When Different Worlds Collide

Chapter 24

Elijah

I can't believe she fucking caught me red handed, literally, while I was teaching that punk from the Irish mob a lesson. She's shaken up badly and I don't know what to do.

My father asked everyone to gather in his office so that he could tell her our secret. The one thing I dreaded her finding put about me.

"Before we begin to tell you anything you have to do a blood oath which is a form of contract that requires you to never break it, because if you do then you pay the price with your life, understood?" Vincent asked.

"Yes sir," she said. I watched as she slowly swallowed the lump in her throat.

Vincent took the knife that had been used over and over to cut each of our hands for the blood oath ritual practiced in my family. He slid the knife along her palm letting her blood drip onto the parchment paper. We all took turns doing this before he placed the knife down.

I tugged on my hair another time after doing so several times before as my father cleared his throat to begin.

"Let me not beat around the bush. My sons and I are apart of the Italian mafia. I am the Capo dei Capi meaning that I am the boss of all bosses, a leader in the underworld. We are involved in many illegal activities such as fraud, money laundering, smuggling, illegal gambling, loan sharking, weapons and drug trafficking."

"Elijah is in line to take over at any given time, whether because I want to retire or because I'm dead. It is his duty as the eldest son just as it was my duty and my father's duty. Most of the money that we have was garnered illegally and because of our position, we have many enemies and it prompts us to do things that are necessary."

He was referring to what Alyssa had just saw.

"Elijah has had some trouble with the police department. The head of the organized crime division here in New York is always on the lookout, watching him, us and you to see when we'll slip up.

If there is enough proof against us, the NYPD will have everything they need to take my family down. But one thing I can assure you Alyssa is that we are not bad people, everything we do, it's to protect the people we love. If there's a known threat."

I watched her every move carefully, she looked truly disturbed by the truth my father spoke and I just know by looking in her eyes that she doesn't want anything to do with me again.

"Any questions?" Vincent asks leaning back in his chair so nonchalant as if I'm not going to lose the only girl that I care about.

She sits back just staring, and thinking.

"Alright, you can always find out anything else about the mafia on google if need be," he said then he took the lighter out of his desk drawer and lit the parchment with the combination of our bloods.

She huffed out a bitter laugh after processing everything that was said.

"So, you guys put up this facade like you're this perfect rich family? And then the whole thing with going to church, how ironic. I am so sick to my stomach right now and I don't want anything to do with this family," she whispered her voice cracking a bit.

"I'll keep your secret but I can't associate myself with you anymore Elijah, it's not right. I just... I can't stomach the fact that you hurt people. The funniest thing is that I'm all apart of this joke of making you seem normal. I'm sorry but I can't do this, I can do better than a mobster."