Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
“No, Eric! Don’t do this to me! There’s is still a chance to change everything! This can’t be the end! Think about my child!” Rhea begged him. Pleaded with him. Begged him! But all to no avail.
Elijah was there dragging her out just as his brother commanded him. She thought he would be on her side after what they’d been through together. If there was anyone who was meant to be on her side, it should be him! He knew what Lukas meant to her and how much he loved her. Lukas was not the enemy here, he knew that as well. Then why….? Why?!
Rhea had never felt this helpless in her entire life! Help was so close yet so far. She refused to believe she could not help Lukas. How did everything come to this point?
“Please, Elijah…Only you can talk to Eric… convince him… ” The tears were sliding down her face as she spoke to him yet he had an indifferent mask.
There was no changing his mind yet Rhea was too stubborn to give up. She had to try because the moment she stopped, hope would be over and she would be left to despair.
It was quite unfortunate that her hope ran out much quicker when Elijah said, “I’m sorry, but it’s too late for Lukas.”
Her world came crashing down.
Rhea’s body felt heavy as lead and it was Elijah pulling her along until they came into the living room and stumbled upon a commotion. To be honest, Rhea had no desire to be involved in whatever madness they conjured this time. But call it a feeling, or a sixth sense, she felt the urge to look and saw the cause of the commotion, only that it was the last person she expected.
…..
Lukas…? Jesus Christ, it was Lukas?! Although there were a lot of people blocking her view, Rhea could recognize even his shadow at night. Her eyes went as wide as the moon, what the hell was he doing here? However, it quickly dawned on her that they were beating up Lukas. How dare they lay a hand on her man?! He did nothing to them.
“You… what are you doing?!” Elijah grabbed her just as she was about to throw herself in the middle of the fight and save him herself.
“Let me go! They are hurting him! I need to help him! Lukas! Lukas!” Rhea called his name at the top of her lungs.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment even though it seemed like forever, however, Rhea felt her stomach lurch and threatened to throw up the little food she had managed to eat during the day. It was the most heartbreaking scene that she had seen.
“You won’t be able to help him like this!” Elijah scolded her, “Those men are blinded with bloodlust right now and you would only get injured if you get involved right now.”
“What do you want me to do then?” Rhea hissed, glaring at Elijah and thankfully, eyes weren’t bullets else he would be dead already.
“I’ll calm them. Stay here and don’t do anything.” Elijah instructed her and moved to resolve the chaos. However, the crowd was too much and there was little to nothing Elijah could do with no one listening to him.
How could they reduce Lukas to this? Like he was a nobody. Hot white rage filled her and without thinking, Rhea walked over to the table where they long abandoned their weapons. She snatched a gun from the table and shot two rounds in the air.
There was instant chaos as everyone scampered for safety and the few brave ones reached for their weapon thinking they were under enemy attack or something. For all they knew, Lukas coming here and getting beaten might be a distraction only for his people to launch a surprise attack.
However, there was instant relief mixed with disbelief when they found out it was no one else but Rhea. She dropped the gun and went over to Lukas’s side, helping him up. Her heart couldn’t help but break when she saw the bruises all over, they didn’t even spare his face. What had he been thinking coming here?
“You idiot,” Rhea called him, tears sliding down her face. He was hurt all over, where was she even going to begin to treat him? He must be in great pain.
“Don’t cry,” Lukas told her, “Please don’t cry.” It pained him that she had to see him in this condition.
Her firing the gun drew enough attention because Eric and the others finally left the basement and Lukas turned in their direction. Both men stared at each other for quite a while until Lukas broke apart from her and before she could tell what he was up to, he fell to his knees before Eric.
“Spare us,” Lukas begged him with his head lowered and a strong gasp reverberated across the room. Apparently, Rhea was not the only one stunned by the move.
Apart from the bruises visible on his body, Lukas had busted lips and he was bleeding from the head. Dear God, his precious face. This was not the Lukas she knew. Rhea knew how much courage it took him to stoop to this level and she lifted her eyes to stare at Eric whose expression was blank.
As if that wasn’t enough, Lukas kowtowed before him and cried out, “Please spare the Luciano family, Eric!”
Tears poured out from Rhea’s eyes now in a torrent as she realized Lukas didn’t come here to get beaten, but rather to put his pride on the line. He was willing to accept the recuperation of his father’s action.
So without a second thought, Rhea got down on her knees beside him too and Lukas turned to her, stunned. He had not expected her to do that. However, Rhea was filled with determination and faced Eric, saying,
“Please spare the Luciano family, I beg you.”
One Good Deed Deserves Another
This could be a bad idea and might come to bite her in the ass later, another part of her reasoned, but then, Natalie made up her mind. There was no going back now after putting that call to Ruth Nickerson.
It had taken her a while to lose the trail but she did it. While Eric had not said it out loud, Natalie knew deep down that he had people watching her. With the tension rising between them and the Luciano family, the defenses were up, but Natalie didn’t need company this time. What she was about to do, no one can find out or trace back to her.
She was doing this for the future and life of her daughter, Rhea. While Lukas was an honorable man, it was Daniel that she didn’t trust, and look what he caused already. She was about to do what none of them couldn’t do. For how long would they condone Daniel’s crimes? The man would only bring nothing but bad luck to the people around him. She couldn’t let him live.
Natalie arrived at the destination and packed her car. While others would choose a discreet and comfortable location to meet up, the woman selected a public pack as their meeting point. She was just about to call and track her location when a young man approached her and Natalie understood the woman sent him to her.
With a nod of acknowledgment, Natalie followed after the man while looking around her environment. While she trusted this was not a trap and Ruth would not cross her – unless she wanted a war with the Draven family – it still pays to be careful. It wasn’t uncommon news for an innocent person to become a casualty loss.
Even before Natalie arrived at the scene, she found Ruth seated alone on one of the benches while people went about their business. Even while it was night, some families were hanging out while the young ones jogged along. All in all, everyone minded their business.
“You’re here,” Ruth said, letting out a puff of smoke. Of course, the woman was smoking again.
With a mere nod, Natalie sat beside her and the man who brought her there vanished, leaving just the both of them alone. However, she knew Ruth’s people were around and keeping an eye on her.
She watched as Ruth pulled out a cigar from the pack and Natalie sighed.
…..
“Want one?” Ruth offered her even when she knew she wasn’t a smoker and she also rejected it the last time they met.
“I don’t….” Natalie was about to reject her again when it dawned on her that this wasn’t just about smoking, Ruth needed to know that she was on her side.
So she plucked it from between the woman’s fingers and put it in her mouth just as she -Ruth- lit it for her. Natalie took a drag and exhaled the smoke, coughing a bit at the end. She wasn’t exactly a newcomer to smoking.
After Daniel separated her from her daughter and practically ruined her life, she made pretty bad choices in that period. Drinking, smoking, drugs, partying, she did it all. She had no will to live and did whatever the hell she wanted. What was the point of living when she lost everything? But then, Eric and his family were there for her. They gave her a will to live, which was pretty much raising Elijah. She gave up ever since then, until now.
Both women smoked in silence until Ruth asked, “So what changed your mind?”
Natalie squinted against the smoke trailing from the cigarette butt, announcing, “There’s an ongoing war between the Luciano family and the Draven family.”
“So, I heard,” Ruth said.
Natalie turned to her with her brows raised and she shrugged, “News flies around here quickly. However….” She readjusted in her seat, facing Natalie, “Don’t you think it’s too late ending him now? I mean your husband would do you the honor, why come to me?”
Natalie threw her cigarette down and stamped it out and answered, “Because I’m confident my daughter would be able to convince him not to go to war with her beloved’ s family.”
“What a strong girl you have. Love conquers all, I guess.”
“She’s pregnant for him.”