{Nico}

My leg was shaking nervously as we got closer towards the ocean by car. I had made Sera drive since I didn't trust myself not to ram straight into the boat like an idiot. Dylan, Erin, Jeffrey, and Wayne stayed back at the detectives office taking care of Lion's son. Sera had told us afterwards that Eli was at the docks. Frederik and Junky were both headed towards the lighthouse nearby so that they could get a good look of us and Junky also took a gun with him just in case I needed backup. He promised he could still get a clean shot without killing Eli even if the winds were picking up. I wasn't sure if I trusted him to shoot a bullet in my general direction but Lion assured me it was fine. Lion and Tea would get there a bit later since they had to go talk to the F.B.I. captain in person and explain the plan. They would arrive with the F.B.I. backup and then they would ensure Eli arrived at prison without any problems. My job was to go in and make sure Max and Mikhail were safe and to try to distract Elisha long enough for Tea and Lion to get there.

Sera didn't know where they were as we talked about our plan without her in the room but she wasn't stupid. She knew that they were still around us keeping an eye out. We were both alone, technically, in the car together. I say technically because all the detectives could hear me because they had lent me an earpiece and vice versa. It was quiet on their end so I figured they were staying silent unless absolutely necessary or they turned off their speaker so their voices wouldn't mess up my train of thought. With that in mind I still was careful about what I said as I was being listened to.

"You know that Eli is only using you, right?" I spoke up and looked at Sera's side profile as she was driving.

"You don't know anything, Nico." Sera said with a blank facial expression.

I scoffed and looked out the window instead. There was no use trying to make Sera see Eli for who he really was now. He had completely won her over. "You're right. I obviously didn't know that you were working for Eli. I didn't know you were feeding him information about everyone. I sure as hell didn't know you were going to kidnap Dan, Max, and Mikhail. Well, perhaps it better to say I didn't want to believe it. I always had that gut feeling telling me something wasn't right about you but I didn't listen to it. You want to know why, Sera? That's because you're family. I thought you would have stayed by my side-"

"Oh? Like you stayed by mine?" Sera interrupted with an angry tone. I glared over at her and noticed that her grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You and I promised to marry, Nico. I thought you would have chosen me over someone like Mikhail."

"When we were kids, Sera. I agreed along to it as we grew older because it was something both you and my father..." I hesitated for a bit feeling my chest get tighter as I remembered my father's death. "wanted." I finished hoping my pause wasn't long enough for Sera to notice. I wasn't even sure if she was aware that my father had died. Knowing Eli, he would have kept her in the dark. "You two decided for me and me being the obedient child I was, I wanted to make my father proud and do as he wished. It was never something I wanted for myself. Marrying you when I only ever saw you like my sister-"

"That's why I chose Elisha in the end. He loved me from the beginning but I was blinded by you." She interrupted me with a raised voice.

"By me?!" I asked in disbelief ready to have a screaming match if necessary, "Your mind has been poisoned by his lies, Sera. How can you not see that? Having a marriage with me when neither you or I loved each other romantically was never going to fill the hole in your heart. Bearing my children wouldn't ever satisfy you. You know that better than I do. You don't need someone like Eli either who beats you into submission and orders you around to be happy with your life."

"You don't know that."

"I do." I insisted, "What you need is someone like Dan to keep you on the ground when you feel like your head is floating. Of course, Eli saw that and made you fuck everything up with her. The sad part, maybe good for you, is that Dan might still forgive you after this is all done and over with."

"She shouldn't." Sera said with a soft voice.

"Damn right." I agreed, "She shouldn't, but she most likely will because that girl has a heart of gold and is head over heels for you. Your vision is just too clouded for you to see that."

Sera loosened her tight grip on the steering wheel. She smiled softly and said, "Apologize to her for me then, will you? I've done her wrong and I don't think I'll have the chance to face her again." Her voice only softened when she spoke about Dan. That was enough for me to confirm that Sera had at least some feelings for Dan after all.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked Sera, "I ain't delivering your message. Do it yourself the next time you see her. Make things right by yourself. I'm not always going to be here next to you holding your hand and walking you through things. Own up to your mistakes and take responsibility."

Sera stayed quiet and kept her eyes on the road. "You're right... Sorry." She looked troubled with something the closer we got. I thought that perhaps she was having second thoughts about following Eli but as she stopped the car by the docks, she looked even more ready than ever.

I shook my head in disappointment and got out of the car. I slammed the door as hard as I could to show my discontent with Sera and also to alert anyone nearby that I was there. I wasn't about to hide from Eli anymore. I was ready to go in firing the gun Junky let me borrow, which he only let me use it after I promised him I wouldn't even leave a single scratch on it. The winds that were picking up pushed my hair into my face but the light rain worked to keep it semi-down, "Frederik, you posted?" I asked.

"We're on our way up." Frederik replied.

Junky spoke up huffing heavily, "I need to work out more at the gym. Despite having stairs at the office, they're nowhere as steep as these."

"What you need to do is not breath so heavily." Tea responded back, "Seriously, Junky, it's disgusting."

"Is your head in the gutter, Tea? Walking up stairs is extremely tiring for my delicate body. You imagining Frederik and I doing something else that would cause extreme huffing and panting?"

"Gross! I wasn't before but I am now. Thanks a lot, asshole."

"Anytime, babe." Junky said and I could picture him winking at Tea playfully.

"You're both idiots." Frederik said sounding annoyed. "Can we all focus?"

"Good idea, Winter." Lion spoke sounding relieved to be able to have a shift in conversation. His tone shifted into one of business as he said, "Try not to kill anyone, Nico. Captain just gave us strict orders. I can get my team out of trouble if push comes to shove but you're with the Mafia so I can't do much for you if you kill anyone, Mr. Delacroix." He said said my name in mock politeness. "It'd be bad for you considering the F.B.I. are basically breathing down our necks over here."

"Sounds hot." Junky added pointlessly.

"Not as hot as you might think." Tea said.

"It sounds like my ideal situation. Guys in suits breathing all over me. Hey, Tea. Let's switch. You can hang with the boring Winter and I'll go play around with the suits. Have you seen the muscles on those guys?" Junky whistled slightly. "As much as their 'protocol' is annoying, I wouldn't mind being around them all day if just for their bodies."

"As tempting... As that sounds, Junky. No thanks. I'll stay here and appreciate  the muscles on these men. No offense, Winter." Tea added quickly.

"No offense taken because it's coming from you." Frederik told Tea quickly before Junky spoke again.

"Says the one not interested in the male anatomy." Junky said.

"That's why I said appreciate."

Frederik then decided to add his input which made me chuckle a bit, "Wow. That's a big word for you Junky. You surprise me everyday." He said sarcastically.

"Hey! Is that because I'm Mexican? Some kind of stereotype that Mexican people are all stupid and don't have an education? I was born in America, you know? I'm a natural born citizen. I finished high school and was even the first of my family to go to college." Junky didn't sound offended at all when he said that. In fact, he sounded proud of himself. Besides, they were probably just joking with one another. They had a history together long before I knew them. They were a tight knit group of friends who worked together. I was almost positive that it was okay for them to say these things to each other but all hell would break loose if an outsider tried the same thing.

"It has nothing to do with your ethnicity and everything to do with the fact that you're a natural born idiot." Tea shot back.

"Low blow, Tea. Low blow." Junky said dramatically. "I thought we were in this together? You and I, a team against the world."

"Since when?" Tea asked.

"Well, since now?" Junky asked unsure of himself.

"Why would anyone want to be 'in this together' with you?" Frederik asked with a snicker. It's sounded like junky had either tripped or pushed Frederik because Frederik yelled, "What the hell?! I could have fallen back! See what I mean by a natural born idiot?"

"You deserved it." Junky mumbled back.

Tea was laughing really hard as she said, "Winter, don't get too mad at him. His learning curve is a circle. It's impossible to teach Junky new tricks."

"Hey-"

"Enough." Lion said, "Let's focus on what's important at the moment, okay? You three can argue later." Everyone agreed and I assumed they all got back to their tasks at hand because it got quiet again. "You there, Nico?" Lion asked.

"Yup." I said swiftly. I rolled my eyes at their pointless banter in between everything that was going on and was a bit amazed that they could shift so often. One minute it was all playful and they bickered at each other like a group of old married couples and then at a drop of a dime the mood was serious and all work again.

"Good, so a recap of before we got interrupted. Don't go crazy in there. Stall for time. Don't kill anyone. These suit guys would love for the chance to take both Delacroix brothers to jail on the same night."

"Yeah. I got it." I told Lion.

"Nico... Normally I wouldn't care what happens to you but with what just happened to your father..."

I flinched at just the mention of my father. "You know?"

"Know what?" Junky asked being nosey. "What happened?"

"Yeah. Captain told Tea and me." Lion said ignoring Junky. I thought that that must be a regular occurrence as I thought back to how many times his team, myself included, ignored Junky.l because of the pointless things he's saying. "Apparently there's a big fuss going on in the underground world right now. They all think they can have the Delacroix estate if-"

"Stop. That's my business and my life. Quit butting into it." I said looking over at Sera who was patiently waiting for me as she leaned against the hood of the car, her eyes staring intently on the boat Eli must have been on, seeing as it was the only one there. "That shouldn't even be on your mind right now. Catching Eli should be your top and only goal."

"It is." Lion said, "but if you get too emotional because of your dad it could jeopardize everything." Lion tried to lecture me. "I know what it's like to lose someone precious to you."

"I did not come this far just to suddenly lose my cool in front of Eli." I spoke harshly. Seriously, who did Lion take me for? I knew the risks of today. I had to admit, yes, I was sad and angry about my father and wanted nothing more than to say my farewell to him one last time and catch Naomi but I wasn't about to start bawling my eyes out and look weak. Father wouldn't appreciate it and I would be extremely embarrassed.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes."

There was silence on all ends for what felt like an eternity as the mood tensed. "Sorry to interrupt." Tea said cutting in, "Nico, you should get moving. There's a storm coming and I don't know how long we can keep the connection between all of us at this rate. The storm might interfere."

"Alright." I said walking towards the dock and signaled for Sera to follow.

"We're almost to the top. We'll set everything up as soon as we arrive." Frederik said.

"Everyone stay safe and on your toes and don't talk using the line unless it's absolutely necessary." Lion ordered.

Everyone agreed simultaneously and then I took a deep breath. I stepped onto the dock and called out for Eli loudly. I was expecting a whole bunch of people to surround Sera and I but the whole boat looked empty, as well as the place surrounding the docks. The problem was where Eli would be on the boat. He would have the upper hand as he knew the boat better than I. Really, looking at it from the outside it could really only have two levels but I was still a bit hesitant all of a sudden to get onto the boat.

"Nico..." Sera spoke up beside me, "You really don't have to meet Elisha. You can still turn back-"

"Stop saying nonsense." I interrupted, "Stay close to me. I'm not handing you over to Eli simply because he has the upper hand. I'll find a way for all of us to get back home by tonight."

"I thought I explained this to you already? If you really want to make me choose then I'll pick Elisha. You had your chance."

I rolled my eyes and finally took that step onto the ship. The whole thing was rocking from the waves which made me stumble a couple of times before finding my balance. I really hoped that I wouldn't get motion sickness. "I had my chance to what? Leave you pregnant and bring a child into this fucked up world we live in?"

"You understand yet you couldn't even do that much for me. I wouldn't let that child be unhappy. I'd do my best to bring it up in a loving family-" Sera said standing at the dock still.

"A loving family? Ours?" I scoffed and turned to look at her, "It would be one hell of a dysfunctional family, that for sure." I corrected her, "It'd be like reliving my father's mistakes. I wouldn't ever be happy with my life together with you and some child we were forced to have because of my father's expectations. I already know that Mikhail is the only one for me now. I'd be off every other day spending my time with him. Sure, I'd provide for our kid and treasure him or her but I wouldn't ever be able to look at you the same again."

"I was fine with that outcome." Sera said as she struggled to climb into the boat.

I turned back and helped Sera get onto the boat safely despite her trying to swat my hands away. Thanks to her attempts to push me away, she almost fell into the water. "Can you chill?" I asked once she was on the boat. "Maybe you were okay with that but I wasn't. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Sera didn't say anything. She was looking forward like she couldn't wait to meet Eli. I could tell I wasn't going to get anything further from her so I took out the gun that I had strapped against my thigh and walked in front of Sera. I took off the safety lock and pointed the gun straight ahead in case anyone popped out. We were coming up towards the front of the boat when I heard a familiar voice cry out in pain. Forgetting that Sera was behind me I ran forward and turned the corner sharply, slipping on the wet floor slightly. I caught myself and placed a hand against the side of the boat beside me.

The first thing my eyes met were Eli's cold, blue, expectant eyes staring at me. The same grin he always had on his face whenever he saw me was plastered on. The rain was slowly starting to pick up so his dark hair clung to his face and neck despite the wind. Eli looked like he hadn't slept in days. Dark, heavy bags under his eyes and he seemed paler than usual. I couldn't form words as he didn't look like the Eli from just a couple days ago.

I looked down to see a body cradled on the floor with his back towards me. When I realized it was Max anger welled up inside me. A puddle of blood surrounded him as his whole body was shaking from the cold. I was tempted to run over to him and cradle Max in my arms but Elisha standing over top of him with a gun made me rethink my choice. I couldn't see Max very well as the only lights we had were the ones connected to the docks and the moon. Thankfully, there was a full moon out so it was pretty bright out, though the clouds would sometimes get in the way. Max was holding his shoulder and seemed to be breathing heavily. He lost a considerable amount of blood and was losing more by the second. I had to hurry up and get Max to a hospital.

Mikhail looked back at me with clear relief in his eyes to see me. I smiled softly at him and he smiled back. I looked at his appearance and he seemed like he was about to pass out. Either from mental exhaustion or something pain. Mikhail had only turned his face around to look at me so I could see dried blood washing off his neck from the rain. I looked down to see him using a golden cane to stand. Blood from his hand dripping down the cane. I took long careful strides forward and put a protective arm in front of Mikhail and pointed my gun straight at Elisha. I turned my head back to look at Mikhail and said, "I'm sorry I took so long. I'm here now."

"That's all that matters." Mikhail said gripping into the back of my shirt with his free hand. "My dad? Is he.."

Eli must have told him about the fire at his mom's shop. "He's okay. Don't worry. I don't think he was inside when it happened and if he was he managed to get out in time. He's safe. Dylan is too." Mikhail looked relieved to hear the news. "The shop on the other hand.." I shook my head slightly.

Mikhail nodded his head, "I figured as much. As long as everyone is safe."

"Brother!" Eli called out demanding my attention with amusement in his voice, "I'm so glad you could finally make it. Unfortunately, I had to restrain these naughty boys from leaving prematurely. I'm sure you understand."

"Like Hell I do." I said looking back at Eli with a strong glare. I pushed my wet hair back and then put both hands on the gun as I tried to steady my aim. The nerves and adrenaline of facing Eli were making my arms shake.

"Don't shoot me just yet. Let me explain so even your small brain can comprehend then." Eli said without dropping the grin off his face, "If they left and made their way to you then you would not have arrived. Then I would have had to come up with some other way to get you to meet me."

"Was knocking at my bedroom door and asking to talk like a normal person not an option?" I asked, annoyed that his mind immediately went to the extremes.

Eli laughed and it sent shiver down my spine, "It was the less exciting way of doing things. I made things more fun this way."

"For who, you fucking psychopath?" I asked growing angrier the more Eli spoke.

Sensing my anger through my voice Frederik spoke through the ear piece, "Don't shoot him. Calm down. Getting him alive and sentencing him to jail will feel better, Nico. Lion will still take a couple minutes to get here. Stall for time wisely. Elisha is looking for a reaction out of you. Don't give him one."

"Better yet," Junky was the next one to speak "Give him a big reaction. Keep him entertained long enough. I've got you covered if Elisha tries anything. We are behind you so I've got a clear sight on Elisha.