Aurelia

52

It's been seventy-two hours since we've gotten that tape from Maxim.

Here I am, sitting between Aiden and an empty seat in another meeting with Diego. Today, this would count as our second meeting.

Elijah was running late today which was a little weird for him. We started to wait for him before we began, but I've come to learn Diego doesn't have any patience.

I sighed loudly, interrupting Diego's speech. "I don't understand why we need to move, that's just showing Maxim that we're scared. We're not."

Diego was getting tired of me, but his input didn't make sense to me.

He turned to me fully and ran a hand through his messy hair. He already looked stressed. "It's only reasonable that you all move to one of my places. We have no idea how that tape got here, which means so many different things. We can't risk anything."

Okay, he's got a point there.

"Is your place safer than ours?" Nic asked with narrowed eyes.

Diego started to answer as the door opened and closed. I didn't have to look to know it was Elijah. He plopped down beside me, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said, seeming to be out of breath. Did he run here? "I got caught up in something."

I glanced at him and gave him a look. "Something?"

He grinned. "I'll tell you about it later," he whispered.

Diego carried on, "It's safe. Guards are surrounding the place at all times, no one leaves or comes in without me or your father knowing," he told us.

A thought popped up in my mind.

"No offense or anything, dad," I said, shifting my gaze towards him. He raised his eyebrows. "but could there be a possibility that we have a rat?"

I mean, it's the only thing that makes the most sense. How else would that tape get on our estate? We have guards everywhere, too.

A line formed between his brows, and I saw Messiah glance at me. "There is a possibility..." he said lowly, looking around at his guards who shifted under his stare. "But I doubt it, everyone knows the consequences of breaking omertà, sì?" he asked his guards who nodded frantically.

Dad looked back at me, smiling. "See? We should nothing to worry about."

"Just a thought," I mumbled.

Everyone went back to talking, completely dismissing the fact that there might be a rat under our noses. I watched and listened as I willed my brain to come up with something useful.

Elijah leaned near me and lowered his voice to a whisper. "What if we don't have a rat within our mafia, but theirs," he suggested.

I glanced at him and he shrugged. I turned back to everyone as I contemplated his suggestion.

"I wouldn't even bring that up to Diego, he swears he knows what he's doing," I tell Elijah.

Elijah groans quietly, making sure not to draw attention to us. "Then we'll do it ourselves."

"Are you insane?"

"Maybe a little, we have that in common."

                                           ..

We moved out the next day.

Dad informed us that it was going to be a long ride, and I was stuck in a car with Messiah, Nic, Elliot, and Elijah.