Open Flame

Four

"What are you, stalking me now?" I question, leaning over the bar as I wiped it down - Cody stood at the other side, looking me over and I roll my eyes. "Cody, snap out of it." I say and he meets my eyes with a cheeky smirk.

"No, if it makes you feel better my boss is the owner of this place." He mocks and I nearly let out a gasp but shake my head - I've known the manager of this place for years, and she let me have this job even though I had a long extensive criminal record. 

"Oh really, so you're here to see my boss?" I mock and he turns to look at me with a small smirk, the cheeky smirk that tells me, he's hiding something. He leaned back onto the counter, so his lips were hovering over mine. 

"Were you thinking I was here to see you?" He asks me, and I chuckle before pulling away and turning around to grab a wet cloth to go wash the tables to get ready for the opening of the bar. 

"She's up in her office." I comment, and Cody pushed himself off of the dirty bar - thankfully I was quick to clean up the mess that Cody had left. "And please make sure you don't leave dust on the bar again." I say and he snorts before turning the corner and heading upstairs. 

I sigh, throwing the cloth back into the sink and I groan in annoyance - Cody was testing my patience and if anything, he knew that I was getting annoyed with him. "I'm guessing Cody was just here." Kali says, entering the bar - and I let out a small chuckle. 

"How'd you guess?" I question her, causing her to let out a small chuckle herself as two people entered the bar. "Sorry, we're not o-" I didn't get far when I was met with the face of my foster brother. 

"Jason, what are you doing here? You know if they find you here." I say, but he cuts me off. Kali looks at me confused. 

"I'll wait for you in the back room, I think this is more of a private conversation." She says to me before leaving the room and I shoot her a thankful smile. Once she was gone, Jason pulls out his gun and puts it on the table. 

"Do the same, so we don't kill each other." He says, and I slowly pull out my dagger from my boot and he looks at me. "And the gun, Aliana." He says, and I groan before putting it onto the bar counter as well. 

"They're catching up to you, A. This isn't good, you've got two choices - stay here and watch your friends die, or hide in plain sight and don't draw much attention to yourself anymore." He says, and I tilt my head to the side. 

"That's what I've been doing for months, Jason!" I shout at him, before running my fingers through my hair in frustration - I hated that he was right but I didn't want to admit it. With all my card activity around here, I was going to be found out faster. 

I needed to start getting paid in cash, "Look, I'll talk to Bella, and see if she can pay me in cash. But can you see if you can distract them, Please?" I question, and he nods before walking over to me and pulling me into a tight hug. 

"Please be safe, I am begging of you. You may not be my biological sister - but I will still care for you like you are." He says, and I nod silently into his arms before we were cut off by coughing from behind us. 

"I'm going to leave, like right now." Jason says, before grabbing his gun from the bar and walks out. Cody c***s a brow at me as I slip my gun and dagger back into their original places. 

"What Cody, you're looking at me - like you haven't seen any girl handle a gun before." I say, shrugging and he sighs - pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"I need you to come with me," He says, and this makes me stop whatever I'm doing. He looks genuinely serious, and no amusement was found in his eyes. 

"Why, what's going on?" I asked, and he looked at me. 

"Because, I think I might know who you're real family is." He says, and I drop a fork onto the ground, shocked and surprised, it was the first time anyone had mentioned anything about my biological family. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I sat in the passengers seat of Cody's car, gnawing on my bottom lip as we drove silently through the dead quiet streets - which was surprising due to the fact it was New York, this place was never quiet. 

Unless I was blocking out all sound, which I wouldn't be surprised I was doing just that. It's what I did when I either received big news or I'm anxious. "You okay?" I hear Cody ask me and I turn to face him. 

"You just pounced on me, with information that you may know who my birth family is - and you think that I'm okay?" I question him tilting my head to the side, and he sighs. 

"Look, I'm sorry alright but I think I'm right. The Gonzalez's had a daughter that was taken when she was months old - you're DNA was a hit on police databases, they just didn't want to tell you - I don't think." He says. 

"And why not?" I question him and he looks over at me.

"Because the Gonzalez's have mafia ties, and there connected to the American/Italian mafia." He admits and I clench my fists, and close my eyes. It wasn't the first time the mafia has come up in conversations since me and Kali talked about it most of the time.

Since people from the mafia normally come into the bar. 

"What's my family like?" I question lightly. 

"They're kind, but protective - you've got nine brothers and one sister if that helps." he says, and my eyes widen - Jesus.