𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐎𝐌

92| N O V A N T A-D U E

ALESSANDRO'S POV

I was starting to hate passing out and waking up on a flying vehicle.

My back aches on the floor, everyone was staring at me as if I were someone else. "Are you insane?" I slowly sat up and chuckled at whatever point Adriano was trying to make.

Adriano. What in the living Hell?

"You really thought we wouldn't find out those bastards were watching us?" Adriano spoke again while they all watched in silence. "I thought you were dead."

A chuckle echoed from the back, I looked further enough and found Dante standing there with his arms crossed, observing from a short distance.

He moved a couple of steps and stopped in front of me, attracting out his arm, he offered me a hand and I took it. Standing up, I landed on my feet, "It's nice seeing you, boss."

It was hard not punching them all in the face, one by one, maybe they could've taken turns.

Adriano immediately sat us down and explained what happened with him and Lilianna on their mission in South America. The spies attacked them just in time. They were suspected of being followed, they tried taking down Lilianna. The Romanians may have forces and watchers buried in every breath we took, but they knew so little about us, my men, my people, my friends.

So she took care of them single-handed then Adriano showed up at the scene and jumped to conclusions. They took off running before they sent more spies to follow them.

Each one went on, telling one story after another about their journey and travel to every mission they were assigned to.

According to Emilion and Kira, they were able to contact our allies on the Easter side before getting captured by The Romanians which was how Armando and Dante found out they were caught.

"I'm just glad to have you back," Dante said to Emilion, lightly shoving his shoulder. "I'm glad we're all back," Emilion replied, his gaze landing on me, speaking words and whispers only I could hear, thanks for coming, what he meant but I wanted to slap him, to yell at him and say of course. Of course, I would have come for him, for any of them no matter what.

At the same time I wanted to hug him, to pat him on the back and tell him that he got me, that no matter what his family did and no matter the life he suffered, he will always have me, he will always have all of us right by his side, but he already knew that.

A smile tugged on my face as I went and hugged my two best friends who I haven't seen in weeks of constant worry about their lives and safety. I couldn't imagine a world without them and I hope, I never have to.

"Now don't we feel left out," The three of us turned around to Armando and Adriano glaring at us for sharing a moment without them.

"Besides, I hate group hugs anyways," Adriano added and cocked his head the other way.

The smile on my face grew bigger and my heart warmed, finally having them in the same room, grinning like the idiots they are and healthy.

Some of us may have seen horrible things, and some of us may have had to go through life and death for the sake of our lives but in the end, it brought us back together and that only mattered to me.

Despite the war we were about to face and prepare for once we landed, I still took advantage of the second, the minute we had together and memorized it, locked it into my mind and memories so I could remember that even at our worst and best, there will always be a way, there will always be something, somewhere to bring them back, whether in a meeting or a core memory that will die with me.