D.S.
I shut the solid wooded door behind myself, watching the sun spill through the three windows that line the top fourth of the door. The light streamed in at an angle catching dust highlighting it like small snow flakes in it's wake. The boarding house was old, a dated museum at best. I turned slowly to observe the foyer now void of my younger brother, only his shoes left neatly against the wall. He was probably hiding away in his room too sullen to face the situation in front of us; and in all honesty I prefer it this way. As long as he keeps himself and his brooding disposition away from me I can wallow in my own disappointment of being relocated to Mystic Falls as Stefan Salvatore's boy guard.
We were forced into hiding because of one of my baby brother's brilliant plans, seeing as I was his brother, and now faithfully sworn into my father's business family I was assigned the task of moving across the country and caring for my idiotic brother. What exactly did my seventeen year old brother do that was bad enough to move us and leave him with his very own made man as a body guard? He fell in love. A breeze laugh seeped from my lips at the thought.
It's truly Shakespearian, Stefan's little love affair rivaled only by Romeo and Juliet themselves. For decades the Salvatore family has run the streets of Chicago, from drugs, to guns, to stolen art we controlled the majority of big crime in the busy metropolis. The only rivals we have ever known were, the Eastern European Petrova family. They were savages compared to us; they were too messy, too public, and far too naive in their tactics. When they appeared in Chicago nearly thirty years ago my grandfather thought they were going to be a problem, but they stayed away from us keeping their hand in pots that never really interested our family. So we lived in peace until recently when the Petrova's newest boss started in on arms sales, creating a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere within the organized crime world of Chicago. It would be in this tense time that my brother met and fell in love with one Katerina Petrova, the princess of the Eastern European Mob. Being they overly emotional and passion individual he is Stefan carried on his clandestine affair with Miss Petrova for eight months before the woman came up missing. It wasn't long before Papa Petrova discovered his innocent princess had been sleeping with a Mafioso prince of her own.
This is about the time hell broke loose on the streets of Chicago, the Petrova's weren't ones for discrete action they gunned down two of my cousins and paralyzed an uncle all in hopes of finding their missing princess. We were going to the mattress, the war looming like a storm above our heads, and I was ready. I could almost taste the blood of those dirty gypsies I was craving the violence, the revenge, because after all I was il sanguinario.
I focused on the den in front of me remembering that my father kept his scotch on an intricate bar just inside the large room. I stepped down into the large open sitting area spotting the crystal and bottle of alcohol, knowing my father's taste the liquor would be something lovely to indulge in, a beautiful way to waste away my hours of disappointment. I pour myself a glass of the amber liquid twirling it around before taking a sip. This was life now, small town Virginia, playing big brother and maybe if I was lucky participating in corrupting the town with a little petty crime. This was it, a musty boarding house and a cellar of wine and scotch…
"This is absolutely uninteresting." I sighed falling back on an oversized brown couch. "What the hell are we supposed to do here?" I questioned myself tipping the crystal glass up against my lips.
"Blend in, keep moving." I glance up to see my brother casually leaning up against the entry to the den. He wasn't as little as he used to be, he'd filled out as he played football, but he was still smaller than me a couple inches shorter and lacking a whole lot of masculinity if you asked me. I raised my eyebrows and offered him a sarcastic smile. "I know I fucked up Damon" I let out a dry laugh, he looked up at the ceiling like he was searching for a solution to this debacle "You have no idea the guilt I live with knowing what my actions of caused, knowing how many people I've hurt."
"Yeah well you wallow in that self pity Stef, while I imagine what I'd be doing if I were still in Chicago…"
"Damon I don't know what you want me to do, what you want me to say. We have to live here, together—"
"Mary-Alice, that's what I'd be doing. God that little petite thing with the white blonde hair, mmm she was tasty." Stefan let out a sigh and I looked at him with a blank face "Want to take my fantasies too little bro?"
"Forget it Damon, it's still early I'm going to try and get registered for school." he shook his head and stood up straight heading for the door.
I heard the front door shut and I looked down at the crystal tumbler in my hand, my fingers were wrapped so tightly around it my knuckles were turning white.
"FUCK!" I cursed aloud throwing the glass at the stone fireplace, watching it hit and shatter into tiny shards. So this is what it had come to, after seven years of service to my father I was stuck babysitting. I ran my hand though my hair as I stood up, knowing I needed to clean up the mess I'd just made. I took the oath at 18; there wasn't much else going for me. I gathered the shards in my hand one by one, the morning sun falling on them and causing them to glitter. I reached for the final piece and it bit at my skin. I hissed at the sharp pain, but watched at the rich scarlet liquid bubble to the surface. I let out a breath letting the crimson color light up my vision, I ran my finger against the cut smearing the blood and reveling in how familiar it looked on my hands….
I had just come off a job, the man was a rat selling out family secrets to a member of the feds, scum like him wasn't allowed to walk our streets, he wasn't allowed to enjoy his days. They didn't get him into their little protection program fast enough, and without him there to testify in court any information they obtained was useless.
I looked into the mirror in the guest bathroom of my father's house. He'd asked me to stop by after the job; I was guessing it was in relation to our Petrova problem. My face had a bit of smeared blood on it; I simply smirked at my reflection. I turned the knob on the sink the hot water pouring from the spout. I put my hands under it letting the water run pink with our now dead rat's blood. Of course I normally wore gloves but sometimes I enjoyed the thrill of blood on my hands. Watching the crimson bubble out of a laceration was invigorating for me, exciting and even earned me the nickname Damon il sanguinario; Damon the bloodthirsty. Once the water ran clear again I splashed some on my face being sure to rub my chin clean, my father hated nothing more than seeing blood on my hands lord knows how he'd react to seeing it on my face. I chuckled at the thought and dried my hands on a towel before heading to my father's office.
I opened the door to his study stepping in silently; he sat at his desk eyes scanning his computer screen.
"None of you men know how to knock do you?"
"Never a skill you taught Me." he looked up at me reading glasses perched on his nose; he raised his eyebrows accepting the truth.
"Never thought there would be a day my sons weren't scared of my office." he smirked. His face was tired, the bags dark beneath his eyes. Since Stefan pulled the shit with the Petrova girl, all hell had broken loose and just two days ago we lost two members of our family to the likes of those ignorant scum.
"I take it you've decided to do something about the Eastern Europeans?"
"Not quite Damon, I decided to do something about your brother."
"I think a pair of cement shoes and a trip to the lake might do him good." my father rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so cliché Damon, and we don't kill our own you know that."
"We kill rats, hell I just killed one even washed up for you."
"Your brother's not a rat Damon."
"Might as well be, who knows what he told that Petrova Whore." he took his glasses off setting the down and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Stefan is not one of us, at least not when it comes to business. He's my son, just as you are. I am his father and no matter his folly it's my responsibility to protect him." I left out an annoyed sigh looking at the ceiling then at my father. "I know you're angry Damon, I know he's caused many personal problems for you in all this, but he's technically still a child."
"Hardly, I was only six months older than him when I took my oath."
"I know" he paused folding his hands in front of himself "What I'm about to ask you to do Damon is something that is very well going to piss you off, but you have to remember that we are family, and above all else the Borgata and my orders come first." I narrowed my eyes at my father, sure there were things I hated drug runs being a package boy but those are all things I'd moved up from, killing wasn't something I necessary looked down on but saw beauty in. What would cause him to remind me of family importance when I knew a war was looming. "There's a safe house one I've take you and your brother to before, we vacationed there a few times when you were younger." I lifted my chin my eyebrows knitting together. " It's in Virginia, I need to take your brother there and look after him." I pressed my lips together
"So now all I am is muscle to you?" the words sharp and biting. "Demoted to playing nanny for your pee brained son?" my father's expression hardened, of course he'd expected this reaction from me, I hated odd jobs, boring jobs.
"Damon your brother needs protecting, and I know you are capable of doing so. Therefore I'm asking you to take him to the safe house and make sure no harm comes to him. You know very well the threat that's blooming with the disappearance of the Petrova girl"
"Stefan put us on the map for that one."
"Maybe so but he's still to be protected Damon."
"So it's not enough that I have to deal with having people following me, having hits out on my own life for being related to the little shit, but now you're asking me to pack up and move across the country with him?!" I yelled at my father "I've given you seven years so far, and vowed the rest of my life, I've risen in the ranks faster than anyone ever has, and as a street war is looming you're banishing me to bum fuck no where to play house with the shit head who started our problems in the first place!" my fathers face was a mask of irritated anger.
"Under no circumstance will you ever speak to me in that tone again do you understand me Damon? You may think you're such a big shot but that does not mean you will disrespect me not as your father and defiantly not as your boss." his eyes were on fire raging.
"Say I don't understand? Say I don't take little Stefan to hide out from the big scary guns! Say I kill the little shit myself!" I turned around my hand fisting my hair a growl escaping my lips. I took two deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart. I heard the sound of a drawer opening behind me, and something heavy being set on the top of my fathers desk. I slowly turned letting my hands fall to my sides. It took a second to register what was happening as a completed my turn back to face my father. He had me by my collar and I was nose to nose with him, a new demon dancing in his eyes. I glanced down at the desk moving only my eyes. He was picking up a pistol with his free hand, his thumb pulling back the hammer. I shut my eyes and swallowed back my rising fear, as felt the end of the cold barrel press to my temple
"Damon, you took an oath." he spoke calmly "You vowed your loyalty to me, and to this family. Now son that includes your unwavering loyalty to whatever orders I give you." I felt myself begin to shake my fathers face evening out from his rage accepting his duty as a boss. "Now if you're telling me that you no longer have allegiance to me as the head of this family I will have to treat you as I do all other traitors." I squeezed my eyes shut praying to God for forgiveness seeing myself moments away from an eternity in hell. My breath quickened as his finger began to squeeze the trigger. "You maybe my son, but don't think that you're not expendable." The fear in my eyes reflected back at me in his as I hear a click. I take a deep breath and he pushed me back roughly. "Don't you ever question my orders again Damon, because next time I'll make sure this gun is loaded."
S.S.
"Stefan!" she laughed her voice like bells, contagious to anyone who heard. I watched as a flash of dark brown curls ran past me hiding behind a tree.
"Miss. Petrova I believe you know better than to try and hide from me." I snuck slowly through the trees my boots crunching the fresh snow beneath them. I see her close shifting ready to run hidden so casually behind a tree to my left. I turn my body to the right before tricking her and turning back grabbing her in my arms.
"Stef!" she giggles as we landing in the cold Chicago snow. "You're getting my hair wet!" she wined with a smile. I pinned her in place staring deeply into her eyes.
"Your point?"
"If I come home with wet hair my Dad is going to ask questions." she gives me a smug look
"Oh yeah? You see maybe a few questions wouldn't hurt coming from your father, I mean goodness you're running around with a Salvatore! I hear they're quite animals." She pushed my shoulder rolling over on top of me.
"Animals? Really Stef? "
"That's what I heard your uncle say when I was trapped in your closet hiding last week." her face twisted and I let out a laugh.
"It's so stupid, they way we're supposed to hate each other"
"Its family business" I sigh
"It's stupid! I hate the whole thing, the lying, the crimes, the murder. Hell I can barley look into my own father's eyes, knowing the things he's done! Oh and my mother, I think she simple drinks her self into a stupor to avoid the facing the fact that her husbands a murder" I reach up and tuck one of her long brown curls behind her ear, the emotional atmosphere crashing down around us. "I hate this Stefan, all of it I just want to be a normal girl with a normal boyfriend who can come pick me up without the threat of having his head blown to pieces. I want so much more than this!" she slowly rolled off of me landing beside me in the snow. Katerina Petrova was my angel, my feisty minx. She laid in the snow her hair sprayed like a halo around her, I rolled to my side my head coming to rest on my hand. "One day Stefan I'm going to leave all of this, all of the secrets and violence, be a normal girl." she sighed
"I think that's easier said than done love." I lean over placing a kiss on her forehead.
"We could do it you know." she whispers eyes fixed on the tree branches above us, "Runaway, never look back. You're too smart and compassionate to become like them Stefan, to join the organization like your brother and father."
"They'd find me, and your family, they'd find you too. That's the hardest lesson I've ever had to learn being the son of a mob boss" I pauses taking a long breath "You can't had anything for long"
"What about us?" she sits up her eyes intense "We've hidden us for nearly six months Stefan!"
"And I walk on egg shells waiting for the day my father or worse my brother finds out about it." her face turns hard, hurt knowing I'm afraid of the circumstances in which I love her.
"Then why risk it" she scowls and I can't help but laugh, her face was far too beautiful to hold such an expression, "Really Stefan!" She let out a disgruntled breath and started to stand up, I grabbed her arm pulling her back down to me,
"I wouldn't be doing this, I wouldn't be risking everything if you weren't worth it Katerina." He brown eyes stared into mine innocence over powering her naive anger. "We'll figure it out, some how some day I promise you that."
That was a month before she disappeared from Chicago, a month and four days before her family and mine found out about our teenage love affair. It's truly the only time I've feared my own family. I knew they were dangerous but I never imagined waking up to Damon holding a knife to my throat...
I felt the bed shift so slightly it barley woke me from my slumber. Katerina was gone like a dream the morning after one that I'd been chasing ever since I caught wind of the news, until now I hadn't slept in four days. Dealing with my family was one thing, and searching the best I could for my angel was yet another. The bed shifted again and I groaned.
"You stupid little prick" my eyes popped open to my brother standing beside me the metallic glow of this trademark switch blade accompanying his deep set frown.
"Dam-"
"Shut up!" his eyes were burning orbs of ice "You know what you've taken from me little brother? You know what your little stunt with that Petrova bitch has done?" he flipped the knife in his hand and in a flash the lighting sharp blade was pressed uncomfortably to my throat. "My life little brother, my entire life as I know it is gone." I stared into his eyes harboring the monster I'd only heard of from the other members of the organization. This man wasn't the same person who used to stand up for me when the neighborhood bullies pushed me off my bike, this wasn't the same man who bought me condoms after hearing my first girlfriend and I, this wasn't my brother who's face was inching closer to mine. His crystal like eyes were void of any humanity, of any love, or compassion this was the monster that organized crime had turned my brother into.
"Damon please!" I pleaded just above a whisper.
"I bet you dad didn't put a gun to your head for your little stunt did he?" I felt the blade biting into the tender flesh of my neck. "Did you know our doting dad was willing to blow my fucking brains out for you?" he pressed harder and I felt blood begin to leak from my throat.
"Damon I'm sorry I did know-"
"You didn't know that one poor life choice could cause so much pain for everyone?" his eyes were inches from mine,"I normally drain people of all their blood when they threaten my life. I watch as every drop leaks out of them, now what would stop me from doing that to you?" He paused and my eyes pleaded with the brother I once knew "HUH?" he yell "Your daddy that what." he withdrew the blade from my neck and I sat up gasping. "I might be stuck with you for now but Stefan don't you ever think that I will forget what you've taken from me."
I would like to thank you for reading, it's bee quite a while since I've been able to write and it's been very cathartic being able to again. Please be gentle this story is slowly becoming my baby that being said I would love feed back just please keep it respectful and constructive.
On another note I am currently looking for a beta reader, if you're interested please send me a private message.
Until next time…