One Week Before

Every day, the same thing over and over again. I have watched him get purely wasted to the point that he doesn't remember that she wasn't here anymore.

I watched the alcohol bottles line his bedroom, the cigarettes he wishes he never smoked, and the drugs he wished he never took.

He crumbled without her.

And everyone started losing faith in him, I saw it on his face, he didn't care.

He lost her and he was purely empty.

Yet months after the accident something changed, I watched as he rebuilt his shield. I watched him slowly lose all emotions in his eyes, I watched him become stone.

That's when he became violent.

Over the years of knowing him, I watched him torture men, but this was a new kind of violence.

He had nothing to lose now.

He put on a front and regained authority within his soldiers, not only did they fear him but with the fear came great respect.

I watched women worship his every move, his clubs they were all over him. Yet he sat there and didn't utter a single word to any of them, as there hands roamed his body.

"Please, you have to come back to me Ly, I need you." He begged.

He hadn't noticed that I was watching from the kitchen, yet his pleas were loud and clear, it was his breaking point.

That day something had changed in him, he stopped begging for her, he stopped uttering her name, he became so distant from the situation, as if it had never happened.

And now, he was cold.

We all lost something that day, I lost both of my best friends. Lyla was gone, and Easton was never the same, in turn, I had no one.

"For fuck sake, you will fucking die if someone came up to you with a gun, why the fuck have I even wasted time on you," I heard him yell at the new recruits.

They all looked terrified, and if I hadn't known him, I would be too.

From the other side of the room, I can see how powerful he feels. He takes the fear and drinks it, he knows that fear makes you vulnerable.

And here, vulnerability will kill you.

"I'm fucking done with this bullshit." I watched as he walked away, heading towards the door, which he slammed shut.

He had to cool off, even I knew not to bother him when he was in a mood.

I heard the echoed sound of Lily wandering around against the cement floors, she knew who she belonged to, and she had always followed him around.

A type of comfort that she gave him, even when no one else could be around him. Even after 3 years, she knew him better than anyone, yet he refused to take her back.

I stood up from my spot in the gym and started towards his office, the metal door that leads into the stairwell slammed behind me.

I slowly start making my way up the stairs, yet stop when I hear whispering.

"When can I see you again?" The voice wondered.

And then there was silence.

"Please," it begged before letting out a sigh.

I continued up the stairs bumping into Dante who had a frustrated look on his face, I was more than sure he was the voice.

"Who were you talking to?" I questioned, he quickly turned facing me.

"None of your fucking business."

"Have you heard from Megan?" I asked.

"No," was all he said before leaving me alone in the stairwell, the door slamming behind him.

Easton blamed him, he removed Dante from everything. One night he had told me that 'Dante had no business taking her away from him because it was supposed to be him and never her.'

That she was supposed to still be alive.

Easton was never one to really talk about it unless he was intoxicated.

I watched him, he picked up the habit of smoking, which he couldn't put down for 2 years. But before that, he went straight for drugs.

The cocaine lined the table, he sat there doing line after line until he couldn't sit up right.

No matter how much I tried to help, he continued, he wanted to feel better but even if he did, it only lasted a little while

The needles scattered across the floor from an earlier session.

"I fucking miss her."

Injecting himself with as many as he could, and when it didn't kill him, he stopped.

That was why he started smoking, to slowly kill himself from the inside out, a painful death, yet I knew he had been comparing it to how she died and nothing would have been more painful than that.

I listened before opening the door into the lounge, I learned the hard way when he threw a glass at the door when he was mad.

He was sitting on the floor, Lily's head on his lap, a cigarette lite, sitting between his fingers.

"I can't fucking take this place anymore." He spoke, before taking a long drag.

"Easton, go home. I know it's almost her birthday, take time off, we'll be fine by ourselves. There aren't any shipments for a while, and no one is threatening us, so take the time off." I suggested leaning against the island.

He didn't say anything, just let the smoke fill the room.

"Any word on where Megan is?" He questioned.

"No, nothing. She just disappeared."

"What about Joey?" He deadpanned, putting his cigarette in the tray.

"No one has heard anything from him, he's underground, but we'll find him Easton." I stated.

Joey went into hiding, which only meant he knew what he had done wrong. And Easton would definitely not go easy on him for it.

He didn't say anything else, instead he stood up from his spot walking out of the lounge, closing the door behind him.

"Come on Lily, wanna go home?" I questioned.

In return her ears perked up and she walked over towards the door.

Before walking out the door, I turned the photo that was facing the wall on the mantal. Lyla's face came into view, a seamless smile stretched across her lips.

"I'm trying to look after him Lyla, but he needs you more than anything." I whispered.

When I turned around Lily was looking at me, she knew Lyla's name, I could always see it in her eyes whenever anyone said her name.

Making our way through the halls, everyone knew her, they'd take time to show her love. Lily really made a name for herself, everyone loved her.

I round the corner of the hall, finding Dante once again on his phone. Yet he watched me walk by, not saying a word as we walked out the door.

If I knew anything,

It would never to trust Dante.

Yet he never shed a single feeling of remorse for what had happened.

To many thing added up to well together. Megan seamlessly went missing and Dante didn't give a care in the world.

And over the 3 years, the amount of shipments that went missing under his watch only gave one thing.

That there was a rat in the building,

And I had found him.

I think that Easton knew, yet he was never one to speak his mind. And now that it concerned Dante, he was definitely keeping a close eye.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, as soon as I reached for it, it buzzed again.

Turning it on I found several simple text messages from Marcus:

'Fuck this shit.'

'Damion is a threat again.'

'New assassin working for the Italian's, going by Dark Beauty.'

And a picture. The picture was clear as day, and was a message to everyone else;

The Italian Mafia, was coming for us.

I had no idea when, but the blood bath of the picture only showed that they were gaining more power.

And it was only a matter of time until Damion brought it down on us.

-

I don't know if this qualifies as a bonus chapter, but I definitely enjoyed it.

I just got back from my hiatus and writing is a little weird, but I definitely loved writing something for Axel.

This is more of a, "what's to come" I guess you could call it that?

But definitely look out for what's coming!

See you soon loves,

Nova xo