Chapter 6

We didn’t stay long in the basement after that. I left Franco in charge of the guy.

Surprisingly, Sol wanted me to stay for a bit before leaving. His wife and I talked, catching up on three years worth of information since I was never really physically here for them and though I already knew most of the things, I let her talk. I appreciated that she wasn’t all shy and closed off around me and she was most definitely eager to tell me about her experiences with the twins and of course, my ever nice cousin. 

She and the twins retired for the night after our long ass conversation. It was pretty late and I can see the exhaustion on her face. Taking care of the two boys really made her tired, nonetheless the exhaustion doesn’t mean she’s not happy.

I played with the twins and the puppy I gifted them which they named Alpha. Sol snorted at the thought because my middle name was Luna. The twins treated me as their very close aunt right away probably because they were so happy with Alpha. 

There was a reason why I gave them a puppy instead of any material things. I wanted them to learn responsibility at a young age and cherish them. Not only that, I wanted them to know loyalty. Dogs are very loyal, especially when you treat them like a family. 

Sol and I talked after Hailynn put the twins to bed. We got a glass of scotch in each of our hands to catch up in his study.

“The first time you got your wife pregnant, twins at that. Stefano should feel jealous.” I teased.

Sol smirked playfully. “Do not provoke that hot tempered man, sorella.” His face suddenly morphed into a frown. “Speaking of which. You should inform him of your presence. You know we have an agreement with our family if and when we come here. He doesn’t want us to get into trouble. After all, New York is different. This is not our territory.”

“Oh, but he favors me, fratello, especially Uncle Marco.” He shook his head in amusement. “I like to stay here for a while. Uncle’s birthday is coming up. I want to surprise him so don’t even think about telling them about my arrival.”

He stares at me for a moment before speaking. “I know what you’ve been doing for the past three years, Cara.” He continued sensing my silence. “Going on around claiming my name, getting rid of those who posed a threat to me and my family.” I sneered. “I wouldn’t have welcomed you here knowing we’re not safe.”

I shrugged. “I was bored.” I lifted the glass to my lips and drank the contents of it. 

“It doesn’t matter what you think of it, Cara. What matters is that you kept us safe. You drove away my worries without even my request to do it for me or my family. You should know better how much it means to me.”

“You should also know better that I would do anything for your happiness.”

---

Dylan

“Rise and shine… sleepyhead.”

I slowly opened my eyes. It hurt when the blinding white light met my eyesight. I looked around, thankful that I was still in my room. 

It was probably just a dream. But the pain in my body and leg made me skeptical. I looked to my right and saw a beautiful woman laying on my bed beside me. Her elbow propped on my pillow, head resting against the palm of her hand.

In daylight, her long hair was dark brown, eyes nearing gray and blue, eyelashes curly and long, lips rosy- full and luscious, skin so fair and beautiful. Her beauty, so otherworldly. Her lips lifted up in a playful smirk. 

Did I die? Is she an angel?

My eyes widened. 

Shit. 

I immediately sat up, realization splashed me like cold water. I fell to the floor in a loud thud as I felt extreme pain in my left thigh. I instinctively screamed in pain.

I felt her move from the bed and looked over me in amusement.

“That must have hurt a lot.” She said in mockery.

I threw her a glare even though it would cost me my life. 

“Cute.” She said in mockery. “I’m surprised you would dare despite what happened.” Her eyes shifted towards my bleeding leg. “Let’s fix that before you completely lose your leg. Franco.”

I began to hate that name. Every time that name is called, something worse always happens to me. 

The beautiful woman who had an ugly nature sat on an armchair across from my bed where I perched. Franco was the one who treated my leg and wrapped it up with bandages professionally. I was surprised and amazed at the same time. 

Despite his treatment and her silence, I was still walking on very thin ice.

“You’ve been out for three days.” She finally spoke after Franco was done bandaging me. 

I was suddenly worried about my job. The manager already hated me. He will gladly add this to the list of my strikes so I’d be suspended or better yet out of the company. 

But right now, I don’t think it’s the right time to think about my job when my life is at stake here.

“I made sure of that so you could recover easily. I will let you rest for now. Tomorrow, we travel.” My heart jumped at that. I was scared of the possibility where she’ll bring me. 

Will she bring me somewhere so no one would know where to find my body?

She finally got up from the seat and with slow careful steps, she stood before me. “You should be grateful that I'm being lenient to you because tomorrow…” She leans down towards me, face leveling my own. I could clearly see the perfection of her beauty. It almost blinded me how evil and rotten she is. 

“... you will tell me the truth.”

---

The next day, we left my apartment right after breakfast. I was skeptical the whole time. She was too good to me even to the point of letting her men take care of me- with Franco being the acting doctor. My wounds and bruises were healing pretty nicely, especially the beating I received from my face. 

The wound from my thigh was a bit deep so it still hurts and it affects my walking posture. Still, it was healing nicely as well. It made me wonder if the guy took up medicine as his course. He was really good at treating my wounds. 

The woman, on the other hand, was treating me as if I wasn’t the culprit. She let me eat, clean myself and rest properly. It felt like I was just a patient that was under house arrest instead. It was too good to be true.

Franco pushed me inside a really expensive SUV. A middle aged man who dressed exactly like him was the driver. Franco settled in the passenger seat while the woman named, Cara, was seated in my side at the back seat.

I already realized that she was their leader. And from the way they interacted that night, the man who was his cousin was the previous leader. Unfortunately, I had the time to observe them.

I’ve been putting the pieces together. And it was the only conclusion I could think of. I felt stupid to mention his name, to put the blame on a name widely known to the mafia. I thought if I could pin it on him, she would immediately run to him and leave me alone. I was even confident she didn't stand a chance.

That didn’t work out well. Instead, I was tied even more to them. 

Sol. Fuck. It was her cousin. I was lucky my head was still attached to my neck.

“Tesoro, come.” She always calls me that. She was beckoning me to sit closer to her.

I slowly turned to her. I moved hesitantly. She was holding a handkerchief folded vertically like a blindfold. She twirled her finger around, signaling me to face my back to her and I did like an obedient pet.

She put the blindfold around my head to cover my eyes. The scent of the cloth invaded my senses. It held a sweet flowery scent. I frowned. 

I felt her move behind me, lips against my ear. I flinched, knowing so well what the gesture meant.

“It’s necessary for a surprise.” She chuckled and kissed my cheek. Her lips lingered for a few seconds before pulling away. 

The kiss sent shivers down my spine. The hair in my skin stood. My heart was beating erratically.

Shit. I’m afraid of what she’s planning to do to me.

Despite the unsteady nerves I was feeling, I managed to fall asleep. The drive was long and lasted hours. I kind of understood her intentions, I thought. She was deliberately making me feel anxious and terrified as the hours went by slowly.

I woke up the moment the vehicle stopped. I wondered why I didn’t hear a sound or movement. That thought halted when she spoke.

“You can take it off now.” Her sultry velvety voice reverberated. 

I figured she meant the blindfold so I took it willingly. I blinked several times to adjust my sight. It was still a bit blurry but I knew… I knew this familiar scenery. 

I grew up here.

I turned to her. She was sitting regally and arrogantly while sneering at me. My eyes were wide in fear.

“Do you like my surprise?”