Cee stared at the soft, mounded soil - cut to a perfect rectangle - that lay in front of Caterina's gravestone.

The soil was rich, damp: filled with life. She tried to memorise the exact position of each blade of grass lining the grave, the placement of each pebble buried like a diamond in the recently overturned soil. It was a game, to forget whose grave it was.

Her mother and father were buried either side of Caterina; no matter how strong their love was for each other, their children came before anything else -

Or at least, that's what Cee had thought. Vincenzo had killed her father for his non-compliance, in front of her. Leonardo's cold, lifeless eyes haunted her nightmares.

Cee sniffed, trying to stop her nose from running. She'd cried too much already.

The service had finished hours ago, but she couldn't bring herself to leave; her sister needed her. Cee touched a hand to her mother's rosary, now strung around her neck along with the necklace from Niccolò. Marie wouldn't have wanted her rosary buried - prayers are for the living, she would say.

The three were buried in their local church ground, just outside the city, as Marie Fiero would have wanted; she had more faith than anyone Cee had ever known.

Cee lowered herself to the ground, ignoring the damp grass and kneeled in front of her sister's grave; she hadn't prayed since she was a little girl, and she wasn't going to now, but she offered her silence and her love. The gap in her heart where Caterina had been felt like a bullet wound.

The service had been unusual - the pews barren save for the small group of men in suits and the two remaining Fieros. Leo hadn't allowed weapons into the church, so armed guards stood along the perimeter of the church grounds.

Cee had picked the flowers. White, for purity. Yellow: Caterina's favourite colour. Pink roses for love.

In the church, lit by the cold winter sun through the stained windows, the flowers had bloomed gently, curling around Caterina's coffin like a woven basket of light - but to Cee, it all looked grey.

Everything was muted.

Cee sniffed again, her heart feeling dull and heavy in her chest; it weighed her down. How were people supposed to continue living? Every day, she wished that the seconds would stop ticking forward because it was one more second without Caterina - every day grew further away from her.

She was so angry - but anger was hot, and her heart felt cold - so she drifted through days in a blur, lost in her own world; it had been two weeks since her rescue, but it felt like two minutes.

Elias watched the girl, kneeling at the graves of her family. Unbeknownst to her, an agreement had been made. Unbeknownst to Leo Fiero, Niccolò had no intention of keeping to that agreement.

He stepped forward, clearing his throat. She made no move to acknowledge him; he tapped her shoulder.

"I heard you," she said bluntly, her voice hoarse and choked with tears, without turning around. "What is it?"

"Mr Romano and Mr Fiero want you," Elias informed her, sounding almost bored. Cee rolled her eyes; she hated their childish negotiations, their stupid games. Caterina was dead because of their games; there were more important things in life and death.

When she didn't stand up, Elias shrugged and hauled her to her feet, his grip on her upper arm tight enough to bruise. "Hey!" she protested, tripping over her feet.

"Orders." Elias didn't bother looking down at her, dragging her out of the church grounds and towards the black car, parked waiting for them.

"I can walk," Cee struggled, brushing herself off as he let go. He raised an eyebrow, making no comment as she clambered into the car.

Niccolò was sitting, one leg crossed across the other loosely, his arm spread along the back of the sofa; he looked every bit a mobster from the 20's - although without the fedora or suspenders, and a cigarette rather than a cigar. It was unusual, being inside the Fiero's apartment, a mix of old and new.

He watched Leo lounging in his late father's desk chair, an odd smile on his face; Fiero wore his emotions too clearly - he had done well for himself in their deal, or so he thought.

Niccolò's gaze turned to the door as it opened, the girl in question drifting in like a ghost from the elevator. Camilla had lost weight -again - she looked sick, and lost.

Without noticing, Niccolò had straightened up a little on his sofa.

"You wanted me?" Her voice was quiet, harsh in the silence - it wasn't her usual tone.

"Hey, Cee, sit down." Leo gestured to the chair in front of the two men. She shrugged, floating over to the chair silently.

"Camilla," Niccolò acknowledged, assessing her carefully. She was worlds away from the girl he'd found asleep in his bed once; he missed that girl - the one who gave him disapproving looks for splitting his knuckles and looked so peaceful, with an aura of calm sweetness.

She looked at him, her eyes watering suddenly as she realised he had found Cat's body - he'd seen her corpse first. Only a few doors down, her bedroom remained untouched.

She cleared her throat, blinking back tears. It wasn't the time.

"We have good news," Leo announced, unaware of Cee's almost-meltdown. "You can go back to school."

Cee gave him a cold look. "That was the plan anyway."

Leo looked uncomfortable, sitting back in his father's chair. "Well- yes, but we have agreed on security arrangements."

"Security arrangements?" Cee asked incredulously, looking between the two. Niccolò raised an eyebrow, watching her. "Is that a joke?"

"You'll be allowed into lessons, to graduate and go out in the city - provided you have someone with you at all times -" Leo tried to continue, but broke off, avoiding her gaze. "But you won't be able to go back to your previous apartment."

Cee narrowed her eyes. She loved that apartment in the next city over - she even loved how the heating broke down in winter and how the constant thrum of traffic kept her awake for hours.

"Why not?"

"You will be staying with me," Niccolò ordered flatly, staring her down. "In one of the buildings I own."

Cee looked down at her hands, her fingers intertwined in her lap. "Fine," she muttered eventually, feeling a wave of tiredness wash over her suddenly. She wasn't in the mood for conflict. "When?"

"Tomorrow," Niccolò informed her, tapping off his cigarette into an ash tray.

He watched as she left, surprisingly unbothered by her lack of respect - she didn't need to nod her head or ask for permission to leave - she trusted him; he knew it, and that was respect enough.

Leo left him alone to his thoughts after a while; the kid was inexperienced. Niccolò had been doing this since he turned twenty - Leonardo was just a boy in comparison. His actions were transparent, his reactions dictated by his emotion.

Niccolò took a drag from his cigarette, hating and loving the burning sensation in his lungs.

His thoughts turned to Camilla. It was unfortunate, that he would have to lie to her and confine her to his apartment in the city, but going back to her medical course was out of the question. Leo was being too careless with something - someone - so valuable.

He had to keep Camilla safe, and find Angela at the same time.

"Ready?" Elias twirled the car keys around his finger carelessly, grinning at the Fiero girl. She offered a small smile, but her eyes were sad.

"Sure," she agreed weakly, following him to the car; Elias loved his baby - an Audi R8 Spyder. Niccolò never appreciated the depth of cars like he did - he never understood them.

"How long is it to my city?" Cee asked, yawning to herself. Elias climbed into the driver's seat, relishing the low height and sporty feet.

"She'll manage it in an hour." Cee glanced at him as she ducked into the car, pulling her seatbelt across.

"She?"

Elias only grinned, patting the steering wheel fondly.

Camilla fell asleep pretty quickly, only a few minutes into the drive. Elias observed her as she slept, his eyes critical. He didn't understand the boss's fixation on her - strategically it wasn't ideal, and that made her a threat.

He drove mindlessly for an hour or so, occasionally making a detour to shake off anyone that could be following - staying alert the whole time without consciously wanting to.

Elias was used to this lifestyle now - what he was not used to was being a chauffeur for Romano's little girlfriend.

When she woke up, he barely glanced at her; she wasn't to be trusted.

"Elias?" He hadn't expected her to try to speak; he tilted his head to listen. "Why do I have to stay with him?"

One thing Elias hadn't predicted was that she didn't want to be there; surely someone who was a threat to the Romanos wanted to stay close to their enemies?

"Safety," he told her absently, eyes fixed on the city traffic. "Plus the boss seems fond of you."

Cee nearly snorted, laughing to herself at the idea. Fond wasn't the word she'd use to describe it; he'd tolerated her at the Romano House, and even then he wasn't always friendly - he wanted to keep an eye on her, that's all.

"He doesn't like me," she told Elias quietly - although she got the feeling he didn't particularly like her either, he had a laid-back attitude that calmed her nerve. "Otherwise he would've driven me," she added as an afterthought.

"He doesn't like driving," Elias told her, unconcerned. Even if the tiny girl did mean danger, she couldn't put up much of a fight against a bullet.

"Why?" He glanced at her, relaxed, and shrugged.

"Ask him." He grinned then, a wicked, teasing grin. "If you dare."

They passed safely into the city, the tall buildings beginning to tower higher and higher, taller and taller, until the weight of the sky seemed to rest on the tops of the skyscrapers. Cee watched out the window as the lights began to flicker on in windows, dusk drawing nearer.

Finally, Elias pulled up outside a glittering, dark building, the lights of the city reflected in its black glass. Cee glanced at him as she made to climb out of the car: "Aren't you coming?" He shook his head, looking down at his watch.

"Plane to catch," he grinned, "nice meeting you." Cee hauled out her suitcase from the back of the car, before tapping on his window; he rolled it down as she shivered in the cold.

"What do I say at reception?" she asked nervously, shifting from one foot to the other to stay warm. He shrugged again, grinning at her, before speeding off without another word.

Cee stared after his brake lights, her head spinning slightly; she turned with a sigh and headed towards the building. Magenta Hotel and Casino towered in huge letters above her head.

Men in sharply tailored suits, women in slinky cocktail dresses swept past her, giving her a condescending once-over; she wandered into the hotel lobby slowly, trying to find her way to reception. It was all polished stone and glass - immaculate. A winding staircase to her left seemed to lead down to the casino, with music and the buzz of conversation floating up into the lobby.

"Miss Fiero?" Cee turned, her heart jumping.

"Yes?" she responded, staring up at the security officer with wide eyes.

"Allow to me to show you to your suite." The security officer took her suitcase firmly, allowing her no choice.

"My suite?" she echoed, tagging along behind him.

"Top floor, ma'am." Quietly, Cee joined him in the fancy glass elevator, folding her arms around herself defensively. She didn't seem to fit in here; the security officer swiped his card across the lift panel, tapping the button for the top floor: 34.

The elevator rose to the top floor swiftly and silently, opening out onto a suite.

Cee didn't know quite what she was expecting; it wasn't this. The suite was practically empty, save for the sparkling, untouched kitchen she could see in the corner; the walls were almost entirely made of glass but nothing - no comfy chairs, no furniture.

The security guard had already strode into the apartment, depositing her suitcase in one of the rooms, and took the elevator back down, leaving Cee all alone with the lonely apartment.

She sighed, drifting over to the window. At least the view was spectacular - Caterina would have liked it. She shook her head, pushing the thought away.

It's not like she had expected Niccolò's private apartment to be warm and welcoming, anyway.

Cee yawned, heading past the beautiful kitchen - that looked untouched - to the bedroom where her suitcase was; she stripped out of her clothes, leaving just her underwear, and crawled into bed.

The sheets were impossibly soft, smelling softly of pine and lemon detergent. She closed her eyes, letting herself cry; she missed Caterina. It was harder than she'd expected, leaving home; it had been the place of her family's murders - she'd expected a feeling of relief, freedom even. Driving away from her family home was like watching her father die in front of her all over again.