Family First | *Rewrites in Progress*

Traitors And Apple Juice

Grayson's POV

After sending a quick text off to Hazel, I looked down to the sleeping girl curled up in my arms. Lottie's black curls rested on my bare chest, her breathing calm and soft. 

Tonight was the best night of my life.

I stroked Carlotta's hair, pressing a long kiss to her forehead. When the night had started, we had just been watching a movie, slowly getting closer and closer until I literally just said "fuck it" and kissed her.

Clothes became floor decorations, and I was glad my room was soundproof. 

If her brother or my father had found out about it, I am pretty sure I'd be told to marry her tomorrow. We'd just met for fuck's sake and had already, you know, fucked. I had no idea what we were going to do, whether she reciprocated the feelings I felt for her, but even if it was only a one night thing, I didn't regret it.

My throat was currently feeling dry, so I crept out of my bed, throwing on a pair of sweats. I walked through the hallway, passing the empty bedrooms of my younger siblings. Going down the stairs, I passed the kitchen, where my mamma was busy cleaning up the leftovers from dinner. 

"Ciao mamma," I said, giving her a kiss on her cheek. She smiled and kissed my cheek. 

"Salve Grayson, have a nice evening?" she asked, and for a second I was confused. 

Then I understood.

I was about to roll my eyes, when my big brother decided to crash the party. He was a fun guy, but was very strict on these things. He always said it was disrespectful to roll our eyes and swear when around our family, and constantly scolded Ana on it.

"What's going on?" he asked, yawning. He looked more tired than usual, with deep bags under his eyes, and I knew the stress about Vince was getting to him.

"I was just asking Grayson about his evening," my mother replied laughing.

"So that's what I could hear from across the hall," Charlie said chuckling, and our mum up-handed his head.

"Charles Alessandro Cuore!" my mother scolded. Shit she went full Italian mother mode. Her hand was moving the whole time. 

"Sorry mamma, ti amo," the suck-up said, kissing her cheek. She smiled and patted his cheek before he went back up the stairs.

"Buonanotte Grayson," Mamma whispered, patting my cheek fondly, before walking back up the stairs to her and papà's bedroom. That now left me to finally get what I had originally came for. 

I opened the fridge, and was about to pull out my apple juice when the front lights of the house turned on. Instantly I was in protect mode. I hid my juice on the top of the fridge and pulled an emergency gun out from the freezer.

I pressed the silent alarm under the island table, which alerted everyone in their bedrooms that we had an intruder. I clicked the safety switch off, and crept towards the front doors. In the light, I saw one of our men talking with a random man and a bag on the ground.

Upon moving closer, I realised the bag was moving. 

There was something in it. 

I saw Charlie creeping down the stairs with his gun cocked, and he bent down to reach underneath the third step from the bottom, activating a house lockdown. The front doors locked, and both the men turned looking extremely alarmed. The sack started moving even harder, and I could hear the screams of a child.

"Shit!" the stranger shouted. He thumped the bag, and it went limp as he placed it roughly on the ground. All the lights turned on, and my parents, Julian, Alex and Charlie held their guns up to the two men. Carlotta came running down the stairs, and I ran over to her, shielding her body from the men.

She was only in my shirt, and even though the two men held their hands up in surrender and had fear written on their faces, they were clearly trying to eye rape her. It nearly sent me throwing fists at them.

I growled and sneered at them and they stopped. Charlie nodded to Julian, who grabbed the bag and tore it open. Inside was a shivering, naked girl, who looked to be no older than eight. Recognition crossed Lottie and Julian's face.

"Astrid?" they exclaimed at the same time. The frightened girl looked at them both before tears streamed down her face. Julian pulled his shirt off and put it on her, carrying her to Carlotta. She led the little girl upstairs with Julian, leaving the rest of us with the traitor and stranger.

"Marcus, I thought I could trust you," my father sneered in his cold, mafia voice. My mamma held her gun at Marcus's head. He took a step back.

"Vince, he offered me so much, I never meant any harm to the Principesse Di Mafioso, or you!" he pleaded, and my brother scoffed. 

"My sister was kidnapped by that son of a bitch's men and came back to us hurt. I should kill you right here and now." My brother was fuming, and my father stepped in front of him, muttering a quick few words. Charlie nodded and stepped back.

"Both of you don't deserve to die right now, that would be letting you get off easily. I'm going to make you pay for splitting up my family," said my father, and he and Charlie knocked out the two men. Julian came back downstairs to help my father, Alex and Charlie drag the men to the dungeons, and my mother and I went up to my room to find Astrid curled up asleep on Carlotta.

"Who is she, Lottie?" I asked, kissing her forehead. She shifted on my bed to face me and laid her head back on my chest. 

"You know how Vince Borle is my uncle?" I stiffened at the mention of his name but nodded.

"After he lost his chance to be with Quinn's mother, Luella, he went around having heaps of one-night stands. A young girl no older than Anastasia showed up one day with a baby in her arms, crying and stating it was his child. They took a DNA test and she was right. Vincent hated Astrid, and kept her locked up. Julian and I would sneak her food and buy her clothes."

Tears leaked from her eyes and I kissed them away. My mamma rubbed Astrid's shoulder tenderly. "Poor bambina, being treated like that. I'll make sure she's fed and happy now that she's under our care."

Charlie peaked his head in, his gaze softening at the tiny girl in Carlotta's arms. "Papà said she can sleep in Hazel's room tonight and we'll make plans tomorrow about getting her a room set up." He came to my bed and picked up Astrid, gently carrying her down the hall and going into Hazel's room. 

My mamma sighed and stood up. "I seriously do have a crazy family," she muttered herself as she walked out. I shut my door and slipped off my shirt, crawling in next to Carlotta, who willingly snuggled into my side. Her eyelids fluttered closed and I pressed a kiss to each one. 

"Goodnight Lottie," I whispered into her ear. She shivered and hugged my waist tighter.

"Goodnight Gray," she whispered into my chest. She was asleep in minutes, and I was about to knock off when I heard a knock at my door. Alex walked in quietly, holding the thing I had been downstairs for in the first place.

"MY JUICE!" I whisper-shouted, and Alex smiled, probably for the first time in a long time.

"You never cease to amaze me cousin," he said shaking his head. 

I waved to him and quickly gulped down my precious juice.

Now I was ready to sleep.