Snippet #1568269

Having slipped into slumber, utterly exhausted, Lilianna was roused once more by Nico’s voice penetrating the silence.

"Lily, darling, we need to go down to your father's bank. Its been robbed."

That momentary confusion that accompanied a person’s comprehension upon first waking was evident upon her features. That span of a few seconds when the conscious mind recalibrates details such as time, location, and the other necessary details. So she lifted her head, peering through her fallen tresses to read the clock. It was 6pm, already? Shaking her head, she pushed her hair from her face as she sat up, letting the sheet fall against the bed as his words finally infiltrated her thoughts.

The bank heist.

Surprise flickered briefly across her face but not because she had not known about the heist. It was simply because she had forgotten about it. So much had happened in the past 24 hours that she had let it slip her mind.

Papa…. Her first concern sprung to her mind but before she could part her lips to ask Nico if anyone had been hurt during the robbery, he began buttoning his shirt as he strolled out of the door back into the kitchen area.

Does he know that I knew about the heist before hand? That I didn’t warn him? Her heart sank briefly as she stood up and walked to the closet for a simple yet elegant dress. Mere seconds after she her zipped the back of it she heard an explosion and the floor shook beneath her feet as the lights flickered, then went out completely for a few seconds before coming back on.

Nico…

Her bare feet moved quickly along the floor as she hurried from the bedroom and spun the corner only to see what she could have described as Lucifer himself descending upon the suite with gun in hand.

With widened, frightened hazel eyes, Lily watched the scene play out before her and she didn’t move. Fear gripped her and for perhaps the first time in her life she felt like prey instead of predator. Afraid that if she were to move, Nico’s brother would turn his attention and she would end up like so many of the guards that she saw through the burning doorway, lying dead upon the ground.

She watched as Nico disarmed Nick and exhaled a soft sigh of relief, believing that Nico had gained the upper hand but then Nick turned the tables, wrapping his muscular arms around Nico and charged him forward.

Scared, for both herself and for Nico, Lily turned and ran back into the bedroom, snatching her phone from the bedside table where it had been left to charge. Ripping it from its base, she punched in her first speed dial which was now programmed to Alphonso, her new bodyguard. It rang….and rang and rang and after it popped over to voicemail, she cursed vehemently and left him a rather biting message.

“Per qualcuno che presta attenzione ai dettagli come si fa, non sono dove si sono necessarie oggi.” (For someone that pays as much attention to detail as you do, you are not where you are needed today.)

Hanging up the phone, she punched in the number for the next highest ranking member that she knew and unlike the first call that she made, this man picked up on the second ring.

“Buona sera, Lilianna. Cosa posso fare per te?” (Good evening, Lilianna. What can I do for you?) The deep voice on the other end of the line said, his tone liquid-smooth.

“Salvatore... Nico ha bisogno di te. Vieni al Waldorf, Penthouse.” (Nico needs you. Come to the Waldorf, Penthouse.)

Lily jumped in surprise as a figure marched into the room but she relaxed only when she saw it was Nico coming to retrieve his own firearm. Then into the phone, she hurried the man, “Ora! (Now!)” and hung up the phone once more, tossing it onto the bed behind her as she rushed out after Nico.

What happened then was like a scene out of a movie. The brothers sparred, both verbally and physically. Nico revealed having a hand in the death of both of his parents. Layla came into the room, standing there with a shocked expression that probably mirrored Lilianna’s own countenance. Obviously, neither of the ladies expected Nico to be so... callous, so cruel. Nico shot his own brother and Nick fell backwards, crashing through the glass window as he plummeted to the ground below. Nico walked forward, apparently looking out to make sure that he had finally succeeded in killing his brother.

“Do you really feel that way Nico, do you truly believe that I would be so evil and cruel to try to kill the man I love with every fiber of my being” Layla collapsed to the floor, hyperventilating and Lilianna raised her own eyes to stare at Nico’s back with an unreadable expression upon her face as she waited to see how he would answer Layla’s question.

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Natalia had slipped in to one of three awaiting getaway cars with two of her men sitting in the seat behind her and the driver. They had been successful but for some reason the police response hadn’t been as heavy as she had expected. Even with two banks being hit at once the resistance to get out of the bank should’ve taken a bit more skill to avoid but instead they had experienced almost no opposition.

This was too much of a coincidence to ignore.

“Take us to Gino’s first. I have a bad feeling about this…” she told the driver and he nodded before changing course to the closer destination. Whipping out her phone, she texted Duncan first, wondering if maybe his heist had the larger police response and perhaps that was why hers had been so light.

I think it’s 5-4 now in my favor. We’re done. Only about ½ mill taken though. Need me to ride to your rescue?

She flipped the ring tone back to vibration so that she would know when he responded and she watched the NYC streets stream passed her window.

When they arrived at Gino’s, she climbed out first and was greeted at the door by an anxious looking Sgarrista.

“Ahhh, shit. Natalia, you might wanna see this.” He said, turning without waiting for her response and she arched a brow but followed the man into the living room where a 42-inch TV was hung upon the wall over the fireplace and about a half a dozen men were crowded around it with wide eyes.

“What in the hell is going on?” Natalia asked, letting her honey brown gaze settle upon whatever they were watching and she caught the tail end of a news report.

”Several are dead and many more are wounded as an unknown assailant attacked the Waldorf-Astoria today after 6pm. No comment has been issued by the police department as of yet, except to say that the wounded, such as the man seen here….

The television cut to a picture of a figure falling from the upper levels of the Waldorf and the cameraman zoomed in. The room let out a collective gasp as they recognized the falling figure.

It was Nick.

Have been taken to Lenox Hill Hospital on East 77th Street. Most of the injured taken to the facility are listed in stable condition and the man in the previous clip is listed in critical condition. No word on their identities yet since the police would like a chance to contact the victims’ families.

The men began chattering rapidly either around or at Natalia but she wasn’t listening. Her eyes were widened and her breath was becoming more rapid as panic settled into her chest. Goddamn idiot, stupid man…. she raged at him in her head, forcing her tears back and as someone approached her side, she allowed her anger and fear to be focused on him instead.

“Call the goddamn hospital, now! See where he is and what his real condition is. Get our Doc over there. He knows Nick, he knows what to do for Nick. He….”

She trailed off, her thoughts fading as the TV once more went onto another story about the Waldorf incident and the newscasters repeatedly played Nick’s fall to the masses. That height and he was already injured? God damn stubborn Nick. If he died on her she would…. What? Bring him back to life to kick his ass? That didn’t seem logical but then again, nothing seemed logical at the moment. Why hadn’t he asked for their help if he was going to storm the castle, so to speak? Even with her broken heart she would have done damn near anything for the man. All he had to do was ask.

“Uhhhh, Nat?” A semi-hesitant voice broke her concentration and she looked over at him with darkened eyes.

“What?!”

“Ahhhh, ummmm. They uh, they say at the hospital that they don’t have a man matching Nick’s description. Said the rest were brought in but he wasn’t with them.”

Natalia tried not to roll her eyes as she said, “Well then call around to…”

The man interrupted her, his eyes wide with fright as he held up his hands to calm her down. “I did! I called around. No local hospitals have him. Our Doc at Clearview doesn’t have him. We called our connection to the cops and he says witnesses report a police officer taking both Nick and a lady away. Said he was going to the hospital but Nat…. If he did, we can’t find him and our cop says none of their officers took in a man with Nick's description or any chicks.”