(re-editing)
â RORI â
The grip on my arm doesn't loosen until we have made it round the corner. I relax when i realise it is Uvaldo who manhandled me, and not a total stranger intending on bringing me harm, but also curse him for making me think otherwise.
"Did you see that?" i ask him, breathlessly.
"See what?" he asks.
"Wyatt," i say, rolling my eyes.
"Obviously," he answers in a tone that suggests i am stupid for asking. "That's why i stopped you; out of fear that you might, i don't know, run after the car."
I narrow my eyes at him and scoff, unimpressed by his questioning my intelligence.
"I would not run after a moving vehicle," i insist.
"Forgive me," he says, mockingly and not at all apologetically, "but i've seen you do some pretty illogical things."
"Name one," i challenge.
His smugness intensifies.
"The time you hid behind a trash can in order to spy on our older brother," he quips.
I glare at him.
"You're the one who was driving over the speed limit to get here," i counter in a criticising tone.
"I was already in the area," he insists. "And i wasn't driving so fast."
"Ugh, whatever," i groan, his presence already irritating me. "Do you at least know where Wyatt is heading to?"
"No," he answers, thoughtfully. "Where did he appear from?"
"He was...working...in Giulia's," i explain, dubiously. "Annalise spotted him."
"Giulia's?" Uvaldo repeats, clearly just as baffled as i am. "Wyatt...was working in Giulia's?"
"The one and only," i confirm with a nod.
His eyebrows knit together in confusion, and i can tell he is thinking along the same lines as myself.
"Now, why on earth would Wyatt be working there?" he mutters to himself. "It is obvious he is posing as an employee, but why?"
"Or maybe he just wanted another job..." i offer, weakly. "You know, for fun."
"Yeah, right." he scoffs a laugh. "He must be up to something. After all, he snuck off in some strange car."
I nod in agreement.
"We'll figure it out," i assure him.
"We have to," he agrees.
â SUCKER PUNCH â
As a result of his regular absences and the fact he appeared to be working in Giulia's yesterday evening, clearly unbeknownst to Xavi, who described him as M.I.A, Uvaldo insists that Wyatt must be double-crossing us.
I immediately dismissed the theory, which he suggested once we arrived home, because i convinced myself that such thoughtless treachery is not something Wyatt is capable of fulfilling. At least not when it concerns the people he calls family.
Though now i'm beginning to second guess whether my defending his honour was simply bias. I know Wyatt to be a great brother, but i know not of what kind of business man he is...
I received a text from him earlier on, stating that he arrived back in town this morning and will pick me up from school. Even though he lied about the former, and i do not appreciate the fact he did, i feel relief at the sight of his car in the half-empty parking lot.
"I apologise for my lateness," Wyatt says as i step into his car, which is not nearly as obnoxious as some of the others in our family's collection. "You can thank LA traffic for that."
"It's fine," i instantly dismiss him. "How are you?" i ask. "I haven't seen you in, like, forever."
He raises an eyebrow at me, amused.
"It's not been that long, Ria."
"According to everyone, it's been quite some time," i insist. "You didn't call; you didn't text; i was really worried about you, Wyatt," i admit.
He sighs.
"I'm sorry, Ri," he apologises once more, and i hate the sincereness of it. "Something came up and i couldn't back out of it," he explains. "Plus, i bought a new phone the other day and i have only had time to set it up earlier on. Otherwise, i would've kept in contact the whole time i was gone."
"Something came up?" i further question.
"It's not important, Rori," he assures me, although his tone gives the impression that it is more of a reprimand. "Just something i had to deal with."
I hate the fact he is giving me nothing but vague answers when my initial aim was to interrogate him and at least find some information worth reporting to Uvaldo. Alas, he is simply not letting on to me at all.
It if as if he can sense my apprehension, and maybe he can. After all, he knows me better than most.
"How are things with Xavi?" i ask, deciding we need a change in subject."You and him still arguing?"
"Don't you know it," he says, offering me a forced smile. "I mean, me and him, we're like oil and water these days. Chalk and charcoal. I don't know, Ri." he shakes his head, a pensive expression on his face. "We just don't see eye to eye, you know?"
"You should share with him that you feel this way," i advise. "Xavi just wants you to be around more, but i guess if you have...something else going on..." i trail off, an expectant look on my face, but Wyatt doesn't seem to catch on.
He sighs once more, and as the traffic light changes from amber to red, he turns to face me, fondness in his eyes.
"It's just...i'm a grown man now, Ria. You know i care about you guys, but i don't want to be another parent for you. I just want to be your older brother," he reasons. "I understand that Xavi needs my help from time to time, and i'm more than willing to be there for him, but he can't tie me down forever," he says, meaningfully. "I have my own responsibilities to take care of as well."
I nod, fully agreeing with him.
"I don't want you to be all parent-like, either," i say. "You were never that good at it," i joke. "I just think you should be more...mindful."
It is no secret that Wyatt has always been my favourite brother. Considering he is the fourth of nine boys, he has always had a soft spot for me and actively engaged in my interests growing up, no matter how girly or babyish the rest of our siblings perceived them as.
If there's one thing i would gain from him being around more, it would surely be that i would receive fairer treatment.
"You know i'd never leave you, Rori? If you ever need me, no matter the circumstance, i'll always be there," he speaks with a soft sincerity in his voice, as if reading my thoughts.
I nod, grateful for his reassurance, despite the voice in the back of my mind whispering to me that it is not to be trusted.
"I know," i say, offering him a small smile. "Same here."
He returns my smile, before dramatically rolling his eyes.
"Alright, enough of the dramatics now. See, this is why i avoid you," he teases. "You bring out the worst in me."
I respond with a playful glare.
"I'm going to tell Xavi you were making fun of me."
"Go ahead," he says, and, with a hint of mockery at my expense, adds, "That'll surely get me back in his good graces."
â XAVI â
I raise my head at the sound of a knock on the door of my office, but don't have a chance to answer before the door opens and Wyatt walks in.
As he reaches my desk, he doesn't take a seat, instead leaving me to glance up at him with a piqued expression.
"Yakov has requested to meet with us," i inform him before he can get a word out. "Do you know anything about this?"
He nods, as i expected him to.
"How long have you been in contact with him, Wyatt?" i question, my tone of voice eerily calm and my face void of any emotion i truly feel.
"A few months." he responds, with a nonchalant shrug.
"Have you done business with him?"
"Yes."
"I thought as much." i scoff a humourless laugh.
"He is my brother, Xavi, and i am allowed to go into business with him. Permission is not yours to give," he shoots back.
I raise my eyebrows at his audacity, my patience already beginning to wither.
"Except you chose to work with me," i seethe. "Not him, nor Zephaniah, me." i scoff once more, raising my hands in gesture. "What, are the figures in your bank account not enough for you?"
His eyes narrow in the form of an offended glare.
"I am a product of the working class, Xavi. I will not rest until i am on my death bed, no matter how much money i have accumulated over the years."
I roll my eyes at him.
"Then what was it, Wyatt, that caused you to go behind my back like that?" i press. "You must have a hell of a good reason to have done so."
"For our family...I did it for the welfare of our family," he answers, "and because Yakov requested that i help him to reunite us."
He sighs when i do not react. Producing his phone, he presents its screen to me and begins to flick through a collection of images.
"Three hundred thousand dollars worth of shipments belonging to Yakov were intercepted just last week," he explains, showing me several cryptic documents. "Someone is trying to start a war with us, Xavi," he says. "I have no doubt about it."
I furrow my eyebrows as i contemplate his words.
If my brother is telling the truth and someone really is out to get us, i simply can't sit back and hope that the situation is put to bed without my intervention.
I can't risk putting my younger siblings in danger, even if that means i have to form an alliance with my older brother.
I just hope i won't regret my decision later on...
"Arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible."
â RORI â
Seamus and i are once again sitting on his balcony, admiring the glorious sunset and its array of pinks, purples, and oranges.
This time of the day is my favourite, and i am forever grateful that the weather here is warm pretty much all year round.
When we lived in Russia, it was the complete opposite, and, by the time winter came around, we would be knee-deep in snow.
I loved the snow, and i was acclimatised to it, but i'd much rather be under the sunny skies of California.
"Can i tell you something?" Seamus asks. "But...promise you won't mention it to the others."
I puff the smoke from my cigarette, facing my brother with an expectant look.
"That depends on what it is," i answer.
"It's about Zephaniah," he instantly responds.
Thrown off by the mention of my eldest brother, i immediately take another drag.
"What about him?" i question, in a reserved tone of voice.
"Christian told me that Alfonso came to visit the other day," he says. "When he went to meet him at the airport, Zephaniah was there too."
My mouth drops in horror as i realise what he is saying.
Alfonso, as in Christian's older brother, is a friend of Zephaniah's. And if they were both seen at the airport, i assume they travelled here together.
"Zephaniah is in the state?" i cry. "In Los Angeles?"
"That's what i said."
I shake my head, angrily tossing my cigarette away and then stamping on it.
"No," i insist. "No, that can't be true."
He sighs, shifting to face me properly.
"I don't think Chris would lie about something like that," he defends his friend, shooting me a knowing glance. "You know he wouldn't, Ria. He knows us. He knows our past," he insists, and i can't help but nod my head in agreement.
"Do you think..." i swallow, unsure. "Do you think Xavi knows?"
"Not a chance," he says, somewhat sternly. "If he knew about it, he would have made us aware the moment he found out."
I begin to knead my forehead, feeling stressed by the prospect of our eldest brother being in the local area.
"Well...what if he got in contact with Zeph, himself?" i propose.
"And why the hell would he do that?" Seamus wryly laughs. "Xavi hates the guy just as much as the rest of us."
I shrug my shoulders.
"I agree," i say with a nod, "but shouldn't we mention it to him, at least? You know...in case one of us bumps into Zeph while he's here?"
"What if he's coming back?" Seamus suggests, ignoring my question, with a concentrated expression on his face.
I scoff a laugh at the thought of Zephaniah returning after all these years.
"I can't see that happening." i smile sadly, shaking my head. "He's most likely been in the state several times since he left. You know, for business purposes," i reason. "I don't see why he'd feel the need to come back now. It's been five years, Seamus. We ought to just accept that he's gone forever."
He pins me with a look of incredulity, making me feel insecure.
"You know, that's a rich statement coming from you, Rori." he smirks, knowingly. "Accept that he's gone?" he mocks. "Weren't you crying over him the other day?"
I stare at him, my mouth agape due to the harshness of his words.
"Che stronzo!" i seethe.
"I was just speaking the truth, tu creatura mutante." he innocently shrugs. "You'll never get over Zephaniah. No matter if he returns or not."
I frown, averting my gaze to the concrete beneath me as i begin to crush up the remains of my cigarette with the toe of my boot.
My brother was spot on with with that remark, despite the fact my pride won't let me admit it.
I wish i could get over Zephaniah and Yakov.
I wish for nothing more than that to happen.
But i know i will never succeed in doing so. Because no matter how much hurt they have caused me, they're still my brothers.
My family.
And with family, nothing is ever easy.
"Hand me another cigarette before i lose my mind."
(Edited)