This is a new story I've decided to just go ahead and put out there. I will be updating every two weeks. I'm taking a break from the BTR fandom and going back to my Niley roots.

Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

This story is completely different compared to everything else I've written. I just hope you all get the gist of just what Nick and his family are really into.

Nick's POV

Walking through the front door of my house, the eerie feeling of another disaster waiting to happen invaded my senses. I took a deep breath and continued on through the foyer and into the kitchen where my mother was the only occupant. I could only see the her dark black hair over the counter and I tapped on the top of it to get her attention.

She looked up, and immediately her brown eyes gave away the exact feelings I had felt upon walking into the house. Annoyance, anger, and so much more because of what was happening only a few feet below us.

"You're late." She said.

"I know. I got held up taking care of something." I lied smoothly.

If taking a nap and sleeping right through the alarm was taking care of something than I had really been underestimating my abilities.

She rolled her eyes and moved around the kitchen as she continued to cook. I smiled as the smell of spices mixed in with her homemade spaghetti filled the air. It had been a couple of weeks since I'd been over here and her cooking had not gone by without being missed.

"You better get down there. Your father and your brothers are already down there." She said, her voice void of any emotion.

"Frankie, too?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

"Oh God, no. Not him," she answered, "Never, if you do what you have to."

Her eyes pierced mine and I cringed at the intensity behind them. For the first time since I'd come in, I really looked at her face. She was obviously stressed and her face was definitely a sign of it. Her forehead seemed to be permanently creased in worry and her mouth was etched in a straight line of silence just like all the other wives in her position.

"Mom, Dad wouldn't put Frankie in this." Even as I said it, I could hear the edge in my voice.

"Nick, please just go down there." She turned away and hunched over the cutting board willing herself not to cry.

I followed her wishes and got my keys out. I walked out of the kitchen and took a left and made my way over to the door of the basement. Flashbacks of my childhood hit me full force as I remembered literally dying to get in there when my dad and crew had their "meetings". I always wanted to be part of the loop, more so than Kevin and Joe, and now all I wanted was to be far away from it as possible.

I put my key into the lock and pushed the door open. I immediately walked down the stairs, letting the door automatically lock behind me. The light at the bottom grew closer and closer as I walked down and soon I was able to see everyone's faces. I felt myself stop to take everyone in and realize just what my life was. Usually at these meetings, not everyone was present but this was different.

From my brothers and father to "family friends", I knew whatever this was, it needed a lot more hands than the usual.

I took my place in between my brother Joe and my best friend Demi's father and ignored all the disapproving looks from everyone around the long table. I looked up at my father who only shook his head in dismay.

"How nice of you to join us, Nicholas." Kevin said distastefully at the end of the table by my father.

Always the little suck up. The way he sat was only an act. Or at least the way he thought he should act. He was always trying so hard to impress. I rolled my eyes and shot him a smile.

"Thanks for having me brother." I retorted.

Joe snickered and immediately my dad held up a hand to silence him. Joe stopped and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as we all waited for my dad to continue.

"Anyway, before I was interrupted, we have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us. We have some people to take care of as well as new shipments. A few people have taken advantage of what we do and I'm not about to let them get away with that." My dad said.

Demi's father nodded next to me and I had to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes. Demi's dad was a certified drug dealer. One of the best on the East Coast, actually. I could come up with a number of times where dealers of his were busted but he was never brought down. He had links all over and made sure to tie loose ends as to not let any crime go back to him. Whoever was on the run had to have something to do with him or else his presence would not have been needed.

I looked over at Mr. Russo sitting quietly across from me. He always seemed out of place at these things but being part of the city council and being involved with such a dirty crew wouldn't do well for his rep. Then again, my dad was the owner of Grey Banking and handled money for some pretty big names on the East Coast and he sure as hell shouldn't be here. But he was the ring leader. He was the reason so many of us survived and thrived.

All this came at such a high cost. All I could think about was how Frankie was up in his room playing video games and had no idea what we really were. He had no idea that his future was literally in my hands if I just sucked it up and made a choice.

"What's our target?" Kevin asked.

"Couple of people. I need some of you to help Monroe and others to help Russo. My guy is pretty young so I won't need as much help with him."

"So cartel and tying up loose ends as usual? I'm fine with that" Joe said easing up.

"Not as usual, Joseph. Everything is different and equally dangerous."

"Aye aye, Captain." Joe answered, pulling out his phone.

I snuck a glance and saw that he had begun texting his girl Blanda, a Russian girl with a lot of connections. Her dad was no joke and the fact that both our dad and his dad approved of them had come to a tremendous shock to me. Then again, both were looking at ways to expand their businesses and having two kids in love was the best way possible. If she gets knocked anytime soon, I think my father would be over the moon in happiness.

"So, if this meeting is over, I guess I'll be on my way." I said getting up.

"Not so fast Nick. Everyone else can leave, but you're mine for a bit longer."

Kevin snickered as the rest of them got up and left the basement. Demi's dad gave me a sympathetic pat on the back before leaving but it did anything but comfort me.

The second the door closed, my heart dropped down to my stomach at the look on my dad's face.

"You know what I expect from you Nick. This isn't a game. Your brothers may have followed my rules but they don't have the mind like you. Look, you went to college and had that life. You're back home now to do what and be who you were meant to be."

Here we go again.

"Dad, its not that easy to find a girl that fits your standards."

"But it's not impossible."

I sighed and rubbed my face over my hands. This was such a lose-lose situation for me. Why did I even try?

"Look, there's a new girl in town, her family is a bit of mix but you know what-"

"No dad! Look, I'm not gonna let you set me up. I'll do what I can on my own. Can I leave now? Please?" The weakness in my voice was evident but it did me some good.

He motioned to the door and I all but ran out and up the stairs. I didn't look back when my mom cried out my name as I fumbled with the doorknob of the front door, nor did I let the anger take over when I heard Kevin laugh at my attempts to escape.

One Hour Later (Jimmy's Diner)

"So, you ran out again?" Selena said

Demi shot her a glare and moved to pat my hand. I sighed and lifted my ice tea to my lips and took a long sip. Selena shook her head in disappointment as Demi rolled her eyes.

"When are you going to take this seriously, Nick? You're not the only one at stake here. What about your mother? What about Frankie? Hell, what about us? Your dad is a great leader but I know you'll be even better." Selena lectured.

"Selena, he came to us for help not judgment." Demi chagrined.

"I am helping. Helping him to see what a big idiot he's being. Oh and did I mention selfish?" Selena said pointedly.

"Wow, can you be anymore of a bitch, right now?" Demi said leaning back into her seat and staring right at Selena.

I should've known better to talk about this with Selena here. Just like me, she believes that handing over the business to Kevin would do more damage than actual repair. Demi was more supportive of my choices merely because she felt the same way I did. We didn't want to be a part of this world. We were just born into it. It was our lifestyle.

Selena never got much of an inside look like we did. She was the daughter of a councilman and was used to holding secrets like her father. Demi and I knew the inside and the out, the bad and the ugly, the lives we helped and the ones we've ended.

"I know what I have to do. I just don't want to be the one to do it. I mean, I'll be set for life but can you imagine? I never want my kids to grow up into this. Hell, I don't want to bring some innocent girl into this either."

"I would say you could always marry me, but I'm good where I'm at dude." Selena commented.

"Thanks for the help, Sel." I answered sarcastically.

Then again, I really didn't wanna marry her in the first place. Demi would've been a better choice for me but of course she was taken by Wilmer. He was her dad's soon to be right hand man, and one day Demi's husband. She had no problem with the arrangement being that she had always harbored a crush on him ever since we were kids. Kind of sucks for me though, I would've been willing to marry her.

"I just wish things were a little bit different, you know?"

"And maybe one day, they will be. But for now, please just do what he asks Nick. We had a plan. Now is the time for it to come into play. Demi, please back me up in this at least." Selena pleaded.

"You're the most qualified to take the position. It's like fate, actually. You found out about your family first. You're not as power hungry as Kevin is but you're not as much of an easy target as Joe is. You have nothing holding you down." Demi explained.

I thought about her words and sighed at how right she was. I had nothing holding me down except for a conscience, but I could easily detach myself from a situation as well. If I couldn't, I wouldn't be able to distance myself away from the things I've seen.

"Look, come with us tonight. Get your mind off of all this shit, and bring home a cutie. That'll relieve some stress." Selena offered.

"Gosh, you sound like a guy. "Bring home a little cutie"? What is he sixteen?" Demi chuckled.

"Hey, I'm just saying…" Selena laughed back.

I managed a snort before getting up and heading over to the counter to pay our tab. I reached into my back pocket to get out my wallet but ended dropping my phone in the process. When I bent down to pick it up, someone was already picking it up for me.

"Here you go." she said without looking up at me.

All I saw was her blond pixie cut before she went dashing out of the diner. I never got a look at her face but something about her seemed weird. The diner had been fairly empty when we first got here and I didn't notice her here at all. The one thing my dad taught me growing up is to know my surroundings and I never picked her up on my radar.

I went to the counter and paid the tab, and left Jimmy a hearty tip before signalling to Demi and Selena that it was time to go. They scrambled to grab their stuff and soon joined me by the door. Just as they reached me, I took a fleeting glance at the window and had to do a double take.

"What are you looking at?" Selena questioned as she and Demi made it to my side.

I motioned to the figure standing outside the diner. They turned to look and Selena merely shrugged and moved to leave. My arm snapped out to pull her back to my side. She grunted and I loosened my grip but never actually let go.

"Well thanks, Bodyguard." She rebuked.

"Nick, she's harmless." Demi said.

I cocked an eyebrow and snorted. "Selena is anything but harmless."

Selena scoffed and struggled to get out of my grasp. I relented and let her go.

"Not Selena. Miley. She just moved here." Demi said pointing to the girl outside the window.

The girl er, Miley was hanging up her phone and glancing around the sidewalk to make sure no one was around before walking away. I could only get the profile of her face and from what I could tell she seemed pretty harmless.

"Does my dad know?"

"My dad does." Selena answered.

"Well, yeah, he's the mayor but yes Nick your dad knows. Like I said, she's harmless. Her mom owns a candle shop like two blocks from here." Demi answered.

"Come on, Nick. Stop being such a weirdo and let's go." Selena said linking arms with me and Demi and leading us out of the diner.

Thanks again for reading. I hope you guys will give me your opinions!

-Nessa