Chapter 5: Planes, Pains, and Jellybanes
A shiny white-gold jet sits on the tarmac fueled and ready to be boarded. Strong arms gently pull Aksana from under Carina as Smokes simultaneously picks up the youngest Mezzasalma. The inured younger twin stirs slightly in the strong woman’s arms before settling back into a much-needed slumber.
Two hours pass before one of the twins stirs. Aksana stretches slightly, halting immediately when she realizes her sister is fast asleep, snuggled into her side. It isn’t often that Carina gets good sleep so Ana is determined to keep her asleep. As she gently rubs her eyes, ridding them of sleep, she inspects her surroundings. Obviously, they weren’t in the Navigator anymore as it was much brighter here.
The gentle hum of an engine paired with the cylindrical roof/walls confirms Aksana’s suspicions that they were indeed on a plane. It was disorienting, to say the least that she woke up on a plane going who knows which direction at an undisclosed time with no way of telling where they were.
White cabin walls brightened as the window-dimming features lifted slightly, giving the occupants more natural light to work with. The twins were seated on a loveseat-esque chair with the footrests popped out and seatbelts on so that they were secure but comfortable. They were slightly reclined with fluffy pillows and their tie blankets. A white leather seat identical to theirs was placed opposite them with a white and gold marble-textured table between them. A little vase of flowers rested in on the side closest to the wall between two windows.
Across the aisle, a long sofa of the same white leather with golden and blue accent pillows and a nice tassel blanket was tucked parallel to the plane’s wall. Carina twitched in her sleep making Aksana freeze and gently stroke her shoulder with her thumb. The younger twin settled back into her slumber as the older made note of the door at the far end of the cabin. It appeared to lead to the cockpit with a restroom on the side nearest the door. A mirrored ceiling allowed her to see the rest of the cabin behind them without waking her sister. There was a half wall with a little bar/coffee station and a mini fridge tucked into the far wall opposite a floor-to-ceiling closet with golden handles. At the end of the aisle was a door leading to who knows where.
Looking to the front of the cabin, Aksana notes a set of four individual white leather chairs surrounding two sides of a similar white-marble textured table. Only now that they’ve passed the small bout of turbulence that woke her does she notice the sounds of keys clicking. It is a bit hard to make out but a man is seated in the aisle chair facing her direction. He has a darker complexion than her, presumably tanned from days in the sun along with his genetics. It gives off a lighter olive-toned vibe. His hair is a dark, almost black, brown with hints of amber poking through. It’s shaved on the sides with a long strip on top that’s pulled back into a bun at the crest of his skull. From the ¾ topview she has, she can see that his broad shoulders are nothing to scoff at, they’re hardened from years of hard work and he looks exceedingly strong. They perfectly showcase his sleeves of tattoos that span both arms, his neck, and his hands. There seems to be one red tattoo under his right eye and his neck tattoos curl up around the back of his ears like little waves. A white, sleeveless, turtleneck fits snuggly around his defined chest and back and is paired with grey plaid slacks. The flash of something golden catches her attention in the mirror as she studies the man.
He clearly isn’t one of the people they met last night…no, this morning at the station. Aksana wonders what time it is.
On the other side of the cabin, the man with the laptop smirks quietly to himself. His little sister really thinks she is being sneaky, doesn’t she? He notices the way she quiets the youngest of their family while constantly sweeping the area for possible threats. Tattooed arms flex as he types his report, sending it to his father. The golden rolex on his wrist reads 6:57 am, meaning that it is around 1:00 pm at home, he should contact his oldest brother. A heavy sigh escapes his lungs as he reaches across the table for his gold-cased iPhone.
6:57 am
Vito: Aksana has woken, Carina still asleep. Just sent my briefing to father. On our way to Paris.
Viktor: Good, watch them.
Viktor: Paris? You’re supposed to land in Genoa.
Vito: We were supposed to land in Genoa. Now it’s Paris.
Vito: Figured we’d take the newest members of the family to visit one of the wonders of the world.
Vito: Plus Santo had a loose end to tie up real quick so he popped over there last night. Figured we’d pick him up
Vito: and the girls could get less overwhelmed if they meet us more slowly
Viktor: Damn it Vito. When are you going to grow up and tell us what you’re doing. Especially right now.
Viktor: Whatever. Be safe. I don’t care if they’re overwhelmed, they’re meeting the family as soon as you guys get back.
Viktor: Keep us posted.
Vito: *salute emoji* Rodger that colonel
Heterochromic brown and blue eyes scan the golden phone as Vito enters his Snapchat. He throws a peace sign while smirking with his toung ring on display with the caption: “Little sisters on board, ETA 5:00 PM at the airport =^.^=”.
Santo replies almost instantly with a picture of him pinching the bridge of his nose in an exaggerated show of annoyance at his brother’s antics. The golden rings on his fingers catch the light in the conference room nicely as his dark brownish-black hair flutters in a crossing breeze from an obviously open window. His caption says, “Ur an idiota V. We have no sisters.”
Santo’s chatbox pops up,
Ssantoxicity is typing…
“I’ll meet you at +82, just like last time. Fly safe little brother.”
Vito stands with an audible groan. The little bag on the table crinkles as he snatches it up before making his way over to his sisters, not caring if he wakes the youngest.
Without her headphones and being unable to reach for her pocketed phone due to her sleeping sister, Aksana’s mind whirled as she stared intently out the window. As the older sister, she was responsible for her twin’s safety, and she’d failed miserably. Rina may have been a better fighter but she should’ve never agreed to let her fight for the Jade Sisterhood. Sure, they’d needed money and protection because they couldn’t afford to keep getting jumped and it was terrifying but she was the older sister. Aksana should’ve figured something else out. Carina worked at Mooncents and did her cage matches so that the girls could save money to live on during the summer, Aksana’s measly fees for doing others’ homework and summers spent working at Mooncents couldn’t hold them over, they could barely pay the rent and utilities on their shitty apartment. Luckily, with Mint Mobile, she only had to pay around $30/month for both of their severely outdated phones. Her little sister had fought tooth and nail, sometimes literally, for the money used to buy their textbooks, school supplies, clothes, emergency fund, college funds, and any extra necessities. Along with all that, Carina ‘paid’ the Sisterhood, they were pretty much just skimming money off of her paycheck. Sisterhood fees included $5k/month for protection, $5k/month for no questions asked medical, and a $4.5k fee for the laundering services. Out of the $21,700 she earned off of fights this month, the Sisterhood took nearly $15,000 back. While the twins both worked with John and Miles, Aksana wasn’t working other than picking up Carina’s shifts when she couldn’t make them. Because basketball season is in full swing and she has her homework business, she doesn’t have time for her barista job. During the summer and breaks though, she works nearly $40hrs/week which helps the duo tremendously.
Squeaking quietly in surprise, Aksana’s head whips to see Vito plopping himself in the aisle seat across from a snoozing Carina. How had she not noticed him move? Was she really that invested in her own thoughts, she knows better?
Amusement sparkles in Vito’s heterochromatic eyes, a soft smirk playing on his lips.
“This kid is really calm for someone who’s just lost both of their parents.” Vito thinks.
“Alright, kid. Let’s get this over with. Tell me about you two, what’s your deal?”
Confusion clouds Ana’s facial expression, “...What?”
The man rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically, “Tell me about yourself and sleeping beauty there. I don’t care what, just like hobbies or something. Ya know? Like what was growing up in New York City like?”
“I don’t even know who you are, why would I tell you anything about myself or my sister? Who do you think you are?” Aksana’s voice is low, laced with not only threats, but promises. It annoys Vito. How dare this brat talk back to him.
“Well kiddo, I’m your brother, Vito, and I don’t like your fucking attitude. So, if you want to keep that petty little tongue of yours, talk.”
Vito watches as Aksana’s face twitches in an attempt to mask her anxiety. She doesn’t appear to fear him per se but he has succeeded in his goal to make her nervous. “Serves her right,” he thinks, “She has no right to speak to her older brothers that way. We need to set the ground rules now, rather than later.”
“I-uh..ok,” she won’t apologize. A strange man waltzing into her life when she wakes up on a plane after…no. She can’t think about that right now. Who knows what this guy will do if she so much as tears up.
Quickly remembering she was sitting there dumbly, Ana continues. “Uhm…I’m Aksana or uh Ana. This is Aria, well…Carina,” she hesitates, trying to think of what else to say. He’s her brother, he may have more information on them than he’s letting on. She continues with a steady breath, “I’m on my high school’s basketball team, I’m a point guard, I’ve got shoot game. Uh…let’s see…I like art, reading, coffee, and have always wanted to join the school’s dance team?”
“What’s stopped you? Didn’t mummy dearest pay your way?” The adult mocks.
“I-no. She didn’t. Not after–never mind.”
The teen clams up, no longer wanting to indulge the intimidating man sitting caddy-corner to her. His eyes try to search her gaze but she looks back out the window, turning her head completely to hint that she wants him to fuck off. He gets the hint but doesn’t acknowledge it.
Brushing over the topic for now, Vito starts the questionnaire back up, “Alright, you’re on the basketball team, is little Aria here on any teams or does she just get beat up for funsies?”
Aksana is at a total loss and it’s obvious. The girl clearly had no form of poker face, her emotions shone clear as day. The older brother knows he hit a string there, “Good,” He thinks, “She clearly has some form of guilt about the fighting. She just can’t seem to figure out what she should tell and what should stay secret. I can use that.”
“Aria is part of a cage fighting club, it’s part fun and partially about the money she gets from winning matches. She plays the violin, mother taught her, give her an instrument and she’ll attune to it faster than anyone else I’ve ever met. Oh, we both work at a cute little coffee shop too.” Her smile is full of pride as Carina snuggles deeper into her side. She really is the cutest little sister.
Vito hums, “Good good. Do either of you have any allergies? I’d rather not have an anaphylactic incident in Paris.”
“Paris? But Mr. Nix said,” Aksana’s voice is laced with confused excitement. She gets to go to Paris!? Maybe she can see the Eiffel Tower! Her eyes are bright with wonder, “He said we were going to Genoa and Genoa is in Italy right? Why are we going to France? Is it just a layover? Wait-”
A blue gummy bear hits the blonde smack dab in the middle of her forehead before falling into her stunned hands. She blinks a couple of times before giggling.
“Alright madam yaps a lot, I’ll answer your questions but sleeping beauty needs to be awake. I don’t like repeating myself,” the man’s eyes roll with mild annoyance, “now, kid, focus. Allergies. Al-er-gies. You two. Do you have any?”
Aksana hesitates, brow twitching. With a huff, she answers, “Alright alright, allergies. Let’s see…um…Carina is allergic to lavender, ginseng, nickel, dairy, matcha, and assorted skincare products. I’m allergic to nickel, oats, dairy, shellfish, and assorted skincare products. We honestly can’t figure out what ingredients are causing the reactions because there are so many of the same ones but yeah…”
“Any medical allergies? Iodine, penicillin, any of that shit?”
“Uhhh…I mean, no? I’ve never had any issues and we don’t exactly go to the hospital so…ugh I don’t know?”
Keys click as Vito texts his family chat. His oldest brother, Viktor, had requested some background information on the two girls that would be moving in with them. “Alright, what are your favorite colors, what size clothes do you wear, and what medications are you on?”
“Uh…is this an interview or something,” Vito’s harsh glare cuts Aksana off mid-sentence, “Oof…tough crowd. Erm…My favorite color is lavender but I also really like yellow. Carina likes pink and gold, oh and green, she loves plants. Uh…clothes size? I wear…well, I don’t really know? Like are you asking for dress measurements or something?”
Vito’s sigh cuts her off once more, “Alright. We’ll get you measured in Paris. We need to get your closets updated, this, “He gestures at all of her, “Simply won’t do. You’re representing the family after all. Now, focus kid.”
“Oh,” Aksana looks down, a tinge of hurt crossing her face, “Yeah…you’re probably right. Ok, so, uh medications? Yeah…We both take escitalopram and Ri-ri takes iron and calcium too. Why are we going to Paris, Mr. Nix said we were-”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up? I said I’d answer that question when that one wakes up.” Vito jabs a finger at Carina. He can’t hide his annoyed pleasure as Aksana shrinks in on herself slightly. The way she acts so timid, afraid even, just makes him feel in control. Ignoring her completely, he turns his full attention to his phone, typing furiously in his family’s chat.
There was so much to prepare before the girls got home and so little time. Santo and Vito would buy their brothers, father, and staff, as much time as they could but they would have to work hard to stall. Luckily, Father had the day off anyway, Viktor and Luciano were in a meeting with a client that should’ve been wrapping up right about now, Adrik’s shift would end in the next few hours, and Dimetre and Damyan were out of school for fall break. Obviously, his youngest brothers were unhappy with their break being imposed on by strangers but whatever father says, goes.
Cesare, the twins’ biological father, had delegated the task of designing the rooms to Vito, he’d sent the schematics over before talking to Aksana so that the family would be able to start before needing to know the color scheme.
With the girl’s favorite colors, hobbies, medication lists, and allergies sent to the others, Vito grew bored of waiting for the youngest family member to wake. Aksana turned her head, confused, as Vito slowly leaned across the gap between him and Carina. Ever so slowly, he reaches an arm out before quickly shoving the sleeping teen’s left shoulder harshly.
He was expecting the girl to wake up but was completely unprepared for her to jerk awake and attempt to throw a punch at him. Aksana on the other hand, was fully prepared for her sister’s reaction. She firmly grasps her sister’s right wrist, keeping her from hitting their intimidating brother.
As Carina’s panicked eye searches her surroundings for exits and any other information, her body throbs with pain. She clutches her injured shoulder, the same one Vito practically punched a few moments ago, in an attempt to soothe the pain that radiates down her arm. The bright light in the cabin makes her head pound in protest. With paling skin and a dark circled eye paired with the various bandages covering the left side of her face and knuckles, Carina looks pitiful. It doesn’t help her that she’s hiding her face in her big sister’s shoulder as a way to keep the light from irritating her migraine further. Every time she moves, her skull throbs, her joints ache, and her face feels like someone sliced it open and rearranged the bones, oh wait. They did. She’d just chalked it up to exhaustion last night but damn, it feels like she has a hangover after getting into a fight with a man-sized raccoon.
Carina’s eyes narrow as she turns to the asshole who just shoved her awake by fiddling with her injuries. Vito mockingly mimics her scowl.
“Pathetic.” He thinks.
“What kind of weakling are you? How the fuck did you survive this long if you’re this pathetic after a little tussle? I mean seriously, jesus christ. Figure it out,” If it was possible, his eyes would be stuck in the back of his head with how dramatically he rolls them. He fishes a bottle out of his pocket and shakes out two pills before grabbing the back of Carina’s neck, shoving the pills in her mouth, and covering her breathing holes until she swallows.
Vito’s laughter fills the cabin as his youngest sibling gags on the aftertaste. The face she makes proves that she’s just as bad at hiding her emotions as her sister.
All of the coughing and Vito’s rough handling causes a spike in Carina’s pain receptors. The youngest twin’s breath hitches slightly as tears prick her eyes. Aksana’s piercing blue gaze takes the tattooed man off guard. Realizing he went too far, and this is his little sister, who just had a damn surgery and is running on like 3 hours of sleep, he pinches his nose bridge and sighs before throwing a gummy bear at the youngest. It bounces off her stunned face as he chortles.
He offers them the bag of mixed gummy bears and jellybeans as he answers their questions. “First off, yes, Ana, we were headed to Genoa but things changed. We’ll be meeting Santo in Paris, his business finished early so we may as well stop. Plus, as I said before, you two can’t be seen wearing that hand-me-down garbage that was in your apartment. You’ll disgrace the family.
Heterochromatic eyes scan perfectly maintained cuticles. “We’ll-”
“Who the fuck is Santo? Who the fuck even are you?! We’re supposed to be going to-!!”
“DO NOT. Do NOT interrupt me you entitled little shit!” Vito cuts off Carina’s line of questions with a low shout. His once amused smirk is replaced by a menacing sneer, his canine poking out like an alpha wolf growling at a lesser one.
With a heavy exhale from his nose, Vito continues, “I am Vito, one of your older brothers, Santo is my older twin. There. Happy?” The man sighs, noticing that the youngest is sitting tensed with eyes wide, ready to spring into action should he have an outburst like that again. The sunflower blanket covering her lower half slips down slightly revealing the bruises on her legs, he’ll have to have Adrik evaluate her when they get home.
“Alright. Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to say that we’ll be heading to a little cafe when we land. After that, we’ll head to the Gucci store before going to Avenu des Champs-Élysées where we’ll hit up Chanel and Dior. We’ll go to the Eiffel Tower for a little photo shoot and end the night with a dinner at one of the best restaurants in Paris, Guy Savoy. We’ve paid the owners to stay open longer than usual so that we can have the whole restaurant to ourselves.”
He pauses as Carina slowly shifts to a more comfortable criss-cross-applesauce position in her chair. Aksana, having fully recovered from their brother’s….outburst, takes the opportunity to write down the information given to them. Vito grins softly as she scritches in her little purple notebook with a sparkly puffball pen. “They really are just children, they’ve just had to grow faster than they should.”
It takes him a few moments as everyone re-adjusts their positions to figure out that Aksana is writing everything down because Carina has a strained look on her face. It’s as if she is trying to commit everything to memory but keeps losing the details. “She most definitely has at minimum, a minor concussion,” he muses.
“Now, ehem…sist-…girls, there are ground rules,” The word sisters feels wrong. These two are the reason that his mom left him. Why his father turned cold? Why his older brothers had to take over the family business much faster than they should’ve? But is it really their fault? No…he shouldn’t think that way. They didn’t ask to be born. Vito claps softly, “You represent the Mezzasalma family now. You are no longer Carina and Aksana Bjorno. Honestly, you never were. You’ve always been Aksana and Carina Mezzasalma, darling daughters of Apex Security’s founder and CEO, Cesare Mezzasalma. You are to stay within Santo or my line of sight at all times unless otherwise specified. Our family is…let’s just say our family is a prime target for unsavory folks. Seriously, what paparazzi doesn’t want the money shot? You are to follow our instructions. No questions asked. Do not question our judgment, it’s for your own good, to keep you safe. If something feels wrong, you are required to tell us. You have to listen to the adults in charge. Nix will be here to keep an eye out for trouble and keep the paparazzi away. That said, you two need to make us look good. This is going to be a headliner for a while, we can’t have your…ehem…background…making us look bad. Especially with the way you present yourselves, I mean seriously, do better.”
“It’s not like we really had a choice…” Aksana mumbles. Vito, choosing to be kind this once, ignores the comment.
“You two should feel blessed, it’s not every day that dependents like you get to bask in the presence of higher beings. Honestly, just one of my rings is worth more than your lives put together.” Tossing a mixed bag of gummy bears and jellybeans to the girls, Vito strides to the TV on the opposite side of the aisle. He turns on Bluey, an Australian animated show for pre-schoolers, before heading to the fridge where he fetches a plate of apple slices with peanut butter and cheese cubes along with an apple sauce with avocado slices for Carina, and two capri sun pouches. He sets them on the table before scooping Carina up and getting her settled in the loveseat he was previously settled in, much to her chagrin.
He feels her flinch as he does this, her attempt to break free of his grasp highly unsuccessful.
“Hey. We’re not little kids! What is this?! This show is for babies! Wha-” Carina slurs, pouting, being cut off by an avocado slice being shoved into her mouth.
“Stop acting like a baby and I might think about changing the show. Now, shut up. If you really need to know, this show has good reviews from children your age that have mental health issues. And you two,” he wiggles his finger side to side between the girls, “Just lost both your parents, home, friends, jobs, schools, and every sense of normalcy you’ve ever had. You’re being relocated to a country halfway across the world to live with 8 men you’ve never met, let alone heard of in a familial sense, and you’re dealing with injuries severe enough that you had to have an emergency reconstructive surgery, all within less than 24 hours. So yes. You get to be treated like children for a little bit. I’m not going to be this nice again, so shut the fuck up and say thank you.”
“I-thank you…Vito.” Carina says. Their eyes lock for a second before he walks back to his original seat to finish his work.
~~~
With two hours left of the flight, Nix emerges from the bedroom, tousled ginger hair graces tanned cheeks as he throws a leather jacket over his sweater. Nix’s dark-wash jeans, White and red Air Jordans, and light grey turtleneck sweater compliment his physique perfectly. A gun is tucked in his waistband, hidden by the jacket, and an earpiece disguised as an airpod rests in his right ear. His signature purple and gold sunglasses rest on his still-damp mop of wavy hair. In his hands is a, full, dark brown YETI backpack. He’s about to yell to the girls when he stops abruptly in his tracks. Aksana and Carina, in their respective seats, are fast asleep while the episode of Bluey continues playing. Aksana’s hand clutches Vito’s forearm.
The tattooed man’s head snaps around at the sound of Nix’s camera shutter. The ginger can barely contain his laughter as his old friend glares as menacingly as he can. “How the hell did Vito get into this situation?” He thinks.
“Don’t fucking ask shithead. Just help me up. My ass is numb.”
Nix grabs Vito’s free forearm, hoisting him up. Thankfully, Aksana’s grip loosens enough that the men can move without waking the girls. The peace doesn’t last long, however, as the plane hits an unexpectedly rough bout of turbulence. It jolts the plane hard, forcing the men to hold onto the table behind them for support and jostling Carina out of her comfortable slumber by depositing her on the floor with a thud.
Blinding white pain erupts from her head, back, ribs, shoulder, legs, and left arm. A strong pair of arms brings her back to reality as the pain slowly subsides. Vito had grabbed her by her good arm, leaning her against the seat, off of the painful area as much as he could. Hardened eyes meet pleading ones as Carina’s breathing steadies. The fall had winded her slightly, paired with the pain, it was a little difficult to get the oxygen she very much needed.
As Nix gently wakes Aksana, Vito’s rage grows closer and closer to boiling over.
“You two, go through that door, on the right-hand side is a bathroom. Go shower and get ready for Paris. We land in an hour,” He orders, “Carina, after you shower, I’ll tend to your injuries.”
Carina’s eyes widen with dread. Vito cuts her off before she can protest, “Remember the ground rules little girl? Don’t question me.”
Carina watches out of the corner of her eye as Nix folds their blankets and puts the table back into its upright position as she follows her sister to the door on the tail side of the cabin. Inside is a white, cream, and gold room with a large, comfortable-looking bed. A small crystal chandelier is fixed to the ceiling above the bed, casting small rainbows around the room. There are four windows in total on one of the walls. A closet is fixed on one side of the door, the other side is a wall, presumably for the bathroom they’ve been sent to.
“You go shower, I’ll be here to keep watch,” Aksana gives her sister a side hug and hands her a bag of soaps from the backpack, “I’m guessing there are towels in there, I’ll pick out an outfit for you ok? Then when you’re done getting checked up on, I’ll do your hair. Ok?”
Aksana knows her sister well. Carina hates new places, especially ones with no viable exits and the vulnerability of a shower is almost too much for her. It’s comforting knowing that they have each other to lean on right now. Everything has happened so fast, they haven’t even had time to properly process what’s happened.
Carina nods, “Thanks, Ana. Um..sounds good.” It’s nothing personal, Carina just has so many thoughts in her head that she can’t figure out what to say. She disappears into the bathroom. Just like the rest of the plane, it is white, cream, and gold. It has a laminate, floor a small toilet, sink, and shower. It’s just big enough for one person to change in.
“Makes sense.” she thinks. After all, it is a private jet and heavy things take more fuel than light things.
She strips down, actively avoiding looking in the mirror. She doesn’t want to know how bad it looks, she already knows it's terrible by how she feels. The hot shower, albeit quick, soothes her aching muscles as she massages her scalp and rids herself of the iodine residue. Stepping out of the shower, she brushes her teeth, and goes potty before wrapping a towel around herself and peeking out of the door to see Aksana lounging on the bed, phone in hand.
On the bed next to her sister is an outfit consisting of; A black one-shoulder tank bodysuit with the strap end on her right shoulder, giving access to her most prominent injuries, a high-wasted denim skirt that reaches her mid-thigh while covering her butt properly, and a set of insulated tights. A soft pink belt and a pair of Prada downtown leather sneakers are laid out as well.
Aksana hums softly as she helps Carina into the bodysuit and a pair of shorts for her evaluation. Vito needs to see the bruises on her little sister’s legs before she can put on the leggings so there isn’t any point in helping her with the skirt right now anyway. After pulling Carina’s platinum hair into a tiny ponytail and securing it with bobby pins and a soft pink headband, the older twin turns her around to get a good look at her face.
It’s the first time Aksana has seen Carina’s injuries without the bandages. She knits her eyebrows slightly as she examines the black and blue bruising that creeps up her sister’s left cheek to her brow before moving down to her jaw. There are three stitches on the side of her cheekbone where Elisabetta had to cut in order to pull the bone back to where it should’ve been in the first place. On her right cheek, Carina has a small cut that appears deep enough to scar and her left shoulder looks too similar to her face for comfort. A large black and purple bruise spreads from the anterior section of flesh between her humorous and clavicle down her bi and triceps before stopping at her radial-ulnar joint.
With Aksana’s help, she slips on a warm pair of socks before making her way through the door as her twin goes to freshen up.
Nix and Viktor are seated on the opposite side of the cabin, a first aid kit open on the table and a laptop open to a Facetime call with someone. Viktor ends the call as Carina’s soft footsteps approach. She avoids eye contact, fingertips tapping against each other as she rocks on her heels in front of the two men.
Vito’s harsh stare as he surveys the superficial damage on this little girl’s body makes her muscles involuntarily tense, preparing to flee.
Reluctantly, she sits herself on the table in front of Vito as Nix wanders to the other side of the aisle to give the uncharacteristically skittish girl privacy.
“Alright gummy bear, here’s what’s going to happen,” Vito starts, holding Carina’s small hand in his large one, “I’m going to check your injuries, sanitize them, apply whatever creams or salves or stupid shit I need to, bandage your face, and do a concussion screening. When we get home, I’ll have Adrik give you a more in-depth check-up. Don’t worry, Aksana will get one too, we need to make sure any health issues are addressed. It’s bad for our image if we let you two stay unhealthy. Now, if at any time you feel uncomfortable, tell me. If you feel pain, like actual pain, tell me. We don’t quite know if you have any broken bones or sprains. I’m not doing this to scare you, make you uncomfortable, or hurt you. This is for your own good.” Vito’s eyes never leave hers as he speaks. The sincerity of his words takes her aback, “There is just no reading this guy is there?”
Carina nods with a hum of acknowledgment. The teen barely winces as steady hands poke and prod at her wounds. He smears a cool cream over the bruises while explaining that it has pain relievers and agents that decrease swelling which will help the bruise heal as well as make her more comfortable. Things get a little awkward as Vito inspects her shoulder. He helps her remove the strap of the body suit, instructing her to hold it under her right arm so that the shirt was just low enough that he could treat the bruise. It wasn’t quite on her breast, more like the top of a sweetheart neckline strapless dress would reach, but she tensed and her skin heated up against her will anyway. Vito, ever the gentleman, worked on that area as quickly as possible. Carina may have fought in rings with hundreds of spectators with little to no clothing but it was different having someone all up in her business like this. She didn’t like it one bit and longed to be done as soon as possible. At least this man, her…brother, was professional and not a creep. She’d had worse doctors before Elisabetta, she just wished it was Elisabetta taking care of her right now.
For all the trouble the Sisterhood caused the twins, they took care of them. Elisabetta, Britta, London, and Aksana were the only people she allowed this close. Technically, the Sisterhood bosses were her bosses so they could do whatever they wanted but they always looked out for the twins. They saved them. They’d never do anything to hurt them for real.
Carina could feel the callouses on Vito’s hands through his gloves as he wrapped soft white gauze around her wounded arm.
“I don’t want this arm moving too much while we’re out and about. Adrik will skin me alive if it gets worse because I let you be stupid.” The honey-glazed baritone of Vito’s voice states, answering her question before she could even ask. He helps her back into the tanktop sleeve before moving up to the eye.
He first checks her pupil dilation with a bright light before having her follow his finger with just her eyes. “You haven’t felt nauseous or vomited since the hit, correct? Any dizziness, balance issues, ringing in your ears?”
“No..um..I don’t think so? A little…no?”
“Alright…Well, kid, I’ll be taking that phone of yours. Along with the rule of no strenuous activity or solid foods because of the whole zygomatic reconstruction surgery, you get to have no screen time for, at minimum, two whole days! Yay!” Skilled fingers wrap fresh bandages over her eye.
“Alright gummy, you haven’t developed diplopia, let’s hope it stays that way. You should heal properly other than a few scars, but tell me, who did you fight for?”
“Uh…The Jade Sisterhood? It was the end-of-month fight and the um… the Kings were being extra rowdy so it brought in a ton more money? We just have this deal ok?” Icy blue eyes avoid heterochromatic ones, “I fight, they protect us…They’d never do anything to intentionally hurt me…they wouldn’t. I fight. I bring in money. Boss said they’d take care of everything as long as I keep winning.
The twenty-six-year-old’s face softens slightly when he finishes bandaging the teen up. He hands her two pills and a little bottle of water before sending her back to change fully.
“Nix. I need you to find the motherfuckers who let a sixteen-year-old girl fight in an underground cage club. Whoever this ‘boss’ is, they shouldn’t be too hard to track down. Search for two groups, the Kings, and The Jade Sisterhood. I’ve got a bone to pick with them.” Vito snarls, slamming his fist on the table. “Kids shouldn’t be involved in this shit for fucks sake! They should be dicking around with their friends, not paying for a dumpy ass apartment, and fighting every goddamn week! MOTHER FUCKER!”
If the girls hear the bang of Vito’s fist, they don’t show it when Nix softly knocks on the bedroom door.
“Aria? Ana? We’re beginning our descent in 5 minutes, you need to come sit and buckle in.”
The girls look in awe at the city below them, Nix snapping discrete photos of their cute faces. Carina flinches a little as the wheels hit the tarmac but she’s eager to be out of the plane after the seven-hour flight.
Before they step out of the plane door, onto the steps where a Rolls Royce is waiting, Nix hands both girls a jacket. Carina’s outfit is accented by a light pink, swede biker jacket. Aksana’s lavender notched-collar walker coat perfectly accents her light-wash denim skirt, white turtleneck slim-fit shirt, and matching Prada sneakers.
“The air is so…crisp.” The girls state in sync.