Blood Ties

One

River had been on his own for years now. Wounds had healed, life had gotten on track. He was dressing to meet with the Don. Don Blackwell, a notorious crime leader that had treated River like family, even when his own father disowned his mother. When the Don's daughter ran away.

There's little to be known about the Don since Bella ran away. Little was ever given about why, but River knew. River knew exactly where the Don's child was and as long as it was only him, then her mother couldn't sell her to some ugly fat ass who wanted her as nothing more than a way to produce children. It disgusted River, but that's how he was brought into the world.

Mother was given to pay a debt to his father, a Capo for the Blackwell Mafia. A few years later, River. He sighed, trying to fix his tie. Not that it'd matter in a few hours, nor that it really made a difference with the piercings on his face, the tattoos that stuck out like sore thumbs. The suit barely covered them, and he was already regretting agreeing to meet with the Don.

His green eyes bore into his reflection. "Fuck it." He told himself. "The worse that'll happen is you'll end up dead, or in a coma again." River huffed, frustrated that the tie didn't look good but he was running out of time. He had to get out of the house in less time than he had to search for a bow-tie. He was moving, quickly and quietly . The 1966 Corvette purred to life as he cranked it over, not really caring about being stealthy if he was going to someone he trusted. Someone who had raised him, and someone who controlled his pay check.

River arrived at the Don's mansion an hour later. His weapons checked at the door before he was escorted towards the ever familiar dinning room. As a kid, he had spent many nights in here, eating with the Don's family. His best friend the only worthy son in the Don's eyes. The middle child born as Nicholi, or Nico as the Don's wife called him. He was the favorite of both parents, something River envied growing up but after the shit that happened nearly a decade ago. River knew he had it good, even being on the tight leash for most of his life.

Now wasn't the time to bring up the old days. Doing that always brought up the emotions and feelings that when with it. The painful memory of stepping away from the love of his life to protect her from her own mother. He'd take the beating from Carter, or well it was Nico at that time, and then he'd go home to his own father's beatings. He had been paid off by the mother, and River spent the next few months in a coma.

He could hear the promise to come to her, years later. He hoped she had moved on, found herself in the world and kept herself safe. Out of trouble.

"River..." The Don seemed to purr out at the site of him. River bowed his head respectfully with a, "Sir."

"Sit down, son, sit down.." He said gesturing to a chair. River jumped like a dog, moving to sit. It wasn't every day anymore that he was in the presence of his best friend and the love of his life's father. It had been years, he had gone down for killing his wife. At least. That's what River had been told.

"Thank you for having me, Sir..." He said thoughtfully. It was awkward, if River was honest. He only met with the other Capos if they needed someone gone. River and Carter had been trained that way, so they didn't need a constant guard on them. Bella was suppose to be playing with dolls.

"Well. You still won't tell me where my daughter is.. I want them home, so I will send you after Nic-"

"Carter, Sir.... He's legally changed it to Carter.." River interrupted, wondering if he should just shoot himself in the foot for that one.

"After Carter..." The Don cleared his throat. He looked River in the eyes. The blue staring down the beautiful green.

River nodded softly. "What do you want me to do?" He swallowed softly. He couldn't kill Carter. Carter was the one who taught River most of the things, kicked his ass during practice. Hell, his best friend had been the one behind his first stab wound at nine. A time when all he wanted was Carter's sister, someone he still wanted to this day.