I take slow breaths, trying to calm my nerves. The gun that's pressed into my belt seems to press into my skin with each passing second. It's a clear reminder that it's there for possible use on the person I never thought I would be pointing it at. My mother.

I grip my thighs as I see it's nearly 2pm. I'm sat inside my car with Chase in the passenger seat. A few cars behind us, Stella is occupying another car with an annoying look plastered on her face. Maybe because Ryan is in her passenger seat. A few cars in front of me is Jasmin and Brent. I thought it would come in handy to keep backup close by. I have no idea what my mother is capable of. I watch Lucas pass a park bench, dressed as a hot dog seller. He definitely wasn't impressed with the idea of his undercover outfit.

" Calm down Liam. Just hear her out." Chase mumbles as he loads his gun.

I take a few breaths in and exhale slowly. I can't believe I'm back to this. After only a few weeks of getting rid of my uncle I thought I wouldn't have to deal with this shit again. Yet here I am. Gun in my waistband, knife tucked away in my left shoe and a tazer hidden in my right shoe. Don't ask, it is really uncomfortable.

I grab my leather jacket from the backseat and pull it on over my black t-shirt. Looking back at my digital watch I see it's just past 2pm. Time to get going.

" Wish me luck." I mumble as I climb out of my car. The windows are tinted so you can't see what's going on inside the car. I also made a request to make the windows bulletproof seeing as it can come in handy at some point. I upgraded all the vehicles of my inner circle to assure nothing will go wrong and everyone will be safe.

I make my way over to a bench in the middle of the park. Kids are running around and several people are walking around with their dogs. I doubt my mother would try something in such a public place. Then again, I don't know what I'm up against.

I sit and wait patiently. I never thought about time being this slow. Usually I never have time for anything but now it feels like the seconds tick by slower than usual. My eyes land on each car that zooms by and each person that walks by, awaiting my mother's arrival. I'll give it to the woman, she's got me stressed out.

" Hello Liam."

I nearly jump off the bench at the sound of a feminine voice beside me. I was so caught up in watching the seconds tick by that I haven't realized someone taking their seat next to me.

" Rose." I say not looking at her. In a matter of seconds I feel a burning sensation on my cheek from where she slapped me mere seconds ago.

" That's mother for you." she glares as soon as my eyes burn into her dull ones. She hasn't changed at all. She looks exactly like she did from when I last saw her about a year ago.

I don't say anything. Too shocked to even think clear. My mind drifts back to Everly. It was a mission to get her to stay at my house this morning. I had to go through a serious fit when I told her she couldn't come along. She finally realized that I'm right for the first time in her life. To say I was shocked was an understatement.

" It's lovely to see you again." I'm brought back to reality by my mother's bitter voice.

I roll my eyes.

" Why did you attack me in The Hamptons?" I blurt out.

She turns her head to look at me. Taking a clearer look at her now I can see that not everything about her is still the same. Her eyes. They now hold a different emotion. They are no longer the warm and loving color they once were before my father passed away. Nor is it the color when she was grieving the loss of her husband. It's now replaced by a pure form of hate.

" I wanted to get your attention." she says as if it is the most normal thing to fire gunshots at your son for his attention.

"A message wasn't an option?" I ask as I exhale loudly.

She doesn't reply as she keeps her gaze trained on me.

" Well you have my attention now. What do you want?" I sigh.

Her lips turn up into a smile as she let's out a soft laugh. She's definitely gone insane I'm sure of it now.

" I want absolutely nothing from you Liam." she laughs.

I'm confused now.

I furrow my eyebrows and she takes it as a sign to continue. " You killed someone close to me and I think it's about time I take revenge on his death."

Seriously. Again with this.

" I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I didn't fucking kill father. Will you get over that shit now. It's really getting on my nerves. " I snap.

I can't believe this. All this just because she's still glued to the fact that I killed my own father.

She laughs again. I don't understand what's so funny.

" Oh honey, I know you didn't kill your father. " she smiles.

Hold your horses. She knows I didn't kill him? Then why the hell am I sitting here? Why the hell have I been kicked out of my own house?

She takes my silence as a cue to continue.

" I killed him. "

My eyes snap to her burning ones. I'm pretty sure all the blood drained from my face and is now in my fist. I can't breath properly nor say anything after her confession. She killed my father? She killed her husband.

" You w-what?" I stutter.

" Liam don't get so worked up about his death. He was pathetic." she rolls her eyes.

I can't control my breathing as I feel my forehead getting wet from the sweat. It's a lot of information to take in. I was sent to prison for crying out loud. I sat there while she was the one behind all of it? I cried for weeks in front of her, just trying to convince her that I didn't kill my father when all along she was the one behind it. It makes me sick to the stomach.

" Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." I say through gritted teeth.

She smiles. It's as if her confession isn't affecting her at the slightest. The woman sitting next to me isn't my mother, she's a cold hearted bitch.

" You surely don't want your precious friends to die now do you? " she slightly laughs.

I try my best to hide my surprised expression.

" Stella and Ryan sitting in that black jeep, " she points to the car where Stella is sitting in, " Chase sitting in the car you got out of, " she points to my Range Rover, " Jasmin and Brent in the white jeep," she points at Jasmine and Brent as my breath hitches, " and poor Lucas dressed as a hotdog man." she finishes as she points to Chase who is currently selling a hot dog to a man in a suit.

" If you look closely, you'll see that I have men surrounding them Liam." she whispers.

Her statement is proven when I look again and see the now built men that are keeping a close eye on each and everyone of my members. They are also dressed casual that's why I couldn't spot them.

" One wrong move and they're dead. " she says in a dangerously low voice.

I gulp. She's really on to us. Over the months I have mastered my poker face in situations like these but I still can't hide my surprised expression.

" I have to say, I'm impressed. " I say keeping my voice calm.

She smiles again. That sickening smile. I just want to punch it off from her face but I have to resist the urge.

" How's Stella doing? Has she settled down or still being the little whore she's known to be. " I hear my mother ask after a few minutes of silence.

" Like you give a shit." I laugh.

Mother reaches for something in her purse and my hand instantly rests on my gun. Before I could take it out she holds a lipstick tube in her hand as she touches up her lipstick.

" You can put away your gun now Liam. I'm not going to do something if you aren't going to do something. It's as easy as that." she says putting back the lipstick in her purse.

My hand let's go of my gun and rests on my knee.

" What's the point of meeting me here if you aren't going to do anything. " I ask, my voice clearly indicating that I'm annoyed.

She crosses her right leg over her left leg and folds her arms as she exhales.

" I just thought I would spare you the effort of trying to figure out who shot at you and that irritating little girlfriend of yours." she answers.

My body tense at the mention of Everly.

" She's a nice young lady though. It'd be a shame if something had to happen to her." my mother smiles.

" You better not-" I start but I'm cut off by the sound of my mother laughing.

Her laughing at everything is seriously getting on my last nerves.

" Your threats don't scare me son." she says after finishing her fits of laughter.

I bite down on my cheek to stop myself from beating this woman black and blue.

" You clearly aren't seeking revenge on father so who's the lucky bastard that got your panties in a twist? " I spit out.

There isn't revenge to seek on someone she knows I didn't kill because she killed him herself. I've killed a lot of people and not one comes to my mind at the moment. Nothing comes to my mind except for me wanting to put a bullet through her skull.

She smiles at the memory of the said bastard. She turns her full attention to me with that sickening smile plastered on her face.

" You knew him quite well Liam." she says softer than her normal tone.

The realization hits me like a rock being thrown in my direction.

It's can't be.

"Xavier." she whispers.

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