A/N : Only one more exam left so here's a new chapter for you guys lmao. Also, this chapter is very important and I'd also suggest you to read the notes at the end to help you clear out any confusion you might have. Enjoy! x

"Mr. Beaumont, Please take a seat." The head officer - Adam Rodgers, as his badge read - motioned Rye to take a seat in front of him. They were still at the crime scene, sitting inside the large building where the incident took place nearly two hours ago. FBI detectives and several police officers were busy outside interrogating other people and collecting any evidences that the attackers might have left.

The British police and FBI department were highly unaware of the fact that the attack was planned by the CIA itself and Rye knew It must stay that way until this case is over. The CIA, in its rules and policies, is not very different from the mafia gangs itself. The information of any sort is kept confidential unless ordered by the chief executive and any sign of betrayal to the department has severe consequences.

It is basically equal to selling your soul to the devil, but In some ways better and some ways worse than that.

"We've been informed by the CEO of Fowler Corporations that you are Andy Fowler's personal bodyguard. Am I correct?" Officer Rodgers asked, looking at him intently.

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay. I want to hear your side of the story. You can start from when you first arrived here."

Rye took a deep breath and started to explain the events, turning and twisting the story as he had been asked to do by Blair. Officer Rodgers was a smart man but Rye was an undercover agent and he had been dealing with these cases since he was barely an adult, so this was a piece of cake for him. The other man just listened to him intently, burning holes in his face as if trying to look past his composed behaviour.

"You've committed a crime, Mr. Beaumont. You can go to jail."

"I'm aware and I'm not denying anything. But I'd also like to inform you that It was all done under the sheer influence of fear and panic; in order words, It was self defence. And self defence is justified in the eyes of law." Rye replied smoothly.

"Of course. However, you can't go around killing people everytime they try to attack your master's son. Be very careful next time. We'll be keeping an eye on you and the Fowlers' for a while."

"I understand."

"Thank you for your time. You can leave now." Rodgers said, standing up from the chair and offering a hand to Rye. The brunette bodyguard shook it firmly before leaving the building, only to find Mikey standing a few feet away.

"I assume, the interrogation went well." Mikey stated as both of them made their way towards Mikey's black BMW.

"Yeah, It did. However, they want to keep an eye on the Fowlers as this was the second time Andy was targeted."

"Does that mean Andy will be interrogated as well?"

"Probably."

A comfortable silence fell over them as they got into the car and drove off towards the Fowler Mansion. Rye's mind flashed back to Andy's panic stricken state, a frown making It's way to his face as he thought about the boy's fearful eyes.

Andy's reaction must look completely normal to any other person. However, Rye has learnt to look beneath the surface ever since he joined the agency and the man was positive that there is more to Andy Fowler than what meets the eye.

~

Rye arrived at the mansion around 6 in the evening, walking straight towards David Fowler's office. Mikey had left after Rye thanked him for the ride and assured him that He'll be fine. He knocked on the door, only to hear a rough grunt in response which sounded like 'Come in.'

"Ah, Rye! I was waiting for you to come back. Are you fine?" David Fowler asked as Rye sat down in front of him.

"Yes, Sir. I had to stay back for the interrogation."

"I know. I hope everything went smoothly."

"It did. Although the police will be keeping an eye on us and I'm sure Andy will be investigated in the upcoming days."

"That's.. Okay, I understand. I just- My  son is really innocent and I don't want him to get involved in these things." Mr. Fowler sighed as he rubbed his head.

"Andy is a smart and strong willed person. He'll be fine."

"I hope so." The gray haired man tried to smile but It looked more like a grimace.

There's definitely something else he is hiding.

~

Rye heard a knock on his door, few hours later. It was around midnight and He had just got off the phone with Blair. The conversation revolved mostly around the death of their agent, Mason. Blair had been quite furious but he admitted his mistake and told Rye that He's willing to let him off easily this time but the agent will still have to pay for the loss.

His 'punishment' had yet to be decided but He doubt It'll be anything extreme since He was not the one at fault.

Rye snapped out of his thoughts when there was another knock, louder than  before. He sighed and opened the door aggressively, only to find a very pink and embarrassed Andy, with one hand in air - ready to knock again - staring at his chest with wide eyes.

Rye smirked at the boy, leaning his body against the doorframe and watching the gaping boy who seemed to forget what he came for.

"I know I have nice abs, but will you stop ogling me? Its a bit creepy." He said smugly, which seemed to snap Andy out of his trance.

"I'm not ogling you. I just admire a nice body when I see it, Beaumont."
He sassed.

"So you admit that I've a nice body?"

"Don't get too cocky. I've seen better."

"Really, now?" Rye smirked, clearly seeing through Andy's lie.

"Yes! See? This is why I don't want to have a civil conversation with you. You're too damn arrogant and controlling." Andy exclaimed dramatically.

"Believe me, Petal, I am indeed very controlling."

Andy flushed from head to toe, glaring at Rye.

"You're impossible! Go fuck yourself." The blonde boy shouted before sprinting back to his room. Rye stayed at the door, smiling at Andy's retreating back.

Andy Fowler is an interesting boy.

~

He was walking down a dark alley, his small legs rushing to get out of the deserted place. He had been shopping with his aunt Lisa earlier when suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of men attacked the mall they were in. Gunshots were heard, screams of people echoing through the halls and the leader of the gang shouting commands at his fellows.

Lisa had grabbed his hand and led him towards the back of the store, hiding behind a pile of huge boxes. 8-year old Andy didn't understand what was happening. He only knew that some bad guys are trying to hurt the people.

"Lisa?" He whispered in a small voice, looking at his aunt who was shaking with fear, trying not to break down in front of the poor child.

"Y-Yes bub?"

"Are we going to die?" He asked innocently, his voice only having a tint of fear behind it.

"No, babun. Why would you say that?" She was trying so hard to not let her fear take over but her trembling voice gave it away.

"Because I want to see my mummy." He  smiled softly, looking up at her with big blue eyes which were hopeful and full of life.

Lisa sighed heavily and grabbed his small chubby hands, kissing them each before smiling at him through teary eyes.

"Listen Andy, Your mother was very brave. She was a wonderful person and She-She wanted her child to be just like her. You were her strength, Andy. You were the reason she survived for so long, fought for her life for so long. Because she wanted you to have a life. She wanted you to grow up and achieve things which she couldn't. So for your mother's sake, Never ever give up on life-"

Crash! Crack!

"Check in that store!"

"--Don't be scared, babun. Be brave! Don't let them get to you. Run! Run till you get far away from here. Go!" She quickly ushered him out of the back door. The 8-year old child had tears in his eyes. He didn't want to leave the only mother-figure he had, specially since Lisa was the last memory of his mother for him.

But he was scared. He was terrified.

He started to run as fast as his little legs would allow him. He flinched when another gunshot was heard and suddenly, the realization dawned upon him--

"Lisa!" Andy screamed as he sat up abruptly. Tears were threatening to fall from his face and he could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead. His whole body was shaking violently as his ragged breathing was the only thing which could be heard in the dark room.

He didn't have that dream for years.

He got out of the bed, making his way towards the bathroom. His eyes had bags underneath them and his hair were greasy, matted to his forehead. He looked like a mess.

Andy sighed as he splashed some water on his face, trying to clear his head. It was probably very early in the morning; the sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon.

Looks like he is going to have an early morning today.

~

"Good morning, Dad! Morning, Nan!"

Rye was extremely surprised when the blue eyed boy trudged into the dining hall, clad in a black and white baggy stripped trouser and a white crop top. He watched as the boy ignored his presence and went straight towards his father, giving him a quick hug before taking a seat at the breakfast table.

"Ah, Has the sun risen from west today?" David Fowler joked and Rye tried not to cringe. Andy just smiled - no, forced a smile - before taking a bite of his toast.

"Dad, I wanted to ask you something."
The blonde suddenly spoke up, to which his father motioned him to go on.

"There's a party at Brooklyn's house this Saturday and I really really want to go. I mean, I'm his bestfriend after all."

"No." Rye spoke up, surprising everyone in the room, including himself, "This is far too dangerous. You were attacked just yesterday--"

"So what? Should I just lock myself in this bloody mansion because there are some sick and fucked up people outside?!"

"Your safety is more important than some stupid irrelevant party--"

"Your opinion AND you are the irrelevant one here! You are just a bodyguard, Beaumont. Don't get ahead of yourself." His voice was harsh as he spoke, but Rye kept a calm exterior, aware of the fact that David Fowler is watching this interaction with a disappointed look.

"Andy, Calm down son." He said gently.

"I want to go, Dad-"

"I know. And I'm giving you the permission too." A smile broke out on Andy's face which faltered immediately at the next sentence, "But Rye, as always, will go with you."

"But--"

"No buts. You can go anywhere you like as long as you take Rye with you."

~

The long hallway was dimly lit with lanterns, against the old cement walls, which had strange looking scratches on them and their paint kept peeling off. The floor was covered with layers of dirt and dried blood of victims and the flickering of flames only added to the spooky atmosphere of the place.

The man - clad in a black trench coat and long heeled boots - strode through the hallway; his eyes darting around every now and then but devoid of any emotion. He could hear screams from one of the few rooms at the far end of the hall, the painful screeches of victims not having any effect on his cold heart whatsoever.

Upon reaching his destination, He quickly took out the spare key but stopped when he noticed that the door was already open. He only showed a tiny bit of surprise before pushing the metal door open and walking in. The smell of blood and alcohol hit his face, making him scrunch up his face slightly before he took in the sight before him.

Their newest 'victim' was sitting on the floor; a boy not much older than fourteen with shaggy hair and dull brown eyes. There was a deep gash on his left thigh, which was bleeding heavily while the rest of his body looked beaten up and bruised.

"Did Boss send you?" The man who was standing behind the boy with a huge blade in his hand, spoke with a rough drawl.

"Yes. I am here to see how much more time will it take for you to prepare new workers?"

"Clearly not much. This one was a hard one," He spat as he kicked the sobbing boy, "But the others are ready."

"Details?" He asked, taking out a clipboard from his bag.

"12 prostitutes. 14 pan handlers. 20 slaves." The man wrote down the information quickly, nodding his head, "And The drugs will arrive on Friday night."

"I see." He nodded and put his clipboard back into the bag.

"Are you going to look after his wound?"

"I will clean it up slightly so It won't get infected. But the wound should be visible. After all, we need people to sympathise with him." He smirked.

"What about the bruises?"

"Oh they will heal, don't worry. He should be glad that I didn't cut his entire leg off."

~

So the dark phase of the story has started. I know I've warned you before but I'll do it again just so that people will know what they're in for :
This story will contain murder, violence, rape, blood and gore, an extensive range of crimes like burglary, human trafficking etc.
The last part of this story deals with the crime "panhandling" which also means "begging" in simple words. Begging is considered a crime in some areas but there's no punishment for it. However the real crime is when human beings (specially children and teenagers) are being sold or kidnapped for this purpose. If they're lucky, they'll be allowed to beg normally but in most cases to gain sympathy from people, these beggars have their various body parts cut off so they'll be disabled.

Another thing I'd like to say is that I know absolutely NOTHING about these things and most of the information is collected from the internet AND as i love going out of my comfort zone and try out new things, so this is my first time writing a mafia fanfic. I'll try my best to keep it as real as possible but remember that this is fiction and there are going to be fictional facts and scenes too. Also, I don't promote violence in any way but since I love writing new things, i wanted to try this kind of fanfic too.

I also want you to know that Andy's dream was actually a flashback from his past but if you guys paid attention, it started from the "alley" so that means the flashback was not completed. He woke up before that.

On an end note, I'd like to say thank you for all the love and support. I love you and appreciate you all very very much 🌹❤

-VanishalovesLarry 💫