Keep Them Safe *Lashton*

2. Problems and Meetings

Picture is the hotel/house the gang lives in. Peace, love and sass🤘
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"Daddy what's wong?" Ezekiel asked as he held his sister's hand. Both children worried about their father's sudden outburst. They may be young but they are smart enough to know when something wasn't right.

"Nothing baby, can you grab my phone and text Michael for me?" Ashton responded trying to keep calm.

Nodding his head Zeke grabbed Ashton's phone and unlocked it with his finger print. Only the twins, Michael and Ashton himself could unlock the phone.

"Okay, Daddy, what  d-do I say." Ezekiel stuttered.

"Tell him to gather everybody in the kitchen, we have a code black." Ashton said as he sped home even faster, his knuckles turning white due to how tight he was holding the steering wheel. Ezekiel sent he message, then put his arms around his sister, who had been silent since they left the smoothie shop. They may be twins but Ezekiel is very protective of her.

Soon they arrived at their home, a small, old apartment complex towards the edge of the city. Ashton grabbed his children, put one on each hip and went inside as fast as he could, without running. He immediately carried his children into the kitchen, where the whole gang was gathered.

The gang consisted of 5 people. Michael, Ryan Lawrie, Liam Payne, Emily Middlemas, and Ashton. Everyone had something they brought to gang. Ryan and Liam were boxers, they brought muscle to the group. Michael just so happens to be a nerd, while he specializes in tech, his intelligence had saved the gang numerous times. Emily was their weapons specialist. She got them any and every weapon they could ever possibly need. Ashton was the leader, he took over when his parents were murdered. Since he could remember he had been apart of a gang, it's all he knew how to do, but boy did he know how to do it.

The gang may have not been blood related, but they were family. And they would do anything for each other. Including protect Ashton's children as if they are their own.

Ashton put the twins down and gave Destiny as piece of paper. "Can you draw what the man who gave us our smoothies looked like?" Ashton asked sweetly.

"Of course, Daddy." Destiny responded and closed her eyes trying to remember the stupid man that caused her to have to come home so quickly.

Kissing her and Ezekiel on the forehead, Ashton turned to gang.

"Ashton what's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"I took the kids to get smoothies, and we ran into one of the Greys." Ashton said as he took a seat next the twins. The Greys being the rival gang to, the Arrows, Ashton's gang.

"We didn't just see her, she say us. And she heard Destiny call me Dad." Ashton continued.

"Shit!" Liam sighed.

"We've been able to keep Destiny and Ezekiel a secret for six years, but now they know. And they are definitely going to try to hurt them." Ashton said holding the bridge of nose. "Michael I need you to hack the cameras at the Smoothie Shop. Erase anything that has the kids in it."

"Aye aye, Captain" Michael said as he got out of his chair and hugged the twins.

"Emily, I need you to get us new firepower. I need anything that can get us close to them, without them getting close to us." Ashton sighed looking at his children, " I hate to say this, but I'm also going to need, something that will allow the kids a getaway, if needed. Something they could use. "

"We are all here Ash, they are not going to come within seeing distance of our children," Emily said as she looked out the covered window before leaving the room. Of course by 'our' she meant the gang, not literally her children.

Before she was gone, Destiny spoke up, " I finished my picture." She said just loud enough for Ezekiel to here.

Of course this cause Ezekiel to bring it to everyone's attention. "Hey , evwry body! Desy finished her picshur!" He said, his lisp being more prominent because of his volume. The finished picture caused Michael and Emily to come rushing back into the room.

Destiny climbed out of her chair and wobbled over to give Ashton the picture and a tall man with a strange tattoo below his ear.

Ashton sat Destiny in his lap and gently ran his fingers through her dark curly hair. "Are you positive this was the tattoo baby?" He questioned her calming, but his face showed nothing but worry.

With all eyes on her, Destiny's voice became quieter. "Yes Daddy." She whispered in his ear.

With this new information Ashton turned her in his lap and held her tightly, then looking at his son he asked, " Did either of you drink your smoothies?"

Ezekiel got down from his chair and went to sit in Michael's lap. "No daddy, you said to not dwink, anything unwess family say so." He told his father, while playing absentmindedly with  Michael's fingers.

The fact that his children actually listened to his words of caution gave Ashton a flood of relief. It reminded him that his children were incredibly smart and knew better than to do anything that could possibly cause harm to themselves or their family. 

"Okay guys so, we are family and we protect each other like family. If anyone has a problem with anything you're told to do, let me know. You are my family just as much as Ezekiel and Destiny, I will never purposefully do anything to cross any of you." Ashton said as he looked around the table at the faces of Michael, Liam, Ryan and Emily.

When nobody said anything he continued. " Michael, forget what that last order, I want you to find out if this new guy is really apart of the Greys or if he is just a poser. Emily keep with the weapons. Ryan protect Em, with all of these new shipments she's about to have coming in. Someone is bound to try something."

"With my life" Ryan mumbled, pulling Emily into his lap.

Ashton faintly smiled before continuing, "Liam I need you to pull some strings and get all extra records of the kids erased. I have the originals so everything else is free game. You are good looking, use that to your advantage." He chuckled before adding. "I'm going to unenroll them from school first thing in the morning."

"DADDY NO!" Destiny screamed. "We have to go, we love it there and we are learning new things in our GT class-"  Ezekiel curt her off, "and Mrs. Peterson is so nice and she gives great hugs. Miley checked it out and said it was safe, please daddy."

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Ashton bit his lip, weighing his options. One one hand, he had no way of protecting them there, on the other, he couldn't hinder they're learning.

"Let me think about it, okay?" He decided finally. Content with his answer the twins settled back down.

To the rest of the group he said, "Alright guys. We are going on defense, don't go shooting or getting yourself shot. That will draw us more attention and we don't need that. Continue with business as usual. As long as you know you'll be safe."

Looking towards the twins he added,"Their only six, but they won't end up like their mother."

With that finale statement, Ashton stood with Destiny now sleeping in his arms and grabbed Ezekiel from Michael's lap.

"This all starts tomorrow, right now we are going to drink a shit ton of alcohol." Ashton said as he set Ezekiel on the couch; in the room next to the kitchen not wanting to be too far away from his children. He laid Destiny next to her brother, who immediately brought her closer to him in a protective manner. Before he too, also fell asleep.