Noah

Alexis and I are sitting at opposites ends of the table and Oliver grabs a beer from my fridge. I didn’t offer him one, but he decided to help himself. I cross my arms and stare at him as Alexis shakes her head for me to remain silent. Oliver paces the kitchen and looks at us and chuckles.

“Alexis is a Deluca, Noah. So, if there is anything you need to tell her, you need to talk now, or I’ll tell her everything,” Oliver threatens, and I shrug my shoulders again. I have no secrets from Alexis, so I don’t know what the hell he is talking about. I guess being in the damn mob makes a person paranoid.

Oliver laughs and glances at Alexis and back to me.

“When did you find out about the private investigator?” Oliver asks, and I sigh and look back at Alexis whose eyes are narrowed.

“My business partner hired the PI to find Nick. I had nothing to do with it,” I tell them while keeping my eyes on Alexis.

“Your PI knew about Alexis. He took pictures of her with Nick. Are you trying to say that you didn’t know they were involved when you came to Chicago?”

“Listen, mother fucker…,” Noah begins. Oliver’s eyes widen, and he tilts his head. “I told you Maurice hired the PI. When I came to Chicago I didn’t know that Alexis and Nick were involved.” I turn back to Alexis and stare into her questioning eyes. “Baby, we have nothing to do with Nick,” I tell her and Oliver sighs.

“How fucking sweet,” Oliver mocks, and I take a deep breath to calm myself before reaching for his fucking neck.

“You never knew about Alexis and Nick? He never told you?” Oliver asks and I glare at him and he just smirks and lifts his eyebrows questioningly.

“Alexis asked for my help, Noah. Did you know that she is staying at a safe house with me?” he asks trying to provoke Noah. Alexis’ eyes widen, and I glance at them and nod.

“Did she tell you that we were involved at one time? It was me that used to slide between her legs,” Oliver gloats and Alexis gasps. “Oliver! What the hell are you trying to do here?” she yells, and I sit at the table grinding my teeth.

Oliver grits out, “I am testing the fucking waters, Alexis. If you two want to be together, you need to lay everything on the fucking table. You are a Deluca, and any information or anything else will be used to end this little relationship before it even gets started.” Alexis sighs and looks at me, but I look away.

She tells him, “I have always been a Deluca. This isn’t new for me.”

“You have been a protected Deluca. Now that you know who your brothers are, you’ll see and hear everything differently now. That PI his business partner hired…do you know how many fucking times he was in your store? Lola tipped off Thomas that you were being watched,” Oliver advises and Alexis gasps shaking her head.

I start to chuckle and they both look at me. “Maurice said he disappeared. You did something to him, didn’t you?” I ask, and Oliver looks at Alexis.

“I didn’t do anything to him, but yes he was handled,” Oliver says.

I shake my head and push away from the table. “You killed him. You killed an innocent man because he was looking for Nick? Do you people know anything but killing people?” I spit, and Oliver moves to within inches of me.

“You people? You were just fucking one of us people a minute ago, professing your love for her. Now you want to put us in a category that is below you?” Oliver adds, and I just shake my head in disgust looking at him.

“Alexis isn’t like any of you,” I add as I glance at Alexis and now she looks away from me. I can see what Oliver is doing. He is tearing me and Alexis apart with all this honesty shit. He is broadcasting the ugliness that has nothing to do with our relationship.

“Can you have a relationship with Alexis while blaming her brothers for killing Nick?” Oliver continues.

“I am not going to answer that question.”

“I think I need you to answer.” Alexis whispers and I tilt my head to stare into her beautiful dark, worried eyes.

“I don’t know how to answer that. Nick is my brother and he’s dead. Alex and Frank didn’t kill him, but they buried him and took away the opportunity for my family to say goodbye. We didn’t even have a funeral to say goodbye to him. Can I forgive them? I will co-exist with them because I love you more than I hate them. For you, I will forgive what they did, but I can never forget it.” I promise Alexis and grab her by the hand and pull it up to my lips.

“Funny. That wasn’t forgiveness when I caught you in the alley ready to execute them,” Oliver says tauntingly and I close my eyes as Alexis snatches her hand away.

“You were going to kill my brothers?” she yells, and I take a deep breath and stare at Oliver, who lifts his beer to his smirking lips

“I was. I walked away.”

“He walked away because I caught him and took away his small pistol and sent him home with the other,” Oliver smirks and I narrow my eyes at him threatening retribution.

“Is this fun to you? Are you enjoying seeing the hurt on her face? Why are you really doing this? I was going to put a fucking bullet right between their eyes. I wanted them to suffer the same way they made my family suffer. You sit here and try to portray fucking family loyalty, yet I am supposed to be fine with the fact that my brother was taken out like trash? I am in love with Alexis, so if you want to lay more fucking cards on the table lay them out, but when you’re done I am going to throw you the hell out of my house and she’s fucking staying.”

“You two need to sit down. We’re not done here,” Oliver advises, and I pull Alexis closer to me.

“Yes, we are. Get the hell out,” I order him. as my hands caress the curve of her back. I have had enough of Oliver’s bullshit.

“I can leave if you insist, but if I leave you’ll regret it,” Oliver tells me and laugh.

“Why in the hell would I regret it?”

“If I leave you will never find out who really killed your brother,” Oliver promises, and I feel Alexis tense up in my arms and my blood suddenly runs cold.