still did. That's what they told you. Because it's what I told them to do." He told me, my eyes widening like saucers as I fumbled to form a proper sentence.

"H-how... W-why... You're lying... it can't be true!" I said, clutching my head as Roman quickly came and took hold of my hands.

"Heather baby, look at me. It's okay, look at me. Breathe." He said, grabbing my chin and making me look at him as I tried to calm my breathing down.

My eyes drifted over to Anton who watched us like a hawk, his gaze burning jokes in Roman's back.

"Who else knows?" I whispered and felt Anton's gaze come to me as he looked around.

"Everyone except Zephyr and Zarina. And Kim." He said, making me sigh heavily and frown.

Everyone fucking knew.

"Trust me darling, it wasn't easy to do all this but it had to be done. It was necessary to protect you from him." He said, making me frown deeply.

Wait, what?

"Faking your death wasn't necessary Anton. Do you have any idea what I had to go through because I thought you were dead? I thought it was my fucking fault!" I said incredulously and threw my hands up in surrender.

"I couldn't fucking sleep because I had nightmares of that night. And that moment kept playing in my head on repeat and I thought it was all my fault. That I was the one who got you killed." I exclaimed exasperated as Anton reached out for me.

"I know. I know, love. Alex told me everything, and I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry darling. You had to go through so much but you have to trust me, it was the only way." He said, making me frown.

"The only way to what?" I asked him carefully and saw his jaw clenched and his eyes darken with anger.

"He's alive. The fucker's still alive, darling." He spat with venom in his voice, making me blood run cold as I struggled to breathe.

He's alive.

"No.. N-no. You shot him. I saw. He fell to the ground Anton, we all saw. H-he can't be alive!" I said, my body now trembling with fear as Roman wrapped his arms around my body tightly.

"It's okay. Hush now angel, I'm here." He whispered and placed a kiss on my temple before looking at Anton.

"I don't know what's going on but I expect you tell me every fucking detail because I cannot see her cry anymore." Roman gritted out as he pulled my body closer to his.

"Let's get you back to bed love." He said picking me up bridal style, my arms going around his neck automatically as he carried me to my room.

"A-Anton.." I started but was cut off by Roman.

"Will be right here when you wake up. I'll make sure of it." He promised me and kissed my forehead before waking out of the room as various thoughts plagued my mind.

It wasn't long before I was exhausted from everything that was happening in my life and found myself out like a light the moment I closed my eyes.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt so warm and safe. Protected.

Glancing beside me I saw Roman sleeping next to me peacefully, his hair falling over his eyes and his features relaxed as he took shallow breaths.

His arms were tightly secured around me, our legs tangled together as my hand reached out to brush the strands away from his face.

After contemplating whether or not to get up, I carefully moved away from Roman and put a cushion in my place, quickly slipping into the bathroom.

After wearing dark blue jeans and a simple white tee, I draped a light cardigan over my shoulders in case I felt cold and tied my hair into a ponytail.

Walking out of the room, I went towards the kitchen and saw the mug I drank water from still on the counter as I pushed away my intrusive thoughts about last night and started making waffles for breakfast.

When I was done, I set everything on the island before walking back to my room to wake Roman up, but stopped right in front of the second bedroom in the apartment that belonged to Anton.

The door was closed, so I decided to knock on it in hopes he was still here because if last night was just a dream, I'd probably break.

Nobody answered so without a second thought, I turned the door knob and to my surprise, it was unlocked and right there in all his glory, was my brother sleeping peacefully on the king sized bed.

Unintentionally, I let out a breath of relief and closed my eyes a moment before opening them and walked over to him slowly, watching as his chest rose with each breath he took.

I looked at him carefully, taking in all his features carefully as if I was afraid he'd disappear the moment I looked away from him.

I reached out and touched his shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Anton?" I whispered quietly but he heard me anyway and his eyes snapped open immediately, looking into mine and just like that, a tear fell down my cheek as I gazed into his identical blue orbs.

"You're really here." I whispered as he sat up slowly and hugged me, rubbing my back.

"I'm really here. And I'm never leaving you again. I promise." He told me firmly, making me sigh in relief as he pulled away and wiped my tears.

"Don't cry darling. Never cry." He told me, smiling as I nodded at him.

"I made breakfast." I said after a few moments of silence and saw him nod before he stood up to his full height.

"I'll be right out in ten." He said, patting my hair before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes roam over the familiar room once again and take in all the pictures of us hung on the wall in the corner, a smile forming on my face.

When I walked out of the room, I collided into a hard chest that was now covered with a black t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" He asked me, scanning me head to toe for something.

"Nothing. I was waking Anton up." I said and tried moving past him but he held my arm and pinned me to the wall beside the door, a gasp leaving my lips.

"You weren't next to me when I woke up." He mumbled into my neck as he kissed there softly, making me hum in response.

"I got up and decided to make breakfast." I replied and heard him hum.

"I was hugging a cushion." He said pulling away a bit, making me want to pull him right back, but I shook those thoughts out of my head quickly.

"I know. I put it there. Who knew the dangerous Italian Mafia Don likes to cuddle." I said giggling and saw his eyes darken as he watched me closely.

"Let's not speak a word of this to anyone, yes?" He looked at me, his eyes taking in my features.

"Why not?" I asked suddenly and immediately regretted it once his sharp gaze came to mine, making me bite my lip.

Whoops?

"Because you don't want to get punished, now do you?" He asked lowly and somehow I wanted to know what kind of 'punishment' he was talking about and bit my lip harder at which his eyes only darkened, his lips twitching slightly.

"But from the looks of it, you don't seem to mind the idea too much, do you?" He asked with the ghost of a smirk on his face, making me blush furiously.

"W-what?" I asked dumbly, squirming to get out of his hold and heard him chuckle

"Mi piace quando arrossisci. Ti fa sembrare ancora più bella, angelo mio." (I love it when you blush. Makes you look even more beautiful, my angel.)

He whispered lowly, nuzzling his face in my neck as he placed kisses there, making me arch my back in pleasure.

"Rome..." I whispered, earning a glance from him.

"Yes baby?" He spoke huskily against my skin as goosebumps formed on my neck, as his eyes came to mine.

No words were needed as he leaned in slowly and just as his lips brushed over mine, we were so rudely interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

"As interesting as this 'looking into each other's soul' thing is, I can't help but want to put a bullet through any man's head who touches my sister. And I make no exceptions. You of all people should know that, darling." Anton looked at me as he leaned across his door frame with his arms folded across his chest, my face red from embarrassment as I pushed Roman away.

I knew what Anton meant, and I knew he wasn't bluffing because he never did. Once he said something, it was like he took a blood oath to fulfil it.

I glanced at Roman briefly who was glaring at Anton and cleared my throat.

"Y-yes. I uh... breakfast, yes?" I said, plastering a smile on my face and changing the subject, to which Anton nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

I released a breath of relief and turned to Roman and stood on my toes and placed a kiss on his jaw.

Lingering a few moments, I pulled away and went to the kitchen as well with him following behind me.

"These are good. Did you make them?" Anton asked me as we all ate the waffles.

"I did. Thanks." I said smiling widely as I scanned my brother's face. As if sensing my gaze, he looked up and smiled.

"As much as I like the attention, I think you've stared long enough, no?" He said grinning, making me shake my head.

"I just can't believe you're here. It all feels so surreal. I mean, I saw you in my dreams... nightmares, actually but still... you were there but not really... there." I said smiling sadly to which he gave me a warm smile.

"I know darling, and I'm sorry. But I'm here now, so you don't have to worry about anything." He assured me, making me smile.

"Thanks Ant." I said.

"And speaking of leaving." Anton spoke as he wiped his hands on a napkin and glanced at Roman briefly and shared a look with him.

I looked at Roman quizzically who glanced at me with an unreadable expression on his face before nodding at Anton.

"We found who poisoned you." Anton told me, making my head snap towards him.

"What? Poisoned?" I asked him confused.

"When Roman took you to the hospital, remember?" Anton said, raising an eyebrow at me, making me nod in understanding before frowning.

"Yes, I remember... But how do you know that?" I asked him.

"I know everything about you darling. Every move you make, everyone you see, everywhere you go. I knew you came here the day Alex pulled that stunt." He pointed to me.

"How'd you know?" I was baffled.

"Like I said, I know everything. Now." He said placing his empty plate in the sink.

"We found the man who poisoned you was working for... him. This was a warning, of sorts." Anton explained, making me frown.

"Warning? What kind of warning?" I asked him confused.

"He's been looking for you, but he couldn't get his hands on you because Alex kept you protected. But somehow, he's found out about your whereabouts. Not this place, thankfully, but of your college. His men have been following you." Anton explained, making his heart beat faster.

"H-how?"

"We don't know but we think someone from our side has been feeding him information which is why they got so close to you. The man who poisoned you is one of his men. Worked that day in the cafeteria just to poison your drink." He told me.

"So what now?" I asked as Anton clicked his tongue.

"Now, we go on a mission. Get that guy because we can't get his hands on him since he's an important person to... him. So he's well protected." Anton explained.

"And what has this got to do with me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Roman.

"Seduce. And kill. Remember that?" Anton asked me with a sly smirk, making me grin.

"No way. Really?" I asked him and he nodded, to which I jumped out of my seat and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed pulling away and kissed his cheek when Roman grunted.

"I guess he doesn't like you kissing my cheek when I'm clearly your brother." Anton said, emphasising his relationship with me, making me giggle.

I stepped to Roman and put my arms around his neck, discreetly placing a kiss on his cheek as well.

"I saw that." Anton said, making me smile at him innocently as Roman's arms tightened around my waist.

"Hands off mate, you don't want to get on my bad side." Anton warned Roman, making him roll his eyes and me stick out my tongue at him.

"Piss off, Anton." I said moving closer to Roman who smirked victoriously and Anton narrowed his eyes at me.

"You were literally all over me a moment ago." He said, making me shrug.

"I'm over it I guess. Moment of weakness, darling." I mocked him and heard him scoff as he shook his head with a slight smile.

"Right." He said getting up from his seat.

"Dress accordingly. He'll be in a club." Anton said and I nodded.

"Alright. How long do I have?" I asked him as he glanced at his watch.

"We'll go tonight, because I'm taking you home." He said, making me frown.

"Home? With you? As in, you're coming back?" I asked him and he nodded with a small smile.

"I'm coming back." He confirmed, making me smile widely before it disappeared.

"But I left them and... what will everyone say when I go back?" I asked deep in thought.

"Don't worry about anyone. I'll take care of them." He said firmly and I nodded at him.

"Okay." I said as Anton glared at the man beside me.

"You can let go of her now." He said as Roman looked at me.

"Never." He stared at me intently, making me blush.

"Oh for the love of god." Anton exclaimed exasperated and threw his hands up in surrender and walked away towards his room.

I chuckled at him as Roman grabbed my chin and made me face him, our lips lightly brushing against each other.

"I don't like this plan." He murmured against my lips.

"It's okay Rome, I've done this before." I assured him, to which he frowned.

"You mean you've seduced men before and trapped them?" He asked, raising his eyebrow as I nodded.

"I'll kill any man who lays even a finger on you. Actually any man who even thinks about you." He said firmly as I grabbed his face and pecked his lips and smiled at him.

"You don't have to worry about anything." I said and saw his lips turn up slightly.

"Good. Because you're mine, angel." He said, placing another peck on my lips and making me blush at his possessiveness as my mind drifted off to the task at hand.

It's time to go back home and face the music.