Fate

IX

When Liza opened her eyes, she was surrounded by Tony and multiple security detail- all cramped into the space of the jet. Tony was too busy throwing around orders that he hadn't realized Liza was awake.

"I want at least 3 men on her alright? Nobody takes their eyes off her."  He didn't care who exactly were the three; only his most trusted men were amongst them in the jet. Everybody seemed to be in agreement- they knew to not question their boss. It was only Carlito's brooding figure that sat away from the briefing which threw Tony off. Carlito was supposedly his Head of Security, yet he didn't seem too concerned about the only person's security Tony cared about.

Liza sat up, stopping Tony from having some sense beat into Carlito. "Fuck!" Tony yelled, surprised by her abrupt sitting. "Sorry.." she answered breathlessly, still in  a daze. "What's going on?" she asked. Tony sighed, grabbing her hands as the men dispersed as far as they could into various corners of the jet.

"Listen Baby.." Tony knew he couldn't keep this from her. He would be digging himself a deeper grave.. "About Pedro.." his name alone made the Tony feel nauseous. He knew how Liza would take the news of Pedro's throat being slit; he just wasn't sure if their recent-rekindled-rocky-romance would survive through it. But he supposed they wouldn't have a choice but to survive; mostly because he was never letting her go again.

Ever.

Now that he had all the money he could have dreamed of- and more- Tony would do anything and everything in his power to keep Liza with him. No place would be unreachable, and anyone to come between them was dispensable- the world is at his finger tips.

"What about pedro?" Liza questioned, tears filling her eyes. She wasn't naive. No, at least, not anymore. "He's dead isn't he?" She cried, the grief pooling her mind and heart. Tony's grim expression confirmed it all, and all she wished was that she could jump from the jet to be with her baby brother.

Quiet sobs escaped her as she collapsed into Tony's arms. She was thankful that the last time she saw him, she cherished his embrace- because now she would never hear, touch, or see him again.

Tony could only soothingly caress her head as he clutched her broken form to his body. "I'm gonna keep you safe, alright? Don't worry about a thing sweetheart." He knew his first order of business once they were back in Miami was to get her papers. And although he had a pretty good lawyer at his beck and call, Tony wanted to seal the deal in a way that Liza would be safe even if he ended up dead too.

But as he held Liza, he realized that everything would have to wait. Right now, he just needed to comfort and hold his woman- reminding her that he was there.
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Miami nights came quickly. It had only been a few hours since they arrived at the new Montana estate, and it was already dark out. Liza retired to her bedroom immediately, not interested in a tour or greeting anyone else. Tony tried to not leave her side, until it was unavoidable and business called.

She was exhausted from the flight and all the emotional distress she'd been through for the past 24 hours, yet she didn't feel the need to lay down and rest. So she sat on her balcony, wrapped in a satin robe and a tall glass of wine in hand which she barely sipped. This was the only time she wished that she could develop a vice; she needed something to distract her from the agony of losing her little brother. But as much as she tried, cigarettes weren't appealing, she could never finish more than one glass of wine and cocaine barely did the job.

When Tony returned to see her sprawled on a chair staring blankly at the night sky, it reminded him of Elvira. How she only ever slept and snorted, and was a ghost in between that. He promised himself that Liza couldn't become that- he couldn't let her.

"Where is his body?" Liza spoke. The least she wanted to do was be able to give him a funeral, but the thought alone seemed important because now they were at war. Tony sat at her feet, propping his elbows onto his knees as he frustratedly massaged his temples. "I wasn't able to get it. My men died with him."

Liza nodded. " I refuse to bury an empty casket. My brother was more than that." she croaked. Tony grabbed her hand, "I know. I'll get him, don't worry." Liza finally moved her eyes to his-"What's going to happen after that Antonio?"

Tony sighed, "We don't gotta talk about this now, okay? I just want you to get settled and feel your pain.." he eyed the wine glass in her hand before gently prying it from her grip. "And I want you to grieve your brother in a healthy way. You're a doctor- you know what I mean."

Liza barely nodded, not even hearing any of Tony's words. The only thing on her mind was Pedro.

"I remember the day he was born." Liza unknowingly humored Tony in his wanting of her grieving in a healthy way. "I remember being so mad that I refused to see him." Tears filled her eyes immediately, "And then I glimpsed him- when Mama held him in her arms as she left the hospital. And I remembered thinking: 'How am I supposed to protect him'."

Tony wasn't one to weep and cry, but he felt every bit of Liza's pain. He wished he could just take it all and blow it to hell. Tony gently pulled her body towards his, raising her off the chair before settling her onto his lap as she struggled to finish her story through her tears.

"And then Mama got sick after. Suddenly, it wasn't so hard to protect and love him." She cried. "We were all we had. And it killed me when he grew up and left for the army because who was really gonna have his back there? But then.." She sighed, as if trying to exhale her sadness. "The Army didn't kill him. He came home to me and his own blood killed him. I couldn't protect him.."

Liza felt like screaming- but Tony held her so tightly, she realized that all the comfort she needed was right there.

Tony's grip tightened as she mentioned Pedro's own blood killing him. "You think it was your father?" Liza scoffed, moving away from Tony's shoulder to wipe her tears, "Of course it's him. Even if he didn't give the order, I'm sure that Pedro's death was a consequence of some shitty move Marco made."

Liza used to admire her father, until she became a woman herself and saw with her own eyes. It broke her heart that the same man who struggled to put food on the table for them would turn into such a evil hearted person.

"I want him dead Tony." Liza growled. Tony had never seen her look this fierce, which made him realize she sincerely meant it.

Slowly, she stood from Tony's lap as he gaped at her in shock- wondering what had happened to his kind, nurturing Liza. "And if you can't do it, I'll fly back to Spain and put him in the ground myself."
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