I knew I would have to face tough choices from the moment I fell for Damon.
"You cannot win against Tony, Mia. You know what he does to traitors," her voice got louder, as if reading my thoughts.
"Tony is family," I turned to her. "Maybe I can talk him into-."
"The only family Tony had was Wes, who by the way was killed by Damon's father," she held my gaze.
"Tony will not let this go. If anything, it'll be way worse than what he does to the usual traitors."
She stood and sighed deeply. "This is way more dangerous than you think, Mia. He won't just have you killed but hunted."
Every word was true. I had committed a sin worse more than death. I'd betrayed Tony and Wes. The poor kid who was killed for simply existing as Tony's son. My friend.
My family.
Tony wouldn't gain enough satisfaction by just killing me. He'd draw out my misery by killing the people I cared about.
Tara, Lily... Damon.
He'd make me watch them die a slow agonizing death. My chest tightened as the images of their dead bodies flashed through my head. I shook my head abruptly to get rid of the painful images and yelled in frustration.
"No. There has to be a way."
"Mia," Tara called.
I paced anxiously, ignoring her. "There has to be a way to protect the people I love."
"Mia, calm down."
The doorbell rang and we both jumped in surprise. Tara stared at me.
"Are you expecting someone?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No."
"So, who's that?"
I grabbed a gun I stashed underneath the couch and gestured to Tara to hide. She nodded and crouched under the table. I walked quietly to the door and hid behind the curtain. The doorbell rang again. The shadow looked familiar, but I couldn't see who it was.
"Open the door, Mia," the voice made the freeze, my blood ran cold, and Tara gasped loudly.
I pulled back the bolt and twisted the key in the keyhole as I opened the door. Tony's gaze fell on the gun.
"Is that any way to welcome a guest?" he smiled. "I taught you better than that."
The silence grew as I stared at him in surprise. In all my years of working with him, Tony had never once paid me a visit in my house. It felt eerie to see him standing in front of my door with a smile.
I'd always thought he was easy to read but I couldn't read what was behind his eyes, or his smile. He felt like a totally different person ever since Wes died.
"Are you just gonna stare at me all day or will you let me in?" he asked.
I pulled the gun behind my back and stepped aside. "Come in."
Tara came out of her hiding spot, smiling awkwardly. "Hello boss."
"Sandra."
I bit my lip to stop from cussing. Tara had worked under him for five years, and he still got her name wrong every time. I paused when Tara shook her head subtly. It was the wrong time to step on his toes.
"What brings you here, Tony?" I asked.
"Can't I drop by to greet my best employee?" he smiled.
Something was wrong. He was hiding something.
He sat and stared at me. "Have you been avoiding me?"
Tara's voice rose an octave. "Of course not!"
Tony and I turned to stare at her in silence.
She laughed awkwardly. "Why would she ignore you?"
Tony turned to me. "Then why do I get the feeling you've been doing exactly that?"
I smiled and sat opposite him. Tara shifted anxiously as she stared at us.
"Coffee, anyone?" she headed to the kitchen without a response.
"I've been busy thinking about how to convince Damon, that's all."
Tony nodded. "How's that going?"
I shook my head. "Damon hates Alan and wants nothing to do with him. I don't know how to convince him to."
He tilted his head slightly as he regarded me. "Since when did you think?"
My breath caught in my throat as he stared at me.
"Tony-."
"You know why you're my best killer?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Because you don't think, you just do what you are asked to do."
Tara placed the coffee on the table and paused, standing awkwardly.
"But since I gave you this mission, you seem to do more thinking than following orders. It's why nothing has been going smoothly," he paused, and Tara hiccupped.
Tony shifted slightly as he leaned forward. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you have no plans to see this mission through."
Tara's hiccups got louder, and I stood up quickly.
"I've worked for you how many years now, Tony?"
I faced him. "Have I ever betrayed you?"
He shook his head.
"I'll admit my head hasn't been in this game, but that's only because Wes' death still haunts me."
Using Wes' death as a distraction--a new low, even for me.
The sadness was fleeting behind Tony's eyes.
"I still hear his voice, his laughter. His face hasn't left my mind for one second, Tony."
He lowered his head. "Me too."
I glanced at Tara who stared at me in surprise.
Yes, I was a bitch. A traitorous bitch.
But I had no choice. If Tony knew I was hesitating to kill Damon, he would send another agent to finish what I couldn't. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
"That's why I had to step in," he raised his head.
I paused. "What do you mean?"
He checked his wristwatch. "He should be here any moment."
I walked towards him, my fingers aching for my gun. "Tony, what did you do?"
The doorbell rang.
"Come on. Answer it," he smiled.
Tara shook her head vehemently.
The bell rang again.
"Are you gonna keep him waiting there all day?" Tony asked.
I walked to the door and flung it open. Damon stood smiling brightly, a bouquet of purple hibiscus in his hands as he stared at me.
"Hey."
Oh, fuck.