I woke up to a gunshot.
My initial reaction was to scream, then my eyes landed on Harry who was dying. Literally, he gasped for air as he fouled over laughing again.
"What the fuck!" I yelled and looked over to the window to see where he fired. Expecting to find a shattered window I was met with a non damaged one.
Of course it was bullet proof.
"Sorry," he beamed after he recovered. "I just got this baby and I wanted to try it out." He waved a handgun carelessly before tugging it into his suit, jacket pocket.
"Let's go," he pulled the covers off my body and instantly goosebumps were on my skin. I shivered. "Liam wants to talk to you."
I stood up and followed him after putting on a robe to cover my flimsy nightgown. Harry thought it was hilarious to get me 'baby doll' sleepwear, so that's what I was stuck with.
Harry opened the door and grabbed my hand pulling me in. I was stood in front of Liam, it was his office.
Everything looked ancient in his office, there were large portraits of old men. And I recognised Greyson on one of them, followed by Liam where the portraits stopped. I'm guessing they were the pictures of the past leaders of The Circle.
"Leave Harry." Liam waved his hand. I heard Harry mutter something under his breath.
"Or what?" He retorted back. I saw Liam's head snap up as if somebody's head rolled off.
"Just kidding!" Harry smirked before exiting. I fearfully watched as Liam lit a cigarette and threw his feet onto the expensive looking desk.
"Father always had such disgusting taste." Liam grumbled disapprovingly.
"What am I doing in here?" I asked.
"Well, I've been thinking of what exactly to do with you after I met you." He sat up and crushed his cigarette into the ashtray next to him. "And now I know."
I wanted to leap over the desk and choke him to death. He may be my brother but that was it. I refused to love him, care about him. He's a monster along with his men.
"And what exactly is that?" I asked him dryly.
He stood up and walked around the desk. He knew of the fear that he inflicted in me and he was enjoying every second of it.
When he reached me, he stood right in front of me. His hands grabbed my face and he smirked.
"Do you know how powerful our group would be if we reunite our family? No other gang has a blood family." He caressed my cheek. "We would be the first. We would be a–"
I pushed him away from him. "You're crazy. I hope you along with your sick group dies."
His facial expression changed to one with anger. His hand flew up and it slapped me across the face. It was so powerful that I fell sideways.
"How dare you." He seethed. I was too afraid to look at him. Instead I kept my teary eyes trained at his shoes.
"You need to think again before speaking to me like that. I understand you've been brought up differently but it's not too late to change it."
Liam grabbed my hair and forced me to stand up. "You will never disobey me again." He waited for me to respond. When I failed he grabbed my jaw and gave it a right squeeze, he could easily dislocate it. "Do you understand?" His voice boomed.
I frantically nodded. "Yes.. I'm sorry.." he pushed me away and waved my hand to exit. I quickly rushed out to find Harry leaning against the wall.
As his eyes met mine, I could see genuine worry.
~
"It's not that bad," Harry shrugged trying to make me feel better as we eat our pancakes.
"Yeah being related to a total monster isn't bad at all."
He smiled, "well when you say it like that, that makes me feel bad. You're eating breakfast with a sociopath." He smirked repeating the word I had used for him.
"Listen, Liam is just.. he's just lonely." Harry spoke after a moment. It was the first time since I've met him I've seen him so serious about something. "He grew up with no love and the constant need to please his father. You really can't blame him for acting the way he does."
"You're seriously defending him?" I snapped.
He held his hands up in surrender and laughed. "I'm just saying, if you grew up with Greyson in your life you'd be messed up too."
Before I could reply he continued. "But you didn't, you grew up with Meredith. The complete opposite. Don't blame him, he's actually great for what he went through as a child. He only wants to unite his family. It's what he's always wanted as a child.. for his mother to return home."
I ignored the feeling of pity I was now feeling. I wasn't even hungry.
"Well what about you." I asked, "why are you the way you are?"
"Well.." he smiled stuffing his face with a large part of the pancake in front of him. "My first evil move was killing my parents," my expression changed to a horrified look and he shrugged. "They downright deserved it. Then Greyson saw the potential I had in being in The Circle and he sort of like.. adopted me into his family of two."
I nodded, trying to digest all the new information I was getting.
"Basically everyone in The Circle is fucked up."
He nodded and laughed.
"Expect you."
