First Born

1. Return

1. Return

Talon
We touched down in Rome late Sunday evening. I decided it would be best to stay in a hotel and figure out the best strategy to deal with my father. Nahia was exhausted. We'd done everything in a rush and she hadn't gotten the time to rest. She fell asleep the minute she got on the bed. I couldn't sleep. I had some thinking to do so I took a shower to clear my head.

I ran the towel through my hair furiously and sighed at my image in the mirror. I needed to shave and I needed a haircut. My eye landed on the scar across my chest. I remembered every detail about that day. I came close to dying. No one in my family knows. My mother would flip out if she did. I'm not sure what my father would have done if he knew. That's why I kept it a secret from them. I was on an assignment in Prague and ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was lucky to escape with my life.

"Talon?"

Nahia's voice snapped me back to the present.

"I thought you were sleep."

"I was."

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll order something."

"Ok." Her brown eyes bored into me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"About what I'm going to do next."

"Did you come up with any ideas?"

"None that I like."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do."

I smiled at her before leaving the bathroom to go order us food.

I had this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that somehow I made the wrong choice in marrying Nahia and bringing her here. I just don't get why. I didn't feel that way in the beginning so why now? That feeling continued throughout the night and well into the morning.

"Did you get any sleep at all? You look tired."

"I got enough."

Nahia looked like she wanted to say more but luckily she didn't.

"Are you ready to meet my family?"

"Are you?"

I smiled.

"I don't think anyone in my position would be ready to face the force of Niko De Luca after disobeying him for so long."

"True, but you're his son."

"Also true." I looked her up and down. "I like what you're wearing."

Her hand automatically went to her curls. She has always been self-conscious about them.

"Thank you."

Her brown eyes seemed unsure, but I reassured her that everything would be okay. She trusted me and trusted that it would be.
******

I sat in silence while everyone around me addressed the situation in their own way. We were all seated in he family room. My father looked from me to Nahia never changing his expression. My mother frowned beside him. My brothers were all grown up and had different expressions on their faces.

Lucas, who is the closest to me in age sat with a straight face. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Out of all my brothers, he is the one who resembles our father the most but was opposite him in every other way. He, like me, had no interest in our father's business and stuck to our mother's side. Some say he's her successor. Others believe he'll abandon the fashion industry and take over from our father.