Ch. 56..60: Until I Met You Chapter 56-60
Chapter 56
“What!” I exclaim.
I mean I didn’t expect Leslie to be this wicked. I tried not to make her feel hurt by always covering up for her and she has the nerve to turn the table around.
” Ariel.” Mom and dad turns to look at me as they drop their forks.
I look at Leslie who scowls at me. I bite my tongue in order to stop myself from punching her. If she’s not lucky , I don’t mind sending her to the hospital again. I am trying not to flip right now.
” Ariel is it true? You got pregnant?” Mom asks.
” This is crazy. First you asked me if it was true and secondly your beloveth daughter thought it was nice to turn the table around.” I chuckle.
” What do you mean? You committed an abortion?” Dad asks with rage.
I ignore their questions and look at Leslie .
” You’re such a coward. You’re just jealous of me because you’ve never been with anyone who’s willing to give you everything. Why don’t you be mature and tell our parents you slept with Gray’s best friend and he got you pregnant.”
” Leslie.” They exclaim.” Did you?”
” Really mom? You believe Ariel? What with i want with someone who’s associated with Mia Carter’s druggie son. Gray asked her to abort it and she did. She was ashamed to tell anyone but I heard them talking about it.” Leslie says. I glare at and give her a slap.
” Ariel!” Mom yells as she stands up. I’m already on my feet too.
” You’re an idiot. You’re getting back at me because your college sweetheart Hayden, dumped your ugly ass in front of everyone at school , huh? You’re such a stupid bitch.” I yell and turn to look at my parents. ” She got pregnant for Gray’s best friend and he dumped her. He threatened her to get rid of the baby or he’s going to fuck her up. She was scared and ashamed.”
” You’re a shameless liar. You know Gray used your ugly ass and asked you to commit abortion , you slut.” Leslie says through clench teeth.
I groan and punch her making her fall on the floor.
” Ariel.” Dad grabs my arm while mom rush to hold Leslie who’s already faking whimpers.
I snatch my hand from my dad and walk out of their presence. I pick up my bag from the kitchen and walk back to the dinning.
” Karma will surely fuck you up more , you dirty, lying, whore.” I smack my bag across her face and walk out of the house. I slide into my car and drive into the road without fastening my seatbelt. I am upset and Gray’s not even helping matters too.
I speed through the streets and it’s almost evening. I dial Gray’s number again and it went straight to voicemail. After about an hour of reckless driving , I pull in front of the apartment. I breathe in and out and lean against the car seat. I so hate Leslie. Did she have to? I’ve been too good for her and she doesn’t even deserve it. I get out of the car and walk into the lobby. I take the elevator and lean against the wall. The dress and bikinis that I bought yesterday are still in Gray’s house. My phone rings in my bag and I pull it out , hoping it’s Gray.
” Ariel.” That tiny voice chimes on the background. I roll my eyes a little disappointed that it’s not Gray and also happy it’s Kennedy.
” Kennedy?”
” Aww , girl. You sound okay. How are you?” She asks. The elevator slides open and I step out.
” I’m fine. How are you?” I ask her and open the door.
” I’m fine. I missed you. How’s Gray? How’s college?”
” College is great and we’re fine. How did you manage to steal my number?” I smile and drop my bag on the couch before sitting down.
‘Regular show’ plays on the TV and there’s no Alexa.
” I’m a genius. I can’t wait to come back to Gray’s. I miss you a lot and I’m sorry my mom treated you poorly. Forgive her yet?”
” Yeah , i forgave her.”
” Birdie…” Alexa squeals from the hallway. She halts and leans against the wall smirking. She’s actually wearing my t-shirt and sweats.
” Who you talking to?” Alexa asks and sits close to me.
” Maybe I’m just gonna call you back.” Kennedy says on the phone and hangs up.
” Did I end something?” Alexa asks eating a twizzler.
” Seriously. Why did you scream like that?”
” Maybe because I’m getting better from the shot and we’re traveling to Miami tomorrow.” She exhales and slumps on the couch.
” Oh that.” I sigh.
She turns to look at me and sit upright.
” You’re okay?”
” I’m not. Something happened.”
” Don’t tell me you saw Gray with Jhene kissing.”
” Eww , Alexa, that’s gross. I didn’t , it’s something worse. Leslie got pregnant for Reid.”
” Reid? As in Reid Hughins? Gray Carter’s cute closest friend?”
” How come you know everyone?”
” That’s a question for another day. Leslie got pregnant for whole fuckin Reid. Tell me he denied it and threatened her to abort it.” Alexa furrows her brows and bites her twizzler.
I blink and nod. How did she know that?
” Boom! I knew it. She can never be a good girlfriend. I might be a bitch but trust me , sweetie , Leslie is a big bitch. What happened?”
I sigh and cross my legs.” I think she aborted it after Reid threatened her to get rid of it.”
” She what!”
” Alexa , yes , she aborted it. Today at my parents house , she told my parents I got pregnant for Gray Carter and Gray threatened me to get rid of it and I did.”
” What the fuck! Okay breathe Alexa.” Alexa mutters to herself.” Fuck! I’m gonna murder Leslie and give her body to her parents for bringing up a child like that.” Alexa yell.
Leslie walks in with Hazel chattering amongst themselves.
” Don’t stop me.” Alexa whispers to me. She stands up and walks to Leslie and a punch follows.
” Fuck.” Leslie mutters holding her already bleeding nose.
” Bitch , get out.” Alexa says to Hazel.
” Fuck , bitch , i ain’t leaving.” Hazel protests.
” Yeah, you’re leaving. You stupid best friend of this slut.” I say and open the door to the living room and push her out.
” What the fuck is all of this?” Leslie spits out with blood dripping out of her nose.
Alexa grabs her hair and drag her to the couch.
” Fuck , Alexa , are you fuckin crazy?” Leslie yells. Alexa pushes Leslie on the couch and sits next to her while i sit on the other side so Leslie is in between us.
” Leslie, why would you do that?” Alexa asks calmly.” I mean , I understand the fact that you’re envious of Ariel and you don’t have a Ferrari. You don’t even have a Lexus or a Mercedes and you’re jealous of her , we get it. We are sorry you’re tied up with college boys and you can’t get a good guy to look at you…” Heaven’s sake, Alexa , get to the point.
” Why did you lie to your parents that Ariel was pregnant for Gray and she aborted it when it’s obvious Reid fucked you wrong and deposited his bad seed in you. You know you’re the one who got pregnant and you aborted it , why did you lie?” Alexa asks.
Leslie wipes her nose.” You’re fuckin crazy , bitch.”
Alexa punches her again. She hisses in pain and grunts. ” When are you ever gonna learn your lessons? When are you going to stop this jealous attitude of yours? Why did you lie?”
” Maybe because she deserves to get hurt again. Look I’m not sorry that I lied to our parents okay. I just wanted to have fun.” She smirks.
” Have enough fun already?” I ask.
” Not enough.” She grimaces. Alexa raises her hand to punch Leslie again but I stop her.
” Don’t worry Alexa. Let her be.” I chuckle.” Just an advise , if you want a Ferrari , why don’t you try the strip club again, whore.”
” Did you just call me a whore?” Leslie asks and stands up.
” Fuck yeah, bitch, you know you’re a whore. A fuckin prostitute who got pregnant for Reid. Fuck Leslie.” Alexa says and grins at Leslie.
” Alexa , you act like you’re fuckin better than me.” Leslie protests.
” Of course i am better than your cheap ass. I’m not a jealous psychopath like you. You need a therapist Leslie , cause you are fucked up in the head. Why can’t you let go and understand the ugly truth that you can’t be like Ariel no matter how hard you try. Face it Les, you’re a looser.”
Leslie aggressively bites her lip. Her nose flares in rage. She shuts her eyes and opens them. She smiles like an Insane person and leaves.
” I’m really sorry about that.” Alexa says and turns to face me.
” It’s okay. I don’t really care about my parents. I have you , Piper , Brandon and Gray, including Kennedy and Lucifer.”
” Fuck , talking about Lucifer.” She drawls and stretch her feet on the coffee table.
” Still seeing each other?”
” I don’t see men for a whole month. I get bored.” She winks and starts eating her twizzlers.
” I never knew you liked twizzlers.”
” I got a soft spot for this candy. Go change over and get back here while I beat you up in Xbox.”
I chuckle and stand up to go to my room. I change into my pajamas bottom and a t-shirt and return to the living room. I play Xbox with Alexa till we both got tired. We watch a movie with popcorns on our laps. Leslie isn’t out from her room since that interrogation with Alexa. My parents filled my phone with missed calls and I didn’t get one from Gray. The doorbell rings. Alexa and I turn to look at ourselves waiting for who to get the door. I chuckle at Alexa who’s already faking illness because she’s lazy. I get off the couch and open the door.
My heartbeat is rapid again at just his sight. He smirks and looks above my head to look inside the house.
” You missed me, didn’t you?” He asks and shoves his hands out of his jacket pocket.
” I’m sorry.” He says when I didn’t reply him.
” You’re sorry? You made me wait for you all night and you couldn’t call.”
” I was at Chicago last night. I got busy and i couldn’t make it home. Forgive me yet?”
I shake my head and turn to leave. He pulls me back by my elbow. I turn around and flatten my hands on his chest.
” Ariel , who’s at the door?” Alexa shouts from the living room.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms to glare at Gray.
” Don’t keep her waiting.” Gray quietly says.
I groan.” Alex , it’s just Gray.”
” What!” She squeaks.” Are you guys planning to make babies by the door. Bring him in.” She shouts again.
” Never mind, he’s just leaving.” I say.
” Really?” Gray asks and smirks.
” I’m still angry at you. I can’t believe you couldn’t drop a text that you’re busy and can’t make it home.”
” Forget about the club shit , let me take you to dinner. I’ll make it up to you.” He smirks and pulls me to himself with the hem of my t-shirt.
He wraps his hands around my waist and looks down at me. I missed him and with his act of seduction, he’s making me miss him more.
” I’m not hungry , Jamal.”
He chuckles.” Is that a no? Cause I brought your dress.”
I chuckle and swat his chest.
” Fine.” I groan.
“That’s a good girl.”
He picks up a bag , same bag the salesgirl gave me yesterday to bag my items. Gray hands it to me and I take it.
” I’ll be waiting downstairs.” He says and turns to leave.” Nice bikinis though. They are hot.” He smirks and disappears down the hall.
I blush and shut the door.
” Did you cum?” Alexa asks once I reach the living room.
” Seriously.”
” I thought you guys were fucking each other’s brains out by the door. How come I didn’t hear you moan?”
” Alexa.” I groan.” And please stop swearing , that’s gross.” I say and walk to my room.
I hear her say something but it wasn’t audible. I roll my eyes and shut my room door.
.
***
I walk out of the lobby and Gray’s leaning against his car. He looks up from his phone and he just literally drool.
” Damn. You’re pretty.” He smiles and wraps one hand around my waist to kiss me gently. The kiss was short but passionate.
He opens the passenger side door for me and I get in. He shuts the door and slide into the driver’s seat.
” Trent’s treating me on dinner today. Hope you don’t mind with the extra company.” Gray says on our way to the restaurant.
” It’s fine. Does he work for you?”
” No , works with me.” He turns to look at me briefly before looking back at the road.
” We can go to any place you like after the dinner.” Gray says and I nod.
We step out of the car as I look up at the magnificent building. This is too pretty for a restaurant. Gray wraps his right hand around my waist and walk me inside. The bright light meets with my dress and it glitters more.
” I can’t wait to take this dress out.” Gray whispers against my ear and my skin tingles. He’s gonna be my downfall obviously.
Trent waves at us from his table. A blond haired girl sits close to him. She looks a bit older than me , maybe Gray’s own age or Gray might be older. Gray draws out a seat for me and I sit down. Gray sits next to me so we’re opposite Trent and his date. She’s got a cute Arabic line up tattoo beneath her collarbones since she’s wearing a strap dress. She’s pretty.
” Gray. Hi to you Ariel.” Trent greets.
” Hi.”
” Hello.” The blond says. She has a Mexican accent. I smile and reply to her greeting. A waiter walks to our table before leaving. He returns with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He pours the wine on our glasses and leaves.
” How did business go at Chicago?” Trent asks Gray.
” Great. How are you holding up?”
” Excellent. I heard the Chinese are paying off well. That’s a huge establishment Gray.” Trent tells Gray. He nods in reply.
I collect my wine and drink almost all the content. The blond looks bored but she didn’t say anything.
” I saw Cage. D Luca’s son. Fuckin italians.” Trent says and chug his own wine.
” Yeah. He visited my club few days back.” Gray replies. ” I think the dick is up to something.”
” He’s not a match for you Gray. He’s still a kid.” Trent says and chuckles. Okay now I’m bored too.
” I heard you were shot by someone. An anonymous?” Trent says.
” Louise. I sort him out.” Yeah , he killed someone again. Always killing people.
The waiter brought in the food and place them on the table. The blond and I begin to feast on our meal.
” So Ariel , I heard you’re in college. What’s your major?” Trent ask me.
I swallow my food content before telling him.
” That’s great. Did you grow up in New York?”
” Not really. I grow up in Georgia.” I say and turn to look at Gray. He doesn’t look pissed or upset to Trent’s interrogation.
” You look familiar though.” He mutters and flash me a smile. I swallow and turn to look at Gray and then the blond.
” Sinclair. She’s got his eyes.” The blond mutters under her breath but I heard it.
” Are you his daughter?” The blond asks me.
Who the hell is Sinclair? I think I remembered him but I haven’t seen him before. I was supposed to be an intern there , but he wasn’t searching. Probably the owner of Sinclair’s. Gray clears his throat and glares at Trent , probably telling him the conversation should stop.
She’s got his eyes.
Are you his daughter?
What’s that supposed to mean?
What are they even talking about?
Chapter 57
” So who’s this Sinclair ? And what does he look like ?” I ask Gray on our way to God knows where.
” He’s nothing Ariel. Just a mob boss and don’t take that personal.” Gray answers.
Another mob boss. First it was Cage and now Sinclair is also involve with the mobs.
” Why did you glare at Trent to stop talking ?”
” I notice you were being uneasy and uncomfortable. Imagine someone asking if you’re a daughter to some weirdo. You didn’t like the choice of topic , I had to help.” He says.
He’s right. I was uncomfortable. Yeah , I didn’t like the topic at all. Why did he have to ask me such questions. It’s irritating.
” Are you also a mob boss ?” I ask and turn to look at Gray. He doesn’t look tense or even bothered.
” Why are you asking me that ? You should know me better than the others. I’ve given you a lot of information about me that I haven’t given anyone.”
” Pfft.”
” Tinkerbell.”
” I’m fine, Jamal. You worry too much about me.” I sigh.
” Where do you wanna go ?” He asks and I’m grateful he chose to change the topic.
” A bridge.”
He nods and speeds into the night. I stay quiet and look out the window. Gray parks his car close to the bridge and we get out. My feet already aches because of these killer heels.
” You’re okay ?” Gray asks beside me and wraps his hand around my waist.
” Not really. Leslie told my parents I was pregnant for you and you threatened me to get rid of it. She had to make me look like I’m the one who got pregnant and aborted it.” I sigh and lean my hands on the railing. The water flows gently and i bite back the urge to jump inside.
” What did your parents say ?” He asks and leans against the railing too.
” I didn’t wait for a reply , I punched Leslie. Alexa had to punch her earlier and she almost beat her up.”
Gray chuckles. I chuckle and smile.
” She’s crazy and i like her.” Gray says referring to Alexa.
” Yeah. She’s been like that since we were in highschool and she’s always protective of me. Most times I wish she was my sister instead of Leslie.”
” Do you want me to have a word with your parents ?”
I smile and turn to look at Gray.” I’ll be fine. I just wanna be far from them. They just bring out the worst in me.” I say as a matter of fact.
Gray sighs and look down at me.
” Did Alexa tell you what happened ? At the hospital.”
” Yeah. Vladimir sent someone to kill her. She fought the man and took his life.” I explain.
Gray nods and stays quiet.
” Why did you choose to come to the bridge ?”
” I love to watch the water at night. It’s pretty.”
He smiles and nods.
” What happened to your father ?”
Gray looks irritated at the choice of topic.
” Why are you asking ?”
” I see nothing wrong in knowing about your father. What killed him ?”
” He was shot.” He replies dryly.
” Who shot him ? A mobster or maybe a mob boss ?”
He looks at me and raises his brows. He smirks and bites his lip before looking down at the water.
” Have you ever thought about changing your major ? I have a list of good ones that suits you. Journalism ?”
I chuckle and swat his hands. Seriously , journalism.
” You make me look like I’m snooping.”
” I didn’t say that. He was a bad man and maybe he made so many bad decisions and he got shot for it.”
” You missed him right ?”
” Fuck , no. Shit , why would I ?”
” I mean he’s your father. Bad decisions or not.” I say.
He nods and doesn’t say a word.
” Alexa wants us to visit Miami.”
” Florida ?”
I nod. He scoffs and looks away from me.
” Why ?”
” It’s just for the weekend. She wants us to visit the beach and have a girls time.”
” And when’s that ?”
” Friday ?”
“Tomorrow? Fuck. I don’t want you to go.” He sighs and watches me intensely.
” You miss me already ?”
He laughs and run his hands down his hair.
” Sort of and I don’t want anything to happen to you. You mean a lot to me Ariel.”
I move closer to him and wrap my hands around his torso from behind. He smells so good and I’m never getting enough of him. I rest my head on his back still hugging him and he stays still.
” It’s just the weekend and nothing’s gonna happen to me.” I whisper audibly for him to hear.
” Gray.” I bite his back when he doesn’t answer. He laughs and turns around to look at me.
” I like your hair.” He smiles and runs his fingers down my hair.
” And I like your eyes.” He whispers and pulls me to himself.
He cups my cheeks and rubs his thumb on my bottom lip.
” You’re cold ?” He asks. I shake my head and smile.
He looks into my eyes and pulls me into his arms. He caresses my back and hugs me firmly like I’m gonna slip away. We’ve been together for so long and Gray has never voice out ‘i love you’. I might find it weird but he treats me better , like I’m the most important thing in his life.
****
I lay on his bed in only his t-shirt and panties. I feel weak , like feverish. I open my eyes and turn to my other side. Gray’s not around and I’m alone. It’s morning and I don’t feel like going to class. I feel sick and too weak. I shut my eyes and try to go back to bed. God , today is Friday.
Someone shut the room door and I’m certain it’s Gray. His cologne fans my nose and I smile. He lay beside me and feel my temperature.
” Are you okay?” He asks and kisses my temple.
I open my eyes and shake my head sideways.
” Are you on your period?” He asks again.
I chuckle and turn around to look at him. He caresses my hair and tucks every loose strands of hair from my face.
” I already passed that time of the month. I think it’s fever. I can’t stand up because I feel weak.”
” Want me to cook something for you ?”
I bite my lip to hold back my laughter.
” Thanks. The last time you tried , you almost burn down your kitchen.”
He rolls his eyes and leans down to kiss me. He bites my bottom lip when i didn’t kiss back.
” I need to use the bathroom.” I push him back gently and try to sit up. I feel so weak and dizzy.
Gray groans and carry me on his back to the bathroom. I smile and cling unto him as we walk to the bathroom. He help me with my toothbrush and allow me brush my teeth while i stay on his back. He leans against the washbowl while I stare at our reflection in the mirror.
” Thanks.” I murmur and begin brushing.
” Yeah ?” He rolls his eyes and pull out his phone from his sweatpants pocket.
I rest one hand on his shoulder as the other brush my teeth. Gray switches on the water and I spit out the toothpaste from my mouth.
” Hmm…” I hum and look at his phone , he was scrolling down his contact.
” So who’s Catherine ?” I smirk and try to rinse my mouth which made the water drip down his chest.
He looks up at me through the mirror and smile.
” A worker.”
” You have too many female workers.” I whine and squirm a bit to rinse my toothbrush.
He groans and keep his phone before snatching my brush from me and he rinses it.
” I didn’t ask you to do that.”
” You’re too slow.” He says and keep my brush.
” Really ?” I whisper and trace my forefinger down his chest to his torso.
” Ariel , you’re sick.” He mumbles and watch me through the mirror.
” I didn’t say that. I’m weak actually.” I bite my bottom lip and trace it down to the waistline of his sweatpants.
I look up the mirror and our eyes meet. I snap the waistline of his sweatpants against his skin and kiss the spot below his ears. He shudders and bites his lip. I kiss down his neck to his shoulder blade as I trace my fingers on his sex. He’s already getting hard. Since I’m on his back , my hand is being limited because he’s carrying me on his back.
” I want soup.” I say and kiss his temple.
He breathes out at my seduction and nod. We go back to his bedroom and he lay me down on his bed.
” Are you skipping school today ?” Gray asks.
” Yeah. Happy now ?” I pout at him. He chuckles and turns to leave.
” What about Florida ? Still leaving today ?” He asks and turns to look at me.
I pout and shake my head. He smirks and walks to the door. He opens the door and shut it once he’s out.
I pick up my phone and go through it. Missed calls from my parents and friends. Alexa sent me a message too.
FROM ALEXA: are you coming to school today or you are stuck with Daddy ?
Daddy ? Did she really have to call Gray, daddy ? I chuckle and reply her text.
To Alexa; sorry , I’m a bit sick and maybe feverish. I’ll skip this one out.
In less than a second she reply my text.
FROM ALEXA; Damn. Was he that hard on you ? Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant.
To Alexa; Jesus , no. I’m not. Alexa I have fever and maybe I’ll be home tomorrow or even today. How is your stitches. Does it hurt that much.
FROM ALEXA; you’re making me fall in love with you. You care too much about me and I’m loosing my mind already. Yeah , I’m fine. After class, I’m getting my meds. See ya later muffins.
I scoff and reply her text.
To Alexa; sure. Tell Piper and Brandon too.
I drop my phone on the nightstand and switch on the TV. Gray returns with a plate on his hand and a bottle water. He drops it on top of the nightstand. I sit up at once. ” Don’t tell me you made this.” I say and smirk at him.
He chuckles and sits next to me on the bed. ” I learnt my lessons , Tinkerbell. My maid is downstairs , she prepared this. And these…” He drops the pills on the nightstand next to the soup.” are… for your fever. Eat up.” I roll my eyes and pout.
He looks at me and pick up the plate to feed me. I smile and poke his cheek.
” Thanks.”
” Open your mouth , will you ?”
I nod like a kid and open my mouth. He shove the content inside my mouth and I swallow. Gray feeds me till I’m full. He drops the plate back on the nightstand and give me the bottle water. I take it and gulp down the water.
” Don’t forget about your drugs.”
I smile.” Ooh.”
Gray frowns and watch me take it. I’m not a fan of drugs so, i literally act like a stroke patient just to swallow these. Gray forces me and I luckily swallow everything.
” Seriously.” He chuckles and picks up the plate and walks out with it. I lay on the bed and watch a movie.
Gray returns and pulls me closer to himself. I wrap my arms around his torso as we watch the movie in silence.
” So what’s gonna happen once you return from Florida ? What about my trip proposal ?”
” You know I’m not turning that proposal down. I can’t imagine us being alone.” I smirk and trail my forefinger down his stomach.
Gray bites his bottom lip and look down at me. My cheeks flush to his smirk and i know the meaning of that.
” I wasn’t kidding about what I planned on doing to you. Take as much pills as you want because I won’t be easy on you.” He smirks and turns to his side to look at me with his hands on my waist.
” I’m sick.” I whine and pretend to shut my eyes as my hand trace down on his spine.
” You’re sick ?” He chuckles. I open my eyes and pinch his back. He pinches my hips and caresses my legs.
” Where do you plan on going ?” I ask.
” What about a boat ride ? A yacht.”
” No way.” He chuckles and pulls me closer to himself.
” Don’t worry , just get better already. Go to sleep , you need it.” He says. I smile and nod and snuggle into his arms.
***
It’s evening when I wake up. I rub my eyes and look around the room , there’s no Gray. I feel better than usual and I’m grateful. I get out of bed and open the door to go downstairs.
” You wanna give me an explanation for what you did ?” I hear Gray’s voice and it’s coming from the living room.
” How come you’re just asking me that ?” That’s Reid.
” Maybe I thought you might develop some decency and tell me about it.” What the heck are they talking about ?
” It was a mistake Gray and I don’t want to talk about it.” Reid scoffs.
” A mistake ? You got her pregnant Reid. You knew they were sisters and you thought it was nice to hit it bare. Now what ? You asked her to abort it right ?”
” What was I supposed to do huh ? Tell her to keep it and tell her i love her. Fuck , man , you know i won’t play that dumb shit. I don’t need a fuckin kid. Even if I want one , it shouldn’t be from a slut. I picked her from a fuckin strip club man.”
” Why did you have to hit it bare if you see her as a slut ? Man , you fucked her without a fuckin condom , what’s that supposed to mean ?”
” Maybe I just wanted to have fun. We’re over this issue a long time ago. You know what we’re involved with , kids aren’t part of it.” Reid says and I think he walks out.
I shake my head and go back to his bedroom.
‘You know what we’re involved with , kids aren’t part of it.’ what does that even mean ? I walk to the balcony and lean against the railing. I need to be at home and check on Alexa. The door to the balcony opens and I feel his presence behind me. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and his head nuzzles my neck. Thank God I feel better.
” Hey.” I say.
” Feeling better ? Or you want more soup ?” He teases and I chuckle.
” Thanks , I’m fine. I heard you fighting with Reid again. You guys act like ex’s sometimes.”
” Yeah ?” He chuckles and rest his chin on my head. ” I confronted him about Leslie.”
I sigh and nod.
” I wanna go home today.”
” Stay the night.” He demands. I turn around in his grasp and flatten my hands on his chest.
” I need to look out for Alexa today. She got shot remember. I need to be with her today. And also we might not visit Miami this week. Maybe we’ll go next week since today is already Friday” I tell him and bite my bottom lip.
” Next week ?”
I nod and wrap my arms around his torso. ” I will drop by tomorrow.” I whisper. He caresses my back and kisses my temple.
” I might travel tomorrow.” He says.
I disengage from the hug and look up at him.” Again ? For what ?”
” Business. I’m visiting Chicago. But I’ll back before Sunday.” He smirks and cups my cheek to kiss me. I turn my face to the side so he kisses my cheek instead.
” Why did you have to do that ? You’re going to Miami and you’ll be fine. I’ll check on you by the way. And maybe if you return we’ll be going on our ship ride.”
” Miami isn’t possible until next week. We’ve not even made arrangements.” I tell him.
” Breathe, I won’t stay long.” He trails his forefinger down my jawline and lean closer to kiss me.
I wrap my arms around his neck to kiss him back. He grabs my thighs and lift me off the ground, so my legs are around his waist. He walk back to his bedroom and lay me down on his bed as we kiss. I’m already missing him and it’s annoying i don’t want him to leave tomorrow.
……
I tap my hands on my wheel as I drive to my apartment. I dial Alexa’s number and she picks up immediately.
” Arie. Where the fuck are you ? Are you driving home ?” She asks on the phone. She sound so giddy.
” Yeah. Where are you ?”
” In my apartment. Gotta check things out and maybe pick up few things. I’ll be home soon.”
” Sure. I’ll be waiting.” I sigh and hang up. I toss the phone on the dashboard and steers the wheel.
My phone rings in my dashboard and it’s my mom. I mute the call and park my car. The call ends and my phone rings again, this time it’s my dad. Yeah , they wanna talk about me being pregnant for Gray. So pathetic. I shut my car and walk inside the building. I take the elevator and press my floor button and wait till the elevator reach my floor. The door slides open and i step out. I open the door and walk in. I shut the door behind me and switch on the light. Where on Earth is Leslie ? She’s never at home.
I toss my bag on the couch in my room and undress myself. I take a quick shower and change into my night ware. I go to the kitchen and look through the fridge , Alexa thought it was nice not to prepare anything. I groan and shut the fridge furiously. The door swings open and Leslie storms in with a guy whose arms is around her waist. They both look drunk and wasted. She giggles to nothing and they walk down the hallway to her room. The next thing that follows Is their loud moaning.
I need to have a word with her to stop bringing men in here. A soft knock comes from outside the door and i wonder who it is. I stalk to the door and open it wide for whosoever. My heart drops to my feet at his sight. How did he find me ? I thought he was gone. I thought he flew back to Russia. How did he ever find me ?
” Surprise ?” He smirks. I quickly shut the door but he beat me to it. I scream but he covers my mouth with his hand. I feel a sharp sting on my neck and I feel weak.
Please don’t tell me he just drugged me. My feet go weak and I’m gradually going numb.
” Gray’s gonna miss you by the way.” Vladimir says.
I see two other guys but I can’t identify their faces. My vision is already blurry and I barely could feel my feet. One of his men toss me on his shoulder as they shut my door. I try to scream but I couldn’t.
I black out.
Chapter 58
I feel weak and not numb anymore. My feet aches and my body aches too. I try to move my hand but I can’t. I think I’m restrain. I slowly open my eyes and look around my new environment. Everything looks dark. No windows but I can see a small door at the end. I try to sit up , but my feet are being tied together Including my hands.
” Oh my God!” I panic.
I hear distant chattering and I’m pretty sure it’s not too far from here. I look down at my hands that are tied and it’s handcuffed. Both my legs are chained together with a chain built to the wall. God why did I chose to keep my hair up without a pin. Of all the days really. I don’t even know what’s the time? What if I’ve been out for few days or maybe a week. Where’s my phone? Alexa. What must have happened to her? I look around the cold floor and there’s nothing I can do about this chain. I can’t believe I’m gonna die like this. I can’t believe I didn’t get to visit italy before dying. And my yacht ride with Gray. I’ve always loved ships and look at me , stuck in some abandoned warehouse and I’m not sure about escaping.
I won’t even visit Paris and also London before dying miserably or Canada too , I’m just being emotional right now. Maybe I should look on the bright side , he just wants to use me as bait again. Maybe he wants to use me to get to Gray. If that’s the point maybe there’s a chance. I won’t panic but hell I panicked when someone tried to open the door. I’m already whimpering and the dust from this cold floor already stained my pajamas bottom.
I hear footsteps and the door opens revealing a tall build. I know that person. That Russian demon who won’t leave me alone. Why do I have to suffer for all the things Gray did to him?
” Look who’s awake.” His Russian accent beams around the empty large room and it echoes.
” What do you want from me?” I voice out , cleary petrified. I look at the other two men with bigger riffles and I almost pee my pants.
No, jokes apart , i think i wanna pee.
” You’re so little and pretty. Gray would kill anyone who tried to hurt you. What did you give him?” Vladimir asks and leans closer to me.
” I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I scoff. ” How did you find me ?”
He smirks and runs his forefinger down my jawline to my chin. He cups my chin and grins.
” It’s so easy. I’ve got my men follow you about after I shot Alexa. So painful I should have kidnapped you since , but your boyfriend won’t let you breathe without him following you like a puppy. And then , they saw you driving back to your apartment without Gray. I heard he’s going to Chicago.”
” Who told you that?” I whimper. He smirks and rubs his thumb on my bottom lip.
” I have my ways, sweetheart.”
” Stay away from me.” I move my face so he could remove his finger from my lips.
” Gray. You’re too innocent for his dirty games. Your boyfriend hurt a lot of people to be on top and I guess I’m one of those people. I would love you to watch me kill your boyfriend and maybe claim you after.”
” You’re such a psychopath coward. You shot Alexa because of your cowardice and what now? You’re gonna shoot me too? Why don’t you go to Gray.”
” You’re so pure and you know nothing. With you in my custody, Gray would do anything I want.” He says and stands up.
” You’re an idiot and a stupid coward.” I yell.
He glares at me and grabs my hair and he raises my head upwards to look into his blue eyes. What’s with this cute demons?
” Now you’re gonna be a good girl okay.” He pats my cheek and stands up to leave.
” Unlock her chains and bring her to me.” Vladimir says and walks out of the room.
One of the guys holding a gun , squat close to me and unlock my chains. He grabs my leg aggressively and i angrily kicked his manhood.
” Fuckin bitch.” He groans and cup his generation.
” Are you fuckin crazy!” The other guy yells and shoots my arm.
” God…” I scream and fall on the floor wincing in pain. I’m already bleeding. God I’m bleeding.
” Are you crazy? Did you have to shoot her?” The guy I kicked yell at his companion.
They are not helping. I can’t feel my left arm. I grit my teeth but I end up screaming.
” She fuckin kicked you on the dick man.” The asshole who shot me defends himself.
The man i kicked hisses in pain and unlock the chains around my wrist. I waste no time but grab my upper arm that’s already bleeding.
” Fuck…” I wince to the pain. Who knew being shot hurts like hell. It’s like I can’t feel my arm and it burns inside.
” What the fuck is happening?” Vladimir walks into the room but halts when he sees me bleeding and in tears. Where the heck is Gray?
” Who fuckin shot her?” Vladimir growls. Why should he care?
The guy I kicked answer.” Rick did.”
Vladimir pulls out his gun from his coat pocket and shoots Rick on the head. He falls flat on the ground dead. I gasp in shock and wince in pain . I’m loosing too much blood right now. Vladimir walks to my form and grabs my good arm as he pulls me up to my feet.
” Tell Francesco to clear that shit up.” Vladimir says to the man.
We walk pass a dark hallway and he opens another door. This one looks better than the other room. It’s clean and has two chairs. There’s a vent window at the top and I obviously can’t escape through that. Not with my arm that’s shot. Three men are in the room , all of which are harmed with riffles. Vladimir pushes me to a chair and removes his jacket from his body. He tosses it to another guy who I didn’t notice just walked in with a first aid kit. Why should they have that. Vladimir rolls up the sleeves of his black dress shirt and his tatted arms come on display.
” You were supposed to be okay , why the fuck did Rick have to shoot you?” He yells.
The guy who holds Vladimir’s jacket give it to another guy as he takes it. The first aid guy squats in front of me and tear out the short sleeve of my t-shirt that’s already covered in blood. I whimper and cry. I’ve never been shot before. I can’t believe I’ll ever get shot because of anyone. Gray owe me for this. Imagine being shot in the arm , i should be expecting more from them. I shut my eyes when I noticed this weirdo who squats in front of me is about to remove the bullet.
” Don’t you have any drugs that can make me feel numb.” I protest but no one answers.
Vladimir sits on the other chair and watches me intensely. What a ruthless bastard. I scream when the scissors come in contact with my skin. I wanted to fight him off of me but another man joined him and they hold my other arm.
” Holy Jesus. ” I whimper when I see the bullet. He drops it on the floor and begin cleaning me. Why are they treating me in the first place? Aren’t they supposed to be the bad guys? I shut my eyes when I feel the needle pierce through my skin to stitch me up. I scream again and shout and scream till I lost my voice.
I feel a sharp sting on my neck again and it didn’t take long for me to black out.
•••••
I open my eyes and blink them several times. I look around this unfamiliar room and we’re not in the warehouse. It’s a bedroom and my feets are tied again. The other good hand was handcuff against the headboard of the bed and I’m still on my pajamas. What time is it? Is the day over? Where am I? I look at my arm that was shot and it’s better and stitched. Vladimir walks in slowly. His hands are tuck in his pants pocket.
” Where am I? What did you do to me?”
” What? You think I fucked you? Or do you want me to?”
” You’re so gross. Where am I? Why can’t you let me go?” I begin to sob , again.
He chuckles and smirks.
” You’re in Chicago and this is my bedroom. You’ve just been out for a day.”
” Chicago? New York to Chicago?” I never planned to tour the world like this.
” What do you want from me?” I ask calmly.
He chuckles and walks to the side of the bed where i lay. He takes out a seat and sits next to me.
” Gray doesn’t deserve you at all. I bet he deserves no one.” He says.
” Have you ever wondered how Gray rose to fame in such a short period of time?”
” It took him eight years.” I reply. Vladimir laughs.
” Nobody builds a Mafia like his in less than eight years , except they get greedy and do a lot of bad shit.”
” A Mafia?” I ask. I can’t believe this. I don’t wanna believe it. A Mafia?
Vladimir furrows his brows.” Fuck , he didn’t tell you? He’s such a pussy.” Vladimir pulls out a cigar from his nightstand and lights it. I’m still getting use to the smell of cigarettes and now cigar.
” Lemme tell you a story.” Vladimir puffs out the smoke through his nostrils. ” Gray worked with a man called Sinclair Daxton. Ten years ago, Sinclair happens to be the biggest and richest American Mafia boss. Gray’s father was his right hand man and he was loyal to Sinclair. Gray usually clears out his dirty deals and most times do the delivery. Gray was more often Sinclair’s Hitman. But do you know what happened?” Vladimir pause. I swallow and didn’t answer. First, ex Hitman. Ex cocaine delivery man and also a present Mafia boss. Oh Ariel , what have i gotten myself into.
” Gray got greedy.” He continues.” He wanted to build his own empire. He wanted more money and he wanted to be called boss. A step his father never took. Take that hint , that’s one of the reasons he was respected. Because he stood up to Sinclair , outsmart him, take on his most biggest client along with 50 kilos of coke.” No way.” He got away not after shooting Sinclair’s men and he left the city and never showed up. And he didn’t tell you.” Vladimir laughs and smokes some more. He shakes his head and flicks the ash on the nightstand.
” He never trusted you enough to tell you. Scared you were gonna run your mouth. Now let’s get down to business. The Chinese wanted a drug deal. They wanted someone who’s willing to ship a large scale of drugs to Asia. Your boyfriend got greedy again , outsmart me behind my back and took it. One shipping was supposed to give me a fuckin billion. But your greedy boyfriend took it. His fuckin Summit is built with greed. He’s got a lot of rivals because he hurt a lot of people to be on top. He’s the youngest American Mafia boss in history and he’s never been caught , you know why…” Vladimir pauses again and puffs out the smoke. I’m sobbing. How could he lie to me? You know the funny part I’m already sweating.
” I’ll tell you why. Because, he’s got politicians under him. Connections and a lot of properties around the globe. Gray got almost three thousand men who works for him, including shameless politicians and even the government. Do you know your boyfriend’s got goldmines? Damn , he must be a trillionaire….” He laughs with so much humor. “And now’s he got a soft spot and that’s you. You’re the only person who can move Gray sweetheart.” He stands up and sits on the edge of the bed. I scoot far but the chains limit me.
” He’s got an underground warehouse which i discovered. Nobody knows where it is. That warehouse contains a lot of shit. Billions sweetheart. A lot of fuckin coke and other shit. I want it. That’s why you’re here.”
I sniffle and sniffle again.” What makes you think he has an underground warehouse. I should have known about it.”
” Because he doesn’t trust you. You’re just his little minion. Probably for distraction and pleasure. Forget about the stupid Ferrari that you drive. He’s manipulated you so fuckin long.” Vladimir chuckles and stands up.
” Get dressed , we’re leaving the country.”
” The what!” I exclaim but he’s already gone. “You can’t do this to me.” I scream and try to fight this bounds.
” I won’t do that if i were you.” A voice says. I look up and it’s a girl with barely no clothing. She smirks and walks into the room holding a piece of clothing on her hand.
” Don’t try to fight it , breathe while I dress you up.” She smirks and drops the clothes on the bed.
She uncuffs the handcuff and i try to run. She chuckles and drags me back by my hair. She punches me and pushes me on the bed.
” I warned you to behave.” She hisses and punches me again. I black out.
•••••
I open my eyes and I’m faced with Vladimir who’s sitting opposite me. The whole interior is white and fancy and I wonder where are we. My hands are handcuff again and I’m pretty sure my wrist already got a mark. I look down at my outfit and I’m wearing a sweatshirt with sneakers and black jeans. Damn. Vladimir smirks at me and I’m forced to look out the window. Holy hell , we’re flying.
” Where are we going?” I ask.
” Sit back and enjoy the ride.”
I sob silently and bite my lips. I wish I had the promise ring on. Gray wouldn’t hurt me right? But why did he have to lie to me? Why would he manipulate me? I can’t believe he’s using me as a distraction. That can’t be true. I look down at the pendant on my neck. Tinkerbell is spelt across it and the writing is tiny.
I look up at Vladimir and he’s watching me. Why can’t I escape? Yeah it’s not possible. I shut my eyes and think about every details Vladimir told me about Gray. Drugs , Mafia. So what is Summit? It’s just a cover? A tear slide down my cheeks and i couldn’t stop it before it slip out. After several hours of crying, the jet slows down. He’s also one of them , reasons he could afford a private jet. I open my eyes when I feel a hand on my hands. Vladimir releases the seatbelt and the handcuff as he drags me up.
I follow behind him and his hold on my upper arm isn’t gentle at all. My other arm still hurts a bit from the shot. We step on the steps as the country’s breeze sent my hair flying. I look around and it’s a bit warm here. Two black Mercedes Benz awaits us and the windows are tinted. Two men stand beside it with black suits and guns. I whimper and try to free from Vladimir’s grip. He is stronger and it’s futile.
” Where are we?” I whimper.
Vladimir smiles as we step on the ground.
” Welcome to Italy.”
Chapter 59
GRAY
“Boss , he’s here.” Manny says and I nod.
” Be alerted.” I tell him.
He nods and I take the stairs below. We’re at the top of a casino building. I take the flight of stairs down and I appear at an empty passage. I worry about Ariel , I actually told Carl and Spencer to keep an eye on her once i leave just to be sure she’ll be safe. First thing , I actually didn’t travel with a mobile phone because of this shitty business stuff.
After I left Chicago , I had to fly to italy to sort out an asshole who thought it was nice to rat me out to a goddamn dectective.
I shove my hands in my jacket pocket and stalk past the empty passage. The faint music from the club blast through the passage. I sigh once i arrive at the club. Gamblers were everywhere. They chant and laugh with shots of tequila in their grasp.
” The infamous Gray Carter.” He smirks and stops in front of me.
” You’ve grown.” He snickers.
” Sinclair , what do you want?” I ask him. He chuckles and looks down at me.
” Who are you planning to kill this time? Who’s the unfortunate soul Gray?” He asks and lights his cigar.
” Mind your business , Sin.”
He laughs again and he’s wasting my time. Sinclair was my father’s friend or probably my father worked for Sinclair and he made me clear his dirty deals for Sinclair. He’s never getting old.
” You still owe me Gray. I haven’t forgotten your sins yet.” He says and this time I’m the one who’s laughing. He’s so fuckin hilarious.
” Fuck , Sinclair. I’m passed that bullshit level.”
” I wonder how many people you killed just to be on top. I took you as a son but your greedy inner man thought it was nice to go behind my back. What type of shitty man are you?” He says , reminding me what happened years ago. Fuckin hell. I didn’t even regret killing his so called biggest client. A desperate man will have to do anything to get what he wants even if you have to hurt some people.
” You know the rules , Sin. You take out the ones on top to be on top. Move out of my way.” I push past him and walk deep into the club. The braless strippers entertain this horny men with their drunk friends.
” Boss.” I scoff at Meghan. What’s she doing here? Now I remembered , I picked her up from a strip club.
” It’s been so fuckin long. What are you doing here?” She smirks. Always trying hard to be seductive.
” Later Meghan.” I need to meet with someone. Someone who thought it was nice to tell on me.
I see his guard at the corner of the dark club. He pushes himself from the wall and begin walking to the direction of a door. He twists the doorknob and we enter before he shut the door. I walk behind him in this empty passage till we arrive in front of another door. He tap his knuckles on the door as someone orders us in. He opens the door for me and I enter. There he was , stupid fucker.
” Gray , please sit and play chess with me.” I draw out a seat and sit opposite him. My eyes scan around his room to his guard that stand beside him.
” Tell him to leave.” I say.
” What? He’s not a threat and he’s my guard.”
” No one’s trying to kill you. I want him to leave.”
He sighs and motions for his guard to leave. The guard walks out and shuts the door.
” So Mr Carter…” He begins as he moves his chess piece.
” We were doing fine before you decide to introduce Romeo to me. You know what happened at Chicago three weeks ago. I lost a lot of shit. 30 kilos to be precise.” I say and move my chess piece.
” I don’t know Gray. It was a coincidence I think.”
” It wasn’t. Someone had to tell on me and they planned it with Romeo. Stole my shit and rat me out. You knew he was an Italian but you promised everything was gonna be okay. I worked hard for everything. Everything asin out of the cops slash CIA. You’re a politician and you know your duty.” I keep my eyes on him and move my piece.
” I know Gray. Like i said it was a coincidence.”
” And I’m telling you it was a set-up. Someone sold me out to a fuckin detective. That wasn’t supposed to happen , Tucker.” I glare at him. I quietly shove out my gun and load it calmly. It has a silencer , probably it won’t alert the others.
” Did you tell on him?” I ask him calmly.
His face pales out once. Such a fuck face. He tenses and chuckles to regain his guilt filled face.
” I would never do that Gray.”
” You did it , Tucker. Can I know why?”
His pulse moves rapidly and it’s obvious. I nod and continue the game.
” I’m sorry if you think I would betray you , Gray.” Fuckin politicians. Lying thieves.
I look up at him and meet eyes with his. I pick up my chess piece and kick his own piece with mine.
” Checkmate.” I pull out my gun and shoot him on the head. He falls back on his chair and dies with blood oozing out of his head.
” Bitch.” I cuss and stand up.
I walk to the side of his desk and draw out his drawers. There are bunch and list of different files. I scamper through the files and see what I wanted. I pick up the flashdrive and stuff it in my pocket. I take one last look at his corpse and bring out another gun from my Jacket pocket. I check the bullet on the gun and cock the gun. I twist the doorknob and open the door. Before his guard could make a move , I shoot him. The gun shot alerted the others as they pile in with their guns. I aim at their heads and shoot at each one of them as they rush in.
” Damn , Carter.” Another man cuss as he tries to pull his trigger. I slam my gun across his face as the man groans and crash on the floor hissing In pain. I scoff and shoot him.
” Fuckin bastard.” Another of Tucker’s men yells as he shoots at me. I duck and shoot him. He falls down on the floor in his pool of blood.
” Damn…” I breathe out and look around the passage. Lots of Tucker’s dead men. He’s such a traitor. And i hate traitors. And then I have one mole to deal with too. I’ve always suspected Meghan with Sarai. Even if she isn’t working with me anymore , that bitch has something up her sleeves, especially when I found out Meghan is dating Sarai. I thought they were both straight.
The guy I shot last whimpers. His hand moves slightly as he tries to open his eyes. I shake my head and shoot him on the head.
” Dick.” I chuckle and shove my guns inside my Jacket and walk out of the casino. I took the stairs to the top of the building where Manny and Nick is waiting.
” Romeo is dead. Reid shot him.” Nick says.
” Boss , you should come look at this.” Manny who’s leaning on the edge of the building with a sniper rifle in his hand, says. He motions to me as I take the sniper rifle. I look into the telescope and the sight made me gasp.
” Ariel. Fuck.”
Vladimir’s right hand man drags her out of his car aggressively. I see Vladimir at the corner smoking his stupid cigar. The total of them are four , including Vladimir.
” Take out the two on my command.” I say to Manny and rush down back into the building.
This is all my fault. I’m always getting her into trouble and seriously I feel selfish. It’s just a billion dollars and I have more than that. I’m giving him back his money if that’s gonna end this bullshit fight. How did he even fine her? I thought I ask Carl and Spencer to look after her. I take the backdoor through an abandoned room in the casino and it leads to the warehouse.
She means everything to me. I’d give my life to see her happy. She makes me happy and anyone who tries to hurt her will make me loose my mind.
ARIEL
” Leave me alone.” I thrash at the huge man to free from his grasp , it’s fruitless. I’m tired of this stupid game. And if i walk out alive this time , I’m moving away from him. But that’s impossible. He makes me want him despite his shitty act. This ruthless fella drags me out of the car and he shuts the door. Vladimir smiles at me and inhales his cigar. The odor is so suffocating and I feel like puking.
Where’s Gray? I feel like I’ve literally lost it.
” Look who decides to join the party.” Vladimir chuckles with his cigar in between his lips. I look up and my eyes meet with that one man who makes me want him. That same man who I just can’t avoid. I breathe out and silently whimper. Why did I have to be in the middle of their mess.
Just seeing him so close to me makes my heart melt. He’s always so dangerously perfect. Why do I have to fall in love with him. I knew his world was dangerous but I didn’t care. I saw through his flaws and saw a man who deeply cares about me. A man who always wanna make me happy. A man I’ve come to fall in love with. The huge man push me to Vladimir as the three men point their guns at Gray. Vladimir has his own gun against my temple. I’m already whimpering as usual. I’m sobbing and this isn’t funny. Am I gonna die miserable? What if I die… Oh God Ariel, think positive. He cocks his gun against my temple and that’s it. My spirit left my body and I can’t feel my feet. I panick.
” Drop your gun Gray.” Vladimir orders. I look at Gray and he’s obviously holding a hand gun. I actually know a hand gun when i see one. Thanks to Alexa.
Gray nods his head and slowly squats down to drop his gun. He stands up and exhales sharply.
” Kick it over.” Vladimir says with his gun still pressed against my temple. This isn’t funny , i want to get the hell out of here.
” Gray , kick the gun away.” Vladimir says through gritted teeth and I’m sure he’s glaring right at Gray from behind me.
Gray quickly nods and kick the gun away.
” Vladimir , don’t do this. I will do anything you want, just don’t hurt her. Please.” Gray pleads.
Vladimir chuckles.” This is so unusual. He just said please…” Vladimir shakes his head. I sob and lock eyes with Gray. His eyes are soft and he’s apologising through them.
” Let her go. I’ll give you the money you want. Don’t touch her.” He warns.
” What if I don’t want the money? What if I need something else?” Vladimir asks.
” What do you want?”
Please don’t say you want the girl. Cause I’m not liking this game anymore.
” Your underground warehouse.”
Gray chuckles.” Fucker.” He quickly pulls out another gun from his jacket and shoot Vladimir’s hand including the man closest to him. The two other men falls on the ground dead and I think someone else shot them.
Vladimir chuckles and winces to his bleeding arm. He already drops his gun due to his already bleeding arm that Gray shot.
” We shouldn’t do this.” Gray says walking to my frame that’s already huddled in a corner whimpering. I’ve seen too much dead people in this twenty years of my life.
” Don’t come after her again and I’m giving you your one billion I got from the fuckin contract.” Gray says.
” And the money you’ve been making from it?”
” That shit’s passed.”
” You know if I don’t come after her , others will. You’re just a desperate fuck. Why don’t you save your little princess and let her go.”
” Shut the fuck up.” Gray yells.
” I bet you didn’t tell her you killed…”
” Don’t.” Gray cut him short.
” Oh I see. You didn’t tell her…” Vladimir chuckles.
” Vladimir , shut up.” Gray glares at him. And this is making more sense. Who did he kill again.
” Yeah. You know you killed your father.” He says as Gray pulls the trigger. I sob and cover my ears as Gray continues to shoot at him. I didn’t notice I’m curled up on the floor. My eyes meet Vladimir’s dead body on the floor with several bullets on his body. Holy baby Jesus.
” Are you fuckin crazy?” I yell at him.
” Let’s get you home.” He grabs my arm but I snatch it away from him.
” Don’t touch me. You just killed him.”
” I have to.”
” Yeah? You’re just a sick head. You’re not okay , you need a psychiatrist.” I yell with tears filled eyes and begin to walk away from him. I hear a loud gun shot and I run back to Gray.
” Tinkerbell, come on.” Gray groans and tosses me on his shoulder.
I sob and shake my leg but that didn’t stop the sudden shootout. Gray points his gun at the two new shooters and pulls the trigger , both men falls down dead.
The shot didn’t end there. I shut my eyes and cover my ears already crying like a six years old. Who knew falling in love could be this hard , especially with someone like Gray. Gray groans and cusses and I think he run out of bullets.
I open my eyes and obviously as expected , he killed all of them. He was really an Hitman before. A ruthless one at that.
” Let’s get out of here.”
” Drop me now.” I order but that was fruitless. He hurry pass a door with me on his shoulder. I cuss and smack his back till I got tired. We arrive at the top of a building and a chopper is waiting for him at the top.
I am placed inside the chopper with Gray. I already lost my voice and my face is covered with tears. Gray helps me with my seatbelt and i totally ignore him. I look worn out and empty. I lean against the window totally frustrated. Manny and Nick get in as the chopper take off. I don’t bother to look at Gray or the others. I lean against the window through out the ride. He has done a lot of things. I can’t believe Vladimir is dead already. Part of me appreciated it but same time I hated it. He was fighting for what’s his and Gray took it. He even killed his father. What type of man does that? After several hours, the chopper begins to land on an empty space. I slept all through the ride and it’s evening. I think we’re in New York.
” Tinkerbell , let’s go.” I didn’t reply him.
I step out of the chopper with Gray and the others. Two cars already awaits us. Nick and Manny entered one of the cars with the driver. Gray motions for the other driver to follow them and he obliges. The chopper takes off including Manny and Nick’s car. Now I’m left alone with Gray.
” Gray , I don’t wanna be with you anymore.” I say.
” What if I wanna be with you? What are you gonna do about it?” He asks, walking slowly to my frame that’s still scared. I’m scared of him already.
” You’re not Gray.” I silently say.
” You make me crazy , Ariel. You drive me crazy if that’s what you wanna know.”
” Why did you kill your father?” I ask suddenly. He stops in front of me with his eyes lingering over mine. My heart is hammering against my chest. He’s the only person who always makes me feel this way. Only him.
” He was an asshole.”
” Why? That’s not even an answer. Who even killed their own father.” I sniffle.
” I don’t wanna talk about it.”
” Oh yes!” I yell.” You don’t wanna talk about it. Vladimir told me everything. So Summit is a Mafia? Gray a Mafia. What am I supposed to do with you?”
” What ever you want.” he takes a step closer to me and we’re so close that I could literally feel his pink lips against mine , kissing me. You know the funny part, he didn’t deny anything.
His eyes flutters and I’m just hypnotized by just staring into his grey orbs. My heartbeat is so fast right now. His right hand wraps around my neck and he pulls me to him. Our eyes are locked against each other. His thumb caress slowly against my cheek and that surprisingly soothes my skin. Ariel , breathe. Buddy killed his father.
” Gray why didn’t you tell me? Do you know how it feels to hear something like that from someone else. Your damn rival! Gray a Mafia, not even some tiny criminal organization but some shitty organization with smuggling and drugs. You’re even their boss. A mob boss. I asked you if you were a mob , you lied to my face. You couldn’t even tell me. You made me look like a fool. A stupid nerdy teenage girl. Fine I get it, i knew you’re criminal , but a mob boss , blood of God. When did you plan on telling me? When you must have gotten tired of me!” I yell.
” Ariel , it’s not what you think. I’m sorry i lied, even if I really didn’t lie to you. I have my reasons for withhelding such information from you.”
” What reasons? What stupid reasons? You have no reasons at all. If I didn’t see you pull out a gun the first time , you wouldn’t even tell me you’re a criminal. Why did you have to keep everything from me. I’m tired of being in the middle of your shitty games. Vladimir had to shoot me.”
” I’m sorry. For the shot. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save you.” He mutters and cups my cheek with his thumb pad stroking my cheek.
” Why did you kill your father?” I ask.
” He was an asshole, don’t bug me about it.”
The fuck! I shouldn’t ask why he killed his father? How did I get into this mess. I swat his hands off my face and wipe my eyes with my fingers.
” I can’t do this. I can’t do it anymore. He was right. Even if he doesn’t come after me , your other enemies will. Gray you’re a Mob boss. I might be timid but I’m not dumb. I know what’s a Mafia. The fights never end. I can’t , just leave me alone.” I sigh and step away from me.
” Stop walking out of my life. What am I supposed to do with it?”
” Do whatever thing you want. Leave me alone. Fuckin rich people…” I hiss and kick his car.
Damn. Pain travel through my shin at the impact of the kicking. He shoves his hands in his pocket and watches me.
” Do not come after me. Don’t stop at my apartment. Don’t call me. Leave me alone. Stay away from me. I can’t deal with someone like you. Why did you kill your father? Nothing. You’re always too hard to deal with.” I groan.
” Tinkerbell, I’m sorry.”
” Don’t call me Tinkerbell. Are you happy? Always running from enemies and guns.”
” I don’t run , princess. A bullet don’t fuckin scare me. You’re the only thing that makes me run lately. You don’t even know how much you mean to me. You’ve made me done a lot of shit that i don’t even think I would do. I can’t watch you walk out of my life after you gave it meaning.”
” Really? You’ve got enemies everywhere. Now ask yourself , is it worth it? You’re always on the chase. And you wanna risk my life because of your shitty games. What’s with you wealthy people?”
” Don’t act like being broke is pretty cute. I’m sorry and i mean it. I want you Ariel. You can’t just steal my heart and walk away with it.”
” You’re a crackhead , Gray. You lied to me. Manipulated me. Put my life in danger and I had to fall in love with you. I’m in love with you how am I supposed to deal with that. I advised myself, but I wasn’t ready to listen because, you’re a god at making people do what you want. Stay the fuck away from me.” I poke his shoulders as I say these words.
” You’re in love with me?” Damn. Is he okay? I mean out of all the things I said , the only thing he could ask me is if I’m in love with him. Oh my God. He needs a psychiatrist.
” Answer me , Ariel.” He says and step forward.
” Don’t come any closer. You asshole. Manipulating asshole.” I hiss and turn to walk away from him.
” Fuckin rich people.” I mutter and begin walking. I don’t even know where I’m going but I keep on walking anyways.
And it hurts to watch him let me walk away. And part of me hated the fact that he didn’t stop me. Why?
Chapter 60
GRAY
I never thought I could feel heartbroken or even feel forsaken. I never thought I was ever gonna fall in love with a girl or even care for someone so much. Ariel fuckin made me feel weak. When you get involved with dangerous shit like the Mafia or even decides to do narcotics , you gotta be sure you got nothing to loose. No lover , no kid , nothing , so they won’t hit you back expecting you’re gonna loose something. When Kennedy was born, I made sure she stays far away from me because, I wanted to make sure she’s okay. But why can’t I let Ariel stay away from me.
Manny sighs after he stiitch up the bullet wound. I got shot when I was trying to save her.
” You’re in love.” Manny says and close the first aid kit. I look down at my bandages around my arm.
” Yeah?”
” She’s pretty and a nice person. I might not be good with this but, I see the way you look at her. She likes you a lot.” I look up at Manny and sigh again.
” Thanks for the bandage.”
” Sure thing boss. Do you need a break?”
” No , I’m fine. I’m paying Mr Brown a visit.”
He nods and walks out of my bedroom. I thought about her through out the day and how I fucked up. It pains to watch her walk away from me. I wanted to go after her , but certainly I couldn’t. I feel guilty.
Why did Vladimir had to tell her that? I planned on doing that myself and he had to spoil everything. I run my fingers through my hair. She’s fuckin driving me insane.
” Gray.” Reid walks in and I didn’t bother to look at him.
” You killed Vladimir?”
” What ? Is he your boyfriend?” I ask sarcastically.
” Did you really have to do that?”
” I have every right to do what I want. He wanted to shoot my girl.”
Reid scoffs and tuck his hands in his pockets.
” I told you she was gonna bring nothing but trouble but you don’t wanna listen.”
” Reid , give me ten feet , okay.”
” Do you know what you did ? I’m not sure you know. You just killed a Russian Mafia boss. Things won’t go easy this time and it’s because of a girl. A girl , Gray.”
I stand up and walk to my glass wall. I feel Reid’s presence slowly walks to my form.
” Why don’t you give her up and let her go? You know what you need to do, why don’t you do the right thing.”
” And neglect love like you? Fuck , man , I should make my own decisions.”
Reid chuckles.” You know Vladimir’s got a brother , right? Once he finds out you light his brother out, he’s gonna start a war.”
I chuckle and shove my hands in my pockets. I turn around and smirk at Reid.” Let him bring the fucking war. I don’t fucking care about anyone right now.”
Reid scoffs and turns to leave. He stops and turns around.” Hope you know what you’re doing?”
I don’t answer but pick up a cigarette to light it. He shakes his head and walks out of my room. I light it up and tilt my head back to spur out the smoke.
***
Carl opens the door to Brown’s office as I walk in with my hands in my pocket. He looks up clearly baffled. Manny walks in with Carl and they shut the door before they walk to stand behind Brown. Fuckin traitor. He thought it was nice to work with Tucker and rat me out to a damn dectective. Dude’s got balls. They just wanna ruin me and I don’t even know why.
” Mr Carter.” He says my name and swallow like he knew I brought trouble.
” Tell your guard to get out.” I say, referring to his guard who stand close to him holding a gun.
” And why please? He means no harm.”
” I want to talk private.”
” And you brought your men? I don’t want him to leave.”
” Okay.” I reply and pull out my gun from my jacket. I point it at his guard and shoot him. He falls down dead.
Mr Brown flinches and tries to sit up. Manny and Carl holds his shoulders and forces him to sit back down on the chair.
” Breathe Brown , I’m not here to hurt you.” I smirk and sit on his opposite chair.
” Tucker is dead.”
I see the fear in his face as he flinches again. Carl pats his shoulder telling him to calm down.
” Including Romeo , the detective.” I add. His breathing is rapid and he’s masking his shivering state.
” Now I want us to talk. How much did the CIA pay you to rat me out? I thought you wanted to work with me and you ratted me out? How much did they pay you Brown?”
” Nobody paid me. I didn’t work with anyone. Tucker did it , not me. I would never rat you out to a detective Gray.”
I raise my brows and chuckle. I tap my gun on his desk and he’s making me angry.
” How much did they pay you Brown?” I ask him.
” Nobody paid me Gray. Believe me.” He lie. What a dick. I look up at Manny. He smirks and press his gun against Brown’s temple. He shivers and throws his hands in surrender.
” Are you gonna talk or not?”
He nods immediately.
” 5 million.”
” Fuck man. 5 million? Jesus , and you’re a business man. Nigga , are you hungry?”
” I was forced and he threatened my goddamn family. What was I supposed to do?”
” Rat me out. And broke the Omertà. You know the punishment once you decide to open your mouth to a fuckin detective.” I help him complete his statement.
” So what did you do with the money? Did you visit Paris? Or maybe Mexico?” I ask.
He gulps. I motion for Manny to take away his gun , cause he’s frightened already.
” Answer me Brown.” I yell.
” It’s in my account.”
” Sure.” Carl drops a file in front of him. He looks down at the file and looks up at me.
” Open it.”
He opens the file and flip through it. He looks at me surprised as he gulps.
” That’s the documents to your hotels and your Mexican restaurant. You’re signing it out.”
” Gray you can’t do this to me. I can’t sign this.”
” Oh , yeah , you will. Take the pen.” Manny gives him a pen but he didn’t take it.
Carl grabs his hand and force the pen in his grip.
” Sign it , Brown.”
He shakes his head sideways. I rub my temple and point my gun at his left arm. I pull the trigger and he winces , gripping to his already bleeding arm.
“Fuck…” He screams and shudders in fear and pain.
” Are you gonna sign it or not?” I ask him still pointing my gun at him.
” Why are you doing this , Gray?”
” Because you ratted me out. Now sign the fuckin paper now or I’ll shoot you in the head.”
” Please don’t kill me.”
” I won’t if you sign it.” Manny smirks at my fake promise to Brown.
He nods in fear and pick up the pen. With his shaky hand, he signed it. Manny takes it and closes the file.
” Please don’t harm me.”
” Of course I won’t.” I shoot him a fake smile and stand up and walk to his door. I halt and turn around.” I’m sorry I lied.” I point the gun at him and shoot his head countless times.
” Bitch.”
ARIEL
I slump lazily on Alexa’s couch. She asked us to go grocery shopping after i convinced her that we should spend sometime in her house instead of mine. I don’t want Gray looking for me. Just his sight and I’m head over heels falling for him again.
Alexa was totally worried about me. After i walked out on Gray that day and that’s like three days ago , he won’t stop calling me. I angrily switch off my phone and avoided him. It wasn’t easy because I couldn’t stop thinking about him. How did he manage to steal my heart and make me fall crazily in love with him. No day goes by that I don’t think about us. He lied and keep such a huge secret away from me. I mean , i knew he was a criminal and I actually overlooked it but finding out such dirty secrets from someone else is painful. I’d never thought I would fall in love with a murderer not even a criminal to be precise and it has to be a mob boss. A Mafia boss. How did I get involved in such a mess. I’ve watched a lot of mob movies and i know what’s involved with such people.
Guns , drugs , fights , large scales of narcotics and even smuggling. Everything that’s involved with illegal. How am I supposed to keep up with that. I can’t even have my normal life back. He brought nothing but trouble and I stupidly took it.
Alexa drops the item on the counter and comes back to the living room. Her apartment is far different from mine and it’s pretty. The walls are like milk , so creamy and it’s fancy.
” You know you’re not helping yourself if you stay quiet. You’ve been acting weird ever since you got missing. What’s happening to you?” When I got home that day , she won’t stop hugging me. She explained to me how she freaked out when I didn’t come around till almost midnight. She actually thought I was with Gray and barely could believe I got kidnapped.
I sigh and look at her. She smiles warmly at me and sits next to me. If there’s anyone I should trust with my whole life , then it should be Alexa.
” You didn’t even tell me who kidnapped you.”
I heave a deep breath and pull my knees to my chest.” Vladimir did.”
” The fuck!”
” Yes. He took me to italy and told me a lot of crazy things about Gray. I knew he was a criminal but I didn’t expect Gray to be involved with a Mafia. He’s even the boss of this so called organized crime.”
Alexa blinks her eyes and presses her lips together. She doesn’t look surprised.
” And what happened next?” She asks calmly.
” Gray showed up at the warehouse and shot Vladimir.”
” He’s dead?”
” Gray killed him. I confronted him about what Vladimir told me and I also found out that he killed his father.”
” Oh my God. Shit! That’s deep. Who pulls a trigger at their parents? Did he tell you why?”
” Didn’t say a word.”
Alexa sighs deeply.
” So what’s your plan?”
” Stay very far away from him. I got shot and i obviously thought I was gonna die. I never thought he could ever get involved with narcotics.”
” I knew about it.”
” You what?” I look up at Alexa. No , this can not be true.
” Yes , i do. Last year , I dated a man called Massimo. He was the leader of the Sicilian Mafia. We got serious and afterwards he took me to a party. It was a Mafia party. At first i was scared just like you , but I really liked him. That was the first time I met Gray. I found out he was also a mob boss too. Few months after , Massimo was killed by a drug dealer in Mexico. So that was how we parted. I came back to college and decided to stay away from crimes. You also know about Vladimir , so there’s no need to tell you about that one.”
” Alexa you didn’t tell me. All of this , you didn’t say a word to me.”
” I wasn’t in the place to tell you. What am I supposed to say , take you to a corner and rat Gray to you. Ariel nobody rats a drug Lord out.”
” What are you saying? You’re my cousin , you could have just told me.” I say. Everything is weird. Nothing makes sense to me.
” Gray didn’t tell you about the code of silence. The Omertà.”
” What the hell is that?”
” Fuck , Ariel. Once you decide to get involved with the Mafia, you get marked. It’s a symbol which means a code of silence , it’s called the Omertà.”
” I don’t get it. What’s that supposed to mean? I mean how does this concern the situation I’m in right now.”
She sighs and pulls her crop top above her head. She turns around and asks me to glance at her back. I did and there’s a tattoo on her back and it’s so little. Omertà is tattooed on her back. Gray got that tattoo , I’ve seen it on Nick too. She turns to look at me and put on her shirt.
” When I got involved with Massimo , I got that. I got sworn in. No matter what ever situation you find yourself in , don’t ever rat them out. Don’t tell anyone Gray’s involved with illegal drugs. Including the cops , not even your family. Don’t tell Piper and Brandon.”
” Why?”
” Death. You’re just gonna get yourself killed. Sooner or later , you might get marked you know.”
” I won’t even let that happen.” Now I’m getting scared.
She chuckles and snorts.” Do you even love him? Like really love him? Because I know he fuckin loves you so damn much.”
” You know I love him.”
” Then give him a chance and hear him out. He cares about you too much and I believe he won’t let anyone hurt you. That’s love , Ariel.” She stands up and walks down the hall to her room.
That evening , I make dinner for Alexa and i. She’s not around , drove to the store to get something which I believe it’s tampons. I dance to Selena Gomez ‘Souvenir’ as I flip the pancakes on the pan. The doorbell rings and i groan. I switch off the stove and wipe my hands and make my way to the door. Alexa is not around and I’m pretty sure she’s single and doesn’t have a boyfriend who would come looking for her. I look through the peephole and there’s no one.
” Who’s there?” I ask and get no reply. The doorbell rings again and I look through the peephole. No one.
I take a deep breath and open the door. At that moment , i couldn’t breathe. My heart beat is rapid again and I can’t find my voice. What’s he doing here? How did he find me? Did Alexa tell him where I am. I look down at him and he looks breathtakingly gorgeous. He’s got a haircut and he looks so good looking. Oh God what am i thinking. I’m supposed to be mad at him.
” Gray.”
” Hey.” He says. I’ve missed this voice for a very long time.
” What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
” Can I come in?”
I shake my head sideways.
” You should leave.”
He smirks. I proceed to close the door but he stops me. He walks me inside and shut the door behind him. I lean against the wall as i try to catch my breath. Of course he had stole it.
” How did you find me?” I ask. I look everywhere but him. Just looking into these gray orbs of his and I’ll be hypnotized. He’s gonna be the down fall of me if I don’t steer clear.
He looks down at me. That’s when it dawn to me I’m wearing loose clothing. My cotton shorts is really short and it barely covers my butt. The white crop tank top i wear is really visible, because I’m not wearing a bra.
” Damn, I missed staring at you.” He whispers. He trails his forefinger down my jawline to my collarbone. He continues close to my boobies but I swat his hands away. He had no right to seduce me. He owes me an explanation.
I proceed to walk past him, but he grabs my waist and pulls me to him. I fight him but it’s fruitless.
” Gray leave me alone.”
” And why should I listen to you?” He asks calmly and leans me against the wall. He always smells so good. I shut my eyes at our close proximity.
I didn’t even notice him trail his hands on my expose thighs to my butt. I need to stop him but I can’t. He smiles and looks down at my lips.
” I miss you.” He whispers to the skin of my neck and kisses my neck down my chest. I bite my lip to stop me from moaning but it’s fruitless. He has stolen my senses.
His right hand caresses my skin to my butt and i moan.
” I miss touching you.” He mutters against my skin and bites my shoulder blade.
I squeeze my eyes and curse myself for getting wet at his gentle assualt.
” Gray stop.” He needs to explain things to me and he owes me an explanation. He nods and moves back.
” How did you find me? Did Alexa tell you where to find me?”
He chuckles and shakes his head sideways. He grabs the pendant on my neck and raise it to my face.
” This did the trick.”
” What?”
” I put a bug in it.”
” You what? You put a tracker in my pendant? How could you do that?”
” It’s not what you think. In case you get into trouble and i wanna look for you. Please don’t give it back and don’t ever take it out.”
I look away and sigh.
” So how come you couldn’t track me with this when Vladimir took me away ?”
” I wasn’t with a system or even my phone. I don’t travel with those.”
I scoff.” So what do want?” I ask not looking at him.
He grabs my waist and pulls me into his build. Our lips are close and it feels like we’re about to make out. I wanna push him , punch him and tell him to leave me alone and stay far away from me, but right now I can’t. He always knows my buttons and when to press them.
” I want you Ariel.”
” Why do you keep coming back? Why don’t you just move on?” I ask.
” Because , I fuckin love you. You’ve made me fall in love with you and i won’t let you walk out of my life just like that.”
” What are you saying?”
Both hands wraps around my waist and he kisses my neck. I shudder and collapse to his gentle assualt. He kiss down my neck. I breathe in and out as he kisses to my earlobe.
He whispers.” I love you, Tinkerbell.”
At that moment, my world stop moving. I can’t breathe and I didn’t say a word. He loves me! Yeah , i know he loves me but I didn’t expect him to say those words any time soon.
” You love me?” I ask silently , barely audible.
He smiles and cups my cheek with one hand. My eyes are glue to his and we’re not breaking the eye contact anytime soon.
” I do. I fucking love you , Ariel. Take my heart , take my soul. Take everything but , just don’t leave me.”