Blood & Pain: My mafia brothers

Chapter 2: Rome

Rome's p.o.v.

Flashes of the cameras blinded my eyes, I wanna put my sunglasses on, press my lips together, and run the hell away from this press conference.

But I smiled instead. I smiled and replied to all the useless questions of these hungry paparazzi.

It's around two in the afternoon and I am standing outside of the biggest and oldest hospital in Sicily...Italy. The sun is too f*****g harsh for my already-tanned skin...and this sweat... Jesus, it's making me want to puke all over the cameras.

But... I smiled and stood patiently instead. Just a few more minutes then I can leave. I came to this hospital to fund some money...and also for my regular checkup that nobody knows about. And it will stay that way.

It has to.

Nobody can know what illness the boss of the Silician mafia is suffering from. They're gonna jump to gain power like a bunch of greedy idiotic crabs.

The sound of a loud horn behind the crowd snapped my eyes on the road. And there it was. My classic black car with my right-hand man, Romeo on the wheel. He is also my cousin. And...I guess Alex is here too with him.

Without wasting my time, I ran...not really. Just jogged my way down the stairs, opened the door, and crouched down in the back seat of my car. As I guessed, the blonde head of Alex greeted me from the passenger seat. f**k. Romeo and Alex gonna banter the whole way... I think talking to those reporters was better than spending my time alone with them in the same car.

It's not like I have any choice anyway. Sighing, I just leaned over the seat and was about to close my eyes when Romeo started his usual inspection.

" So..."

I met his amber eyes in the rearview mirror. They looked a lot like his older sister Ram... It feels like even after her death, she lives inside these brown eyes of his.

Shrugging those thoughts away, I showed my annoyance instead. " What, Romeo?" He should just focus on driving anyway.

His eyes glanced at the road for a second before meeting my green gaze again, " What were you doing in a hospital?"

" Donation.", I pressed my lips together, stared outside at the beach and passing cars instead. " Need to take care of my reputation..."

" If you don't wanna tell just say so, don't lie."

I owe him nothing. That's why I said nothing and he hadn't asked again. Romeo is my cousin, my best friend...my right-hand man. The only person I trusted the most after my brothers and Uncle Danie. Yet. Yet I can't tell him. Not because I don't trust him.

But because I don't want his pity. And...doctors have been saying things like this since the day I was born. My lung...my kidney, they aren't really mine. I have had transplants before. I was a sick...sick kid.

There is no need to worry anyone again. No need to tell.

" Are you sick again, Rome?", Alex asked, his blue eyes snapping at my face. Sick. I don't f*****g like this word. If someone else asked me that, I would have shot them in the head.

Like I shot my doctor last week.

But it was also because he was selling my reports to that Russian moneylender Dante. I am gonna kill that man too one day.

Anyway, I stared at Alex, and no matter how much his question angered me, I let it go. There is no way anyone can get angry with this boy. Uncle Hunter really spoiled him though.

I sighed, and shifted my eyes on the beach again, " No, kiddo."

He hadn't said anything after that. I can feel Romeo's glares though. But seriously I have no energy to argue with him today. That charity event dragged out all my energy. The shocking thing is... everyone there knows who I was and what I did.

I am the reason all those youngsters are addicted...the reason for deaths and crimes in the city. Yet. Just a few million dollars of donations and everyone licks my shoes like some dogs...it's pathetic really.

No wonder Shouka hates us. We are so...fake. So shallow. I am sure she doesn't want us to come back to our house. But dad...ugh, he doesn't like it when we call him that. The man who raised me and my brothers, Uncle Danie, he asked us to come back.

And his words are law.

So here I am, going back to Los Angeles again. Wait. s**t. I glanced at Romeo again, " Take us home first."

He frowned from the mirror, " Why? We have a flight, the jet is ready..."

I shook my head as I glanced at the watch. It's two thirty. We still have half an hour. " Do you think Felix will be ready on time?"

Romeo turned the car towards our mansion instead. He also knows how Felix is. A giant asshole. My twin Felix, even though he is the oldest of us, and should be the most responsible one. But...sadly that guy has no brain. Only muscles...and a huge body that takes unnecessary space.

If he wasn't my twin, I would have killed him by now. Sometimes I am scared Knox will do that instead...I don't think he will even feel guilty for killing our twin. Alexithymia had turned him into a robot...or maybe it's because of the work we forced him to do.

Just because he can't understand what he feels, doesn't mean he can't feel at all. I guess, Knox feels far deeper emotions than any of us. He just can't understand or express. Giving him works like torture and killing...is not fair. But we have no other option.

This is the life we choose. No time to regret anymore. Ah, regret...it's reminded me something even more important, that I should regret doing but I don't.

" Alex?"

Blue eyes gazed at me from the rearview mirror, " Yeah, boss?"

I glanced at Romeo, kinda ashamed to talk about that in front of him. I am spying on my own sister. Who in the right mind does that?! But I never had a right mind so, " Shouka...do you find anything else about her?"

I hear Romeo snicker, he stops laughing after I glare at him. Just because I am living far away from her, doesn't mean I can't care for her. For five years, we hadn't even talked to her. But I am keeping tabs on her...watching over her like a shadow. If it makes me a psycho-overprotective brother. Then so be it. I don't care.

" Alex... Ignore Romeo. Tell me, did you find out where she disappeared to every other day..."

"Nah, she is too good at it.", Alex replied, clearly annoyed that even a hacker like him couldn't catch her. It did make me feel proud of Shouka. Always the intelligent one of us. "b***h even hacked me back and sent porn to all my contact lists... Can't even face my dads after that."

That made me glare at Alex, " Don't call her bitch."

He only gave me a tight smile, not even a bit scared of me. I think along with his dads, we spoiled him too. He is nineteen but acts like nine years old sometimes. Like right now, he is poking his tongue at the leader of the Italian mafia. Brat is crazy.

" I respect you, boss...can even take a bullet for you...But I will never stop calling your sister a bitch.", he smirked as he looked away, " She is also my friend, remember?"

" Fine. Just tell me", I sighed, shifting my gaze to the beach again. " Shouka...she didn't suspect it was me, right?"

Doesn't want her to hate me more.

" Nah, she must be thinking I am bullying her. It's alright."

I nodded my head and we drove in silence after that. It didn't take us long to reach our mansion. And like I guessed. Felix is not ready. And judging the screaming man hanging by his balcony... I think Felix even forgot about the flight. f*****g bastard.

Shaking my head I entered the house, nodded at the guards who greeted me, and ran upstairs to our room. Like a foolish king...he was sitting on the balcony, eating strawberries while torturing some poor man. I guess... I looked at the man who was sobbing as he was hanging upside down with his feet tied with a rope. I think I knew him. He is the one who stole the batch of heroin last week.

There is no need to torture him before shooting him in the head. But Felix doesn't care about logic so... I ignored whatever he was doing and snapped my eyes at his smug face. Even his black hair is irritating me now. They are getting too long. I ignored that too and asked what was more important.

" We need to leave now... And Where the hell is Knox?"

Identical green eyes shifted up at me, " Meeting."

What the...

" You let him join it, alone."

" I didn't let him do anything, Rome. He wanted to.", Felix stood up, smirking to see how perfectly he pissed me off in this hot weather. I will puke on his face if he keeps doing this to me.

" This is a disaster.", I shook my head and turned around to go and find Knox in our meeting room.

I am sure every single leader of familias might be pissing on their pants now. Knox is not violent. He is far from it. Sometimes I think he is an angel. The thing is...he can be quite intimidating to the people who aren't close to him. And nobody is close to him except dad, me, and my other three brothers and sister. And maybe our cousin Romeo.

I stopped near the door as I realized something. Gritting my teeth I gave a last glance to the giant, " And you... Asshole, you can't act like this around Shouka. And change this shirt...what the hell are you even wearing!"

Felix just nodded at the thing about Shouka. Knowing fully well we can't let her see us like this...torturing and killing people. Shouka doesn't need to see us like this. We are still the same for her after all. Still her kind, gentle big brothers.

Nothing has changed.

And, About the shirt thing...Felix just raised his brow and wore a deep red coat above it which looked even more hideous.

He is doing this on purpose. Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him.

I took a deep breath and left. Twenty-six...we are twenty-six, but dealing with Felix feels like we are still a bunch of kids.

I glanced at the watch, fifteen minutes... I guess it's enough time to take Knox, and Felix with me and drive to the airport. I don't want to be late. Don't want Dad to wait for us at the airport... It will look like a disrespect.

I have no idea how things are back in the home. Or how Shouka will react. Honestly, it might not matter as we have no plans to stay.

We are going back just to marry the brides dad...er... Uncle Danie found for us and then we will return here. It's kind of a business deal. Marriage in the mafia is always a deal. It's better and safer than falling in love with the wrong person. So...We are not going to stay there. No need to worry about Shouka's reaction then.

She is our only weakness anyway.

So, no matter what. We will stay far...far away from our swan. I will make sure of that.