Thirty-Six

I walked into the spare bathroom and take a deep breath. It was getting harder to control my breathing and anger. So many people believed that I turned Ryan in myself. A few threatened death until Ray told them to shut up or try because Ryan wouldn't be too happy if his girl was dead when he got home. That normally shut people up pretty quickly. I could feel Meghans' eyes on my back all night. I never let her leave my sight for more than twenty- minutes. It was as if she knew what I was planning.

I follow Meghan upstairs and see her walk onto the balcony adjacent to the room. I cut my camera on hoping that the blue tooth was working. The music was loud but being upstairs and outside helped make it quieter than what it was.

"What do you want?" She spins on me causing her hair to twirl out and around. If this wasn't life or death I may have made a smart ass comment about how that was really cool but I didn't particularly like her or want to be her friend.

"I want to know why you are acting so innocent?" I asked her. I just hoped that the video and audio was working. I needed this to be caught.

"Innocent?" She asks sneering at me.

"Yeah. You were mad that I made a fool out of you at the last party by knocking you out. I mean that is embarrassing considering I was drunk and you were pretty sober." I add as an afterthought, "And especially embarrassing since I don't know how to punch."

"You didn't embarrass me." She rolls her eyes but I can see her face redden a fraction. It was embarrassing and she knew it.

"Oh then Ryan did right? He told you the next day that you shouldn't be lying about fucking him. In fact, Uncle Chris says the same thing. Ryan was too busy dealing with me to acknowledge your presence." I taunt her. Inwardly I groan already knowing I was going to regret this the next day.

I watch as her eyes widen slightly. She must have forgotten that the most powerful people like me so I know. She is just an outcast of the outsiders. At least in Uncle Chris' eyes and in Ryan's she's the girl he took pity on.

"He was. I'll admit I was jealous." She took a step towards me.

"So that's why after a month of us seeing each other you snapped and turned him in?" I bit out. I was getting myself riled up at her lack of answers.

"Turned him in? You think I turned him in?" She scoffs. "I didn't turn in him. I told- why am I even explaining this to you? No one would believe you."

I take a few steps forward and get in her face. "You'd be surprised who would believe me." I stand still and then hear a click. I look out the corner of my eyes and see a gun pointed to my head. I back up, hands in front of me.

"You're right. Here's the good thing though. I always carry a gun on me. Now, since you got out of my face due to my gun you'll listen to me." She says tilting her head to the side. She looked psychotic.

"You do realize I'm recording this right?" I knew she wouldn't believe me. No one believes me due to how innocent I look. Nobody seems to remember though that I was tortured by Ryan.

"Yeah sure you are. You wanna listen to what I have to say?" I nod at her indicating I don't really have a choice since she has a gun. She pushes me away from the door and the back of my knees hit edge of the chaise lounge and I sit down. "I care about Ryan more than you ever could. You see my family is another mafia group and we want Ryan in our family. So I was sent to infiltrate and get his Uncle sent to prison. Ryan would not let me comfort him because he was so stuck up his ass to get his Uncle's bail money that your father set. My family killed that domestic family. My father, Santiago Blanch, brother, Marcus Blanch, and my Aunt Matilda Blanch. They made all the evidence point to Uncle Chris. Now Ryan, heh. I sent him to jail for the kidnapping because he wouldn't pay me any mind. You were supposed to go for harboring a wanted man but because of your daddy I guess you got off."

"Wait... you set Uncle Chris up?" I ask. I wanted it one more time to prove his innocence. I needed it one more time to prove his innocence.

"Yes. Well, indirectly. The whole point with getting him put away was for Ryan to come to me for comfort. Then I would tell him about my family and sell him on the idea of marriage because my family could overtake his and bam! The Blanch family would be the top mafia family of the world."

"So all of this," I gesture wildly with my hands. "Was an absurd plan for you and your family to be what the third most known mafia family in the world?" I scoffed and chuckled. "You do realize that Ryan's family is the fifth most known mafia family in Connecticut right? You would barely be known in any other state let alone this state. They do the majority of their crimes under the radar along with doing a lot of fundraisers." I watch Meghan as she flips the gun in her hand so she is holding the barrel and pistol whips me in my jaw.

My vision gets blurry but I hold my own thanks to Ryan. "Yes. Why do you keep asking what I've already explained?"

"Like I said before." I smirk, "I'm recording this. Everyone downstairs just heard how much of a traitor you are and trust me Ray has been listening in on the whole conversation right outside that bedroom door. You see balconies are not very private when you leave the bedroom door it is attached to open. Another thing now the Blanch family is going to be on the radar of every mafia family in the state of Connecticut Which is about ten considering it is smaller families. Have fun." Ray bursts onto the balcony and grabs the gun from Meghan. Thankfully she was still holding the barrel otherwise I could have possibly been shot. In fact, I know I would have been shot had she been holding the handle. I was lucky I knew how Ray would think and that he was there otherwise she would have had time to shoot me.

Ryan's father walks in and checks my jaw. "You were right Athea. You are more family than anyone here. Welcome to the family." He pulls me in or a hug and I wrap my arms around him in the embrace. I felt like I belonged somewhere for once in my life.

"Uncle Chris..." I say looking to him. He just entered the room and what seemed like the rest of the guests. "I need this edited. I want Ryan's kidnapping taken out of this. Thankfully it's at the end so it shouldn't be too hard. I'm taking this to my father so you can be cleared and her family arrested. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Ray can make it seamless. No one will know that it was edited." I nod and smile. I was happy with how this went but I could feel blood trailing down the side of my face. I doubted I needed anything more than a butterfly bandage. Ryan hit harder than that barehanded.

"What are ya'll going to do to me?" Meghan shrieks gaining every single person's attention. I mean she already had it but she drew a few more people's attention as the walked by the open bedroom door.

"Well," I say and grab the pistol checking for bullets. I really didn't want to accidentally shoot someone. I wouldn't be able to live with that. "This," I say and pistol whip her across her temple. "Is for fucking up this families life. Good luck." I finish even though she was more concerned with not passing out. There was some blood oozing out of the cut I caused which made me smile. I drop the pistol and walk downstairs. Ray was behind me after he left Meghan in the hands of Uncle Chris.

We sit down at the laptops at the kitchen island. I watch as Ray does his magic and makes it seamless. He downloads it onto a flash drive and hands it to me after we watch it to make sure it was downloaded properly. I smack a kiss on his cheek and people congratulate me on the way out the door. I had to get this to my father. I had a confession proving Uncle Chris' innocence and left Ryan and me out of it.