Realistic or Modern The Oath - 1940s Gangster Drama - IC (Ended)

[Misty Gray]

Shannon and Sinead Sullivan

Sinead glanced up to Carrick as he stood over her. Though his reaction was pretty much as expected, his words towards her and the unborn child still shocked her. She gasped for breath as she watched him walk out of the room. She couldn't even think of the words to argue with him anymore, they hadn't got along for a while now so she knew it was useless trying to explain herself to him.

Shannon thought things over in her head and no matter how she looked at it, she was furious with her daughter and she couldn't keep her thoughts to herself. She never could. "You stupid little bitch. I hope you're going to get rid of that thing," Shannon finally spoke up, her eyes fixed on Sinead. She suddenly stood up, which prompted Conor to also stand and block Sinead from his mother's path. "All this bullshit about wanting your own life away from the family business and your screwing the enemy."

"Mum, calm down," Conor said, seeing in her eyes she wanted at Sinead. "Please..."

"Calm down?!" she angrily asked. "Emmet was always too soft on her but if he was here now, he'd be disgusted too. You're a disgrace, Sinead, and you should have stayed in that damn apartment. Maybe you could have moved your fucking Romano boyfriend in then and helped them kill the rest of us."

"Alright. That's enough," Conor finally gave in. He placed his hands on his mother's shoulders and lead her out of the room and into his office to calm down.

The departure of Conor and Shannon left behind a sobbing mess that was Sinead. She thought her mother didn't like her before, but now she knew the woman hated her and it seemed her father would have too. Sinead could barely breathe amongst her uncontrollable crying. She just wanted this to be over now, for everyone to have their say so she could go back to being alone again.​

 

[neverbackdown]

Nicolo Romano​

Nicolo smiled when Olivia answered the door before doing a little bow "why, don't I always sweep you off your feet?" He asked her cheekily. Nicolo took his hand from behind his back and handed Olivia the rose which he had been hiding. "A rose for the lady" he said with a charming smile.
"I made reservations for us tonight for a nice restaurant, so would you like a do over off our valentines date?" He asked her.

Misty Gray

(Sorry its so short ))

 

[Misty Gray]

Olivia Svensson

Olivia responded to Nicolo's cheeky comment with a flirty giggle. "Well, yes. I suppose you do," she told him. She then accepted the rose from him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "A restaurant sounds perfect. As does all of the romance of Valentine's Day," she added. She briefly stepped out of view to retrieve her coat and handbag before stepping outside. She froze for a moment as she recalled the last time they were both on the porch she was bleeding and Nicolo was trying to help her. She took a deep breath before composing herself and locking the front door. "Lead me to the carriage," she happily told him. The attack was in the past, so she didn't need to think about it tonight.


***********
As Vinnie conversed on the phone, he began jotting down a note which he then passed on to Alex. Alex would see that her father had requested she used the other line to try get in touch with Angel and have him come over to the house immediately.
​

neverbackdown
Mentioned: Enzyme

 

[ReverseTex]

Lorenzo Romano

Interactions/Mentions:
Misty Gray
Bellz

Lorenzo nodded at Finns words, “I do agree... This fighting is growing quite tiresome. But Vinnie is a stubborn man, I doubt you’ll get anywhere.” Biting his lip, a thought arose to his mind. What if the Sullivans and the cops teamed up...? No matter, he would discuss this possibly later with the detective. This was no matter Finn needed to hear.

“But really that’s all I wanted, just to apologize to you Finn. If you or your family ever needs help, I am indebted to you. My family has taken the wrong path, and I hope to break that Romano mold...” With a simper, he extended his hand to shake.

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan

Misty Gray ReverseTex
Finn couldn't agree with the man more with Lorenzo's doubt of getting anywhere close to stopping all this fighting. If there was an easy way out, he was sure his cousins would have figured it out and they wouldn't be in any of the messes they had been in. Finn smiled again as Lorenzo revealed his reasoning for bringing Finn here and the young man found a new respect for him. "Well...thank you Lorenzo, really. It takes a big man to do the type of things you did, but it takes an even bigger man to sit here and apologize openly for the things you've done. I will be sure to contact you if I shall need help." Finn stood then and shook the man's hand that was reached out for him to shake.

With that all said in done, the meeting came to an end. Finn felt a bit better than he had been feeling but he had no idea about news that would once again put a negative spin on things

* * *​

When Sinead had revealed everything to them in the lounge, all Finn could do was focus on breathing. As non violent as the man was, he knew that Angel was not a man to take lightly, and the fact that his little innocent Sinead was now pregnant at such a young age made him want to tear the man's head off. He stayed silent as he watched everyone have their own reaction to things. Carrick and Shannon were hard to watch as they basically disowned the girl standing in the middle of the room.

Lucy and James were quiet, not really saying anything, though soft cries could be heard from Luce. Finn knew he was angry, he knew that some of it was pointed at Sinead, for she should have known better than to get involved with Angel. However, Finn had heard what the man was capable of and was almost 100% positive he was the one to take him the night at the pub. This pained Finn to even think about, not wanting to feel the betrayal. Instead, as Conor ran off to calm his mother down. Finn did the only thing he knew how to do. The reason he was given in the nickname in the first place.

The young man stood and walked towards Sinead without a second though. His large frame wrapped himself around her and he pressed her head again his chest, allowing her to cry while he held her. As much as he wanted to be angry, Sinead and him had a history of comforting one another when they desperately needed it. Finn felt it was his duty to uphold his end, even if Sinead hurt him and the family by her mistake. "Its alright Sin, breathe. You'll make yourself sick." He said to her, stroking her hair and beckoning her to calm down. /center]​

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Sullivan


Sinead looked to Finn as he approached her. Two people had done so since she spoke to the family and both of them spoke words which made it clear how much they hated her. Shannon and Carrick were often cold towards her, so in a way she was prepared for their angry comments. Finn, though. If Finn, the most forgiving and comforting man she knew rejected her then she knew she'd lost everyone for sure. When her cousin wrapped his arms around her and let her hold him tight, there was a slight sense of relief amongst all of the guilt and sadness. He truly was a good person and she found herself thinking perhaps she deserved the torture he'd suffered for getting involved with the Romanos in the first place. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing as he told her to. She figured she probably didn't deserve his comfort, but she needed it so much. "I'm sorry, Finn," she breathlessly whispered. "You're a beautiful person, Teddy."

After almost getting lost in Finn's warmth, Sinead pulled away, deciding the others might not want her being hugged so much rather than punished. "I know my word isn't worth much anymore," she addressed everyone present. "But you have to believe me when I say I never told him anything about this family. We didn't talk about business and family wars. We only talked about each other and did normal things," she assured everyone. "I swear I never spoke of Emmet's birthday party. In fact... it all makes sense now. Giovanni ended things about a week before the party and at that time I didn't even know there was going to be a party." She folded her arms tightly around herself as she started to think of how she only saw Angel in a positive light and how he'd never done anything to hurt her directly. Yet, here her family was, all of them hurting in some way because of the side she never saw of the man she loved. "I don't understand how he could murder Emmet and then be so kind and gentle to me. I'm so confused," she gasped, slowly shaking her head.

James Porter

When Lucy leaned into him, James placed a comforting arm around her and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "We'll get through this," he quietly reassured her.

As much as he respected the woman, James didn't like how Shannon reacted towards Sinead. The girl might have massively screwed up, but being so harsh with Sinead wasn't helpful, as far as he was concerned. It certainly wasn't helpful to tell her that her own father would have being disgusted with her, especially when he knew how close Emmet was to Sinead. He wasn't about to suggest showering the girl with sympathy and telling her she'd done nothing wrong, but reactions like her mother's and Carrick's could have terrible consequences. Growing up, James had friends with single mothers who had been disowned by their own families and the things those women did to provide for their kids were dreadful. If the Sullivans weren't careful, he believed they could drive Sinead away and she wouldn't stand a chance at surviving alone. James was about to speak up against Shannon when Conor intervened and lead her out of the room. James let out a relieved breath, grateful he hadn't put himself in the firing line of Shannon's fury.

James was glad to see Finn comforting the girl as it was unsettling seeing her trembling alone. When Sinead began assuring everyone she had no part in Emmet's death, James could only look to the floor. He already knew that was true because Angel had forced Lucy to help him with that one. James watched her closely as she tried to make everyone believe her. He could see in her eyes she was telling the truth. He had no doubt Angel was such a talented manipulator that Sinead genuinely believed he was a nice person. The poor fool. "You're not confused, Sinead," he finally spoke up. "You're naive and too desperate to find the good in everyone. Angel is an expert at manipulating people and your nature made you an easy target. There is no good in that man and the sooner you start to understand that, the better for everyone concerned."

​

Lamia Bellz
Mentioned: Enzyme

​

 

[neverbackdown]

Nicolo Romano ​

Nicolo noticed when Olivia froze but knew better than to say anything, he couldn't blame her after what had happened the last time the two of them were on the porch. He stared down at the spot where he had found her that night and remembered the fear that he had felt upon seeing her in that position. Nicolo wiped the memory from his brain as Olivia spoke up and he smiled as he held out his arm for her to link. He walked her down to the car and held open the door for her before moving around to the drivers side.
When they reached the restaurant, Nicolo parked the car and got out before walking around to open Olivia's door. They walked inside and Nicolo gave his name before they were brought over to their table. "It's a nice place" Nicolo commented. He had meant to eat here before while Alex was working but hadnt had the time until now.

Misty Gray



***************************************

Alexandra Romano

Alex sat forward in her seat when the phone rang and raised a curious eyebrow when her father greeted the man by name. Off course it was someone looking for revenge against her father. She placed a hand gently on Leo's arm to try and comfort him, he was angry enough already, she couldnt imagine how angry he would get now after finding out for certain that it was a recent action of her Fathers which had led to Athena being taken.
When her father handed her the note, she briefly showed Leo before nodding and getting up. She made her way to the other phone and dialled in the number for Angel. "Please answer" she mumbled to herself as she heard the phone beginning to ring.
​

Misty Gray Enzyme

 

[Enzyme]

Giovanni "Angel" Gambino

​

Angel had been reclined on his sofa, drinking rum straight from the bottle. After the incident with Sinead, he hadn't left his apartment. Without her in his life, he seemingly lost motivation to do, well, anything. "Hello?" Angel unenthusiastically answered, only to hear Alex's voice.

He had jumped in the car as soon as Alex filled him in. The car left a nice signature as it skidded off down the road. Red lights and stop signs were nearly yield options as he sped through traffic. Angel almost drove through the Romano gate, impatiently waiting for the guards to open it.

He decided to skip the polite introductions as he entered the house, hearing the severity in Alex's voice. He instead threw his coat over the chair next to Vinnie and sat next to him.

Angel crossed his arms on the table, leaning in close enough to where he could hear the distorted voices. It didn't take him long to put together that these were the people that had taken Athena. He decided to lean back in the chair and read Vinnie's facial expressions to decide how the conversation was going.

neverbackdown Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Detective Edwards

When the meeting came to an end, Detective Edwards got out of his seat and walked Finn to the door. He would call upon Officer Lockwood to drive Finn home. Finn may vaguely recognise the cop as one who seemed to be on good terms with Conor and those at the Emerald. In fact, the cop often helped the Sullivan Boss out, even when Conor was just a young drunken fool spending the odd night sleeping in a police cell. Officer Lockwood would tell Finn to give Conor his regards.

The Detective had closed the door once Finn had left and returned to his desk so he could address Lorenzo. "Well, that went better than I expected. I'd go as far as to say much better than you deserved," he honestly told him. "Nice kid, don't you think?" he observed. "We're going to start off small over the coming weeks. This department is obsessed with cracking down on illegal these alcohol shipments, so that's a good place for you to start helping out," he suggested. The bigger things would come later. Vinnie never dirtied his hands, but there were disappearances and murders still unsolved which weren't going to be ignore by Edwards.
​

ReverseTex Bellz

 

[Bellz]

Finn Sullivan

Misty Gray
Finn let Sinead hold him for as long as she needed. Finn had found what she had done foolish, but it came with the territory of being young. This was a mistake that would take a lot of time to get over, but he knew reacting like Carrick and his aunt had would only make things worse. He shook his head as she apologized to him. "Don't be Sin, I think you are hurt more than any of us could ever be." A small smile came to his lips as she called him a beautiful person. He believed he was the farthest thing from that, but he couldn't argue with the broken girl.

Letting her pull away, he moved to sit down in one of the open seats left vacant by Conor, Shannon and Carrick's absence. His mind was racing trying to think of ways that he could make this better. He knew that his Aunt wasn't going to forgive and forget as easily as him, but she had to at some point right? It was her daughter after all. Finn listened as Sinead explained that she hadn't given away any important information. That was a bit comforting...but he would definitely have that rather than the situation she was in now. Sinead was basically a kid herself, it was going to be difficult for her to transition into the life of motherhood, especially when the family despised the father.

​

Lucy Sullivan

Misty Gray
Lucy nodded her head silently as James comforted her, letting out a relieved sigh at the comforting contact. The blonde paled at both her brother and mother's reaction to her sisters news. She had been angry with her sister, but to her, they were going to far. She squeezed James' arm lightly as she watched her mother and Conor leave the room, leaving Sinead a balling mess in center of the lounge. As much as she wanted to, Lucy couldn't bring herself to stand up and comfort the girl. This was the harsh reality of things, at least when it came to Carrick and Shannon. Sinead knew this was what would come, but she was sure that it didn't make things any easier.

At Finn's kindness, Lucy was not surprised. If anyone would forgive her, Finn would. The man was far too kind and no one deserved him, but here he was, standing with Sinead. Holding her. Lucy wiped at her eyes, calming herself as well. There was no use in crying anymore, what's done is done. Sinead reassured the rest of them in the room that she hadn't told Angel any information that they didn't want him knowing. It was reassuring, but Lucy wished the man hadn't even talked to her sister in the first place. Jaw clenched, she thought of ways they could go about killing him off. Vinnie as well. Both sick bastards deserving everything they would have coming to them. When Sinead said she was confused, she wondered why. Of course they had kept things from her, but did she really not listen to James and her from the beginning.

When she spoke of Emmett's party, Lucy winced visibly. That was her own big mistake. The one she payed for with her father's life only a few months prior. She knew that her sister had no part in it. But Sinead had no idea what Angel had done. James' words were true and Lucy was about to back them up. "We know you had nothing to do with dad's death Sin." Lucy spoke up finally, her voice gruff as she cleared her throat. "The night you decided to head out by yourself before dad's birthday, I followed you. Well little did I know I was being followed and next thing I knew I was in some sort of abandoned building having dinner with Angel, he tricked me Sin. Told me if I didn't do as he said, he would kill our father. I was so afraid that I said nothing, the party was booked by Angel ,Sin, the whole thing was planned. He was there at the party."

"That man isn't good Sin, he's just a great actor. Lies to your beautiful face and turns around murdering the one man in your life who meant the world to you. The one man who would be with us right now, if it wasn't for Giovanni, or Angel...whatever the fuck you want to call him." All Lucy knew was that he better get his name straight, she was sure he wouldn't want any inaccuracies on his tombstone...​

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead and Conor Sullivan

Sinead sat back on the sofa once Finn had found an empty spot. Samson was sniffing around again, which prompted Sinead to pick the puppy up and hold him close to her. His soft fur and warm body were comforting to her as she still felt exposed with the negative attention on her. She looked to Lucy as she told her they knew Emmet's death wasn't to do with her. She mentioned the night Sinead headed out alone - the same night Angel had called her and they split up. "How did you end up in an abandoned building with him?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow. "The party was his idea? But, how did it all still go ahead? Why did you all let the party go ahead if you knew Angel was planning to kill Emmet?" she asked. She didn't understand why Lucy still went ahead knowing Angel was in control of the party.

Sinead stroked Samson's head as more tears streamed down her face. "I can't believe it was all a lie. He made me feel so loved and important, like I wasn't just stupid air-headed Sinead who only cared about dresses. He made me believe I was strong and independent. All the while he was planning on murdering my Daidi... and I'm not even worthy of calling Emmet my father anymore." Sinead looked away when Lucy made the remark about the man's two names. She flinched as the lounge door was pushed open, full expecting her mother to walk in and continue her tirade. She was a little relieved to see it was Conor.


Conor briefly glanced to Sinead before diverting his attention to Finn. "Finn, mate, can we have a word in private?" he asked, motioning for his cousin to join him out in the hallway. After speaking with Shannon, and leaving her in his office, he needed to focus on something else for a moment. His mother had made it clear to Conor how she felt about Sinead and that was terriblr enough. To add to it, he started to feel like a hypocrite, knowing he was in love with Alex - Vinnie's own daughter. He knew Sinead was getting it worse because of the existing tension between the two women and the pregnancy, but Shannon would hardly welcome Alex into the mix were she to find out.

Once Finn joined him, Conor bit his lip. "What happened at the station? Is there anything I need to be concerned about?" he asked him. This was important and at the same time also served as a brief distraction from the mess surrounding Sinead.
​

Bellz

 

[Lamia]

Athena Archer

Athena watched on as Zayn talked on the phone with Vinnie, her heart skipping a beat. While Zayn conversed with the man on the other line, he gave a nod to the two men by the doorway. A look of confusion came over Athena's face as the men came towards her. 'We're taking you somewhere where you can be..alone."
Confused, the men lead her out of the main room and lead her towards downstairs, which looked like a basement. Anthony, one of the henchmen looked towards her, "Go on, boss's going to send one of us down to watch over you soon."

Athena bit her lip, nodding before descending down the stairs of the dark, gloomy basement. She would instantly start shivering as the basement was quite frigid. The girl would lean against the wall, rubbing her hands together to form some sort of heat source. She was still wearing the clothes she had on before. A simple white tee and black jean shorts with the exception of her sneakers, the girl had simple ivory socks upon her feet. Athena felt afraid, wishing she was back at home. However, it would soon turn out that she was from from home as she heard creaking from the stairs, indicating someone was walking down stairs.

Lifting up her brown eyes from the basement floor, she saw one of the younger henchmen walking down the steps. He looked to be at least 19. The young man looked to be of Latino and Native decent with tan,sun-kissed skin and dark, ebony hair that fell at the middle of his back. The young man looked worried for some reason as he walked towards her. "Hey princesa." he greeted.
Athena bit her lip, "I have a name. It's Athena." She corrected. The young man nodded, "Right, Athena." He replied. "I'm Royce. Under normal circumstances, I would have said it's nice to meet you." He added on, lightly chuckling as Thena nodded her head.

The young man let out a sigh, "Let's just get this over with." he grumbled. Athena raised an eyebrow, "G-Get what over with?" Athena questioned with a certain nervousness in her voice.

"I'm just doing my job." Royce answered simply before he grabbed Athena rather forcefully. Pushing her against the hard wall, "You're pretty you know that?" Royce commented, his fingers lightly tracing her arm. "What? Let go of me!" Athena cried out, attempting to pull away but failing tremendously.

Royce leaned down and lightly pulled the hem of her shirt down, "H-Hey stop." She protested to no avail. One by one, sweet innocent Athena's spirit was broken by each act.

"Make her suffer." was what Zayn told Royce to do.

Upstairs, Zayn was conversing with Vinnie on the phone, telling him what he wanted and that he would not let the girl go until he had his money.
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Athena was curled up in the corner of the basement, tears rolling down her face, feeling even more terrified than before. She wanted to just die in that moment. She sniffled, closing her eyes and wishing she was someplace else.
Suffering was what Zayn achieved and the poor girl's spirit was indeed broken.
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In about an hour, Athena was back upstairs with the accompanying of Anthony. The girl looked distraught as she came to Zayn's office. The girl sat down. Zayn observed her intently, noticing her tear-stricken face. "Awh, what's the matter love?"
Her gaze rested on him, not responding and instead being silent. Zayn leaned forward, "You know Vinnie told me that you want to be a singer, is that true?" He questioned.

Athena looked up, slowly nodding her head. "Oh?That's nice. My daughter Lilah was a dancer." he smiled. Zayn tapped his fingers on the table, "But I don't think luck will be in your favor.' He spoke. Her brown eyes cut to him, watching as he shuffled files, "I don't think you'll make it back in the music scene unfortunately." The man voiced, looking to her.
Athena bit her lip, "W-Why?" She asked, first time speaking in an hour.
"Well, there are a lot of factors." He said.

"First you're a woman and it's quite hard for women to make it in any industry and secondly being that people of your kind aren't treated that well, it's not likely that anyone would want to hire you for any music gig." Zayn added.

Athena tried to play it off like she wasn't fazed but a worried look in her eyes told Zayn otherwise.
"You see, you're better off being a homemaker and popping out some kids because you're not going to get far with the way that you're going." He told her. She bit her lip, more tears escaping "That's not true. My mother's a nurse and she's very successful." Athena countered.

"Ah, that's very nice but your mother is only an exception. Blacks and women have to work very hard in this society in order to be successful." He replied. With each word Zayn spew to Athena, her hopeful spirit broke more and more.
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The girl was sitting on a couch, being watched by Felipe, a guard. The young woman gripped the pendant that hung from her neck, praying and hoping that she would leave the hellhole soon. Athena would even be satisfied if Angel came, even though the girl did not agree with the acts that he did.

Mentioned/Interactions:
Enzyme
Misty Gray

 

[Enzyme]

Giovanni "Angel" Gambino

​

After the phone conversation ended, Vinnie and Angel excused themselves to another room to speak privately. The debate went on for what felt to be hours as they attempted to figure out what the best course of action would be. After what seemed to be an eternity, the door finally opened. Angel looked to Leo and Alex before nodding. He then made his way out of the Romano household, just as Vinnie got back on the phone with Zayn. Alex and Leo would be able to hear Vinnie arranging to meet with the kidnappers at a construction sight, on the border of Chicago.
__________________________________________________________________________________

The night was brisk, a hushed whisper laying over the dirt of the construction sight. The unfinished project of the aspiring hotel laid wrapped in paper to protect against the harsh weather. Not much remained on the site, other than a couple of cement cylinders and an old, rusted school bus. Just as the wind was beginning to settle down, a black Ford's headlights pierced through the night sky. The gripped tires crushed the dirt, before stopping a good few feet in front of the school bus. The man who stepped out wasn't Angel, but another Italian. He wore a black suit, with aviators covering his eyes. The glasses were clearly not for practical use, more to hide the nervousness that consumed this man's features.

In the man's hands gripped a suitcase, presumed to hold the money requested from the kidnappers. Athena was clearly worth the time, as Vinnie wasted none getting someone out to the site immediately. He wasn't the usual thug, evident by the sweat rolling down his hairline. He looked like a Romano accountant, thrown into action as a last resort. Still, he calmed his nerves with a burning cigarette. The kidnappers would arrive at any moment.

neverbackdown Misty Gray Lamia

 

[Lamia]

Rayna Caito

Rayna was heading back home after her meet-up with James. It was safe to say that the woman was fairly pleased with how things were going with James. There was a extra pep in her step and a small smile on her lips. The woman honestly could not believe that after all these years that she finally saw James and was actively conversing with him, in the flesh. It more or less felt like a dream.

Her feet took her to the nearby coffee shop in which the dark-haired woman ordered a chai latte, then headed back outside to retreat back home.
Mentioned:
Misty Gray

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Athena Archer

Zayn and his henchmen were getting ready for something and when they ventured out into the main room, Zayn looked straight at Athena. "Come on then, you'll be leaving here now if ol' Vinnie acts right."

Athena looked to the guard before getting to her feet and slipping on her sneakers and slipping on a jacket. She followed Zayn and his henchmen outside. Athena got in the backseat of the car, sitting next to Felipe. Anthony was driving the car and Zayn was sitting in the front. Athena looked out the window, tapping her foot ever so lightly.

Eventually, Anthony pulled up the construction site, noticing an old run down school bus and the nervous Romano accountant. Getting out, Zayn opened the backseat door where Athena was. The girl slowly got out, walking ver to the accountant with Zayn and his workers.
The man greeted the nervous man and observed the suitcase he was holding. "This has the money in it?" He questioned, pointing at the object.

Misty Gray
Enzyme

 

[Enzyme]

Giovanni "Angel" Gambino


​

The man watched the blinding headlights envelope him as the kidnappers pulled up. He kept his eyes locked on their car, almost intentionally not looking at the school bus. As Zayn and his henchmen got out of the car, he felt his hand instinctively clench the handle of the suitcase. He let out a deep breath before looking up to Zayn. “Yes, it’s all in here,” he said, moving the suitcase to Zayn. As Zayn received it, he’d find it to be heavy and believable. When he opened it up he, wouldn’t find a single bill, however, he’d find two phone books shoved into the small suitcase.

Before Zayn could react, the Romano accountant pulled Athena from his grasp. In a solid motion, he threw her to the floor and laid on top of her. Zayn’s henchman raised their weapons at the accountant, about to open fire. Before one of them could fire off a round, a hailstorm of bullets shot from the windows of the school bus.

Several muzzles of submachine guns stuck out a couple inches from the windows, relentlessly firing rounds into the kidnappers. One of the henchmen in the car, went for his pistol, causing the direction of the firing lines to move simultaneously to the large SUV, riddling it with lead. The henchmen attempted to jump into the backseat for cover, but didn’t make it before his back was punctured with multiple bullets. All at once, the firing stopped, leaving a cloud of smoke to float up from the bus. The sliding doors to the bus opened, revealing Angel, holding a steaming MP40.

His boots crushed the broken glass and bullet casings as he moved to Zayn, who laid on the floor clutching his torn, bloody shirt. He stopped within half a foot of him, loosely raising the submachine gun up with one hand. “Wai-,” was all that could escape Zayn’s lips before Angel emptied the remainder of the magazine into his sternum. The man laid dead, along with the rest of the kidnappers.

Angel moved to Athena, wrapping his gloved hand around her arm and helping her up. He escorted her to the back of the car, opening up the door for her. He then climbed in next to her, with two Romanos getting into the car as well, one in the passenger seat and another in the driver’s. The accountant had since gotten up off the ground, obviously shook by the gunfire.

Lamia Misty Gray

 

[Misty Gray]

Vincenzo Romano and Leo Davide

Whilst he was listening to Vinnie on the phone with Athena's kidnappers, it became clear to Leo that this was some sort of revenge. He could feel his anger towards Vinnie building but was snapped out of it when he'd felt Alex's reassuring hand on his arm. He'd glanced to the note which had been handed to Alex and was surprisingly relieved to think Angel would be on the case. The man was brutal in his ways, but in this case it would be in favour of helping Athena, so he wasn't about to judge Angel.

When Angel arrived, Vinnie took the man into his private office to speak. Vinnie had no intention of giving Zayn what he wanted but he wanted Athena safe before the bastards got what was coming to them. The fact Zayn had even crossed him was bad enough, but to kidnap someone who was practically his daughter and demand money was purely stupid. All of those involved in this would be dead by the end of the night and Vinnie made this wish clear to Angel, not that he expected any arguments from the man. After planning things out, Angel left to do his bit and Vinnie made the arrangements for the handover to take place at a construction site.

Vinnie, Alex and Leo remained by the phone as Angel got to work with the help of some Romano men. The air was tense until Leo finally decided to speak up. "How does it feel to be wrong, Vinnie?" Leo curiously asked. "You told Athena to break up with me because I was weak and therefore a danger to her. So, it's interesting to find she's in danger because of you and some shit you've probably done to upset the wrong people."

"Don't start this crap now, Leo. We will talk about this once Athena is home and safe, Until then, don't try to piss me off because I have have no patience for your preaching." Vinnie knew he had been wrong to stop Athena from seeing Leo, but he was in no mood to admit it right now.
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neverbackdown
Mentioned: Enzyme Lamia

 

[Lamia]

Athena Archer

Athena watched as Zayn took the suitcase from the man. He opened the object, realizing that there was merely phone books in here. "Son of a b-" His response was cut off when seeing the accountant grab the girl. The girl automatically tensed up but had to trust that Vinnie had something planned

Soon after that, bullet shots were shot from the school bus, hitting Zayn's henchmen and himself. The sound of endless gunshots met Athena's ears. One by one, his henchmen fell to their deaths. Zayn was eventually down as well but still alive. He gasped as Angel came towards him. When Angel stepped over to Zayn and did what Vinnie asked him to do, the air was deathly quiet with only the sound of the harsh wind.

With Angel's help, Athena got to her feet and walked with him to the back of a car, not even looking in the direction of the fallen. Angel opened the door and the young woman got inside the car. Then, Angel came in next to her along with two other men working for the Romanos.

The girl was quiet and obviously seemed a bit shaken. The kidnapping and the acts that went along with her seeming to have taken a toll on her. Still, Athena turned to look at Angel and uttered an ever so quiet, "Thank you.", before her eyes would flicker down to the car ground.

The car started to move at the moment, heading back to the Romano residence once again. Athena had her arms crossed around her chest, mind seeming to be somewhere else. There was something different about the usually shy, but sweet girl. Like her little cloud of happiness was gone.

When the car pulled up to the Romano residence, the accountant and two other workers hopped out and following Angel, Athena exited the back of the car. The young girl would follow angel inside the home and would be lead to the office of Vinnie where the three people she loved would be present.

Athena looked at them with a very sullen look on her face. Her brown eyes holding a very despodent look to them.

Enzyme
Misty Gray
neverbackdown

 

[Misty Gray]

Vincenzo Romano and Leo Davide

When Angel and Athena returned to the house, Leo practically jumped to his feet, relieved to see the girl back in one piece. Even in his current mindset, he could see as clear as day that she was troubled and he dreaded to think what had happened to her. Expecting Alex to be close by, Leo approached Athena and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Athena. Are you okay?" he asked her, the mixture of relief and concern in his voice. "What happened to you?" he softly spoke to her.


Vinnie couldn't help but smile when he saw Athena walk into the house alive and at least physically well. It was clear to see she'd been through some kind of Hell, but for now he would let Alex and Leo speak to her, not wanting to overcrowd the poor girl. Instead, he pulled Angel to one side to quietly speak with him. "Are you well? Did everything go as planned?" he asked, looking the man over, checking he was unharmed. "Judging by the look on Athena's face, those bastards hurt her. Tell me none of them survived," he asked.

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Lamia Enzyme neverbackdown

 

[Enzyme]

Giovanni "Angel" Gambino

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Angel remained quiet throughout the duration of the car ride, allowing the pitiful hatred, that came with murder, to ooze out of him. Once they arrived at the house, Angel stepped out of the car. He was followed closely by Athena, who appeared to be expectedly spooked. He opened the door for her, before moving in behind her.

As Leo and Alex moved to Athena, Angel met Vinnie halfway. He crossed his arms, looking to the two comforting Athena. He couldn't help but chuckle when Vinnie asked if they were all dead. "Look who you're talkin' to. They all have enough lead in them to make a statue." He observed Athena's blank stare. "I agree, she looks pretty shooken up." He rested his hand on Vinnie's shoulder. "They definitely got what they deserved."

 

[Lazy Taco]

Carrick really didn't know how to feel about what Sinead had told them earlier, honestly what he had said was at the spur of the moment. Honestly he wasn't sure how this Angel looked, he just knew him by name, by the action that Angel had done and how he was Romano. Sighing to himself, Carrick made his decision before getting up from the bed and start walking toward the door that led outside. To him, it had completely hurt when he had said those words to Sinead, but he had been completely mad knowing one of his two sister had been fraternizing with the enemy, even getting pregnant because of it. He was about to open the door and walk outside to apologize to sinead but decided against it, deciding to grab a bag that he had on the closet and started to place his clothes in it, mostly because he had decided to leave the Sullivan the household and attend college outside of Chicago. Once he felt he was done, he had placed back in the closet before he walked out of his room and walked downstairs, toward the exit of the house. His goal? Speak with Cassie maybe before he told the others of his decision.

 

[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano

Alex sat nervously as Angel went off to get Athena. She pulled Rocco back onto her lap and subconsciously petted him to calm herself down. Rocco obviously tired, lay down in her lap and began to drift off, she smiled down at him before looking back up to where her father was. She understood where Leo was coming from when he spoke to her father bitterly and had to stop herself from laughing, when he accused her father off being just as bad for Athena's safety, but she just wished the two would give it a rest as she was tense enough without having to act as a mediator for their problems with eachother.
When the door opened, Alex gently picked up Rocco and stood up before placing the pup down where she had been sitting. She watched as Athena entered the room and quickly followed behind Leo towards her. She stood slightly back as Leo approached her and observed the girl. While she looked physically unharmed, the dead look in her eyes, confirmed that something very bad had happened, Athena looked broken and it hurt Alex to see her like this. When Leo took a step back, Alex moved forward and tightly hugged the girl. "Thena, what happened?" She asked her "did they hurt you? Please tell me the truth"'
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Misty Gray Lamia Enzyme

 

[Lamia]

Athena Archer

Athena took a small step back as Leo came towards her, asking her if she was okay. The girl bit her lower lip as Leo asked what happened. Then Alex did the same thing, but moving towards her and hugging her. Athena listened as Alex asked if she was hurt. She pulled back lightly, looking at the two. "I-I." She stuttered, looking down. The poor girl looked at the two, brown eyes full of brokenness. The young woman looked to her close friends. It was then that the girl felt a sharp pain down with every movement she made. "They did things." The broken girl softly spoke, glancing at them. It was all she could say at that moment. She sniffled, the feeling of dirtiness coming over the innocent young woman.

Thena looked at Alex, who had told her to tell her the truth and knowing her, she meant the whole truth.
"One of Zayn's henchmen, he did t-things to me. I thought that he was working for the wrong man but but maybe he was nice. I..was wrong." Her answer was vague but with one look in her eyes, the two would know what Athena meant. This sweet, innocent girl had been assaulted and it was taking an extreme toll on her.

It was then that tears made its way down her face. "I'm not okay." Athena quietly spoke, brown eyes filled with tears and feeling ever so broken and dispirited.

neverbackdown
Misty Gray
Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

Vincenzo Romano and Leo Davide

Vinnie remained speaking with Angel, glad to hear the man had been as successful as always. It was his skills he would be needing again soon. Vinnie glanced to the others as he heard Athena's words and it became crystal clear just how far those men had gone. It pained him to hear it and though he was grateful all of the men were dead, he found himself wishing he could now have at least one of them to slowly torture to death. He wasn't sure him consoling the girl right now would help her, so he remained a distance away with Angel.


Leo noticed Athena step away from him but as she told them what had happened, he understood why. He let Alex get close to her, figuring she would prefer to have another female consoling her. He nervously bit his lip as he realised the severity of what the poor girl had been through, containing any tears despite feeling his heart breaking for her. He knew he had to stay strong now if he had any chance of helping Athena.

Leo couldn't find it in him to blame himself. When he looked over to Vinnie, he couldn't even put the blame on him - he doubted even Vinnie would be so sickening. Leo approached Vinnie and Angel, his voice low enough for only the two men to hear. "Some things cannot be avoided or ignored. I'm done fighting it - fighting you. Get me a gun and I'll start using it." The usual softness behind Leo's eyes was gone in this moment. He now knew where his loyalties rested and he couldn't keep expecting peace, not with the likes of Zayn, the Sullivans or any other gang threatening himself and those he cares about.

Lamia neverbackdown Enzyme
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[neverbackdown]

Alexandra Romano

Alex listened carefully to Athena when she spoke. She could see the pain in her eyes and her worst fears were confirmed when Athena mentioned the henchman. "Shit," was all Alex could manage to get out as she looked at the broken girl infront of her. She pulled Athena in tighter, holding the shaking girl close as Leo walked off to talk to her Father and Angel. Alex heard what Leo had said but decided it was best not to pass comment at this time. She did not want Leo to get into the business especially knowing how against it he was but Alex thought maybe him learning to use a gun could be a safety measure for Leo.
"Do you want a drink of anything?" Alex gently asked Athena as she lead her over to sit on the couch.
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Lamia Enzyme Misty Gray

 

[Lamia]

Athena Archer

Athena didn't pay mind to Leo going over to Angel and Vinnie. The girl didn't catch the bit about Leo asking for a gun. To be frank, if she did catch it Athena would probably not care, seeing as she was an emotional mess at the moment.

As Alex pulled her in for a hug, Athena sniffled. The curly-haired girl listened as Alex asked if she wanted something as she was lead to the couch in the room. "I guess I'd like a cup of water." Athena answered softly, sitting down on the soft furniture. The light in her pretty brown eyes was gone and instead was laced with suffering.

neverbackdown
Misty Gray
Enzyme