Chapter Seven: Fire

“You fucking cheated!” Xander exclaimed, after losing by ten points. 

He was a sore loser, but that was nothing new, it was one of the reasons she always let him win in the past. 

That, and it usually worked out in my favour.

Serenity shook her head to rid herself of her crazy thoughts and smirked at him, “No, you’re just a sore loser. I’m open to a rematch if you’re interested.” She baited, but Before he could answer the sound of the vault door unlocking alerted them. 

“Get behind me.” Xander shoved her behind his body and drew his gun from his hip to aim it at the door. 

After a few seconds a puff was heard when the door slid open and Xander held his breath, praying it was Enzo on the other side. 

Stepping into the room, Lorenzo’s eyebrow cocked when he saw the barrel of Xander’s gun staring him in the face. 

“I sure am glad you got over your ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ habit.” Lorenzo’s joke was met by a roll of the eye and Xander once again tucked away the weapon and released Serenity from his hold. 

“Finally! Is everything okay out there, did you catch the guy who shot at me?” Serenity glanced at the door anxiously. 

“Everything is fine, there was no one on the premises, we found where the sniper shot from about half a mile into the woods, but there's nothing other than a few bullet casings that have been wiped down.” Enzo shook his head and his jaw clenched.

“What now?” Serenity asked, feeling a cold shiver run through her. 

“You two need to get out of here, there’s a car waiting outside with some supplies and the address of a safehouse programmed in the GPS.” Lorenzo shoved a gun into Xander’s hand and both their eyes widened. 

“Why does he have to go with me? It’s obvious that I’m the target here, I can disappear, I stayed under the radar for years without anyone learning who I am!” Serenity argued, but Enzo’s fists just balled. 

“Will you please just listen, this one time!” Enzo snapped, “This is bigger than changing your name and moving to Mexico for fuck’s sake. Someone wants you dead!” His voice rose and his eyes flashed with anger and Serenity was transported back to her teenage years. 

Once again his anger made her feel small and selfish. 

“If they wanted me dead, they wouldn’t have missed.” Serenity hissed and slipped out of the safe room. 

“Ser-” Lorenzo called after her, but Xander’s hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks . 

“I’ll talk to her, but Enzo, she’s right. The sniper had a clean shot when she opened that door, if he wanted her dead she would have had a bullet between her eyes by now.” Xander stated firmly and turned to follow in the direction Serenity disappeared. 

“Serenity?” Xander called when he entered the library, pacing in a far corner away from any windows was Serenity with her phone over her ear. 

“Come on, Peter. Pick up, damnit!” She cursed and drew the phone away from her ear to call again, but stopped when she saw Xander enter. 

“Hey… Are you okay?” He smiled softly, taking a few small steps closer to her. She was like a baby deer, vulnerable and easily spooked. 

“I was fine, for three years I lived my life without anyone telling me what to do. I could walk down the street without three pairs of eyes watching my every move, I could go to the park without fearing for my life. I lived a normal fucking life, Xander!” Serenity hissed angrily, dragging a hand through her hair and frowned when it caught on the knots that formed. 

“I know, Serenity. I know.” He sighed softly and came to stand in front of her, “I wish I could snap my fingers and turn back the hands of time because it means you’d be safe, but I can’t. Do you hear me? None of us can.” Xander placed his hand on her shoulders and shook his head. 

“I have friends, Xander, I can disappear for a while, reinvent myself-” Serenity tried, but Xander just shook his head, his eyes squeezing together like he was in physical pain. 

“You know the Mafia better than that, Sweetheart.” He shook his head softly. 

“I’ll go to the safehouse.” She conceded. 

“Good.” Xander smiled a relieved smile and she followed after him as he made his way to where the brothers had gathered in the garage. 

“Hey-” 

A car screeching down the driveway set everyone on edge and Darrio quickly pulled Serenity behind him as they drew their guns, but when the car stopped abruptly and a red haired beauty came flying from the driver’s seat. 

“Xander, oh my God! Baby, are you okay?” The woman threw herself at Xander and he caught her with his one good arm, wincing at the pain that erupted from the other. 

“Fire, you can let go now, I’m okay.” He put her down, but the woman didn’t quite detach herself from him. 

“Are you kidding me, you were being shot at!” She exclaimed, her eyes widening with every word. 

Xander’s eyes glanced at the eyes on them and softly tugged on her arm, “Let’s talk outside.” He led her outside and for a moment the garage was quiet. 

“Fire?” Serenity wondered aloud, there were so many things she wanted to say about the woman, but that seemed to be the most perplexing part. 

“Sapphire Colton, named for the colour of her eyes, but gave herself the nickname ‘Fire’ cause she says her hair is the colour of fire.” Darrio supplied, casting the tiny woman a look of surprise and confusion. 

“That’s… Something.” Serenity frowned at the couple with their backs to her a couple of feet away. “How long have they been together?” She tilted her head, following the path of Sapphire’s hands on Xander’s back till it reached his left buttcheek and he tensed. 

“About a year now.” Darrio answered, watching his sister with curious eyes. 

To Serenity’s eyes they seemed mismatched. She wasn’t sure if the tension in Xander’s shoulders was because he could feel the eyes on him, or because he was uncomfortable, but either way the vast height difference between them made for an interesting combination. 

“Hmm, okay.” Serenity tore her eyes away from them as an unwelcome feeling of disappointment washed over her. Looking up at her brothers who regarded her closely, “I’ll go to the safehouse.” She announced. 

“You don’t have to.” Enzo sighed, “I’m sorry for what I said earlier-” 

Serenity cut him off by placing a hand on his arm and a second both of them froze, it was the first time she’d ever initiated contact between them since she got back. 

“Someone is playing a game, Enzo. I don’t want to live my life in hiding or on the run, but if I’m out of the way at least you guys can concentrate on figuring out who's behind it all.” She smiled softly. 

There was no point in being angry anymore, the past was the past and nothing she did could change that. Now she had to focus on making sure she got to see the future. 

“We have every ear on the ground, we’re going to catch the son of a bitch.” Enzo gripped her forearm, looking her deep in the eye with promise. 

“I know you will.” She cupped his cheek and smiled before moving onto Matteo who simply dropped a kiss on her forehead and nodded curtly. Last she ruffled Darrio’s hair and just as in the past he scoffed and slapped her hand away. 

“I miss you, sis.” He frowned and tears gathered in Serenity’s eyes. 

How ironic was it that the first tender moment between them had to be followed by her leaving, but Serenity felt a weight lift off her chest. 

“Here.” She handed him her phone, “When Peter calls back, tell him I had to leave. Tell him I’ll contact him as soon as I can.” She instructed, but instead of nodding, Darrio frowned. 

“He’ll never believe a word I say.” 

“Parrot, it’s our code word. He’ll know what it means.” Serenity winked and moved around the car that was already started and waiting. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” Darrio raced after her, but Serenity was quick to lock the doors and threw the car in gear before they could stop her. Within seconds the red Audi was racing down the gravel path that led to the tall iron gates, guards jumped out of the way when she approached the gates that opened automatically by the press of a button. 

Serenity’s heart was beating wildly as she sped along the streets of LA following the directions the GPS gave her. 

Part of her wanted to turn around, to go back to them and let them keep her safe, but the other- more reasonable part of her knew she’d done the right thing. So when the car merged onto the highway, she put her foot to the gas and watched the needle round the clock.