Pull the Trigger | ✓

s i x t e e n

With adrenaline pumping in my veins, I quickly ran up the stairs and grabbed a large duffel bag before packing some of my clothes inside, knowing that I still had most of my clothes at my parents' house anyways so I knew I didn't need much. I bit my lips, glancing at the clock situated on the top that was ticking terribly fast for six in the morning.

"Where are you going?" I heard Noah's sleepy voice sound from the bed, making me freeze as I poked my head out the closet.

"I'm going home for a bit," I answered casually as I threw a couple of my undergarments inside the bag before zipping it up. I almost had a heart attack when I walked out of the closet, Noah sitting up with his back against the headboard, shirtless. I gulped, ignoring how attractive he was in the morning with his dishevelled hair while he rubbed his eyes.

"Why?"

I almost screamed when the clock hit six thirty before quickly grabbing the bag and swinging it over my shoulder. I practically ran out of the room, screaming that I'd call him soon and was out of the house by then, waving to Javier on the way out. He was quite stunned by my surprise appearance and I had managed to get him to fall out of his chair when I bolted through the main house.

I had reached my parents' house within half an hour and my mother had the maids quickly unpack my things before telling me to go change into pyjamas. I had nodded and found myself standing in between my parents at the front porch of our house as a black SUV pulled up the driveway, nerves prickling on my skin.

A tall, muscular man climbed out of the SUV in a black shirt and army uniformed pants with his large duffel bag over his shoulder. His dirty shirt, dirty blonde hair was neatly combed and his ocean blue eyes glittered in excitement.

"Oh, my darling boy!" my mother exclaimed in pure excitement and awe as I watched my brother climbed up the steps to catch my mother into a hug. Tears prickled the edges of her eyes before kissing his cheeks rapidly. "How have you been? You look so grown now."

My heart was full at the sight; my brother has finally come home. I felt something lodged in my throat as my brother then faced me, a soft, kind smile playing on his lips as he opened his arms wide for me. I quickly ran into them, remembering the feel of safety of them before inhaling his cologne. "I missed you so much, Fran."

"I missed you too, Mia," he whispered next to my ear as he held me tightly before letting go.

"Father," my brother acknowledged as he extended his hand out. I watched my father gladly take it before pulling him in for a hug, patting him on the back.

"It's nice to have you home, son."

My parents quickly ushered the both of us inside and had us sit on the sofa in the living room. My father was about to sit when his phone rang and he needed to take the call. My mother, on the other hand, was too busy ordering the maids around to try and get the perfect breakfast for my brother.

Fran and I sat beside each other, his hand in my own as he looked at me, I mean really looked at me, before sighing. "I heard you're engaged."

I nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm engaged to Noah Bellucci."

His eyes caught the glare of my engagement ring as they widened in shock before closely examining the rock. "Wow."

"I know," I replied with a smile. "I told him he could've got me a ten dollar ring from Walmart and the paparazzi would've believed it."

Fran sighed, giving me a sad look. "I don't approve of Noah Bellucci, Mia. He's a very bad guy and something's shady about him."

I shook my head, brushing it off. "Fran, he really is a good guy. If you meet him and still think the worst of him, then I won't bring it up with you anymore but father organised it. We have to go through with the deal. You decided to do what you love and I'm so happy for you. I mean, seriously, you've exceeded in your career."

Fran smiled, shaking his head in amusement as the topic suddenly strayed from Noah. "Oh please, a Sergeant Major is nothing."

I tilted my head at him in confusion. "Fran, don't be so modest, we're family. Anyways, catch me up on your life for the past six months."

Fran caught me up what had happened when he was deported to a private area -he wasn't allowed to name- and discussed how he became close with his comrades. He didn't mention anything extreme but just the daily tasks of keeping order in an area where chaos had found its home. He didn't have any love interest but he had found it fair seeing as he hadn't been searching for one after his last one had broken up with him. In the middle of all of that, my brother had persuaded my mother to allow us to eat in the living room and seeing as it was his first time home in so long, she couldn't say no.

"Do you love him?" Fran asked me as he finished up his pancakes. I gave him a bemused look while I sipped on my cappuccino. "Noah."

I nodded, suddenly feeling home-sick. "Fran, it's an arranged marriage."

"I remember how you always spoke about finding your one true love," Fran reminisced with a distant look in his eyes. "I'm sorry you can't do that anymore."

I shrugged. "We live different lives and they require different sacrifices."

"I've just head about all the cliché stuff about him." Fran whispered under his breath, his eyes focused on me as he sipped on his orange juice. "That he's mean, heartless, all that cliché bad guy kind of stuff."

I laughed. "Not at all. He's very caring; especially with his sister."

"Fran, come with me," my mother beckoned him, casting me a look before guiding my brother up the stairs, as if she knew of Fran's disapproval of Noah. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

Once they were out of sight, I took my phone out and scrolled through the message notifications I had received throughout the morning. Most of the messages I had received were from Noah with pictures of Juliette eating breakfast and a sad face with another text attached that basically said she missed me. I couldn't help but sighed in awe at her adorable face.

"Mia," I heard my father say quietly as he slipped into the seat beside me. I quickly put my phone away and turned my attention on my father who looked way too serious for a day where his first-born had finally come home. "You didn't slip up about the gangs and everything to Fran, did you?"

I shook my head, sighing in guilt. "Father, I've practiced my lies over the years. He knows nothing of our gang. Why?"

My father bit his lips in nervousness. "Someone put the daughter of a Bellucci on a hit-list and since we are allies, we must lend them our supplies but they haven't come through yet."

I frowned at my father, confused at the intel he had just given me. "I thought the supplies had come in last night."

My father shook his head in disappointment. "It was a set-up. You must fix this mess up and talk to Karlo about it, I'm sure he knows nothing of it since I just got the info on it."

I nodded and sighed heavily, knowing there was more work added to my plate. "I still want to spend some time with Fran."

My father nodded in understanding. "You should be careful now that Fran is home. Our enemies always had eyes on Fran whenever he's home but this time, since the crown has passed down to you, they won't hold back."

"I'll have a few of our men follow Fran for protection," I whispered to my father as I heard the footsteps of my mother and brother approaching us.

"Remember Mia, Fran must not know about the underground world."

I nodded in annoyance, knowing that I had been reminded way too many times in this lifetime.