Letting down his guard

I flickered  my eyes opened and sprung up from the floor, mom did too. I gasped at the shocking  sight I saw, first Luca was on the ground blood oozing out of his head and then I looked up to meet two of my brothers.

Jayden and Antonio.

What the hell?! How did they...

bang! Another gun shot.

That was when I noticed the gun on Antonio's hand, he was pointing it at Luca who was in his pull of blood. For the first time, I could say Antonio look more like a beast than Jayden, thought Jayden eye was red too but Antonio was... just wild and scary. 

My mother gasped as he shoot again while I winced, he didn't stop. He keeps shooting, Luca was jingling on the floor and his skull was scattering everywhere.

The ugly sight was traumatizing and horrible, I've never witness a blood bath before and to think my brother is actually killing someone in cold blood made it more horrible.

I suddenly couldn't breath, my hands were shaking, my heart beating, I was feeling weak in the kneel. "Stop!!" I couldn't hear my own voice. I closed my ears to the gun shot.

"Please stop it" I whispered shakily.

I kept telling Antonio to stop but he didn't, he kept shooting non stop, blood was everywhere. I felt hands holding me but it felt like I was in another world, I was panting heavily and shaking.

I was hearing angry voices but couldn't get a sense of what's going on anymore... I've never been this terrified all my life.

"Clarrisa"

"Clarrisa"

"Clarrissa" multiple voices was calling my name but I was too absolved in my fearful fantasies, fearing for my life, fearing Antonio and even this moment. I didn't want to come out of my trance because I might just die.

Jayden's P.O.V,

I never knew clarrisa  had strong effect on me until I've to stay apart from her for just few days. I know I'm not really a fan of her sulking all the time being unnecessary scared but I came to realize those are the reasons why I'd miss her so much.

There was no one to cuddle around or pet to calm down. Sometimes her attitude makes me smiles but I just didn't show it, the only thing I could do was transfer everything into anger.

Well let's say at first I was being angry at her for real because I just didn't know how to handle her and it was hurting badly that my sister was being scared of me but slowly I grew use to it and fond of her, yes I didn't show it because I didn't want anyone to know how much I adore her, that might put her in danger.

I've many enemies and I don't trust any of my gang members, my brothers may trust them all but not me and should they suspect I loves clarrisa so much they might rat her out to my enemies and use her against me.

I love Racheal too but she's sure smart and strong, but clarrisa is an easy target in the mafia.

Honestly I've fought the urge to not disobey Antonio and go see her, I've brought up the topics several times with Antonio but he keeps telling me, we will go bring  her when the time is right and he  assures me that she's safe because he have men keeping tabs on her.

Even at that, I later made a resolution to go see my baby sister, the thought that she's in danger kept creeping around my skin like maggots and I guessed same for Liam and Mattoe who keep pressing to go bring clarrisa back but Aside from the fact that I've been madly occupied with work at the company, I soon realized it was wise to stay clear from clarrisa because some of our enemies were already throwing us red signals.

While we could focus on protecting Racheal, we didn't want to get involved with clarrisa instead Antonio doubled the men watching over her.

"Thank you so much for trusting us, I can assure you. You won't regret this." I said smiling as I shook hands with the men rouding the board table. I've just successfully sealed a contract with some big clients in our legal company.

After shaking hands with them all and exchanging pleasantries, they were all out. I smirked as I made my way outside to search for Antonio who'd left at the middle of the meeting  when his phone rang.

Greetings bombarded my ears from our workers as I walked through the center of the company, on a look out for Antonio.  I replied to relevant ones. It doesn't take long before I met Antonio standing outside the company building still on a phone call. What got me confuse was the dead angry look on his face.

"No don't do anything. Just keep an eye on them. I don't want my sister to know she's being watched and perharps you might scare her to death." With that Antonio hung the call.

"What's going on Antonio?" I asked almost immediately he droppped the call.

"How did the meeting went?!" He asked instead.

"Successful.  now tell me what's going on?!" I was running out of patient because I knew my sister is involved.

"You remember the certain man jace told us was frequently visiting clarrisa's mother's house right?"

"Yeah."

"Jace told me the fucker came visiting this morning and I told him to keep a close eye on him because I don't trust him One bit and guess what? The motherfucker is harassing clarrissa and her mother right now." Antonio spat, his eyes flaming red and his fist clenched tight.

"The fuck! Then what are we doing here Antonio?" I half-yelled, already seeing instant red.

"You can't come with me Jayden I'll take care of things" Antonio says while making way to the garage.

"Like I'm buying that." I scoffed and walked ahead of him. The fucker can't tell me some bastard is harassing my baby right now and I should stay back. Tsk! Who does that.

All Antonio effort to try to stop me from going with him fell down the drain because I hop right into the car with him when he does.

I was even the one who drove us down to clarrissa'. It was the most fastest ride I've had in my life, In few seconds we were at clarrisa's compound because i was like flash on the road of course not caring about at the Goddamn road rules.

Anger build a tower in me when I spotted the scenario right while inside the car, a fucker was thrashing my sister against the wall trying to force his way on her and a woman was behind him crying—clarrisa adoptive mother obviously.

"The fuck!!" I gritted my teeth and threw a gander at Antonio. His looks described a roaring lion seeking to devour, the fire in Antonio eyes was enough to burn me whole, for moment he seem to zone out or something because I called him several times before he jolts back and when he does, he shove out the gun from his back pocket and burst the car door open.

I did the same.

By the time we've gotten to them, clarrisa and her mother was now on the floor while the bastard was advancing towards then on loosed trouser, he was like a predator which was about to be my prey for sure.

In that moment I thought of all the torture I could do to him but Antonio didn't made that happen because he'd shot the man on the head before I could realize it.

That was when my sister and her mother noticed us, but Antonio who didn't  seem to care about anything around was focused on the fucker on the ground, he keeps shooting. His skull splattering everywhere, his blood over flowing.

Clarissa started trembling seriously, her palms in her ears and she was muttering 'stop'- she was telling Antonio to stop. Before I could go over to her, her mother had already drew her close trying to pull her out of her trancelike and make her calm down but she kept staring at the battered man on the ground and muttering stop but Antonio being a bitch didn't get the clue.

"That's enough Antonio!" I told him in an high-grating voice but that fell on deaf ears.

"ANTONIO FUCKING PUT THAT GUN DOWN YOU ARE GIVING OUR SISTER A PANIC ATTACK!" I yelled faustratedly, Antonio suddenly flinched as if being pulled out of a trance.

He halt immediately and slowly he turns to face me with a doleful look on his face, the anger that was in his face was there no more.

Slowly he brought the gun down. At this point, the man head as scattered on the floor.

Seeing Clarrisa freaking out, Antonio got back to his senses.

"Clarrisa!" He shouted in a husky voice, he rushed down to meet her, stepping on the already mutilated body on the ground, he held clarrisa's shoulder while her mother's hands was around her. They were both trying to bring clarrisa back to reality.

And then finally as if jolting back to reality, she stopped panting. She looked around her frantically and when she sees Antonio before her, she flinched back.

"Stay away from me." Her voice came out whispering.

"Clarrisa don't be scared anymore. Calm down it just me Antonio." Antonio said gently while me I was still behind then staring.

She shook her head dejectedly.

"I don't know you. Stay away from me. You are a monster. You... you killed someone?!" Her last word came out in form of a question.

Antonio quiet for a while and then again tried talking to clarrissa "yes clarrisa but I did that to save you. The fu... that person was hurting you so I did what I've to do. Are you alright clarrisa, tell me did he hurt you badly" Antonio tried checking out  but clarrisa kept denying him and backing away from him.

"Please stay away from me I'm begging you" she was now begging in tears. I wanted to get pissed but instead found myself being hurt, it was hurting that she being terribly scared of us right now.

"Please I'll advise you to leave her for now, she's kind of traumatized about this situation." Her mother says quietly lowkey avoiding our faxes  while holding clarrisa to herself.

A glitch of anger crossed me.

"Well she's our sister. We can't just leave her like that." I lashed out. "Besides who's was that  man huh?! I thought I clearly warned you to keep my sister off harms way how come some bastards was trying to molest her huh?!" I yelled and clarrisa flinched as usual.

"Jayden don't fucking yell. You'll already make things more complicated." Antonio said to me angrily.

"Well who's the one that gave clarrisa a panic attack" I retorted.

But Antonio ignored me and face clarrisa.

"Baby please forgive me, don't be scared of me. I didn't really mean to frighten you , I just thought that was the only way to protect you. I'm so sorry" Antonio keeps apologizing to clarrisa, his voice broken.

"Nothing justified the fact that you kill someone in cold blood. If you could do that easily without relent, I wonder what other things you are capable of doing . I'm really sorry Antonio, you all are dangerous please stay away from me" clarrisa broke off her mother's grasp and quickly made her way to the door.

"Come back here clarrisa you are going home with us now." I yelled out of my control as I rushed towards her to grab her hand but her mother got in my way. "Please leave, you've already scare her enough. I'm pretty sure you'll make her make you hate the more should you force her to go with you." I didn't give a fuck about what the woman was saying,

I pushed her off and tried heading in but Antonio stopped me this time by pointing a gun at me. I've no doubt that he could shoot me with the anger that was blazing in his eyes.

I didn't back out because of the gun, I just did it for clarrisa sake. She obviously don't want us right now (which is all Antonio's fault) so why force it?

Antonio called jace to park up his men to come clean the mess of a fucker who've tried milesting my sister.

Jace had actually done a good job staying off a place where my sister could easily find him and get suspicious.

While Antonio was with Jace, I headed to where we'd parked the car and zoomed off without waiting for him.

I don't care the fuck how he's gonna get home, he could trek the distance all I care or fucking even die, I'm just angry right now.

Angry at too many things.

First the mother fucker who'd hurt clarrisa got Granades exploding in my head then Antonio  senselessly going overboard with the shooting. What the hell came over him. I'm not against what he did cause the fucker deserve it but he of all poeple should know it's not wise to have done that in front of clarrisa.

I was visibly seeing read as I sped off to the mansion. Antonio rang my phone many times, but I ignored it.

As I walked in, the sight of  racheal whom I met playing P.S with liam got me infuriated in a new energy. I remembered this whole thing started from her.

If it wasn't her, clarrisa wouldn't have known about her ex-brothers ordeal and she wouldn't be staying off somewhere out of our reach right now.

Antonio's POV,

I'm so stupid, foolish, an idiot infact anything to describe how worthless of a brother I am.

I should have controlled myself. I shouldn't have let my past dictated for me even though I couldn't help it, that was so selfish of me.

I shouldn't have let down my guard just because an ordinary past struck me. I should be over that, especially since I've a a baby sister who will get really affected with anything I do.

As Selfish as I am, I didn't entirely kill that mother fucker for hurting clarrisa but I kind of did that for Myself. when I saw the scenario of that mother fucker fighting the woman and my sister, for a long while I saw the face of my father in him and I saw my poor mother in the woman, clarrisa was wearing my face, just like me back then, she was helpless.

I did to the mother fucker what I couldn't do back then, I shot him to save the woman and the more i shot him I keep seeing dad's face in him. I know I was hearing voice telling me to stop but I couldn't bring myself to stop.

I should have stopped, I shouldn't have even pulled a trigger knowing clarrisa was there but then I let my fucking past get the best of me.

After dejectedly and angrily watching Jace and the boys, bundle the deceased into the boot,  I'd went back to the park lot but then discovered jayden left without me.

I called him several times but he didn't answer.

I knew he was angry and I'm solely at fault.

However I called John to come down with a ride sending him my address and he came just in time.

"So you haven't told me how the meeting with the investors went, capo?" John broke the short silence as we were already on the road. He was driving while I was sitting beside him.

"It went successfully." I say absentmindedly.

"Really?" He threw me a gander and tsked. "Honestly your mood is saying order wise. You just successfully sealed a deal with some prominent investors in Italy and you're this Wobegone?"

"Cmon it's not like it's the first time I'm able to seal deals with clients so what's the big deal?" I said dull-fully.

"I know right but still you should be celebrating boss. It doesn't matter how many success you've had in the past what matters is the present. How about we go have some drinks?!" John suggested cheerily.

"For what?"

"As a congratulations from me and also to cheer you up. I know something is definitely eating you up...Antonio" him calling me by my name was a different feeling. It brought out of the professional, boss-to-worker basis and My best pal was back on.

Actually maybe what I needed now was a friend. Despite the fact that I was in no mood for drinks, I just let John persuaded me to.

Arriving at one of our bars, John ordered for drinks.

While we were drinking scotch and whiskey, John tries bringing up different topics but seeing I was uninterested he finally asked, "is it alright if you share it with me. You know I'm more than willing to give a listening ear." John said loudly so his voice will be heard admist the blaring music.

After sipping my scotch multiple times, I decided to let out my burden. Not because I wanted to justify my actions but I just really needed someone to talk to.

"It's about one of the twins, Clarrisa." I said with a sigh.

"What about her?" John took a sip from his glass of whiskey.

"I fucked up big time. I know I've fucked up for the past few days but today was the Height of it all. She's staying at her mother's apartment right now, she left because we broke the tiny trust she've mustered for us and it's all my fault. Being out of reach, the possibility of her getting into danger made me hire some secret men to watch over her and keeps tabs on her and to justify  my hunch, I received info that some fucker was harassing  her. I've gone there with the intentions of just saving my poor baby and lure her to come home but as the idiot that I am, I fucked up. I gave her the worst impression of me, I fucking scared her for life, completely ruining my chances." I took harsh gulp from the scotch.

"What exactly happened?" John's question brought back a memory.

Flashback.