"Mum!" I cried out as a bullet went through her chest.
I ran forward to get to her but strong arms held me back.
"Ssshh. Isabelle, don't cry, it's going to be okay." He whispered as he held me tight.
It wasn't okay. My mum died that night on the do...
The hospital waiting area was loud and crowded. A middle aged man was throwing up in the corner, an angry mother was yelling at some hospital staff, children were crying and screaming. It was simply a nightmare.
Isabella hated crowded places. All the people and noises made her feel extremely claustrophobic. The room was over heated too, meaning it stank of sweat and the smell of vomit floated around freely in the air.
Felix was missing, he wasn't answering any texts or calls. Mason had called Joseph and picked them up on the way to the hospital, with Leo and Adam bleeding in the back. Just because Felix wanted Adam gone, Mason wasn't going to leave him bleeding on the floor of the cells.
"Mason!" The family heard Mason's name called out and they turned their heads. Mason cursed under his breath and stood up.
"Wait here. I'll be right back." He paused. "I promise." He jogged towards the door, ducking in between people.
——— "What the hell do you want? I take it you've heard about what happened, so you know that now is a stupid time to come here." Mason snapped as they walked away from the waiting room.
"There's something I wanted to tell you. Well, actually, I wanted to tell Adam, when he wakes up." Jasmine replied.
"I don't know if he will wake up. Tell me."
Jasmine shook her head and stopped in the hallway. "I might have to. You know the whole story, why he left, what he did?"
Mason shrugged. "Sort of. I don't even think Felix does. I take it you do? I mean, you did sleep with him. A lot." He rolled his eyes, he didn't have the patience to deal with her now.
"And I am really sorry for doing that. I truly am." She put her hand on Mason's arm and he shook it off. "I know everything he did, if you wanted to know... I can tell you..?"
Mason nodded silently, maybe it would help bring Felix around. "Yeah, I think so."
"I'll start from the day he left. He came to me and begged me to come with him. I was drunk and easily said yes. He wouldn't say why he was leaving at that moment but he told me later."
"Why did he go to you?" He interrupted. Jasmine rolled her eyes.
"Don't stop me. Just listen and I'll tell you everything." She carried on, ignoring Mason's sigh. "We took his private plane and left to go to Hawaii. Apparently your mum wanted to go there. It was at a bar later that day where we bumped into a guy called Ryder or Rudi or something. They seemed kinda friendly with each other but he was clearly dodgy. Back at the hotel room he booked us into to, he told me how he had made a deal with that guy that he wanted to take back. They agreed to come to Hawaii because Adam thought that it would be easy and he could do some sightseeing. He told me I looked like your mum to him and it would be like doing it with her."
Jasmine stopped to take a breath. "Got everything so far?"
Mason nodded. "Yeah. Do you know where that guy Ryder was from?"
"He sounded Italian."
"For fucks sake, Dad. What did you do?" Mason leant back against the wall and looked at Jasmine. "His name is Ross. Head of the Italian Mafia. A real fucking bastard. So thats who he meant when he said he mixed with bad people."
"From what I saw, he looked a real bastard. Anyway, he told me what the deal was. And the longer we were there I saw how much he regretted making it. And he started to let that show to Ross who saw this as a weakness and wouldn't back down." Jasmine gulped.
"What was the deal?" Mason said through gritted teeth.
"He and Ross arranged for his daughter and Joseph to be wed when he turned 18. And then Adam slept with me and got me pregnant."
——— Felix sat on a bench outside the hospital. He declined another call from Isabella and slipped his phone into his pocket. His head was aching so badly, the sound of gunshots firing again and again in his ears.
Never in his life had shooting someone hurt so much. That was obvious really, he'd never shot anyone that he cared about. But the feeling was new to Felix and he didn't know what to do with it. Does he ignore it? Or go to a therapist? Or just choke on rice and burry himself in a hole?
However, he did know that sitting outside the hospital, away from his family, wasn't going to fix anything. They needed him as much as he needed them.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Mason saying he was coming.
He swiftly stood up and nodded, whispering to himself; "We're gonna be fine."
——— "What the fuck?! I swear to God if you're lying to me, I will fucking end you!"
"Mason. It's the truth. That's why you needed to know, in case Adam doesn't make it." Jasmine said softly, trying to keep him calm. Losing his temper in the middle of a hospital is not a good look. "Remember when I gave you that shoe box, for your 18th birthday? And it had pictures of us and your family? And your favourite one of you and your siblings? Think about them, Mason. Keep a level head, that's what Felix would do, yeah?"
Mason chuckled quietly. "Felix would've punched a hole in the wall and stormed into surgery to stop all of the doctors. But thank you anyway." He smiled at her. His phone rang and he looked at it, seeing a text from Felix.
"Thank the fucking lord. Felix is alright, he's coming. You might wanna get out of here, he's not gonna want to see you."
Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine. You need to tell them what I just told you. And please call me if- no, when Adam wakes up. I want to tell him about the baby." She paused. "I'm really sorry for the way things ended between us. And for sleeping with your father."
She gave Mason a small wave before walking away, leaving him in the hall.
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