Legami Familiari (Shayde x Fathom)

[Lord Darkshayde]

Evan Perelli had awoken to a face full of cold water as his body hung limp, held up only by the rope tied to his wrists and secured to the meat hook above him. The shock of the water combined with the cold of the freezer reminded him immediately where he was, The Di Nello Meat Packing Plant. He was just starting to clear the cobwebs from his mind when a sharp right hook connected with his jaw. The world exploded into a cacophony of fireworks and black spots as he came to rest limply again. The new split in his lip brought his thoughts more clarity as he struggled to grasp onto something. He finally lifted his head to see the man who assaulted him.

Jonah Di Nello was standing there dressed in dark grey Gorgio Armani with designer leather Italian shoes. On his right hand were four massive diamond rings, stained with Evan's blood. Jonah slicked a blood-covered hand through his dark brown hair and leaned down close. "Evan...Evan...Evan..." He carried on, taking a hand and gripping Perelli's chin roughly in his grasp. "You should count yourself lucky the boss didn't order us to put two in your head on sight. You really fucked up on this one, but I guess Don Sorrento has a soft spot for you."

"What can I say," Evan croaked out through a pained grin, "I'm a funny guy..." He braced for the blow long before it landed, and while it still sent the room spinning he was at least present afterwards. "So, are we gonna sit here jerkin' each other off? Or are you gonna tell me what the fuck this is about?"

The brute started to swing on Evan again, but stopped himself. "As much as I would love to beat your sorry face until it was tenderized, the Don said to just impress the situation on you. So here's the deal, no negotiations. Mia, the Don's daughter is away at college in California. She's to be picked up and delivered to Don Sorrento in New York. You do that, and your transgressions will be wiped away. You refuse, well," he pulled out a .38 Smith & Wesson and pressed it to the back of Evan's head, "there's still two to the brain."

-----------------------------Two Days Later---------------------------
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Evan sat behind the wheel of his navy-blue Hyundai SUV as he barreled down the highway on his way to retrieve the package. The windows were down letting the warm July air course through the vehicle. He examined himself in the rearview mirror and noted that while his bottom lip was split, it thankfully hadn't swollen. His left eye was another story altogether. The blackish yellow bruise extended quite a bit past what his sunglasses would cover, but there was nothing to be done for it. His appearance might unsettle the girl, but what he was there to do was going to be far worse. From what he had been lead to understand, Mia had no intention of going home to her father. Which only meant even more of a hassle for this job. He could only hope she would come along peacefully.

With the exception of a couple of stops for supplies, gas, and a restroom break here and there Evan had made the entire forty-two hour journey with few distractions. He had even slept sparingly just to arrive sooner. This was dirty business just to clear his name, when all he had ever done was be a good soldier. The thought was dashed away instantly though. Dwelling over the things that lead him to where he was now would not solve the problem. As he pulled into Santa Barbara, University of California's parking deck he flicked the screen of his phone up and took a look at the girl he had come to abduct. Young, hot as hell, and beautifully tanned...this wasn't going to be difficult at all.

 

[Fathom]

Mia Sorrento was spending her afternoon the same way she spent all the others. Camping out in the corner booth of Deja Brew. A small coffee shop about a ten minute walk from UCAs campus. Since transferring from NYU at the beginning of the semester it had been her go to hang out spot. The baristas didn’t mind her hoarding a table for hours on end as long as she tipped them generously four her already over priced, oat milk lattes, but it was a price worth paying if it meant she didn’t have to fight for a table at the campus library or spend the evening alone in her apartment.

It had taken some time to adjust to the west coast after spending all her life in New York. Everyone was much more laid back, and yet despite that she had struggled to connect with her peers outside of study groups and group projects. Mia sighed, closing her laptop so she didn’t have to see the blank word document staring back at her. She had been sitting here for an hour, and had made no headway on the five page paper she had due next week.

As she took a sip of her lukewarm coffee she wondered if she had made the right decision. Then, flashes of her fight with her father came to mind. Him wanting to marry her off to one of the De’Salvatores just to secure easy access to their ports on the upper east side. It hadn’t mattered that the De’Salvatores were well known for their brutality. He had threatened to cut her off if she didn’t comply, and Mia had simply laughed in his face. Her mother had left her sizable estate to Mia when she passed, and it was more than enough to get her through college comfortably if she was smart about it.

So that had been it. She had loaded her car down with as much of her stuff as possible, and put as many miles between her and Anthony Sorrento as she possibly could without leaving the country. At first he had blown up her phone with calls and texts. They ranged from half assed apologies to downright threats, and those were the ones that she kept to look at on days where she was feeling weak. A reminder of why she had left. Made men didn’t care about the women in their lives. They were to be seen and not heard, used as pawns in deals to gain leverage over one another, and MIA refused to continue the cycle.

She finished her latte, leaving the mug sitting on the edge of the table while she shoved her things into her backpack. There was no sense in sitting around, waiting for the words to come to her when she was so distracted. Tomorrow, she could try again. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, she waved bye to the baristas, and stepped outside into the warm California sunshine.

 

[Lord Darkshayde]

Evan stepped forth from the parking deck onto the campus proper. He had been careful to dress inconspicuously in case there was an issue with retrieving the girl. He had donned a simple pair of blue jeans and a red polo shirt that clung to his toned frame. His steps were cushioned by soft Italian leather. He had standards to uphold after all.

The greater campus was miles long, but Evan had looked up map info during one of his layovers. The parking deck he was at led to Campus Administration and that was where he would narrow down the search. As he walked along the grassy plains that separated the different buildings he couldn't help but let his eyes scan over the student body, especially the fairer side of it. He had seen plenty of beautiful women in his time, but California definitely grew them different. Not only were there dazzling beauties to behold, but the warm Santa Barbara weather invited short skirts and halter tops alike.

He considered that one day he might just have to vacation here, if he lived that long. He continued his march to the admin office and upon getting there he immediately tousled his wavy golden-brown locks. He removed the sunglasses which had the unfortunate effect of revealing the extent of the damage to his eye. The bruising was bad enough, but the swelling below the eye was worrisome. Evan figured that bastard Di Nello had shattered his occipital bone, and while it would eventually heal it was a heinous injury nonetheless. The proof of that was evidenced in the clerk's reaction as he stepped up to the desk.

"Oh, uh, um...," the short haired goth girl that was volunteering stammered upon looking at him, "I-I'm sorry sir, can...can I help you?"

Evan pulled a wallet from his back pocket. He had prepared this ahead of time as it would help smooth over most of his questioning. Flashing a Private Investigator's badge with a phony ID he leaned on the counter and flashed the girl a pained smile. "Yes sweetheart, I think you can. I'm looking for a young woman that attends the university. Her name is Mia Sorrento," he pulled up the photo he had on his phone, "this is her if it helps."

The young lady glanced at his credentials and the photo and looked nervously at him. "Um, I don't know..."

"Listen, I know what I look like," he gestured at his face with a slight shrug, "I work in a dangerous business where an unfaithful husband has a shovel, and I'm in the hospital. I'm trying to find this girl because there is a serious matter of inheritance. We're talkin' big bucks. So please, be a doll and help a poor guy out?" He flashed another wincing smile her way, along with fifty bucks, and that was all it took to get his hands on a class schedule and an address for her apartment. There was still more work to be done, but at least now he had a place to start.

 

[Fathom]

The walk home had taken considerably longer than she initially planned. Stopping off at the campus bookstore to grab a few new reads for those late Friday nights home alone before backtracking a few blocks over to the small three story walk up. It wasn’t much better than the dorm rooms. A sparsely decorated one bedroom with a kitchenette that doubled as her desk. Several times she had thought about dipping into her savings, splurging on nicer furnishings to make it feel more at home, but somehow that thought felt worse than her current situation.

She flopped down on the overstuffed recliner that had come with the apartment, probably because the damn thing was too heavy to move, and opened her phone. Mia ignored the bubbles that filled her text messages. All unopened from her father, and instead pulled up the group chat with her study group letting her eyes scan over the unread messages wanting to know if anyone wanted to meet up at the Tipsy Turtle for drinks to celebrate surviving the pop quiz that had been sprung on them earlier that morning.

It seemed like the others were all in, and Miss fingers hesitated over the keys. Should she go? Did they really want her there, or was the invitation out of politeness. Glancing at the time she decided that could get ready and still be there on time, and worst case scenario she felt awkward and left. Hoisting herself out of the chair, Mia made her way to the bedroom, riffling through her dresser until she came up with a slightly nicer crop top to pair with her cutoff shorts. She pulled her hair from the messy bun atop her head, letting it fall down her back in loose waves before refreshing her lipgloss not wanting seem like she was trying too hard. Grabbing her wallet off the counter, she headed back out towards the far side of campus, hopeful that she was finally starting to settle in and make friends.

The Tipsy Turtle was a small, cozy bar that specialized in karaoke on Thursdays, trivia nights on Mondays, and ladies nights on Fridays. Mia half suspected that the latter was why it had been chosen, and she wasn’t about to complain. After showing the bouncer at the door her ID she made her way inside, eyes scanning the space until she found the other four girls sitting at a table near the back. Once they spotted her, she was excitedly waved over, and ushered into the group where they quickly placed drink orders over the sound of the jukebox blaring 4 non blondes.

“Mia! You made it!” Holly said reaching over and giving her a quick hug. “We honestly didn’t think you would, but we’re so glad you did!” She said beaming, making Mia blush. “Yeah, I figured it was time I got out of the apartment, and had a little fun.” She agreed.