Chapter 2 of the Italian Mob

Alexander groaned as he felt light hit his eyes and disturb his sleep. He squinted as he opened his eyes before raising a hand to swipe at his eyes except when he tried to move his hands he found them stuck. Looking down, his eyes widened at the zip tie and he pulled at it roughly until he was forced to stop.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he heard the side door open but he didn't look over, choosing to stare straight ahead instead. Damien felt a stab of remorse as he recognized the tactic they were taught since they were kids. If you're even in danger or someone's holding you captive, stare straight ahead and do not let them see your fear.

He angled his body so he was staring at the side of his best-friend's face before putting a hand on the back of the seat, noticing how Alexander flinched away from him. Except, the words that proceeded to leave his mouth showed amusement instead of sympathy for his friend,"Enjoy your nap?"

Alexander's jaw clicked as he was tempted to spit at the man he used to believe was his friend but at the same time he was grateful because the "nap" was nice. He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to make it through a full night of sleep even with sleeping pills. When he felt a hand rest on the back of his neck he was tempted to flinch away but the grip on his neck tightened. "It was fine, thank you," he spit out and then made a show of pulling at the ties.

"You can take these off, Damien. I'm not going anywhere," he turned his head to the side as he muttered,"Not like I could anyways." Damien smirked as he straightened in his seat and turned on the ignition. He revved the engine before explaining,"Yes, well, Xander, I could but I won't. I've been held in chains the past 3 years and not just for pleasure. So, you can take a little bit of time to understand how that feels. As for the going anywhere part, well, you're right, you can't. However, we still have a while before we reach home so let's make conversation. It has been a while since we've talked. How's college?"

Alexander rolled his eyes at the bitterness in Damien's voice and falsely smiled as he said,"Wonderful. I have classes every day and I'm a double major pre-med and law student with absolutely no time for myself." He knew what Damien wanted to hear, that he partied and got drunk and did all the things they promised to experience together but he didn't. He was on a clock and if he wanted to make something of himself he'd have to work twice as hard. Had to work twice as hard, he should say. There's no way his Father would do all of this for a social meeting. There was a war brewing, he just didn't know it yet.

Damien just rolled his eyes and started driving while Alexander twisted his wrists and then gave up trying to get even the slightest bit loose as he settled back. "You gave up," Damien said as he drove with one hand while the other rested on his knee and Alexander shrugged before whispering,"Damien, I gave up a long time ago." Biting his lip at the quiet truth, Damien reached into his jacket before pulling out a switchblade.

Flipping it so that the knife was out he held the knife part in his hand as he let the sheath part point towards Alexander. Alexander looked at him in confusion before he smirked and held the knife closer to his hands and Alexander didn't hesitate to grab it from him. He cut the ties loose and then held his wrist with his other hand as he rubbed at them.

"What does my Father want," he quietly asked, hoping to get an answer but Damien shrugged before he looked over and noticed the annoyed look on his friend's face. Releasing a pent up sigh, he held up a hand in in difference as he said,"All I know is that your Father is getting old. He needs a replacement and you are the only viable candidate." Alexander's eyes widened as he sat back and chewed at his lip.

His hand began to twitch where it was resting on his knee which caught Damien's attention before Alexander yelled out, Damien looked ahead and swerved as he saw a girl in the road. They came to a stop and Alexander put a hand on Damien's shoulder as he asked,"Are you alright?" Except, Damien didn't answer as he grit his teeth against each other and then pulled his switchblade out of his pocket.

He roughly opened the car door and began making his way over to the girl who was still focused somewhere else and Alexander didn't hesitate to pull his own seatbelt off as he followed after his best friend. Damien had just raised the knife when his wrist was caught and Alexander pushed him back. The girl looked up in shock as Alexander pulled her behind him while Damien snarled.

"Damien," Alexander whispered as he put his hands up and took a non-threatening stance before groaning when Damien rushed at him and knocked him on his back. He didn't try to fight back as his friend held him down while punching him over his entire torso. His breathing became labored as he almost closed his eyes before feeling the weight lift off his lower body. He, however, was aware of the gentle hands that rested on the side of his face and body as his body was shook from side to side.

"Hello, mister. Come on. Wake up, please. Preferably, before the angry dude gets back," he recognized the American accent and opened his eyes as he looked up into beautiful hazel eyes and a radiant smile. The girl smiled in relief as Alexander groggily asked,"Who are you?" Before she could reply though her mouth dropped open and she gasped as she looked over her shoulder. Alexander followed her gaze and almost winced when he heard Damien pull the blade out of her body. She slumped forward into his arms and he barely grabbed Damien's wrist as he tried to stab her again.

He barely recognized his own voice as he commanded,"Stop," but did notice Damien's body language change as he let his hand drop and stepped

back. Sitting up with some difficulty, he cradled the girl's body to his own as he brushed her hair back and felt a light pulse. Laying her gently down on the ground, he stood up by himself before picking her up bridal-style.

He barely made it to the car before he looked over his shoulder at Damien who still hadn't moved and said,"You need to drive to the nearest hospital, Damien." Looking as if he might refuse, he groaned as he marched over to the car and threw himself in the driver's seat. Alexander rolled his eyes at the theatrics as he helped himself to the front and slid into the passenger seat after setting the girl down in the back.

"Where's the nearest hospital," Alexander asked as he kept looking back at the girl who was limp on the back seat, the only indication of her being alive the very slight rising and falling of her chest. Damien didn't answer as he jerked the wheel to the nearest exit and then sped through the street.

"Damien, careful," Alexander ground out as he winced at the continuous jolting of the car which irritated his wounds. Damien rolled his eyes as he pulled up to the entrance of the hospital and then watched as Alexander stumbled out of the car before pulling the back door open. He reached in and grabbed the girl before walking into the hospital.

Damien watched him go in as he took out his cell phone and made a phone call. "Where are you?," the man asked and Damien could hear the fury in his voice even though to anyone it would have sounded as if he was absolutely calm. Inhaling deeply Damien scratched the back of his neck as he admitted,"We ran into some complications." His eyes closed as he listened to the man's quite cursing as he launched into a tirade about responsibility and slaughter.

Alexander meanwhile was sitting on a waiting chair as the girl had been wheeled into one of the emergency rooms because of how much blood she had lost. As he brushed his hair back, he became conscious of the blood on his hands and his hands shook as he held them in front of his face. "You can wash up in there, if you'd like. We'd be more than happy to give you a change of clothing for right now. We would like to tell you the authorities have been phoned as this is a serious case," a nurse explained to him as she stood in front of him and Alexander nodded as he got up to leave and followed the signs into one of the washrooms.

As he washed his hands under the sink, he watched the red-stained water disappear into the sink but couldn't seem to get the red tinge in his hands to completely disappear. Tears fell from his eyes as he scrubbed harder and harder until he couldn't tell the difference between the blood from the girl and that rushing through his own body.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts and he straightened up before quickly drying his hands. When he pulled open the door, he did not expect to see the man who was on the other side of the door.

"Hello, Xander," the man drawled as he cocked his head to the side with a half-smirk on his face and then stepped into the bathroom, forcing Alexander back. Alexander gasped as he was suddenly pushed into the wall and a strong hand wrapped around his throat. His toes barely touched the floor as he was slightly lifted off the ground and held against the cold tile.

"F-father," he gasped as he winced when the pressure against his throat was increased.