Underworld

Lara wondered around the front of Brendon’s high security fortress trying to figure out how to get to the front door. There were high gates surrounding the whole property and they were all locked, she could see security cameras around the house and wondered if someone saw her they’d open up the door for her.

It was the Friday after Brendon had asked her out and they were going dinner and probably clubbing after that. The week had been rather turbulent for Lara, with the news of her and Brendon going out, it was to be expected that rumours would begin to circulate. Lara didn’t listen to them much but that didn’t stop them from being annoying. She was so used to wandering around campus and going unnoticed but now, glances and whispers followed her everywhere, she knew how Brendon felt. But that wasn’t the worst. News travelled fast around campus and then around universities, in particular, to Davide, Lara’s extremely protective cousin’s university.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He bellowed over the phone as soon as news reached him. The news just happened to reach him while she was in the middle of a Bio lecture.

“Dave, please keep it down” she said quietly.

“Why should I keep it down? You don’t fucking listen to me, why do you reckon I waste my time telling you to stay away from him, Because I’ve got nothing better to with my time?” Davide had always had a voice that carried, and today was no different, Lara was sure the whole theatre could hear him.

“Davide, please, I-”

“You’re not going out with him, with that - that guy, okay, you’re just not! You’re gonna get yourself-”

“Miss Bianchi?” The lecturer glared at her from his place on the stage “maybe you should step outside for a while.”

The whole week was replaying over and over in Lara’s head as she waited outside the house. After five minutes of searching for side entrances and peering into security cameras, she called Brendon to ask if she had the right place.

“Umm...so how long were you waiting exactly?” Brendon asked scratching his head awkwardly.

“Oh, n-not long at all” Lara lied stepping into his home. It was in her opinion, amazing. It was so modern, so bold. Black carpets and bright red walls, mirrors on every wall making rooms seem endless. It was funny feeling when out of the corner of your eye you see someone walking next to you and look up to see yourself.

“So umm – I was wondering if you wanted to- to go out to maybe some Italian, or some Chinese, Mexican uhh I-I don’t r-r-really know...” Brendon trailed off, when the stuttering started it was best for him to just stop, compose himself and then start speaking again.

“Aww” his mother cooed walking into the kitchen “You haven’t stuttered since you were a little boy” she pecked him affectionately on the forehead.

“Thanks mum” Brendon frowned.

“And who is this?” she asked although she already knew the answer.

“Uhh, Mum, this is Lara, Lara that’s my madre” he smiled awkwardly.

“Mother...in Italian” Lara translated simply “You can speak Italian?”

“I am part Italian” he said outrageously, “as if you didn’t notice” he said, gesturing to his pale complexion.

“My bad” she smiled, “my bad.”

The White Lotus was a small vegan restaurant across the road for the famous Victorian Market. Usually full, they managed to find a spare table upon Brendon’s arrival; after all, he was their most frequent customer. Rather cheep for the Urie family the White Lotus provided the family with a sense of anonymity which didn’t come whilst dining out in the top restaurants. Some families loved the glamour and the Urie’s did too, but a family dinner without all the stares was a much loved change.

“Favourite colour?” Brendon questioned.

“Pink”

“Band?”

"Eskimo Joe”

"Gossip Girl or The OC?”

“The OC”

“What?” Brendon yelled in mock outrage “The OC is like a tacky try hard version of Gossip Girl. Honestly, Summer wishes she was Blair and what’s up with Marissa, she speaks like a man!”

“Gossip Girl was made after woods therefore it is a copy of the OC and Marissa was my favourite character, I actually cried when she died.”

“You cried in a TV show?” Brendon raised his eyebrows at her.

“Ye-” she was cut off by Brendon’s phone ringing.

Sighing and glancing up at Lara apologetically Brendon pulled his phone from his pocket “Dad” he hissed into the phone “what do you want?”

“Brendon get home now.”

“No, I’m out” Brendon replied stubbornly whilst thanking the waitress for bringing them their faux lemon chicken.

“Brendon,” his father’s voice went dangerously low “I don’t know if this is being tapped but you need to get home, now.”

“Oh” Brendon caught onto what his father was saying. He glanced around the restaurant for any suspicious faces. Brendon had now realised that he was a sitting duck. Obviously, something had happened tonight and right now Brendon and possibly Lara were in grave danger.

“I’ll drop her off and then I-”

“No” his father hissed “Just get home, bring her; get her a cab, a bus whatever just get home now.”

Brendon hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair. This is exactly what he didn’t want to happen this was the reason he didn’t want to go out with her. Heck, by the end of tonight, he could be dead, she could be caught in the cross fire, this was too much.

“Brendon are you alright?” she asked curiously.

He lowered his voice to a near whisper “Here are my keys, take them get into the car and put them in the ignition okay?”

“Why?”

“Just do it okay” he hissed getting frustrated with her “How are we going to do this?” he asked himself. “Alright umm, in the glove box is a gun, I want you to have it with you as soon you get in okay, anyone tries to get in, tries to break in shoot them okay?”

“No!” she cried.

“Listen Lara, you need to do it alright, they won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“What are you talking about?” she yelled.

“Be quiet, do you want everyone to hear! Once you’re in the car wait for me, if I’m not there, c- actually no, get out of the car and get yourself home alright. Do not stay there any longer than ten minutes okay?”

With her heart running at a hundred miles per hours all Lara could do was nod “Please, can you tell me what’s happening.”

“You’ll find out when we get home.”

“We’re going to yours?” she asked.

“Yeah, when we get to mine you will call your parents and tell them you can’t come home tonight.”

“Brendon, my family wants me home.”

“Your family wants you alive” he snapped. They were wasting time with all of her bloody questions “Take the keys and go.”

Timidly, Lara rose from her chair, tucking Brendon keys into her bag and slowly walked from the restaurant. She took every step as carefully as if she was walking through a minefield. She shuddered slightly as the cold air wrapped itself around her when she stepped outside and wondered down the busy street towards. She glanced at every person suspiciously trying to see if they were concealing some sort of weapon.

What had she gotten herself into?

Why didn’t she listen to Spencer’s advice?

Why didn’t she listen to Dave’s words?

And why did she, while walking down the street not even feel the slightest twinge of regret?

Fear however, was one emotion she was definitely feeling. Both hands were shaking as she put the keys in the ignition. Then, she opened up the glove box in front of her and there, sitting in front of her was a semi automatic pistol. She knew that even if she needed to, she would never be able to pull the trigger. Violence was not in her blood, so why was she out with the son of one of the most violent families in Melbourne.

She jumped as she there was a knock on the window before realising it was Brendon and opened the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah” he replied.

“Brendon, can you please now tell me what’s going on?”
Brendon didn’t reply. He pulled out of the car park and speed down the road at a lightning pace. Red lights and stop signs didn’t matter, Brendon just kept his foot on the accelerator

“Call my Dad” he told Lara after a prolonged period of time, speeding through the city at breakneck speed.

“No” she cried “let me out now Brendon.”

“No” he replied as he sped through another red light “call my Dad!”

“Call him yourself” she shouted throwing his brand new IPhone at him.

“Yeah, and kill us in the process!”

“You’re going to do that anyway” Lara yelled “Please, you can go ahead and drive at whatever speed you want to just let me out.”

“We’re not stopping” Brendon said shortly as he felt for his phone on the ground “Can you hold on to the wheel for me?”

“What?” She shrieked.

“Well I need to call someone to open the gates in time.” Brendon hissed “the least you could do is fucking help.”

Lara stayed quiet; she didn’t have anything to say to him, all she knew was that she was not planning on going out with him again anytime soon.

Upon arriving at Brendon’s home the pair was immediately ushered inside by two of the Urie’s bodyguards. Inside were the whole Cosa and their wives and children. Brendon’s house was generally the safest when such incidents occurred. There were many rooms buried within the house that were inaccessible from the outside and in penetrable by gun shot.

“Dear” Brendon’s mother smiled once they were all settled in one of the living rooms “Can I get you a coffee.”

“I- I really just want to just go home, please” she almost begged though even if she could leave she would be unable to, she was completely paralysed with fear.

“Is this your first time?” A small blonde girl in the corner asked, getting up off the couch and walking towards Lara who nodded. “You’ll get used to it after a while.”

“This happens often?” Lara whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

“No no of course not” Brendon’s mother quickly cut in “Just every now and again, I’ll go get some tea okay girls? Don’t worry; Brendon will be in here in no time.”

“How often does this really happen?” Lara asked the girl once Brendon’s mother had left.

“Umm, it’s about the third this year.”

Lara ran a hand through her messy hair, by now she was so frightened her insides were beginning to hurt “H-has anyone d-died?”

“Nah, not yet, Alex got shot at first, but that was just because the guy’s always shooting his mouth off” she laughed “Some bikies took a few shots at him, then there was Brendon as you already know and now well, I-”

“Wait, what about Brendon?” Lara asked quietly.

"Don’t you know? Wow, you know how he went away about a month ago?”

“Yeah.”

“Because he almost got himself killed.”

“What?” Lara whispered, her whole body beginning to feel heavy as the girl continued to speak.

“Yeah, at the warehouse, at his Dad’s, it was on the news, didn’t you hear about it?”

“N-no I-I don’t really watch the news.”

“Well yeah, that’s what happened, he went to Thailand to wait for things to calm down.

"Didn’t you know” she asked again.

“N-no”

“He probably didn’t want to worry you, Brendon can get like that sometimes, I’d now, I’ve known him for about six...wait seven years now, wow, that’s ages” she exclaimed.

Lara could not comprehend how this girl was not terrified to death, her boyfriend and good friend had all been shot upon and she acted like nothing. Lara on the other hand was struggling to stay composed “S-sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, Brooke, sorry about that.”

“So do we get to go near any windows?” Lara asked, beginning to feel quite claustrophobic.

“Nope, you don’t want to be shooting people accidently.”