25• Sullivan.

I stared at my mum who was looking expressionlessly at me.

I had no idea if she heard me and Micah's conversations but I kept up with her expressionless look while Micah stood in silence, her gaze sweeping off me to my mother's own.

"What are you doing here?" My mother asked, her voice sounding thick with emotions but I didn't reply as I began looking nervously at her, frowning and pouting my lips. "Oh. Dear." My mother whispered pulling me into an embrace.

I didn't dare to flinch at her hug, even though I was in my autistic state. I knew she needed a long, heartfelt hug from me, and I wished to hug her back, but all I could do was clench my fist while staring at Micah, whose expression I couldn't define.

I heard my mother sniff, her body felt as if she was trembling on the inside due to unshed tears and I knew she was holding her tears because of me.

I slowly raised my hand and I began patting her back, ignoring whether she was surprised at my act or not. I knew she needed it at that time.

Ginevra's death was not only a shock to her but also to me. Even though I knew I was the cause of my sister's death. "Everything would be alright," I assured her still giving her an affectionate pat. When it comes to her, I sure know how to be calm and affectionate.

She taught me all I had to know about affection, which I'm grateful for, although others might feel and think I'm heartless and emotionless. I know I have a soft side where I can't dare to hurt any innocent person, even though I do frighten them or make them feel their death is near. "You'd be fine," I assured her again, the hug as though it wasn't breaking anytime soon and I glanced up at Micah again, noticing her eyes on me. This time more emotions were in it than I have ever seen.

What's up with her too? Don't tell me she's saddened by Gin's death when she has no good relationship with my sister. I thought before lowering my face out of her gaze to not start guessing that she had just finished crying since her eyes seemed a bit watery when she had come closer to me.

I slowly withdrew from my mum's hug, facing her, her teary brown eyes piercing through mine. I could read her emotions at that time, which fuelled my anger.

I will fucking do all it takes for me to find my late parents' uncle or whatever, and I will make sure he fucking pays for daring to touch my innocent sister. I swore. Because I don't touch the innocent.

"You should rest now," I say like a command, not acting autistic this time. "Micah, please take her to her room," I added and Micah obeyed as she held my mother's shoulders

"Let's go to Signora. You need rest." Micah whispered convincingly.

"No, I can manage. You should take him to his room." My mother insists with a small smile at Micah as though they had been closer to each other ever since the small discussion they had in my room yesterday.

"I'm fine, mum. Let's, Micah, be at your service today." I assured, ignoring how I sounded and my mother didn't even care to point out how normal I talked.

"Yes ma'am. I will be your maid for today." Micah seemed different, I know.

Watching her look pitiful at my mother and not giving me that weird sarcastic reply was weird. And the way she was acting right now, was not fake. Which I would admit I like.

"You should go to your room too. Son." My mother advised, and I nodded,, gazing at Micah, who walked my mother to her room, shutting the door after a last look at me.

When they were out of sight, I breathed out. Sure enough, I ain't gonna spend the night in the mansion as I need to get to act before Geraldo's boss gets to action again. I wouldn't give him a chance to hurt me again.

I turned to go when I met with my Dad on a call.

He raised his eyes at me before concluding the call with a Sicilian word that meant. "Tell me if you found any trace of her."

As he hung up, he raised his head back at me. "You're here. Son." Mr. Stone called with a brave look but a sensitive person will know he is not alright on the inside.

He just lost his only child and daughter. Rather than sulking around, he is trying to find out how she died along with the cops who would only figure out traces, evidence, and suspects, but they can never know how Gin died. But I will surely get to the root of the case.

"Yes... Dad." I was acting a bit disorderly.

"You should rest." He spoke with his gentle smile.

"You too." I returned and he raised a confused brow at me, seeming to notice how smart I sounded. "Yes, Dad. You should rest as well..." I added before switching to my autistic state.

"I will." My dad agreed and I strode over to him.

Hesitantly, I embraced him and disengaged the hug after a short while and he looked happy at what I did. "You should seriously, rest," I advised seeing how his face seemed tired and weary.

"I will after checking it your mother is alright." He said in a whisper.

"You don't have to..." I stammered taking my eyes off him. "Micah is with mother... She'd be fine." I stuttered using an Italian word and my dad patted my shoulder.

"You should rest as well..." He advised and I nodded before walking away first.

I headed to my room, opened its door, and entered it.

As soon as I entered it, I locked it from behind and strolled to my closet where I changed into a white T-shirt and long black coat.

I wore a gold wristwatch and styled my hair roughly before walking out of it.

I walked to the bookshelf and reached for the safe. I took my phone and unlocked it. I saw four missed calls from Adam, who must have heard the news and be worrying about me.

Tucking the phone into my coat pocket, I reached for the file, shut the safe door, and pressed the button that made the bookshelf creak open.

I walked down the stairs, to the ladder where I climbed up and out of the underground room.

I already informed Rosalina what to do if I'm asked about by anyone even though certainty is that no one would ask about me as Micah would be busy attending with my mother and my father would probably be taking his rest too.

I strolled out of the compound seeing a black car waiting for me at the back gate, and I knew Black wasn't the one inside the car since he would be busy searching for who's Geraldo's boss.

As I got closer to the car, the guy who must have come to pick me, up opened the backseat door but I shut it immediately.

"Guard the house from here," I commanded opening the front seat and sliding into it, sitting in the driver's seat.

I shut the door and took a cancer stick from the dashboard, lit it, and smoked it. It sent a deep rush of heat through my veins, but it cooled me a bit.

I kicked the engine to life, punching in some buttons with my finger.

I started driving at a slow pace, but when I was out of the estate, I increased the speed limit, speeding past multiple cars that I even got a finger fuck you from various drivers whom I almost ran into but I didn't care as my mind was too focused on meeting with a spy from Fernando. And my mouth—busy smoking and enjoying the relieving energy from the cigarette.

I stopped the car in front of an uncompleted building where petty drug sellers are mostly based.

I opened the dashboard again and brought out a pistol, installing some well-made Spanish golden bullets in it before alighting from the car.

The half-smoked cigarette was still in between my lips as I walked inside the building.

Some of the gangsters who saw me stared strangely at me but none of them dared approach me as I was prepared to take anyone's life who dared to stop me.

I stopped at the sight of a Spain-looking guy who quickly tried to hide his face from me but I had already seen him.

I raised the gun to his forehead and everyone seemed to watch me in awe. "Where's your boss?" I asked puffing out thick smoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He denied it in Spanish.

"One," I called out. "Two." I wasn't willing to waste time talking to him, my finger already on the trigger.

"It's me you want to see." A voice called out and I turned my gaze to where the voice was coming from. "Now can you let my man go?" He asked but I had to shoot the guy's hand before pointing the gun at him.

Other people in the building seemed to fume in rage at what I did but none of them were attacking yet. I spoke Spanish to the Spain plus-size man with plenty of beards.

"Let's talk in my office."

"You know I hate wasting time Bernard,"

"Why do you wanna know about the Fernando?" Bernard asked, my grip still tight on the gun.

"Since you are well known for your spying qualities. I wanna know who's closer to the Fernandos." I replied throwing him an envelope of money which he caught and took a glimpse at it before raising his eyes at me.

"Now you mean business." Bernard smiled greedily. "But it would be good if we stay---"

"Follow me." I cut him off and walked out of the building, not sparing any of the drug sellers a look or even people who came to buy drugs.

I walked out of the building and to my car. "Hop in," I ordered.

"Not again," Bernard said as if recollecting the past but I didn't mind him. I entered the car and he did the same.

I ignited the engine and Bernard scoffed angrily while I had thought he would have been used to me abducting him every time I came to ask for his service. "Talk," I commanded reversing the car.

"First, promise me you won't hold me captive for long," Bernard asked with his thick voice.

"You might be a good ally of mine," I replied. "Don't let me ask you to start talking," I warned.

"I don't know anything much about the Fernandos. But during my stay there. I found out that Geraldo has a boss whom he followed commands from." Bernard started.

"The boss is an American citizen, and he was an older friend of the Giacomo couple who died in a fire accident decades ago." He continued and a quick flashback of my parents' death appeared in my memory. "He has a daughter who is in Sicily now---"

"Tell me his fucking name."

"He is in Sicily at the moment." Bernard seemed to put me on the edge of suspense. "I think he is... Mr. Taylor, or..." Bernard guessed. "Yes! Geraldo's boss is formally called ' Uncle but his real name is Mr. Taylor." He seemed sure of his words. "And he's related to the Fernando family. He staged a fire accident in the cottage of Giacomo because he wanted to build a strong relationship with the Fernandos even though the couple were his ally." Bernard concluded making me tighten my grasp on the wheels.

The name ' Taylor sounds familiar