Luciano | Book I ✓

Chapter Twenty-Two

A/N: Enjoy this chapter! Thank you all to the 3K+ followers and over 1.6M reads! I honestly never thought this story would get this far, considering most first stories do not. Anyways! Sorry for the long wait!

[ edited, with tears, that a/n up there brought back so many memories ]

I need this man's phone number, address, social security number, name, and Instagram. HMU when you got it. ^^^

Don't forget to comment and vote!

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It was a déjà vu moment, really. The concrete floor beneath me; it was dark, pitch black and all I could do was hear. If this was what it was like to be deaf, then I am most certainly blessed. I couldn't imagine being deaf; not being able to hear music, birds chirping, people laughing. . . My moment of empathy passes quickly as I peel my eyelids apart, droplets of sweat dripping off my forehead and falling into my eye. I blink rapidly at the uncomfortable feeling, before eyeing the room that I'm in.

It was just like Liam's basement, all those weeks ago. The walls look at though they're made of concrete, just like the hard floor that I sit on. A constant dripping sound, one a running pipe would make, echoes in the back of my mind - if it didn't stop soon, I would surely go insane. The floor is damp and as I clutch my hands together, balling them, I glance down. Blood drips from cuts on my hand, dripping into the thin layer of water around me.

I feel like I'm in a daze, one many people have explained to me that happens once you consume one too many drinks. My tongue feels large as it presses against the back of my teeth, and blood tingles my taste buds. "W-where. . .?"

And then I see it; sitting in a metal chair in the center of the room, is Liam. His arms are wrenched in an uncomfortable looking position behind the chair, clearly bounded by a rope or wire. His head hangs forward, indicating to me that it was likely he was unconscious. Blood seeps through the wounds that were inflicted across his bare chest. He looked horrible; absolutely horrible.

"Liam?" I try to inch forward, to run to his side to help him, but I can't. Chains hold my ankles in place, binding me to my seated position on the cold floor. All I could do was watch, call out, and listen. "Liam?" I hiss a little louder, hoping to wake him from his pain induced sleep.

Fear creeps into the back of my mind when I don't hear his Italian accent whispering back to me. His chest moves, but hardly. Luciano's breathing sounds ragged and hoarse, causing him pain whenever he inhales.

A door in the far corner of the room is slammed open, causing both I and Liam to jump. His head snaps back and the condition of his face makes me gasp. Liam's right eye is nearly swollen shut, a black and purple bruise surrounding the area around it. His bottom lip is split in three different areas, a trail of blood running down the corner of his lip and entangling itself within his facial hair.

He looks tired, beat down, and on the verge of giving up.

Two men waltz into the room, the first one smiling wickedly. He wore an expensive suit, nice watch, and had dirty blonde hair - but he wasn't William. He was tall, taller than Liam and Rico. Blondie smiles at me, then turns to Liam. "How are you doing, this evening?" He chuckles darkly and without waiting for a response, slaps Luciano.

"Stop it! You ca-"

My words drown away once I tear my eyes away from Blondie. With my jaw hitting the floor, I squinted my eyes at the man standing in the corner, a hand on his hips.

Rico.

"You traitor! I swear to God when I get out of here I will slit your throat."

Federico makes a "rawr" sound, using the hand motions and all. "Feisty, me likey."