A friend like you.

~*~

"Want to get a drink with me?"

Taking a deep breath, I gave a small nod, "Sure,"

"Okay," I began as we sat at the table with our drinks, What was that all about?"

"Which part?"

"I'll probably start with the most interesting part that doesn't involve me, but I'm curious as hell." I smiled.

"Ana-Maria?"

"No, Violet."

There was a sudden look of anguish that washed across his face, but he hid it as he took a drink calmly and responded, "She meant everything to me, I'd never hurt her."

"Meant…?"

"I need to start from the very beginning to help you understand Becky, starting with my parents,"

For a second I wondered if I did the right thing by asking him about this, but James somehow had this willingness to relate his story to me.

"I was born in Croatia," he began, "My mother is Croatian and my father is Romanian. My father constantly left us to fulfill his work responsibilities elsewhere until one day I discovered my mother was becoming very ill and needed urgent treatment. We didn't have a lot of money, I was young and worked for what I could earn, but I worked against my mother's wishes. My father hadn't come back from his business trip, and no money was sent for my mother's treatment."

"James," I breathed softly.

"One night I received this warning letter addressed to my father which threatened to kill him, my mother, and I."

"What?"

"Nothing made sense to me at that point. My first instinct was to protect my mother. I tried writing to my father, but I never got back any response. My mother wasn't in the best shape either. I had to move her in with my aunt, she was a nurse, but there was not a lot she could have done for my mother. She took care of her the best she could. Concerning my father, I had to find him. He was our only hope."

"Did you find him?"

James gave a soft disappointed laugh, "Yeah."

I frowned at his response.

"I heard about his whereabouts in Romania, so I went there. This business he was into was far from what I could imagine. He along with a woman named Mumtaz trained a camp of soldiers."

"Soldiers? You mean like ninjas?"

"Assassins." James frowned, "It's not a place where you'd want your children to end up, Becky. Most were orphans. Mumtaz trained the females, while my father the males."

"And their relationship?"

"Professional. Or at least my father used to think so. When I confronted him about abandoning my mother and me, he was at first confused. I told him about her illness and how many letters I sent yet no reply."

"What did he say?"

"The letters weren't received. Someone kept the truth hidden from him."

"What? Who on earth would do such a terrible thing?"

"Mumtaz hid them. She wanted to be with my father. When he found out the truth he was so enraged he almost killed her on the spot, but my father's friend Hades stopped him. After telling him about the letter I received threatening to kill us, my father left immediately."

"Did you go with him?"

"I wanted to, but he forbids me. Every day I wished I defied him and accompanied him back to Croatia."

"What do you mean?"

"A few days after, I received a call from my aunt saying that my mother was no more. When I asked about my father, he hadn't made it back to them. To this day, I don't know what happened."

*I'm so sorry to hear this, James."

"For years I stayed and trained with Hades. I didn't know what to do with my life anymore. Occasionally, I visited my aunt, she was all I had left anyway. After the incident with my father, the alliance between the two camps eventually broke. Mumtaz and Hades were always in disagreement, and it just didn't make sense anymore."

"And what about that woman you met?"

"Ana-Maria and Violet Proca are the nieces of Mumtaz. Ana trained under Mumtaz's care, but her younger sister didn't. She was never a supporter of this violence. I went on a dark path after my mother's death, Becky. I did horrible things. Violet was the only color in my life. Every Sunday, I'd meet her in the park after her classes and walk her home. It wasn't a safe place."

"I'm sure that was the reason." I slightly teased.

"Whatever the reason, I was utterly in love with her and how pure and innocent her heart was. She was the kind of girl you wanted to always protect and admire in such a world. Eventually, her mother accepted me, Ana also warmed up to me as well only because I made her sister happy. Mumtaz however didn't."

"Why is Ana-Maria so against you now, then?"

"One day I went to their house, and when I went I saw their mother dead in the hall. I was worried about Violent and searched the house, but she wasn't there. At that point, Ana walked in and assumed I killed her mother."

"And Violet? Where was she?"

"I don't know." There was a pain in his voice, "I had an idea who took her, that's why I came here, Becky. I believe it's the same person who was involved with my family."

"I don't even know what to say anymore, James."

"Nothing, it's not your fight. You're already scattered and I can't include you in mine but what I can do for you is help you get into contact with your brother:"

"What?"

"I know a few people, and I'm sure they'll be willing to help you. You should meet them before you do anything else."

"Who are they?"

James took a card out of his wallet and wrote an address on the back, *You can't miss it,"

Reading the address, I arched an eyebrow, "Well, this will be interesting."

"I assure you, and if you ever need me, don't hesitate to call."

"Trust me, a friend like you would be beneficial when I want to rob a bank, Novy." I smiled.

Before I got up from the seat, I stopped myself and turned back, "This person James, who was involved with the people you love, the person who wrote the letter to your family, you never told me the name."

He looked at me and frowned as he said, "Gianmarco Vincelli."