Tomorrow Is the Day

It didn't take Talia long to come to the realization that every person living in the house had top of the line belongings.

It didn't surprise her either.

Since her first night staying in the house the members of Avenged Sevenfold, as well as Val, had made it obvious that they were wealthy. In fact, they'd made it obvious that they were extremely and abundantly wealthy. The house was gorgeous and furnished beautifully. The landscape was flawless and the security system, in and out of the house, was impressive.

Talia had been surrounded by wealth and luxury her entire life. She'd been to hundreds of lavish parties, taken jet planes to New York with her father's partner's girlfriends for spa days, and taken vacations with her father that could send kids through college. Talia was sure that these men had much more money than her father had ever had. They not only had an expensive home but an expensive lifestyle.

From what she'd seen, money would never be a problem for these men, as long as they stayed outside the concrete playground. They had the cool, steady air of people that could throw money at any problem and be fine. They weren't arrogant about it and they didn't flaunt it, which she respected, but they definitely reveled in it.

That's why she wasn't surprised when she found herself lounging out next to the pool with a brand new laptop and tablet, doing schoolwork for Val.

The tablet had the textbook for the class downloaded on it, as well as a notebook that she could take notes on. The laptop was for the actual course, writing essays, and doing homework. Seeing as Talia couldn't communicate with the outside world either, Syn had been assigned to the task of watching her while she did take the class. It must have been a boring assignment but he didn't mind ("I've had plenty of nastier jobs, this should be relaxing").

Talia had already taken two of the classes out of the three she had to complete this week. It wasn't hard--yet--and she was enjoying the salty breeze and the cries of the gulls. Syn was quiet next to her. He hadn't spoken in an hour though he constantly glanced at the screen and heaved a small sigh of boredom. Talia was finishing up the paragraph analyzing the last chapter of text that was required to finish the second course when he sighed again.

"Is the poor baby bored?" Talia asked, glancing away from the laptop to smirk at him and then back to save her work. He chuckled under his breath and then stretched, groaning unintentionally as his back cracked into it's normal position.

"There's a reason I only graduated from high school," he answered, swinging his legs over the side of the lounge chair and standing. "Besides, it's so hot out here and I have to sit in the sun making sure you don't decide to log onto Facebook."

"What if I pinky promise?" she teased, "Then could you not breathe down my neck while I read about social situations?"

"Oh wow," he barked out a laugh, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Probably because you didn't go on to get a higher education," Talia teased. She shut down the laptop and stood up to stretch. It didn't escape either of their notice how close their bodies were. Talia was wearing only a black bikini and Syn was shirtless in the sun. It took all of her self control not to look down at their bodies, only inches apart, and smirk.

Their eyes met and his brown eyes had a spark in them. Talia's heart jumped, recognizing the mischief in them. He had a look of trouble and that was probably why she was exceedingly attracted to him. There was tension between them that neither wanted to break. To Talia, whom hadn't felt such a strong attraction to a man in her entire life, this was a tension she didn't want to break.

"Brian!" a voice she didn't recognize called. They both jumped, though Syn much less than Talia. He smirked at her before he turned to the voice. "My man, it is good to be back."

"It's good to have you back Johnny," Syn said, turning and walking to the man.

Talia peeked around Syn's shoulders as the two men embraced. The man called Christ was short, an inch shorter than Talia, and the most alternative looking of all the men. His black hair was styled into a small mohawk and he wore black jeans and a black leather jacket. Talia knew already that she'd like him the best, judging by his smooth, honest face. The two men caught up briefly while she watched them.

"Canada sucks dick, man, even in the middle of July," Christ said, shaking his head. Talia hadn't known where he was, just that he'd been away on business. She stepped away from the chair and tried to get a better look at him. Canada didn't seem like much for a young guy in the mafia. She wondered what business he could have been on.

"I can imagine," Syn answered, chuckling. There was a lull in the conversation and silence. Christ caught a glimpse of Talia and looked up at Syn.

Feeling brave, Talia cleared her throat and stepped forward. "Syn, aren't you going to introduce me to your, uh, friend?"

"Oh, right," Syn said, turning and glancing back at Talia, "Johnny, this is Talia Russo. You remember, she was supposed to go to a safe house a few days ago."

"Syn? Well, I'll have none of that bullshit," he said, shaking her hand and grinning, "Call me Johnny. These fuckheads actually have you calling them by their street names? That's fuckin' gay."

Talia laughed. She was instantly reminded of her cousin Teddy with how open and immediately funny he was. Syn rolled his eyes uncomfortably.

"I didn't tell her to call me that," Syn protested.

"Yes you did," she interrupted, "Right after you told me you were my worst nightmare."

This sent Johnny over the edge. He laughed until he coughed, hinting that he was a cigarette smoker, and pushed at Syn's shoulder. Talia laughed too. Syn huffed until he chuckled at himself too. That night had been overdramatic on all levels but she'd never forget what he said.

"So Talia Russo, why aren't you in a safehouse? You're supposed to be in Nevada somewhere," Johnny asked, once the laughing fit had subsided. Talia looked to Syn to explain.

"She didn't want to accept our help," Syn explained, "She got in a fight with Zacky, made enough of a scene to drag Val out of bed, and it turned out they were friends from college."

"That's lucky," Johnny commented.

"I'm still not excited to be here," Talia chimed in comfortably, "But I guess I just gotta live with it."

"I'm not gonna complain about it," Johnny said easily, "A gorgeous woman staying in my house isn't a problem. My girlfriend might have something to say about it but..."

Talia laughed again. She was surprised by how safe and sure she felt around this particular man, despite knowing him for literally five minutes. She knew it was because he reminded her so strongly of her cousin. It also could have to do with the fact that he looked like how most of her friends always did. She'd always been more of a punk rock girl and he gave off that kind of alternative vibe.

"She doesn't just stay in the house, she cooks too," Syn prompted, panicking at the ease with which Talia warmed up to his friend.

"Well, we've got a regular gem as a house guest then," Johnny complimented easily, a warm smile lighting up his face. Talia loved meeting genuine people and she could tell, by the crinkle around his eyes, that he would never be an enemy in her book.

"Don't let this idiot fool you, I'm a lethal enemy," she joked. The men laughed.

"No, she is. You can ask Zack about that side of her," Syn said seriously. Johnny glanced between the two.

"The scratches on his face then?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Talia answered proudly, "And the bruise on mine."

Johnny shook his head in disbelief.

"I've been gone for a week and everyone falls the fuck apart without me," he commented, "Damn, I need some whiskey."

Talia grabbed the laptop and tablet from her chair and followed the men into the cool air conditioned kitchen. She hadn't realized how hot her skin had been until she felt how cool the air was. Val was in the kitchen, pulling a package of cookies out of a cabinet. She smiled tightly at the group before disappearing upstairs without a word. She'd most likely fought with Shadows and said her hello to Johnny earlier.

Johnny set out three glasses without even asking whom wanted a drink. He poured out a generous serving of amber liquid and pushed the glasses at Syn and Talia, who were sitting side by side at the counter. He raised his glass and toasted to himself being back home ("and away from that cold ass crack Canada") before drinking most of what he'd poured himself.

"So Canada sucked?" Syn prompted, "How was work?"

"There's nothing to fucking do," Johnny answered, his voice deeper from the burn of the whiskey, "But luckily there's a lot of good bud in Canada."

"Work went well then," Syn deduced. Talia was incredulous. She'd never heard of a mafia that sold pot. In fact, drugs weren't even a huge part of organized crime, not street drugs like that. She'd seen plenty of cocaine trafficking in her father's time, even some heroin. She'd always assumed that marijuana was too lowly of a drug.

"Wait, you guys sell pot? Isn't that more of a gang thing?" Talia asked, distaste coloring her tone. Any person who'd been around the mafia had a distaste for gangs. People often mixed up the two without even realizing. Gangs were dirty and violent beyond reason. The mafia wasn't called organized for nothing and it was much more noble.

"It's not like I'm running around dealing eighths and dubs sweetheart," Johnny said, a smirk on his lips and condescension in his tone, "We're the big time and we make lots of money off it."

"You could make more off coke, especially in Huntington Beach with all the rich kids," she remarked. Johnny snorted.

"The last time you did coke, did you also smoke some pot after the come down so you could sleep?" he asked. Talia was taken off guard by the question and glanced at Syn. He shrugged.

"Yeah but-"

"The first drug you ever did, it was pot right?" he asked, cutting her off.

"Sure, but-"

"That means that we sell pot, not only to rich kids for their expensive come downs, but to kids in high school whether they're trying their first hit or smoking their daily blunt. We sell to almost every dealer and we make massive amounts of income from it, since it's so much cheaper in Canada," he explained smugly.

"Yeah, but isn't it dangerous to get it over the border?" Talia asked, grasping at straws now that he'd proven her wrong in two sentences. Her entire life she'd associated the sale of pot with the poor gangs of Los Angeles but now she was looking at a man that was probably filthy rich off of the plant itself.

"Sure it is but not for us," he said, in true mafioso philosophy, "It's really a lot smarter in the long run anyway, unless it gets legalized which would fuck everything over."

"That's actually..." she trailed off, seeking the word, "That's really brilliant."

"I know," Johnny answered arrogantly. She allowed it though. Some people deserved to be smug with their own genius. Talia had never come across something so genius before. It seemed foolproof. If they had no ties to the people bringing it over the border and fake ties to the smaller dealers selling it, then there was no chance of them getting caught.

"So what? You have dealers that are like, the big fish that are selling to the smaller dealers? That's how it gets to the street?" she pressed, hoping to understand. Syn cleared his throat.

"That would be telling you too much," he said then, looking uncomfortable with how much Talia already learned from the shorter man. She raised an eyebrow and sipped at her whiskey.

"Someone doesn't trust me," she commented. "That's smart."

There was silence as her dark gaze burned into his. Johnny chuckled quietly at the two of them, though it didn't break the intensity of their moment. Talia desperately wanted to know more about the operation but she knew it wouldn't be divulged, not now and most certainly, not ever. Syn stared at her and raised his glass to his lips, draining the whiskey without ever taking his eyes off her.

"I don't like taking risks and you're a risk," he said, shrugging. "Sorry."

"You're not sorry at all," she said, smirking lightly. "That's fine; it's not exactly like I'm a trustworthy person and you've done your research."

"I think you think you're more dark and mysterious than you actually are," he said dryly, his lips pressed in a straight line. This sparked Talia's anger. She was already irritated but now she felt the tendrils of raw anger inside her heart. She hated being made to look stupid.

"I'll spare you the details of what I think," she retorted.

"And why is that?"

"I don't think you could really handle it."

He barked out a laugh that was filled with anything but humor. His eyes were narrowed when he looked back at her.

"I've actually known you for four days now and I'm surprised you have the ability to keep your big fucking mouth shut when you have an opinion," he snapped. She didn't shrink back from the fight though she was surprised that this was all coming from Syn. Her eyebrows shot up and the breath left her mouth. He hadn't been this rude since he had kidnapped her.

"You're a fucking prick," she spat, "You're selfish, brutish, and so self absorbed it makes me sick. I'd rather eat a bullet than have to spend another week living in the same fucking house as you."

Syn shot out of his chair, standing in such a rush that it fell over as he pushed it away. The empty glass of whiskey he hurtled across the room. It smashed against the wall loudly and fell to the floor. Talia flinched, as did Johnny. Syn was an inch from Talia's face, pure anger rolling off of his body in waves of electricity. He didn't lay a hand on her but he didn't need to. The look in his eyes was enough to make Talia swallow with nervousness.

"You watch who you're fucking talking to because if you keep this attitude up, I'll make sure you eat that fuckin' bullet," he said, his anger coming through his calm and deep tone. He stalked away from the kitchen and climbed the stairs with a fervor that surprised the two of them.

Talia sat at the counter with her hands balled into fists. She was beyond shocked at his behavior and a little bit scared though her own anger still shone through. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to calm herself down. Johnny looked at her, concerned and confused. He'd never seen his friend flip out with such ease and at such little provoking. He watched silently as Talia set herself to the task of cleaning up the glass that had been broken.

"That was weird," he finally broke the silence. Talia looked up at him as she scooped up the glass and then tossed it into the garbage. He offered her a smile and she sighed. Her chest was still heaving up and down with her labored breathing.

"I shouldn't be here," she said, sitting back down and finishing her glass of whiskey. "I only cause problems."

"Well, I would probably be the same way if I was you," he answered, "We all did our research and we were expecting you to be a tough cookie."

That made Talia smile. She liked that they'd anticipated a fight. "You think you got more than you bargained for?"

"That remains to be seen," he said, cracking a warm smile. "You've been here for four days but I haven't. I bet you twenty bucks that I can keep you out of trouble."

"Twenty bucks? That's it? How about a grand?" Talia asked, raising the stakes.

"A thousand bucks says I can keep you in line for the remainder of your stay," he agreed.

"Define trouble."

"Hm, well it seems like Zack already got his hands on you so how about you won't get into any fights that end physically?" he proposed.

"That seems hard enough," she said, smiling, "It's a bet."

They shook hands over the counter and he poured her some more whiskey. They each finished their glass in under three minutes without either of them saying anything. He held the bottle in his hands and turned it over under his gaze.

"The way I see it, we can sit here in silence or we can get completely fucking plastered. What d'ya think?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. Talia grinned and sat back in her seat, pushing her glass across the counter to stop next to his.

"Fill her up Johnny, this is gonna be a bumpy ride."

*

Johnny and Talia drank their way through a bottle of whiskey.

They'd entertained Val when she entered the kitchen in a sour mood. Johnny had lightly chastised her for letting Shadows bother her and then Talia started poking fun at the head of the pack. When Shadows walked in during her impression of him speaking to her from behind his desk, they all fell into hysterics. Shadows had grinned and taken Val to go reconcile upstairs.

Moving their party to the living room brought on a war of couch pillows, as well as a fight over what movie to watch. Johnny won, to the surprise of Talia, and they began watching Rambo. Their drunken state didn't allow much of that though. Instead, they ended up talking about the whereabouts of Zacky Vangeance, whom Talia hadn't seen since their early morning run.

"He's probably just out on business," Johnny explained, "He runs the arms division of our business."

Talia wondered if each man controlled a different part of this crime ring that brought in immense amounts of money. She wanted to know desperately about the inner workings of this particular group. Of course, that would require friendship and trust. Talia wasn't an option for either of those prerequisites. She was merely business and she'd stay that way.

"Sounds impressive," she mumbled passively. She couldn't feel her legs or lips she was so drunk. Had her cousins gotten her under this much of an influence, it would have been easy for Syn to kidnap her.

As soon as she thought of him, he appeared. Neither her or Johnny had heard him come down the stairs and both jumped when he showed up in front of the couch. He stared down at them with knit eyebrows.

"What's impressive?" he asked.

"How handsome you are," Johnny teased. Talia snorted and then, when Johnny wiggled his eyebrows at her, burst into laughter. Syn chuckled and rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Talia thinks my amazing good looks are impressive?" Syn repeated, his gaze on her now. She smirked up at him through her haze of drink. His mood swing was impressive, that's what. He went from being angry enough to throw a glass across the room and then back to his normal self in just under an hour. It didn't make much sense to her, but she took it as a silent apology.

"I sure as hell don't mind looking at you, that's all I'll say about it," she said honestly. As soon as she said it, she bit her tongue. She shouldn't have had so much to drink but now it was too late. Johnny was giggling and Syn had a stupid grin on his face. "Don't let it get to your head."

"Yeah Bri," Johnny said between his giggles, "Don't stroke your ego too hard."

"Shut up Johnny," he spat playfully, rolling his eyes again.

"If you keep rolling your damn eyes, they'll roll out your fuckin' head!" Talia said, slurring her words in excess. She grabbed the bottle from in between Johnny's thighs. The cap was missing, it had been for a while, and she lifted the bottle to her lips. She took a deep swig from the bottle. It was more of a double shot than anything else and now that a whole lot of whiskey was in her belly, it was easier to take it down.

"I'm not sure if you need any more of that," Syn patronized, trying to pry the bottle from her hands gently.

Talia stood up from the couch, unsteady on her feet. She gazed up at Syn with burning eyes. His fingers stopped trying to take the bottle from her hands and he watched her with bated breath. They were close to each other from her sudden burst upward. Talia was breathless at the immediate tension between their bodies.

"You're my kidnapper," she whispered, poking a finger into his chest and then trailing it down almost as far as his belly button, "Not my babysitter."

"That's my whiskey you're drinking," he whispered back, "Not yours."

She let him take the bottle from her but remained intensely close to him. He watched her until he lifted the bottle to his own lips, drinking long from it and almost shocking Talia with how long he could drink. He shook his head in bitter disgust when he was done and handed the bottle back down to Johnny. In the background was the loud noise of machine guns and explosions.

"Rambo, huh?" Syn questioned, ignoring the weird tension between him and Talia and sitting down. She flipped her straight hair over her shoulder and turned to look at the TV. Johnny said something about it being a classic, the same thing he'd said in defense of the movie earlier. Talia had seen it more than enough times.

"I can't see through wood sweetheart," came the sound of Syn's voice. Talia felt his hands low on her hips as he gently pulled her down. Drunk, Talia fell off her unsteady feet into his lap. Before she could shift off of him, his arms enclosed her tightly. She was stuck in place. Johnny cast a glance at the pair but said nothing.

Talia stared down at the man underneath her. Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around his neck and settled slightly into him. He smirked at the screen of the television as she studied his face. She decided quickly that he was one of the most beautiful men she'd ever met. Her mouth had the urge to say this fact but her mind caught up just in time. She turned and watched the movie in silence.

Occasionally, Syn would run a hand through her hair or rub his hand along her bare thigh. She'd escaped upstairs to put on a pair of shorts and a tank top earlier but she still felt naked under his touch. Talia ran her hand along Syn's broad shoulder. Her fingers would accidentally brush up against the skin of his neck, exposed at the collar of his t-shirt. Adding to the electricity between them was the fact that Johnny was seated, literally, right next to them. He would laugh along at the movie and mumble incoherently.

"I'm so drunk," Talia finally whispered into Syn's ear. Normally, this would mean one very important thing to him. Now he knew that this meant she was seeking a way up to her room. He nodded once and swiftly stood up, one arm around her back and the other under her knees. She didn't flinch that he'd lifted her. It had been such a fluid movement.

"Despite the fact that it's barely five o'clock," he said gingerly to Johnny, "Talia needs to sleep the whiskey off."

"Lightweight," Johnny teased. Talia gave him the finger as Syn passed. Her arms were wrapped around his strong shoulders and Johnny shook his head. "I bet that's not the last time I watch you carry Ms. Russo up those stairs Bri."

"Not trying to bet against you on that one man," Syn played back easily. Mischief glimmered in his eyes as he looked down at the woman in his arms. She smirked up at him and shook her head. He took his time getting up the stairs and Talia didn't mind. He entered her room easily and dropped her on the bed. He looked at her for a long moment.

"Why were you mad at me before? You broke a glass..."

Syn continued to look at her. Talia laid on the bed in complete comfort. Her body tingled as the whiskey coursed through it. She smiled lazily up at him, unaware of how intense he was being. He rolled his eyes and leaned down over her.

"Call me Brian," he instructed.

"Brian..." she repeated, "I can do that."

"Good," he said, standing back up. He moved to leave the room. Talia watched him go. His hips moved sensually as he walked, which was something she'd noticed previously but admired openly. He stopped at the door before he left and leaned against the frame. Talia propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes feeling heavy.

"Yes Brian?" she asked, her lips lingering on every syllable of his name. She watched Brian's eyes go dark.

"I wasn't mad at you before, when I threw the glass," he said. She cocked her head, waiting for the explanation. After a long moment of silence, she wasn't sure if there would be an explanation. Perhaps he'd just stand in her doorway all night as her own personal statue of a god. That wouldn't be something she minded either. Now that she couldn't give a damn about the way her eyes roamed over his muscular body, he could stand there for all of eternity.

"If you weren't mad," she asked with stunning clarity, "Then why'd you storm off?"

His lips curved into the smirk she'd grown so used to seeing. Talia couldn't remember a time before knowing Brian. In that moment, all she cared about was the fact that she had months to live with this magnificent specimen. He rubbed the back of his neck and then dropped his hand back to his side. Talia could have crawled off the bed and laid on his feet with the anticipation of his answer, as she already knew what it was but couldn't wait to hear him say it.

"I was jealous."